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greatest effect. SAVING partners - and other researchers - have considered parts like clips, brackets, hinges and latches. “Improving lots of parts, in a small way, can have a huge


effect,” he says. Demonstrating flexibility


The partners decided that a belt buckle would be an ideal part to demonstrate 3D printing’s flexibility and weight saving benefits - and was easier to relate to than a complex engine component. It was designed to look like a conventional buckle, and used similar design principles. But it uses far less material (as non-essential portions can simply be removed), as well as opting for laser-sintered titanium rather than steel or aluminium.


“Titanium is easier to process in this way than steel or aluminium,” says Ayre. The titanium buckle would weigh 70g, rather than 155g


in steel. If a typical Airbus contains 850 of these buckles, the total saving would be 72.5kg - equivalent to 3.3m litres of fuel at a cost of around £2m. It might appear that the saving is simply down to using


lower-density titanium in place of steel, but Ayre believes that 3D printing has delivered two advantages over conventional techniques in this example. “We can vary the wall sections at will, which would be


very difficult with casting or pressing,” he says. “And the two components of the belt can be built in-situ, which means you remove the assembly cost.” Phill Dickens, professor of manufacturing technology at Loughborough University, points to another aerospace


example - a bracket for a TV set. A simple redesign can help to make the part thinner than before. But 3D printing can build it just as easily with an ‘internal lattice’ structure - so it is effectively porous. This offers huge weight savings, which has an effect for in-use costs. “You could save around $880,000 if you used this on just


40 seats,” he says. “And that’s just one part.” But he says that many practical issues must still solved if


3D printing is to become a true ‘manufacturing technology’. These include: developing a broader range of materials; minimising process waste; and ensuring repeatability. “There is also the issue of supports,” he says. “Supports


are a real pain.” Designing support


The support is the structure that is built alongside the actual 3D printed part that must be removed after the part is complete. The best way to exploit 3D printing is to design ever more


complex parts - which makes the issue of supports even more important. One possible answer, he believes, is to design the support


into the structure of the part, so that it effectively becomes a part of the design. “We have to do some really imaginative thinking to solve


this,” he says. Although we are still a long way from 3D-printed


aeroplanes, blood vessels and moon bases, increasing numbers of designers and manufacturers are already making use of this flexible and powerful set of technologies. ●


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EuropDesignEngineer_185x121_4c_print.indd 1 Circle 55 or ✔ at www.engineerlive.com/ede 22.02.13 11:13


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