ADDITIVE MANUFACTURING


need for tooling. So, if the design subsequently needs to be updated, the only element being changed is the soſtware. Te new printed parts then incorporate those small design changes that have been made between the last development and the current development.’ Jackson commented that education and


confidence in AM is the primary challenge for adoption of the technology. He said: ‘Now that there is much more information available about the mechanical performance of AM parts, the industry is ready to increase its use.’ In an effort to aid


designed and manufactured using conventional processes, you can’t necessarily convert that to AM as a process,’ he said. ‘Because if you do, you’re not then exploiting the true benefits of it being additive manufacturing.’ He explained that if a part has been


understanding, EOS has sponsored Formula Students at several universities (see box) and expects to witness their impact on the use of AM as they move into the motorsport industry. In terms of uptake, 25 per cent of all EOS AM machines in the UK are producing parts for the motorsport industry. Tere are also AM companies based in France, Germany and Italy that supply the UK motorsport industry. Recently, EOS announced that it has entered


metals is that you can begin to produce parts like exhaust manifolds


The benefits of using


designed to be made using a casting or machined process, then that’s probably the best way to make it. But, by understanding the benefits of designing the part using an additive method in the first place, then additional features – like a lighter weight structure – can be designed in, which oſten couldn’t be done otherwise. KWSP uses selective laser sintering for plastics, but


Strakka Racing’s Le Mans racing car, with a door assembly redesigned using additive manufacturing,


secured a podium place in its first outing at Silverstone in April 2015


into a three-year technical partnership with Williams Grand Prix Engineering and Williams Advanced Engineering, with the aim of providing Williams with direct and high-level insights into the latest AM technologies offered by EOS to complement their existing manufacturing processes. As part of the current agreement, Williams


to a 3D CAD model. According to Kieron Salter, managing director of digital fabrication specialists, KW Special Projects (KWSP), the primary benefit of using a laser is that it enables manufacturers to process metals such as titanium and steel. ‘All other methods of additive


manufacturing solely use plastics, and while some of those plastics do have a use on race cars in certain areas, the benefits of using metals is that you can begin to produce parts like exhaust manifolds,’ he said. ‘Tose parts can effectively, for lack of a better word, be printed directly from CAD data, removing the


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has just installed an EOSINT P 760, a modular plastic AM system with a build volume of 700 x 380 x 580mm, which offers expanded productivity and increased part sizes when manufacturing polymer components. Williams already owns two polymer EOS systems, and uses Alumide and Carbonmide from EOS as its standard production materials. Alumide is predominantly used to create stable parts for functional testing, while Williams uses Carbonmide for production parts on Formula One cars, in conjunction with carbon composite laminates where improved strength is required.


Designed from the ground up KWSP’s Salter agrees that laser AM is widely exploited in motorsport but that, in order to unleash its full potential, designers need to understand how the part can be better designed from the ground up through AM. ‘One of the key problems with AM in general is that, if you simply take a part that’s been


produces low volume, complex parts for racing cars using metal laser sintering. During a project for Strakka Racing, a British sports car team, the company – along with sister company KW Motorsport – discovered that it could reduce the lead time on the manufacture of parts significantly through the use of metal laser sintering. ‘We were able to design parts that were far more complex, and it allowed us to manufacture parts that simply couldn’t be produced using traditional machine processes,’ Salter explained. ‘Additionally, we were able to use materials that wouldn’t have been so readily available, such as titanium. On top of all those benefits – and this is unique to motor sport applications – it was also cheaper compared to traditional manufacturing methods. It was a win-win scenario.’ While conventional machining processes of traditional steels were considered, the team


CAD drawings of the successful prototype door mechanism for Strakka Racing


ISSUE 30 • SPRING 2016 LASER SYSTEMS EUROPE 15


Strakka Racing and KW Special Projects


Strakka Racing and KW Special Projects


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