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ADDITIVE MANUFACTURING MEETS INDUSTRY 4.0: IGUS MAKES 3D PRINTED TRIBO-COMPONENTS INTELLIGENT
A world first: sensors integrated in printed components indicate maintenance requirements and warn of overload
F
or some years, igus has manufactured 3D printed parts in engineering polymers which have the same service life as traditional parts. Now
igus goes one step further and makes the printed components intelligent. Manufactured in filament printing, these warn against overload and report their maintenance requirements. The special feature: for the first time, the sensors are directly ‘printed into’ the parts. Additive Manufacturing and Industry 4.0 – two themes that are
changing the world. igus has succeeded in combining both in a single production step: sensors are printed into the additively manufactured tribo-component using multi-material printing. “We have now achieved a real breakthrough with the smart 3D printed bearing,” says Dean Aylott, product manager for 3D printing at igus UK. “Now, predictive maintenance is also possible for special parts while keeping costs extremely low.” Long before any failure, the intelligent 3D printed component signals that a replacement will soon be required. It can also detect overload, stopping the application immediately and preventing further damage to the entire system.
WEAR OR LOAD ARE MONITORED igus has been producing intelligent wear-resistant parts for energy chains, plain bearings and linear guides since 2016. Initially, plain bearings were manufactured from iglidur I3 in laser sintering and the intelligence was subsequently introduced in a second processing step. Further
development now enables igus to produce intelligent wear-resistant parts in just a single step and these can be produced cost-effectively from five working days. The sensor layer is applied to those parts of the component that will be subjected to load. Wear-resistant components with integrated sensors are created using multi-material printing. The components are manufactured from iglidur I150 or iglidur I180 filaments and a specially developed electrically conductive 3D printing material. Currently, two areas of application are possible: if the electrically
A World first: igus prints intelligence into 3D components, making predictive maintenance possible for the first time at low cost, even for individual wear-resistant parts
conductive material is located between the layers subject to wear, it can warn against overloading. The machine can be stopped and further damage is then prevented. Also, predictive maintenance is possible with the 3D printed component. The maintenance-free tribo-component informs when it needs to be replaced, avoiding system downtime and enabling maintenance to be planned in advance.
igus
www.igus.co.uk
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CRP MECCANICA TO DISTRIBUTE ‘SUPPORTFREE’ METAL 3D PRINTERS
CRP Meccanica has signed an agreement with VELO3D as the exclusive distributor for the Italian market and an account distributor for Europe of the VELO3D High-Performance SupportFree Metal 3D printers. Engineer Franco Cevolini, CTO and president of CRP Meccanica,
said: “We are creating a revolution in manufacturing technology. The experience and credibility the whole world recognises in CRP Meccanica will help VELO3D transform the Italian and European metal 3D printing market. “I strongly believe in this project. VELO3D’s Sapphire Metal
Additive Manufacturing solution is the next generation in metal laser powder bed fusion, is a real game-changer, and can make the difference in many high-level industrial fields.” According to the company, VELO3D’s additive manufacturing
capabilities allow for the production of parts that cannot be made via any other technology – including most current AM systems. It alleviates the designer from the constraints of Design for Additive Manufacturing (DfAM), meaning that engineers can now get the parts they really need. VELO3D’s capabilities enable designs with overhangs down to zero degrees, allowing the most challenging and revolutionary projects to come to life. The advantages of eliminating support structures from the
metal AM workflow are numerous. Shrouded impellers, heat exchangers, and manifolds are the most cited examples that would be chief beneficiaries of a support-less process.
crpmeccanica.com
6 DECEMBER/JANUARY 2021 | DESIGN SOLUTIONS ALTRA MOTION FORMS PARTNERSHIP WITH MTEK
Altra Motion has formed a strategic partnership with factory intelligence and software specialist, MTEK. Following Altra’s acquisition of motion control companies Kollmorgen, Thomson and Portescap, the alliance with MTEK supports Altra’s ongoing commitment to continue moving up the technology spectrum, offering more advanced solutions to its customers. David Ebling, president of two of Altra’s Operating Companies, commented: “We
are committed to bringing the benefits of the digital factory and Industry 4.0 to our customers, both in terms of the services and solutions we offer and in the technologies we adopt in our own manufacturing facilities. Our partnership with MTEK will help accelerate this initiative.”
www.altramotion.com NEW DISTRIBUTION AGREEMENT FOR ANGLIA COMPONENTS
Thanks to a new UK and Ireland distribution agreement with Abracon, Anglia Components will now offer an expanded range of products for passive and electromechanical timing and synchronization. The range includes Quartz oscillators, OCXOs, TCXOs, VCXOs, real time clocks, MEMS oscillators and ceramic resonators. The Abracon product range also includes RF Filters, Antenna, Inductors and Connectivity components. Commenting on the agreement, David
velo3d.com
Pearson, technical director at Anglia, said: “We are excited to be stocking
/ DESIGNSOLUTIONS
Abracon’s products, which bring a new range of timing products to our portfolio and will complement many of the semiconductor lines we carry.”
www.abracon.com
www.anglia.com
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