ADVERTORIAL TECHNOLOGY IN ACTION
igus expands additive production offering with second laser sintering material T
he motion plastics specialist igus has expanded its 3D print range with a new selective laser sintering (SLS)
material that is particularly suitable for the additive manufacture of gear wheels. Characterised by a wear resistance of at least six times that of standard materials, the iglidur i6 material is well-suited for printing wear resistant parts, such as gears, offering a particularly long service life. “Today, additive manufacturing is becoming an
important topic in the industry,” says Robert Dumayne, dry-tech director, igus. “This is mainly due to the fact that special parts can be printed easily, cost-effectively and quickly from individual parts up to medium size batches. The new iglidur i6 material expands the existing range of
six tribo-filaments for the fused deposition modelling (FDM) method and iglidur i3 for the SLS process.” At the company’s in-house 2,750 m² test lab, a 3D
printed gear wheel, made of iglidur i6, was put through its paces to exemplify its high wear resistance properties. In the test a worm wheel drive with 5 Nm torque and 12 rpm was used, and gears made from different materials compared. The SLS printed PA12 gear failed after 521 cycles, as the heat generated by friction melted the plastic. The gear made of iglidur i3 stopped at around 345,000 cycles. The iglidur i6 gear was still fully functional after 1 million cycles, showing only minor wear. The iglidur i6 gear was also compared with machined
gears. The gear made of POM (Polyoxymethylene) failed after 621,000 cycles, while the machined PBT (Polybutylene Terephthalate) gear stopped working after 155,000 cycles. Via its 3D printing service,
www.igus.co.uk/3dprintservice, simply upload the STEP file and select the new SLS iglidur i6 material. With a mouse click, the customer can order printed parts for shipment within 1-3 days, or request a quotation. For more information from igus, please visit:
www.igus.co.uk or call igus directly on 01604 677240.
igus u 01604 677240 u
www.igus.co.uk
SKF enters the world of manufacturing using world-class digital technology
automated and digital production process in Gothenburg, adapted for the manufacture of spherical roller bearings. The new production unit is the first of its type to be put into operations within the SKF Group and is part of a programme of next generation manufacturing technology within the company. "The production flow is totally unique within the bearings industry, and constitutes a new manufacturing standard for us, which we will replicate into numerous facilities within the Group. The investment programme is important for us if we are to utilise our manufacturing capacity even more efficiently, as well as increasing our
S 40 OCTOBER 2017 | DESIGN SOLUTIONS
KF's operations in Sweden are set to be given a boost with the inauguration of a completely new, fully-
global competitiveness and the flexibility we can offer our customers," says Luc Graux, Director of Manufacturing for the SKF Group.
Using the help of digital technology, the entire value chain in the production process is connected, from the inflow of input components to the delivery of the product to the end user. In addition, the next generation of mobile infrastructure is combined with the manufacturing process, in order to enhance efficiency. "The new production unit will open up new possibilities
for us to reduce lead times and to improve flexibility and efficiency in our production," says Sten Karlsson, project manager for the new production unit.
Parallel to the investment in Gothenburg, similar
investments are planned for Schweinfurt in Germany, Nilai in Malaysia and Flowery Branch in the USA.
Over a million bearings per year are manufactured in the Gothenburg facility. The majority of these are exported. The products are used in heavy industry, such as mining, steelworks, paper machines, wind turbines, train gearboxes, fans and pumps.
SKF (U.K.) Limited u 01582 496433 u 07770 64759 u
phil.burge@skf.com
CONNECTINGINDUSTRY.COM/DESIGNSOLUTIONS
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