DS-MAY22-PG50+51_Layout 1 17/05/2022 13:47 Page 1
FEATURE
3D PRINTING/ADDITIVE MANUFACTURING
Industries ranging from automotive and aerospace to communications and consumer are benefiting from developments in 3D printing. Here, Rachael Morling takes a look at some of the latest applications
Embracing 3D printing
W
hen the 3D printing process was first developed in the 1980s, no one could ever have imagined what an industry-
changing technology it would become. Thought by some to be one of the most important innovations in recent history, the technology has come on in leaps and bounds over the following years. While in its infancy, 3D printing machines were
expensive and owned by just a few companies. However as the technology has developed to encompass different types of machinery and materials – from plastics to metals – and the price of 3D printing machinery has dropped dramatically, they are now in the realm of both smaller SMEs and even the individual. In fact according to Makerbot (a Stratasys company), the global 3D printer market was valued at US$12.6 billion in 2020. Over the years the application of 3D printers
has changed too. Used across all industries – from industrial, automotive and aerospace to consumer and medical – they are being used to print a myriad of parts, products and even machinery. As well as offering benefits for the design and prototyping process, 3D printing can be used to create components and to reproduce obsolete parts – which is offering huge benefits to the design community – and is also being seen as a sustainable manufacturing method. So let’s take a look at some of the latest
applications for 3D printing and find out what benefits have been seen.
The auTomoTive indusTry
The automotive sector is just one that has really embraced the use of 3D printing, and here it is
5 DESIGN SOLUTIONS MAY 2022 0
being used for a huge range of applications and for enhancing innovation in both design and manufacturing. Not only is the process producing everything from brackets and brake callipers to brake pedals, and manifolds, but entire cars have been 3D printed. Recently, Peugeot has announced that it is
reinventing car accessories thanks to ‘innovative 3D printing technology’ and a new flexible polymer. According to the company, this is the first time that 3D printing technology has been used on car accessories. The accessories created were developed specifically for the Peugeot 308 model and include a sunglasses holder, a can holder and a phone/card holder. These accessories are the result of a joint effort
by Peugeot's Design, Product and Research & Development teams in collaboration with HP, Mäder and ERPRO. They are 3D printed using the new HP Multi Jet Fusion (MJF) 3D printing technology, with the aim of offering innovative products that are pleasant to the touch, light, solid and easy to use, and which enhance the interior well-being offered by the vehicle and the latest generation Peugeot i-Cockpit. Commenting on the benefits, the company
stated: ‘3D printing adapts to the needs of an increasingly demanding and unpredictable market; all kinds of customised objects and accessories can be produced without needing expensive moulds and manufacturing tools. ‘Importantly, 3D printing is better for the
environment and as such contributes to the brand’s quest for more sustainable manufacturing processes.’ Additional benefits seen by the company
Fuel Exhausts is using a 3D printer for producing prototypes of end caps and parts for exhausts
49
Peugeot is 3D printing car accessories include a sunglasses holder, a can holder and a phone/card holder
included design freedom; optimised structures with reduced weight and greater strength; and agile production, with no need for storage. A new material has also been developed.
The result of the partnership between HP Inc and BASF, the flexible material Ultrasint thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU) offers durable, strong and flexible parts. It is, the company explains, a perfect material for impact absorbing parts that require high elasticity and for flexible mesh-like structures. The material can be used to produce parts with a high surface quality and a very high level of detail. As for the future, and Peugeot intends to use
3D printing on more technical parts of its models. 3D printing has also been adopted by a
manufacturer of high-quality motorcycle exhausts. Fuel Exhausts, based in Kendal, is investing in a 3D scanner to capture digital versions of parts and components, 3D CAD software, and a 3D printer for producing prototypes of end caps and parts for exhausts. The £30,000 integrated digital design
solution, which has been match funded by the Made Smarter Adoption Programme in the North West, will enable the business to design and test product ideas in virtual reality before manufacturing them. According to the company, it will radically change the way the business operates, making the prototyping process 14 times quicker, increasing productivity, eliminating waste, reducing costs, and increasing profitability. Furthermore, 3D scanning technology will
introduce reverse engineering of parts into the business. The 3D scanning technology will allow Fuel Exhausts to scan a motorbike to give it the capability to reverse engineer parts and components. It will also enable the business to test new products and design in a virtual environment, before using 3D printing to produce prototypes quickly and cheaply. Donna Edwards, Made Smarter’s North West
Adoption programme director, said: “We are delighted to be supporting Fuel Exhausts on its digital transformation. It is a superb example of a business using technology to transform how it designs, tests and manufactures products.
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62
