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3D PRINTING/ADDITIVE MANUFACTURING FEATURE


communications technology


Sepura, the British telecommunications provider, is using Stratasys’ PolyJet 3D printing technology to significantly improve the design and development time of its new products. Last November the company added a Stratasys J35 Pro 3D Printer into its design operations which has not only enabled it to produce much more realistic prototypes, but it has been able to


Sepura has adopted Stratasys’ PolyJet 3D printing Playing card finishing


Moving onto a completely different type of application and Rollem, a print finishing specialist that creates innovative, bespoke solutions for printers around the world, is using 3D printing to create fully custom, one-off parts for the printing of playing, trading and gaming cards for the likes of Monopoly, Cluedo and Pokemon. One of Rollem’s print finishing applications


and casting. Leveraging this AM technology, the company is also able to create highly complex products with new geometries, further streamlining production efficiencies by removing the need for assembly. In fact in some trials, the business has


been able to cut overall lead times by 80% on some parts, and crucially secure weight- savings of 30% – a fundamental objective for aerospace customers. “This is an important tick-in the-box for OEM


reduce lead times for models from two weeks to just one day. As a result of this, design iterations can be carried out much faster, greatly reducing development times. The printer is being used to produce key


prototypes, including ID models for the latest generation of radio’s and functional test pieces for new battery development. The company’s critical communications


technology is used in a variety of rapid response operations so it is critical that models are true-to- life and can be validated for fit, reliability and suitability, ready for final product development. With the ability to incorporate up to three


materials that can be printed as single material parts or combined on the same model part, the J35 Pro 3D printer allows users like Sepura to utilise grayscale colour, transparency, texture and moving parts to create realistic models. “The variety of materials available with the


J35 Pro allows us to create accurate prototypes and means our customers receive a detailed tangible model they can hold in their hands, move and test,” commented Paul Tindall, head of R&D. “We have found the Elastico material to be particularly beneficial – we are able to produce sealing prototypes that simulate the look, feel and function of rubber and can withstand repeated flexing and bending.”


aerosPace develoPments


Meanwhile in the aerospace industry, JPB Système has been trialling the use of MBJ 3D printing technology to potentially produce flight-ready parts. According to the company, which is a leading manufacturer of efficiency-enhancing technology solutions for aerospace, aeronautic and other industries, the trials are meeting expectations by delivering robust lighter- weight alternatives quicker, easier and more cost-effectively than traditional manufacturing methods such as machining


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customers and those further up the supply chain who are constantly seeking to reduce the overall weight of the aircraft,” said JPB Système research engineer, Benjamin Sangouard. “A lighter aircraft means less fuel, which means less cost and reduced emissions, which is of course important from a sustainability perspective.” JPB Système also benefits from the way in


which AM allows the company to leverage greater design freedom to produce complex products much more easily. This includes the consolidation of two parts into one, or products that accommodate one element inside another – something not typically achievable with conventional manufacturing techniques. In one example, this allowed the team to


produce an assembled multi-component functional system that offers multiple advantages by incorporating three components into one. Thanks to a reduced number of parts, the supply chain is simplified and assembly time is removed. In addition, from a safety aspect, the eventuality of foreign object damage to the engine, while fundamentally an unlikely eventuality, is all but eliminated. Jocelyn Vecchio from the company commented:


“So far, our exploration into the application possibilities of MBJ have proved very successful and offer significant potential in our quest to innovate our production processes to better meet the needs of our customers.”


is playing, trading and gaming cards, with its print finishing machinery eliminating the need for separate guillotining, collating, perforating and scoring operation. According to the company, 90% of global casino suppliers finish their playing cards on Rollem print finishing machines; while in the trading card industry companies such as Pokemon stipulate the use of Rollem’s print finishing equipment in their licensing specification. However, with each order coming from a


different company with varying specifications, Rollem’s cards must be fully customisable to fit each client’s needs, meaning it must be able to alter its machinery between each order. So, the company was looking to produce custom playing card covers, clamps and parts. Realising a 3D printer would be ideal,


Rollem’s managing director, Stuart Murphy, contacted Nicola Stokes, director at Daemon 3D (www.daemon3dprint.com). Following 12 months of discussions, Murphy decided the best solution would be the MakerBot Method and MakerBot Method X 3D printers. MakerBot was purchased by Stratasys in 2013. Murphy commented: “The MakerBot Method


and Method X printers have offered us the flexibility we were looking for to produce custom parts each time, reducing our turn-around time by eliminating the need to outsource some work, and also reduce our overall costs.” “Since using MakerBot I can’t remember the


last time that we threw away a printed item because of an issue we had with the printer, due to the printers yield rate easily being between 95 and 96%. The Method and Method X printers deliver consistent products time and time again, with the only ever faults coming from our design rather than the printing process.”


into the future


The 3D printing sector is developing at an incredible rate, and as new developments in machinery and the introduction of new materials continues, it will be interesting to see what the future holds for this fascinating technology.


Peugeot www.peugeot.co.uk


Made Smarter www.madesmarter.uk


Stratasys www.stratasys.com


JPB Système www.jpb-systeme.com


MakerBot www.makerbot.com


AM’s ability to create parts that match the durability of traditional metal variants, while using less material, has seen JPB Système enjoy up to 30% weight savings


MAY 2022 DESIGN SOLUTIONS 51


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