3D printing technology is increasingly approaching the industrial automation field .This Case Study explain how the automation-equipment realization process has been developed in order to significantly reduce costs and time of production.

TARGETS

• Realize equipment for the line processing and handling of the product
• Respect strict lead time
• Reduce costs

IMPLEMENTATION PROCESS

STEP 1: Reverse Engineering

LThe activity starts with the acquisition of the product’s digital jig. The mathematic model of the element (customer’s product) is acquired through 3D Scanner, both the upper part, necessary to the realization of the collecting devices, and lower part necessary for the placements realization.

Scanner laser necessary for Reverse Engineering activity

STEP 2:Design

The technical department, thanks to the 3D measurements obtained through 3D Scanner, designed the collecting devices and the placements. The components development was realized with Cad 3D Systems installed in the company and thereafter optimized for Additive Manufacturing.
In this phase precise customer’s specifications were followed, such as details placement and extreme envelope of the placement with respective balance and fixing.

Collecting devices design (left and right)

Placement design

STEP 3:Production

After a technical analysis of the customer’s requirements we suggested the usage of two different materials:

• FDM technology (Fused Deposition Modeling) with Nylon 12 for the realization of the collecting devices

•FDM technology (Fused Deposition Modeling) with ASA for the realization of the placements

Spring has 10 FDM production system machines of the brand Stratasys that allow to realize monolithic parts of big dimensions or, like in this case, group parts and small pre-series.

Collecting devices and placements realized with Additive Manufacturing

STEP 4:Quality control

Every realized part was tested with rigid quality controls in order to guarantee to the customer a complete service and a result that meets the initial urgent requests.

Collecting devices and placements quality control

In the following video you can see collecting devices and placements realized in Additive Manufacturing inserted in a working production line.

GAINED RESULTS

Please send us your project to contatti@springitalia.com. It will be our prerogative to evaluate the technical feasibility and offer you the best possible solution!

Spring Srl designed and realized the inlet pipe of a Moto3 motorbike with Additive Manufacturing. The company set several targets to achieve the result:

TARGETS

• Reduce the costs of the detail
• Respect restricted delivery time
• Realize a detail with high technical characteristics

IMPLEMENTATION PROCESS

STEP 1: Design

Once figured out the client’s requirement, the first activity was the inlet pipe design. The 3D model was developed with a CAD system installed in the company and successively optimized for Additive Manufacturing. During the design stage fixing points and casing for the temperature sensor were realized.

Cad design of the inlet pipe

STEP 2: Production

The applications in the Racing field require materials with high technical characteristics. The realized details needs to be resistant to extreme conditions as high temperature, chemical agents and significant mechanical stress. That’s why for the inlet pipe realization we chose Carbon Charged Nylon.
The material is composed by a mix of Nylon 15 with a 35% of carbon fiber. This combination makes it one of the hardest and with the highest resistance/weight ratio material available in the field of Additive Manufacturing.

Detail realized with additive manufacturing

STEP 3:Finishing

The detail has undergone an impregnation treatment to reduce roughness and improve performances. Afterwards, as customer’s request, inserts have been placed.

Post-finishing detail

STEP 4: Quality control

In the final phase the detail was tested with a quality control with a laser scanner. Spring Srl was able to guarantee the strict allowances requested.

Quality control detail

ACHIEVED RESULTS

Please send us your project to contatti@springitalia.com. It will be our prerogative to evaluate the technical feasibility and offer you the best possible solution!