will improve throughput Bryan Austin - Renishaw
35 June 2020 / www.theengineer.co.uk
gain a competitive advantage against
competitors. A couple of examples of
end-effectors include a custom part
sander manufactured in MakerBot
ABS material and a dual gripper mount
produced in Kimya ABS Carbon.
BA: Sandvik has worked with Renishaw
AM systems since 2018 at its Additive
Manufacturing Centre in Sandviken,
Sweden. During this time, the two
companies have worked together to
develop process parameters for a range
of Sandvik metal powders, including
stainless and maraging steels, and the
latest Osprey nickel-based superalloys.
Sandvik has recently inaugurated a
state-of-the-art titanium atomiser and
powder processing facility and will now
turn its focus to qualifying these alloys
for industrial and medical applications.
BAE Systems began research into
additive manufacturing techniques
more than two decades ago and are
currently using the technology to make
production standard components for
the Typhoon fighter aircraft. It is also
applied in the rapid prototyping of new
technology concepts as part of a drive to
deliver Tempest - a capable, affordable
and exportable next generation future
combat air system.
What is the key product for you currently
and how is it being applied?
JM: Form 3B is Formlabs’ newest 3D
printer and was created for the dental
industry. This one printer allows
for a growing list of over 10+ dental
applications from digital dentures to
temporary crowns and bridges. Users
can switch between a library of resins
with a no-hassle cartridge system.
Formlabs is providing a localised
approach to the production of dental
products like dentures. While scans are
made at your dentist’s office, it’s a nearby
dental lab that makes the part – and that
lab can serve many dentists. By bringing
3D printing into these labs, technicians
can produce multiple products at a time,
significantly shortening lead times.
DV: We recently launched new METHOD
and METHOD X Carbon Fiber Editions,
which allow users to print carbon fibre
reinforced nylon that is optimised
for high strength and heat resistance.
MakerBot Nylon Carbon Fiber is an
ideal lightweight alternative to metal
for structural applications. METHOD
Carbon Fiber enables customers to print
various parts, such as vehicular brackets
and inspection gauges, manufacturing
tools such as robotic end-effectors, and
under-hood applications.
BA: The Renishaw RenAM 500Q multi
laser system has been designed to deliver
high productivity whilst maintaining
very high-quality metal parts. When
applied to the right application the
system delivers extremely competitive
cost per part and can be validated to
operate in regulated market sectors
such as medical and aerospace. The Ren
AM 500Q is supplied with an on-board
sieving system and can be configured as
a four or single laser system.
What products / technologies do you see
changing your sector in the future?
JM: Generative design, which enables
engineers to create thousands of
design options by defining their
design problem - inputting parameters
such as fixed points and bounding
constraints, applied forces and loading
considerations, a factor of safety, and
what material and manufacturing
options are available to them. The
program then provides a range of
possible solutions to choose from
or iterate on. When coupled with
3D printing it is possible to rapidly
generate and test novel, lightweight
design solutions leading to prototypes
and products that perform better than
similar products created with traditional
means of design and manufacturing.
DV: New capabilities
in FDM 3D printing
are changing the
traditional rules
of manufacturing.
Industrial features
that have historically
only been available
on costly industrial
3D printers are now
more accessible to
more manufacturers
and machine
shops. In addition,
advances in 3D
printing materials
development are enabling 3D printing
to evolve from simple prototyping
applications to mass customization of
production end use parts.
BA: As the requirements for increased
speed of throughput and reduced cost
per part become ever stronger, the
size of machine and number of lasers
will become even more important
in meeting these manufacturing
demands. Larger machines should
enable more components or bigger
parts to be built and advances in
automation will improve throughput.
Validating that each machine will
produce repeatable, consistent parts is
becoming increasingly important for
our customers and at Renishaw we are
well placed to offer complete process
solutions that draw on our historic
strengths in measurement and process
control.
new capabilities in FDM 3D printing are changing
the traditional rules of manufacturing Dave Veisz - MakerBot
advances in automation
eye on
the prize
Renishaw’s
InfiniAM
software
enables live
process
monitoring for
AM
Product Q&A - 3D printing
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