Daimler AG has funded the development of the X line 1000R large build volume additive manufacturing (AM) system for use in automotive production. (Source: Fraunhofer Institute)
Posted on 01/07/2013 9:25:05 AM PST by null and void
We've told you how Airbus and South African aerostructure manufacturer Aerosud are teaming up to develop 3D printing methods for large aircraft parts made of titanium. Now automaker Daimler AG has funded the development of a large build volume additive manufacturing (AM) system for use in automotive production.
The research, which resulted from a partnership between Fraunhofer Institute of Laser Technology and German company Concept Laser, has resulted in the X line 1000R system. Its build volume is 630mm x 400mm x 500mm (23.6 inches x 15.7 inches x 19.7 inches), among the biggest yet, and it has a layer thickness of 20 to 100 microns. The new machine was introduced at Euromold 2012 in late November.
The X line 1000R technology was based on Concept Laser's LaserCUSING selective laser sintering process for powdered metals. The new machine has a high-power laser in the kilowatt range, enabling as much as 10 times greater productivity compared to standard laser fusing machines, according to a press release.
Daimler AG has funded the development of the X line 1000R large build volume additive manufacturing (AM) system for use in automotive production. (Source: Fraunhofer Institute)
Daimler's main goal was to replace the costly and time-taking sand-casting and die-casting processes used to make large, metal functional components and technical prototypes. The aim was to do this while also increasing part size and maintaining the consistency of material properties between parts, with the intention of speeding development of complex, lightweight, highly rigid parts that will result in weight-optimized geometries. The automaker's additional needs included surface finish quality, as well as qualification of different aluminum series alloys for a range of applications.
Fraunhofer, which has conducted research in laser sintering processes for several years, designed the laser beam source and optical lens system to ensure faster build-up rates of different aluminum alloys. Its researchers also determined the process control needed to process the various alloys to create components with the desired mechanical properties, and how that would affect machine construction. The new machine's reduced build times were achieved by improving temperature control inside its build chamber, to avoid possible warping of the larger components.
Concept Laser says its LaserCUSING process produces metal objects that are denser and more durable than other laser sintering processes. Potential materials include high-grade steel alloys, tool steels, aluminum or titanium alloys, nickel-based superalloys, and cobalt-chromium alloys. Existing machines made by the company are used to fabricate both molds and direct-manufactured parts -- including prototypes and mass-produced components -- for medical, dental, automotive, and aerospace applications.
Industry collaboration between major car or plane manufacturers and organizations with domain expertise in materials, assembly, or both seems to be the name of the game these days. We've seen several such partnerships during the past year for developing carbon composites materials tailored for either automotive or aircraft manufacturing. The fact that this trend is coming to 3D printing and AM means that the technology as a whole has graduated from its R&D phase and is now poised to move into the mainstream.
3-D printer ping.
This really has some revolutionary potential, and it might even benefit US manufacturing.
For example, instead of buidling vehicles centrally and shipping them all over the world, they could be built locally and assembled on site.
Likewise, spare parts inventories could be drastically reduced and replaced with raw materials and the sintering machine.
Engineering revisions to parts would take effect immediately, and so would all spare parts created after the change.
Plus, a given factory could be switched to a different line or even product type quickly.
Conceptually, you could have major manufacturers who specialize in simply building/assembly, contracting to whatever design company needed the service. The same plant could produce vehicles, aerospace, whatever or produce spares for a variety of industries.
Granted, that’s only for components that lend themselves to these processes, but I’d guess there’s quite a bit.
This may be the first class of machines that will be developed specifically to clone themselves. Large 3D machines in large numbers equals a revolution in manufacturing.
Big Investment is going to go into this field. Some will win and some will lose but the end result will, without a doubt, have a huge impact on US manufacturing. A revolution for sure.
I want speed racer from 70’s printed.
Not to be Johnny-rain-cloud, but it sound like “production” is over-optimisticly jammed in here.
I can see how it could be cheaper and faster than sand-casting for development prototypes, but I wouldn’t believe it for production runs.
The interesting thing, to me, would be the ability to make designs possible with no other process. Whole new concepts could be enabled that would make the slowness and expense worthwhile.
chrisser ~ That will be an interesting wrinkle to the market.
The problem being that once you've taught the machines about sex, you'll never get another useful thing out of them...
I think so too, but maybe not?
I can see how it could be cheaper and faster than sand-casting for development prototypes, but I wouldn’t believe it for production runs.
Me neither. Daimler should know what they are doing, shouldn't they? Shouldn't they?
The interesting thing, to me, would be the ability to make designs possible with no other process. Whole new concepts could be enabled that would make the slowness and expense worthwhile.
There are some parts you simply can't build any other way. I've held in my warm moist palm a chess-piece, a rook, with a full internal spiral staircase. You simply can't make a mold that goes around all those corners and curves, nor could any CNC machine work the internal surfaces.
The University of Southern California has one of the most pioneering research programs ongoing in the rapid prototyping arena.
One of their building methods involves brass powder with saline solution as a temporary binding agent prior to sintering and this method produces finishes that are quite good for the build technology.
The company I retired from used 3-D printing to produce temporary tooling for prototype castings. As testing revealed needed "tweaks" the changes were incorporated into the model and new match plates made for the jolt/squeeze machine. New core boxes were also made using 3-D models. Turnaround time was under a week, sometimes less depending on the nature of the change.
The actual model process was very rapid as instead of fusing plastic or PM, our machine used paper with a thermoset glue on one side. The paper handling system was a simple heated roller that advanced and retracted over a platen that used a ball screw to drop 0.005" with each pass. An X/Y gantry mounted laser would sketch the outline of the current cross section and then cross hatch the area outside the model shape into 0.25" squares. Every 50 layers the laser the laser would scan the entire "to be removed" material, creating 0.25" cubes. When finished the model looked like a big cube made up of 0.25" cubes. To release the "hidden" model you just rubbed the big cube and the little cubes fell away.
The resultant "paper" models were hard and dense as oak and could be used directly for patterns to produce about 100 castings before significant wear. When the development phase was over we only had to recalculate the up to date last version "math model" using a double shrink allowance to produce a pattern for our metal production tooling.
I suppose that you could skip the "paper model" and directly carve out a wood pattern with a multi-axis CNC mill and the time would be pretty close but the cost of our printer was way below a CNC mill.
Regards,
GtG
PS The speed increase mentioned is due to the media used to form the model. Defining a volume with paper means that you only draw the outline. When using plastic or PM you have to scan every bit of the area enclosed by the cross section in order to fuse the media into a solid layer.
CSI NY’s last episode showed a felon murdering and stealing such a 3-D printer to “print a gun”. The second time it was fired, it exploded in his hand.
Should we expect the BATFE to require all 3-D printers to be registered, since they can be used to “print an unregistered evil gun”?
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.