Composite materials, such as those reinforced by carbon and glass fibers are invaluable to the production of high-performance components for automotive, aerospace and defense sectors. Though frequently made using more conventional methods, additive manufacturing is proving valuable when more complex, or hollow, carbon fiber components are required. For hollow composite material components, the challenge is […]
Creatz3D Case Study Shows How 3D Printing Improved Design of Multi-Axis Suction EOAT Robot
3D printing solutions provider Creatz3D, which operates in Singapore and Vietnam, was founded in 2012 and works to bring awareness to the fact that 3D printing adoption needs to be accelerated in order for manufacturers to remain competitive in today’s landscape. The company works with educational and government facilities, in addition to commercial companies, to drive this acceleration, and recently completed a 3D printing case study with Universal Robots (UR) that led to major time and cost savings.
The Danish company, which makes user-friendly industrial robots and has offices in the US, Latin America, Europe, and Asia, implemented the technology for its Multi-Axis Suction End-of-Arm Tooling (EOAT), which can be used in multiple industries to pick up multiple parts through independent vacuum channels.
As the current workforce starts to age out, and their expertise and experience go with them, it’s more important than ever to adopt new design paradigms in the manufacturing world, such as 3D printing and automation. While in the past robots may have been considered too dangerous to use on the factory floor, thanks to the advancements introduced by Industry 4.0, smaller collaborative robots, or cobots, can safely work next to humans in manufacturing settings. In fact, using 3D printing to make cobots means they can be more lightweight, which also makes them more efficient.
In warehouse settings, EOATs make sure that proper material “pick and place” flow is occurring, but standard, conventionally manufactured machines have some major limitations, such as hard to machine internal channels, reduced payload due to heavy tooling, and safety concerns due to sharp sheet metal edges.
The case study states, “CNC produced EOAT were restricted in design due to the constraints of traditional manufacturing and are unable to meet requirements. UR thus wanted to explore the opportunity of producing a lightweight EOAT that was able to pick multiple parts at a quicker pace. In addition, each end of the vacuum was to have their independent channels to accommodate different pick and place patterns.”
UR was looking for an alternative means of producing EOATs that would help make them more lightweight and easier to program. A customized machine could pick up multiple uniquely shaped parts at a faster rate of speed, which would definitely help improve productivity. Creatz3D is a Stratasys reseller, and UR decided to use its Fortus 450mc FDM 3D printer to fabricate more durable, precise parts out of polycarbonate (PC) material, which was chosen for its excellent sealing and mechanical properties. PC offers more flexibility and strength than other thermoplastics, like ABS, and is also lightweight enough that robot arms can move quickly.
By turning to 3D printing like UR did, manufacturers can make on-demand design iterations to parts, while requiring less lead time to complete low volume production runs. The technology offers more freedom in design when making customizable products, and parts can be made much more quickly and cost-efficiently as well.
In fact, by using 3D printing, UR was able to achieve time and cost savings, respectively, of 94.6% and 76%, and even lowered the number of components for assembly. The work was completed in less than five days, as opposed to taking weeks to finish. But that’s not all: UR also mounted a 3D printed modular bracket to the EOAT that could be used in the future to hold cameras and sensors to detect abnormalities during the machine’s pick and place operations.
However, after receiving some post-trial run feedback, the team realized that a change needed to be made to the bracket, and were able to quickly fix the problem.
“From the initial concept design which unfortunately posed a safety risk with the possibility that fingers could get stuck during operations, our engineers leveraged on the design freedom of 3D printing for a more effective solution with bent fingers,” the case study explains. “The use of FDM technology also allowed for the insertion of embedded inserts to the air supply connector and suction cup, which improved the overall durability of the EOAT tool and ability to pick up objects of varied sizes.”
Because UR had more design freedom thanks to its use of FDM 3D printing, the company was able to come up with a better solution than the original mounted design.
To see the revamped EAOT in action, watch the video from the case study on the Creatz3D website.
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[Images provided by Creatz3D]
UMaine Composites Center Helping Boatbuilders Incorporate Large-Scale 3D Printing with Wood-Filled Materials
This week, the Maine Technology Institute (MTI) awarded the University of Maine Advanced Structures and Composites Center (UMaine Composites Center) a $500,000 grant to form a technology cluster with a very specific purpose – help boatbuilders in Maine gain a competitive advantage in the industry by incorporating large-scale 3D printing with economical wood-filled plastic materials.
L-R: Chris Moran of Compounding Solutions; Kohl Shaw of the UMaine Composites Center; Camerin Seigars of the UMaine Composites Center; Joe Wilson of Compounding Solutions; Nate Thompson of Hodgdon Yachts; James Anderson, UMaine Composites Center senior program manager; Burr Shaw of The Hinckley Company; Kevin Burns of Back Cove/Sabre Yachts; Josh Moore of Lyman-Morse Boatbuilding; Kevin Houghton of Lyman-Morse Boatbuilding; and Habib Dagher, UMaine Composites Center executive director. [Image: the Advanced Structures and Composites Center]
While small and even medium-sized boatbuilders can run into difficulties with the amount of lead time and money it takes to make traditional boat molds and marine tools, UMaine Composites Center researchers say that 3D printing can be used to lower the production time by up to 75%. But even though some companies in the boat and ship industry are using 3D printing, widespread adoption is still slow due to expensive 3D printers and feedstock materials.
That’s why MTI awarded the grant – so the UMaine Composites Center can set up a technology cluster to combine the expertise of marine industry leaders and researchers in order to continue developing and commercializing the technology so boatbuilders in the state can start reaping the benefits.
“The combination of additive manufacturing and cost-effective, bio-filled materials is a potential game-changer for Maine’s boatbuilding industry by reducing the cost of marine tooling by as much as 50 percent. Maine boatbuilders cannot absorb the cost of acquiring a large-scale 3D printer and testing new feedstock materials,” said James Anderson, Senior Research and Development Program Manager at the UMaine Composites Center. “The UMaine Composites Center and the Maine boatbuilding industry share a tradition of innovation. We have the tools and knowledge to help Maine boatbuilders increase productivity, reduce costs and, ultimately, continue their tradition of excellence in the boatbuilding industry.”
Habib Dagher, the center’s executive director, said that for the last 18 years, the center has been busily developing technologies to extrude plastics filled with nanocellulose fibers and wood cellulose; these plastic materials can contain up to 50% wood fiber by weight.
With the help of MTI’s grant, the UMaine Composites Center will address how expensive large-scale 3D printing is, and help to lower the cost, by creating a range of economical wood-filled materials for applications in composite tooling.
“Now, we will use these same stronger and stiffer plastics in very large 3D printers to develop 20- to 100-foot boat molds and other boat parts for Maine boatbuilders. By 3D printing plastics with 50 percent wood, we aim to produce boat molds much faster and cheaper than today’s traditional methods,” said Dagher. “As we learn, we will be working with boatbuilders to incorporate 3D printing in their production process for larger boat parts and, eventually, the boats themselves.”
By using wood-based fillers to 3D print boat molds and parts, the materials’ toughness and stiffness will go up, while the cost will go down. In addition, the materials will help improve recyclability and lower the impact on the environment. The university is also working other companies in Maine to develop a local supply chain for its bio-filled materials, so it’s likely that boatbuilding will not be the only industry to benefit from these research and development efforts.
The consortium put together by the UMaine Composites Center will collectively design and 3D print boat molds and marine tools for testing and evaluation purposes. Also, as part of the 3D printing adoption and commercialization process, the consortium will be putting together a training course for area boatbuilders.
To form the technology cluster of UMaine engineers and researchers, and Maine boatbuilders, the UMaine Composites Center’s $500,000 grant from MTI will be matched by an additional $500,00 from the US Army Natick Soldier Research, Development & Engineering Center. Boatbuilders in the cluster will include Back Cove Yachts in Rockland, Compounding Solutions in Lewiston, Custom Composite Technologies in Bath, Front Street Shipyard in Belfast, Hinckley Yachts in Trenton, Hodgdon Yachts in Boothbay, Kenway Composites in Augusta, Lyman-Morse Boatbuilding in Rockland, and Sabre Yachts in Raymond.
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[Source: Boothbay Register]
Thermwood and Boeing Make Large 3.6 Meter 3D Printed 777X Program Tooling Part
Thermwood and Boeing have announced that they’ve made a large 3D printed composite part for Boeing’s 777X program. The Thermwood’s LSAM technology was used to make a 20% carbon fiber reinforced ABS part. The part is a “12-foot-long R&D tool.” This demonstrates the possible applications of polymer 3D printing for large parts for aerospace, albeit in experimental tooling.
Boeing’s 777X program will create Boeing’s next-generation long-range wide-body airliners. The 777-8 and 777-9 aircraft will be the mainstays of many point to point long distance fleets of global carriers. The 777-9 will carry over 400 passengers over 13,000 kilometers. Having maxed out composites on its 787 aircraft Boeing is looking to bring its expertise in composite materials to these twin-aisle airliners. With folding wing tips and expected inefficiencies, they will double down on Boeing’s strategy to focus on connecting disparate dots on the earth together with direct flights. This in contrast to the Airbus strategy of efficient short-haul airliners combined with hub and spoke with large A 380’s flying between big cities. Composites were crucial to Boeing’s development of the 787. Boeing was also a very early (think 1995) pioneer in using various 3D printing technologies on many military and civilian platforms. To see these two technologies intertwine in LSAM feels very logical indeed.
Thermwoos’s Large Scale Additive Manufacturing machine and its Vertical Layer Print (VLP) 3D printing technology can make large composite parts. With LSAM a wheel presses down a layer as it is being printed on the previous layer. Print speed depends on the cooling on the polymer itself and the printed part is either printed on a scaffold. The company calls this a “bead board” because the droplets of plastic “beads” are glued to it. LSAM is a very interesting approach that gives us very large but rather rough parts with a good amount of control over layer adhesion.
This particular printed 4 meter part was made in one production run and was intended to save Boeing time. The part also saved on assembly cost. Boeing’s Interiors Responsibility Center (IRC) facility in Everett, Washington now has a Thermwood LSAM machine that it can now use to make parts like this. These kinds of parts could aid in hand layup or assembly operations of existing parts. The high stiffness of the ABS parts should be helpful in that area. One of the amazing things is that with LSAM Thermwood prints ABS at room temperature and through the scaffold and pressing the layer down seems to have little problems with warping. Printing at room temperature would seem to limit the technology somewhat. It would seem to be difficult for the company to use materials such as PEI which are used for end use in aerospace because of the temperatures used. Jason Susnjara of Thermwood told us however that, “We do print other materials such as Ultem, PPS, PSU and PESU.” This is a great step in making large-scale tooling and parts for industry.
A further step where large cabin parts would themselves be made with 3D printing would be even more exciting. For that, a flame retardant material that is certified for civilian airliners will have to be used. A material such as PEEK, PEI or PEKK could perhaps fulfill that purpose but it is unclear at the moment how we would get the heated chamber thermal control to make parts this size out of those materials. Or if LSAM could be adapted to print the right grades of these materials. Simultaneously Boeing would want to instead of carbon fiber which is nasty to make for its employees and is impossible to recycle use a more environmentally friendly material that could be recycled. A hemp PEKK, silk PEI or flax PEEK may sound like a perfectly silly idea but something like them would let Boeing continue to win in 3D printing and composites.
Wilson Tool International realizes potential of 3D printed tooling in new Additive division
The world’s largest independent tooling manufacturer Wilson Tool International has launched a 3D printing division. Through the newly formed Wilson Tool Additive segment customers will have access to custom-made jigs, fixtures and tooling – an area which is perhaps one of the most valuable applications of desktop FDM/FFF in an industrial setting. Wilson Tool Additive […]
3D Platform pits large scale 3D printing against traditional manufacturing
Large-scale 3D printer manufacturer 3D Platform, headquartered in Illinois, has demonstrated great potential to save on tooling costs against traditional machining. In a further case study, with San Francisco service bureau Titanic Design, the company’s hardware has also been put to the test, creating a life-size replica turbofan of a Boeing 737. Machining v 3D […]