Atlas Copco has reportedly lowered its manufacturing prices by 30%, and lead occasions by 92%, after transitioning to in-house polymer-based 3D printing with EOS’ P 396 know-how. Atlas Copco is a world supplier of revolutionary know-how, merchandise, and options to many industries, together with automotive, the place it designs and produces over 70 varieties of self-piercing rivets, related tooling, and tools for a spread of automotive producers.
18 months in the past, Atlas Copco started a dash challenge to evolve its manufacturing and benefit from new market alternatives in fields comparable to electrical autos, by bringing 3D printing in-house. The corporate wished to insource 3D printing to be extra agile and scale back lead occasions for purchasers.
“We wished tighter management over our manufacturing that will result in shorter lead occasions, decrease prices, and the power to quickly prototype new merchandise,” mentioned Jason Edwards, Technical Supervisor at Atlas Copco. “Working with EOS and Additive Minds has given us a turnkey resolution, and helped us adapt our processes such that we at the moment are in serial manufacturing with a number of elements, are quickly prototyping a whole bunch extra, and achieved ROI in simply 18 months.”
EOS and Additive Minds labored intently with Atlas Copco’s staff to supply a full resolution past the bodily machine, together with cost-per-part evaluation and knowledge preparation. Session was supplied on the perfect machine and workflows to assist Atlas Copco’s present and future wants, together with powder choice, coloring, design switch, and post-processing strategies. The EOS associate community provides clients entry to licensed companions that may assist specialist features of their manufacturing lifecycle. Coaching applications have been additionally developed for all employees, in addition to helping with the transition and ramp-up to full polymer-based AM serial manufacturing.
Atlas Copco wanted a 3D printer that will guarantee dependable and repeatable high-quality half manufacturing. The selection was the EOS P 396 mid-size system – identified for its flexibility, wonderful mechanical properties, and dimensional accuracy. With assist for 14 supplies and 26 parameter units, it’s anticipated to assist the corporate’s new product designs far into the long run. The system was mixed with a DyeMansion DM60 coloring resolution – chosen by means of the EOS associate community – which permits powder materials to be coloured for sure merchandise. That is used to spotlight, for instance, the place sure security tools must be utilized by operators on automotive manufacturing strains.
The transfer to in-house 3D printing has meant Atlas Copco wants fewer third-party elements and is not constrained by provide chain lead occasions and transport delays. This has reduce the corporate’s lead occasions from 6-12 weeks, all the way down to 3-4 days (a 92% discount), in addition to lowered its environmental impression, as much less transport is required to provide and ship remaining elements. It could additionally extra exactly management manufacturing schedules – being extra agile in serving to clients with unplanned orders and pressing turnaround necessities.
AM serial manufacturing has made part manufacturing sooner by shortening the provision chain, lowering the labor hours concerned, and eliminating retooling delays. Atlas Copco has additionally reduce waste from roughly 7% to close zero – due to the part accuracy and reliability of the EOS P 396 and has lowered manufacturing prices by 30%.
Atlas Copco is now utilizing an iterative prototyping course of to transition its product stock, while additionally growing new merchandise, with a design freedom it has not skilled earlier than. The staff has weekly conferences to debate design adjustments that may then transfer instantly to printed prototypes for testing. AM can also be serving to the staff simplify merchandise, with one instance being a spool service, which was beforehand a casting that needed to be machined and assembled. The brand new design is now a single printed part – significantly lighter, and cheaper to fabricate.
“This challenge reveals how essential the belief and collaboration is between all events if an organization is to embark on such a dramatic change to its core manufacturing enterprise. No firm ought to really feel that it can’t transition to AM, and EOS helps organizations to ensure it’s a success by means of sturdy communication, cooperation, and a unified staff spirit,” mentioned Nathan Rawlings, Gross sales Supervisor at EOS UK.
“AM has been transformative for us. We’re successful new contracts throughout the globe as a result of we are able to provide immediately, at decrease value, and with brief lead occasions. In EOS, we have now a associate that has supported us all through our transition, affords us speedy assist, and continues to advise us on designing elements to realize the perfect end result with our 3D printer,” mentioned Jason Edwards.
