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Equipment manufacturing firm Atlas Copco has considerably decreased manufacturing prices and lead instances by transitioning to in-house polymer-based AM utilizing EOS know-how.
This shift has decreased manufacturing prices by 30% and lead instances by 92%, whereas additionally reducing the corporate’s environmental influence by streamlining the availability chain.
Over the previous 18 months, Atlas Copco carried out in-house 3D printing for parts utilized in industries reminiscent of automotive. With its consulting division Additive Minds, EOS offered a full resolution past simply the tools, together with cost-per-part evaluation, powder choice, post-processing, and coaching packages. This complete help helped Atlas Copco efficiently transition to polymer-based AM serial manufacturing.
Nathan Rawlings, Gross sales Supervisor at EOS UK, stated, “This challenge reveals how necessary 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 not transition to AM, and EOS helps organizations to ensure it’s a success by way of sturdy communication, cooperation, and a unified crew spirit.”
EOS know-how allows huge effectivity positive factors
Atlas Copco chosen the EOS P 396 3D printer for its reliability, flexibility, and high-quality manufacturing, supporting 14 supplies and 26 parameter units. Alongside this, Atlas Copco employed the DyeMansion DM60 coloring resolution by way of the EOS accomplice community to paint sure merchandise, together with these utilized in automotive security tools.
By bringing 3D printing in-house, Atlas Copco was in a position to scale back its reliance on third-party suppliers, chopping lead instances from 6-12 weeks to simply 3-4 days. The corporate has additionally achieved near-zero waste, down from round 7%, because of the precision of the EOS P 396. This shift has additional decreased the environmental influence of manufacturing, as fewer transport assets are wanted.
Because of its funding in AM, Atlas Copco additionally obtained a return on funding (ROI) inside 18 months. The corporate can now prototype new merchandise, simplifying designs and accelerating manufacturing quickly. For instance, a spool provider beforehand made by way of casting and machining has been redesigned right into a single, lighter, printed element, which is less expensive to fabricate.
Atlas Copco stated it plans to proceed scaling its 3D printing capabilities, utilizing AM’s flexibility to develop new merchandise whereas remaining aggressive. Its collaboration with EOS and Additive Minds supplies ongoing help in course of optimization, enabling Atlas Copco to adapt to future manufacturing wants with higher effectivity.
Is polymer 3D printing a rising area of interest?
Polymer 3D printing has seen elevated use for its customization, price financial savings, quicker manufacturing, and sustainability. Whereas Atlas Copco has leveraged its potential, different entities have explored completely different avenues on this know-how.
Final 12 months, the POLYLINE challenge efficiently established an automatic additive manufacturing manufacturing line for large-scale polymer components. Over three years, companions together with BMW, DyeMansion, EOS, and Grenzebach collaborated to advance 3D printing for serial manufacturing at BMW’s Additive Manufacturing Campus. Funded by the German Federal Ministry of Schooling and Analysis, with €10.7 million, the challenge achieved automation throughout the manufacturing chain, integrating printing, post-processing, and transport methods.
In September 2022, researchers on the Metropolis College of Hong Kong (CityU) developed a technique to reinforce the power of 3D printed polymeric lattice components by 100 instances and improve their ductility by partially carbonizing them throughout pyrolysis.
By fastidiously controlling the heating course of, the crew created hybrid-carbon micro-lattices with enhanced mechanical properties that outperform conventional plastic components. This course of additionally improves biocompatibility, making it appropriate for medical purposes reminiscent of coronary stents and bio-implants.
One 12 months earlier than this, Karlsruhe Institute of Expertise (KIT) researchers developed a technique that mixes Digital Gentle Processing (DLP) with polymerization-induced section separation (PIPS) to 3D print nanoporous polymers with complicated geometries.
This method allows the manufacturing of objects starting from 100 μm to a number of centimeters in dimension, with managed nanoporosity for optimized adsorption, catalysis, and separation. The crew printed intricate shapes, together with a hexagonal mesh field, crown, lattice dice, and gyroid, and achieved pore sizes from 10 nm to 1,000 μm.
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Featured picture reveals the EOS P 396 3D printer. Picture through EOS.
