According to the market observation of 3D Science Valley, when it comes to the automotive industry, 3D printing is still mainly limited to the application of prototypes and small batch parts, but we want to change this, so what are the challenges to incorporate 3D printing, especially metal 3D printing technology, into the mass production of the automotive field, making it an economically viable technology suitable for automobile production?
The automotive industry needs to take advantage of the specific advantages of additive manufacturing to enhance product design, but when it comes to production for economical purposes in order to increase production from a dozen to 1 million per year. Until the industry can break this million-capacity barrier, 3D printing will be in a dead end for entering the production line of automobiles.
3D Science Valley
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Rapid technological evolution opens up new opportunities
Additive manufacturing is currently too slow for automotive production, considering that presses can produce one part every six seconds compared to competing manufacturing methods, while powder bed metal melting technology takes several hours to produce a batch of small parts.
Fortunately, 3D printing technology is evolving at a rapid pace, and in addition to more lasers, Fraunhofer's futureAM project has also developed next-generation metal 3D printing technology that is at least ten times faster than traditional LMBF systems.
On the road to the goal of efficiency improvement, in addition to adhesive jet metal 3D printing technology, the industry has also given birth to some new technologies in recent years, including Seurat Technologies' area printing method, Tritone Technologies' MoldJet 3D printing technology to maximize productivity through the combination of mold printing and metal fill printing, Aurora labs MCP multi-point simultaneous melting metal 3D printing technology, Through insight into the new development of metal 3D printing, we can intuitively feel that the overall development of 3D printing technology is developing in the same direction as the industrialization of the automotive industry, and pursue the manufacturing benefits pursued by the automotive industry.
Metal 3D printing technology into the field of industrialization of the limitations include speed, molding size, cost, quality consistency, etc., according to the MTC Conference, the current 3D printing product price of up to 70% of the cost from the cost of equipment, and materials also account for 30% of the cost. In traditional manufacturing processes, the cost of materials does not exceed 3% of the cost of the product.
Breaking through the current limitations, moving towards higher speeds, better process control, and more suitable materials, 3D printing players around the world are all working in this direction.
Fraunhofer's FutureAM – Synchronous motion of scanning galvanometers and linear axis systems
Fraunhofer ILT Aachen has developed a new processing solution for LMBF ( powder bed-based metal melting 3D printing technology) that is scalable enough to produce large metal parts that are at least ten times faster than traditional LMBF systems. The current LMBF system prototype offers a large, effectively usable build volume (1000 mm x 800 mm x 500 mm).
In order to increase the productivity of the system, the synchronous movement of the scanning galvanometer and the linear axis system is realized. Another highlight of the enhanced Laser Powder Bed Melting (LPBF) processing strategy is software that controls the energy input as the powder material melts, allowing process parameters to be set separately for each melt trajectory to improve part quality and manufacturing speed.
Fraunhofer ILT, Aachen, Germany
Not limited to the development of machine speed and precision, Fraunhofer's futureAM project includes more "flexible" additive manufacturing technologies, such as the development of in-line process control technology, the development of process robustness, and the development of networked process chains based on digital twins. According to the Fraunhofer ILT of the Fraunhofer Institute for Laser Technology, additive manufacturing is now at the threshold of industrial implementation, while the expertise gained jointly from the FutureAM project will now be transferred to industrial applications.
Seurat Technologies' area printing method
Seurat Technologies has invented a novel method of regional printing that has the potential to break through the limitations of today's metal additive manufacturing. Instead of increasing the number of laser sources, the new technology uses a completely new method of beam manipulation to increase the volume of each melt. While typical metal AM systems have a spot diameter of 100 microns, the Seurat system delivers 2 million laser points into the powder bed area, each with a diameter of approximately 10 microns. Using this method, Seurat can simultaneously increase build speeds dramatically, as well as increase resolution. Compared to other single laser systems, Seurat TechnologiesTM improves build speed by 1000 times.
According to market observations in 3D Science Valley, this technology is incubated at LLNL National Laboratory. Using the OALV-optically-addressable light valve as a photomask, the entire layer of metal powder is printed at once. Multiplexers, laser diodes, and Q-switch laser pulses are used to selectively melt each layer of metal powder. The patterning of nir-infrared light is achieved by imaging light onto the light-addressed light valve-OALV.
In a diode-based additive manufacturing process, a laser consists of a set of four diode laser arrays and pulsed lasers. It patterns the two-dimensional "sliced" image of the 3D model to be manufactured through an addressable light valve. The laser then flashes once to print the entire layer of metal powder, rather than using a laser scanning strategy to complete the melting of the metal powder point by point, as is the case with traditional selective laser melting systems.
Seurat's zone printing technology enhances the well-known L-PBF approach by pushing productivity above the limits of any existing metal 3D printing technology. It is even faster to build than arc deposition, but it maintains the precision and resolution of laser powder bed fusion and has the potential to further improve surface quality and part flexibility.
As a high-volume and consumer-facing industry, cost is a major factor in the automotive industry. For example, in the casting process, while additive manufacturing can combine many parts together to complete at once, casting can be almost two orders of magnitude cheaper. Additive manufacturing will have to compete with processes that have been continuously optimized over the past 50 years and provide additional value to replace them.
Seurat's regional printing technology breaks through the existing cost barriers per piece. The cost of first-generation systems has been reduced by 50% compared to today's additive manufacturing technologies. However, according to the understanding of 3D Science Valley, Seurat's unique technical principles have the potential to further reduce costs. Seurat's goal for future generations of machines is to surpass traditional die-casting processes by 2030 in manufacturing costs, which will mark a breakthrough in additive manufacturing as a mainstream technology.
MoldJet 3D printing technology from Tritone Technologies
3D Science Valley has been featured in "Sintered Deformation, Geometry Limitation... The shortcomings of indirect metal 3D printing are disappearing" the article shares that Binder Jetting binder jet metal 3D printing technology is unique compared to almost all other metal 3D printing processes, because it does not generate a lot of heat during the 3D printing process. This makes high-speed printing possible and avoids residual stress issues during metal 3D printing. Binder Jetting Binder Adhesive Jet Metal 3D Printing technology transfers the thermal process to the sintering step, which makes it easier to manage thermal stress because the sintering temperature is lower than the full melting temperature required in other types of metal 3D printing processes, and the heat can be applied more evenly.
▲The range of materials applicable to indirect metal 3D printing
It can be said that the indirect metal 3D printing technology represented by Binder Jetting was born for the printing application market of batch economical metal parts.
The alloys currently available in the automotive sector are usually alloys used for casting or forging products, while for 3D printing, the development of alloys needs to take into account the rapid heating and cooling rate factors experienced in the additive manufacturing process.
In particular, unlike PBF metal 3D printing technology, indirect metal 3D printing has a very wide range of applicability to materials. However, indirect metal 3D printing technology itself also contains different types of printing technologies. Tritone Technologies' MoldJet 3D printing technology is licensed by the Fraunhofer IFAM Institute to maximize productivity through the combination of mold printing and metal fill printing. According to the market observation of 3D Science Valley, moldJet is targeting the application market in the 3D printing technology family, and the closest thing to it is the Binder Jetting adhesive jet metal 3D printing technology.
MoldJet's process includes mold printing, mold filling, and drying – repeating layer by layer until the desired part is produced. The layout of each individual mold layer can be flexibly and independently adjusted. This makes it possible to produce internal structures and passages as well as parts with 90° overhangs. However, according to the understanding of 3D Science Valley, the manufacturing process is not completely free and unlimited, for example, it is necessary to avoid completely closed internal channels, otherwise it will not be possible to remove the mold material later.
MoldJet's process has a Jetting-material jetting process in addition to the Binder Jetting process, and unlike The Binder Jetting process, the MoldJet process also has a Mold printing mold process. The two basic process steps of the MoldJet process are to print the mold, make it a frame for the desired part geometry, and fill the mold with a metal slurry. These two process steps alternate with each other. The subsequent degreasing and sintering process is similar to the post-processing process corresponding to the Binder Jetting technology.
Aurora labs' MCP multipoint simultaneous melt metal 3D printing technology
Australian metal 3D printer manufacturer Aurora Labs has developed over the years to introduce MCP multipoint simultaneous melt metal 3D printing technology that combines speed and precision. Aurora Labs' RMP1 Beta printer, with a print bed size of 450 mm x 400 mm, is significantly faster than previous test machines with Multi Concurrent Printing (MCP) multipoint simultaneous melt metal 3D printing technology.
Aurora prioritizes optimizing speed improvements and print quality, a key pillar of Aurora's strategy, and Aurora Labs has also struck an agreement with giant engineering and mining services group, Orrley Parsons, to form a combined 3D printing and consulting joint venture called AdditiveNow. AdditiveNow's services include assisting customers in increasing their manufacturing plans and conducting optimization studies to improve operability and manufacturability to improve efficiency. The joint venture will provide customers with additive manufacturing related engineering services such as part design, custom metal 3D printing, part optimization and part certification services.
Of course, the improvement of efficiency does not mean that 3D printing can seamlessly cut into the track of mass production of auto parts, in addition to the improvement of manufacturing efficiency, there are still a series of problems in the process of 3D printing towards automobile industrialization, including: through the information management system to manage the flow of additive manufacturing data; process repeatability, part-to-part repeatability; mature certification and quality inspection methods.
The need for standards in the automotive industry is another challenge for 3D printing technology, as standards for additive manufacturing begin to surface. The standards themselves also need to be collectively developed across the industry, because in the case of General Motors, which requires hundreds of millions of parts per year, each machine builder has its own unique powder that is not sustainable – the requirements of the automotive industry do not allow this. Not to mention that powder standards are only the tip of the iceberg, manufacturers in the 3D printing industry need to coordinate from the perspective of industry development to see how they can jointly support the development of additive manufacturing and break down all important obstacles.
However, in any case, from the perspective of industry development, the emergence of new 3D printing technology and the establishment of new manufacturing efficiency benchmarks have played a positive role in promoting more innovation in the entire industry, and no matter which technology comes out on top, it has a positive significance for 3D printing to have a profound impact on the manufacturing field.
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