Introduction: At present, there are really million-level consumer terminal 3D printing products, and the shoe midsole is undoubtedly a recognized major application. Worldwide, OECHSLER is the largest manufacturer of 3D printed shoe midsoles.
In December 2020, Antarctic Bear visited the OECHSLER China base in Taicang, Jiangsu Province. It is a German company with a history of more than 150 years and is a leading international supplier of plastics technology. In 2018, Yuke Xerox noted the potential of 3D printing technology in large-scale production, introduced more than 100 Carbon L1 large-size, ultra-high-speed light-curing 3D printers, produced 3D printing sneaker midsoles for well-known brands, and left this 3D printing mass production workshop in Taicang base.
△ Aerial view of the factory of Yuke Xerox Plastic Products (Taicang) Co., Ltd
According to Antarctic Bear, Yuker Xerox currently has more than 5 additive manufacturing technologies, more than 10 kinds of 3D printing material molding and preparation processes, and 4 additive manufacturing technology factories in the world, which are located in Ansbach, Germany, Brozwinden, Usa, Atlanta, Akworth, and Taicang, China. More than 200 3D printing equipment are being mass-produced worldwide, and more than 2 million products have been mass-produced, and the production scale is constantly expanding.
Founded in 1864, Yuker Xerox, headquartered in Bavaria, Germany, provides a full range of engineering and development services in the field of additive manufacturing, industrial product introduction to high-scale production of the whole value chain. In recent years, Yuker Xerox has become an important global market leader in additive manufacturing.
Founded in 2004, Yuker Xerox Plastic Products (Taicang) Co., Ltd. is the only wholly-owned subsidiary of Yuke Xerox Group in China, with more than 800 employees, and Yuker Xerox (China)'s additive manufacturing technology comes from the cooperation of R&D teams in Germany, the United States and China.
As early as 2018, Yuke Xerox set up a postdoctoral workstation in Taicang, its main direction is the research and development of additive manufacturing technology and the transformation of achievements, and cooperates with relevant universities in Germany and East China University of Science and Technology in China to cultivate China's local 3D printing research and development team. At present, the Taicang factory has built an additive manufacturing innovation center and the country's first large-scale mass production of 3D printing factory, which has and achieved millions of pieces of output capacity through the commissioning of hundreds of printing equipment.
△ Yuker Xerox uses injection molding technology to produce auto parts
When antarctic bears walked into Yuker Xerox's 3D printing factory, they were completely shocked by the scene in front of them (unfortunately, due to confidentiality needs, they could not take pictures):
More than 100 Carbon L1 3D printers are neatly installed in the workshop, and the production status of each device is displayed in real time on a large screen.
The rapid alternating exposure of each device, the ultraviolet light source shining on the photosensitive resin liquid in the tank, the instantaneous chemical reaction makes the 0.1mm thick resin solidify, and the reciprocating movement of the 3D printing platform seems to be playing a piece of music.
Every half an hour, a 3D printer can produce a pair of sneaker midsoles with a lattice structure.
When the printer is fully loaded, it can produce more than 1 million products per year.
The staff told Antarctic Bear that Carbon's photosensitive resin material is divided into two components, mixed into 3D printing into the process, the equipment will automatically supplement the resin raw materials according to the liquid level prompts, and the printed shoe midsole will be transported to the post-processing area together with the platform for drying, baking and other operations, and finally after testing, it can be shipped to the shoe factory.
△ Midsole produced by Juck Xerox
It is worth mentioning that in the context of the global outbreak of the new crown epidemic in 2020, Yucker Xerox took the initiative to assume social responsibility and quickly used the rapid response advantage of its additive manufacturing plant to quickly deliver mass manufactured protective masks to make up for the shortage of medical supplies and thus help fight the new crown virus epidemic.
△ Yuker Xerox 3D printed protective mask
The 3D printing product series currently in mass production in Taicang also includes:
High-performance sneaker midsole with special lattice design to enhance athletic performance;
American football helmet pads that must withstand extremely strong impacts;
Medical protective masks that guard the lifeline.
Whether in Germany or Taicang, China, Yuke Xerox is always able to base itself on the present, focus on the future, and constantly find new ways of development and cultivate new growth points.
△ Yuck Xerox 3D printed rugby helmet pads
In the world's three major additive manufacturing markets, Yucker Xerox continues to lead and expand its market share with its unique production network and strong competitiveness, and can provide additive manufacturing products and services to customers around the world from its bases in Europe, China and the United States.
Antarctic Bear has visited and learned about many 3D printing service manufacturers, and in the field of terminal-level consumer products with plastics as materials, Yucker Xerox is one of the most powerful manufacturers to provide large-scale 3D printing production applications. If you are interested, please contact Yuk Xerox.