All Additive/3D Printing articles – Page 5
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ArticlePSA and Divergent 3D to transform car structures
France – The OEM has signed a Strategic Partnership Letter of Intent relating to multiple development projects in collaboration with the US-based 3D printing company. PSA plans to boost the efficiency of its operations by implementing Divergent 3D technology in its production processes.Divergent 3D has developed a software-hardware platform enabled ...
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ArticlePrinting the future
Additive manufacturing offers many benefits and the technology is seeing wider application in the automotive industryAmong the most recent additive manufacturing (AM) trends are the advantages it can bring to mould-making processes. The quality of plastic components in modern cars has increased greatly over the years in terms of precision, ...
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ArticleTaking Control of quality
AMS previews the array of quality-assurance technologies that will be on display at the Control 2016 showControl 2016 – the International Trade Fair for Quality Assurance – is celebrating its 30th anniversary by featuring techniques and hardware used in quality assurance, including conventional mechatronic measuring systems, 3D metrology, microscopy and ...
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ArticleGetting connected at Hannover Messe
The show will highlight innovation in production and process automation, system solutions and industrial ITWith the Industry 4.0 concept high on the agenda, issues of connectivity and data management will be highlighted at this year’s Hannover Messe, along with additive manufacturing, energy efficiency, preventive maintenance and lightweight construction. A massive ...
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ArticleSubtractive or additive manufacturing?
We all know that improving process productivity is one of the primary means for automotive plants to reduce costs. However, after decades of lean manufacturing initiatives, CI and Kaizen events, most are finding that there’s not much fat left on the bone.It therefore boils down to technology to make the ...
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ArticleEditor's note: A good year?
I don’t usually do end-of-year round-ups, but the events of the previous 12 months posed a question that is worth considering as we begin a new year: was 2015 a good one for automotive manufacturing?The figures would suggest that the answer is ‘yes’. China’s automotive market continued to grow, albeit ...
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ArticleDriving down the skills gap
If the automotive industry is to continue its progress, manufacturers will have to prioritise human resourcesThe US needs to fill no fewer than 3.5m manufacturing jobs over the next decade, according to Deloitte and the Manufacturing Institute, Washington. Meanwhile, UK organisations are pouring £42.9 billion ($64.7 billion) of investment into ...
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ArticleDoes 3D printing add up?
Additive manufacturing has long assisted prototyping, but OEMs are now exploring its uses in productionA hot topic for a number of years, it now appears that additive manufacturing (3D printing) technologies are starting to be used more widely by a number of automotive OEMs. But while additive manufacturing has been ...
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ArticleFord hails 3D printing in production
US – In celebrating the 25-year anniversary of the technology, the OEM said it has “played a key role” in the development of three well-known models: the GT, the Mondeo Vignale and the Focus RS. Also used on other Ford vehicles, 3D printing speeds up part prototyping, enabling designers and ...
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ArticleBMW celebrates 25 years of 3D printing
Germany – In 1990, the OEM’s Rapid Technologies Center in Munich commissioned the development of its first additive manufacturing facilities, and that year prototype parts were made on a stereolithography machine. Early examples featured on concept cars; BMW later developed further procedures and applications in line with component specifications.Today, the ...
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ArticleShaping the future
This year, for the first time, Euromold went to Düsseldorf, where the event showed signs of being revitalisedEuromold departed Frankfurt in Germany after 21 years, with legal wrangles in the background, and now other shows targeting similar market segments have emerged in the shape of Frankfurt’s FormNext and the Moulding ...
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ArticleLocal Motors unveils 3D-printed car
US – Four months after revealing the designs for LM3D Swim, the first vehicle has been produced by the direct digital manufacturing (DDM) methodology which includes 3D printing. Presales of the car, which will cost around $53,000, will begin in spring next year, while manufacturing and delivery are expected in ...
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ArticleThe view from Frankfurt
Every other year, the automotive industry’s European movers and shakers convene in Frankfurt to gaze in admiration at the latest offerings and future concepts, particularly from the German brands. This year, despite the looming worry over what China’s slowdown might mean, the European car companies did not disappoint, with a ...
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ArticleLaser-sintered indexable insert drills
MAPAL UK says it has added laser-sintered indexable insert drills with diameters down to 9mm to its QTD drill range. It says it has used laser sintering – a form of 3D printing – in the production of the new drills. This allows a non-circular profile to be used for ...
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ArticleFord reduces production-line injury rate
US – The company says it has cut the number of injuries to its 50,000-strong workforce in the country by 70% since 2003, through new ergonomics research, lift-assist devices, workstation redesign and data-driven process changes.“We refer to our assembly line employees as ‘industrial athletes’, due to the physical nature of ...
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ArticlePerfect casting
Executive director Ed Grainger explains how Grainger & Worrall has transformed the ‘black art’ of casting into a high-tech operation to meet the demands of clients including F1, NASCAR and supercar makersAMS: Could you provide an overview of how the company has developed?Ed Grainger (EG): The company was established in ...
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ArticleAudi progresses smart factory concept
Germany – The OEM says it has already implemented some intelligent production processes but will introduce further innovations in the coming years. Audi’s vision for the future, discussed at its recent annual shareholders meeting, encompasses collaborative robots, 3D printing and cars driven from the assembly line in piloted mode.An increasing ...
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ArticleKWSP's 3D printing makes 1920s car parts
UK – Engineers from KW Special Projects (KWSP) in Brackley used their additive manufacturing capabilities and high-performance engineering experience to design and manufacture missing parts for the restoration of a 1927 Amilcar C6, based on a black-and-white photograph.The car had featured an extended selector housing, adapted from the original. Using ...
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ArticleChrysler using 3D printing for axle development
US – Engineers at the Chrysler Technology Center (CTC) are now printing transparent plastic components for test purposes, providing Fiat Chrysler Automobiles (FCA) with a better understanding of axle durability and efficiency.In conventional methods of evaluating oil flow inside axles and pinion carriers, ‘windows’ are cut into the components so ...
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ArticleEditor's note: Automotive alchemy
Automotive manufacturing has, for the most part, become an exact science. With the exception of a few bespoke, artisan operations on luxury models, every operation is simulated, programmed and performed with exacting accuracy. Production processes aim to eliminate errors even within the operations carried out by human operatives. This drive ...