Ford Motor Co. is raising the stakes in rapid prototyping, making testable prototype metal parts ranging from brake rotors to transmission cases with three-dimensional (3D) printers.
Using technologies such as selective laser sintering, stereolithography, and 3D sandcasting, Ford engineers say they're able to build metal parts with the same material characteristics as those that are injection molded, and then employ them as "surrogate" parts in test vehicles prior to production. Doing so enables them to eliminate the time-consuming step of building an injection molding tool, thus cutting weeks from the process.
"With these technologies, we just build a part directly from a CAD file," Harold Sears, rapid manufacturing technology specialist for Ford, told Design News. "There's no tooling needed."
Ford engineers send CAD files between facilities, then build prototypes at workstations using MakerBot Thing-O-Matic 3D printers. (Source: Ford Motor Co.)
To be sure, manufacturers have used rapid prototyping techniques for more than a decade, but Ford is said to be unusual in its use of 3D printing for metal parts in test engines, transmissions, and brakes.
Prior to the advent of such techniques, manufacturers typically machined an injection mold tool before building a metal part. Doing so took time -- one to two weeks for simple tools and 10 to 12 weeks for more complex ones. By eliminating the need for those tools, they can now turn around a testable metal part in days or even hours. "In the past, we might have only been making one or two parts, but we still had to make an injection mold tool for them," Sears told us. "But with processes like laser sintering, we can now build really testable and durable parts without the tooling."
Ford has invested in what may be one of the industry's biggest rapid prototyping efforts. Three facilities near its Dearborn, Mich., headquarters contain selective laser sintering and stereolithography equipment, while another is dedicated to rapid sandcasting. The sandcasting facility enables printing of sand molds that can be used to create metal parts with the same material properties as production parts.
The giant automaker has employed those techniques in rotor supports, transmission cases, damper housings, and end covers for its C-Max and Fusion hybrids. Four-cylinder ECOBoost engines, Ford Explorer brake rotors, and F-150 exhaust manifolds have also been built with the technology.
Ford's expanded use of 3D printing has also swept across its research and development facilities. Engineers often send CAD files back and forth between
the company's Silicon Valley Lab and its Dearborn facilities, then use the files to build physical prototype parts on MakerBot Thing-O-Matic 3D printers. By doing so, they can quickly tweak the designs of shift knobs, gauges, display modules, and other plastic parts.
"Now, at the press of a button, you can have the product or component at your fingertips," said K. Venkatesh Prasad, senior technical leader for Ford, in a company press release. "With a model in one hand, you can then input your changes back into the computer model."
Ford engineers believe the trend toward rapid prototyping is still growing fast. "We're going to see more development of these materials," Sears predicts. "As the processes become more robust, they're going to allow engineers to do even more with these parts than they do today."
Chuck, there seems to be an explosion of 3D for prototyping. I would think that low prodcution rate parts could be made with 3D printing as well. Of course, for high volume production, injection molding is much faster. And once the mold is made, it is relatively cheap.
One thing, though. You mention parts such as brake disks. Are these usable as real brakes, or are they just used to test fit and manufacturability.
Some of the most impressive gains are being made in 3D printing. I think this is the space to watch this year. This way of prototyping could revolutionize the auto industry and allow manufacturers to bang things out much more efficiently and cost effectively. Will be interesting to see how this evolves and is adopted by other automakers.
Elizabeth M, I agree. This year will be exciting to see all of the innovative products being created using 3D printers. Every Thursday, Adafruit posts blogs regarding the state of 3D printing. Here's the link.https://www.adafruit.com/blog/?s=3D+printing
Chuck, this is great news, although I'm not familiar with the term "surrogate" in 3D printing/AM. I have basically the same question as Lou: are the parts for form and fit only, or are they also functional? And another question: if some of them arfe functional, is this for prototyping or low-end production volumes? Including SLA says prototypes, but LS could be used for production parts.
Chuck, Excellent. But I think what many of us are interested in is your take on the limitations of the technology ... in terms of what it can and can't deliver. Thanks.
These parts are truly functional, so they can be used in prototype testing applications. The main reason they don't make it to production is that these techniques wouldn't be practical for huge volumes. In production, automakers can build hundreds of parts per hour. So while it may take weeks to build the production tooling, they get that time back when the tooling is completed and they move to large-scale production. In contrast, the methods mentioned in this article can take hours per part, so while that works for small lots, it doesn't work for volumes in the tens of thousands. In that sense, building a car is a lot different than building a 787. Automotive production volumes are just too big for this technology.
mrdon, thanks for that link. In commenting on an earlier post last year, I expressed the idea that 3D printing could be used for scanning and reproducing museum replicas of various art objects, such as sculptures. Looks like that's being done by more than one artist. Good to see my wish come true.
Is it an explosion or just more mainstream awareness? With so many stories on NPR, BBC and even morning news shows, you'd think 3D printing was the answer to all of the world's problems.
According to yahoo news, a 3D printer can build a house in 20hrs. It's all a little overblown right now. Once the initial "wow" factor wears off, I think we'll see actual, long-lasting applications.
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