Newsletter May 2009

In this issue:

 

• Is Digital Manufacturing Right for You?

• You Say Tomāto, I Say Tomăto

• Upcoming Industry Events

• Driving Automotive Restoration

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Is Digital Manufacturing Right for You?

Scale up from Prototypes to Production Parts Faster

For Engineers today, Fused Deposition Modeling (FDM) is the technology of choice for producing rapid prototypes. Interestingly, more and more people are using it for direct digital manufacturing (DDM) of final products. "Our technology has moved beyond simply proving out designs," says RedEye On Demand Product Manager, Tim Thellin.

New materials and increased awareness of this manufacturing technique has led to producing more parts for end-use. According to Mr. Thellin, this trend is especially evident in manufacturing jigs, fixtures and other tools used in production and assembly processes. It is also being used to create custom components for the healthcare, dental and medical device industries. He says that’s because this DDM process is a fast, affordable alternative to traditional manufacturing such as machining or injection molding.

Watch FDM video

What is Fused Deposition Modeling? FDM is an additive manufacturing process. It melts solid plastic and extrudes it through nozzles not much thicker than a human hair (minimum layer thickness of 0.005 inch, and accuracy to 0.003 inch). Those nozzles lay fine beads of molten plastic layer-by-layer to quickly build parts directly from a 3D CAD model.

But how do you know if digital manufacturing is right for you? We suggest targeting applications that have one or more of these four attributes: Low Production Volume, High Design Complexity, High Probability of Change and High Start Up Investment.

Low Production Volume
A prime factor in determining if digital manufacturing is suitable for a company's manufacturing needs is the projected annual production volume. DDM is most appropriate for parts produced in quantities of less than 3,000 per year. This is one reason that DDM is increasingly used in applications for jigs, fixtures and other tools used in the assembly process.

For example, a large automotive manufacturer may produce hundreds of custom tools but need only 30 to 40 of each design. DDM can help such manufacturers avoid the high costs and lengthy waiting times involved in traditional methods such as machining injection molds or in bidding out that work.

Manufacturers producing components in low volumes can benefit in similar ways. DDM can be the long-term solution that offers an ability to dynamically adjust production plans, production schedules and inventory levels to meet the fluctuating demands of the market.

In the parlance of lean manufacturing, digital manufacturing becomes a just-in-time solution that is not bound by conventional rules that dictate economic order quantities, batch sizes or on-hand minimums. 

High Design Complexity
Although DDM can be used to produce simple objects, the cost and time advantages are more pronounced when parts have complex shapes, intricate designs or numerous features.

Parts produced with FDM technology are insensitive to design complexity. Building material up layer-by-layer to complete the part eliminates problems such as creating internal cavities and complicated 3D contours. Parts can also be built without drafts, radiuses or fillets, which are features required for molded parts. Also, it doesn’t require the part to be set up or refixtured multiple times. However, parts requiring very tight tolerances (greater than ±0.005 inch) may require additional finishing work.  

High Probability of Change
Design changes can be expensive and time-consuming when using traditional subtractive manufacturing processes.  

With DDM you can manufacture a revised design at will. You simply modify the CAD data and upload your file to print. There is no additional cost for rework or retooling, and there is no interruption in production schedules.

DDM also serves as a bridge to production because it provides flexibility to change a product’s design after its launch. This also explains why manufacturers of custom products, such as those in the medical and dental fields, have been early adopters.

High Startup Investment
All subtractive manufacturing processes involve substantial investment of labor, time and money for toolpath creation, fixtures, tooling, molds and machinery.  

For example, a single injection mold can cost $75,000 or more and take anywhere from 8 to 16 weeks to manufacture. FDM has no tooling costs, and the waiting period for the first production parts may amount to only a few hours.

This not only minimizes new-product startup investment, but can translate to better cash flow, improved profit and decreased debt for a company. Lowering the initial investment also opens the door to more product introductions.

The next time you consider manufacturing methods for your new product, try DDM services by RedEye On Demand. The use of our services is growing, because in these complicated economic times, we can save you time and cut costs compared to traditional manufacturing.

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You Say Tomāto, I Say Tomăto

A sample of parts that show a variety of applications for Direct Digital Manufacturing being produced today at RedEye On Demand.

As noted in the April edition of Manufacturing Engineering, "rapid prototyping" is no longer a suitable catch-all term that defines an entire industry. It’s a great article and we couldn't wait to share how we weigh in on the current term wars.

At RedEye we believe rapid prototyping is just a step in the entire direct digital manufacturing process. In addition to rapid prototyping, direct digital manufacturing includes:

• Tooling

• Fixtures

• Casting

• Replacement Parts

• Low-Volume Production

Other terms used for this type of work are rapid manufacturing (RM), additive manufacturing (AM) and even additive fabrication (AF). I see many using AF as a catch-all term in popular publications, presentations, and communications. The problem with AF as a catch-all term is that it really describes technology, including: SLA, SLS, FDM, and PolyJet. And, there are discernable differences between these technologies and the parts they produce.

If we had to choose a runner up to direct digital manufacturing, we would choose 3D printing. Why? Because it is easy to conceptualize regardless of your education, position or experience. For instance, when describing the technology to a friend, relative or someone I'm seated next to on an airplane, I use 3D printing because there's a better chance they will understand what I'm saying. People can picture printing in layers of plastic because inkjet printing is so commonplace today. 3D printing is also easy to say.

The problem many have with 3D printing as a term is that it still means something else to many people in our industry. This is changing. An estimated 74% of all systems sold in 2007 were classified as a 3D printer and each year this percentage increases.

Another major trend is that usable parts, either for prototypes or production, are now practical. This is due chiefly to the ability of some direct digital manufacturing equipment to produce parts from high-strength thermoplastics.

Whatever the term, service providers like RedEye On Demand are growing because they allow engineers to try this state-of-the-art technology before they buy. And, although pricing for direct digital manufacturing equipment has decreased there is still a tremendous need for service providers who take the hassle out of getting the job done.

If you’re not prototyping daily, it may be too big of an investment to buy, maintain and stock materials for your own equipment. With more than 100 machines in our global network, RedEye can produce your idea regardless of size or complexity with ease. In fact, all you have to do is point, click and place your order on-line.

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Upcoming Industry Events

You are asked to do more with less everyday. Find out how RedEye can save you time and cut costs on your digital manufacturing projects. You design it, we print it. It’s that easy.

Visit us at the Rapid show.

Booth #327
Schaumberg, IL
May 12-14, 2009

Stop by our booth to see our newest product: Ultem® - High Performance Plastic.

ULTEM is a strong, lightweight, flame-retardant thermoplastic that is heat resistant up to 320° F (160° C).

Popular Applications include:	Typical Parts Produced:
End Use Parts Form, Fit and Function Testing Jigs & Fixtures	Aircraft Apparatus Automotive Elements Military Components

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Driving Automotive Restoration

Digital Manufacturing is speeding automotive customization easily and inexpensive

Ford Mk1 Capri

The Challenge
When you are striving to win the Australian Historic Racing Series, you need every ounce of horsepower you can muster.

That’s why Ivan Viduka, began the custom restoration of his 1970 Ford Mk1 Capri by replacing its standard engine with a 3.0 liter quad cam second-eater.

And, although that was good, replacing the engine wouldn’t give him enough power to win. A number of components including a new high-performance air intake system would need to be customized as well.

With confidence in good engineering and the team at RedEye On Demand, Ivan was able to develop in excess of 350 bhp - ultimately giving him enough power to drive circles around the competition.

With no major financial backing, Ivan’s goal was to reduce costs associated with low volume tooling and machining. Prior to using RedEye On Demand’s digital manufacturing service, problems would arise in the process between design finalization and pre-production tooling.

The Solution
With the additive manufacturing technology offered through RedEye's digital manufacturing services, these major components were efficiently created so they could be tested and optimized before committing to patterns and machining. Each iteration of design change cost just hundreds as opposed to thousands of dollars associated with traditional manufacturing.

Even better, with RedEye producing functional prototype and casting patterns the lead time was reduced from months to just days.

Of all the digital manufacturing service providers in the world - why RedEye?

• Preferred Technology

  • RedEye offers Fused Deposition Manufacturing (FDM) technology. This additive fabrication process gives engineers the ability to choose thermoplastics which offer structural properties that are optimal for creating durable, long lasting parts suitable for powertrain testing.

• Proven Track Record

  • RedEye also has access to more than 100 machines and builds thousands of parts each week while handing the largest and most complex projects with ease.

• Cost & Time Saving

  • The team saved thousands of dollars and shaved weeks off their production schedule.

Second Iteration of Intake Plenum

How It Was Made
An initial design concept for the intake plenum was developed with CAD software and sent to RedEye where a rapid prototype was created using Polycarbonate (PC). Due to its suitable heat resistance properties PC possess lower yield strength than aluminum, which would normally be used for this application.

A suitable thickness was applied to the design with the aid of CAE analysis to insure the plenum component was able to resist maximum engine vacuum depression during snap throttle events and backfire.

Since all of the intake plenum features and holes were digitally manufactured using PC, no additional machining was required. All mounting holes were heli-coiled for additional strength so correctly sized fasteners could be used and sealing of the plenum was maintained. The initial design was used for development testing and included idle speed control, PCV and vacuum bosses ready to go without additional machining required.

As part of the typical testing phase, improvements to the design were identified. In this case, the new design included a second throttle body unit that increased horsepower while bosses and ribs added increased structure to the lower mounting surface.

After testing of their second design, the model was updated with more beneficial changes and a new prototype was created using sparsely filled ABS to produce casting patterns.

New Intake Plenum in Use

The End Result
A split plenum design was favored to avoid the need for an additional core model. The two halves of the plenum were machined and welded together.

The engine installation into the Ford Capri is now complete thanks to the availability of a diverse array of thermoplastics available at RedEye On Demand. The processes involved were not only extremely cost effective but the ability to fully test a component prior to manufacture was invaluable.

We Race. You Win.
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