Ford's 3D Printed Jigs & Fixtures with BigRep Large-Format Additive Manufacturing

Abbey Delaney

fromBigRep

21 Sep, 2021

Ford optimized factory-floor tooling production with a 94% lead time reduction

Learn how Ford optimized factory-floor tooling production with a 94% lead time reduction by introducing BigRep large-format additive manufacturing. Following an incredible success, Ford expanded their BigRep ONE’s use and needed more additive manufacturing capacity – leading to a BigRep PRO!

3D Printing

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HOW FORD OPTIMIZES MANUFACTURING WITH 3D PRINTED TOOLING

It’s no longer a secret that the automotive industry is a major adopter of 3D printing technology. Auto giant Ford Motor Company, based in the US with a worldwide presence, purchased its first 3D printer –the third SLA 3D printer ever to hit the market, in fact – in 1986.

The company’s only research facility outside the United States, Ford Research & Advanced Engineering Europe, opened in 1995, is dedicated to advancing the next generations of Ford’s vehicles and their manufacturing processes with additive manufacturing technology. As the company that pioneered the automotive assembly line, forward thinking is in Ford’s DNA.

Exploration of and investment into 3D printing has picked up for Ford in recent years, and most recently they’ve been going even bigger.

“3D printing is not a new technology, Ford has been using it for decades, but in the last years 3D printing became more and more relevant as a ‘real’ manufacturing technique,” says Lars Bognar, a Research Engineer in Advanced & Additive Manufacturing at Ford Research & Advanced Engineering, Europe. “That’s why Ford’s research activities in that field were increased. Now 3D printing plays a big role.”

From its start with SLA 3D printing Ford also moved to embrace additional additive technologies, including the BigRep ONE's FFF 3D printing capabilities. Working primarily on jigs and fixtures, tool tryout-parts, and manufacturing equipment, Ford’s BigRep ONE is used in many of the day-to-day activities.

The newer machine, the BigRep PRO, offers the same large build envelope with more advanced features. With the ability to print abrasive, engineering-grade materials, the BigRep PRO is designed for creating functional prototypes, composite tooling, and end-use products – making it a nice fit for Ford and for the automotive industry.

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20240119-Protolabs Insight: 3DP Materials

This week we are going to talk about selecting materials for 3D printing and what you need to consider when making your choice.

Jade Jones

fromProtolabs

19 Oct, 2021

3D Printing

The Protolabs Insight video series will help you master digital manufacturing.

Every Friday we’ll post a new video – each one giving you a deeper Insight into how to design better parts. We’ll cover specific topics such as choosing the right 3D printing material, optimising your design for CNC machining, surface finishes for moulded parts, and much more besides.

Never miss an Insight by subscribing here.

Insight: 3DP Materials

Transcript

Natalie

Hi and welcome to this week’s insight video. Today I’m joined by Tasos Pantelis who is an Application Engineer here at Protolabs.

We’re going to talk about selecting materials for 3D printing. Now we all know how great 3 D printing is for producing parts in pretty much any shape you want and as a rapid prototyping technology, but Tasos, what do I need to think about when it comes to material selection?

Tasos

The first thing that you need to be aware of is that it’s the combination of both the material and how it is produced that will determine a part’s characteristics.

Now 3 D printing is completely different to all other manufacturing processes so the characteristics of parts that it produces are different, even if you are using a nearly identical thermoplastic or metal alloy. This does not mean that it is any better or worse, it’s just that the results for things like tensile strength, elongation and heat deflection can differ.

Natalie

Okay. I know that material science is really advancing in 3 D printing, can you tell me what this means as far as a designer is concerned?

Tasos

That’s certainly very true and it’s a great time to be involved with this technology. For one thing it means that many more materials than you might think can now be 3 D printed. A good example is th

Image: Which filament is best for your application?

PLA vs. ABS and More - Choosing the Right Filament

PLA and ABS are the most commonly used filaments out there. But which one should you pick? And are there other filament options for your application?

Abbey Delaney

fromBigRep

09 Nov, 2021

3D Printing

The power of 3D printing is the ability to produce impossible designs that lead to enhanced functionality and performance. While it’s important to evaluate different technologies and processes, never underestimate material selection and capabilities.

With so many different 3D printing options in the marketplace and countless material options available, what makes the most sense for you? In this post we will compare several FDM materials and how these thermoplastics can be augmented to service a wider range of manufacturing applications. PLA vs. ABS, ASA, PLX, PRO HT, HI-TEMP, Carbon Fiber, Bio-ABS, and more.

ABS Filament

The most commonly used 3D printed material is ABS (Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene). ABS variations are used in every industry imaginable (transportation, consumer products, electronics, etc.). For example, plastic components make up 50 percent of a vehicle’s volume, but only about 10 percent of its weight. Therefore, prototypers, product developers, and production engineers feel comfortable printing materials that mimic the end-use product or purpose. Printing with ABS is an acceptable and easy solution for many manufacturers.

Excellent mechanical strength and durability properties
Cost effective & recyclable
Better heat performance compared to PLA
Great for 3D printing prototypes that require multiple iterations or low volume production requests

PLA Filament & PLX

Second only to ABS, PLA (Polylactic Acid) is a highly preferred 3D printing material because it is inexpensive, easy to use, and accessible on many platforms. Compared to ABS, PLA has slightly better tensile strength properties but generally doesn’t have enough flex strength. Both materials are comparable when it comes to pricing. However, under the right conditions, PLA is biodegradable and oftentimes used for food and packaging products making it rather attractive for many consumer pr