Experts push additive manufacturing boundaries via internet TV broadcast
Interest in arburgXvision — Arburg’s Internet TV broadcast — attracted more than 650 viewers who took part in the third live event on 25 March 2021.
Under the banner "Game without limits — additive manufacturing (AM) pushes boundaries", Arburg experts Lukas Pawelczyk and Martin Neff shared their combined expertise, provided the participants with valuable insights and showcased a whole host of application examples. The interactive programme also featured a live link-up between the TV studio and the Arburg Prototyping Center in Lossburg and live polls provided interesting insights into industry trends.
The Arburg experts examined a wide range of aspects relating to industrial AM. They highlighted the potential of Arburg Plastic Freeforming (APF) with the Freeformer and succinctly expressed the benefits and added value this method brings compared with injection moulding and other conventional techniques.
Interactive polls on the potential of AM
The results of the polls that were carried out also provided food for thought. They revealed that 70% of the German attendees and 90% of the international participants are already using AM in their companies — primarily in the automotive and medical technology industries. Around one in three participants are intending to produce prototypes using AM techniques in the future. In addition, interest is also growing in "real" functional components: 46% of the German participants and 66% of the international audience wish to expand their use of AM for devices and series production parts.
Changing the rules of the game — with industrial additive manufacturing
"AM enables new product and production solutions, but only if you think outside the box," Lukas Pawelczyk, Head of Freeformer Sales, stated as his key principle. He explained exactly what his "think additive" mantra means through a number of application examples and described how medical technology is currently the driving force behind AM.
Lukas Pawelczyk is a firm believer in the technology: "The ideal business case would be a component that offers added value thanks to its lightweight construction, the way in which functions can be integrated or the reduced installation work involved, for instance." He went on to add that the Freeformer is also an interesting prospect regarding manufacturing operating equipment and spare parts.
Rapid prototyping functional components also significantly speeds up time-to-market, he explained. To demonstrate this, Lukas Pawelczyk presented the 'face mask' project, which Arburg and its partners developed from the idea to series maturity in just 41 days in spring 2020. Another example was the two-component gripper which was specifically designed for removing the moulded handles that Arburg mass-produces in its in-house injection moulding facility for one of its products.
Freeformer: a high level of material and design freedom
Martin Neff, who as head of Plastic Freeforming is responsible for the technology, explained how the APF process works and stated the following: "You can only really be innovative if you can rely on the technology and processes 100%."
The expert vividly described how the component properties can be influenced by the open system and the advantages offered by the wide range of original materials. To provide examples of such innovation, Martin Neff named patient-specific resorbable implants and tablets as well as functional automotive prototypes made from original, soft TPE materials. He also explained how the Freeformer can be used to produce hard/soft combinations and electrically conductive components, as well as to process bioplastics. He went on to describe cleanroom production and emphasised how important end-to-end process control and traceability is — aspects that are facilitated by the Freeformer’s OPC UA interface.
Live link to the Arburg Prototyping Center
During two live links to the Arburg Prototyping Center in Lossburg, APF technology consultant Simon Leitl revealed what needs to be taken into account when optimising components produced using AM processes. He presented the individual components of the Freeformer 300-3X and demonstrated how benchmark components are produced in the APC. What’s more, the attendees found out more about how data processing works — from importing the CAD file, placement on the part carrier, automatic analysis and slicing, right the way up to the automatic transfer of the build job to the machine.
One aspect of particular interest saw Arburg’s digital world integrated via the arburgXworld customer portal. For example, the “ProcessLog” app, which was specially developed for the Freeformer, enables all orders, as well as machine and process data to be seamlessly tracked. And in the Shop app, spare parts can be ordered at any time of the day or night. The practical session of the broadcast was rounded off with a brief explanation of the material qualification process and included interesting examples of components.
AM pushes boundaries
During the final panel discussion with host Guido Marschall, the experts summarised the main findings of the digital theme day.
"The Freeformer and the APF process enable a game without limits," said Lukas Pawelczyk, rounding up the discussion. "We see ourselves as enablers in this respect." He explained how his team supports both existing injection moulding customers and professionals in the AM industry alike. More and more often, prospective customers are coming to Arburg with components that cannot be produced using conventional methods.
"The industry has matured but you still need to be a bit daring if you want to take full advantage of the potential offered by AM," stated Martin Neff with conviction. "If you incorporate the technology right from the initial design phase, you will achieve results and the added value you generate will also open up options in terms of pricing."