The world's largest industrial delta 3D printer should make prototyping more efficient, cost-effective, faster and more flexible. It involves a four-metre-high 3D printer developed by a research group at Germany's Jacobs University Bremen.
Bespoke solutions are needed for various applications. Think of manufacturing spare parts and prototypes, but also mechanical applications and production sites. This brings challenges. For instance, the parts in demand have complex structures. At the same time, traditional production methods tend to focus on high volume production. This makes producing such parts financially unattractive or even impossible.
Fast, simple and at relatively low cost
Additive manufacturing can offer a solution. It allows companies to produce customised parts quickly, easily and at relatively low cost. This enables, among other things, the manufacture of parts for prototypes at a very early stage. This allows designers to flexibly and economically modify a design based on test results, and produce a new prototype in a short time.
A limiting factor here can be the printing area of 3D printers. This is relatively limited in many cases. However, a new 3D printer developed by a team at Germany's Jacobs University Bremen allows printing bulky components. It is a four-metre-high printer that offers a printing surface with a 1.5-diameter diameter and a height of 2.5 metres.
Delta 3D printer
It specifically involves a delta 3D printer. In such a printer, the print head is attached to three arms, which together form a triangle. In practice, this means that the print head can move in any direction using the arms. The resulting print surface enables the printing of exceptionally large components.
The printer is called Honeycomb. This name was chosen in view of the internal structure of printed components. Thanks to the use honeycomb structure, a component consists of less material and the end result is both light and stable. The 3D printer was developed by a team led by Professor of Logistics Yilmaz Uygun from Jacobs University Bremen. The project was carried out with support from the Kieserling Foundation.
The print speed is currently around 5kg of material per hour, which depends on the complexity of the print. At present, the printer is suitable for conventional plastics such as PLA, PET and ABS. The components made so far using the 3D printer are targeted for use in vertical wind turbines, among others. This as part of a university project. However, other plans for industry are also in the pipeline, reports the team.
Material recycling
3D printing leaves material in many cases. Think of the support structures used in prints with overhangs. This material is reusable by shredding and recycling it as pellets. Currently, the team's 3D printer is only capable of printing filament. However, the team is working on a pellet extruder that can produce and use such pellets instead of filament.
Uygun: "This significantly reduces the carbon footprint. In addition, we can realise cost savings, secure the supply chain and ensure independence from specific suppliers and regions."
Correcting errors during the printing process
In addition to developing the pellet extruder, the team plans to focus on developing quality management during the printing process in the near future. An important topic, as all kinds of errors can occur in additive manufacturing during the printing process. These include distortion, layers that do not stick together properly or material sticking to the extruder. If these errors are detected too late, they can render the entire print unusable.
Therefore, among other things, the team is working on a camera-based system that visually monitors the printing process. Using this system, the 3D printer should be able to correct any errors independently during the printing process. Uygen: "Our goal is to bring Honeycomb directly into production. We have several ideas to speed up printing without compromising on quality."
The team is also investigating the possibility of printing with multiple printheads simultaneously. Striking features here include the use of nozzles with openings of different sizes. This could be used, among other things, to manufacture product geometries of varying complexity, printing different parts at different speeds. "If this proves successful, that the system will be used directly in production use," states Uygen.
Author: Wouter Hoeffnagel
Photo: Никита Лазоренко via Pixabay
