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Industrial 3D-printing in design and production

Digital production technology at VWH GmbH

3D printing is changing the way who makes where  and when products, accelerating innovation and determining the competitiveness of businesses in the future. Whether individual sports shoes, configurable car parts or customer-specific implants – 3D technology is making its way into many industries and sectors. In an interview, Tobias Weber, contact person for technology and product development at VWH GmbH, talks about his assessment of the development of the technology and the potential it opens up for the special machine and tool manufacturer VWH GmbH.

 

  1. 3D technology is seen as the trigger for a new industrial revolution, the digitalization of industry. Will the hype for the key technology be justified?

    Partly. In my opinion, technology should not be seen as a holistic revolution, but rather as an extension with numerous possibilities. It provides the company a tool that makes it much easier to meet the customer's day-to-day demand for flexibility.

  2. What do you personally find fascinating about 3D printing technology?

    On the one hand, I am fascinated by the time saved between the CAD model and the finished result, and on the other hand, by the possibility of using innovative methods in the construction process. In many situations, geometries can be combined in one component that cannot be realized with conventional manufacturing methods.

  3. For which industries is this technology a real revolution? Is it even possible to differentiate at this point?

    In my opinion, 3D printing technology will play a slightly greater role than in manufacturing, especially in industries whose main task is to create new designs with high development requirements. 3D printing can reach its full potential where a lot of trial and error is required in the design process to find the best solution. 

  4. What are the advantages and opportunities associated with the use of 3D printing at VWH GmbH? How does the technology change your in-house processes?

    For the machines and plants of our special machine construction department, we design and manufacture a large number of parts which, although having a high geometric complexity, do not have to meet particularly high demands on rigidity and strength.

    These can be, for example, holders for sensors or safety-relevant covers for moving components. At this point, the technology of 3D printing is already in use at VWH GmbH as a manufacturing process to increase cost efficiency, flexibility and adherence to delivery dates. We are certain that the technology's full potential is far from exhausted and we will continue to develop further applications, for example in the optimization of lightweight construction applications, component fixtures or gripper fingers.

  5. Are there any significant drawbacks to industrial 3D printing? If so, can these be overcome with appropriate knowledge and experience?

    A disadvantage results mainly from a false expectation of the technology. From a layman's point of view, it often seems as if 3D printing is the universal solution with which any shape can be sensibly created. It often has to be explained that there are different, very different additive manufacturing processes, which bring with them a variety of possibilities and process limits. Expertise and experience are therefore irreplaceable in order to be able to use the methods of 3D printing purposefully and successfully.

  6. From an environmental perspective, 3D printing is being touted as a sustainable production method because it saves materials, avoids waste and develops new recycling ideas. However, thermoplastic materials and plastic-like resins are often used for printing. Doesn't this make 3D printing environmentally unfriendly? Or does the use of bioplastics as an alternative open up new opportunities for environmental friendliness, or does it save CO2 emissions from transport costs?

    The largest application in industrial 3D printing is for thermoplastics. Regardless of the additive manufacturing processes used in the plastics industry, the issue of recycling is becoming more important every day and is being taken seriously and approached in a solution-oriented manner. The use of bioplastics is only one part of the solution. The terminology of bioplastics must always be differentiated: Is it a bioplastic made from raw materials from organic farming? Or is it a material that is produced conventionally but is biodegradable? Or does it contain both properties?

    In addition to the consideration of the material side, the increase in energy efficiency and the associated CO2 savings play a major role in all industrial sectors. Here 3D printing can score also points, since many "intermediate stations" in the value-added chain are skipped. Basically, a finished component is produced using a master forming process without the need for further processing steps.

  7. What could a sustainable recycling economy with industrial 3D printing look like? Is sustainability one of the major challenges for users?

    With filament 3D printing, there are two basic possibilities for implementing a closed loop economy. The first possibility is the use of recycled filament material, which was previously used in the form of PET bottles, fishing nets or food packaging, for example. The second possibility lies in the use of filament material which is made from renewable raw materials and is biodegradable. There are already interesting offers for the latter in particular. The topic of sustainability is still one of the biggest challenges in additive manufacturing in particular and in the plastics industry in general.

  8. 3D printing has a thirty-year history and has been used in the automotive industry, for example, to develop prototypes since the 1980s. How do you see further development and what stood in the way of the revolution that this technology has brought about so far?

    Especially Filament printing is not particularly complex from a machine technology point of view. But it is only with the software developments of the last two decades, the expiration of patent rights and the creation of system offerings for the masses, that industrial 3D printing has experienced such an upswing. The developments of the last few years were mainly concerned with the creation of a wide range of materials for various applications. I think that in the future there will be a greater focus on process optimization. This concerns, for example, the issue of increasing speed and resolution, as well as reducing the anisotropic properties that a component produced in layers brings with it.

  9. Do you think that 3D printing will completely replace traditional manufacturing methods?

    No. In addition to the existing challenges in mechanical terms, 3D printing reaches its limits in terms of production speed once a certain batch size and/or component size is reached. From today's perspective, I cannot imagine that additive manufacturing will ever reach the speed of, say, an injection molding cycle, and that 3D printing will always have to be considered individually, depending on the application.

  10. The consumer becomes a prosumer: what do you think this means for the future economy?

    In the context of additive manufacturing, this means above all a certain independence from suppliers, because practically all component geometries can be produced from one filament. This is a clear advantage compared to conventional manufacturing processes.

  11. The technology of the future means that production is migrating back to the respective countries. Is this an opportunity for Germany in the face of global powers like China and the USA?

    Since 3D printing continues to find its main application in the field of development, it is particularly beneficial to Germany as a location for innovation. One of our great strengths lies in our mechanical engineering that insists on new developments. Here, 3D printing technology can function as an extremely effective tool.

  12. What growth opportunities do you see specifically for VWH GmbH?

    I think the chances are very good, regardless of the current difficult situation in Germany. In tool and special machine construction, we are constantly comparing our design and development methods with the latest state of the art and constantly questioning our efficiency in order to continue to master all projects with the usual success. We are also well prepared for the future in terms of personnel and structure.

  13. Where does the company want to be in terms of technology in five years?

    The aim is to constantly expand the range of applications for additive manufacturing in our systems and tools. Various internal research projects are currently underway here on the printing of gripper fingers and workpiece carriers for special machine construction and mould inserts for toolmaking. We are convinced that the potential of this technology is far from exhausted and that it will become an essential part of our production in the future.