Churning out new technology is part and parcel of any modern manufacturing organisation. The drive to stay at the forefront of innovation has, however, been taken one step further by Endress+Hauser, when it designed a new system to significantly speed up the rate at which the company can design and create new products and solutions.
Rapid Prototyping (RP) has reduced the time-to-market of Endress+Hauser concepts from three years down to a remarkable 18 months, primarily by allowing the integration of model and prototype construction into the actual construction phase. "Simultaneous engineering has allowed us to rationalise our overall development process," explains Tony Jacobsen, managing director of Endress+Hauser South Africa. "From the day that we identify a need in the market to the day that we bring out a working solution, we are now able to act much more rapidly."
A typical Rapid Prototyping process
The term 'Rapid Prototyping' comprises several different processes to quickly manufacture prototypes. It all starts with a concept created using a 3D CAD construction program. The CAD data (concept) is then transferred to the RP facility by way of a standard interface. Following this transfer, a fully automated RP plant manufactures an actual prototype, often only needing some finishing. Models generated in this manner are often operative and offer an enormous advantage - timewise - compared to traditional processes, where the manufacture and modification of a tangible model may take several months. This is proof that model construction has caught up with disciplines such as construction and production, which have long been computer assisted.
Various different RP processes have seen the light recently, including stereo lithography, selective laser sintering, laminated object manufacturing, multijet modelling, 3D printing and fused deposing modelling. Contrary to traditional design processes, all RP methods add material and do not remove it.
Often, these new processes could very well have come from a James Bond movie. For instance, during selective laser sintering, layers of powder are melted with a laser and then applied with a levelling roller in an inert atmosphere (with nitrogen as the inert gas). The powder to be applied is pre-heated in a chamber with the help of an infrared lamp to a temperature just below its melting point. A laser beam is used to scan the component structure and melt the powder accordingly, leaving non-solidified material to support the component, which eliminates the need for additional support construction. The model, now one layer thick, is layered onto a process chamber, where a second layer is applied. Finally, if necessary, a sintering process is used for full curing, readying the model for operational testing. "This technology will elevate the art of innovation itself, ultimately benefiting our customers in the form of ever-improving solutions," Jacobsen concludes.
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