Truck parts 3D printing news

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Next potential use of 3D printing in trucking: Lightweighting

Fleet Owner  /  March 7, 2017

Just when we thought we'd seen all that was going on with 3D printing that could affect trucking and automotive, Ford Motor Co. — an OEM that's been pioneering the use of this technology for some years now — says it's looking into large-scale 3D printing and another potential benefit fleets will readily recognize: lightweighting.

Ford is testing out large-scale 3D printing with Infinite Build printers from Stratasys, noting it's the first manufacturer of its kind to do so. Trucking execs can read between the lines a bit and consider the possibilities watching a new video Ford has put out to showcase the technology. "Imagine a 3D printer as big as a room, capable of printing auto parts of practically any size — even something as big as a 6-ft. spoiler," the video notes.

"It fabricates 3D-printed plastic parts that are lighter than cast metal parts, [which is] designed to lead to more fuel-efficient vehicles," it continues. "It's perfect for low-volume vehicles like race cars, making them more cost-efficient." Also in terms of low-volume parts, Ford also says it's exploring 3D printing up custom parts its clients want.

These large Stratasys 3D printers can keep working when everyone goes home. Ford points out that when the printers run out of material, the machines can robotically reload and continue printing "for hours — days, even."

The OEM notes in a release yesterday 3D printing's potential to make equivalent parts that are just as strong but reduce weight considerably vs. metal parts. The vehicle spoiler mentioned above, for example, "may weigh less than half its metal counterpart."

Ford spells out the benefits 3D printing offers in making up production tooling much faster and at much lower cost, speeding ideas and production to market. Other manufacturers have begun 3D printing some slower-moving inventory parts like certain maintenance parts for trucks. But Ford also points out the current limitations of the technology even in describing its further potential.

"3D printing is not yet fast enough for high-volume manufacturing, but it is more cost-efficient for low-volume production," the OEM states. "Additionally, minus the constraints of mass-production processes, 3D-printed parts can be designed to function more efficiently."

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3D-printed spare parts

Aaron Marsh, Fleet Owner  /  March 7, 2017

Considering the sensation that 3d printing, a.k.a. additive manufacturing, has created in the public’s mind for the last several years, you wouldn’t think it dates back to the Reagan administration. But it does, and the technology seems to have hit a stride at last in the trucking and automotive worlds for things like proto­typing concept vehicles or tooling up parts molds faster and cheaper than traditional manufacturing allows.

Maybe that’s 3D printing’s natural application in those industries, or maybe there’s more. Fleet Owner reported last year on its inroads and uses in trucking, and the latest to have sprung up and shown promise was making spare and repair parts on demand.

In Europe, Mercedes-Benz Trucks said it would start 3D printing upwards of 30 spare parts for its Actros series trucks and has plans to do more. That began last fall. Ford Motor Co., in another example, has made progressive use of 3D printing for years, going back to owning one of the very first printers made and many subsequent ones. Ford has used the technology mainly to evolve and speed up the prototype process for cars and trucks, but also began limited parts production in the 2010s.

Most 3D printers use digital blueprints to put down layer by layer of various materials that cures or is hardened, constructing many possible items as they’re needed. Beyond prototyping and one-offs, though, the question now is whether 3D printing is just a sideshow act drawing attention for its novelty—or it actually could change manufacturing and supply chains as we know them.

On-demand, distributed production

What does 3D printing offer in truck and other vehicle maintenance? Traditionally, if you’re manufacturing replacement parts, the OEM or a supplier needs tooling, molds and so on to make each part and a production run of it. You’ll need to distribute the part wherever the corresponding vehicle is in service—which could mean nationally, internationally or globally—and the item is stored or warehoused at places like dealerships and service centers for however long it’s required.

That might be fine for large-volume, fast-moving inventory items, but it gets costlier with less return on investment for progressively lower-volume, slower-moving inventories. In the case of fleets and trucking companies, far fewer of a particular model Class 8 heavy truck are made and sold each year than Toyota Camrys, for example, and those big trucks may have a very large service area spread.

Time is also a factor—including time to produce and distribute rarer parts particularly—and as a vehicle model ages and starts disappearing from the roads, there’s less call for those parts. With trucking, sometimes due to costly features required for new models or even a classic look of an older one, you’ll find many older trucks still in use. Regardless of what trucks they’re running, no fleet or truck driver wants to wait around for parts to arrive after a breakdown. OEMs have been looking to 3D printing for possible solutions.

“Across all the verticals I’ve seen and been involved with, the 3D printing companies and materials manufacturers want to develop a process that’s adaptable to in-service production parts,” says Gregory Haye, general manager of the Knoxville, TN, microfactory of Local Motors. This young, Phoenix-based vehicle manufacturer turned heads last year with its mostly 3D-printed, self-driving people transport called Olli, which started rolling last summer in National Harbor, MD, a shopping and convention center destination.

“That’s the jump that many of the 3D printer manufacturers are trying to make,” Haye contends. “They want to transition additive manufacturing to being part of the production process, not just a means to prototype.”

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Mercedes-Benz Trucks introduces its first 3D-printed spare part made of metal

Green Car Congress  /  August 2, 2017

Mercedes-Benz Trucks has introduced its first 3D-printed spare part made of metal (an aluminum-silicon material), a thermostat cover for truck and Unimog models from older model series.

In contrast to the Selective Laser Sintering (SLS) process used in plastics 3D printing, 3D printing of metallic components uses Selective Laser Melting (SLM). In the case of the thermostat cover, for example, the powdered aluminium/silicon material (ALSi₁₀Mg) is applied in individual layers and melted by an energy source—usually one or more lasers.

When one layer is completed, a new layer of powder is applied automatically and the melting process is repeated. The process is repeated until a high-strength, three-dimensional aluminium component suitable for use in areas of high temperature has been produced. With the layered structure, the process also offers a level of geometrical freedom that cannot be matched by any other production method.

In the Customer Services & Parts division of Mercedes-Benz Trucks, automotive 3D printing began its increasing success in the production departments for the after-sales and replacement parts business a year ago. Since then, Customer Services & Parts has worked together with the researchers and pre-developers at Daimler AG to constantly improve and expand the use of the latest 3D printing processes for plastic parts. 3D printing of high-quality plastic components has now successfully established itself as an additional production method, and is particularly suitable for the production of smaller batches.

Metal parts from the 3D printer excel with their very high strength and thermal resistance, and the process is therefore particularly suitable for the production of mechanically and thermally stressed components required in small numbers.

Metallic components can be produced “at the touch of a button” with any geometry and in any numbers. 3D replacement parts production began with rarely ordered aluminium parts. These excel with almost 100% density and greater purity than conventional die-cast aluminium parts. Apart from their high strength and hardness, as well as high dynamic resistance, their production requires no cost-intensive development work or procurement of special tools.

Conceivable areas of use are peripheral engine parts made of metal, in-engine parts and also parts in cooling systems, transmissions, axles or chassis. Especially when they have complex structures, 3D-printed metal parts in small numbers can be produced cost-effectively as infrequently requested replacement parts, special parts and for small and classic model series.

The new thermostat cover is an example of cost-effective spare and special parts production in top quality, made possible by use of the 3D printing process for highly resistant metal parts made of die-cast aluminium alloy. This replacement part is only ordered in small numbers, and is used in older truck and Unimog models whose production ceased around 15 years ago.

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Working smarter and harder: Metal 3D-printed parts for trucks

Aaron March, Fleet Owner  /  August 3, 2017

As 3D printing technology continues to find real-world applications in automotive and trucking, Mercedes-Benz Trucks has opened new possibilities with an announcement yesterday that it's now printing metal spare and replacement parts.

That follows up on the OEM's plan to begin 3D printing plastic or composite spare parts for certain European market trucks in late 2016. It may have seemed a move that would have limited applications or advantages, but the company's expansion into new materials could offer more.

For example, Mercedes-Benz noted that the first metal parts it's printing are aluminum, and "these excel with almost 100% density and greater purity than conventional die-cast aluminum parts." The 3D printing process could deliver items with a material/ structural advantage, which has also been touted in using the technology to make things from plastic and similar materials.

3D printing — especially if it can use and produce items from a wider range of materials — can offer a better way to provide spare parts and faster service for older model vehicles. That might seem counter to manufacturers' continual push to sell new ones, and more of them, but older vehicles are a diminishing fraction of their business that can tie up significant capital.

Consider large investments needed in traditional manufacturing runs; shipping, distribution and storage of parts; and maintaining and storing production tooling to make those parts. What's more, Mercedes-Benz noted that 3D printing can adeptly handle more complex items and may have very broad applications for vehicles indeed — so long as the production needs match the technology's capabilities as they currently stand.

"Especially when they have complex structures, 3D-printed metal parts in small numbers can be produced cost-effectively as infrequently requested replacement parts, special parts and for small and classic model series," Mercedes-Benz stated. "Conceivable areas of use are peripheral engine parts made of metal, in-engine parts and also parts in cooling systems, transmissions, axles or chassis."

Size matters

The scope of what can be 3D printed has grown with the introduction and broader use of larger printers. What began with desktop 3D printers — which were good for affordability and "oohing and ahing" the public, but limited in practical automotive-type uses to actually compete with traditional manufacturing — suddenly opened up with the potential to print parts more of a size that trucks and other vehicles require.

You can even print an entire vehicle body, such as companies like Local Motors and Cincinnati Inc. have demonstrated using that latter firm's Big Area Additive Manufacturing (BAAM) technology, for example. "Additive manufacturing" is the somewhat more clinical term for 3D printing.

Computer-designed parts going back for years essentially provide a built-in blueprint that could be used with such printers. Ford Motor Co., another automaker that has pioneered the use of 3D printing, said earlier this year that it was testing out the use of large-scale 3D printers from Stratasys in vehicle production.

"Imagine a 3D printer as big as a room, capable of printing auto parts of practically any size," the manufacturer said — and the technology also has the potential to make equivalent parts lighter, a major strategy OEMs use to increase vehicle efficiency.

Notably, Stratasys has been expanding other transportation applications as well with its printers. In July, the company said its machines were chosen for an Airbus project to 3D print parts such as brackets for planes to "achieve greater supply chain flexibility and improve cost competitiveness, while leveraging on reduced material consumption and waste." Back in spring, McLaren Formula 1 Racing announced it had increased its use of Stratasys 3D printers in making similar parts for faster design, installation and testing at the track.

Siemens Mobility, a branch of Siemens AG, has used Stratasys printers in making some custom "one-off" parts for trains operating in Ulm, Germany. A 3D-printed part for the nose of trains, for example, can be made to exact specifications and holds its shape when exposed to the elements better than the equivalent part made from fiberglass plastics. Thus 3D printing can even produce items with characteristics that are "simply not achievable to the same degree" with traditional manufacturing, according to Siemens Mobility.

In those and other uses, 3D printing appears to be finding its niche, though currently somewhat narrow, even as printer size and materials range are widening it. The technology makes most sense when limited quantities of items are needed, and traditional production and distribution is comparatively slow and costly.

What's been emerging are more applications, whether it's specialty situations like racing parts or various kinds of prototyping or vehicles found in limited numbers — perhaps classic cars or late model heavy trucks.  

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Daimler Produces its First 3D-Printed Metal Part

Heavy Duty Trucking  /  August 3, 2017

In Europe, Mercedes-Benz Trucks has printed its first spare part made of metal that has passed all stages of the company’s quality assurance process.

The 3-D printed part was a thermostat cover for older series Mercedes-Benz truck and Unimog models. Daimler said this was the first time the company was able to print a strong metal version in original quality.

Printing parts that are made of metal could lead to cost-effective, rapid, and flexible production of parts in small batches. Producing metal parts directly from digital records saves money on special tools, storage, and transport costs.

"With the introduction of 3D metal printing technology, Mercedes-Benz Trucks is reasserting its pioneering role among global commercial vehicle manufacturers," said Andreas Deuschle, head of marketing and operations for customer services & parts at Mercedes-Benz Trucks. "We ensure the same functionality, reliability, durability, and cost-effectiveness with 3D metal parts as we do with conventionally produced parts."

The parts division of Mercedes-Benz Trucks began using 3D printing with increasing success for aftermarket and replacement parts about a year ago. Since then, the customer services and parts division has worked with researchers and pre-developers at Daimler  to improve and expand the use of the latest 3D printing processes of plastic parts.

Metal components produced through 3D printing processes are an extension of this program, allowing metallic components to be produced on demand. The process was initially used to produce rarely ordered aluminum parts, but in the future it could extend to peripheral engine parts made of metal, in-engine parts, or parts in cooling systems, transmissions, axles, or chassis.

 “The particular added value of 3D printing technology is that it considerably increases speed and flexibility, especially when producing spare and special parts,” said Deuschle. “This gives us completely new possibilities for offering our customers spare parts rapidly and at attractive prices, even long after series production has ceased.”