[ad_1]
In Quantity 29 Problem 5 of TCT Journal, Stefanie Brickwede – Head of Additive Manufacturing at Deutsche Bahn and Managing Director of Mobility goes Additive (MGA) – talked to TCT about purposes of 3D printing expertise contained in the rail business.
Throughout that dialog, Brickwede talked about that a number of firms within the sector had moved past utilising the expertise for prototyping and at the moment are deploying it for purposes similar to tooling and spare components. That caught the eye of Professor Phill Dickens who, by way of his position at Added Scientific, has been working with an organization who’re stated to be offered on the idea of utilizing 3D printing for spare components, although he’s starting to have doubts over its suitability.
On the most recent Additive Perception Innovators on Innovators podcast, Brickwede and Dickens share insights and experiences across the topic of 3D printed spare components, earlier than occurring to debate the usage of additive manufacturing in different industries for different purposes.
Under, we have now the complete transcript of the pair’s change.
PD: So, let me simply offer you a little bit of background about myself first, Stefanie. I bought into, I assume what was speedy prototyping – The truth is, it wasn’t even speedy prototyping – in 1990. After which rapidly, we switched to making components by speedy prototyping, which we then known as speedy manufacturing, however that was a little bit of the incorrect title, actually. And it switched to additive manufacturing. And so, we arrange Added Scientific about six years in the past now. And that primarily does work for different firms by way of supplies and course of growth, nevertheless it does some modelling and a few consulting and so forth, and a few coaching.
Over the past, I assume, three, 4 years, we have achieved a couple of initiatives, spare components utilizing additive manufacturing. And this was for one explicit consumer who was very, very eager on the idea of utilizing additive manufacturing of spare components. And I assume it got here to the final mission we did, the place I began to grow to be very uncertain about the advantages of utilizing additive manufacturing of their scenario. And the explanation for that was once we checked out their components, most of them had been metallic and most of them had been fairly previous components. So, they’d been made a while in the past in lots of conditions. And many of the metallic components had been both castings or they had been machined components. And so, I might perceive utilizing additive manufacturing to make the sand moulds or the patterns for funding casting and so forth, however for the components that had been initially machined, [for] virtually all of them it might be a lot simpler to only go and machine them once more, quite than utilizing additive manufacturing. They did have one problem and that was they did not have any CAD fashions. The truth is, virtually at all times, they did not even know what the fabric was aside from say metal. In order that that was about pretty much as good because it bought. So, they’d no design data in any respect by way of tolerances or materials specification or warmth remedy or something like that. So, truly the largest job of all was, should you like, reverse engineering within the widest sense. So, what the half could be, capturing the geometry is the straightforward bit, understanding the best way to design the brand new half was a lot more durable. And so, in some respects making the half was the straightforward bit and once we checked out most of their components, virtually all of them may very well be machined on CNC machining fairly simply. Or for the castings, make a sample or a sand mould after which make a casting and machine it and there was just a few components that we noticed that made sense for additive manufacturing, just a few %, or if there was a plastic half the place you wished to keep away from going into tooling.
That was my cause for beginning to doubt whether or not additive manufacturing was the proper factor to do in that scenario. So, I assumed it would be actually helpful to have this dialogue with your self who’s bought lots of expertise on this space. And try to perceive the place does it make sense to make additive manufacturing and perceive what you have been doing with it. In order that’s, should you like, the background.
SB: Thanks Phill. I come from the rail business initially. And so, I am now within the rail business for greater than 20 years and we began with additive manufacturing precisely six years in the past. And once we began that, we had been determining what can we do with additive manufacturing. I work for Deutsche Bahn, which is among the largest railway firms in Europe. And it is not a constructive firm, it is a maintainer, it is an operator of trains.
What you simply described is precisely the premise we had once we began. And we focus instantly on printing spare components, since speedy prototypes should not one thing we keen on, as a result of we do not design something, hardly something. So, because of this we targeted on spare components. And should you take a better have a look at the rail business, you’ll discover out that we have now lots of very new trains, however we even have lots of very previous trains, which implies they’re even older than I’m. And in that case, you may’t discover any spare components anymore. So, if you wish to have a look on spare components, and also you want some, normally you will not discover any suppliers. For those who discover the previous suppliers, they do not have the moulds anymore. Have they got printable designs? Nope. So, you at all times begin from the start. It is precisely what you described. And sometimes we do not even know what sort of materials, intimately, they used. So, that is one thing we have now to search out out. It is quite simple. Though the method is just not at all times easy, however this was our start line. And the primary components we printed, these had been little hook hangers and naturally, they need to fulfil some design features, you may’t simply take any, you want the precise one, which inserts into this particular prepare. And that was the very begin. And really quickly afterwards, we additionally printed the primary metallic components. And also you’re completely proper, coming to the purpose that printing metallic components, it is not at all times an financial case, no less than not should you examine the previous applied sciences with additive manufacturing. However then you definately want some for the information and particulars, that is the following problem.
However that is what we do now for greater than six years. And within the meantime, we have printed at Deutsche Bahn the place I come from greater than 30,000 components for a lot of, many various use instances all through the railway firm, together with infrastructure and likewise stations, however the primary components coming from the trains.
PD: So, for the metallic components, then, what kind of components are you making?
SB: After all, we began with a bit less complicated polymer components however within the meantime, we have printed lots of metallic components too. However to be trustworthy, it is possibly 20% of the general numbers. However metallic is so attention-grabbing as a result of if you wish to stop the nonetheless stand of trains so in the case of an financial attention-grabbing level, then normally we’re speaking not about polymer components, we’re speaking about metallic components. And we printed these from totally different supplies. The primary components had been aluminium, then we printed a component which known as a staircase, I am going to clarify instantly what it means, from titanium, as a result of then we came upon that titanium, from a printing side, is cheaper than printing metal, since you do not want the machine so long as for the metal materials, so we realized rather a lot.
In the meantime, we have additionally printed utilizing wire arc additive manufacturing or DED, direct vitality deposition, additionally huge metal components, 27 kilogramme security related components for a high-speed prepare, and that wire arc additive manufacturing half, it is a very heavy one as I simply described, that stops the prepare from getting an excessive amount of into the [inaudible]. So, this undoubtedly is a security related half. After which we examined that half from each testing methodology you may consider. So we, in fact, achieved a destroy testing, we put it into a pc tomography and did rather a lot. So now we all know for certain that it completely is on a comparable foundation with the earlier expertise in that case, it was a moulded half.
PD: I can perceive the wire arc course of for among the huge components, as a result of as I perceive it, the lead time on huge billets of metallic could be extraordinarily lengthy. And so, for instance, the blokes at Cranfield WAAM have been doing wire as much as make some huge preforms that are then machined. So, was that the motivation for that then by way of the lead time of the uncooked materials, should you’d have gone the machining route?
SB: The motivation was undoubtedly the lead time side as a result of we have now an enormous procurement organisation inside the company. And people colleagues advised us we will not get our arms on these components anymore. They screened the worldwide markets already. And since we at all times want a really, very small variety of such components, generally simply from lot dimension one, then they requested us, might you please assist us as a result of our suppliers advised us it is going to take no less than 9 months to get the half once more? And 9 months for a prepare which prices 13 million euros, you may think about that is some huge cash. And so, this was actually attention-grabbing to us.
After all, within the meantime, we have additionally achieved smaller components from SLM expertise, we used a really broad vary of various applied sciences. And the optimistic side is that we have now a really broad number of components, and we do not have to do them ourselves. So, should you ought to ask me, what number of machines do you’ve? Hardly any. So, we do that with printing service bureaus, so we will focus completely on the use case, which is de facto enjoyable, you do not have to care for the machines. And everyone knows, and also you’re undoubtedly an knowledgeable of this expertise, you are one of many very distinguished dinosaurs, that normally should you wished to place a machine into your upkeep websites, you have to no less than one 12 months to have it operating the best way you need it to. So that is additionally one of many factors why we determined proper from the start, we do not need to concentrate on the machines, we need to concentrate on the use instances. And since we wished to do that, we additionally wanted an entire community of AM suppliers and because of this we based MGA which stand for Mobility Goes Additive, that is a community and I even have the nice pleasure to be the Managing Director of that community. And there we attempt to usher in all of the expertise from totally different customers machining producers, materials suppliers, software program firms, and sensible Institute’s from universities to place collectively our information and to reinforce the variety of printable components.
PD: We talked about earlier on in regards to the design and specification. So, if you’ve bought an previous half, who then does all that design work to say, that is what the specification of what you’re going to make must be?
SB: After all, it at all times relies upon a bit on the half. However normally we have now to re-engineer the half, so we have now an engineering firm inside the company, however we normally additionally rely to a really excessive quantity on impartial engineering bureaus. They usually at all times assist us to search out the design. And what I actually admire is that you simply now have so many younger software program firms who do that design for additive and likewise re-engineering for additive. Typically they use personal sources, generally they offer it to Indian sources [for example], however you’ve lots of serving to arms in the entire provide chain who aid you to fulfil these concepts and to materialise these components you need to print.
Learn extra on spare components:
PD: With the consumer, we had it appeared to me like – we did not measure this – nevertheless it appeared just like the amount of cash spent in all that re-engineering could be way more than making the half, is that true do you assume or not?
SB: Yeah, in the intervening time, it is, from my expertise, completely proper. I need to admit, at that time, I am not an engineer. So I am a skilled economist. So I’ve lots of fantasy to consider future developments and completely satisfied that we now have to begin. And in the meantime, we’ll discover methods additionally to usher in synthetic intelligence into the AM provide chain, that sooner or later, we’ll simply be able to re-engineering components. So I consider within the Star Trek logic, you’ve slightly machine like a microwave, you set your half in there and it scans, and the following machine proper subsequent door, you may print it out. And this, in fact, will take one other 10 years, however this may undoubtedly be the long run. And we now have to begin and we now need to get our arms on the applied sciences. And because the customers, we actually have to handle what our wants are. That is one thing we found. So there are such a lot of sensible firms on the market who’re actually consultants in additive manufacturing, however generally they do not actually know what the customers need to fulfil; which supplies they want, what sort of designs they take into consideration. So it is essential to bridge the hole between these two ends of the availability chain.
PD: So if you’re these metallic components, and so for instance, the aluminium components you talked about earlier than, who decides whether or not to go down the additive manufacturing route or the machining route or the casting route? Who makes that call?
SB: And normally, our procurement colleagues have already tried to search out out whether or not there are any alternate options. So, then our colleagues from the upkeep facet come to us. After all, generally we determine, from an financial standpoint, it is probably not value printing this half as a result of additive is just not low cost. It isn’t a really low cost expertise. So generally it is sensible to make use of different applied sciences however then we even have an excellent community for these different applied sciences to handle them for small portions of components and to assist out. However yeah, who decides that? That was your query. It is my staff and I.
PD: Simply going again to the design features, then. So, do you’ve any CAD fashions for any of those components or is it utterly unavailable?
SB: Nope [laughs], it is completely unavailable. And generally we even discuss components. You already know should you’re in such an excellent company, so my company has greater than 300,000 workers, is lively in lots of of nations and so forth. So normally you do not have these info and figures you want to depend on. And that was additionally our downside proper from the start. As a result of once we began with additive manufacturing, we did this in a strategic, high down method. We need to shake our SAP techniques and need to do an evaluation what sort of components are printable? However the issue is that we did not have that information which can be utilized to do that determination. So we turned it the wrong way up. We did a backside up method. After which we began a roadshow by way of our upkeep websites and talked to our colleagues. And that is actually attention-grabbing, as a result of that is very related in lots of, many various sectors, then begins an enormous change administration mission. Additive Manufacturing in an organization or a company is just not a expertise mission. It is a change administration mission. And the very first thing it’s a must to do is that it’s a must to persuade your colleagues, that it is a expertise you may depend on. And that was actually useful once we printed our first metallic components, then folks actually touched it. It is such a haptic expertise, that is one of many huge benefits. They usually stated, ‘Oh, wow, if we will do a terminal field in aluminium, if we will do a sensor produced from titanium, then we will do practically something.’ And so that is what actually helped in convincing our colleagues and serving to to push the boundaries. However as you simply talked about your buyer, did they expertise one thing related?
PD: They have not bought anyplace close to so far as you have bought. So, it is nonetheless largely on the speaking stage and little or no on the appearing stage. They’re utterly offered on the idea. So, I am certain my doubts had no impact on them in any way [laughs]. However they have not actually achieved very a lot but. I feel it would be attention-grabbing to see the place they go along with it, or whether or not they go along with it.
SB: Yeah, I feel it is perhaps attention-grabbing, as a result of I talked to so many firms within the meantime, additionally as a consequence of my MGA community place. And it is at all times as much as folks. So it is a folks’s enterprise. You’ll assume that this expertise and digitization side and so forth, it is simply an automation query. No, it is not, it is a folks’s query. And what we skilled additionally inside the community, you at all times want some folks actually motivated to combine that expertise within the firm. And generally once they change the corporate, once they bounce into one other job, then you definately at all times have the hazard that the corporate they labored for beforehand, might fall again right into a sleep regarding additive manufacturing. So what I need to say is, you at all times want lots of people who’re actually enthusiastic in regards to the expertise, after which it is an ongoing mission. So additionally, inside my company, we at all times say if we have now one or two guys, within the upkeep facet, they hold the enterprise operating. However you at all times want these folks and it’s good to discover them and this isn’t a matter of hierarchy. It isn’t a matter of hierarchy. And that is actually attention-grabbing, as a result of that brings in such a democratic side of the entire expertise, regardless of the stage of hierarchy, however you want individuals who actually know what they do and to like the expertise.
Additive manufacturing in a company is just not a expertise mission, it is a change administration mission. You need to persuade your colleagues it is a expertise you may depend on.
PD: Yeah, I feel the perfect individuals are those who have gotten a fairly broad expertise in design and manufacturing. And, and may perceive actually the place to make use of it and the place it is sensible to make use of by way of velocity or value. And I feel one of many issues I’ve seen, and possibly I am guilty for a few of this, is lots of current graduates have been uncovered to additive manufacturing they usually appear to assume it is a resolution to every little thing, as a result of they do not have the broad information of different manufacturing processes. And I’ve seen this when, as a result of I have been in a lot of universities labored in a lot of universities, and so in the event that they’re doing, say a last 12 months mission, they usually need to make one thing, usually it is simpler for them to make it by an additive manufacturing course of than it’s by say, happening onto a milling machine and making it, as a result of they do not want the milling machine ability, they will simply put the CAD mannequin in and make it…
SB: [Laughs] however isn’t that nice?
PD: It’s, however generally they find yourself making issues, which economically, you’ll by no means do in an organization, as a result of it is simply so easy. You make one thing that appears fairly just like an oblong block with a gap in it. And so, I feel, what we actually want is a number of folks with a few years of expertise in design and manufacturing, who then get actually infused on this instead course of. After which they will then see the place it suits.
SB: And also you want cheaper machines. As quickly as everybody in any manufacturing facet would assume just like the folks you simply described, then the value of these machines would come down drastically. After which it might be value doing it. So, I at all times have the discussions with my engineers, they usually at all times inform me additive manufacturing is one thing for the area of interest. And I’d oppose, I’d say by now it is extra a distinct segment factor, however in future, simply assume 20 years forward, I’d say will probably be a mass manufacturing expertise. And when you have extra folks, and for them, clearly it is simpler to design this CAD file, go to the printer and print it out. And so, what you too can see during the last years is these machines are getting much less advanced, they’re getting cheaper. After all, this growth has to hold on. However 20 years forward, I’d say possibly that is the following manufacturing expertise ever. And what actually struck me was a few years in the past, a examine was revealed by the Dutch ING Financial institution, they usually stated that by the 12 months 2040, 50% of all issues worldwide shall be printable. After all, we will focus on whether or not will probably be 2040 or 2050, however the story behind is so attention-grabbing. And should you see simply in regards to the current developments within the final 5 years, now you may print concrete, you may print ceramics, metals, polymers, elastomers, even meals, bioprinting, and so forth, and so forth. So, that is continually rising.
I’d actually love to do that speak once more, possibly in 15 years and look what it seems wish to be. However that is one thing day-after-day, which actually motivates me rather a lot, so that you at all times discover new applied sciences. And within the additive manufacturing scene, everybody is de facto ready for Huge Bang, like an explosion. There is no huge bang, it is like day-after-day is slightly bing, bing, bing, bing, however the summing up [of these] ‘bings’ would be the huge bang. However yeah, we have now to satisfy once more [laughs].
PD: I feel what I’ve come to understand is that it takes rather a lot longer for issues to occur than you anticipate. And so, I feel I did my first presentation on utilizing what was then speedy prototyping to make actual components in 1996 in Darmstadt, the European Stereolithography Person Group. And in the next few years, we made some predictions about how issues had been going to vary and the way additive manufacturing was going to take over and the price of machines would come down and so forth. And it is taken a protracted, very long time for motion to go in that path, a lot, for much longer than I anticipated. I assumed we might be a lot additional on than we’re by now. So, it is actually attention-grabbing. Perhaps I used to be simply too optimistic [laughs].
SB: Yeah, however I feel it is nice to be optimistic as a result of should you at all times have these individuals who stick with the most recent tendencies, and simply what is feasible now, you’ll not have the creativity to assume past. And because of this we want many, many extra people who find themselves actually optimistic and possibly a bit loopy and possibly a bit too optimistic, however that may push the entire business.
PD: The instance I exploit is definitely evaluating how lengthy it took for CNC machining to grow to be a extremely good course of. As a result of I feel it was invented in Dayton, in round about 1951. And it wasn’t actually till the mid 90s that it turned a extremely good course of, CNC machining with significantly better programming, larger spindle speeds, and so forth. And so over 40 years for it to grow to be a extremely good course of. And we’re now at about the identical stage with additive manufacturing, if you consider it being invented largely within the mid 80s. And we’re now about 40 years once more. So, I feel it most likely goes to occur very quickly now nevertheless it nonetheless wants a number of good folks working right here. And that is been one of many issues I’ve observed in additive manufacturing, the variety of nice folks and lovers who’ve actually pushed it’s superb.
SB: And what would you say ought to we do to assist the entire additive manufacturing business to develop precisely and to comply with the trail of the opposite applied sciences? So, what do you assume could be useful?
Learn extra on our innovators:
PD: I feel there’s nonetheless an enormous instructional job that is required. I feel within the universities and the universities, we’re doing okay. Most universities and faculties are working with additive manufacturing in a roundabout way. What I’ve seen right here, actually within the UK, is you have bought heaps and plenty of folks already in work that do not replace their information and subsequently they do not have the expertise of additive manufacturing. And so, it is a large effort that is wanted to exit into firms to coach folks and convey them updated. And I feel, if there’s one factor we might do, that will be the primary factor. All the pieces else would comply with from that.
SB: Yeah, it is actually an attention-grabbing side. So, I’d counsel, as I’ve already talked about, that I studied economics fairly some time in the past. I feel the massive benefit of additive manufacturing is to additionally catch folks from totally different disciplines. So, would somebody who research economics be keen on milling or machining? No, it is nothing, which is de facto attractive and attention-grabbing, is additive manufacturing, capable of catch folks and their creativity. Undoubtedly, sure. Regardless of the place they arrive from. I do know so many individuals coming from very, very totally different disciplines who’re actually devoted to additive manufacturing. And possibly we must always assume extra about how can we use that? How can we get extra folks into the expertise, they do not need to grow to be designers, however to push the boundaries of the expertise, possibly it might even be very useful.
And as a European, I come from Berlin, I at all times discover it very attention-grabbing to check out different markets, different international locations, different continents. And lots of, many applied sciences had been invented in Europe, of the additive manufacturing, so many machines are designed and invented right here. Who’s significantly better to advertise that and to do advertising? These are the People. Who’re the people who find themselves actually, actually quick and pondering ahead and what we will use it for? These are the Chinese language. Perhaps we additionally need to look throughout borders, additionally in nation smart, to study a bit extra, how can we discover extra use instances. And being a German, I’ll say that Germans don’t love dangers in any respect, so till they purchase a machine, it is going to take months, possibly additionally years. So, the People are a lot quicker in these choices, and to usher in the nice of various cultures, that will even be fairly useful. And that is additionally one thing I feel there is a huge benefit within the upcoming years as a result of folks do not stick a lot to their international locations anymore, in order that they journey round, they work in different international locations, they usually take the perfect of any tradition. I assume that will even be useful.
PD: Yeah, I feel the conferences and exhibitions do an excellent job and have a significant position on this, like Formnext, or AMUG or SME, or RAPID+TCT. In order that they’re doing an excellent job in bringing folks collectively from totally different cultures and totally different backgrounds. However I feel we pushed for a giant effort within the UK, by way of information switch however sadly the federal government did not decide it up at the moment, they had been preoccupied by different issues like Brexit. So yeah, I feel the one factor I’d go for is extra information switch. And that may very well be, as you say, to all types of individuals as a result of there’s a number of economics, in additive manufacturing. There’s a number of medical makes use of, dentistry, all types of areas, artwork and so forth. So, it, it may be utilized by a number of totally different folks.
SB: Oh undoubtedly. And naturally, will probably be very useful if we get some public funding to discover use instances, develop supplies and machines. However we will not wait. We will not look forward to anybody. So, we have now to push this ourselves. And the nice factor is that you’ve so many sensible folks working in and with the expertise, they usually can actually achieve this many issues.
That is what we expertise in our working group. So, Mobility Goes Additive, the community is just not solely consultant of the mobility sector anymore, so we additionally do aerospace and aviation and automotive. But additionally, MGA stands for Medical Goes Additive. And Phill I completely agree there are such a lot of methods to discover and to assume right into a affected person, particular person designed logic, this shall be so useful for the entire medical sector. In the meanwhile, we’re a bit busy to know what the brand new medical system regulation will imply to additive manufacturing however as quickly as we have achieved that, and that is one thing we assist firms with within the community, then we will discover many extra methods within the printing of implants, orthoses, prosthesis, but additionally within the bioprinting sector. So, the primary coronary heart was already printed, pores and skin is printed, organs are printed proper now. Can they be transplanted? No, not in the intervening time. In future? Undoubtedly, sure. And so, in fact, this may take possibly a bit longer than we each hope it is going to take, however will probably be sooner or later. And that is one thing which is so encouraging. And may you consider some other expertise which actually drives developments as a lot as additive manufacturing? I am unable to.
PD: No, no. To be trustworthy, I feel the medical space shall be, by far, the largest software space for additive manufacturing sooner or later. A lot greater than all the commercial areas. I see the potential is simply phenomenal. Among the work totally different individuals are doing is superb.
SB: And I want to add one thing. I do not assume that we simply have to stay to medical purposes, take into consideration the development sector, take into consideration the constructing of homes. So, you may, sooner or later, do that in a really low cost means, with completely totally different designs, and in a really sustainable means, since you want much less materials. So, that is simply on the very starting. I at all times say that printing of concrete is so far as spare components printing 5 years in the past, so, however I’d say they’ve an excellent future, they will do light-weight designs. And should you analyse the development sector, they’ve an enormous downside with getting sufficient workforce. And so additive manufacturing can even assist in fixing these challenges too. And as quickly as you’ve a brand new sector, which is discovering additive manufacturing, yeah, there’s at all times a brilliant future. And particularly within the development sector, I’d say that is undoubtedly additionally, the long run is AM.
Need to focus on? Be part of the dialog on the Additive Manufacturing World Neighborhood Discord.
Get your FREE print subscription to TCT Journal.
[ad_2]
