NOVEMBER 28, 2019

ASSIGNMENT 2
CASE STUDY ADDITIVE
MANUFACTURING

Shanur Begulaji
Case studies on design for additive manufacturing
Case 1
Uniform Wares partnered with Beta type to explore the advantages of additive
manufacturing (AM) technology, pushing the boundaries of design in an
industry traditionally centred around heritage.

The two companies worked closely together, using Design for Additive
Manufacturing (Dam) principles and AM technology to overcome limitations faced
by more traditional manufacturing methods. As a result, they produced a superior
quality, mesh 3D printed titanium watch strap which is featured in Uniform Wares'
2019 collection.

Background

Uniform Wares, a luxury watchmaker established in 2009, set out with an objective to
build a brand whose entire creative output was designed and developed in its
London-based studio, working exclusively with local and international partners who
share the company's devotion to detail. They pride themselves on creating
contemporary time pieces that embody character and distinction through intelligent
design, not branding. Uniform Wares teamed up with Beta type specialists in
advanced design and additive manufacturing, to design and develop a unique woven
AM watch strap for their new Precative M-Line collection.

Launched in October 2018, the watch strap is manufactured by combining Beta

type’s unique scanning technologies with Renishaw's AM250 additive manufacturing
technology. Using a titanium T5 alloy material made it possible to create a strong, yet
lightweight ‘metal fabric' strap which has already gained popularity and prestigious
reviews from clients of Uniform Wares. Beta type and Uniform Wares have worked
together for over three years, refining their woven material to mimic and exceed
traditional fabric behaviour while benefiting from the mechanical strength and
lightness of titanium. They continue to explore designs and technology that exploit
the detail and precision that AM can offer, driving material innovation in watch
manufacturing and other creative industries.
Challenge

In an industry cantered around traditional designs, methods and heritage, Uniform

Wares has always been an innovator, experimenting with technologies like AM to
achieve more with their designs. Previous Uniform Wares watches had featured a
mesh-like bracelet manufactured using more traditional methods. “We used a huge,
cumbersome machine to weave steel cable into the mesh pattern, which we then had
to cut to size and weld working parts onto it.” Michael Car, Creative Director, Uniform
Wares. When Beta type presented an idea that could simplify the process by allowing
the woven strap to be printed in any texture or grain, incorporate new materials and
produce less waste, Uniform Wares was keen to get involved.

While we are always taking prompts from heritage and traditional processes in the
watch and other industries, we also like to push things forward.

Uniform Wares (UK)

Solution

Founded in 2012, Beta type has worked across a variety of industries such as
aerospace, automotive and medical sectors to design and develop functionally
advanced components using AM. Beta type applied its unique multi-scale approach
to exert greater geometric control over the watchstrap designs and used Renishaw's
AM technology to bring the Uniform Wares watchstrap to life.

Taking full advantage of working together to create a design specifically for Additive
Manufacturing, Uniform Wares and Beta type were able to make the most of additive
technology to create a strap that was more accurate and intricate than any previous
design. The bracelet is made up of over 4,000 interlocking links and weighs just 10.5
g.

The asymmetric design of these links allows each side of the strap to have a different
bend radius, meaning it can easily fit over the hand, allowing flexibility, whilst
remaining secure on the wrist. The strap uses microscopic ‘teeth' and a new type of
directional clasp interlocking with the mesh itself, which can only be achieved using
additive manufacturing, to hold the watch in place.

“Every element of the [watch] bracelet has been engineered exactly as it needs to
work. The radius at which it curves, the flexibility and stiffness at each point – every
link incorporates fine adjustments. It represents bespoke engineering at every point,”
said Car.

By controlling the laser's scan path, exposure settings and material microstructure –
down to the micron – of each link in the strap, Beta type was able to achieve the best
possible fit and mechanical performance of the watch strap. By optimising laser
powder bed fusion, Beta type’s processes also mean that the watch straps can be
produced in smaller batches, more quickly. Uniform Wares no longer needs to order
hundreds or thousands of watch straps five months in advance – they can now order
60 and they can have them in under a week. “This is a real gamechanger for us,”
explained Car.

Working together with Beta type means that the Precative M-Line collection is
designed, developed and manufactured in London and finally assembled with care in
Switzerland, amplifying Uniform Wares' ethos to work only with select local and
international partners.
Results

With an initial objective to prove the validity of - and innovate with - AM in the watch
industry, the results that Beta type and Uniform Wares achieved far surpassed any
expectation. This collaboration has produced, without compromise, a commercially
viable product. It is is superior in terms of quality and level of detail, and has
demonstrated the power of AM and the freedom it can bring to design for
manufacture.

Sarat Babu, Managing Director at Betatype explained “When we looked at all of the
reviews [of the new watch strap] that were coming out, none talked about the
additive manufacturing. They talked about it as a product which works and is
superior in terms of the way it behaves, the quality that it provides, and that's really
the measure of when you get to an end use part. It's not just that, this is an additively
manufactured watch strap, it's because it's one of the best metal watch straps that
you can buy today.” Betatype and Uniform Wares are already in discussion regarding
future projects to continue an exciting journey of additive manufacturing and its
influence on the creative industry.

Case 2
Exchanging metal 3D printing solutions
with HiETA
Technology from Renishaw is helping HiETA to move
metal additive manufacturing (AM) from prototype
manufacture into commercial production of its specialist
range of heat exchangers. In particular, the recent
addition of Renishaw's RenAM 500M system at the
company has enabled manufacturing times and,
therefore production costs, to be reduced dramatically.
The RenAM 500M is a laser powder-bed fusion additive manufacturing system
designed specifically for the production of metal components on the factory floor. As
well as incorporating a powerful 500 W laser to give faster processing than earlier
models, the new equipment features an automated powder handling system that
enables more consistent process quality and reduced operator time on the machine.
Background

HiETA was founded in 2011 to develop metal AM methods for the production of
complex, light-weight structures for various types of heat-management applications.
Parts manufactured include recuperators, turbo-machinery and combustion
components for micro gas-turbines, phase- change heat exchangers for fuel cells and
integrated waste- heat recovery systems, and components for highly-efficient
internal combustion engines, including turbo-machinery and sections for handling
exhaust gases.

Stephen Mellor, now Lead Project Engineer at HiETA, became the company's first
employee after an approach by the directors, who had registered some patents on
using additive technologies to produce heat exchangers. He had first become
involved with AM while studying engineering at Exeter University, UK and,
subsequently, specialised in research on the technology for his PhD. HiETA now has
more than twenty-five staff and an impressive range of facilities that can together
cover the whole AM product development process, starting with a review of the
customer's requirements, and then moving from an initial design through to
computational fluid dynamics (CFD) and finite-element analysis (FEA), manufacturing
with the Renishaw equipment, testing and validation.
Challenge

Traditionally, heat exchange products are often made up from thin sheets of material
that are welded together. The complexity of the designs makes production both
challenging and time-consuming, while the material used for the welding process
adds to the overall weight of the part. Prior to the work at HiETA, little research had
been undertaken into the use of AM for the manufacture of heat exchangers. The
initial challenges were, therefore, to confirm that AM could successfully generate
sufficiently thin walls of the required quality and, then, to produce a complete
component with the complexity of a typical heat exchanger.

The third challenge was to use the knowledge and experience developed to move
the process from the manufacture of samples and prototypes into low-volume
production.

Through our partnership with Renishaw, we have produced components that are
typically around 40% lighter and smaller by volume than anything equivalent that is
available on the market. With the Renishaw technology, we can design and
manufacture many novel and high performing surfaces integrated into a single
component. This would be very difficult to do with conventional methods.

HiETA Technologies (UK)

Solution

HiETA chose to partner with Renishaw and to use Renishaw's AM250 system across a
range of projects. Firstly, HiETA worked closely with Renishaw to develop specific
parameter sets for the production of leak-free thin walls in Inconel down to
thicknesses of 150 microns. Both companies produced samples using a variety of
settings on the AM250 at Renishaw's facility in Stone, Staffordshire and the system at
HiETA's base on the Bristol and Bath Science Park near Bristol, UK. The resulting
samples were heat treated and then characterised at HiETA and Renishaw. The test
results enabled the companies to confirm the optimum parameters on the machines
for thin-walled structures and also allowed HiETA to develop a design guidebook
with parameters for heat transfer in heat exchangers manufactured using laser
powder- bed fusion technology. Having achieved a leak-free integral wall, the next
stage was to move to a complete, full-size unit, which could be completed in a
reasonable build time. Two projects were undertaken, both with the participation of
UK-based vehicle integrator Delta Motorsports, in Silverstone. The first was a cuboid
heat exchanger (recuperator) to be used as a range- extender for electric vehicles.
The second aimed to take the design of the components to higher levels of
complexity beyond the traditional cuboid shape. More complex shapes can improve
product performance and cycle efficiency, give benefits in packaging, and reduce
costs. The design chosen for this stage was a recuperator of annular form that could
be wrapped around other components and contain integrated manifolds to give a
more compact overall system. As well as allowing further optimisation of the
Renishaw equipment to handle the larger samples, HiETA used these projects to
develop an extraction process for removal of excess powder material from the cores
of the heat exchangers.
Results

The first result of the partnership between HiETA and Renishaw was to produce the
basic data needed to set up the AM equipment to produce thin-walled structures
successfully and to provide the parameters needed to predict the performance of
heat exchangers manufactured with the Renishaw equipment.

The thermal transfer and fluid flow data that resulted has been incorporated into the
CFD and finite-element analysis programs used by HiETA. These programs can be
used for an initial assessment of the likely performance of new component designs
and thus confirm that the proposals have the potential to meet the customer's
requirements.

At the same time, Renishaw has added software improvements, both to facilitate
processing of the large amounts of data when the complete recuperator is sliced into
thin layers and to create the build instructions needed for the complete part.

The first attempt at making a complete product on the AM250 system generated a
successful component but needed a build time of seventeen days. Following
improvements to the hardware and software, together with optimisation of the
process parameters, this was reduced to eighty hours. Detailed testing showed that
the component would meet the requirements in terms of pressure drop and heat
transfer.

However, this performance was achieved with a weight and volume approximately
30% lower that an equivalent part made by conventional methods.

“With almost all of our projects, we are trying to light-weight components and solve
thermal management issues,” explained Stephen Mellor. “Through our partnership
with Renishaw, we have produced components that are typically around 40% lighter
and smaller by volume than anything equivalent that is available on the market. This
is possible because, with the Renishaw technology, we can design and manufacture
many novel and high performing surfaces integrated into a single component. This
would be very difficult to do with conventional methods.”
Following the success with the Renishaw AM250, HiETA invested in the more
powerful RenAM 500M system to enable more cost-effective production of
commercial components in low volumes. “We are now producing parts for engines
with real commercial applications and for customers with very demanding
requirements,” he continued. “We use Renishaw's AM technology to produce very
complex parts that give high performance at competitive prices.”

Case 3

Metal 3D printing pushes the boundaries

in Moto2™ through defiant innovation
In the high-octane world of MotoGP™ motorcycle
racing, technical enhancements can have a big impact.
Race winning Moto2 team TransFIORmers is using
cutting edge additive manufacturing (metal 3D printing)
technology in an unconventional front suspension
system to gain a significant competitive advantage.
Background
Motorcycles ridden in the MotoGP World Championships are special; the general
public can't buy them and they can't be used on a public road. As prototype racing
bikes they are custom-built to outdo their rivals and maximise performance on the
track.

Moto2, the second of the three MotoGP classes, was created in 2010. Its official
engine is a 600cc four-stroke production engine, currently supplied by Honda. The
French Moto2 team TransFIORmers, based in Perigueux, South West France, is
revolutionising front suspension design in order to stay ahead of the pack.

TransFIORmers is led by former 250cc World Championship rider Christian Boudinot,

and the team's unconventional suspension system was inspired by the seminal work
of the legendary French motorbike designer Claude Fior.

Boudinot's former friend and mentor, Fior, recognised the gains to be made from
isolating the front suspension from steering forces. Resolving issues of ‘brake dive',
the design enables later braking into a corner and faster acceleration out.
Instead of the more traditional telescopic front fork suspension, the TransFIORmers
motorcycle employs a rigid front fork suspension system separated from the chassis
using two wishbones.

To further advance the development of its innovative design, TransFIORmers

approached I3D Concept, a world-class expert in metal additive design and
manufacturing techniques.
Using Renishaw's AM250 additive manufacturing system, I3D Concept worked in
partnership with the TransFIORmers team to optimise the design of its upper
wishbone component, one of two attaching the front fork to the chassis and critical
to the bike's steering.
Challenges

In the development of new components in Moto2 bike design, achieving a weight

reduction is a priority. In particular, reducing the ‘unsprung mass' of the bike is a key
consideration. The lower the unsprung mass, the better the suspension is in terms of
vibration (chattering) management and responsiveness to both braking and
acceleration.

Of equal importance is the speed with which the design of a new component can be
modified, and how long it takes to remanufacture. Achieving perfection in a highly
competitive environment demands fast and accurate component iteration.

Original 12 part component

In a high reliability environment, mechanical strength is a further prime

consideration. The TransFIORmers' wishbone component needs to assure best
possible rigidity, while handling significant levels of dynamic steering force.

“To improve overall motorcycle performance, reducing the weight of all components
located behind the shock absorbers is absolutely vital. Failure to optimise component
weights can have an adverse effect on vibration, braking and acceleration, so weight
reduction is a really high priority,” says Jérôme Aldeguer, Mechanical Engineer,
TransFIORmers.


The weight reduction that metal 3D printing has achieved for us in our wishbone
component has enabled us to bypass traditional weight transfer phenomenon and
the problems associated with ‘brake dive'. More than that, it's allowed us to design a
part that is not only lighter, but far more rigid at the same time.

TransFIORmers (France)
Solution

TransFIORmers' original wishbone component was hand-fabricated in steel, with the

assembly comprising of twelve separately machined and welded parts. I3D Concept
consolidated the design into a single piece component, greatly reducing assembly
time.

The company produced the metal 3D printed wishbone using a Renishaw AM250
additive manufacturing system; initially prototyping in stainless steel (inox) and finally
manufacturing a lighter weight part in titanium.

Key to the new 3D component design was an iterative process of topological

optimisation, whereby the wishbone layout was successively rationalised in software
within tight space constraints to withstand a set of predefined front fork loading
conditions.

Wishbone component in CAD software

Once the final component design was validated using digital CAD software, the build
preparation file was prepared offline prior to export to the additive manufacturing
system.

Within the CAD software, I3D Concept was able to assess whether the parameters
were effectively predetermined or whether they required tweaking to match the
specific metal powder characteristics and the complex target geometries of the
TransFIORmers wishbone.

Importantly, using the AM250's dedicated Optical Control System (OCS) software,
I3D Concept was able to very accurately control laser steering which helped to
enhance precision, definition of features and surface finish.
Results

By taking an additive manufacturing approach to Moto2 bike design, TransFIORmers

succeeded in dramatically reducing the weight of its critical wishbone front
suspension component by a factor of 40%. Comparing the one-piece titanium
component with the original welded steel component, a weight saving of 600 g was
achieved.

Metal 3D printed 1 part titanium component

Metal 3D printing has also provided TransFIORmers with much finer control over
component tolerances and the flexibility to very quickly iterate wishbone geometries
to match specific chassis and kinematic requirements.

“The weight reduction that metal 3D printing has achieved for us in our wishbone
component has enabled us to bypass traditional weight transfer phenomenon and
the problems associated with ‘brake dive'. More than that, it's allowed us to design a
part that is not only lighter, but far more rigid at the same time,” explains Jérôme
Aldeguer, Mechanical Engineer, TransFIORmers.

With an ultimate tensile strength in excess of 1100 MPa when processed using
additive manufacturing, and near perfect 99.7% densities, the titanium Ti6AI4V alloy
used has delivered a radical new wishbone offering far greater rigidity than the
original multi-part, hand-assembled steel component.
Thanks to additive manufacturing, TransFIORmers' prototype wishbone development
has become a highly efficient and cost effective process. Extensive part machining
and assembly time overheads have been removed and design iterations and
manufacturing have been made many times faster.

In June 2016 the team won its first ever Moto2 GP race at the FIM CEV European
Championship event in Barcelona.