Form follows function

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TRUMPF SE + Co. KG

Benefits outweigh downsides

But no matter how pleased Friedrich is with the new nozzle, he never tries to conceal the the process drawbacks from his customers. “Sintered parts have a rougher surface than those made from conventional metals. On the outside, at least in our case, this is an issue in how the part looks, and we can correct it through polishing. And to eliminate the roughness on the inside surfaces, which would once again lead to flow losses, we pump an abrasive fluid through the coolant nozzle at high pressure. ”The roughness of the connecting thread also has to be corrected in a separate process to achieve a tight seal. On the plus side, the original nozzle was produced in a total of four production steps, while the new one only requires two steps, so that cancels out these apparent drawbacks. All in all, Friedrich argues that the high flexibility of the process significantly outweighs the disadvantages. “This nozzle would be impossible to produce without 3D printing. If you’re aware of the limitations, then you can compensate for them.”

Stratasys

3D printing slashes manufacturing costs of prototype moulds

50 nozzles at once

Matthias Schmidt-Lehr from Bionic Production agrees: “In many cases you don’t actually need smooth surfaces, they are just a side effect of the drilling or milling process. But in cases where smooth surfaces are vital to how a component functions, then you inevitably need to do some reworking if you take the 3D printing route.”

He finishes off by clearing up another myth: “Many companies seem to think that you can make any component using 3D printing and that it will end up cheaper. But in fact this method is really only suitable for a small number of parts. When you do get the right match, however, the benefits can be huge.”

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Gallery with 5 images

The new Grindaix nozzle is still a development project at the moment, though some customers are already using the nozzles and Friedrich is optimistic about their future sales potential. “We’ve already progressed well beyond the prototype stage. Together with Trumpf and Bionic Production, we’ve been developing concepts that will allow us to print 50 different nozzles at once in future using a printing process on large-scale printers. That will obviously have a positive impact on manufacturing costs.” He is clearly impressed by the flexibility offered by 3D printing. “With all the know-how we’ve accumulated in this joint project, we would certainly consider producing 3D-printed parts ourselves in future.”

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