Product category:
Fast prototyping equipment, pattern-making and services
News Release from: EOS Electro Optical Systems | Subject: EOSINT P 360
Edited by the Manufacturingtalk Editorial
Team on 28 October 2004
RP bureau upgrades sintering capability
Ogle Models and Prototypes, designer of such 1960s icons as the Reliant Scimitar car and the Chopper bicycle for Raleigh now concentrates exclusively on model-making and rapid prototyping (RP).
The firm that designed such 1960s icons as the Reliant Scimitar car and the Chopper bicycle for Raleigh now concentrates exclusively on model-making and rapid prototyping (RP) Called Ogle Models and Prototypes (OM+P), the Letchworth-based bureau has upgraded its EOS machine for laser sintering of plastic powder to improve the speed and accuracy with which it can produce prototypes and, increasingly, production runs directly from CAD models
This article was originally published on Manufacturingtalk on 12 Oct 2001 at 8.00am (UK)
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The EOSINT P 360, installed in 2000, has been upgraded to a P 380 by the addition of new software and hardware that allows an even better surface finish on the component and 15 to 30 per cent faster build times, depending on the component.
Improvements have also been made to part accuracy, leading to better surface definition and reduced wall thicknesses.
Celebrating its 50th anniversary this year, OM+P is one of the few companies to combine traditional model-making and CNC machining with three key RP technologies ? laser sintering, vacuum casting and stereolithography (SLA).
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The 30-strong company operates a fully equipped transport model shop for its many automotive clients and invests 13 per cent of turnover per annum in upgrading its facilities.
Said Sales Manager and Director, David Bennion, one of a four-man team which completed a management buyout in February 2003, "Our core skill is being able to identify the correct process for a customers job and having the equipment and breadth of knowledge to implement the project in the best way.
"More and more, laser sintering provides the optimal solution, especially with the advent of Alumide powder from EOS.
It is an aluminium-filled nylon material that allows the resulting metallic-looking, non-porous components to be machined easily and to withstand high temperatures.
We were the first bureau in the UK to offer this service in January 2004." One project example cited where Alumide proved to be ideal was the manufacture of an intake trumpet for a motorcycle.
Two engine-sets of five laser sintered parts was produced in a matter of days and operated perfectly under full race conditions at temperatures approaching 155 degrees Centigrade.
Conventionally, the components would have been produced using carbon fibre lay-ups, or by machining from a solid aluminium billet, or perhaps even from an investment casting, all processes and that take weeks rather than days and cost at the very least three times as much.
Furthermore, in such applications the design tends to change constantly to extract every last bit of air flow, often leading to awkward profiles that are difficult to machine.
With laser sintering, however, there is no restriction to the profile that can be produced and changes may be made quickly and easily.
Rapid Prototyping Director, Steve Willmott, went on to explain that there are several advantages to using laser sintering, namely higher speed and lower cost of production, and strength and usability of the component under mechanical and thermal stress.
The speed and cost comparison is particularly advantageous when producing multiple parts up to 500-off with laser sintering, as components can be built on top of each other in 3D stacks in, say, three to five days and there is no need for hard tooling.
With SLA, this time frame is doubled as the model has to be used as a master to create a mould for producing the series of components.
Any design alterations would result in changes to, or replacement of, the hard tooling often running into thousands of pounds.
One recent project which exemplifies the benefits of laser sintering, as well as highlighting the range of different technologies that OM+P can bring to bear, was the development and production for a UK company of a prototype thermal imaging camera intended for search and rescue work.
From a CAD model supplied by the customer, OM+P used SLA to produce the external components and to create moulds, and vacuum castings were produced in various colours.
Laser sintering was employed to make the all-important chassis that supports the thermal imaging screen and the electronics.
In this case, polymide powder was used and the component went through several inexpensive iterations resulting from design changes to accommodate electronic components sourced from different suppliers.
Notably, the chassis went into series production using the laser sintering process, whereas full tooling was required for the remaining plastic elements to satisfy the production requirement.
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