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Over the past 20 years, Ellen Lee has labored her means up the profession ladder at Ford, a agency synonymous with automotive innovation, which stays one of many world’s main automotive producers.
Throughout that point, Lee has witnessed Ford going from an early prototyping adopter to a enterprise that makes use of 3D printing to create extra useful mock-ups, jigs, fixtures and even end-use elements. These days, in her position as Technical Chief of AM Analysis, Lee is closely engaged within the agency’s additive manufacturing R&D, and as such, she sees each the expertise’s advantages and ‘gaps’ that stop its wider adoption.
To be able to present only a glimpse into the way forward for automotive 3D printing, Lee has now agreed to talk to 3D Printing Trade, as she prepares to ship a keynote speech at this 12 months’s Additive Manufacturing Customers Group (AMUG) Convention.
“AM has rapidly develop into a necessary a part of our design and engineering validation course of, and continues for use for increasingly more useful prototype testing because the applied sciences advance,” explains Lee. “We now additionally use AM applied sciences for the direct manufacturing of end-use elements, each for our manufacturing strains in addition to for our autos.”
3D printing at Ford: a quick historical past
Having acquired the SLA 3 through the late Nineteen Eighties, solely the third 3D printer ever made, Ford regards itself as one of many expertise’s earliest adopters. Since then, Lee says that additive manufacturing has essentially “modified its course of for brand new product design,” turning into very important to the corporate’s validation efforts, together with areas resembling fluid stream visualization, match and end and wind tunnel testing.
A lot of this work takes place on the agency’s Superior Manufacturing Middle (AMC) which no longer solely homes SLA 3D printers, however FDM, SLS, and sand-printing machines. On the AMC, Ford’s group works in direction of verifying the feasibility of printed elements, and determines how one can combine 3D printing into the manufacturing facility, in addition to validating course of high quality.
In line with Lee, her group “works hand-in-hand” with colleagues on the AMC, along with serving to develop new supplies, processes, and designs able to being scaled in order that they’ll help wider manufacturing. Whereas a lot of the information round this cutting-edge R&D tends to remain in-house, Ford does often present a glimpse into associated initiatives, like its truck half 3D printing initiative.
Prior to now, the agency has additionally labored with DLS 3D printing specialist Carbon, and it partnered with HP final 12 months to develop a method of recycling 3D printing waste into Ford truck elements. With regards to sustainability, Lee explains that it’s now of the “utmost significance” to the corporate, and it’s presently engaged on methods to cut back the vitality, materials, and different waste related to its 3D printing actions.
“This consists of the recycling of waste streams and 3D printed prototype elements, amongst different actions, and utilizing them in downstream functions the place attainable,” stated Lee. “Some examples embody the recycling of waste AM powder and elements into injection molded functions for our autos, in addition to researching the usage of manufacturing facility waste from packaging into filaments for prototyping.”
Figuring out R&D alternatives
Inside Ford’s present setup, 3D printing is a beneficial device, because it each permits it to streamline its new product design and validation course of and make operational value financial savings and high quality enhancements. Because the agency develops and evaluates supplies and processes for useful prototyping or tooling functions, this work additionally signifies the feasibility of such applied sciences to be used in automobile half manufacturing.
Though Lee didn’t define particular use instances on this space, she did recommend that 3D printing is now deployed to “help low-volume, high-mix, high-value functions,” which may be significantly costly to fabricate with tooling.
In relation to the advances wanted to widen the expertise’s automotive functions, Lee factors out that Ford already makes use of it to construct end-use elements in each its collection manufacturing and aftermarket help companies. Nonetheless, that being stated, she additionally means that the price of present 3D printable alloys stays too excessive, whereas polymers nonetheless require work when it comes to sturdiness and weathering efficiency.
Particularly, on the metallic 3D printing entrance, Lee says that titanium can now be deployed at scale, however sooner or later, a renewed concentrate on heat-treatable low-alloy steels and aluminum is required. Extra extensively, Lee additionally acknowledges the need of standardization inside the automotive business and highlights how Fords’ work as a part of the US Council for Automotive Analysis could possibly be very important to attaining this.
“Extra work in requirements growth, particularly for the automotive sector, is required to make sure we’re capable of measure and scale back variability,” added Lee. “Ford has labored with different automotive OEMs by means of USCAR to publish ‘The Roadmap for Automotive Additive Manufacturing,’ which highlights alternatives and pathways for the extra widespread use of AM applied sciences in our business.”
AMUG’s automotive-led keynotes
Looking forward to the AMUG 2022 Convention, Lee explains that she’s enthusiastic about connecting with colleagues from across the 3D printing neighborhood, and studying concerning the expertise’s newest use-cases, although she’ll need to squeeze this in round plans to talk on the occasion, alongside fellow keynote speaker Kevin Czinger of Czinger Autos.
On the present, Lee says that she plans to begin by talking typically concerning the “affect the automotive business has had on the manufacturing panorama,” earlier than delving into the way forward for manufacturing within the business, masking “the place additive manufacturing can play right this moment” and the place she “sees alternatives for tomorrow.”
In addition to listening to Czinger and Lee’s keynotes, convention attendees additionally stand to realize entry to 150 displays, discussions, workshops, and hands-on classes. Followers of the AMUG Technical Competitors will be capable of take a look at the competition too, whereas the ever-popular DINO Awards return for this 12 months’s occasion, as does the Innovators’ Showcase, which final 12 months featured EOS’ Dr. Hans Langer.
These considering attending the AMUG 2022 Convention can nonetheless register, and in the event that they enroll earlier than March 11, 2022, they’ll benefit from a 27% registration payment low cost, with the payment masking tickets to the entire above plus quite a lot of off-site gatherings, networking receptions and catered meals.
Potential attendees can use the AMUG on-line registration kind to use now.
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Featured picture exhibits the Ford F-250 Tremendous Obligation. Picture by way of Ford.
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