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Bentley Motors has accomplished a £3 million funding to double its additive manufacturing (AM) capability on the firm’s headquarters in Crewe, England, the place all Bentley fashions are constructed. A state-of-the-art AM facility in aspect the Crewe manufacturing unit has been utilized to a variety of makes use of, producing greater than 15,000 elements in 2021 alone.
This growth may even allow Bentley to make the most of superior expertise to create 3D printed car elements and even larger personalization in buyer vehicles. The funding of this nature in such an progressive course of is yet one more instance of Bentley’s imaginative and prescient to create a long-term, sustainable enterprise mannequin and stay on the forefront of technological progress.
The fleet of 3D printing techniques on the Crewe manufacturing unit consists primarily of the newest technology of Stratasys industrial FDM (for polymer extrusion of superior plastics) and PolyJet (materials jetting for multi-materials fashions) machines, with no less than one HP 5210 multijet fusion system (for polymer PBF with nylon and TPU supplies). Bentley’s progressive analysis and growth workforce has already recognized all kinds of things to print, together with on-the-job assisted instruments for manufacturing colleagues, resembling light-weight sanding blocks in Bentley’s iconic woodshop.
Moreover, traditionally correct tooling tools wanted to make elements for the Bentley Blower Continuation mannequin was created, and even face shields had been supplied to the healthcare sector as a result of COVID-19 pandemic. AM has been employed to create bodily elements for a number of prototype Bentleys, together with full-scale powertrain fashions and aerodynamic wind tunnel fashions. The superior methods have additionally been used to supply elements for the record-breaking Bentley fashions that had been pushed within the demanding Pikes Peak Problem in America.
The newest strategies assist pace up product growth, permitting Bentley to supply a profusion of elements with out the necessity to outsource. It’s a part of the corporate’s ground-breaking Beyond100 technique, focusing on sustainable mobility management by reinventing each side of the enterprise.
The state-of-the-art AM tools put in on the Bentley Crewe manufacturing unit permits a 50 p.c price saving on elements and by working across the clock, the power is able to producing 1000’s of elements in over 25 totally different materials choices. Bentley colleagues from throughout the corporate at the moment are being provided coaching in AM to grasp how they’ll profit from utilizing the state-of-the-art course of of their work.
Peter Bosch, Bentley’s Member of the Board for Manufacturing, commented: “Bentley’s strategy to additive manufacturing is industry-leading and the power is shortly turning into a cornerstone of our ‘Dream Manufacturing unit’ ambitions. One of many key advantages is that it’s efficiency-led, slicing down on the fee and complexity of a myriad of jobs.
“This newest funding can also be making a big affect with our colleagues from throughout the corporate, serving to to create superior assisted instruments to drive steady enchancment all through manufacturing processes. As we glance to the longer term, there actually is big potential to the place this superior expertise can progress, together with having a larger capacity to personalize elements for our prospects and additional enhancing the individualization program provided on each automotive.”
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