Applications and Cost Control of 3D Printing in the Automobile Manufacturing(Part One)
Abstract: With the advent of the personalized customization era, 3D printing technology is widely used in various fields such as automobiles. At present, 3D printing technology is mostly used in the research and development of automobiles, mainly in test models and the customization of parts. On the basis of introducing the current development of 3D printing technology, the application of 3D printing technology in automobile assembly workshops of automobile manufacturing is analyzed to emphasize the importance of 3D printing technology in the field of automobile manufacturing.
1. An introduction to 3D printing technology
3D printing technology is a kind of rapid prototyping technology, which is also known as additive manufacturing. It uses digital model files as the basis. The model files are layered and printed layer by layer to form objects. Adhesive materials such as powdered metals or plastics are used. The realization of 3D printing is usually through digital technology material printers, which are often used to make models in the fields of mold manufacturing and industrial design. With the development of material science, 3D printing technology is gradually used in the direct manufacturing of some products, and there are parts printed by using this technology. The technology is applied to aerospace science and technology, automobile research and development, medical models, electronics industries, building houses and other fields.
2. Principles of 3D printing technology
2.1 Building a 3D digital model
3D printing technology builds 3D digital models according to requirements. Usually, there are two establishment methods, that is, scanning molding and software design. In the case of existing objects, a three-dimensional scanner is used to convert the three-dimensional information of the object into an intuitive digital signal to realize fast reverse 3D digital modeling, which is called scanning molding. 3D digital modeling through 3D design software is called software design. In the automotive industry, commonly used 3D design software includes Catia, Pro/e, and UG.
2.2 Slice processing
After the 3D digital model is obtained, it is sliced, which is to cut the 3D model into a series of 2D plane data along a certain axis. The 3D printer reads the data and works layer by layer, and constructs the entity through superimposition. There are 3 types of general slicing software such as cura, s3d and Repetier Host. At the same time, major 3D printer manufacturers also have self-developed slicing software.
2.3 Printing and molding technology
Printing is the most core part of 3D printing technology, which directly affects the final quality of printing to a large extent. Currently, there are 5 general 3D printing technologies: SLA, SLS (selective laser sintering), FDM, 3DP (three-dimensional powder bonding), and DMLS (direct metal laser sintering). Taking FDM as an example, the fused deposition 3D printing technology is to heat the filamentous material to an appropriate temperature to melt it, and then extrude it through a nozzle. After a layer is deposited, the printing platform is lowered by a predetermined increment and then continues to fuse and deposit until the completion of the typical printing technology of the entire print. FDM 3D printers generally use materials such as engineering plastics (PLA or ABS), flexible materials (TPE or TPU), metal texture materials (metal PLA or metal ABS) and nylon materials (EPA).
2.4 After processing of printing
FDM technology prints are rough and have visible lines on the surface, which requires post-processing. Generally, methods such as removing support structure, grinding and polishing, and surface treatment are used to improve the mechanical properties of the product and make the product appearance more beautiful. The FDM technology has the advantages of simple manufacturing and low costs.
3. The application status of 3D printing technology to the automotive field
3.1 The application of 3D printing technology to the automotive development stage
With the rapid increase in car ownership, competition in the automotive industry has become increasingly fierce. Cost control is a major problem faced by automotive companies in the research and development stage. The speed of research and development is closely related to the cost. In traditional automobile R&D, parts can only be manufactured after the mold is produced. However, it usually takes more than 3 months for ordinary automobile parts manufacturing companies to develop, manufacture, and put a mold into use, which causes a lot of waste of resources. 3D printing technology can quickly produce conceptual models and functional prototypes, and reduce processing procedures, thereby greatly shortening the verification time of auto parts and improving R&D efficiency (as shown in Figure 1).
Figure 1 3D printed models of parts
Material science is developing rapidly, and more and more materials can be used in 3D printing, which can meet the attribute requirements for most auto parts, and products manufactured by printing technology have better accuracy than those by traditional methods. At the same time, 3D printing technology can realize the lightweight of auto parts, reduce the weight of the car, and reduce the fuel consumption of the car, which is in line with the green development concept proposed by the relevant national departments.
1. An introduction to 3D printing technology
3D printing technology is a kind of rapid prototyping technology, which is also known as additive manufacturing. It uses digital model files as the basis. The model files are layered and printed layer by layer to form objects. Adhesive materials such as powdered metals or plastics are used. The realization of 3D printing is usually through digital technology material printers, which are often used to make models in the fields of mold manufacturing and industrial design. With the development of material science, 3D printing technology is gradually used in the direct manufacturing of some products, and there are parts printed by using this technology. The technology is applied to aerospace science and technology, automobile research and development, medical models, electronics industries, building houses and other fields.
2. Principles of 3D printing technology
2.1 Building a 3D digital model
3D printing technology builds 3D digital models according to requirements. Usually, there are two establishment methods, that is, scanning molding and software design. In the case of existing objects, a three-dimensional scanner is used to convert the three-dimensional information of the object into an intuitive digital signal to realize fast reverse 3D digital modeling, which is called scanning molding. 3D digital modeling through 3D design software is called software design. In the automotive industry, commonly used 3D design software includes Catia, Pro/e, and UG.
2.2 Slice processing
After the 3D digital model is obtained, it is sliced, which is to cut the 3D model into a series of 2D plane data along a certain axis. The 3D printer reads the data and works layer by layer, and constructs the entity through superimposition. There are 3 types of general slicing software such as cura, s3d and Repetier Host. At the same time, major 3D printer manufacturers also have self-developed slicing software.
2.3 Printing and molding technology
Printing is the most core part of 3D printing technology, which directly affects the final quality of printing to a large extent. Currently, there are 5 general 3D printing technologies: SLA, SLS (selective laser sintering), FDM, 3DP (three-dimensional powder bonding), and DMLS (direct metal laser sintering). Taking FDM as an example, the fused deposition 3D printing technology is to heat the filamentous material to an appropriate temperature to melt it, and then extrude it through a nozzle. After a layer is deposited, the printing platform is lowered by a predetermined increment and then continues to fuse and deposit until the completion of the typical printing technology of the entire print. FDM 3D printers generally use materials such as engineering plastics (PLA or ABS), flexible materials (TPE or TPU), metal texture materials (metal PLA or metal ABS) and nylon materials (EPA).
2.4 After processing of printing
FDM technology prints are rough and have visible lines on the surface, which requires post-processing. Generally, methods such as removing support structure, grinding and polishing, and surface treatment are used to improve the mechanical properties of the product and make the product appearance more beautiful. The FDM technology has the advantages of simple manufacturing and low costs.
3. The application status of 3D printing technology to the automotive field
3.1 The application of 3D printing technology to the automotive development stage
With the rapid increase in car ownership, competition in the automotive industry has become increasingly fierce. Cost control is a major problem faced by automotive companies in the research and development stage. The speed of research and development is closely related to the cost. In traditional automobile R&D, parts can only be manufactured after the mold is produced. However, it usually takes more than 3 months for ordinary automobile parts manufacturing companies to develop, manufacture, and put a mold into use, which causes a lot of waste of resources. 3D printing technology can quickly produce conceptual models and functional prototypes, and reduce processing procedures, thereby greatly shortening the verification time of auto parts and improving R&D efficiency (as shown in Figure 1).
Figure 1 3D printed models of parts
Material science is developing rapidly, and more and more materials can be used in 3D printing, which can meet the attribute requirements for most auto parts, and products manufactured by printing technology have better accuracy than those by traditional methods. At the same time, 3D printing technology can realize the lightweight of auto parts, reduce the weight of the car, and reduce the fuel consumption of the car, which is in line with the green development concept proposed by the relevant national departments.
