Component Design

Do you still optimise your components according to individual technical criteria such as weight or rigidity?

Optimisation based on these technical criteria does not necessarily guarantee the cost-effectiveness of the components, as this is essentially determined by the three influencing factors of quality, time and cost. In addition, optimisation is usually a manual process that is very time-consuming and therefore cost-intensive.

Our Solution

Fraunhofer IAPT has developed an automated design workflow that enables the holistic optimization of components. This workflow optimizes parts not only from a technical perspective but also in terms of quality, time, and cost.

The workflow can be seamlessly integrated into existing design process chains, delivering optimized parts ready for additive manufacturing, along with a complete cost breakdown. This allows users to create the most economical component for their specific application in the shortest possible time.

Application example

  • Applying the design workflow to the example of an automotive bracket
  • Individual consideration of existing resources (such as available machines or finishing methods)
  • Integrated optimization of orientation, nesting and supports

How do seals and sealing technology benefit from 3D printing with silicone?

When it comes to custom production of seals in small quantities, such as batch sizes of one or prototypes of new seal geometries, creating the necessary tooling can be very costly. Join our feasibility study today to discover whether additively manufactured seals and silicones provide a cost-effective alternative!

  • Three inquiry levels starting from three participants and upwards
  • Study duration: 10 months
  • Scheduled to begin in February 2025

The feasibility study will not only explore silicones but also empower sponsors to influence the specific requirements and materials that Fraunhofer IAPT will investigate. 

The study will

  • portray the opportunities and limitations of AM for processing silicones
  • provide an overview of the available technologies and materials
  • align the requirements of sealing technology with the capabilities of 3D printing
  • evaluate the processability of traditional materials from sealing technology

Join the feasability study now!

Would you like to scale your AM part production, but find post-processing too costly?

Reducing cost of L-PBF parts with the right support removal strategies. Fraunhofer IAPT is about to start a research study that will compare different approaches to support removal and offer technology-specific guidelines and designs to reduce the effort and cost of support removal.

  • Study duration: 10 months
  • Scheduled to begin in February 2025
  • Investigation of two materials and five removal strategies

 

The study will enable you to

  • assess different support removal strategies
  • speed and simplify support structure removal
  • automate the support removal process most effectively
  • optimize support structures for your technologies

Early Bird Special ends in March, 2025 -Contact us for more information!