Additive Manufacturing Design Case for John Deere’s Hydraulic Block John Deere Forestry Oy asked Etteplan to redesign a hydraulic block for a tree harvester boom in order to best utilize the geometric freedoms offered by additive manufacturing, i.e. 3D printing. The goals from the redesign were to decrease pressure drop, make assembly easier, reduce weight, and minimize production costs. Case Hydraulic Block Design Expertise Engineering Simulation-driven design approach For this project Etteplan formed a team that included experts in AM design, AM simulation, computational fluid dynamics (CFD), and finite element analyses (FEA). The design workflow started with performance analysis of the original hydraulic block and then ideation for new channel design concepts. Original hydraulic block on harvester boomCFD analyses allowed the performance of the designs to be compared through computation of pressure drop. The new channel design was selected based on a combination of performance and printability, and was fine-tuned to improve both. Next detailed design work was carried out for the full hydraulic block, followed by FEM strength calculations. The design was fine-tuned again to improve strength and ensure that it withstands the known loadings during operation. Print process simulation was utilized to determine the best orientation on the build platform in order to minimize recoater-crash risk, to check distortion levels of the part during and after printing, and to aid in the design of support structures. Etteplan’s simulation driven AM design workflow for the John Deere Forestry Oy hydraulic block case Benefits Etteplan was able to create a new hydraulic block with a pressure drop reduction of 40% and mass reduction of 60% compared to the traditionally manufactured component. The channels were also designed to deal with high velocity flow of hydraulic oil in both directions and to be self-supporting during printing. This design also makes assembly and disassembly of surrounding components during maintenance easier due to the smaller overall size of the part. Additive manufactured harvester hydraulic block designed by Etteplan’s AMO team for John Deere Forestry Oy Keys to success Etteplan’s redesign of the harvester hydraulic block met the objectives set out by John Deere Forestry Oy. This unique and efficient channel design was discovered due to the excellent teamwork of Etteplan’s 3D printing and simulation experts.
Developing a range extender device for Pexraytech Pexraytech is a Otaniemi, Finland based high-tech company that develops and manufactures cutting-edge portable X-Ray imaging systems. Pexraytech makes use of the extensive X-Ray engineering expertise that Finland has, providing innovative and intuitive solutions for two focus areas: Security market and Industrial NDT (Non Destructive Testing). They also offer advanced customized systems to users who need special X-Ray solutions for other applications
Machine risk assessment tools taken to a new level at Metsä Board Metsä Board specializes in eco-friendly fresh fiber paperboards, and its products are mainly used in food and consumer product packaging. The company has long been focusing on circular economy solutions to meet customers’ future packaging requirements, such as the traceability of renewable raw materials and the recyclability of packaging. Part of Metsä Group, Metsä Board has altogether eight mills, seven of which are located in Finland.
Hybrid manufacturing case: Rosendahl Nextrom While Etteplan’s AMO team is working hard to show our customers how to benefit most from additive manufacturing, we are always searching for the best manufacturing method for each design. This customer case is a good example of how “hybrid manufacturing”, a combination of additive and traditional subtractive manufacturing techniques, can be utilized to efficiently produce a very demanding product. 3d printing additive manufacturing
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Creating a digital era dental robot Rayo 3DToothfill aims to improve the lives of billions of people with affordable, high-quality dental health. Their solution provides the best results with comparable costs for the dentist and for the patients. To ensure their solution is usable in different surroundings, it is simple and easy-to use.
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