Additive manufacturing Thanks to process-integrated digital tools, simply to the optimized component

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Additive manufacturing offers numerous benefits for product development. An example is a conventional gripping tool for a robot. Suitably modified, the changed parts can be manufactured additively.

Additive manufacturing offers great optimization potential for product development: shorter time-to-market, more flexibility, more design freedom, higher efficiency, and less resource use are just a few examples. This can be demonstrated using the example of a standard gripping tool for a UR robot: suitably modified, the changed components can be produced additively. As a result of the various optimization steps, costs in design, manufacturing, and assembly decrease. At the same time, the measures contribute to lightweight construction and resource efficiency. In addition, the processes in design and manufacturing are accelerated.

Another plus point: Many of the potentials mentioned can already be realized without getting into topology optimization or generative design, which are difficult for small companies to access.

How it works is explained by Hans-Werner Theobald, founder and owner of 3D-Metall Theobald e.K., and Alexander Hoffmann, CEO, Co-Founder and Senior Adviser at ARC Solutions GmbH, in their lecture "Additive Manufacturing: Optimized Robot Gripper with Process Integrated Digital Tools" at the Construction Manager Forum on 17th October 2024 in Würzburg. In addition, the speakers will also present the gripper in a topologically optimized variant in order to discuss the advantages and disadvantages of the methodology.

Mr. Theobald, why is the topic of your lecture relevant for designers and developers?

Additive manufacturing is spreading rapidly in a variety of applications. But especially in 3D metal printing, many small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) are currently not able to leverage the potential of the technology, as they are not sufficiently familiar with the requirements/characteristics of the manufacturing technique and the resulting consequences in the design approach.

The lecture explains using a real gripper finger for a UR robot, what needs to be considered in design to implement lightweight construction and function integration through additive manufacturing, and which digital tools are necessary for this. The basis of the lecture is an active process chain based on Siemens NX and the manufacturing process powder bed fusion-laser beam. The parts are produced on a Tru Print1000.

Mr. Hoffmann, what are the most important aspects of your lecture?

We show how through various optimization steps the costs in design, manufacturing, and assembly are reduced, the weight is decreased to expand the action radius of the robot and improve resource efficiency, and the processes in design, manufacturing, and assembly are accelerated. Each optimization level is printed and evaluated in terms of its advantages over the previous stage (weight/grasping radius, cost, throughput time).

Thus, we can demonstrate the effort and benefit that is achieved through a constructive intervention. We pay particular attention to the relationships between the sub-processes of design, manufacturing, assembly, and application. Additionally, suitable tools are introduced using the example of Siemens NX to meet the requirements of manufacturable design.

Mr. Theobald, what will participants learn from your lecture?

Participants will learn how 3D metal printing can be effectively used for the manufacture of a robot gripper, what additional benefits can be achieved in terms of lightweight construction and function integration, what effort the designer must put in to realize the desired added value. In addition, we explain in our lecture how costs can be reduced using 3D metal printing and which CAD tools are necessary to easily achieve the implementation.