Thanks to additive manufacturing, the customer saved €370,000 and 13 weeks of time! The functional prototype of a train seat was printed using FFF technology on the Factory 2.0 industrial 3D printer from OMNI3D. This project was carried out by METRIS3D for POLGAR KFT, the Hungarian manufacturer of parts for the automotive industry.

‘Now, preparing the model cost all together about €30,000, before this was over €400,000. It’s just a fraction of the budget! Regarding the time, now it takes only 3 weeks to prepare first prototype, before it took as long as 4 months…,’ - says Miki Thurzo, Senior Engineer from METRIS 3D.

‘The great thing about having a functional prototype is that we could really test the model. Before, this was impossible due to very long lead time. Now, thanks to 3D printing, we could change the design soon after we made the first 3D prints. It turned out, for example, that some of the movable parts (like trashcans and holders) could not been moved, which was missed in the CAD file,’ adds METRIS 3D representative.POLGAR KFT needed the prototype to verify the design of a train seat. There are always some critical points in a design that should be double checked, preferably in real scale.

OMNI3D presents some of the technical specifications of the print performed on the Factory 2.0 Production System:

‘In the case of large models, most challenging is the size of the biggest element, the dimensional accuracy and print time. Factory 2.0 enabled us to print large parts of even 500 mm along each axis with very high accuracy. Thanks to numerous machines available in OMNI3D’s print room, timing is also not a problem. The printing process took us about 2 weeks,’ adds Krzysztof Kardach, Chief of Technologies at OMNI3D – responsible for the printing process.Factory 2.0 has one of the largest working platforms with the heated and closed chamber available on the market. Thanks to this, 3D printing specialists from OMNI3D could minimalise the number of the printed parts, which was very important to get the highest strength of the final model.

3D scanning is always the best verification of the 3D printed part.

‘We scanned the biggest print (480 x 210 x 370 mm) on our professional 3D scanner – RPS EVO6 – to verify the dimensional accuracy. The results were impressive. The accuracy obtained enabled us to get a perfect fit with the metal seat frame prepared before,’ explains Miki.

Factory 2.0 is now available in 13 countries: Ireland, the United Kingdom, France, Switzerland, Spain, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Poland, Hungary, Russia, India, Australia and New Zealand.

Factory 2.0 Production System is a professional 3D printer dedicated to industrial purposes. What distinguishes the machine is: high dimensional precision, large build volume - 500 x 500 x 500 mm, enclosed and heated chamber, two height-adjustable extruders, automatic platform calibration and filament flow control. OMNI3D offers a wide range of professional printing materials such as ABS, ASA, PET-G, PC-ABS and HIPS.

OMNI3D is a Polish manufacturer of industrial 3D printers using FFF technology. The company was founded in 2013 in Poznan. OMNI3D offers consulting services, implementation of 3D printing technology, maintenance, training and 3D printing on demand. Customers include companies whose goal is to optimise time and costs. OMNI3D’s printing systems are perfect for producing spare parts for machinery and production lines, manufacturing tools and equipment, rapid prototyping, low‐volume and personalised production.

METRIS3D

METRIS 3D is a Hungarian provider of 3D digitising systems, computed tomography CT machines and terrestrial large volume scanners. Utilising these technologies, METRIS3D is ready to assist with quality control coordinate measuring. The company’s goal is not only to digitise industrial parts but also to manufacture existing designs in 3D.

POLGAR KFT

POLGAR KFT has been active on the automotive market for 20 years now. This Hungarian company focuses on the manufacturing of rubber parts (mudguards) and trucks seats, including pneumatics, as well as the locksmith industry. 

Prepared on the basis of information from Omni3D