Feasibility and profitability analyses

3D printing: correctly assessing opportunities and risks

© Fraunhofer IPK
Study on process technologies in additive series production

You are faced with the question of whether and how you can use additive manufacturing technologies for your applications? We examine your use cases with regard to economic and qualitative criteria and provide a solid basis for any decisions you may want to make on behalf of your company. Be it innovative designs, the development of new materials, the search for efficient reworking processes or for economical ways of quality assurance – thanks to our broad production engineering know-how, we develop solutions that will help you advance.

Our services

  • Economic evaluation of new use cases
  • Feasibility studies with production and evaluation of prototypes
  • Testing of new materials and determination of manufacturing parameters for reliable processes
  • Definition of entire process chains from design to implementation
  • Simulation-supported testing of component designs
  • Market research in the context of additive processes

Industrial applications

  • Ablative finishing processes to achieve the required surface quality and tolerances
  • Thermo-mechanical design of additive components
  • Flow-oriented design of fluidic components, e.g. heat exchangers
  • Processing of difficult to weld materials such as hard metals or titanium aluminides
  • Technology benchmark of various AM processes

 

Technical equipment

  • RenAM 500 Q HT: L-PBF system for processing difficult to weld materials
  • TruLaser Cell 7020: Economic laser DED system e.g. for coating processes
  • Software for fluid and particle simulation and for thermo-mechanical design of components
  • Camsizer X2
  • Pyrometer Sensortherm M322
  • Micro Epsilon laser distance sensor
  • Metallography
  • Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM)
  • 3D motion and deformation sensor ARAMIS
  • Optic surface measuring instrument Alicona InfiniteFocus
  • 3D scanner GOM ATOS
  • ZWICK/Roell tensile testing facility

Selected references

Carbide cutters

We are breaking new ground in carbide processing of WC-Co. With the most modern system technology, a high-temperature preheating and with innovative process strategies we are working on increasing the material quality.

Additively manufactured components for measuring devices

3D printing of components for emissivity measurement of semi-transparent materials