BJT is used for aluminum, Ford will adopt 3D printing in large-scale automobile manufacturing

For Ford Motor Company, the design of new auto parts supported by additive manufacturing (AM) will realize the full-scale production application of metal 3D printing within two to three years. In addition, this achievement will be the beginning of a broader change. This successful development work will be applied to other areas.3D printingEntering the mass production application field of automobile manufacturing, we are faced with “three big mountains”: high efficiency, quality consistency and standards, and economy that meet mass production.Previously, the consensus in the market was3D printingIt seems that there is still a long way to go to meet the requirements of these “big mountains” in any one dimension.

So what is the reason that makes both Volkswagen and Ford have a consistent approach to large-scale automobile manufacturing.3D printingWhat about the adoption?In this issue, 3D Science Valley and Gu You come to insight into the binder injection3D printingThe application space of technology in the field of automobile mass production.

© Ford

The future has come

Ford had previously achieved a certain degree of success in 3D printing production, but at that time it involved lower production-there were fewer vehicles for niche markets.According to the understanding of 3D Science Valley, Ford’s current ideas are far more than small batches.3D printingProduction application. The components that Ford is developing will be used in the full production of Ford’s “very popular models.”

Ford will be mass-produced3D printingThe parts did not disclose details, but it is certain that they will be sprayed with adhesive3D printingTechnical manufacturing.

Ford’s challenging metal powder for binder spraying and sintering is aluminum 6061. This development is the result of a collaboration between Ford engineers and materials scientists and ExOne, a supplier of binder injection technology.And the successful application of aluminum to auto parts3D printingThe significance of production is significant: from traditional manufacturing processes to3D printingThe process change will reduce weight, save space, improve part performance, and save cost and time by simplifying the design.

Why is BJT-Binder Jetting?

According to Ford, LPBF’s powder bed-based selective laser melting process can produce lightweight parts for the automotive industry, but the selective laser melting process requires supporting structures and subsequent steps to remove these structures. This may not be a problem for the small-scale aerospace industry, but for the automotive industry, it poses a real challenge, which makes manufacturing very inefficient.

Compared with other metal 3D printing options, BJT-Binder Jet is generally a more productive metal AM additive manufacturing process compared to the LPBF powder bed-based selective laser melting process.

However, it was previously impossible to use aluminum for binder spraying, but Ford and ExOne pioneered a process of binder spraying aluminum 6061, which opened up the application space in the automotive manufacturing field.

In metal3D printingIn the process, the general consensus is that the LPBF powder bed melts the metal3D printingIt is a more ideal processing technology for aluminum alloy, and indirect metal based on binder jetting3D printingDue to the post-processing hot working process, it is easy to cause the aluminum alloy to burn, and it does not have advantages in the processing of aluminum alloy.However, with the development of cross-combination of various manufacturing technologies, indirect metal spraying through adhesives3D printingThe process to achieve additive manufacturing of aluminum alloy parts has a higher feasibility.

ExOne announced in March 2021 that it has successfully started using binder jet printing and sintering 6061 aluminum. Through the combination of binder jet printing and continuous sintering, 99% of high-density aluminum alloy parts can be manufactured, breaking through the traditional Material properties and the realization of strict geometric control are a breakthrough in decades.

According to the understanding of 3D Science Valley, Abbott’s continuous sintering furnace has played a key supporting role in advocating and optimizing Al 6061 binder injection technology and making it more suitable for new production methods.

Although most of the binder jet 3D printers sold today are equipped with batch sintering furnaces, ExOne, with the help of Abbott, found that Al 6061 is more suitable for continuous furnaces-this type of process has advantages in mass production.

The continuous sintering process and BJT-binder spray metal3D printingThe successful combination of technology will bring AL 6061 to change the situation of the manufacturing industry in an important way, especially the changes to the automotive, aerospace and other industries, to achieve more lightweight aluminum parts manufacturing, while meeting the economic and product quality consistency Sexual requirements.

The rising trend of aluminum and BJT

According to 3D Science Valley global market research partner AMPOWER, by 2025, AMPOWER expects that the market share of powder bed systems will decrease, such as binder jetting in metal (BJT) and plastic printing (DLP) technology will rise.

According to 3D Science Valley global market research partner CONTEXT, continue to use3D printingMass production is still the key to accelerating growth, and technologies such as powder bed melting and barrel photopolymerization (for plastics) and BJT-binder injection (for metals) are ready to help this push.

Not only the BJT-binder spraying technology, but also the aluminum alloy…

3D Science Valley once wrote in “Understanding Aluminum Alloy Manufacturing in One Article3D printingThe current status and development trend of the field” in the article” from the market development trend, the current technological breakthroughs in powder materials, as well as aluminum alloys and3D printingA variety of combinations of technologies, the application advantages of aluminum alloys, in-depth analysis of aluminum alloy manufacturing3D printingThe current status and development trend of the field.

According to SmarTech,3D printingTwo significant development trends are currently taking place in the industry. The first is that the global supply chain of aluminum alloy materials seems to have “crossed the threshold” and become the next generation opportunity to support additive manufacturing technology.Aluminum alloy3D printingNow start to catch up with nickel, steel and titanium.

In the manufacture of aluminum alloy parts through BJT-binder injection technology, it is not only exone that has made a breakthrough. Desktop Metal and Uniformity Labs have also developed a completely dense and sinterable 6061 aluminum material for the Desktop Metal production system.

This 6061 aluminum material is compatible with water-based adhesives, and the safety of aluminum powder with a higher minimum ignition energy than other commercially available 6061 aluminum powder has been improved.

According to the market understanding of 3D Science Valley, this breakthrough represents an important milestone in the development of aluminum for adhesive spraying, and is an important step forward for the additive manufacturing industry, because aluminum alloys are used in additive manufacturing. One of the most popular materials in the automotive, aerospace and consumer electronics fields.

The global aluminum casting market exceeds US$50 billion per year, and the time is ripe to subvert the casting market through binder injection additive manufacturing solutions.The introduction of lightweight metals in the binder spray has opened the door to various thermal management and structural applications in various industries. This aluminum alloy material innovation is produced in batches.3D printingA key step for aluminum parts.

As Ford, Volkswagen and other car companies promote BJT-binder injection technology to large-scale automotive parts manufacturing applications,3D printingWhat kind of opportunities will the market usher in? let us wait and see!

(Editor in charge: admin)