12/08/23
Reduce development time and costs of parts and tools for customized trucks and other commercial vehicles.
REDUCE PRODUCTION TIME
Reduce lead times, avoid outsourcing, cut logistics, and save time with streamlined processes.
REDUCE COSTS BY UP TO 80%
Bypass expensive machining or injection molding by directly printing prototypes, end-use parts, and tools.
RETHINK DEVELOPMENT PROCESS
Leave conventional ways of manufacturing behind and take the chance to design smarter.
Commercial vehicles like refuse collection trucks and fire engines place high demands on their components and, therefore, on the methods employed to produce them. Maximum reliability, extreme toughness, and the need to replace parts quickly are vital factors for choosing the proper manufacturing process for truck parts. Also, due to the customers varying expectations and the resulting need for customization, parts are produced in small numbers only. Many iteration cycles are necessary on the way to the final design. BigRep 3D printers give companies worldwide the flexibility and versatility to fulfill all these requirements and react to challenging customer requirements on short notice.
ZOELLER Group uses BigRep printers to develop customized panels and covers for refuse trucks and lifts. Development times for customer-specific parts for commercial vehicles are drastically reduced by using 3D printers:
Magirus bought a BigRep ONE 3D printer to speed up prototype production and reduce costs. Previously, making a prototype by hand lamination or CNC machining took about 3-6 months, depending on the part size and capacity of the workshop.
A part can be 3D printed within days, making customization more accessible and faster. Costs could be reduced by at least one order of magnitude. After the good experiences Magirus had with prototyping, they decided to qualify the process and materials for making end-use parts. The frame for an additional window in one of the cabin doors is now in pre-series production.
Nikola Motor Company designs and produces battery and fuel-cell driven trucks.
With their BigRep PRO they manufacture models of parts for their trucks for design and development purposes, but also jigs and fixtures to help in production. By printing these parts instead of CNC milling them or outsourcing their manufacturing, Nikola saves time and money and gains flexibility.
Also the freedom given them by the new technology and the large print volume of one cubic meter allows engineers to rethink the whole product development process.
“Our customers have very specific requirements. So we need to produce highly specific parts incredibly quickly on request – and 3D printing is the perfect tool!”
Dr. Bojan Ferhadbegović, Head of Engineering and Design, ZOELLER Group.
FR
