The German company Hänssler Group, which develops and produces sealing solutions and complex parts from high-quality plastics and elastomers, has worked with materials manufacturer Kimya to develop and 3D print small batches of parts to a customer’s specification, using a desktop Ultimaker S5 3D printer.
The customer in this case was seeking a sealant with anti-electrostatic properties that could provide thermal protection between two components of a machine. This part had to be integrated within an existing production line and had to be composed of two separate components that could be easily removed and reassembled during the life cycle of the machine.
Hänssler opted to use Kimya’s ABS-ESD filament, an engineering-grade material with anti-electrostatic (ESD) resistance suitable for use on desktop printers such as the Ultimaker S5. It offers adequate resistance to impact (10.9 KJ/m² on the Charpy Impact test) and heat (up to 90°C), in combination with typical neat ABS tensile modulus and strength value.
Hänssler chose to optimise the insulating properties of the parts by incorporating an internal vacuum. However, the company found several imperfections at the printing stage due to delamination marks and flow defects, which sometimes occur when printing large-format parts with complex geometries. Hänssler consulted with Kimya, which developed a bespoke printing profile to solve these problems.
The parts were produced in two batches of 150 each. The optimized material printing profile combined with the Ultimaker S5, result in parts with minimal batch-to-batch dimensional variation and without affecting the ESD performance. As a further benefit of this approach, the project was completed in a relatively short period of time – enabling the customer to continue production without interruption.
Adrian Heinrich, Marketing Manager at Hänssler Group, commented: “Besides the opportunity to create accurate and more complex parts with 3D printing, we also reported a reduction in material waste in the range of -80% and -60% in cost per part versus our traditional milling techniques. The accessibility and reliability of 3D printing and great support of Ultimakers’ ecosystem partner Kimya, made this project just the beginning.”
He added: “Kimya’s team have demonstrated its reliability and expertise, especially given the highly challenging nature of the project. We are certain that we will collaborate further in the future, using its 3D filaments for other projects.”
You can find further information on the Hänssler Group here, on the material from kimya.fr and the S5 printer from ultimaker.com.
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