Development of a 3D printer for prototyping in the field of plastics technology
Prototypes from the 3D printer are used today in many industries. Rapid prototyping is becoming more and more popular. Especially in additive plastics processing, 3D printing is a popular method for creating professional prototypes. The market-leading technologies are extrusion and powder-based processes. The use of standard plastic granulate is necessary for the development of prototypes true to the material within the injection moulding process. This is where conventional 3D printers reach their limits today. VWH GmbH meets this challenge in an innovative research project.
Within the framework of the project, VWH GmbH, supported by the University of Koblenz, is investigating the use and behaviour of semi-crystalline plastics during the 3D printing process. To date, it is hardly possible to produce prototypes from the same standard plastic granulate from which traditional injection-moulded end products are made. This leads to delays in production, as the first result often does not completely correspond to the design ideas and the technical feasibility.
In order to avoid these time bottlenecks in the future, VWH GmbH is considering an optimized second generation 3D printer. For traditional injection moulding, an improved printing process means a high gain. As a result, prototypes can be produced true to the material in the future.
The aim is to present the customer with a haptic functional model made of the original material used in injection moulding. This will greatly shorten the time-to-market. As a result, resources in the form of material, time, energy and money can be saved and flexibility, the complexity of the possible geometries and the guarantee of reproducibility can be significantly increased. Such a multifunctional 3D printer including print head for different plastic prototypes is so far hardly available on the market.
The European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) is providing financial support for the research project. The project is thus one of the selected projects that strengthen the European Union from an economic, social and territorial point of view. The focus of funding is on projects in the following areas: Innovation and research, digital agenda and financial support for companies.
