Newsletter April 2009

In this issue:

 

• Accelerating Automotive Manufacturing

• Digital Manufacturing: Power Tools for Small Business: Part Three: Manufacturing

• Tips & Tricks: Re-Ordering from a Saved Quote

• Rapid Prototyping & Manufacturing Show

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Accelerating Automotive Manufacturing
Creating digitally manufactured jigs and fixtures saves time, labor, money and resources.

This Roaring Forties GT40’s chassis was custom built using jigs and fixtures produced by RedEye On Demand.

For car enthusiasts there can be no greater satisfaction than seeing their dream car come to life. Building people’s dream cars is what the folks at Roaring Forties (www.roaringforties.com.au ) do best. Jonathan Klopsteins and Paul Bottomley, co-owners of Roaring Forties have been using RedEye On Demand services for years. Why? Because with RedEye’s direct digital manufacturing, the Roaring Forties team can get jigs and fixtures produced easily and cost effectively - accelerating production time.

The Ford GT40, built from 1966 to 1969, was a high performance race car winning the 24 hours of Le Mans four times in a row. This lightweight, aerodynamic beauty was affectionately named after Grand Tourisme (GT) with 40 representing its overall height in inches. The rarity of this beloved, sporty model has increased and with it, the demand for accurate high quality replicas.

The Challenge
Recently the Roaring Forties team was faced with a familiar challenge, redesign in a short period of time. Due to a change in emission regulation a new engine for the RF GT40 was required and needed to be fitted into the existing chassis. One of the critical changes was to the brake and fuel line harness. “Fuel handling is something we have to get 110% right. Not only for performance on the track, but also to reduce the risk of thermal incident,” says Bottomley. “After all, it’s not just a pipe. We also needed to be mindful of its durability due to fatigue.”

The ability to manufacture parts like jigs, fixtures and tools on-demand means processes can be optimized and implemented in shorter periods of time. Parts for fixturing and tooling in the automotive manufacturing environment need to withstand the harsh environment of high temperatures and vibrations. Additionally, they often need to be lightweight and portable. Lastly, as design components change, the fixture needs to be altered – often in a short amount of time.

“We go to great lengths to make sure that our design is fully tested before we consider going to market,” says Bottomley. We know that RedEye’s digital manufacturing is great for building parts for development testing – even end use. But because of its accuracy and dimensional stability we now appreciate that we can build all of our jigs and fixtures with thermoplastics as well. RedEye calls it Direct Digital Manufacturing, we call it cost effective.”

Bottomley adds, “Just one of the areas we improved was a simple jig for the fuel line which we use both as a fixture for aligning assemblies but it also doubles as our ‘go/no go’ gauge.”

Figure 2: PC Test Fixture with ABS Trial Part

The most commonly used manufacturing technique for jigs and fixtures is machining; however, changes can be costly. When a quality problem or production delay occurs, the cause is often the fixture, and engineers must move quickly to devise a plan to keep production moving forward.

Typical turn around time of traditionally manufactured fixtures is approximately 2 to 4 weeks. With digital manufacturing, you can get new fixtures in days – not weeks.

The use of digitally manufactured fixtures eliminates these constraints by giving you the freedom to easily change your design at any time. With the additive fabrication process we build exactly what you design in 3D, there’s no miscommunication as to the requirements. No need to translate 2D drawings to the machining process. And a low-cost, quality fixture can be turned-around in a matter of days.

The Solution
Fixtures are most frequently used in: holding, assembly & alignment, calibration, test hardware and prototyping. RedEye On Demand saved the Roaring Forties team time and money on fabrication and assembly tools allowing them to deliver an improved reproduction of the powerful Ford GT40. Digital Manufacturing technology eliminates machining, shaving days off production schedules and improving bottom lines. And, because RedEye On Demand produces these tools in production-grade thermoplastics, they not only save money – but best of all, they are durable.

“Once you hand over a part to a customer, there is a multitude of ways to perceive quality. Parts not only need to look good and be fit for purpose; they need to work well as part of an overall assembly. If one part doesn’t mate up with another, it will result in an unhappy customer – something we strive to avoid,” says Klopsteins.

The Result
The additive fabrication process used at RedEye is ideal for many fixtures because it offers a significantly shorter lead time compared to machining and assembling metal, wood and other common fixture materials. Additionally, when the fixture needs replacing, RedEye can produce a new one in days – compared to 4 to 6 weeks with machining or sheet metal respectively.

“Being cost effective we now use a number of jigs during assembly where we used to have none. It saves us many man hours during a build but also improves on quality. Everybody wins,” Bottomley concluded.

“When Paul and Jonathan heard that we could apply digital manufacturing technology for jigs and fixtures they were keen to give us a try,” says Simon Bartlett, RedEye Engineering Manager. “We looked at the ABS prototype of the harness and how it was manufactured and suggested using polycarbonate (PC). The higher melting point allowed Roaring Forties to solder on brackets prior to brazing. Since the jig is not stressed during use, we also suggested building it with a sparse fill – saving build time, piece cost and materials”

Finally, manufacturing parts with complex geometries is much simpler and requires less engineering resources compared to traditional machining methods. Because thermoplastics are durable, this same technology is evolving from modeling to an alternative for low volume manufacturing of end-use parts.

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Digital Manufacturing: Power Tools for Small Business
Part Three: Manufacturing

We hope you found last month’s newsletter about the benefits of digital manufacturing in the testing phase of product development insightful. This month’s newsletter will discuss opportunities in the final phase – Manufacturing.

Manufacturing is the stage that requires the greatest investment of time, money and energy.

In this pivotal phase, digital manufacturing gives the small business the option to:

• make its product with little investment

• make inexpensive changes to the product while in production

• deliver products to market faster than traditional manufacturing techniques

From first concept model to first commercial shipment, digital manufacturing protects the small business’ most valuable assets, time and money.

By the time companies are ready to begin manufacturing they have invested large sums of money and countless hours of labor. They have successfully balanced the financial, time and quality equation to reach the last step in the product development process, manufacturing. Manufacturing is the last stage before realizing profits from the sale of the new product, but it is the stage that requires the greatest investment of time, money and energy.

Digital Manufacturing vs. Traditional Manufacturing Methods
In this pivotal phase digital manufacturing gives the small business the option to make its product with little investment and lots of flexibility, while getting products to market faster than traditional manufacturing techniques.

Manufacturing is expensive. For every dollar in design, there may be $1,000 spent on manufacturing. Take for example the injection molds referenced in the testing phase. If projecting high volume production, what was a $5,000 to $25,000 investment can easily balloon to $75,000 to $250,000 for each injection mold. And while the injection molded parts cost less than one dollar each, setup charges and minimum order quantities may demand purchase orders that start in the tens of thousands of dollars. The reality is traditional manufacturing methods require a large financial commitment to initiate the production of a new product.

With such a large financial commitment required, there is no room for doubt and uncertainty in the product’s design, performance or market appeal. Any miscalculation can result in devastating consequences that can kill a product introduction. At the onset of manufacturing, the company is committing to: the product’s design, manufacturing methods and to annual production volumes.

The small business will often realize how committed it has become to the product’s design when it submits requests for quotations. Unless design for manufacturability (DFM) was rigorously applied, vendors will offer suggested design modifications intended to reduce part cost or improve quality and performance. Now, the company is faced with a major decision. It could elect to repeat the design, prototyping and testing phases to accommodate the suggested modifications or opt to retain the design and commit to tooling that produces an inferior product with higher cost.

Digital manufacturing caters to the most basic needs of the small business, money and time. Its most obvious advantage is that it eliminates, or delays, the capital outlay for expensive tools, molds and dies. For those that have the cash but are battling the clock, digital manufacturing offers a lead time of one day versus the 8 to 12 week wait for production tooling.

Conclusion
Digital manufacturing is an ideal tool for the small business with big dreams. It accommodates the inherent uncertainties that come with a new product launch. Digital manufacturing enhances the commitment to product designs, manufacturing practices and sales projections. And digital manufacturing enables the company to react and respond to new insights, shifts in preferences and increases in sales volume. Used wisely, digital manufacturing can translate to greater sales and higher profits, which can fund the development of the next product innovation.

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Tips & Tricks: Re-Ordering from a Saved Quote

Sometimes you need one. Sometimes you need ten. Sometimes you need one hundred more. Don’t worry, there’s no need to start from scratch. RedEye makes it easy to re-order your parts.

Whether you need an exact reprint of your order – or you’d like to place an order with just a few changes – there’s an easy way. Need an exact reprint? or Want to make a few changes before reordering? Click on the section that best suits your needs and follow the step-by-step directions.

Need an exact re-print of your order?
It’s easy; just use the “Place Order” button.

Step-by-Step Directions:

1. Log-in

2. Click on Saved Quote

3. Review Your list of Saved Quotes

   Tip: Remember to click on “SAVE” during the quoting process. If you place an order without saving, you will not find your order on this list and will not be able to use this quick re-ordering process. Your quotes will be saved for 30 days.

4. Open the Saved Quote You Want to Re-Order by Clicking on “Select”

   1. Your quote is opened in a non-editable state (image below)

   2. Review Your Order

      1. see date ordered

      2. get confirmation of previous order #

      3. review materials, quantities and dimensions

5. Click on “Place Order” to re-order without changes. You can re-order as many times as you like.
   

6. About Your Order

   1. A new order is created with the same RPM number except the number has a “-1” (see image below).

      1. If you re-order multiple times, the extension will increase (ex: “-2, -3, etc.)

Want to make a few changes before re-ordering?
It’s easy; just use the “Re-Quote Files” button.

Step-by-step Instructions for Making Changes to your Saved Project:

1. Log-in

2. Click on Saved Quote

3. Review Your list of Saved Quotes

   Tip: Remember to click on “SAVE” during the quoting process. If you place an order without saving, you will not find your order on this list and will not be able to use this quick re-ordering process. Your quotes will be saved for 30 days.

4. Open the Saved Quote You Want to Re-Order by Clicking on “Select”

   1. Your quote is opened in a non-editable state

5. Simply click on the “Re-Quote Files” button and you can easily modify:

   1. type of material

   2. material color

   3. quantity

NOTE: In addition to changing the type of material, color and quantity, you can also add additional design files and produce an estimate before re-ordering.

6. About Your Order 

   1. A new order is created with a different RPM number.

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Rapid Prototyping & Manufacturing Show
Booth #327
Schaumberg, IL
May 12-14, 2009

Stop by our booth to see our newest product: Ultem® - High Performance Plastic

ULTEM is a strong, lightweight, flame-retardant thermoplastic that is heat resistant up to 320° F (160° C).

Popular Applications include: End Use Parts Form, Fit and Function Testing Jigs & Fixtures

Typical Parts Produced: Aircraft Apparatus  Automotive Elements Military Components

Stop by booth # 327 to see if Ultem is the right material for your digital manufacturing needs.

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