present a special conference titled
Worldwide
Advances and Setbacks in Rapid
Prototyping, Tooling & Manufacturing
Date
and Time: Friday 5 December 2003, 9:30 – 17:00
Location: Exhibition Center Frankfurt, Hall 9.1, Room Logos
Organizer: DEMAT GmbH (Frankfurt, Germany)
Scientific Chairman: Terry Wohlers, Wohlers Associates, Inc.
Conference Language: English
Fee
per Session: EUR 70. Includes
entrance into the conference and trade fair, technical papers, lunch,
GARPA reception and party, and a
chance to win valuable prizes.
Registration: Contact Sandra Neubauer of DEMAT at sandra.neubauer@demat.com,
phone 49 69 27 40 03 16, fax 49 69
27 40 03 40, www.euromold.com.
Description
New applications and technologies for rapid
prototyping continue to impress seasoned veterans and newcomers alike.
Companies are discovering amazingly creative uses of additive
manufacturing technology for rigorous prototyping and testing purposes,
advanced tooling, and for the manufacture of series production parts in
quantities of one to several thousand. A vast amount of R&D is
underway that is sure to lead to new advances.
Meanwhile, the industry is plagued with a number a problems and obstacles
that are challenging vendors, service providers, customers, and educators.
Among them are a lack of awareness, cost of entry, unfulfilled
expectations, poor performance by key players, and legal problems.
Attend this conference and learn what has developed over the past
year. Discover new methods and tools that could be life changing. At the
same time, become aware of the landmines and pitfalls that could have a
dramatic impact on strategic planning and decision-making at your
organization.
Program
9:30
Welcome: Eberhard Döring, DEMAT GmbH
Session 1: Industry Overview
9:45 State
of the Industry and Technology Update
Terry Wohlers, Wohlers Associates, Inc. (USA)
Industry
consultant Terry Wohlers will open the conference with highlights
from Wohlers Report 2003, a global market study on the rapid
prototyping, tooling, and manufacturing state of the industry. He will
share his views and opinions on the development of
methods and tools for rapid product development and will present updates
on the most interesting products, companies, and research. He will
conclude by presenting challenges that the industry faces and his outlook
on the future.
10:30
Big Prototypes,
Difficult Tooling, and RM
Bart Van der Schueren, Materialise (Belgium)
The
differences between prototype parts for show and tell, marketing, and
function testing, as well as for crash testing and pre-series production,
is fading. This is due to the growing number of functions that can be
tested with a single prototyping approach. Even so, a range of rapid
prototyping and tooling options exist and each has strengths and
limitations. Van der Schueren will focus on cases in which these methods have
been applied to specific design problems. He will discuss the capabilities
of these techniques, why they have been chosen for a given application,
and their current limits. The cases will cover the prototyping of large
components, rapid injection molding tools for complex parts, and rapid
manufacturing projects. The presentation will conclude with an outlook on
the future of rapid product development.
11:00 Break
11:30 Formula One: Where
Iterations Matter
Steve Nevey, Jaguar Racing (UK)
Formula One is more than a group of racers trying to finish an agreed upon set of laps as quickly as possible. Behind the scenes, there is a carefully orchestrated world of design and manufacturing of rapid, precision parts and systems. There is a tune that echoes throughout the world of Formula One: More iterations mean better cars. The goal of engineering is to squeeze as many incremental design iterations into a year as possible, enabling each team to systematically improve the performance of its cars. The result is the elimination of hundredths of a second in lap times. Sophisticated tools are employed only if they can deliver results. The toolbox inventory includes computational fluid dynamics, finite element analysis, CAD/CAM, hydraulic test rigs, wind tunnels and, most recently, methods of rapid prototyping.
12:00 Rapid Product
Development at adidas
Jan
Hill, adidas-Salomon
AG (Germany)
Shorter
product lifecycles in the sports and fashion industry, coupled with a
wider product range and continuous innovation, has made it necessary to
invest in new technologies for product development at adidas. With 3D CAD,
it is possible to review a proposed design before producing any physical
parts and this offers significant benefits. However, the need for physical
prototypes remains very high at adidas. For many designers, it is
important to touch the product and study the transition of design lines on
a physical part. The company has been using a range of RP systems for more
than five years and has learned that each offers a unique set of
capabilities. Hill will show at which stage of development (early design
phase, first prototype, and functional prototype) adidas uses its RP
systems and the advantages and limitations of each process.
12:30 Buffet Lunch
Session
3: Manufacturing
14:00 Digital
Fabrication of Custom Hearing Instruments Worldwide
Martin
Masters, Siemens Hearing Instruments (USA)
The
fabrication of custom hearing aids has been an art form for decades.
Technicians have manually crafted the physical impressions of patients’
ears into precisely fitting hearing instruments. Siemens Hearing
Instruments and Phonak Hearing Systems have developed a digital
fabrication approach that replaces most of the manual processes with 3D
modeling software. The instruments are then manufactured using rapid
prototyping equipment. The digital fabrication process has been deployed
worldwide, and thousands of instruments are in the field, with thousands
more being produced each month. Some dispensers are sending digital scans
over the Internet, while research efforts are working toward scanning
patients’ ears directly.
14:30 Rapid
Manufacturing’s Role in Enabling Customization
Richard
Hague, Loughborough University (UK)
Rapid
manufacturing presents enormous opportunities and challenges to the way
that products are designed, manufactured, and distributed. The absence of
tooling, for example, will enable designers to manufacture whatever design
they chose. It also opens up the potential for true cost-effective,
customized products made outside of the traditional factory environment.
Hague will highlight recent results from his work on the research projects
titled “Design for Rapid Manufacture” and “Management, Organization
& Implementation of Rapid Manufacture.” Also, he will present
exciting new work that looks into the potential of RM for the manufacture
of textiles and micro-level design possibilities.
15:00 NEXTRAMA:
A European Network to Integrate Rapid Manufacturing R&D
Frits
Feenstra, TNO Industrial Technology (Holland)
The
European Union’s sixth Framework Programme (FP6) is funding the Network
of Excellence in Rapid Manufacturing (NEXTRAMA). Its mission is to drive
the growth of rapid manufacturing (based on
additive freeform fabrication technologies) to efficient and
sustainable industrial processes. This will occur by integrating and
coordinating the main scientific, technological, industrial, and social
elements in Europe by creating a permanent organization in the field of
RM. To fulfill this mission, a concerted effort will be planned, executed,
and monitored by specific research units. The resulting exploratory work,
knowledge, facilities, and experience sharing will provide a clear
definition of the primary development themes and related research teams
required to follow specific roadmaps, leading to viable industrial
solutions.
15:30 Break
Session
4: Tooling and Casting
16:00
RP
and Design Collaboration: Successes and Unfulfilled Expectations
Ralf
Kimmich, Bosch Power Tools (Germany)
Bosch Power Tools was one of the pioneers in the use of RP technology. The company began to use it in 1989 for the design and prototyping of power tools and accessories. The implementation of technical and organizational demands in the worldwide enterprise was a key factor for being successful with RP. Fast developing technology, reliable suppliers, and reasonable costs for parts made the use of rapid prototyping efficient and economical. When rapid tooling was introduced to the market, an even higher potential for cost and time savings developed. Today, however, we continue to face obstacles and unfulfilled expectations. The economical use of rapid tooling for Bosch’s power tool business has not been realized. Also, the technology has not satisfied the needs of most tooling companies that employ 20 to 80 people in Europe, most of which have a conservative mindset.
16:30
Rapid
Prototyping of Engine Castings
Michael
Becker,
BECKER
CAD-CAM CAST (Germany)
Specialized engineering and rapid prototyping capabilities for engine castings are used at BECKER to reduce cycle time and cost and maintain quality. Work on the Indy Racing League V8 engine program shows how the requirements of the racing industry are met. Mr. Becker will present the entire process, from CAD design to castings, including qualification using computer tomography (CT). Also, he will provide highlights of the Cadillac V16 cylinder head program. Precision sand molds are developed using EOS laser sintering, ProMetal Rapid Casting Technology (RCT), and rapid tooling systems. Mr. Becker will focus on the opportunities and limitations of each technology and how they apply to the prototyping of metal castings. BECKER and Extrude Hone’s ProMetal Division are exploring the potential for alternative sand binders that will enhance the casting process and quality.
| 17:15
GARPA Party & Reception Meet representatives from the Global Alliance of Rapid Prototyping Associations (GARPA) and win valuable gifts and prizes. |
 |
