National Industry Center 4.0 and 3D printing

I was interested in the invitation, simply because the main players were Škoda Auto, Josef Průša, Jan Homola, 3Dees, 3Dwiser, Stratasys, Fillamentum, CIIRC CTU in Prague, Koyo Bearings ČR…. So the very good “brands”.

Fig. 1 – The phenomenon of today, Josef Průša, manufacturer of popular 3D printers

Because even after 3 years of searching I do not have the answer to the question whether it is possible to print parts of die casting molds by metallic 3D printing so that they have resistance to thermal fatigue at the level of classically produced material according to Nadca 207, I was looking forward to information on how it is far away mainly “Skoda-Auto”.

And what conclusion can I make now? I would summarize this in a few points:

• Metallic printing in presenting companies is not on the agenda. Plastics dominate. The Průša printer can be placed anywhere, metal printing requires a completely different approach
• The strategy of the company Průša is “3D printer for every company” and subsequently “3D printer for every family”… beautiful marketing 😊
• Even Škoda-Auto has not yet set a precedent that would prove the advantage of metallic 3D printing compared to conventional technologies. On the example of die-casting molds, which was presented here and which was also presented at the recent conference HPDC in Brno, the total costs were by 40% higher compared to classically produced parts. The authors do not mention the service life of the part, as well as post-operations such as heat treatment. Printing a part made of material 1.2709 weighing 89 kg took 17 days on an EOS M400 printer
• Therefore, if 3D printing in Škoda-Auto, then the DED method on a DMG Mori Laser Tech 125 Hybrid device, designed for the renovation of die-casting dies. It is therefore a combination of machining and laser powder welding. Probably the right decision… is just a question of how to weld and what material, and especially what to do after welding so as to achieve the necessary resistance to thermal fatigue …
• How to start with 3D printing? In all the cases presented, it is not a decision of management and a strategic intention, but a process of placing one printer in production and leaving it to folk creativity as employees use it. It seems to work, but only for plastic printing. People will find a way to save work by using this technology. Only then, as soon as the benefits are shown, will the management take over
• Maybe that’s why I left with the impression that third millennium technology is being used for applications from the last century
• I completely lacked any consideration of a strategy for metal printing, where, in terms of investment or expertise, the strategy applied to plastics cannot be used

Fig. 2 – Vladislav Andronov, Škoda-Auto, and its presentation

So in conclusion, a well-organized event, well staffed by lecturers, but as a result showing rather the dark side of 3D printing. If the concept of developing this technology for printing metallic materials is based on similar “folk creativity” as in this case, then it is a dead end.

If it is to make sense, and it is to be supported by grants for investment or for science and research, it must be a conceptually comprehensive solution for the entire process workflow, addressing not only 3D printing but also all other necessary operations

May 13,  2022

Jiří Stanislav