Insiders and analysts predict the3 d打印技术趋势观看我们最新的一系列文章，重点是3D打印的未来。
TheFraunhofer添加剂生产技术学院（IAPT）已经证明了3D打印如何通过重新设计豪华跑车的门铰链来为技术性能和制造成本提供好处。
The part redesign project saw IAPT’s engineers optimize everything from the geometry of the door hinge to the build orientation and process parameters in a bid to maximize cost and weight savings.
最终，这项工作旨在阐明影响3D印刷零件成本的不太明显因素，而不仅仅是组件本身的几何形状。
根据IAPT的说法，该项目bode的结果很好地用于汽车领域的串联生产，其中3D打印越来越多地用于日常运营。
简化汽车生产
The automotive sector is one of many that have adopted additive manufacturing over the years, utilizing the technology for all manner of applications. However, many of the use cases thus far have been limited to low volumes, since 3D printing just doesn’t yet offer the throughput of conventional automotive production techniques – not while maintaining low costs per part. As such, the Fraunhofer project could suggest that the technology as a whole is currently underutilized in automotive, with higher-volume series production applications still on the horizon.
第一个建立的ed use cases is in rapid prototyping, as the R&D phase of new car models can take anywhere up to five years. During R&D, several part prototypes will inevitably be developed and tested, meaning there’s a need for rapid design iterations with minimal lead times: one of additive manufacturing’s main selling points.
汽车制造商还是3D打印制造工具，例如夹具和固定装置，可帮助生产和组装工作流程。在售后零件中，甚至有潜在的应用程序曾经被铸造但现在已经过时了。3D打印的动态和灵活的性质使零件提供商能够按需打印，从而完全消除了对物理组件清单的需求。
Just last month, sports car manufacturer保时捷对3D打印机制造商进行了未公开的战略投资Intamsysin a bid to explore more3D打印可以在自己的制造运营中部署的方式。保时捷表示，它将3D打印视为未来数字制造技术的“组成部分”，因此值得获得“长期和连续”的输入。
在其他地方，捷克汽车制造商škoda最近宣布，它一直在使用3D打印来增强自己的工作流程，从而产生prototypes, spare parts, and tooling in-house。作为其“更加灵活的3D印刷农场”项目的一部分，该公司建立了许多印刷农场，由公司开发的系统。普鲁萨。
3D打印的门铰链
Before commencing any design work, the Fraunhofer engineers used part screening software developed by3D Spark，一个IAPT纺纱，以确定示范研究的合适汽车组件。
在项目的早期阶段，团队首先确定了构建室中组件最具成本效益的方向。工程师考虑了必要的支撑结构，以及可以适合单个构建的零件数量。与3D打印构建相比，此初始方向优化步骤可节省15％的成本。
接下来是铰链臂本身的拓扑优化。通过剃掉不必要的材料，仅加强模拟力流量所需的零件部分，工程师能够将铰链臂的重量减少35％。随后的材料节省和较短的打印时间可节省20％的成本。
The Fraunhofer team also calculated the additional cost savings associated with reduced post-processing (from reducing support structures) and selecting the optimum metal powder material for the job: 10% each.
有趣的是，该研究发现，即使在3D打印过程中使用的构建参数也可以节省潜在的成本。例如，较厚的层，更快的扫描速度和激光光束轮廓的变形都导致了较短的构建时间，将打印成本削减了15％。
Ultimately, this cost-focused design approach enabled the IAPT engineers to 3D print the hinge with a huge 80% cost reduction when compared to a 3D printed counterpart without the same optimizations. When compared to a CNC milled counterpart, the project yielded cost and weight savings of 50% and 35%, respectively.
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特色图显示了3D打印的车门铰链。通过Fraunhofer Iapt摄影。
