Somerset-based custom bicycle producerSturdy Cycleshas switched the production of its titanium bicycle parts to Cold Metal Fusion technology (CMF) from German 3D printing bureauHeadmade Materials.
两家公司将使用CMF一起使用3D印刷钛合金组件，例如曲柄臂，框架集连接器和链条零件，以使用CMF使用CMF，坚固的循环的FIADH Titanium Road自行车，坚固的周期所有者和框架制造商Tom Sturdy对SLM的技术更喜欢这项技术。
“Since Headmade Materials is very closely involved in part development, Tom highlighted the advantages of our technology to us during a conversation,” said Andreas Schertler, Applications Engineer at Headmade Materials.
Headmade’s CMF technology
Headmade Materials was established in 2019 after being spun off from the polymer research instituteDas Kunstsoff-Zentrum(SKZ) in Wuerzburg, Germany. The firm’s founders Christian Staudigel and Christian Fischer set out with the mission to design a process that would make serial 3D printing cheaper and more accessible, leading tothe development of CMF.
CMF在新型的制造技术中将金属烧结与SLS宽大结合在一起，Headmade的专有3D打印材料将其与传统的SLS工艺区分开。该公司的金属粉末原料与塑料粘合剂矩阵集成在一起，既可以提高其流动性，又可以提高其与不同机器的兼容性。
The four-step CMF process starts with upscaling the CAD file of a target object before it is produced layer-by-layer in a similar fashion to SLS 3D printing, but at a temperature below 80°C. Operating at a lower temperature significantly minimizes heating and cooling times, therefore preventing the need for external cooling devices, while also offering energy and time-saving advantages.
Following the printing phase, parts are then de-caked, post-processed, debinded, and sintered. During printing, the plastic binder contained within Headmade’s proprietary powder resin is melted away and used only as a support structure, delivering parts that the firm claims are comparable to those produced by injection molding.
The partnership with Sturdy Cycles is not the first time the firm’s CMF technology has been deployed for the production of bike components. Last year, Headmade partnered with 3D printing service bureauElement22开发一个novel 3D printed bike pedal designdubbed MyTi. Initiallyavailable for backing on kickstarter, the clipless titanium pedals launched under the joint钛brand later that year.
3D printing the Fiadh
For its latest bicycle-related project, Headmade has once again teamed up with Element22 to 3D print the titanium components for Sturdy Cycles’ Fiadh titanium road bike. The Fiadh is designed to be a sporty road bike and as such, required durable weight-optimized components.
框架建筑坚固的3 d印刷并不陌生, having previously partnered with metal 3D printing service providerRAM3Dtoproduce titanium components对于他的其他公路自行车车型。Sturdy由于能够通过传统制造手段而无法实现的复杂几何形状的零件，这是其定制自行车框架业务不可或缺的元素，因此坚固地定居在3D打印上。
Having realized the added benefits of CMF, Sturdy has now switched the production of several titanium bike parts to the technology. The technique is being leveraged to produce 3D printed connectors which are welded to polished tubes on the Fiadh’s frameset, and which accommodate major bike components such as the handlebars, saddle, and bottom bracket.
The bike’s chainstay is also made entirely of components 3D printed using CMF, as are the model’s crank arms, which Sturdy is now distributing as part of a standalone crankset.
由于定制研究周期的企业的性质s, the individual segments of each bike are similar in structure in design however no two bikes are alike. With parts tailored to individual riders, all components are different in their dimensions, which has now become economically feasible in high volumes thanks to Headmade’s CMF technology. In fact, Sturdy now aims to produce annual quantities of the Fiadh in the triple digits.
According to him, this is made possible by CMF’s excellent process stability and the resulting repeatability for components, which has led to easier and more efficient frame and part production. The technology also delivers less stress to metals parts compared to those produced with SLM, while the improved part surface achieved with the technique simplifies the surface finishing process for components.
与SLM零件相比，Sturdy还将效率提高归因于将CMF打印的组件集成到自行车制造过程中所需的准备工作量减少。CMF提供的增强零件质量进一步意味着可以在Sturdy的生产设施现场完成大多数工作，从而降低了与各种服务提供商的成本和协调工作。
“现在，组件的生产已被钛专家Element 22完全接管，我们很乐意用冷金属融合技术做出贡献，以确保这些坚固的自行车从坚固的自行车上找到了许多满意客户的方式，” Fischer说，” Fischer说。Headmade Material’s Managing Director and Co-founder.
According to the more than 40 CEOs, leaders, and experts that shared their2022 3D printing trendspredictions with us, progress within material qualification and increasing demand for higher performance materials illustrate the confidence manufacturers are placing in additive manufacturing technologies, while the technology’s ability to enable mass customization is expected bring “enormous value” to a host of applications to benefit both industries and people.
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特色图片显示Sturdy Cycles’ Fiadh road bike. Photo via Headmade Materials.
