Stratasys GKN Driveline
Using customised Stratasys 3D printedtools, GKN Driveline Florence has reducedtool production time from almost a week tounder one day, enabling them to providefinal parts to customers faster than ever.
Stratasys has announced engineering firm GKN’s Driveline Florence division is taking on more of its Fused Deposition Modelling (FDM) 3D printing technology to replace several traditional manufacturing processes.
It comes after GKN Driveline Florence enjoyed a 70% reduction in lead times after its initial adoption of the Stratasys Fortus 450mc machine to develop customised assembly tools. The team has also been printing replacement parts for manufacturing equipment on-demand, as the division sought to enhance the service it provides for its customers and become less dependent on part suppliers.
Car manufacturers across the globe benefit from GKN Driveline’s automotive driveline systems. Some of the most notable customers include Fiat Chrysler Automobiles Group, and luxury vehicle brands, Maserati and Ferrari. Since adopting the Fortus 450mc, complex assembly tools have been produced in ‘a fraction of the time’ compared to conventional methods, which has meant feasibility tests have been conducted sooner and their deployment on the factory floor has happened significantly faster.
A distinguished example of this is a greasing nozzle tool which is used to prevent spillages. GKN Driveline redesigned the tool, improved grease distribution, and produced an appliance that could eradicate the need to clean up spillages, which can often be time-consuming.
This successful implementation of 3D printing has persuaded GKN Driveline to increase its adoption of Stratasys’ solutions. It has now begun to produce customised replacement parts on-demand.
Stratasys GKN correct caption
Utilising the Stratasys Fortus 450mc Production 3D Printer, GKN Driveline Florence is testing a range of new tooling applications (like the end-of-arm tools above) to eliminate costly production downtimes.
Recently, the GKN Driveline group 3D printed a missing cable bracket for a robot, saving around seven days against the time it typically takes using a part supplier. The team enjoyed similar benefits when manufacturing a bespoke end-of-arm tool, which moves components from one phase of a production line to another. With high-performance ULTEM 9085, the tool has been deployed on a GKN assembly line, with similar builds to follow.
“The ability to quickly 3D print tool and parts that are customised to a specific production need gives us a new level of flexibility and significantly reduces our supply chain,” said Carlo Cavallini, GKN Lead Process Engineer and Team Leader at the Florence plant. “Considering that we produce several thousand individual parts a week, this ability to manufacture on-demand is crucial to ensuring our production line is always operational and maintain business continuity.
“As we continue to design parts specifically for additive manufacturing, we are finding more and more applications that are delivering value. In the future, I believe that FDM 3D printing will become an integral part of our entire tool development cycle and help us further improve business performance.”
“GKN Driveline Florence is a prime example of how a growing number of future-ready companies are leveraging the capabilities of additive manufacturing to improve different areas of their business,” added Andy Middleton, President, Stratasys EMEA. “We are committed to helping these customers identify traditional production processes that can be enhanced, or in some cases, replaced with our 3D printing solutions. It’s this type of applied innovation across the manufacturing process that has seen GKN Driveline Florence accelerate product development, reduce costs and reinvent its supply chain.”
