TRUMPF
TRUMPF and bicycle brake manufacturer Trickstuff have announced that they will present titanium 3D printed brake levers for bicycles at the Eurobike tradeshow in Frankfurt. TRUMPF says that until now, it has been common in the bicycle industry for high-quality brakes levers to be made from carbon, but according to the company, the material has a poor environmental record.
TRUMPF says that manufacturers cannot recycle carbon, and the parts must be disposed of after their life cycle use, typically in in waste incineration plants. The company says that titanium has a ‘far better’ environmental footprint compared to carbon, and is also ‘far more’ robust, allowing for manufacturers to produce much stiffer brake levers from the material compared to others.
Using 3D printing in the creation of the components allows manufacturers to customise the lever forces of the brake to suit the cyclist according to TRUMPF.
Read more: Titanium 3D printing from TRUMPF improves bicycle manufacturing
Christian Lengwenat, Application Engineer at TRUMPF said: “Since 3D printers from TRUMPF are also designed for series production, the bicycle industry can also use them to manufacture large quantities. As a result, components that are subject to heavy stress can be produced cost-effectively.
“With 3D printers, manufacturers can produce different prototypes simultaneously in one printing process. This speeds up the prototyping process, which is important for the bicycle industry, many times over.”
In March 2023, a partnership was announced between IperionX, a provider of titanium for manufacturing, and Canyon Bicycles to improve sustainability in the supply chain for the bicycle industry, through the production of components using IperionX's low-carbon titanium 3D printing material.
