Cable management systems manufacturer HellermannTyton is additively manufacturing end-of-arm tooling with a Stratasys Fortus 450 3D printer.
Acquired via SYS Systems, the Wythenshawe-based company is said to have reduced operational costs and sped up cycle times since installing the 3D printing system.
At the start of the AM adoption process, the HellermannTyton automation project team was concerned whether additive manufacturing could produce a tool that was strong enough to withstand the rigours and weight of the cycles. The company had previously dismissed plastic due to concerns that strength through the layers was not adequate, but SYS Systems' technical team has supported its recent integration of additive manufacturing.
To date, HellermannTyton has used the Fortus 450 machine to print 38 different tools that, collectively, have successfully completed tens of millions of cycles, producing billions of basic ties and bespoke fixings. Average weight and lead time reductions of up to 50% have been achieved, while cost savings of up to 75% have also been made. With the technology running in-house, the company has been able to make iterations in a few days rather than a few weeks via an external supplier.
“Switching end-of-arm tooling to additive manufacturing and bringing this part of the process in-house has been a game-changer,” said Wajahat Muhammad, Automation Project Engineer at HellermannTyton. “It’s really important to have access to experts when you are introducing a new technology, and discussions quickly led to trying nylon 12 carbon-filled material. This got us thinking and, working with SYS Systems, we developed a trial end-of-arm tool that we tested in a real-world environment. It didn’t take long for our initial ‘strength’ fears to be dispelled and led to us happily pressing the button on a £150,000 investment into the Fortus 450.”
SYS Systems’ Chris Andrews added: “The freedom that design for additive manufacturing allows has enabled HellermannTyton to service, set up and maintain the tools significantly quicker than the ones it used in the past. This saves a considerable amount of downtime - previously two to three hours, whereas printed tools are less than one hour, for example.”
“The firm is also enjoying reduced automation time cycles due to the lighter payload of the end-of-arm tool, which means effectively running robots faster, optimising output and increasing productivity in manufacturing.”
HellermannTyton’s adoption of 3D printing has also seen it design and manufacture parts on the Fortus 450 for use in the back end of its automation packaging machinery.
