Cases
The first battery-powered sander... a world premiere
"Before revealing the product to the public, a large amount of functional, visual and aesthetical research had to be done. These 3D copies of the end product made these testings easier and more reliable. Moreover, they allowed people from various (also non-technical) departments to actively participate in the product development process."
The name Bosch is closely associated with the automotive industry. But Bosch is not just famous for automotive technology products like gasoline, diesel and chassis systems and car electronics. Bosch also supplies many other products and services, including industrial technology, power tools, security solutions and household appliances. Indeed, which DIY enthusiast does not have a Bosch tool in his/her toolbox?
Bosch Power Tools is one of the three Bosch business sectors that began producing small electrical motors for power tools some 70 years ago. Since then, Bosch has motorised almost all handheld tools. Today, the Power Tool range includes more than a thousand DIY and industrial products.
This case study goes back to the early design stage of one of these DIY products: the "Prio", the first multi-sander in the world with a lithium-ion battery used to sand windows and door frames, stair railings, shelves and chests of drawers.
"This revolutionary sanding machine was developed in Miskolc in Hungary. Given its unique design - the cordless Prio sander has a large soft-grip zone and has very small dimensions - in combination with the innovative technology it was a smart decision to go for prototypes in the early phases of the product development. A lot of initial research has to be done when such an innovative project is concerned; most of the time many modifications are implemented in the early testings. That is where prototypes and Materialise come in. It is always cheaper to adjust a prototype for a second or even third time than to remake the production mould!"
Bosch needed a small series of 100 prototypes to test the new technology and carry out market testing with its major customers.
"According to previous experiences, we knew that Vacuum Casting was able to produce the quality and quantity which would meet our requirements."
The Materialise staff are trained in giving detailed technical support.
You tell us the application of your prototypes and we will advise you of the technology best suited to meet your requirements.
What is Vacuum Casting?
Besides 3D printing techniques, Materialise offers this other type of RP technology: manufacture of components and small series in silicone moulds. Stereolithography masters are used to build these moulds. Vacuum casting lead times are slightly longer than with 3D printing technology but the result is astounding. Products made in silicone moulds have a quality comparable to the final product, which makes them especially suitable for fit and function testing and marketing purposes.
Whatever finishing (colours/textures) you require, Materialise will endeavour to meet your needs. We have our own paint and lacquer installation, offering customised paint mixing facilities for all RAL colours, operated by skilled people.
Once ready, the master parts were used to manufacture silicone moulds for vacuum casting. Silicone was cast around the masters.
After curing, the silicone blocks were cut open and the stereolithography masters removed. This process resulted in flexible moulds. A small series of vacuum cast components were moulded, using Polyurethanes representative of the final production material and colour.
All these components were then assembled in order to create 100 finished prototypes, ready to be tested.
"Before revealing the product to the public, a large amount of functional, visual and aesthetical research had to be done. These 3D copies of the end product made these testings easier and more reliable. Moreover, they allowed people from various (also non-technical) departments to actively participate in the product development process."
The design-, colour-, technology and marketing research were evaluated and led into some important modifications and an optimisation of the "Prio" sander.
In August 2004, this world novelty was announced in the press and in October 2004, the sanding device became available in the DIY across Europe.
In the summer of 2004, Materialise opened a new plant in Velke Brezno in the Czech Republic. This new plant will increase Materialise's Polyurethane vacuum casting capacity by 50% giving us the capability to produce over 45000 high quality vacuum cast parts per year. The new facility makes Materialise the biggest single supplier of vacuum castings in Europe. The expansion into Central Europe gives us the infrastructure to meet the ever-increasing demands of our customers by reducing lead times, without compromising our high quality standards.
ADVANTAGES OF MATERIALISE VACUUM CASTING
- Functional plastic parts
- Fine details
- Inserts moulding possible
- Different colours/textures matching the finished product
- Broad range of polyurethanes
- Parts size up to 1900x900x750mm