Hammtronic joystick "Hi-Drive smart drive" Previous page next page
FIT has successfully applied direct metal laser sintering technology (DMLS). This business unit provides rapid development and economical small batch production of an innovative, complex joystick steering system that provides construction vehicles. The joystick assembly includes 15 plastic components and other electronics, mechanisms and switches. Technical requirements include: high reliability in demanding construction sites, complex geometry requires high precision for plastic parts, and the required development cycle is short due to participation in the show.
FIT decided to use DMLS technology to construct 14 tools. More than 70,000 injection molded parts were manufactured using laser sintering tools. Another component directly utilizes the laser sintering technology of plastics. The entire run time is nine weeks, and there are three weeks of delays due to changes in customer design. By choosing laser sintering technology as a means of production, FIT can reduce the cost of the project by 50% compared to the traditional process.
The use of laser sintering for electronic manufacturing has become a viable solution in many different industries. The important point to emphasize is that the technology is not only feasible in a rapid prototyping environment, but also in a series of production of complex products of many varieties. Electronic manufacturing has the greatest impact in areas where products can be produced by laser sintering technology for metal or plastics. By avoiding the time and cost of tooling, the use of laser-sintered target products has led to an increase in competitive advantage in certain industries compared to competitive industries.
As with the application examples described above, laser sintering can promote economic benefits by providing a fast and suitable tool. If the required tools are very complex, this technology shows its advantages. As can be seen from the Hammtronic joystick example, the use of laser sintering to produce tools can reduce the valuable time of the development process.
Laser sintering is not only an effective tool for rapid prototyping, but is increasingly becoming the choice of manufacturing processes in the industry that face a large number of different complex products.
FIT decided to use DMLS technology to construct 14 tools. More than 70,000 injection molded parts were manufactured using laser sintering tools. Another component directly utilizes the laser sintering technology of plastics. The entire run time is nine weeks, and there are three weeks of delays due to changes in customer design. By choosing laser sintering technology as a means of production, FIT can reduce the cost of the project by 50% compared to the traditional process.