GKN驱动线services over 90% of the world’s car manufacturers, including work for the Fiat Chrysler Automobiles Group and luxury car brands Maserati and Ferrari. After replacing traditional metal and plastic tools with custom made, 3D printed equivalents the GKN Driveline Florence plant has reported a reduction of almost 70% in lead times for car production. As a result, the Italian plant is now expanding its implementation of Stratasys 3D printers for tooling and replacement machinery parts on demand.
生产关键零件，重新设计
在工厂地板上，GKN的3D打印已用于为工业设备提供零件，例如机器人缺失的电缆支架。在这种情况下，3D打印零件至少保存了至少一周的交货时间，通常是通过供应商交付而创建的。
Complex assembly tools, such as a greasing nozzle, have also been redesigned and implemented by the team.
卡洛·卡瓦利尼（Carlo Cavallini）is Lead Process Engineer and Team Leader at GKN Driveline Florence. Cavallini explains, “Utilizing our 3D printer, we developed a tool that dramatically improves grease distribution and eradicates the need to clean up time-consuming spillages.”
“This has been crucial to streamlining the production cycle of the half shaft, enabling us to provide customers with premium quality final parts.”
金属匹配属性
GKN Driveline Florence的工具和备件是在Stratasys Fortus 450MC Production 3D打印机上使用FDM技术制造的。与ULTEM 9085合作，现在标准化用于空客飞机内的材料，塑料3D打印工具可以以成本和整体重量的一小部分与金属当量的性能相匹配。
这些属性已在GKN Driveline生产汽车装配线上使用的几种武器末端工具中利用。
卡瓦利尼补充说：“随着我们继续专门设计用于增材制造的零件，我们正在寻找越来越多的应用价值的应用程序。”
“将来，我相信FDM 3D打印将成为我们整个工具开发周期中不可或缺的一部分，并帮助我们进一步提高业务绩效。”
FDM的汽车未来
With this announcement, GKN Driveline joins a number of other manufacturers in the automotive industry ramping up application of 3D printing as a solution to tooling costs and spare parts production.
自2014年以来，大众一直在实施这项技术，报告节省了2016年的160,000美元因此。在Avi Reichental的指导下，技术也正在利用技术使汽车生产未来的证明。
Andy Middleton, President at Stratasys EMEA, concludes, “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 […] 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.”
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特色图片显示GKN Driveline的汽车投资组合。通过GKN的照片
