technologies for the manufacture of spare parts for agri machinery - - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

Harnessing 3D printing technologies for the manufacture of spare parts for agri machinery

Mark O Looney Plant & AgriBiosciences Research Centre (PABC), NUI Galway & International Rice Research Institute (IRRI), Philippines

• Royal University of Agriculture

Background

• Rural-urban migration has seen rural

human labor availability decrease.

• Agricultural machinery helps farming

communities decrease farm drudgery and production losses.

• Mechanisation can support farming

communities.

From hand-held tools to mechanisation

• Source. www.fao.org

Mechanisation and spare part availability?

• Source. www.machineservice.com

What is 3D printing?

• Manufacturing process invented in the 1980’s

(Rayna and Striukova, 2016).

• 3D model that is transformed into a solid object
• ne layer at a time without different forms of

machining or treatment (Lipson and Kurman, 2013).

• A form of Additive Manufacturing (AM).

3D printing vs conventional manufacturing

• A. Computer Numerical Control (CNC milling) = Subtractive

manufacturing

• B. 3D printing = Additive manufacturing
• Source. www.3dnatives.com

Additive manufacturing methods

Name: Development years: Stereolithography (SL) 1986-Present Fused Deposition Modelling (FDM) 1988-Present Selective Laser Sintering (SLS) 1987-Present 3D Printing 1985-Present

• Source. De Beer, 2006

How does 3D printing work?

• Source. Campbell et al, 2011

3D printing: Step by step process

• 1. Use CAD software to draw the part

3D printing: Step by step process

• 2. Slice the design with Cura software. Save as G code

and transfer to SD card.

3D printing: Step by step process

• 3. 3D printing process begins

3D printing: Step by step process

• 4. Parts are now 3D printed

Preparatory steps

• Unloading and loading
• f filament.
• Calibration of print bed.
• Put glue on the print

bed for adhesion and removal of 3D object.

Terminology

• Rafts are primarily used to help with

warping and bed adhesion, or to create a strong foundation on which to build the upper layers of your part.

• Skirts serve a useful purpose because they help

prime your extruder and establish a smooth flow of filament.

• Brims are often used to hold down the edges of

your part, which can prevent warping and help with bed adhesion.

• Source. www.simplify3d.com

Support structures

• Support structures are used

when parts have complex designs or “overhangs”.

• Support structures stabilise

the build.

• Supports often require post

processing work to finish the object.

• Objects will warp or

collapse if support structures aren't used.

• Source. www.3dhubs.com

3D printing advantages & issues

Advantages

• 1. Rapid design and

prototyping

• 2. Cost effective for small

batches

• 3. Timely provision of

parts

• 4. Complexity and design

freedom

• 5. Little to no waste is

produced Issues

• 1. High capital

investment

• 2. Legal issues and

Intellectual Property Rights (IPR)

• 3. Always requires a

digital design

• 4. Not all materials can

be 3D printed

• 5. Some larger parts

need time

3D printer comparison

Figure 3. NUI Galway Makerbot 3D printer Figure 2. IRRI XYZ 3D printer Figure 1. RUA Ultimaker 3D printer Figure 4. Aurora Labs metal 3D printer

Materials used for 3D printing

Plastic Metal Other

Polylactic Acid (PLA) Stainless steel Epoxy Resins Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene (ABS) Titanium Glass Nylon Gold Ceramic Silver Chocolate

• Various materials can be 3D printed including different

compounds of both metal and plastic.

• Research into further material compounds is ongoing.

Metal 3D printing

• Source. www.all3dp.com

What can be 3D printed?

• In theory, any object that has a 3D digitised

design can be 3D printed (Print size will depend

• n the specification of the 3D printer).
• Automotive, aviation and biomedical industries

are already using 3D printing.

• NASA, Mercedes Benz, German train company

Deutsche Bahn, and BMW are using 3D printing.

SpaceX rocket engine valve

• SpaceX 3D printed a Main Oxidizer

Valve (MOV) for a Falcon 9 rocket engine.

• The valve operated successfully

with high pressure liquid oxygen, cryogenic temperatures (circa - 150C) and high vibration.

• The MOV was 3D printed in less

than 2 days, compared to castings cycle which takes months.

• Source. www.tesla.com

Inter operability at NASA

• Source. www.nasa.gov
• Ratchet designed on

earth and “emailed” to International Space Station (ISS)

• Proves that geographical

distance is not an issue when exchanging part designs and subsequent 3D printing of objects.

3D printed prosthetic hand

• Source. www.3dprint.com

3D printing and agriculture

• 3D printing has yet to impact agriculture like
• ther industries.
• However, 3D printing has been piloted in some

countries.

• The 3dforagdev program in Malawi is using 3D

printing to make hand held tools.

• It includes user led innovation of women

smallholder farmers.

Malawi 3dforagdev program

• Source. www.3dforagdev.org

Feasibility study in the Philippines

• Conducted a feasibility study in 2017 with NUI

Galway & IRRI.

• Conducted surveys with Agri machinery

manufacturers, spare part suppliers and repair shops in the Philippines.

• Got their opinion on spare part access and

introduced 3D printing technologies.

• Results have similar trends to study in

Cambodia.

Inter operability between NUI Galway and IRRI

• CAD file successfully

emailed from NUI Galway (Ireland) to IRRI (Philippines).

• 3 nozzles were

successfully 3D printed using ABS material.

• Mimicking a value chain

between two geographically distanced research partners.

• Source. Martin Gummert, IRRI

3D printed machinery parts

Original CAD drawing of metering device

Re-drawn metering device on CAD

Slicing software

3D printed metering device

• Source. NUI Galway & IRRI

Philippines: Waiting time for parts

2 4 4 2 0.5 1 1.5 2 2.5 3 3.5 4 4.5

Number of Respondents

Days

Average Waiting Time for Parts Less than 1 1 to 7 7 to 14 14 to 21 Up to 1 month Over 1 month

Feasibility study in Cambodia

• Conducted surveys with 15 agri machinery

manufacturers, spare part suppliers and repair shops.

• Met with provincial departments and

disseminated the concept of 3D printing.

• Studies have shown similar trends to the

Philippines, there is an issue with access to some spare parts, i.e. waiting periods of 1 to 4 weeks.

Training program on 3D printing

• 34 students have been trained on 3D printing

technologies.

• Students were also trained in using the RUA

Ultimaker 3D printer.

• Prototypes were digitally designed and 3D

printed by the students.

• 8 staff from the agricultural engineering

department in Phnom Pehn were also trained on 3D printing.

Training program

Training of students at RUA. Training of staff at the department.

3D printing service for spare parts?

• Aim of this project is to get feedback from

agricultural machinery suppliers/manufacturers/repair specialists.

• There’s been a proposal for a 3D printing service

to be situated in the Philippines.

• Various industries including agriculture, could

use this service.

Intellectual Property Rights

• Intellectual property is one of the biggest

barriers in setting up a 3D printing service.

• Agreements will need to be reached: Access to

digital designs in return for fees or royalties to the main manufacturer?

• Licensing of digital designs will need widespread

collaboration between 3D printing service providers and manufacturers of spare parts.

What can a 3D printing service offer?

• Training for educational purposes.
• Improved access to prototypes and “on

demand” spare parts.

• High quality parts.
• Price of parts should be competitive but relative

when speed to market is considered.

Conclusion

• 3D printing is a relatively new disruptive technology.
• 3D printing is being used across a variety of

industries.

• 3D printing is a simple and straight forward process.
• Various materials and compounds can be used for

3D printing spare parts.

• However, more research and collaboration needs to

be done on 3D printing and it’s benefits for agriculture.