The future of Danish production is blooming at Carmo A/S
With a new hybrid manufacturing method that combines mould construction, injection moulding and 3D printing, Carmo A/S develops functional prototypes in record time and with a minimal consumption of resources. AM Hub labels the solution the future of Danish industry.
Using the traditional method to injection mould a plastic component, you develop and manufacture a prototype tool made of aluminum. This can take 2-6 weeks. The development of the final prototype often requires several iterations with more prototypes and therefore more tools. With a new hybrid manufacturing method using 3D print (also known as Additive Manufacturing) to manufacture tools, the prototypes can be developed and produced in 1-2 days. We call it Carmo Print Moulding. Anders Johnsen, VP R&D and Technology at Carmo, explains:
”The new method for rapid prototyping means that in some cases we can halve the costs of product development and time-to-market of the product. In addition, the amount of waste is reduced, and we get the opportunity to develop tools that provide a much more robust volume production. We can even offer to produce it in Denmark, since we have a highly automated production set-up. That enables us to compete with Asia in terms of price on some types of production.”
Anders Johnsen
Read more about Carmo Print Moulding
Ferrosan Medical Devices A/S: Faster manufacturing of injection moulded prototypes
Ferrosan Medical Devices A/S is the world’s leading manufacturer of gelatin-based hemostatic products for stopping bleeding during surgery. When the company had to test two newly developed plastic components through a VoC (Voice of Customer) process, they needed to manufacture tools to injection mould plastic prototypes in a few weeks. For this reason, they chose to try Additive Manufacturing for fast manufacturing of tools for prototypes. Tommy Persson, Project Engineer at Ferrosan Medical Devices A/S, explains:
“With Additive Manufacturing we got the first good prototypes very fast – and we could adjust and improve them. It took about three weeks from the start of the process until we had our new plastic components ready to be evaluated by the customer. That is the time it normally takes to manufacture just one prototype tool of metal, and we usually need several tools to find the optimal design. For this reason, Additive Manufacturing is a method of manufacturing that we will use much more when it makes sense.”
Tommy Persson
Read more about Ferrosan Medical Devices A/S
Trade association: Hybrid manufacturing is the future for sustainable production
At Danish AM Hub, CEO Frank Rosengreen hopes that more companies will look into the possibilities of using hybrid manufacturing by implementing 3D print in the development process. According to him, it will be a great competitive advantage for Danish industry, since 3D print, and hybrid manufacturing can generate large economic and environmental savings if it is used in the right way. Focus should be on developing quality, robustness, and durability and avoid transportation, material waste and large stocks. Frank Rosengreen explains:
”The big production systems that supply us today, focus on producing in as large volume as possible at as little cost as possible. However, the requirements for future production are that it should also be as sustainable as possible. Here, hybrid manufacturing can be a good first step. In Danish AM Hub, we have been looking into the environmental benefits of hybrid manufacturing compared to classic production, and the many advantages are obvious.”
Frank Rosengreen Lorenzen
Frank Rosengreen Lorenzen continues:
“Carmo is a good example of what is needed to raise the level of more sustainable production in Denmark. It is about knowing your craft, knowing your customers, and the requirements of the industry, and involving your partners early in the development process.”
Frank Rosengreen Lorenzen
Meet us at hi Tech & Industry Scandinavia in Herning 2021
Carmo A/S is exhibiting at hi Tech & Industry Scandinavia in Herning October 5-7 in the 3D-TECH area. Here, we will show, how we have integrated Additive Manufacturing in the product development set-up. Get an insight in the advantages by combining 3D print technology with injection moulding for the development of complex solutions designed for volume production.
Meet us at booth K8130.