From classic watches to modern bicycles, gears and sprockets have always played a crucial role, with applications across various industries. But how can these familiar components be upgraded?
An application engineer at Il Sentiero found a way to enhance these gears by using a honeycomb structure, with the strong support of the Materialise Magics 3D printing design software. This innovation transforms traditional gears and sprockets into modern components that are not only lighter but also more durable, open a new era for the mechanical industry.
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Gear and sprocket
Gears and sprockets are two indispensable mechanical components found in many devices, from clocks to machinery and drive systems. They work together to transmit motion, force, and torque from one shaft to another
The flexible combination of gears and sprockets has enabled their presence in countless applications, from simple devices to complex systems
In daily life:
Mechanical watches: Small gears inside the watch help the hands move precisely, marking each second.
Bicycles:The gear and sprocket system allows cyclists to adjust speed and pedaling force
In industry:
Manufacturing machinery: Gears and sprockets are widely used in production lines to drive, lift, and transport materials.
Automobiles: The drivetrain system in cars uses gears to change speed and torque.
Airplanes: Gears and sprockets are used in control systems for wings, rudders, and other components.
The challenge of improving equipment that has existed for thousands of years
The project, undertaken by Il Sentiero International Campus, a leading research center in additive manufacturing in Italy, aimed to push the boundaries of innovation. With extensive experience and modern facilities, the center has successfully completed numerous research and development projects.
Mario Franchi, an additive manufacturing application engineer at Il Sentiero, was tasked with improving the gear and sprocket system with two main goals:
- Weight reduction: To design and produce lighter gears and sprockets compared to traditional products, aimed at enhancing performance and reducing fuel consumption for the equipment.
- Heat resistance: The new components needed to meet mechanical strength requirements, particularly the ability to withstand high temperatures during operation.
Challenges:
Improving traditional technology: Gears and sprockets have a long history of development. Finding a new solution to reduce weight while maintaining durability is a significant challenge.
Applying additive manufacturing technology: Using 3D printing to produce complex parts like gears and sprockets requires an optimal combination of design, materials, and production processes
Innovative solution: Honeycomb structure for Gear and Sprocket improvement
Choosing the honeycomb structure and Magics software
To address the challenge of reducing weight while ensuring durability for gears and sprockets, the research team proposed an innovative solution: using a honeycomb structure with additive manufacturing technology (DfAM) and the design software Materialise Magics.
Mario Franchi quickly decided to use the honeycomb structure in Materialise Magics to create a simple yet durable 3D-printed gear design.
Honeycomb structure
By creating a network of thin, interconnected walls, this structure significantly reduces weight while maintaining the necessary strength and rigidity. The honeycomb structure offers several advantages:
Increased strength with reduced weight: The honeycomb design incorporates numerous empty spaces within, drastically lowering the component's weight while preserving its stiffness. This is achieved through a tightly connected grid that evenly distributes applied forces.
Optimized performance: In addition to minimizing friction, the honeycomb structure enhances heat dissipation, ensuring the system operates smoothly.
Design flexibility: The honeycomb structure provides limitless flexibility for designers. By adjusting the size, shape, and thickness of the cells, engineers can customize designs to meet specific needs
Advantages of the Honeycomb structure over traditional designs
Cost efficiency: By eliminating excess material, the honeycomb structure significantly reduces the weight without compromising durability, leading to savings in both material and production costs.
Superior to solid materials: Unlike traditional solid materials, the honeycomb structure evenly distributes impact forces, minimizing the risk of breakage.
Meets modern technological demands: As modern devices become smaller and lighter, the honeycomb structure is an ideal solution for applications requiring lightweight durability and stable performance.
Expanded Knowledge
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Materialise Magics Software
Materialise Magics played an important role in designing and optimizing the honeycomb structure. Magics offers an intuitive interface and powerful tools, enabling users to easily create and modify their designs within seconds and just a few clicks.
(3D Design in Materialise Magics)
Quickly create honeycomb structures: Magics provides specialized tools to generate complex honeycomb designs with high precision using just a few simple actions.
Easily edit designs: Magics allows users to adjust the size, shape, and density of honeycomb cells with ease, offering flexibility in design with just a few clicks.
Professional file preparation for printing: Magics automatically slices models and generates high-quality 3D print files, ensuring smooth printing processes and minimizing errors. The software also includes tools for repairing and optimizing print files before they are sent to the printer.
Minimize time and cost: Through the automation of various steps, Magics helps reduce design and production preparation time, leading to lower costs and risks compared to traditional CAD methods.
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If you're unsure where to start with 3D design using Materialise Magics or simply want to experience the software, contact Vinnotek at 0905300382 (Zalo Dr. Mr. Huân) or via email at huan.dau@vinnotek.com to schedule a 3D printing training session.
Using Additive Manufacturing - Metal 3D Printing
The honeycomb structure, with many small interconnected cells forming a network, would be extremely difficult to produce using traditional manufacturing methods. However, with metal 3D printing technology, everything is solved perfectly. The gear and sprocket components designed with a honeycomb structure are printed using stainless steel (AISI 316L), which not only enhances durability but also significantly reduces the weight of the components.
(Metal 3D printed sprocket)
The combination of Materialise Magics software and metal 3D printing technology has marked a significant advancement in precision engineering manufacturing. Engineers can easily adjust and prepare print files quickly, shortening production times and minimizing material waste, ultimately optimizing costs for businesses.
Achieved Results
The redesigned gear component is lighter and more durable compared to the standard model, thanks to the integration of DfAM metal 3D printing and Materialise Magics. With its honeycomb design and open structure, this gear offers outstanding advantages:
Weight Reduction: The gear is 61% lighter, and the sprocket is 53% lighter compared to traditional types.
Application: These components will be used in 10 shafts, each featuring these redesigned parts that are now 46% lighter than the standard models.
Specific Comparison of Each Component's Weight
| Metal 3D printing with honeycomb structure | Standard structure |
Gear | 103 gram | 261 gram |
Sprocket | 30 gram | 64 gram |
Shaft | 259 gram | 479 gram |
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