Customer stories - ArcelorMittal
Customer story
How does ArcelorMittal integrate
3D printing in their design
and production processes
Maizières-lès-Metz, France
The speed and low costs of 3D printing are often cited as major advantages. But less known are the countless possibilities that an industrial quality printer offers.
In Maizières-lès-Metz, ArcelorMittal's largest R&D center in the world, the Stratasys F370 3D printer .
Practical experiences mainly show:
- The versatility
- The reliability
- The simple use
On the ArcelorMittal Maizières Research Campus in the Moselle, more than 700 researchers work every day on the development of new products and the improvement of production processes, with a strong focus on reducing the ecological footprint of the steel industry.
The department mechanical design, automation and electronics supports researchers by designing and realizing internal technical solutions to accelerate their innovations. One was created for this purpose in 2018 Stratasys F370 3D printer purchased.
3D printing significantly accelerates the validation of prototypes and their dimensions. The result is that our F370 printer runs every day.
Areas of application
“With FDM technology we can realize many different applications. Engineers come directly to us to have the parts they need printed,” says Louis Wolfer, responsible for 3D printing at the site. "Our agency has integrated 3D printing into the design of the machines. The parts are made in 3D, which ensures unbeatable production times and low costs! Today we make finished parts such as mounting jigs, sensor carriers, quality control samples and spare parts. 3D printing also accelerates the validation of prototypes and their dimensions. The result is that our F370 printer works every day running."
In the past, the engineering firm sent all requests for making and testing parts to the CNC department. This took a lot of time and required the deployment of many people and resources. “With 3D printing we run less risk than with machining, even if we have to do another iteration later,” emphasizes Louis Wolfer.
The design agency where Louis Wolfer works gives as an example the validation of a design that was first printed in 3D before being produced in aluminum. Testing the shape in aluminum would have been very expensive, as one part would cost 1,779 euros. 3D printing in ASA made it possible to do ten quick iterations (3 hours per part) for a total cost of 162 euros.
In the photos: Cooling part printed in ASA with the 3D printer F370.
Another example of the use of 3D printing, this time for a final product, is the production of an antenna on a machine with a rotating platform. 3D printing allowed for the design of a sensor holder that perfectly fits the specific dimensions of the machine, ensuring precise and stable mounting. The team took advantage of a unique advantage of Stratasys FDM technology: they paused the print to attach the sensor to the printed surface and then continued the print to fully encapsulate the sensor. This means the sensor is optimally protected against shocks and external influences, which significantly extends its lifespan.
In the photos: 3D printed antenna with built-in sensor
Three important advantages at ArcelorMittal Maizières Research
For Louis Wolfer, ArcelorMittal's 3D printing expert, the Stratasys printer offers many advantages in addition to time and cost savings when designing parts. " With the F370 we can make beautiful parts with round shapes, but also more complex pieces. This allows us to design quickly and tailor-made for very specific and precise research needs ,” he adds.
An example of a part that was optimized with additive manufacturing is a protective cover for a special machine, which the team had originally made from sheet metal. However, the part did not fit properly on the machine due to the difficulties in forming the sheet metal. Specific requirements for geometry, fit and tolerances required specialized tools and precise cutting and folding techniques.
To accommodate the complex shape and requirements of this protective cover, the team used 3D printing instead of sheet material. They were able to create the guard with more design freedom and quickly produce multiple prototypes to optimize the part. “This also helped us save on the tools we would normally have to make for just one part,” explains Louis Wolfer. What was originally designed as a prototype was eventually used as a final product due to the good performance and compliance with the technical requirements for the machine.
In the photo: 3D printed protective cover installed on the machine.
What was originally designed as a prototype was eventually used as a final product due to the good performance and compliance with the technical requirements for the machine.
Due to the different materials available on the F370 3D printer, the design team has thoroughly expanded the application areas of 3D printing. "We can work with any material in one day if we want, because the changeover time is minimal. " Each material, such as TPU, ABS, ASA or ABS CF10, requires a different print head that must then be calibrated. This procedure only takes thirty minutes with the F370 3D printer that we use at ArcelorMittal Maizières Research. " This gives us a lot of flexibility. It is a very easy to use and efficient machine, which is what makes it so popular with our team and designers," says the person responsible for 3D printing. The materials are loaded automatically. When a roll runs out, a new roll replaces it without us having to do anything. The settings are easy to manage. “And to optimize the design of our parts, we always work with GrabCAD Print. This platform is complete and intuitive, allowing us to check every parameter quickly and easily.”
An additional 3D printer to meet growing demand
Convinced of the possibilities of the Stratasys F370 printer , ArcelorMittal decided to set up a separate space in the R&D center of Maizières Research and purchase a new machine to expand capacity and create even more application possibilities for the engineers.
On the advice of SEIDO Systems , Platinum partner of Stratasys in France , became one OriginOne purchased a printer that uses DLP technology. “We will further increase our versatility in 3D printing,” explains Louis Wolfer. “The Origin One allows us to print in resin, which allows us to better meet requests for transparency, density and high thermal resistance of parts.”
Get started today on the first day
The Stratasys F123 3D printers are easy to install and use and require little training to get started. The modular construction platform meets various design needs and the intuitive GrabCAD Print software allows you to switch smoothly from design to print.
Want to print high-quality parts at high speed and with the greatest ease of use? Of F123 printers, you buy one printer, but you get the versatility of multiple materials, including dissolvable support, which provides the freedom to print any geometry without limits.
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Delve further into 3D printing
To better understand how additive manufacturing is integrated into production processes at ArcelorMittal, we invite you to watch this webinar on demand.
Please note: the webinar is in French
The webinar covers:
- Reduction of production time through internal 3D printing.
- More iterations, more time for testing, more efficiency.
- Plastic applications for the ArcelorMittal workshop.