Hydra - Multi-headed FFF 3D Printer Hardware

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**Generative Parametrics Ltd** has been designing and manufacturing since 2009\. The company specialises in designing and developing highly advanced parts and products for industrial customers including for the automotive and telecoms market. Industrial 3D printing (also known as additive manufacture) is increasingly becoming prevalent as a means of developing product components for their existing customer base. This project is looking to capitalise on their knowledge of this process and create something to fulfil the opportunity identified.**3D printing** is an additive process whereby layers of material are built up by a 'robot' printer to create a 3D part - creating a three-dimensional object layer-by-layer using a computer-generated design. However, most 3D printing is focused on small component parts.**Market opportunity:** industries needing large components printed -- such as automotive jigs and chassis components - say that existing industrial 3D printers cannot provide large, good quality, customised components at the speed at which their businesses need. This leads to slower manufacture by more traditional approaches or high levels of UK companies importing these components from overseas using conventional tooling based production methods -- this generating waste from packaging and a large carbon footprint from shipping by air, sea, and road.**Response:** Generative Parametrics Ltd will research, develop and evaluate an innovative test hardware 3D print platform called 'HYDRA' capable of quickly printing large components. HYDRA works with a first-of-its-kind code to enable multiple print heads to collaborate across a single large component, e.g., a high-quality automotive jig or large telecoms equipment chassis component. This project will use the jig and chassis component as the use cases to demonstrate efficacy/quality, cost effectiveness, and how low carbon/waste this approach is.**The work that underpins the design of this project** has been drawn from a series of key consultations with their customers and users from the automotive, telecoms, energy, consumer products and scientific industry markets. Wider market research has also been conducted through literature searches to support the commercial business case for finding a solution to this identified market need.**Innovate UK funding will:** accelerate this technically challenging and innovative development, opposed to a greatly reduced project scope that would lengthen time to market. A full-scale project reduces the risk of potential competitors with larger development budgets emerging and entering the market ahead of their company.