Hydra - Multi-headed FFF 3D Printer Hardware

**Generative Parametrics Ltd** 自2009年以来一直在设计和制造。该公司专门为工业客户设计和开发高度先进的零件和产品，包括汽车和电信市场。工业3D打印（也称为增材制造）作为为现有客户群开发产品组件的一种手段越来越流行。该项目希望利用他们对这一过程的了解，创造一些东西来实现所确定的机会。** 3D打印 ** 是一种增材工艺，通过“机器人”打印机将材料层堆积起来以创建3D部件-使用计算机生成的设计逐层创建三维对象。然而，大多数3D打印都集中在小型零部件上。市场机会：** 需要打印大型组件的行业-例如汽车夹具和底盘组件-表示现有的工业3D打印机无法以其业务所需的速度提供大型，优质，定制的组件。这导致更传统的方法或高水平的英国公司从海外进口这些组件使用传统的基于工具的生产方法-这会产生包装废物和空运，海运和公路运输的大量碳足迹。回应：** Generative Parametrics Ltd将研究、开发和评估一种名为“HYDROGEN”的创新测试硬件3D打印平台，该平台能够快速打印大型组件。HYPERFORMANCE使用了一种首创的代码，使多个打印头能够在单个大型组件上进行协作，例如，高质量的汽车夹具或大型电信设备底盘部件。该项目将使用夹具和底盘组件作为用例，以证明效率/质量，成本效益以及这种方法的低碳/浪费程度。该项目 ** 设计的基础工作来自与汽车、电信、能源、消费品和科学行业市场的客户和用户的一系列重要咨询。还通过文献检索进行了更广泛的市场研究，以支持商业商业案例，为这一确定的市场需求找到解决方案。创新英国基金将：** 加速这一具有技术挑战性和创新性的发展，而不是大大缩小项目范围，延长上市时间。一个全面的项目可以降低潜在竞争对手的风险，因为他们有更大的开发预算，并在他们的公司之前进入市场。

**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.