Hydra - Multi-headed FFF 3D Printer Hardware

**生成参数有限公司**自2009年以来一直致力于设计和制造。该公司专门为工业客户设计和开发高度先进的零部件和产品，包括汽车和电信市场。工业3D打印(也称为添加剂制造)作为一种为现有客户群开发产品组件的手段正变得越来越普遍。这个项目希望利用他们对这一过程的了解，创造出一些东西来实现所确定的机会。**3D打印**是一种附加过程，通过“机器人”打印机建立一层又一层的材料来创建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打印专注于小部件。**市场机会：**需要打印大部件的行业--如汽车夹具和底盘部件--表示，现有的工业3D打印机无法以其业务所需的速度提供高质量的定制大部件。这导致更传统的方法制造速度较慢，或者英国公司使用基于工具的传统生产方法从海外进口这些组件--这会产生包装废物，并通过空运、海运和陆路运输产生大量碳足迹。**回应：**Generative Parametrics Ltd将研究、开发和评估一种名为“Hydra”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。Hydra使用首创的代码，使多个打印头能够在单个大型组件上协作，例如高质量的汽车夹具或大型电信设备底盘组件。该项目将使用夹具和底盘组件作为使用案例，以展示效率/质量、成本效益以及这种方法的低碳/浪费程度。**支撑该项目设计的工作**来自汽车、电信、能源、消费品和科学行业市场的客户和用户进行了一系列关键咨询。还通过文献搜索进行了更广泛的市场研究，以支持为这一已确定的市场需求找到解决方案的商业案例。**创新英国资金将：**加快这一具有技术挑战性和创新性的开发，而不是大幅缩小项目范围，从而延长上市时间。一个全面的项目降低了潜在竞争对手的风险，因为他们的公司出现了更大的开发预算，并先于他们的公司进入市场。

**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.