Ford And HP Team To Turn 3D Printer Waste Into Auto Parts
Ford and HP have announced a tie-up that has led to a way to extend the life of already-used 3D printed powders and parts to turn them into auto components. The components used in the Ford Super Duty F-250 truck create what Ford calls a closed-loop on waste. Ford also notes that the process was implemented in less than a year, from the initial idea to application and parts.Ford is already driving the future of 3D printing in the automotive manufacturing industry, and reusing spent 3D printed powders and parts to turn them into injection molded vehicle components is an industry first. The recycled materials are used to make injection-mold fuel-line clips used in Super Duty pickups.
Ford says the parts have improved chemical and moisture resistance compared to conventional versions and are seven percent lighter and ten percent cheaper. Ford researchers have identified ten other fuel-line clips on existing vehicles that could benefit from the use of recycled materials and are going to roll the parts out in future models.
Ford says that while many automakers are finding uses for 3D printing technology, it and HP are the first to find a high-value application for a waste powder that would otherwise go to a landfill. Ford says it is developing new applications and utilizing a multitude of processes and materials for 3D printing including filaments, sand, powders, and liquid vat polymerization. Currently, the automaker uses 3D printing for various low-volume commercial vehicle parts and fixtures used by workers on its assembly lines.
Ford currently has a goal of achieving 100 percent sustainable materials in its vehicles. Some of the material Ford recycles comes from SmileDirectClub, which prints aligners used for straightening teeth. The company has 60 HP 3D printers and produces more than 40,000 aligners per day. Used parts are collected and recycled with HP to increase volume for Ford. The process uses pellets suitable for injection molding made by a company called Lavergne created from recycled aligners.