Hybrid manufacturing systems for next generations' tools and products (HYPRO)
Scope (N/R/Trans):
National
Description /Main activities:
HYPRO is a user controlled innovation project (BIP) supported by the Norwegian Research Council. The main goal of the project is to develop a hybrid manufacturing system by integration of additive manufacturing with conventional manufacturing technologies, (such as milling, grinding and others), with the objective of competitive production of high-value tools, parts and products. The project structure is based on three interacting themes; concept development, industrial case studies, and development of a prototype hybrid manufacturing cell. The concept development involves production- and materials' technology in interaction with design methodology ("Design for Performance"). The industrial case studies have been picked from consortium members for investigation of potential added value by application of hybrid manufacturing. The cases include: injection moulding tooling inserts with conformal cooling, cutting tools with functionally graded material edges, and hollow light-weight structures for the aeronautical industry. The integrated hybrid manufacturing solution is expected to deliver a higher degree of automation, decreased material waste, shorter cycle times, and increased flexibility, in comparison to the alternative process route for comparable products. Finally the prototype hybrid manufacturing cell is the integration of a commercially available additive manufacturing machine: ConceptLaser M2 Cusing, and a Deckel-Maho 5-axis milling machine.
The consortium includes 7 partners: one tooling company, two injection moulding companies, two component manufacturing companies and two RTD partners.
The general results obtained in the project will be presented in a set of demonstrators from the industrial case studies and the prototype hybrid manufacturing cell. The project is coordinated with the national CRI Norman program and the FP7 EU Project IC2 project (Intelligent and Customized Tooling, grant agreement 246172).
Expected results and impact:
The project is expected to develop the concept of hybrid manufacturing for high value tools and products, including the basic principles for design and a prototype for an integrated hybrid manufacturing cell. At the same time, the experience and confidence in efficient exploitation of additive- and hybrid manufacturing technology will increase among the consortium members and Norwegian manufacturing industry as a whole.
Specifically, the following results are expected:
• Radically reduced time consumption for hybrid manufacturing
• Up to 90 % reduced consumption for critical materials
• Enable efficient production of more complex geometries
o Weight reduction
o More functionality in the same component
• For production tools in particular:
o Up to 50 % reduced cycle time
o Up to 50 % longer life span for tool inserts
o Improved quality and tolerances in the parts
Time window:
Start: August 2009 / Duration: 3.5 years
Budget/Funding:
Budget: 4.6 M€ / Funding: 1.5 M€
Participants:
7 participants: 1 tooling company, 4 manufacturing companies, 1 research organization, 1 university.
Relations/connections with the EU initiatives:
The project is fully aligned with the FP7 EU Project IC2 project (Intelligent and Customized Tooling, grant agreement 246172).
