The BuildUp | 3D Printed Bellows Making It Hip to Be Square
Photo Credit: Gunter Kappler Engineering Mechanical engineer Gunter Kappler has been working to identify and develop applications for additive manufacturing in the industrial sphere, places where additive's capabilities can shake up established products with new opportunities. VIEW THIS EMAIL IN BROWSER
Mechanical engineer Günter Kappler has been working to identify and develop applications for additive manufacturing in the industrial sphere, places where additive's capabilities can shake up established products with new opportunities. One of his developments is featured in this week's episode of The Cool Parts Show: 3D printed metal bellows.
Bellows are conventionally manufactured by essentially pinching a metal tube at regular intervals to form ridges that are evenly sized and spaced. But this process which relies on tooling is expensive and not easily adapted to different sizes or shapes of bellows. Metal 3D printing brings an opportunity to not only simplify the manufacturing of these components but also make them more adaptable and potentially more cost-effective through laser powder bed fusion.
Getting to a functional and 3D printable design was a journey, which we discuss in this episode. But the breakthrough for Günter came when he realized one key fact: With 3D printing, there is actually no need for the bellows to be round. Overcoming that preconception led to bellows that are tuned for 3D printing, and that also open the door to future design possibilities. See various designs from Günter's iteration process as well as the final design that has been tested against conventional bellows in this episode.Watch it here.
Noting a pattern: Some of those winning positive gains with additive manufacturing are far from positive in discussing its promise. We unravel this seeming contradiction.
Humans aren't the only ones who can benefit from 3D printing. Here are four examples of how AM has been used to improve the lives of animals:
1.
Several years back I wrote about Patches the dog, the first known canine to have received a 3D printed cranial implant thanks to research conducted at the University of Guelph's Ontario Veterinary College. The titanium implant was developed based on a CT scan, which also enabled the surgical team to create a model of the skull for surgical planning and a cutting guide to simplify the operation.
2.
One of the finalist entries in The Cool Parts Showcase this year (a contest for 3D printed parts) was a bespoke device made for a Clydesdale named Freda. The part was a flexible gasket developed by Andrew Allshorn of 3D-Squared to help hold medicine against the horse's hoof, which ultimately saved her life. The part didn't end up winning the category, but it was impossible not to be charmed by Andrew and Freda and their story.
3.
But speaking of that contest, in 2021 one of the winning parts was a custom build for an animal. Dive Design took first place in Bespoke Solutions with a wheelchair created for rescue dog Wobbly Hannah. Cerebellar hypoplasia makes it difficult for Hannah to get around without assistance, and so Dive developed and 3D printed an anti-rollover wheelchair to both provide support and improve her mobility.
4.
South Africa's Centre for Rapid Prototyping and Manufacturing recently produced a novel canine endoprosthesis for a dog that required a foot amputation. The osseointegrated titanium device was implanted into the leg with a stem that extends beyond the amputated limb so that a separate foot prosthetic can be attached. (H/T to Adam Imdadullah on X for sharing.)
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