Andritz Ritz

Streamline Product Development

with Patternless Process

Leading water pump manufacturer conducts

functional tests with printed prototypes and saves

more than 85% in costs over traditional methods.

Customer Challenge

The manufacturer needed to fast-track complex prototype
and spare part production to meet tight production schedules
while driving down costs. Additionally, the company needed
to conduct functional tests with the prototypes for efficient
product development.

The Solution

Printing several cores and shells for a complete mold package
as well as using a hybrid approach with traditional methods to
create prototype step pump housings and impellers.

ExOne Competitive Advantage

Fast-tracking without required investment for patterns and
tooling; no restriction for complex cores; different geometries
for testing of hydro dynamical efficiency due to proper
certification prior to serial or low batch production.

Conclusion

ExOne’s digital printing process is highly competitive for
product development and cost-comparable for low batch
production or time-sensitive projects with customized features.

About ExOne

ExOne digital part materialization uses three-dimensional
printing to create complex molds and cores directly from CAD
data for a variety of industries, with accuracies of ± 0.011 in. or
± 0.3mm. The ExOne process achieves geometric complexity
and scale unmatched using conventional casting techniques.
The process produces accurate, uniform cores and molds
rapidly, significantly reducing lead times.

Specifications

Customer: Andritz Ritz
Part: Step booster pump
Batch Size: 1-5 pieces average
Part Size: 300 x 300 x 600 mm to 800 x 800 x 1500 mm
Material Cast: Bronze

Traditional Method

Tool making for core blowing
Time: Approximately 6 weeks
Cost: 8,000-40,000 € due to size and complexity (estimated)

ExOne® Sand Printing Method

Production Time: 20 min. to 20 hrs per form package
Cost per Part: 400-6,000 €