2024-09-19 16:36:39
- The high labour costs in Belgium force Ziggzagg to automate as much as possible in their production process
- Ziggzagg is one of the three printing factories with an automatic sorting system from AM-Flow
- Our goal is to start the 3D printer fully automatically and that no one has to look at the product until it is ready, post-processed and sorted
For years, 3D printing service agency Ziggzagg has been focusing on automation whenever and wherever possible. Paperless working is a matter of course, making the production processes as lean as possible a hobbyhorse since the foundation. The result today? A twelve-person team that effortlessly runs ten HP MJF printers and a company with a competitive offer in the market. However, manual work is still not completely excluded from the AM process. The innovative 3DOP project should offer a solution here..
Ziggzagg, headquartered in Aalter (Belgium), originally sold 3D printers. In 2016, the company transformed into one of the largest full-service 3D printing agencies in Europe, with 10 HP 3D printers and a partner in the HP Digital Manufacturing Network.
With the right workflow, braces and other tools are ready within five days. Making a mold takes longer
Thousands of parts per week
Meanwhile, the 9 HP 4210 series printers and 1 HP MJF 5210 3 printer produce thousands of parts every week. The partnership in the HP Digital Manufacturing Network gives the team access to the latest knowledge and technology that HP is developing regarding 3D printing. At Ziggzagg, the emphasis is mainly on industrial parts for mechanical engineering; jigs and fixtures; and more and more on medical applications. For the latter applications, it is ISO 13485 certified. Hannes van der Burgt, COO at Ziggzagg, sees a strong growth in interest in 3D printing in the medical sector. “With MJF, there is no longer any discussion about the technology: the mechanical properties are perfect, thanks in part to the isotropic properties; And the price is right. More competitive than average SLS.” The reasons for the medical specialists to chose for 3D printing are speed, nog need for a stock of medical devices and a better fit for the patient. “With the right workflow, braces and other tools are ready within five days. Making a mold takes longer. And with braces, the doctor can still adjust the angle himself if necessary,” says Hannes van der Burgt. Moreover, the costs are considerably lower. A traditional socket for a prosthetic leg costs a quarter of the traditionally manufactured socket when 3D printed.
Cleanroom, scale and design know-how
When asked what distinguishes Ziggzagg, Hannes van der Burgt is decided: scale and design knowledge. Due to the scale, ten HP MJF printers and the capacity to finish everything in-house, including a class 8 cleanroom, Ziggzagg can guarantee customers that it can scale up to more than a hundred thousand pieces per year. “We have the capacity and the flexibility to handle the demand.”
Design knowledge for AM
In addition, the design knowledge of the Ziggzagg team is among the best in Europe. The partnership with HP and their years of experience ensures that they can make a difference for their industrial customers. From generative design to advanced lattice structures; the knowledge to optimize the 3D printing process and to design and print the best possible product is available in-house. The combination of design knowledge and scale makes all the difference. Hannes van der Burgt: “We see parts of the competition from China, where SLS has almost become a commodity. Volume is self-evident there. Quality and design knowledge much less so. We never just print. We think along with you, sometimes visit the production facility of customers, talk to the technical people and the purchasing department to really be able to deliver the right piece in the right way 3D printed. We adapt print files based on their input and our technical 3D printing knowledge. Is the piece good? Then we can scale up to gigantic volumes in no time.”
Need for automation
The high labour costs in Belgium force Ziggzagg to automate as much as possible in their production process. Today, this is already working quite well, with only twelve employees to run ten HP MJF printers. However, there is room for improvement. For example, there are still a few steps after the printing process that have quite some automation potential. On the one hand, there is sandblasting, which still requires quite a bit of manual labour. On the other hand, you have the sorting of the pieces. At present, both of these processes are still done manually, and there must be another way. Ziggzagg therefore participates in the work package 5 of the 3DOP project. That package focuses on automating 3D printing factories. Ziggzagg is one of the three printing factories with an automatic sorting system from AM-Flow. The QC module was omitted due to lack of demand. The check for breakage and printing errors is still done manually.
Optimising buildjob
For complex build jobs, Ziggzagg combines up to ten different orders in a build job. This increases the efficiency of the process. But it does make sorting more labour-intensive. The automatic sorting machine that AM-Flow is testing within the 3DOP project automates this part of the AM workflow. The parts pass on a conveyor belt under scanners that recognize the part, after which it is automatically guided to the correct container. Ziggzagg recently tested the latest software from AM-Flow. “It’s doing really well. With complex builds, it really saves work,” says Hannes van der Burgt. However, the quality control is still done visually by the operator, but the total working time is already greatly reduced by the automation of sorting.
Together with the customer’s support to optimize designs, automation is the recipe for remaining competitive as a European 3D printing company
Hannes is convinced that automation significantly increases the capacity of 3D printing factories such as Ziggzagg’s. “At the moment, we are trying to find the balance between combining as many orders as possible on the one hand to get the packing density high and on the other hand keeping the sorting work as small as possible. If we fully digitize the workflow with the sorting system, there will be no limit to the complexity.” This offers new opportunities in terms of capacity and diversification in delivery times with corresponding pricing.
QR codes replace paper
Two years ago, Zigzag started working paperless. That idea has also been extended to the sorting department. A self-developed shelving system has been placed here, with each bin having a QR code. This gives the operator access to relevant information about the order and the customer on a handheld device. In this way, the operator can immediately see in which rack the pieces need to be placed and the chance of error is reduced. Together with AM-Flow, this shelving system is currently being digitally linked to the sorting system. As soon as AM-Flow’s vision system detects the piece, it is known where it should be placed in the rack and this information becomes digitally visible.
Ambitions
In the work package 5 of the 3DOP project, Ziggzagg is one of the test companies. Hannes van der Burgt: “We test the system and provide feedback on how AM-Flow can solve cases. It’s a win for us, because we quickly see the automation possibilities and a win for them because it allows them to train their software in a targeted way. Our goal is to start the 3D printer fully automatically and that no one has to look at the product until it is ready, post-processed and sorted.”
Together with the customer’s support to optimize designs, automation is the recipe for remaining competitive as a European 3D printing company. “Thinking along with the customer offers the most potential. It is often a long process to gain the trust of customers, to be able to think along and optimize designs. However, when these projects are ongoing, the returns are huge. These are the companies that we can offer the greatest added value and that get the most out of 3D printing.”
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