3D Printing Accelerates Automotive Parts Development: Raise3D Helps Baolu Automotive Create Efficient and Flexible Product Validation Processes

The Transformation Dilemma of the Veteran Enterprise: Traditional Outsourcing Model Restricts the Pace of Innovation

As an enterprise that has been in the automotive precision plastic parts industry for more than 40 years, Baolu Automotive’s products cover fasteners such as clips and pipe clamps, as well as functionally critical parts such as jug valves for engine cooling systems. In the past, the production of some samples and parts mainly relied on outsourcing, but this traditional model has revealed many drawbacks:

• Long delivery cycle: it often takes 1-2 weeks from placing an order to getting the prototype, which seriously slows down the progress of design validation and trial assembly.
• High cost: single-piece mold development and processing costs are expensive, which is not conducive to multiple rounds of iterative validation.
• Uncontrollable delivery time: external resources are unstable, and cannot respond in time when urgent changes or expediting are encountered.
• Low validation efficiency: after design modification, the update of validation samples cannot keep up with the pace of development, which slows down the project process.

Raise3D DF2+ Solution

In order to meet the needs of rapid iteration and precision assembly of auto parts, Baolu Automotive has conducted in-depth research and sampling validation on a number of mainstream 3D printing devices in the market. In the end, based on the comprehensive consideration of printing efficiency, molding accuracy and material compatibility, Baolu chose to deploy Raise3D DF2+ Solution as a complete solution.

With a print speed of up to 100 mm/h, the DF2+ is particularly suitable for rapid prototyping and small batch production. Combined with the ideaMaker® slicing software and RFID smart identification system, the device automatically configures the parameters of the printer, DF Wash and DF Cure to achieve a closed-loop control of the whole process from printing to curing, which ensures consistent output quality during batch production, and stable and consistent output quality throughout mass production.

Currently, Baolu Automotive uses the DF2+ to print plastic fasteners (e.g., clips, clamps, ties, caps), interior and exterior parts (e.g., passenger assist handles), and functional parts (e.g., pot valve covers, cooling system expansion pots, washer fluid pots, filler caps, check valves, and bi-directional valves).

Material

• Raise3D Tough 2K Grey Resin: excellent toughness and impact resistance, suitable for printing harness fixings, clips, pipe clamps and other structural parts with high impact strength requirements.
• Raise3D Rigid 3K Grey Resin: both high rigidity and high strength, suitable for printing housings, structural parts and other parts with high rigidity and dimensional stability requirements.
• Raise3D Standard White Resin: a general-purpose material for rapid prototyping and structural evaluation.
• Elastic Black 65° Resin: used for verification of lightweight flexible connecting parts, independently developed by Baolu Automotive based on a third-party resin, with stable and reliable performance verified by actual tests.

Application Scenarios: Tooling Production, Design Validation and Vehicle Trial Assembly

• Tooling production: customized clips, clamps and assembly fixtures, compared with traditional machining, 4 sets of fittings can be completed in one print, with an accuracy of 0.05 mm, and delivered within 3.5 hours.
• Design verification: In the prototype stage, we print structural parts such as clips and brackets to verify the installation fit and the structural matching of the usage scenarios.
• Vehicle trial assembly: After spraying, the sample parts can be directly loaded into the vehicle to complete the whole process of testing functional parts such as lids, valves, liquid containers, etc. to reduce the risk of trial assembly failure.

Result and Value: Triple Breakthrough in Cost, Time and Innovation

With the introduction of Raise3D DF2+ Solution, Baolu Automotive has successfully transformed from outsourcing to in-house flexible manufacturing, significantly optimizing the product validation process and overall cost control.

• Cost saving: Initial average sampling cost was reduced by about 33%, and as the scale of use expanded, the marginal cost per piece continued to be optimized.
• Shorter delivery time: The delivery cycle of validation parts was shortened by 3-5 days to meet the demand for parallel promotion of multiple projects.
• Performance enhancement: The overall performance of the parts was improved by about 15% through the freedom of structural design and customization of materials.
• Autonomous control: 2-3 pieces of on-demand printing were achieved daily, with the production of 2-3 pieces per day. Autonomous control: 2-3 pieces per day on-demand printing, controllable production tempo, and fast response to design changes.
• High resolution: DLP technology meets the demand for assembly-level precision and shortens post-commissioning time.

“With the Raise3D DF2+ Solution, we have compressed the prototype delivery cycle from two weeks to one day, dramatically accelerating the pace of design validation and product iteration, and, more critically, taking full control of the development process.”

– Product Development Manager, Shanghai Baolu Automobile Business Co., Ltd

As the automotive industry increasingly pursues personalization, lightweight and rapid iteration, 3D printing is gradually becoming a core tool for companies to build flexible manufacturing systems. Through the cooperation with Raise3D, Baolu Automotive not only breaks through the bottleneck of the traditional outsourcing model, but also establishes a flexible, efficient and controllable verification process system.

In the future, both parties will continue to expand the in-depth application of 3D printing in the field of automotive parts, including jigs and fixtures, small-lot functional parts and customized parts, etc., and work together to promote the automotive industry to move forward in intelligent manufacturing and product innovation.