BCN3D
Automotive company Nissan has been using 3D printing technology from BCN3D to produce hundreds of tooling, jigs and fixturing parts for its manufacturing line in Spain.
Nissan has deployed 3D printing technology to support the assembly lines of vehicles like the Nissan Navara 4x4 pickup truck. Having produced components for as little as €3.45, the company is exploring the possibility of rolling the technology out to more manufacturing sites.
Prior to installing 3D printing systems from BCN3D, Nissan leaned on external suppliers to produce prototypes and jigs via methods like CNC and drilling. The company deemed the lead times and costs involved with outsourcing such jobs to be too high and has since cut the time of designing, refining and producing parts from one week to one day, and reduced costs by up to 95% with 3D printing.
BCN3D
Windshield centring gauge fixture printed with BCN3D technology.
Nissan has installed a farm of four BCN3D machines which boast an Independent Dual Extrusion system and can run 24/7, allowing Nissan to produce multiple parts in one build job and keep pace with an intense production schedule. The automotive firm is also using the recently launched Smart Cabinet to preserve its filaments. Among the parts it has additively manufactured with BCN3D technology are tools to fix a windshield centring gauge, a lower drill positioning tool and a jig to position and cure the model name on a vehicle. The fixing tool was printed in TPU and is said to have cost €8 and took a total of 14 hours to print, while the positioning tool was printed in ABS, took 15 hours to print and cost €21.50. The jib, also printed in ABS, took 12 hours to print at a cost of just €3.45.
“The performance achieved in terms of reliability has been excellent. Our printer runs nearly 24 hours a day and every year we’re printing around 100 different jigs and tools for specific use in our processes,” commented Carlos Rellán Martínez, Manager of Maintenance & Engineering Facilities at Nissan Motor Ibérica Zona Franca. “Outsourcing tools to a mechanical supplier was 20 times more expensive than 3D printing the same parts, while the wait for tools went from a week down to one day. By introducing 3D printing, we have increased added value and generated low costs, without high delivery times. We have paid off the investment in the printers very quickly.”
“The automotive industry is probably the best example of scaling up a complex product with the demands of meeting highest quality standards,” added Eric Pallarés, CTO at BCN3D. “It’s fascinating to see how the assembly process of a car – where many individual parts are put together in an assembly line – relies on FFF printed parts at virtually every stage. Having assembled thousands of cars, Nissan has found that using BCN3D printing technology to make jigs and fixtures for complex assembly operations delivers consistently high quality components at a reduced time and lower cost.”
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