With the goal of implementing “greener” solutions through new public transport solutions, a group of five companies called UAB “Vėjo projektai” is currently working on the “DANCER Mobility” project. Each of the five companies is responsible for a specific area of the zero-emission urban transport solution.
The team working on this project, has designed and manufactured electric vehicles mainly composed of recycled PET bottles and powered by fast-charging batteries.
Before the buses become available on the streets, the team were looking for a low-cost solution to create their company’s logo that would be attached onto the front of the buses.
They turned out to 3D printing service provider, 3D Creative which began a small-series production of the logo using two Zortrax 3D printers – Zortrax M200 and Zortrax M300 Plus. The entire model was divided into two parts and 3D printed on both printers. In fact, having devices from two lines allowed the team to complete the task quickly and effectively so that the buses could hit the roads with the 3D printed logo on them. The filament they went for was high-quality and easy-to-use Z-ABS. The whole process involved also thorough post-processing procedures, such as sanding, priming, and painting.
The models that have been printed, feature a smooth surface that showed almost no visible marks of layers. Both parts of the logo were oriented flat on the printers’ platforms so that there would be as little support as possible, and cut down production waste. What’s more, further post-processing prepared the logo to withstand changing outdoor condi-tions, such as humidity and UV light throughout the whole year, while being installed on the buses.
The strategy of implementing 3D printed end-use parts in the final product turned out ideal for the DANCER bus project and made it even more coherent thanks to minimized costs and production waste. Small-series 3D printing can be successfully applied in projects where cost-effectiveness is a vital re-quirement and there is a need for flexible customization or unique solutions. 3D printed logo that can be seen on the buses driving around Klaipėda, Lithuania, is an excellent example of such an approach.
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