In large-format 3D printing, scaling up almost always means adding mass, material and machine hours. The trap observed across applications is that a shape can be perfectly printable and still be unusable.
To avoid this trap, the team from large-format robotic 3D printing manufacturer NUGAE, used CoreLight3D®, a proprietary thermoplastic foam based on recycled polypropylene to manufacture a 3D-printed living cell aboard of the Piaggio Ape TM 703.
The latter is one of the larger, modern variants of the three-wheeled light commercial vehicle. The vehicle recently crossed nine European countries and more than 4,500 kilometers to the North Cape, travelling at 40 to 45 kilometers per hour.
On board was the 3D-printed living cell weighing roughly 70 kilograms, against approximately 200 for an equivalent fiberglass build. The lightness of the part was crucial here to ensure steady mobility of the vehicle.
How CoreLight3D® helps to ensure such lightness
With material density around 300 kg/m³, arranged in thin walls and hollow geometries, the apparent density of the finished part can drop to approximately 100 kg/m³.
The material was processed by the company’s UL-LFAM (Ultra-Light Large Format Additive Manufacturing), a platform that integrates a patented extruder, six-axis industrial robots, patented geometric stiffening strategies and which works with the company’s in-house NU-Slice software.
As a reminder, the same system was used to deliver the NEMO – Design 4 Yacht Flexible Customization project carried out in collaboration with Politecnico di Milano.
This manufacturing ecosystem enables the delivery of a part that was able to withstand days of up to twelve hours of driving, rain, continuous vibration, wind gusts up to 90 km/h, temperatures above 30 °C at departure, and close to 2 °C on arrival.
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