A consortium led by HÖRMANN Vehicle Engineering GmbH (HVE, Chemnitz, Germany) has completed a 34-month research project, called 3D-FiberTrain, that developed a hybrid manufacturing process for producing large-format, thermoplastic composite (TPC) components for rail vehicles, according to a LinkedIn post from HVE. The project combines large-format, granule-based 3D printing with loadpath-oriented continuous fiber reinforcement, applied via newly developed tapes at highly stressed areas of a part.
Source (All Images) | HÖRMANN Vehicle Engineering GmbH
Large-format rail vehicle components are currently manufactured mainly using thermoset fiber composite processes, which require high tooling costs, significant manual labor and long throughput times, and produce materials that are difficult to recycle. The 3D-FiberTrain process is described as fully thermoplastic and therefore recyclable, and the consortium reports it can lower manufacturing costs and shorten production times for small-batch, complex components, while reducing CO2 footprint.
The Fraunhofer Institute for Machine Tools and Forming Technology IWU (Fraunhofer IWU, Bernsdorf, Germany), a project partner, describes the goal of 3D-FiberTrain as researching and developing a novel TPC technology that combines large-format 3D printing with a 3D tape laying process, enabling tool-free manufacturing of geometrically complex, highly loaded large components for rail vehicle applications such as front masks and roof structures. Fraunhofer IWU states that eliminating forming tools, combined with a high degree of automation and the use of reusable thermoplastic-based feedstocks, directly reduces manufacturing costs and improves resource efficiency compared with conventional thermoset-based composite processes used for such components today.
As a demonstrator, the consortium selected the front apron and nose section of the Siemens Mobility (Munich, Germany) Velaro MS (ICE 3neo) high-speed train — components that must meet stringent mechanical, fire-protection and quality requirements.
Additional project partners include Lakowa Gesellschaft für Kunststoffbe- und -verarbeitung mbH (Wilthen, Germany), the Fraunhofer Institute for Microstructure of Materials and Systems IMWS (Halle (Saale), Germany) and KoPa4Mobility.
The project was funded by the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy and the European Union.
