WORLD PROSPECTS
of the customer. Putting our product through
Glencore’s Failure Mode Engineering Analysis
(FMEA) and Risk Analysis process was a
stepping stone to ensuring our product met
Glencore’s high standards.”
Guardvant has also recently opened a new office
in Hermosillo, Sonora, Mexico, to accommodate
the rapid growth and presence in the area’s mining
market. This office will serve eight different
mines in the surrounding area to service and
support the installations and expansions of
OpGuard, ProxGuard and CollisionGuard at
these sites, in addition to new mines that will
be adding Guardvant solutions in the future.
The opening of the new location will bring 15
new jobs by the end of 2017, including project
engineers, site technicians, and remote
operations personnel.
Finally, the company in May launched a newly
designed company website, created with the
user experience in mind. The new website has
been designed “to provide the ultimate user-
Multotec proves worth of 3D printing
ultotec’s use of 3D printing over the
past two years has proved this
technology’s ability to produce
prototypes for customers quickly and cost
effectively, according to Multotec Manufacturing
Technology Manager, Chris Oldewage. “Our 3D
printing facilities bring designs to life, and allow
for physical and visual interaction during
concept development,” he says. “We can now
M
produce a prototype within 24 hours, improving
our response time to identified opportunities.”
He highlights that full-sized prototypes can
even be tested on the company’s testing rigs, so
that their practical application can be proved
before advancing to tooling stage. Reprinting
can be quickly conducted to incorporate fine
tuning and minor adjustments.
The 3D printed parts are used as the pattern
to produce a mould for products such as screen
panels; silicon is firstly cast around the pattern,
and then removed after it is cured. This silicon
mould is used to make prototype screen panels
from the required polyurethane material.
“The ease of use of these 3D printers allows
for an accurate prototype to be produced far
more quickly than conventional tooling,” he says.
“Tooling is relatively costly, so the 3D printing is
definitely a more cost effective option.”
According to Dave Hunt, Mould Designer at
friendly experience, focusing on improved
navigation and functionality throughout for
optimieed viewing on any device or screen size.
The website is designed to keep visitors
informed with the latest Guardvant and industry
news, containing richer online content such as
technical tips, press releases, and featured
products/solutions. Customers are now able to
access detailed product information and
download applicable solution brochures that fit
their needs.” www.guardvant.com
Multotec’s technical service centre, the
technology removes the guess work from the
product development process. Part of continuous
improvement is to improve existing tooling;
being able to print the new mould parts make it
easy to validate the design and functionality
before making the actual steel parts.
Multotec runs two types of heat lamination
3D printers, which can print objects of various
sizes. The company has also invested in an
extruder so that it can extrude cords to the
same specifications that it uses in the
manufacturing process.
“3D printing technology is being used by
business units throughout the Multotec Group,
and we have successfully used it to develop new
products and to improve our produce
development timelines,” says Oldewage. “These
3D models are also valuable tools to employ
during our training sessions, to ensure better
visual understanding among staff and
customers.” www.multotec.com
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