Jaguar reduces the costs of manufacturing through EOS
We take as an example the prototype of a duct of air V8. Formerly, required investment of hundreds of thousands of dollars in molds for manufacturing. Following each change of design, cost thousands of euros alteration of each mold, a process that requires several weeks each time. If the changes were substantial, needed a new mold. With the sintered by laser, the production of moulds becomes obsolete. As a consequence, Jaguar reduces costs and time.
EOS machines produced two designs of these ducts. 17 components were polyamide for less than a thousand pounds each. The time was a day and a half only for the Canal, reducing the time of development from one year to six months. Jaguar achieved great financial savings through this component.
The section of the bumper is also produced from the sintered by laser. The component is made from two parts.
Jaguar experience has been that the performance of the process of the sintered by laser beat other quick technologies. The full space of the machine of laser sintering can be filled with pieces. Other processes allow only the location of components in the area of the platform. The Eosint P380 system allows to easily incorporate dozens of pieces in each cycle of sintering.
An interesting component that is regularly added around other parts is not a prototype, but a component that AIDS in the Assembly of complex plastic. It helps operators working in the recently released XK Coupe to position Windows mechanism during manufacture. The manufacturing plant requires a stock of 3,000 of these pieces. Once mounted, these elements remain in the vehicle throughout the manufacturing process. By August 2005, nearly half of the required pieces were produced, without the need to invest in injectors.
As for the future, Jaguar expects to see a rapid development of rapid prototyping in their manufacturing processes. In the distant future possibly processes today are the key to the new generation of production technologies. Especially the sintered by laser has a great potential: the technology helps companies such as Jaguar to eliminate the difficulties arising from the design, manufacture of moulds and considerations related to storage.
