[Automotive Industry Case Study] Extreme Weight Reduction with 3D Printing

3D printer-made fixture for headlight opening inspection

The inspection tools for mounting automobile headlights are often made of metal, which poses a significant burden on workers due to their weight. Our company can digitize the actual items using a 3D scanner and convert the inspection tools to resin in a short period. By transitioning from metal to resin and optimizing the topology to achieve extreme lightweighting, we can significantly reduce the burden on workers and enhance safety measures. ■ Processing Method 3D Printing: FDM (Fused Deposition Modeling) ■ Material ABS-M30 (Blue) ■ Size 320 × 230 × 190 (mm) 【Concerns】 - The inspection tools are heavy, creating a significant physical burden during repetitive tasks. 【Requests】 - We want to reduce the burden on workers. - We also require precision for inspection purposes. 【Proposal】 To address the primary issue of "weight," we not only changed the material from metal to resin but also applied topology optimization technology. By creating a sparse internal structure, we were able to maintain strength while reducing the weight to one-tenth (from 5kg to 500g). Additionally, by 3D scanning the actual item and converting it into CAD data, we ensured that it closely resembles the original, allowing for comparative verification with the original data.

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