3D printing: finally get smooth surfaces !

3D printing has transformed manufacturing processes by offering the possibility of creating complex, customised shapes quickly. However, by depositing successive layers of material, this technique generates a surface texture, with visible striations and irregularities. This phenomenon is specific to the additive manufacturing process, where each new layer is added to the previous one, creating boundary lines between them. These surface irregularities can be tolerated in some applications, but they become problematic when parts have to meet high surface quality requirements.

For sectors such as aerospace, defence or medicine, smooth surfaces are essential. They ensure that components fit together perfectly and that the final parts are aesthetically pleasing.

Context

FEI – Fougères Études Industrielles, a company specialising in the design and manufacture of special machines for industry, was looking to renew its production process. Due to the wide variety of their equipment and the specific needs of each customer, FEI is regularly required to produce unique parts, adapted to each project and often complex in their design.

Objectives

FEI’s objectives were to meet a number of needs:

The diversity of customer requirements meant that production capacity had to be able to adapt quickly, and therefore to be flexible. Each machine manufactured by FEI is bespoke, which means that parts must be customisable to unique specifications.

The parts produced must meet strict tolerances and have smooth surfaces to ensure optimum operation and compatibility with other parts of the machines. Increased precision in manufacturing enables FEI to maintain high quality standards and meet the rigorous demands of their industrial customers, ensuring equipment reliability and performance.

FEI wanted to reduce manufacturing costs while shortening lead times. Optimising these aspects would enable the company to offer customised machines, while improving their responsiveness to customer expectations.

Implementation and results

FEI called on the LUCY 300Y hybrid 3D printer to produce its parts and achieve its objectives. The parts produced using this technology include the sensor supports shown here, made from PETG-CF. This hybrid solution offers FEI a number of advantages:

Thanks to the customisation offered by 3D printing, FEI can fine-tune each part to the unique specifications of each machine it designs. This level of customisation means that the dimensions, shapes and even the materials of the parts can be adapted to meet the specific requirements of each customer project.

The integration of the machining process in LUCY 300Y means that smooth surfaces and tolerances adapted to industrial requirements can be achieved. FEI thus achieves very fine surface finishes (down to 0.3 µm in Ra) and strict dimensional tolerances (down to ±0.05 mm), offering a finish quality that meets the industry’s high standards while guaranteeing a perfect fit of the parts in their machines.

By in-sourcing production with hybrid 3D printing, FEI has gone from a subcontracting budget of €80 per part to just €10 per part. This change represents significant savings, enabling FEI to increase its autonomy and production capacity.
By producing their own parts, FEI is reducing supply chain lead times. This means they can respond more quickly to project needs and reduce production interruptions, while retaining total control over the quality of the parts manufactured.

Conclusion

By integrating the LUCY 300Y into its production process, FEI has found a hybrid solution that combines the efficiency of 3D printing with the precision of machining, enabling it to produce high-precision parts with smooth surfaces, while optimising manufacturing costs and lead times.