【3D Printing Applications】L'Oréal Perfumes Evolve! Ultimaker Enters the Perfume Market!
The AM Cup International Additive Manufacturing Competition is jointly sponsored by Solvay, a professional manufacturer of specialty polymers, and L'Oréal and Ultimaker. AM Cup winners demonstrated high-performance 3D printing applications, using industrial manufacturing to create complex polymer shapes that exceed the performance and quality of traditional injection molded parts.The 2021 AM Cup entries address real manufacturing challenges, utilizing Ultimaker and Solvay filaments to solve problems in L'Oréal's production plants.
Matthew Forrester, Head of Material Transformation and Circularity at L'Oréal's Packaging Science Center, said, "If we can use 3D printing to solve problems, it will improve production capacity and supply chain flexibility."
(L'Oréal currently uses the pink puck shown above, which changes every time the bottle shape changes.)
Teams of 54 engineers from 25 universities were tasked with designing and producing parts for L'Oréal perfume production that could automatically adjust and accommodate different perfume bottle shapes. Technically called pucks, these parts must ensure that bottles move efficiently, quickly, and silently along the filling line.
Previously, L'Oréal manufactured unique parts to hold each bottle shape. But whenever the production line changed bottle shapes, these parts were removed and replaced with others specific to that bottle. Could 3D printers be used to create universal parts?
Lemarié, an assistant engineer at the 3D.FAB platform and PhD student researching at Segula Technologies, said, "The most challenging aspect of the pucks we developed was the self-adapting, telescopic fins."
The winning puck was 3D printed. In fact, the sturdy base of the more complex telescopic fins could only be manufactured through 3D printing. Traditional machining or injection molding could not reproduce the required precision.
Forrester said, "Without breaking it down into several parts, it would be impossible to make the puck using traditional machining or injection molding."
The AM Cup winning design has the potential to revolutionize puck changes on L'Oréal's production lines, significantly reducing time and labor while improving efficiency.
(The winning puck design from the University of Lyon team is shown in black, with red cross-sections illustrating the self-adapting fin feature.)
Developing Innovative Designs
The team went through several design changes before finalizing the winning concept. Team leader Le Boterff, a research engineer at the 3d.FAB platform, said, "We initially started with an auxetic structure design with a negative Poisson's ratio, which is used in 3D printing for various applications, such as soft robotic grippers for catching objects." This initial approach ultimately proved unworkable but inspired the concept for the final design, which successfully held the bottles in the pucks.
Another challenge was noise. Each production line uses hundreds of parts, meaning noise is generated when they are all on the conveyor belt. As a secondary objective, existing or innovative solutions had to be incorporated to absorb impact between parts and avoid excessive noise levels.
Le Boterff said, "From the beginning, we treated noise as a secondary objective, focusing development on the retractable fins to accommodate all bottles. Based on an optimized design, a simple yet effective noise reduction system was added."
The team went through several design changes before finalizing the winning concept. Team leader Le Boterff, a research engineer at the 3d.FAB platform, said, "We initially started with an auxetic structure design with a negative Poisson's ratio, which is used in 3D printing for various applications, such as soft robotic grippers for catching objects." This initial approach ultimately proved unworkable but inspired the concept for the final design, which successfully held the bottles in the pucks.
Another challenge was noise. Each production line uses hundreds of parts, meaning noise is generated when they are all on the conveyor belt. As a secondary objective, existing or innovative solutions had to be incorporated to absorb impact between parts and avoid excessive noise levels.
Le Boterff said, "From the beginning, we treated noise as a secondary objective, focusing development on the retractable fins to accommodate all bottles. Based on an optimized design, a simple yet effective noise reduction system was added."
(Ultimaker 3D printer in L'Oréal's design lab)
3D Printing at L'Oréal
L'Oréal is no stranger to the benefits of 3D printing in production. It even integrates more 3D printing factory tools and some 3D printed consumer products to meet goals such as flexibility, environmental responsibility, and evolving consumer needs.
Forrester said, "We have our own 3D printing center capable of producing tens of thousands of parts annually, accelerating the time to market for new packaging development. While prototyping remains the company's largest use of 3D printing, it has recently produced limited edition consumer packaging, and more and more factories are adopting 3D printing as a solution. The 2021 winning design will be tested within the factory, attempting to replace existing solutions that mix traditional machining and 3D printing. Its performance will be evaluated, and it is expected to bring ergonomic improvements for operators and ideally optimize changeover times. In today's market, it is crucial to respond to changing market demands as quickly as possible."
L'Oréal is no stranger to the benefits of 3D printing in production. It even integrates more 3D printing factory tools and some 3D printed consumer products to meet goals such as flexibility, environmental responsibility, and evolving consumer needs.
Forrester said, "We have our own 3D printing center capable of producing tens of thousands of parts annually, accelerating the time to market for new packaging development. While prototyping remains the company's largest use of 3D printing, it has recently produced limited edition consumer packaging, and more and more factories are adopting 3D printing as a solution. The 2021 winning design will be tested within the factory, attempting to replace existing solutions that mix traditional machining and 3D printing. Its performance will be evaluated, and it is expected to bring ergonomic improvements for operators and ideally optimize changeover times. In today's market, it is crucial to respond to changing market demands as quickly as possible."
(Miguel Calvo, Technical Director at Ultimaker, at the Ultimaker 3D Printing Production Center,
printing the winning design using Solvay's Solef PVDF filament.)
3D Printing and Materials
Ultimaker, in its role as AM Cup sponsor, showcased the industrial manufacturing capabilities of its 3D printers. Ultimaker 3D printers are more commonly found in factories than hobbyist settings, and can adapt to almost any professional application.
Due to the pandemic, Ultimaker organized the finalists' designs, chosen by experts at the Ultimaker 3D printing center, and the winner of the competition received an Ultimaker 2+ Connect. Chemical giant Solvay provided industrial specialty materials. Brian Alexander, Solvay's New Business Development Manager, said, "Solef PVDF filament is ideal for industrial applications, easy to print, and boasts high chemical and abrasion resistance."
Solvay's 3D printing filament portfolio also includes KetaSpire PEEK and Radel PPSU filaments, which include medical and carbon fiber-filled grades.
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Ultimaker, in its role as AM Cup sponsor, showcased the industrial manufacturing capabilities of its 3D printers. Ultimaker 3D printers are more commonly found in factories than hobbyist settings, and can adapt to almost any professional application.
Due to the pandemic, Ultimaker organized the finalists' designs, chosen by experts at the Ultimaker 3D printing center, and the winner of the competition received an Ultimaker 2+ Connect. Chemical giant Solvay provided industrial specialty materials. Brian Alexander, Solvay's New Business Development Manager, said, "Solef PVDF filament is ideal for industrial applications, easy to print, and boasts high chemical and abrasion resistance."
Solvay's 3D printing filament portfolio also includes KetaSpire PEEK and Radel PPSU filaments, which include medical and carbon fiber-filled grades.
Follow our fan page for the latest news:https://www.facebook.com/3dmart.com.tw/
https://www.instagram.com/3dmart/
Reference