Honeybee Robotics is a design engineering and consulting firm known for its contributions to key planetary analysis technologies on NASA's last three Mars missions. Their designs are "destined to work on Earth, Mars, and beyond." Their work also extends to other industries, leveraging their expertise in designing mechanisms and robotic systems for challenging environments. With Ultimaker 3D printing, Honeybee Robotics can rapidly develop prototypes to test design concepts in early stages and make internal changes more efficiently.
"When we're building a new type of robot, there's no need to use metal components when designing new items because it's too expensive and takes too long. We print something on the same day, put in bearings, bushings, and other components, and integrate the motor into it. This allows us to explore different parts of the robot and modify any designs that don't work," says Yoni Saltzman, Robotics Engineer at Honeybee Robotics.
Challenge
Initially, engineers and staff at Honeybee Robotics were looking for fast, low-cost manufacturing solutions in their office to support multiple modifications and replacements during the early design stages, while continuously validating concepts and establishing project parameters.
Solution
On-site professional Ultimaker desktop 3D printers increase productivity for new mechanical design projects, enabling engineers and designers to rapidly and cost-effectively create functional mechanical studies from the earliest stages of project development.
Results
Explore new mechanisms
Testing robotic systems before fully understanding project constraints helps engineers and designers quickly learn what works and what doesn't; with this process, the team can iterate freely without straining the budget.
Share improved designs
Not every client and project stakeholder's questions can be answered with drawings and updated project briefs. Providing collaborators with physical models to hold and interact with offers a richer and deeper understanding of the subject.
Create concept models
Unlike traditional model building, a desktop 3D printer allows engineers to adjust scale during manufacturing: miniaturize large components to present the overall goal, or enlarge a single key component for discussion and investigation.
The success stories of 3D printing applications in a wide range of fields are growing, and we are happy to share various knowledge and possibilities related to innovation. If you are interested in 3D printers, you can check the product page; if you have needs in production or design, we also provide customized printing services (and we've added large-size model templates for the Ultimaker S5!).
Want to learn more about 3D printing applications? Feel free to refer to other articles on our website.
Original article link: https://ultimaker.com/en/knowledge/12-rapid-design-iterations-for-the-early-project-stages