{"id":96414,"date":"2022-10-11T13:56:02","date_gmt":"2022-10-11T12:56:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/am-hub.dk\/3d-printed-designs-put-companies-products-on-a-diet\/"},"modified":"2026-04-22T20:13:11","modified_gmt":"2026-04-22T19:13:11","slug":"3d-printed-designs-put-companies-products-on-a-diet","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/am-hub.dk\/en\/3d-printed-designs-put-companies-products-on-a-diet\/","title":{"rendered":"3D-printed designs put companies\u2019 products on a diet"},"content":{"rendered":"

[vc_row][vc_column width=”1\/1″][vc_column_text]<\/p>\n

3D-printed designs put companies\u2019 products on a diet<\/strong><\/h2>\n

[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1\/1″][vc_column_text]During 2022, 15 Danish companies worked to redesign a product or component using 3D printing through Dansk AM Hub\u2019s innovation programme: Design for Additive Manufacturing (DfAM). Of these, 11 companies had a \u2018before component\u2019 that made it possible to compare with the redesigned component, and in ten of these cases it was possible to reduce weight by between 43% and 96%.[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1\/2″][vc_single_image media=”85388″ media_width_percent=”100″][\/vc_column][vc_column width=”1\/2″][vc_column_text]Specifically in the DfAM project, the aim has been to design participants\u2019 components or products better or differently so they can be manufactured using less material, with greater strength, and optimised with new or improved functionality and efficiency. All with the purpose of creating more sustainable products and components. <\/p>\n

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– At Dansk AM Hub, we have been monitoring how DfAM as a method has gained traction in major industries abroad such as the aerospace, automotive and defence industries. Unfortunately, there have been few strong Danish experiences, but we have now changed that, says Frank Rosengreen Lorenzen, CEO of Dansk AM Hub: <\/p>\n

– Because in this programme, we have made Design for Additive Manufacturing tangible for Danish manufacturing. We have succeeded in bringing together the strongest international expertise with our Danish experts and creating a process that has truly moved this field onto Danish factory floors, and Danish industry now has concrete experience to learn from.[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1\/1″][vc_column_text]The benefits of weight reduction have served different purposes depending on the company\u2019s specific production and end products. For example, drone manufacturer Airflight reduced the weight of their part by 67%, enabling them to either fly longer or carry a larger payload per flight. And at BEWI, they managed to reduce the weight by up to 74%, which meant a significant reduction in material consumption\u2014and a 53% reduction in the price of the component. <\/p>\n

– Through the project, we achieved an 11 kg weight reduction and reduced the amount of material by 80%. The value for us is the extreme design flexibility, where we can achieve a higher strength-to-weight ratio, which is an important part of aviation, as it means we can fly for longer or with a heavier payload, says Mikkel K\u00e6rsgaard S\u00f8rensen, owner and CEO of Airflight. <\/p>\n

And it is precisely this design freedom that is also highlighted by Ole Krebs, Development Manager at the plastics company BEWI:<\/p>\n

– By optimising the design with 3D printing, we have first and foremost reduced the weight of the product by 74% compared to traditional tooling, but we have also improved our time-to-market, including by cutting 25% off the delivery time. This provides enormous flexibility and represents a potential where, by optimising the tool, we can offer more complex and better solutions in terms of both quality and cost, and thereby meet challenges that our machine settings cannot help us with. In addition, we see signs that the optimised component can increase our production capacity and reduce energy consumption in production if we implement it broadly\u2014simply because it is more efficient. <\/p>\n

After the programme, the participating companies were left with a physically redesigned component or product in which one or more of the above-mentioned benefits have been incorporated. In addition to weight reduction, DfAM has also delivered a range of other benefits such as reduced production costs, reduced time-to-market, part consolidation, greater design freedom and increased component strength. <\/p>\n

In this way, participants have gained added value and knowledge that can be anchored locally in their production.[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1\/2″][vc_column_text]About the DfAM programme<\/strong><\/p>\n

The purpose of the DfAM project has been to raise awareness of 3D printing and DfAM and enable Danish companies to leverage the technical and business opportunities provided by AM technology.<\/p>\n

Traditionally, 3D printing has been used to produce prototypes, but the technology also offers a wide range of other possibilities. 3D printing can also be used advantageously for, for example, pilot and small-batch production, and the manufacture of fixtures and auxiliary tools, injection moulding tools, and spare parts. <\/p>\n

Read more about the programme here.<\/a><\/p>\n

Facts:<\/strong><\/p>\n