3D Printing a Mold for a Hydrogen Race Car with a CEAD Flexbot

Using CEAD's Flexbot, Forze was able to 3D print a mold for their hydrogen racing car. The mold was printed and milled with CEAD's hybrid manufacturing solution. Resulting in a sustainable production method, a lighter mold, and faster lead times.

The CEAD Flexbot is a flexible robot-based solution for large-scale additive manufacturing. With this system, you can not only 3D print objects, but there is also the option to mill.

Besides the 3D printing technology of CEAD, the system has Siemens' Sinumerik CNC with Run my Robot/Direct Control and a Comau robot arm.

The Flexbot is a flexible robot based solution for large scale additive manufacturing. This versatile system provides lots of options which can be integrated to configure the system to your specific needs. This system has proven itself to be the go to system for large scale 3D printing implementations in the industry. The system is delivered and installed worldwide.

The Flexbot is ideal for custom solutions to fit a specific application. Siemens Sinumerik is used to directly control the Comau robot arm, meaning no robot controller is needed. This enables very accurate operation of the robot, especially in terms of position accuracy while travelling along a path. The Siemens Sinumerik can control 31 axes. Therefore your Flexbot can be easily extended with additional functions such as a rotary table, additional robots or other production processes such as CNC milling but also other processes.

The Flexbot offers the unique option to combine 3D printing and milling into one automated process. For mold making and tooling applications ideal to achieve the required surface finish. For end use parts the CNC milling functionality can ensure high tolerance mounting flanges and holes.

CEAD is headquartered in Delft, Netherlands, which is the hometown of one of Europe’s most prestigious technical universities. It’s not a coincidence that the company is rooted here, as the founders began their journey by developing a consumer 3D printer in 2010 while studying at this university.
After gaining this experience, the founders recognized the full potential of additive manufacturing and decided to pursue larger-scale solutions. As a result, in 2014, they established CEAD, which stands for Connecting Engineering and Design. Focusing on large-scale solutions, CEAD has been a pioneering force of innovation within the industry.
In 2017, the company patented the unique Continuous Fibre Additive Manufacturing (CFAM) technology, which allows for the high-speed fabrication of large-scale, continuous-fibre reinforced products. This invention demonstrates that innovation and passion for technology are at the core of CEAD’s values.
Today, the company has gained extensive experience designing and installing the world’s largest 3D printers. CEAD is committed to continuing to stay at the forefront of innovation, with the goal of accelerating innovation globally.

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