Global Fastener News

FEATURE

UK-based Barton Coldform secured a £300,000 (US$471,000) contract with Ford Motor Co. after developing prototype parts utilizing 3D printing techniques, Fastener + Fixing Magazine reports. 

Barton Coldform developed the parts by collaborating with WMG, University of Warwick.

“Using traditional methods, it would normally take Barton Coldform up to 14 weeks to produce tooling to create demonstrator parts and products, but now using 3D printing the process takes just days,” according to Fastener + Fixing.

The new process gives customers quicker access to their prototype parts, saving time and money in the whole supply chain.

“Importantly, customers now have a better understanding of their component or product before and during the tooling design and development phase,” Fastener + Fixing reports. “The ability to see the physical part allows engineers to ‘touch’ their design and to communicate any changes whilst also being able to review those parts that might need re-engineering.”

The program that enabled Barton Coldform’s partnership with WMG operates from a facility called the International Institute for Product and Service Innovation, which is funded by the European Regional Development Fund, according to Fastener + Fixing.

“This technology will revolutionize our pre-manufacturing processes,” stated Andrew Nuttall, managing director of Barton Coldform (UK). “Whilst we are not yet able to make actual parts using 3D printing, being able to showcase the fit and form of our parts to customers so quickly means that lead times are much shorter. Our customers can now move their design and production forward to meet the increasingly short deadlines demanded.”

For more on 3D printing in the fastener industry, visit the Fastener History section to read FIN’s 2013 article on “The Next Big Thing in the Fastener Industry.”