Technology spotlight Advances in technology

NeWS

TECHNOLOGYSPoTLiGhT

Advances in technology across industry

3D Metal Print: Premiere in Poland with 3DMP®

Additive manufacturing (AM) in Poland has reached new heights with the first GEFERTEC arc403 machine installed at the Institute of Non-Ferrous Metals (Instytut Metali Nieżelaznych, IMN), the leading scientific centre of the Polish non-ferrous industry, based in Gliwice. The new industry standard 3DMP® (3D Metal Print) is now available in Poland for the first time.

In the view of the Institute, additive manufacturing technologies are considered the most promising production methods and are being continuously developed for and applied to many industries. Further progress in the application of additive manufacturing technologies is strongly connected with the development and refinement of the batch materials. This is a particular strong-hold of IMN’s Metal Processing Department where those materials needed for AM are being continuously developed.

“The arc403 machine and its 3DMP® process provide us with an excellent opportunity to further investigate the AM process and to design new materials of controlled mechanical and physical properties”, confirms IMN managing director Barbara Juszczyk, PhD. Tobias Röhrich, CEO of GEFERTEC, adds: “We are delighted to have won the IMN as a new client, since their research and development of innovative batch materials is paramount to 3DMP® and the broad range of industries it serves: from manufacturing to automotive to aerospace.” Visit: www.gefertec.de

fia and Siemens partner to improve rally spectator safety

The Fédération Internationale de l’Automobile (FIA) and Siemens have announced the start of a project aimed at improving the safety of spectators and drivers at Rally events around the world. The project will explore how a combination of technologies from Siemens Intelligent Traffic Systems and Siemens PLM Software can be used to improve the detection of spectators in dangerous locations, and thus make it easier for race organizers and drivers to take preventative and/ or immediate action to avoid accidents. Through this partnership, unveiled at the Geneva International Motor Show, the FIA will leverage Siemens’ expertise in chip-to-city engineering in real-world autonomous and connected vehicle applications. Outcomes from this project will directly benefit efforts to improve pedestrian safety in cities. “In the age of increasingly automated vehicles, racing will be an essential testbed for the automotive industry, which needs the widest array of data and the most challenging environments to continue to build and train advanced autonomous, connected and electric automotive technologies,” says Edward Bernardon, vice president strategic automotive initiatives at Siemens PLM.

“The first step in solving this problem is creating an advanced 2D and 3D simulation using vehicle and trackside arrayed sensorbased systems deployed on Rally stages. These systems include: • rapid-fire fusion of data from vehicle sensors via custom neural networking and AI to add a safetylayer around the human-driven vehicles; and • intelligent infrastructure technology including X2X communications that will create a safetyenabling network at Rally events, connecting drivers, spotters, race organizers and spectators. Visit: www.siemens.com/mobility.

Grant for Smart Engine development

Libertine FPE has secured a grant from Horizon 2020, the European funding programme for research and innovation. Phase 1 grant will be used to support development of Libertine’s IntelliGEN 20kWe Smart Engine platform for OEMs seeking to create power generators for electric vehicles and distributed power generation applications.

In future, most vehicles will require an on-board electrical power generator. By 2030 it is estimated by Toyota that such ‘hybrid’ electric vehicle sales will outnumber conventional vehicles and battery electric vehicle sales by three to one. These future hybrid electric vehicles will require a revolution in internal combustion engine design and performance to meet stringent regulatory and user requirements for efficiency, emissions, noise and vibration, packaging and fuel flexibility.

Libertine is enabling this next revolution in internal combustion engine performance, using electronic piston motion control and high performance linear machines to ensure optimal combustion conditions during each and every cycle. The ‘Smart Engines’ created by this revolution will play a major role in global transport and power generation for decades to come. www.libertine.co.uk