Source (Husqvarna)

In Brastad is Daniel Carlsson, a tool manufacturer in one of Husqvarna's factories. Together in the maintenance department, they ensure that Husqvarna machines and production tools work properly. Their daily work includes everything from servicing old ones to creating new parts for tools, which means constantly developing prototypes. To take the next step with 3D printing in their business, they bought Mark Two from Markforged - to be able to create high-quality parts that can be put into production directly.

The fact that 3D printing is something that benefits Brastadsfabriken is by no means new to Daniel. Here they got their first 3D printer about five years ago. And since then, the benefits of the technology have been clear. Daniel says:

– When it comes to a new part entering the factory, you don't get much more than a drawing at first. And you have all the dimensions there - but visually it's a little hard to see what it really looks like. How much bigger than the old one? So we thought that if you can print, for example, a connecting rod, you can take this printed connecting rod and check with existing tools if it really fits. 

Daniel Carlsson

It saves a lot of time

Once they can get a clearer sense of whether the new part fits or not before it goes into production, they gain a lot from it, especially over time. Because when a new tool is needed, they save a lot of money so they can do something fast. In addition to size adjustment, there are more factors that come into play before tools can enter the machine. Daniel continues:

- Before it was just dimensions for drawing, and some measurements become so diffuse. All our tools are very tight - they don't have to slip in some places. But as with the slip we have, it must be able to move in a device to some extent. Not too much and not too little. But with 3D printing, we can still define it earlier. Previously, we could not check such things until the product arrived.

Wanted parts for end use

Although Daniel and the rest of the support department were more than happy with the first printer, the idea arose that they could produce more useful parts that could be put into production. Daniel got in touch with a distributor because he was curious about Marforged's X7, a printer from larger industrial printers located in another division of Husqvarna. After discussion and evaluation, the choice finally settled on evaluation…

– Since we are a small factory here, we felt that as long as we could print in Onyx material and reinforce it with carbon fiber, it doesn't matter if the printer is a desktop option. And when it comes to ready-made prints, there is a difference between day and night compared to our old printer. The step we have taken now is huge in terms of quality.

A big plus of internet based software

With Mark Two, Brastadfabriken can print finished products, such as machine gripping nails - something that otherwise takes a lot of time to move forward. The clone consists of very small parts that can now be printed in dozens in one go. Then the components can be changed more often without Daniel having to spend more time producing new ones each time. The fact that the print area is smaller than in the X7 is not something that worries Daniel:

– The things we print are not that big. And since these are self-designed products, we should try to stay within the limits in terms of size. Sometimes it can be difficult, but we have very good colleagues who know 3D and CAD, and can customize new parts. 

Something that Brastadfabriken has printed a lot is the so-called adjustable washers - a washer that is designed after all the parts that enter the machine when you switch from one variant to another. 

Adjustable washers - designed to get more order and find details that need to be inside and outside the sander when adjusting. 
Printed as quickly as possible with the highest layer height and the lowest filling with a hexagonal pattern, as the surfaces in this case do not matter so much. Designed and drawn by Bo Persholm.

After each piece that will be included, contours are created and thus it is easy to see if something is lost. Daniel concludes:

– We tested a lot and printed useful parts in the old 3D printer and it works to a certain level. But it doesn't have the same quality as the Mark Two. Markforged printers are easy to get started, and a big plus is the Eiger Internet-based software. If you then have to think about the next step in the future, it would, of course, be printing in steel - but right now we are very happy with what we have. 


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