Skip to main content
Sister Publication Links
  • Sustainable Plastics
  • Rubber News
Subscribe
  • Sign Up Free
  • Login
  • Subscribe
  • News
    • Processor News
    • Suppliers
    • More News
    • Digital Edition
    • End Markets
    • Special Reports
    • Newsletters
    • Resin pricing news
    • Videos
    • Injection Molding
    • Blow Molding
    • Film & Sheet
    • Pipe/Profile/Tubing
    • Rotomolding
    • Thermoforming
    • Recycling
    • Machinery
    • Materials
    • Molds/Tooling
    • Product news
    • Design
    • K Show
    • Mergers & Acquisitions
    • Sustainability
    • Public Policy
    • Material Insights Videos
    • Numbers that Matter
    • Automotive
    • Packaging
    • Medical
    • Consumer Products
    • Construction
    • Processor of the Year
    • Best Places to Work
    • Women Breaking the Mold
    • Rising Stars
    • Diversity
    • Most Interesting Social Media Accounts in Plastics
  • Opinion
    • The Plastics Blog
    • Kickstart
    • One Good Resin
    • Pellets and Politics
    • All Things Data
    • Viewpoint
    • From Pillar to Post
    • Perspective
    • Mailbag
    • Fake Plastic Trees
  • Shop Floor
    • Blending
    • Compounding
    • Drying
    • Injection Molding
    • Purging
    • Robotics
    • Size Reduction
    • Structural Foam
    • Tooling
    • Training
  • Events
    • K Show Livestream
    • Plastics News Events
    • Industry Events
    • Injection Molding & Design Expo
    • Livestreams/Webinars
    • Editorial Livestreams
    • Ask the Expert
    • Plastics News Events Library
    • Processor of the Year submissions
    • Plastics News Executive Forum
    • Injection Molding & Design Expo
    • Plastics News Caps & Closures
    • Women Breaking the Mold Networking Forum
    • Plastics in Automotive
    • PN Live: Mergers and Acquisitions
    • Polymer Points Live
    • Numbers that Matter Live
    • Plastics in Politics Live
    • Sustainable Plastics Live
    • Plastics Caps & Closures Library
    • Plastics in Healthcare Library
    • Women Breaking the Mold Networking Forum Library
  • Rankings & Data
    • Injection Molders
    • Blow Molders
    • Film Sheet
    • Thermoformers
    • Pipe Profile Tubing
    • Rotomolders
    • Mold/Toolmakers
    • LSR Processors
    • Recyclers
    • Compounders - List
    • Association - List
    • Plastic Lumber - List
    • All
  • Directory
  • Resin Prices
    • Commodity TPs
    • High Temp TPs
    • ETPs
    • Thermosets
    • Recycled Plastics
    • Historic Commodity Thermoplastics
    • Historic High Temp Thermoplastics
    • Historic Engineering Thermoplastics
    • Historic Thermosets
    • Historic Recycled Plastics
  • Custom
    • Sponsored Content
    • LS Mtron Sponsored Content
    • Conair Sponsored Content
    • KraussMaffei Sponsored Content
    • ENGEL Sponsored Content
    • White Papers
    • Classifieds
    • Place an Ad
    • Sign up for Early Classified
MENU
Breadcrumb
  1. Home
  2. News
November 02, 2021 04:33 PM

Oechsler builds its 3D printing collaborations as it diversifies beyond automotive

David Vink
Correspondent
Plastics News Correspondent
  • Tweet
  • Share
  • Share
  • Email
  • More
    Reprints Print
    3d printed seat
    Oeschler

    Oechsler’s Fakuma highlight was n automotive seat with 3d printed lattice cushioning.

    Ansbach, Germany-based molder Oechsler AG diversified into additive manufacturing in 2018, reducing its dependence on automotive molding.

    In June 2020, it boosted that work when it announced cooperation with Hewlett Packard and Heidelberg, Germany-based BASF 3D Printing Solutions GmbH on using powder bed fusion (PBF) with HP's JF5200 Multi Jet Fusion (MJF) printers. This involves a fully recyclable HP 3D High Reusability polypropylene powder developed for HP by BASF and 80 percent recyclable BASF Forward AM-brand Ultrasint TPU01 thermoplastic polyurethane powder.

    It set up an additive manufacturing site, Oechsler Motion, in Ansbach-Brodswinden, Germany. The location was originally a SpeedFactory site set up and run by Oechsler in partnership with athletic shoe producer Adidas and Oechsler Taicang, China.

    Aside from HP MJF printers, Oechsler prints with Carbon 3D L1 DLS Digital Light Synthesis machines and uses EOS M920 metal laser sintering machinery, printing in excess of 1 million parts per year since 2019 on more than 150 printers.

    As a "cautious diversification strategy," opening up new customer segments beyond automotive, Oechsler CEO Claudius Kozlik called additive manufacturing one of the fastest-growing future production technologies. Oechsler claims to already hold "a global leading position in this market." Transformation to a market-driven developer and manufacturer of complex technological assemblies offers further considerable medium-term strategic potential, he said.

    Oechsler uses 3D printing for compressive lattice structures such as protective sports equipment damping or cushy recovery sport shoes.

    An Oechsler Fakuma 2021 highlight is an automotive seat with central lattice cushioning, supplemented by lattice headrest and armrest inserts. Without revealing specific details, Oechsler points to lattice structures in the Porsche "3D printed bodyform full-bucket seat," a concept from March 2020 already introduced in some 2020 and 2021 Porsche cars, with a partially exposed lattice structure design feature.

    Designed with Sachsen bei Ansbach design consultancy Steinbauer Design, a TPU lattice structure seat eliminates fabrics, springs and foam. Each seat uses combinations of different lattice sizes, thickness and forms for various degrees of cushioning.

    While lattices can be combined with rigid 3D printed parts, they can be printed as single integrated lattice/rigid parts for chairs and other applications.

    Oechsler and BASF developed "Roboskin," a sensor-free, lightweight, soft-skin lattice mechanical crash absorption buffer, using a Kuka iiwa collaborative robot end-of-arm tooling (EOAT), printed in BASF Ultrasint TPU01 on an HP 5200 MJF printer.

    Oeschler

    A 3D printed ski goggle frame and cushioning.

     

    In sporting goods, Oechsler developed single-part TPU lattice-cushioned ski goggles. At the end of November 2020, it announced lattice-cushioning production in Ansbach and Taicang for Riddell foam-free "SpeedFlex Diamond" American football helmets, following a 100-day development, despite restrictions during the COVID-19 pandemic.

    In the United States, Des Plaines, Illinois-based Riddell is no newcomer to lattice cushioning. In 2018, it announced a partnership with Redwood City, Calif.-based Carbon 3D for production of the first 3D printed football helmet elastomer lattice structure liner for SpeedFlex Precision Diamond helmets, using Carbon 3D's DLS machinery.

    Earlier this year, Carbon said it would supply parts for Super Tacks X hockey helmets made by CCM, a Canadian helmet producer based in Ville Saint-Laurent, Montreal, use DLS-printed lattice liners and are available to consumers, following initial 2020 professional player use.

    RECOMMENDED FOR YOU
    Pipe extruder fined for child labor law violation
    Letter
    to the
    Editor

    Do you have an opinion about this story? Do you have some thoughts you'd like to share with our readers? Plastics News would love to hear from you. Email your letter to Editor at [email protected]

    Most Popular
    1
    PepsiCo on a ‘multiyear journey' toward bioplastics
    2
    Solar cell film producer investing $147M in Georgia
    3
    Michigan injection molder doubling space to support growth
    4
    Biden sets US goal to replace 90% of plastics with biomaterials
    5
    Plastics recycling must do better by consumers to succeed, professor says
    SIGN UP FOR OUR FREE NEWSLETTERS
    EMAIL ADDRESS

    Please enter a valid email address.

    Please enter your email address.

    Please verify captcha.

    Please select at least one newsletter to subscribe.

    Get our newsletters

    Staying current is easy with Plastics News delivered straight to your inbox, free of charge.

    Subscribe today

    Subscribe to Plastics News

    Subscribe now
    Connect with Us
    • LinkedIn
    • Facebook
    • Twitter
    • Instagram

    Plastics News covers the business of the global plastics industry. We report news, gather data and deliver timely information that provides our readers with a competitive advantage.

    Contact Us

    1155 Gratiot Avenue
    Detroit MI 48207-2997

    Customer Service:
    877-320-1723

    Resources
    • About
    • Staff
    • Editorial Calendar
    • Media Kit
    • Data Store
    • Digital Edition
    • Custom Content
    • People
    • Contact
    • Careers
    • Sitemap
    Related Crain Publications
    • Sustainable Plastics
    • Rubber News
    • Tire Business
    • Urethanes Technology
    Legal
    • Terms and Conditions
    • Privacy Policy
    • Privacy Request
    Copyright © 1996-2023. Crain Communications, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
    • News
      • Processor News
        • Injection Molding
        • Blow Molding
        • Film & Sheet
        • Pipe/Profile/Tubing
        • Rotomolding
        • Thermoforming
        • Recycling
      • Suppliers
        • Machinery
        • Materials
        • Molds/Tooling
        • Product news
        • Design
      • More News
        • K Show
        • Mergers & Acquisitions
        • Sustainability
        • Public Policy
        • Material Insights Videos
        • Numbers that Matter
      • Digital Edition
      • End Markets
        • Automotive
        • Packaging
        • Medical
        • Consumer Products
        • Construction
      • Special Reports
        • Processor of the Year
        • Best Places to Work
        • Women Breaking the Mold
        • Rising Stars
        • Diversity
        • Most Interesting Social Media Accounts in Plastics
      • Newsletters
      • Resin pricing news
      • Videos
    • Opinion
      • The Plastics Blog
      • Kickstart
      • One Good Resin
      • Pellets and Politics
      • All Things Data
      • Viewpoint
      • From Pillar to Post
      • Perspective
      • Mailbag
      • Fake Plastic Trees
    • Shop Floor
      • Blending
      • Compounding
      • Drying
      • Injection Molding
      • Purging
      • Robotics
      • Size Reduction
      • Structural Foam
      • Tooling
      • Training
    • Events
      • K Show Livestream
      • Plastics News Events
        • Plastics News Executive Forum
        • Injection Molding & Design Expo
        • Plastics News Caps & Closures
        • Women Breaking the Mold Networking Forum
        • Plastics in Automotive
      • Industry Events
      • Injection Molding & Design Expo
      • Livestreams/Webinars
        • PN Live: Mergers and Acquisitions
      • Editorial Livestreams
        • Polymer Points Live
        • Numbers that Matter Live
        • Plastics in Politics Live
        • Sustainable Plastics Live
      • Ask the Expert
      • Plastics News Events Library
        • Plastics Caps & Closures Library
        • Plastics in Healthcare Library
        • Women Breaking the Mold Networking Forum Library
      • Processor of the Year submissions
    • Rankings & Data
      • Injection Molders
      • Blow Molders
      • Film Sheet
      • Thermoformers
      • Pipe Profile Tubing
      • Rotomolders
      • Mold/Toolmakers
      • LSR Processors
      • Recyclers
      • Compounders - List
      • Association - List
      • Plastic Lumber - List
      • All
    • Directory
    • Resin Prices
      • Commodity TPs
        • Historic Commodity Thermoplastics
      • High Temp TPs
        • Historic High Temp Thermoplastics
      • ETPs
        • Historic Engineering Thermoplastics
      • Thermosets
        • Historic Thermosets
      • Recycled Plastics
        • Historic Recycled Plastics
    • Custom
      • Sponsored Content
      • LS Mtron Sponsored Content
      • Conair Sponsored Content
      • KraussMaffei Sponsored Content
      • ENGEL Sponsored Content
      • White Papers
      • Classifieds
        • Place an Ad
        • Sign up for Early Classified