The Rodin Project:: thinking outside the square with 3D systems AND FUJI XEROX Rodin Cars Ltd is the brainchild of successful IT businessman, David Dicker. Based at his 1450-acre property in Canterbury, the company focusses on developing ultra fast track cars for the exclusive ‘rich and famous’ market. His state-of-the-art factory and test facility features two race tracks, robotic machinery, 3D printers, and large autoclaves for carbon fibre parts. He has eight local staff, and a further three in the UK who specialise in engine development. Mr Dicker purchased the challenging T125 track car project from Lotus, and is redeveloping and rebranding the car as the Rodin FZed. His own concept supercar, the FZero, is a lightweight, single seater track car largely made with carbon fibre, which he describes as “a cross between an F1 and a Le Mans car.” From kit car To supercars His interest in car design stemmed from owning a kit car in his early 20s. “I was intrigued by the engineering behind it, and wanted to build my own car - but that’s expensive. I spent the next 30 odd years basically making enough money to start doing it. I’ve been working on the project for probably 15 years but it’s only been in the last 18 months that I’ve had enough budget to hire the people I need, and to do it right,” he says. Doing it right includes investing in the 3D technology necessary to build the supercars. “We designed car parts that you can only make in a 3D printer. 3D printing is an integral part of our process. It’s a lot easier than using conventional machining.” Mr Dicker was careful in his choice. His initial 3D device was sourced from China and used Selective Laser Sintering (SLS) technology to melt grains of plastic into layers. However, the poor surface finish of this particular device limited its output to prototypes and concept development. Turning concepts into 3D reality Keen to output parts which could be used directly in the cars, he purchased two 3D Systems printers from Fuji Xerox New Zealand. The ProX DMP 320 mid 2016 and the ProX 800 in early 2017. The ProX 800 uses highly-efficient Stereolithography (SLA) technology, which handles large build volumes and the broadest range of materials. This means it can produce heat and moisture resistant components, as well as clear, flexible, rigid or composite parts. Known for its exceptional levels of precision and accuracy, the Rodin team use the ProX 800 to produce complex prototypes and carbon fibre moulds. The ProX DMP 320 (direct metal printer) is a metal printer designed for high precision, high throughput manufacturing. It’s optimised for critical applications requiring complex, chemically-pure titanium, stainless steel or Inconel parts. Interchangeable manufacturing modules enable quick material changes, recycling and replenishment. And pre-set build parameters, which were developed from the outcomes of nearly half-a-million builds, ensure predictable and repeatable results. While currently using the ProX DMP 320 for printing titanium parts, Mr Dicker intends to extend into printing Inconel, a nickel-chromium-based super alloy, in the future. While titanium is critical right now, he doesn’t view conventional casting as an option. “I’ve never been a big fan of titanium casting because it has to be done in a vacuum, and it’s quite a mission. Some of the parts we’ve been able to get out of the 320 are pretty impressive, you’d be hard pressed to get them with casting.” Once the volume of car production increases, Rodin will simply buy more 3D devices. 24 August 2017
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