Learnings

Outcomes

1.                   3D printed ASA + carbon fibre composite has a tensile strength ranging between 36-49 MPa whilst extruded ASA (with no carbon fibre) ranges circa 30-70 MPa. This informs us that the 3D printed approach, even with carbon fibre does not improve the mechanical performance of the polymer in an extruded form.

2.                   The parties concluded that an extrusion method may be more economical.

Lessons Learnt

These are the lessons learnt thus far in the project. 

From Stage 1, the project covered requirements capture. It should be noted that mechanical, chemical, and operational requirements should be shared with suppliers, and explained as necessary especially if they are not familiar with our industry. 

Also, accelerated ageing conditions should be explicitly discussed and agreed beforehand to actually understand the total time required. Whilst not an exact proxy, our work on the APPEAL project suggests that 24 months of simulated aging is the equivalent of 20 years real-life aging. Whilst only an indicator, this was not factored into the project timelines.

From Stage 2, the project covered literature/market review. It should be noted that options outside the EU/US should be considered. Our supplier came across a novel solution called the ‘Eco-Pole’ from South Africa that used a bamboo core held together in a poly urethane foam material and held within a HDPE coating.

From Stage 3, a review of potential materials, processes and down selection was done. The project learnt that we could quickly eliminate candidates based on chemical resistance, followed by cost. In terms of mechanical strength, polymers did not vary as much as they did in the former two categories. The project also learnt that there is a large variation in costs for 3D printing processes. It should be noted that large format printers can cost substantially more than small or medium format printers. It should also be noted that additive methods that apply the polymer on a 3D surface (such as a rotating mandrel or 3D support structure) as opposed to a 2D surface are much more complex (for hardware and software) and therefore costlier to implement. It was with this knowledge that the project steered towards smaller modular designed which comes at a lower cost to manufacture. This decision was informed by the desire to leverage existing printer technology, to greatly reduce the costs of scaling up to larger scale network deployment.