Additive at Scale is a manufacturing services provider, and recently used the Essentium High Speed Extrusion (HSE) 180 ST 3D printing platform and the Essentium PCTG-Z to design and manufacturer 100 pilot units for tracking assets for a multinational chemical company. The company’s engineering team used 3D Printing technology to overcome design, cost, and time constraints, delivering the asset tracking solution in 60 days for fleet management and monitoring of 18-wheeler chassis that transport chemicals.

Additive at Scale partnered with Blues Wireless to create the asset tracking solution with features such as GPS and an onboard accelerometer. The units let the end-user input data to the cloud without Wi-Fi or Bluetooth connectivity. However, the challenge was developing electronic enclosures to mount the trackers to the chassis. The enclosures require a specific form factor, custom PCB mounts, and a rugged design for outdoor installations – all of which can be costly and time-consuming when using traditional production methods.

To overcome the challenges, the engineering design team developed an electronic enclosure with an O-ring groove and seal, threaded inserts, and custom PCB mounts. It printed 100 units for its pilot phase using the HSE 180 ST 3D Printer. The team chose to use Essentium PCTG-Z for its electrostatic discharge (ESD)-safe properties, impact strength, chemical resistance, and low cost.

“Having Essentium as a strategic partner has allowed us to tap into the expertise of their material scientists and application engineers to help select the right material and process settings to meet our client’s needs,” explained Madison Jones, Director of Additive at Scale. “They also offer the best ESD-safe materials on the market, which in most cases, is ideal for electronic enclosures or assembly of electronics.”

Additive at Scale was able to complete the pilot phase quickly and efficiently. Due to the project’s success, Additive at Scale has been given official vendor status and is in the process of scaling-up production.

Essentium, Inc.
www.essentium.com