UNIQUE

LAB.

The bike study shows that the new Nylon 12CF material - manufactured on the Stratasys F900 - offers enormous possibilities to print a bike frame out of one piece.

For engineers and industrial designers, 3D print is increasingly becoming the focus of attention with regard to production-ready components and reduced production processes. 3D printing is one of the main drivers for industry 4.0. and the individualization of products.  Alphacam and SLOGDESIGN have joined forces for a bike project to showcase how far 3D printing and the new carbon fiber reinforced 12CF material is already developed.

 

The 12CF Hardtail Mountainbike Study presented at the formnext fair in Frankfurt on November 13 to 16, 2018 is the result of the following process: 3D scan of the riders body measurements.  The riding characteristics are defined in the configuration program.  Based on this information, a software generates the individual bike geometry.  Bike designs, the equipment and the riding style can be selected.  In our presented bike, the Pinion Bike gearbox is perfectly integrated.  In the envisioned configurator, you can also choose from a Bosch, Brose or Shimano electric drive.  The frame is then adjusted in the bottom bracket area according to the mounting points.  The next step in the production process is the 3D print and the assembly of the bike with the components. Ready to ride the mountain.

 

In general, 3D printing offers enormous advantages in the individualization of products such as frames, saddles, handlebars to achieve perfect ergonomics.  The 3D print allows freedom in design and geometry layout.  Another advantage is the integration of functions into the components.  Brake and shift cables clipped into the frame as well as the integrated saddle clamp of the gas spring seat are easy to realize with 3D printing and are already realized in the 12CF Bike.  The cross sections of the main frame are lightweight, with a closed outer surface and a honeycomb structure inside.  The relief-like print surface has a perfect technical appearance and is deliberately shown without a surface finish.

 




Design and adaptation specifications.

The frame needs to provide maximum variability in geometry design and adaptation to the individual.  The ergonomics of the frame can be perfectly adjusted by specific parameters in the 3D CAD model.

 

Special features of the frame geometry.

The top and bottom tube runs almost parallel to the head tube to create an adhesive plug-in connection for larger frames.  The frame is then printed in two parts and bonded with high-strength two-component adhesive.

 

Height-adjustable seat tube is fixed with a saddle clamp integrated in the frame.  The shift and brake cables are clipped into the frame at the down tube. The Pinion gearbox is integrated homogeneously into the frame.  The 3D CAD data model is designed in such a way that a Bosch, Brose or Shimano electric drive can also be installed as a modular system.  The frame geometry is then adapted to the mounting points in the bottom bracket area.