Even when high standards of precision, strength and rigidity are required, small series of geometrically complex plastic parts can be economically produced using laser sinter technology. The company UK GERMANY for example, specialists in housings for professional underwater cameras, employs laser sintering for both prototyping and production of products for underwater use.
 |
| The laser sintered underwater camera housing presents itself as suitable for extreme operational conditions and with sophisticated geometry. |
The water is ice-cold, the sky steel blue and the light optimal: Jean-Luc Grossmann is in his element. The well-known expedition leader and photographer is paddling through the beautiful Arctic Ocean. In his kayak he has his Nikon 6, encapsulated in a seawater- and pressure-proof housing that he had had made some weeks previously by the German company UK GERMANY, a company specialising in the development and manufacture of camera housings for underwater photography as well as in custom manufacture.
The company has been producing aluminium housings for cameras since 1990. With the boom in digital cameras that brought about a shortening of model life spans, UK GERMANY set about looking for a suitable and competent partner for rapid prototyping. This partner was found locally in Biedenkopf, where FKM Sintertecknik is located. FKM, a medium-sized company, is one of the leading RP service companies in laser sintering. Today, all of UK GERMANY's developments are initially produced by FKM as sintered plastic prototypes before being finally produced in series in aluminium. Both companies currently produce the only ex-protected camera housing on the market for the Fuji S3 Pro. The IBEX-certificated housing is used in mines, oil rigs and chemical plant.
Polyamide instead of aluminium
 |
| FKM uses laser sintering for the e-manufacture of complex housings for underwater use. |
The underwater housing for the Nikon F6 was moulded directly in plastic for the first time for Jean-Luc Grossmann's expedition. In this particular case, FKM used laser sintering not only for prototyping but also for series production – e-manufacturing. The result was a highly complex geometrical housing made of polyamide that proved to be both water-tight and pressure-proof to a depth of five metres. In order to fulfil these extremely high requirements, the laser-sintered housing was also colour-infiltrated. For optical reasons it was also rendered black.
This case documents quite vividly the very high standards that have been attained in laser sintering. Both from the point of view of materials and processing, sophisticated and complex plastic components can be produced that are capable of withstanding the extreme requirements demanded in practice. It is no small wonder that, in the meantime, laser sintering has attracted the attention of manufacturers of components for use in optical, medical and measurement technology.
Dry and quick
 |
| FKM employs state-of-the-art technology for the production of small series of plastic components. |
FKM Sintertechnik is a leader in e-manufacturing. For many years it has been a development partner of EOS, a German plant manufacturer, and was one of the first companies to produce series of up to 1000 using laser sintering. As laser sintering requires no moulding tools, the plastic components can be produced at a very economical price. Laser sintering is a dry process and can be carried out without the need for support. CO2-lasers build up the components layer by layer from a powder material; they are then sintered. Depending on the degree of complexity, size and number of components, the process takes only a few hours. The lasers are controlled directly by the data from 3D CAD construction programmes such as ProEngineer, SolidWorks, AutoCAD etc. The most modern plants have dual-head lasers and substantial construction areas (700 x 380 x 580 mm).