{"id":3556,"date":"2020-04-22T08:30:42","date_gmt":"2020-04-22T07:30:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.mark3d.com\/en\/?page_id=3556"},"modified":"2020-11-13T12:07:36","modified_gmt":"2020-11-13T12:07:36","slug":"oil-and-gas-company-download","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.mark3d.com\/en\/oil-and-gas-company-download\/","title":{"rendered":"Oil and Gas Company \u2013 download"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Oil and Gas Company<\/h1><\/h1><\/div>

Reducing Changeover Time and Increasing Plant Throughput with Markforged Technology<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>

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<\/i>Download Case Study<\/span><\/a><\/div>
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Challenge<\/strong><\/span><\/h2><\/div>
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The manufacturing technology group at a Canadian integrated energy services company needed to create an automated handling machine to load large glass reinforcement tape pads. This was required to significantly decrease changeover time and increase plant throughput. The tape pads weighed anywhere between 115lbs to 230lbs, and were too heavy for a person to handle. The \u2018pad handling\u2019 machine would sit over tape pad pay-off stations on the pipe reinforcement machine, with four end effectors to pick up reinforcement tape pads and place them on controlled pay-off hubs across four quadrants. <\/span>
\nThe cost needed to make the custom parts for the machine was unreasonable. \u201cThese one-off parts usually have a three- to six-week turnaround time,\u201d said Phil M, a Senior Mechanical Designer for the division. Having the machine up and running was going to increase plant throughput by 15%. The company faced a lose-lose situation \u2014 either they pay a lot of money to build the machine, or lose out on plant throughput increases.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>

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Solution<\/span><\/strong><\/h2><\/div>
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Phil and his team had heard about Markforged and realized that they could print several of their custom aluminum parts on a Markforged 3D printer. He put the business case together, showing the potential savings, and purchased a Markforged Mark Two \u2014 a desktop 3D printer capable of printing in continuous fiber. The team started printing parts for the machine, and found they could do so at a reduced cost. There are now 53 unique printed parts on the pad handling machine, including fuse covers, end effector laser sensor mounts, mechanism covers, bump stops, motor mounts, and more. Additionally, the team has replaced machine parts that broke during testing, or needed tweaking, with Markforged printed parts that they can print overnight, put back on the machine, and test the next morning. These replacement parts are integral to keeping machine development on time.<\/span>
\nThe company has utilized its Mark Two\u2019s ability to embed continuous fibers to ensure extra strength in certain parts. Phil estimates that around fifty percent of the printed parts have been reinforced with Kevlar\u00ae, HSHT fiberglass, or carbon fiber. \u201cFor shock-loaded parts, we chose Kevlar or HSHT fiberglass, and for parts we wanted to be more rigid, we chose carbon fiber,\u201d says Phil. The design team saved $27,000 CAD by replacing aluminum and sheet metal parts with 3D printed parts on the pad handling machine alone.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>

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AT A GLANCE<\/span><\/strong><\/h2><\/div>
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