【3D Printing Applications】L'Oréal Perfume Evolves! Ultimaker Enters the Perfume Market!
The AM Cup International Additive Manufacturing Competition is sponsored by Solvay, a professional manufacturer of specialty polymers, L'Oréal, and Ultimaker. AM Cup winners demonstrate high-performance 3D printing applications, using industrial manufacturing to create complex polymer shapes whose performance and quality exceed that of traditional injection-molded parts.The 2021 AM Cup entries address real manufacturing challenges, utilizing Ultimaker and Solvay filaments to solve problems at L'Oréal's production facilities.
Matthew Forrester, Head of Material Transformation and Recycling at L'Oréal's Packaging Science Centre, said, "If we can use 3D printing to solve problems, it will improve production capacity and supply chain flexibility."
(L'Oréal currently uses the pink mechanical pucks shown above, which are changed whenever the bottle shape changes.)
Teams of 54 engineers from 25 universities each had to design and produce parts for L'Oréal perfume production that could automatically adjust to accommodate different perfume bottle shapes. These parts, technically called pucks, must ensure bottles move efficiently, quickly, and silently on the filling line.
Previously, L'Oréal manufactured unique parts to hold each bottle shape. But whenever the production line changed bottle shapes, these parts were removed and replaced with others specific to that bottle. Could 3D printers be used to create universal parts?
Lemarié, an associate engineer at the 3D.FAB platform and a PhD student researching Segula Technologies, said, "The most challenging aspect of the pucks we developed was the self-retracting and adapting blades."
The winning puck was 3D printed. In fact, the robust base for the more complex retractable blades could only be manufactured through 3D printing. Traditional machining or injection molding could not reproduce the required precision.
Forrester said, "If it weren't broken down into several parts for printing, it would be impossible to create the pucks using traditional machining or injection molding."
The AM Cup winning design has the potential to resolve L'Oréal's production line puck changes, significantly reducing time and labor while increasing efficiency.
(The winning puck design from the University of Lyon team is black, with a red cross-section showing the self-adapting blade features.)
Developing Innovative Designs
The team went through several design changes before finalizing the winning concept. Le Boterff, team leader and research engineer at the 3d.FAB platform, said, "We initially started with an auxetic structure design with a negative Poisson's ratio, a structure used in various 3D printing applications, such as soft robotic grippers for grasping objects." Ultimately, the first approach proved unfeasible but inspired the concept of the final design, which successfully held the bottles in place.
Another challenge was noise. Each production line uses hundreds of parts, meaning noise is generated when they are all on the conveyor belt. As a secondary objective, existing or innovative solutions had to be incorporated to absorb impact between parts and prevent excessive noise levels.
Le Boterff said, "From the beginning, we treated the noise issue as a secondary objective, focusing development on the retractable blades to adapt to all bottles. Based on an optimized design, a simple yet effective noise reduction system was added."
The team went through several design changes before finalizing the winning concept. Le Boterff, team leader and research engineer at the 3d.FAB platform, said, "We initially started with an auxetic structure design with a negative Poisson's ratio, a structure used in various 3D printing applications, such as soft robotic grippers for grasping objects." Ultimately, the first approach proved unfeasible but inspired the concept of the final design, which successfully held the bottles in place.
Another challenge was noise. Each production line uses hundreds of parts, meaning noise is generated when they are all on the conveyor belt. As a secondary objective, existing or innovative solutions had to be incorporated to absorb impact between parts and prevent excessive noise levels.
Le Boterff said, "From the beginning, we treated the noise issue as a secondary objective, focusing development on the retractable blades to adapt to all bottles. Based on an optimized design, a simple yet effective noise reduction system was added."
(Ultimaker 3D printers in L'Oréal's design lab)
3D Printing at L'Oréal
L'Oréal is no stranger to the benefits that 3D printing brings to production. It even integrates more 3D printing tools in factories and some 3D printed consumer products to meet goals such as flexibility, environmental responsibility, and evolving consumer needs.
Forrester said, "We have our own 3D printing center, capable of producing tens of thousands of parts annually, accelerating time-to-market for new packaging development. Although prototyping remains the company's largest use of 3D printing, it has recently been used to produce limited-edition consumer packaging, and 3D printing is increasingly being adopted as a solution in factories. The 2021 award-winning design will be tested in the factory, aiming to replace existing solutions that combine traditional machining and 3D printing. Its performance will be evaluated, and it is expected to bring ergonomic advancements for operators and, ideally, optimize changeover times. In today's market, being able to respond quickly to changing market demands is crucial."
L'Oréal is no stranger to the benefits that 3D printing brings to production. It even integrates more 3D printing tools in factories and some 3D printed consumer products to meet goals such as flexibility, environmental responsibility, and evolving consumer needs.
Forrester said, "We have our own 3D printing center, capable of producing tens of thousands of parts annually, accelerating time-to-market for new packaging development. Although prototyping remains the company's largest use of 3D printing, it has recently been used to produce limited-edition consumer packaging, and 3D printing is increasingly being adopted as a solution in factories. The 2021 award-winning design will be tested in the factory, aiming to replace existing solutions that combine traditional machining and 3D printing. Its performance will be evaluated, and it is expected to bring ergonomic advancements for operators and, ideally, optimize changeover times. In today's market, being able to respond quickly to changing market demands is crucial."
(Miguel Calvo, Technical Director at Ultimaker, at the Ultimaker 3D Printing Production Center,
printing the winning design using Solvay's Solef PVDF filament.)
3D Printing and Materials
As an AM Cup sponsor, Ultimaker showcases the industrial manufacturing capabilities of its 3D printers. Ultimaker 3D printers are more common in factory production than among amateurs, adaptable to almost any professional application.
Due to the pandemic, Ultimaker organized the finalists' designs, which were chosen by experts at the Ultimaker 3D Printing center. The winner of the competition will receive an Ultimaker 2+ Connect. Chemical giant Solvay provides industrial specialty materials. Brian Alexander, Solvay's New Business Development Manager, said, "Solef PVDF filament is ideal for industrial applications, easy to print, and boasts high chemical and abrasion resistance."
Solvay's 3D printing filament portfolio also includes KetaSpire polyether ether ketone (PEEK) and Radel polyphenylsulfone (PPSU) filaments, including medical and carbon fiber-filled grades.
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As an AM Cup sponsor, Ultimaker showcases the industrial manufacturing capabilities of its 3D printers. Ultimaker 3D printers are more common in factory production than among amateurs, adaptable to almost any professional application.
Due to the pandemic, Ultimaker organized the finalists' designs, which were chosen by experts at the Ultimaker 3D Printing center. The winner of the competition will receive an Ultimaker 2+ Connect. Chemical giant Solvay provides industrial specialty materials. Brian Alexander, Solvay's New Business Development Manager, said, "Solef PVDF filament is ideal for industrial applications, easy to print, and boasts high chemical and abrasion resistance."
Solvay's 3D printing filament portfolio also includes KetaSpire polyether ether ketone (PEEK) and Radel polyphenylsulfone (PPSU) filaments, including medical and carbon fiber-filled grades.
Follow our fan page for the latest news:https://www.facebook.com/3dmart.com.tw/
https://www.instagram.com/3dmart/
Reference