How Lumenium Saves 85% of Cost with 3D Printing

Lumenium is another of the pioneer customers. The company is a Virginia-based advanced engine technology company. They are also the inventor and developer of a highly innovative family of internal combustion engines (IDAR Engines).

The Lumenium Inverse Displacement Asymmetrical Rotational Engine (IDAR Engine) is a novel design for producing robust, efficient, internal combustion. Its unique engine geometry provides unparalleled power density for dramatic efficiency gains and work output from a smaller, lighter engine. Qualities include lower fuel consumption and meaningfully lower emissions through more complete combustion at lower temperatures.

Lumenium demonstrates how the connecting rod was scanned.

Working with Desktop Metal, an optimized design with self-supporting angles to reduce 3D printing time and material consumption was created. This redesigned part improved the ratio of part volume to material volume with uniform geometry and no overhanging features, meaning that the support structures are extremely light in comparison to the weight of the part. Desktop Metal explains,

“On the top and bottom of the saddle carrier, Lumenium typically machines the channels that mate onto the swing arms (also a Studio fabricated part). The Studio System delivers the ability to adjust density in certain sections of the part. We were able to increase the density of only the sections that would be machined and use closed-cell infill on the rest of the part to reduce print, debind, and sinter time, as well as the amount of material used, resulting in lower part cost.”

Working with Desktop Metal and the Studio System created a refined process that is 57% faster (3 days vs. one week) than Lumenium’s previous process of machining components from a billet of material. The saving per part came in at 85% cheaper ($148 vs $980).

Other early customers include the US Navy’s Naval Surface Warfare Center Dahlgren Division, The Technology House, Medtronic and Built-Rite Tool & Die.