Empowering All, from Experts to Everyone:
Cutting Feasibility & Costing time by 50% whilst increasing Accuracy by 25% and beyond

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Introduction:

ZF is a global technology company supplying systems for passenger cars, commercial vehicles,and industrial technology, enabling the next generation of mobility. ZF allows vehicles to see, think and act. In the four technology domains of Vehicle Motion Control, Integrated Safety, Automated Driving, and Electric Mobility, ZF offers comprehensive product and software solutions for established vehicle manufacturers and newly emerging transport and mobility service providers. ZF electrifies a wide range of vehicle types. With its products, the company contributes to reducing emissions, protecting the climate, and enhancing safe mobility.

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Additive Manufacturing at ZF:

In an era marked by rapid technological evolution, ZF s investment in Additive Manufacturing(AM) underscores its commitment to staying at the forefront of innovation and manufacturing efficiency. AM offers significant advantages, including reduced lead times for rapid prototyping, tooling, and end-use parts, enabling ZF to swiftly respond to market demands. Additionally, AM facilitates the creation of complex geometries for high-performance designs, while also driving cost reductions and enhancing supply chain flexibility. Moreover, AM aligns with ZF's commitment to sustainability by optimizing material usage and minimizing waste.

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ZF Friedrichshafen AG's Additive Manufacturing Production Hubs:

ZF 's Additive Manufacturing Production Hubs, located in Friedrichshafen and Pilsen, are dedicated to harnessing cutting-edge techniques for printing high-quality components across various applications. While the Friedrichshafen facility specializes in plastic component printing utilizing techniques like selective laser sintering (SLS), stereolithography (SLA), and fused deposition modeling(FDM), the Pilsen hub focuses on metal component production through selective laser melting (SLM), ensuring top-notch quality components for ZF Friedrichshafen AG's diverse needs.

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The Challenge:

ZF 's conventional part request to design to production process, though meticulous,encountered some limitations that impeded efficiency and productivity:

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Old Process:

1. Request for Quotation (RFQ): Customers submitted RFQs (Request for Quotation) via email(MS Outlook) to the respective point of contact at the relevant ZF Friedrichshafen AG production hub.
2. Part Design Collaboration: Different departments such as product development, product pre-development, and design, collaborated on the CAD analysis.
3. CAD File Analysis: Employees manually analysed CAD files for manufacturability and overall feasibility in terms of costs and design, often relying on their expertise and various expensive CAD software.
4. Feedback and Corrections for better feasibility: Iterative communication between departments and customers for design/volume/manufacturing technology changes, occurred when needed.
5. Quotation Creation: After the successful completion of production analysis, quotes were manually generated using calculation tools like Excel.
6. SAP Entry: These quotes were then manually entered into the SAP system, consuming additional time, and resources.
7. Sending the Quote: Once updated, quotes were sent to customers via email and when approved the production process would initiate.

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Disadvantages of the old process:

1. Fragmented Software Usage: The necessity to switch between multiple software tools introduced inefficiencies and potential errors at each transition point. These media breaks between software systems and different departments increased the likelihood of data discrepancies and misalignments, amplifying the complexity of the workflow.‍
2. Bottleneck Expertise: Heavy reliance on expert analysis introduced bottlenecks and potential delays, as expertise was required at various stages of the process especially with design optimization, finding best suited production options, etc. This also made the overall process expensive for the company as expert time was utilized for manual and time-consuming tasks.
3. Extended Lead Times: The iterative nature of the process, compounded by manual data transfers and coordination efforts, resulted in prolonged lead times for the whole process from submitting a part request to receiving a target price indication.
4. Multiple Error Sources: The transition between different software systems and personnel handovers introduced a few potential error sources, impacting ZF's ability to respond swiftly to market demands. This included:
   • CAD analysis discrepancies
   • Misunderstandings between team members
   • Export-import issues between software platforms
   • Typing errors during manual data transfers
   • Suboptimal process choices due to limited production analysis
   • Incorrect quote prices due to missed optimization opportunities.

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Implementation of the 3D Spark Platform:

To address these challenges, ZF implemented the 3D Spark platform, which not only streamlined and automated individual tasks but also provided a cohesive and integrated solution for the entire part order processing workflow.

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New Process-

1. Request for Quotation (RFQ): Customers submit RFQs via email to the respective point of contact at the relevant ZF production hub.
2. CAD File Analysis with 3D Spark: Users upload 2D or 3D files to the 3D Spark platform,instantly gaining insights into design suitability, manufacturability, optimization possibilities, feasibility, costs, and CO2 footprint per production option.
3. Instant Quotation: Within the platform, users can then generate and send quotes based on the analysis and pre-set parameters.
4. SAP Entry: The quote is then uploaded into the SAP system which will also be automated via API integration.  

By consolidating disparate processes into a unified platform, 3D Spark guided platform users through the entire development process and offered regular price and design optimizations. The analysis directly answered questions regarding feasibility, improvement potential, and costs based on the chosen manufacturing process. This allowed designers to optimize the design for the selected production method right from the start minimizing the reliance on engineering experts all the time. As a result, 3D Spark not only minimized media breaks,reduced the reliance on specialized expertise, and facilitated design, but also reduced analysis efforts in the Production Hub.

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Benefits:

The implementation of the 3D Spark platform yielded the following benefits:

1. Reduced Number of Software Tools: The implementation of the 3D Spark platform reduced the number of software tools needed for part order processing, simplifying the workflow, and minimizing the risk of errors while reducing resource overhead associated with software transitions.
2. Reduced Reliance on Expertise and administrative burden: The integration of the 3DSpark platform minimized the reliance on expert analysis at different process stages while automating administrative tasks within the Production Hub. This streamlined approach reduced bottlenecks, delays, and lightened the administrative load, resulting in smoother operations and faster order processing times. Consequently, valuable time and resources were freed up for essential tasks, enhancing overall productivity and boosting employee satisfaction.
3. Reduced Lead Times: The implementation of 3D Spark resulted in a notable reduction inlead time from part request submission to receiving target price indications to sending out quotes. This accelerated workflow improved responsiveness and customer satisfaction while enabling faster time-to-market for ZF 's products.
4. Reduced Error Sources: By centralizing the part order process within the 3D Spark platform, ZF Friedrichshafen AG minimized error sources associated with manual data transfers, coordination efforts and other human error factors. This reduction in errors improved the customer satisfaction levels.
5. Enhanced Production Analysis and Optimization: By being able to analyse multiple production options, optimize for cost, and lead time, the platform facilitated informed decision-making, resulting in enhanced operational efficiency.

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Real-world use case- ValveBlock:

One of theparts that was processed by ZF via the new process using 3D Spark was: thevalve block. Leveraging 3D Spark, ZF Friedrichshafen AG streamlined the design,analysis, and production process of the valve block.

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Results:

By streamlining and automating manual processes, ZF has achieved a notable reduction in the average part order processing workflow time, significantly enhancing operational efficiency and productivity.

Compared the previous quick and high-level calculations, the new process with 3D Spark is saving at least 50% of time.

At the same time, the provided analysis results by 3D Spark led to an increase inaccuracy & trustworthiness by at least 25% regarding manufacturability checks, cost, and print-time estimation.

Accurate and trust worthy analysis results are especially important for highly complex technologies such as metal multi-laser LPBF. ZF and 3D Spark are working together on reaching 100% reliable manufacturability checks and -+5%accuracy in cost calculation with one click.

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Conclusion:

ZF 's adoption of the 3D Spark platform, demonstrated through the valve block use case, highlights its dedication to innovation and excellence in additive manufacturing. By successfully tackling the challenges of their previous part order process, ZF has streamlined operations, boosted overall productivity, and enhanced customer satisfaction. As the company continues to lead advancements in automotive technology, the effective integration of the 3D Spark platform highlights its commitment to delivering superior quality and service to its customers.

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Statements from ZF:

“Requesting a part via 3D Spark is intuitive and efficient. What's more, this self-service is designed for everyone, not just experts in additive manufacturing technologies, making these cutting-edge tools accessible to all ZF employees.”
Dr. Ignacio Lobo-Casanova, Head of SMART Lightweight Process Technologies, ZF

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“We need to give the power to the people to understand cost and manufacturability of their parts without bugging experts and wasting their time and this is what 3D Spark is helping us to do.”
Marcel Ahlbrand, Advanced Development Chassis Components, ZF

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