GKN Driveline Florence replaces production processes with 3-D printing

GKN Driveline Florence has announced it is expanding the deployment of Stratasys 3-D printing across the manufacturing floor to replace several traditional production processes.

The division has reported a reduction of almost 70 percent in lead times when 3-D printing customized, complex assembly tools in place of traditional plastic and several low-loaded metal tools. This allows the plant to quickly undergo feasibility analysis of the tools and deploy them on the factory floor faster, accelerating the entire production schedule.

The team also is 3-D printing replacement parts for manufacturing equipment, on demand, saving the time it would normally take to receive the part from the supplier.

GKN Driveline services more than 90 percent of the world’s car manufacturers with its automotive driveline systems, including Fiat Chrysler Automobiles Group, Maserati, and Ferrari.

“As we continue to design parts specifically for additive manufacturing, we are finding more and more applications that are delivering value,” said Carlo Cavallini, GKN lead process engineer and team leader at the Florence plant. “In the future, I believe that FDM 3-D printing will become an integral part of our entire tool development cycle and help us further improve business performance.”