Baby carriages that use 3D printed bearings in machined wheels

In order to save enough space to transport a pram in the car, many manufacturers have equipped the trams with detachable components. For example, the wheels can be pulled out of their bearings. However, the machined metal ends of the wheels, which are inserted into the plain bearings, are lubricated. This means that lubricant can get onto the user's clothing or hands during disassembly. To eliminate that problem, Tom Krause, head of additive manufacturing, traced the bearing and printed it using the laser sintering process. The iglide i3 material, specially developed for laser sintering, is well suited to the component because the integrated solid lubricants make external lubrication unnecessary. In addition to the good sliding properties, components made of iglide i3 last up to 50 times as long as regular 3D printing materials.

With iglide i3 to the perfect (and cost-effective) spare part

It was possible to trace the bearings for the lubricated machined ends relatively quickly and to manufacture them additively with the most suitable material for this purpose. Additive manufacturing saves resources and is particularly cost-effective, as no other tools are required apart from the 3D printer and the printing material. This makes cost-effective printing possible with no minimum order quantity. In addition to simple components, 3D printing can also produce more complex components in a single process.