Photo courtesy Linear Mold & Engineering Linear Mold CEO & President John Tenbusch has grown his additive-subtractive manufacturing company from a two-man operation in 2003 to more than 100 today. Contract Manufacturing How a Contract Manufacturer Became a Player in Additive A leading additive-subtractive manufacturer proves the benefits of being a well-rounded service provider Kristen Golembiewski Associate Editor Linear Mold & Engineering walks the line between traditional manufacturing and additive manufacturing. They like to say they deal in Actual Manufacturing. Additive complements subtractive, or traditional manufacturing, which is how we came up with the term actual manufacturing, says Kristen Eisiminger, Marketing and Sales at Linear. Half traditional contract manufacturer, half additive manufacturing training and resource center, Linear offers a unique mix of products and services. President and CEO John Tenbusch founded the Livonia, MI, company in 2003 as a manufacturer of custom injection molds for the automotive industry. Despite the rough economy, Tenbusch, who was working in automotive product development and prototyping, saw that automotive suppliers were looking for new technologies to set themselves apart. Development actually picks up during economic downturns, Tenbusch says. I had a committed customer base who told me that if I wanted to break out on my own in prototyping, they April 2015 AdvancedManufacturing.org 113
trusted me and would follow me to my new company. A lot of people looked at me like, Are you stupid? Opening a tool shop right now? but I didn t want to give up the customers that I had. High Torque Retention Knobs Instant 5% spindle load reduction on titanium job Curtis Sampson, Shop Lead-Man, Hansen Engineering Co "High Torque retention knobs doubled our tool life.." James Lytle, Daystar Machine High Torque knobs lower runout Lee Knowlton, Northwest Machine Technologies When Linear Mold first opened as a two-man operation, the company was focused on automotive prototyping and looking for a way to take five- and six-week tool builds down to four weeks. While another company executive suggested adding additional traditional moldmaking equipment, Tenbusch proposed investing in additive as a way to both cut costs and time and set the company apart. Linear acquired its first direct metal laser sintering (DMLS) machine from EOS GmbH in 2005. I knew we were never going to get suppliers to come see us if we added EDM and CNC equipment because every other shop had it, too, he says. I knew that if we bought the additive equipment, it would be a differentiator and a reason for people to come see us. The way we see it, the more educated people are about the technology, the better off manufacturing will be as a whole. Increase Tool Life Faster Feeds and Speeds Improve Toolholder Rigidity JM Performance Products patent pending High Torque Retention Knobis the only retention knob that improves toolholder performance. To try a FREE SAMPLE or to learn how JM Performance Products High Torque Retention Knobs can improve your production, please visit: The Industry Leader In Milling Machine Optimization 1.800.322.7750 Proudly Made In Ohio PERFORMANCE PRODUCTS, INC. discover innovate solve Though automotive companies didn t have applications for additive at first, many added Linear as a vendor, allowing the company to work their way in and pitch new opportunities. Today, Linear is one of the largest privately owned 3D printing companies in North America with a workforce of more than 100. Their equipment force has expanded to include four EOS M270 3D metal printing systems, three EOS M280 3D machines, and two SLM Solutions SLM280 systems, allowing the company to produce anything from prototypes to end-use parts for several markets, including aerospace, medical, consumer, and packaging. Low-volume injection molding remains Linear s core market, and 114 AdvancedManufacturing.org April 2015
its 57,000 ft 2 (5295-m 2 ) facility also houses nine injection molding machines, 12 CNC machining centers, including machines from Makino, Haas, Hi-Net and Johnford, as well as several mills. The company specializes in low-volume production runs of 50,000 pieces or less. And though Linear mostly does prototyping and low-volume production Linear Mold CEO & President John Tenbusch saw additive manufacturing as a way to expand services and set his company apart. runs, it predicts that AM sales will surpass traditional sales by mid-2015. That s a steep growth curve compared to 2013, when AM sales comprised only 15% of the company s business. With the new attention being given to 3D printing, the demand is outrageous and we re running at full production volume, says Eisiminger. Linear is capable of molding up to 500,000 pieces per year. The company has its IOS 9001, AS9100, and ISO/TS 16949 certifications and is working to become ISO 13485 certified, which will allow for the production of medical implants and other components that go in the body. As a full-service engineering company, Linear also offers post-machining services. CNC work is done in-house, along with polishing. The company has about six finishers on staff and plans to expand its finishing services in 2015. Using finite element analysis, Linear pinpoints exactly where the cooling channels need to be placed. Cooling channels that curve, which can be a challenge for traditional manufacturing methods, are not an issue for DMLS because the machines can simply print or grow internal passages, as opposed to traditional manufacturing methods. That capability translates into significantly reduced cycle times and cost savings. We re doing smaller channels, and building the cooling lines for areas where you could not get cooling lines before, says Lou Young, director of New Business Development for Tooling and Manufacturing at Linear. There is lower capital investment with conformal cooling. You buy fewer injection molding machines, but you get higher productivity from each machine. And, you can invest in smaller cavitation molds rather than in high-cavitation molds because the cycle time in a conformally cooled mold is much less. Reducing cycle times is a top priority at Linear, and mixing traditional and additive manufacturing gives them an advan- Actual Manufacturing (AM) Having a variety of machines in-house allows for crossover between traditional and additive manufacturing as well. Using DMLS, Linear can build conformal cooling lines in injection molds with less pressure than traditional methods, lowering the risk of leakage and virtually eliminating hotspots in the molds. Integrating conformal cooling allows Linear greater flexibility in creating water lines, with better access to hard-to-reach areas (Linear can design water lines as close as 1.5 mm to the part surface). Linear can manufacture a variety of parts using additive and subtractive manufacturing techniques, and said adding AM capabilities helped grow its traditional business, too. 116 AdvancedManufacturing.org April 2015
tage in achieving that. Take the EDM machines and DMLS printers, for example. DMLS builds by layering powder on a support surface, which then must be removed once the part is complete. An EDM machine can slice off the support surface cleanly in one pass and only requires 2 mm of support stock between the part and the support shelf. In addition to saving time, this process results in a smoother cut and less waste, as the DMLS printer does not have to print additional stock that will just be discarded. Addressing the Additive Gap In addition to their contract manufacturing services, Linear also offers contracted AM services, including both staffing and contracted machinery. Through their Center of Excellence (COE) program, Linear will consign a 3D printing machine to a manufacturer, who will house the machine at their facility. Linear engineers are available for hire to service and monitor the machine. Acquiring such a machine can be costly, especially if a manufacturer does not have experience with additive manufacturing or experienced personnel. A COE is where we provide our customers with a low-risk, turn-key service that includes AM equipment, personnel, maintenance, best practices training and technical support to help them duplicate on their site what we do at Linear every day, says Bruce Colter, New Business Development Director, Additive Manufacturing at Linear. Though only a few companies are participating, Linear expects the demand to grow. Linear also offers training in the areas of rapid prototyping (including DMLS, selective laser sintering, stereolithography, and fused deposition modeling), manufacturing (including low and high-volume injection molding, tooling tryout), tooling (injection and compression molds, polyurethane foam tooling, and silicon and hybrid molds), and engineering (black box design, reverse engineering, and data translation). Manufacturers can also design custom training courses based on their needs, from software applications to design. Feature Machines of the Month Free Over Wheel Dresser and Coolant System up to a $1,170 Value Manual Over Wheel Dresser Clausing Offers A Full Range of Precision, Low-cost, High Performance Surface Grinders... Precision Manual Surface Grinders: 6" x 18" and 8" x 18" Precision Hydraulic Surface Grinders: 6" x 18" thru 16" x 40" FREE Over Wheel Dresser & Coolant Systems Exspires 5/29/2015 Manual Coolant System Purchase any Clausing Precision Grinder and get a FREE Manual Over Wheel Dresser and Manual Coolant System Clausing Precision Hydraulic and ASDlll Automatic Surface Grinders Feature... High precision cartridge type spindle is supported by 2 preloaded precision angular contact ball bearings & one NU type roller bearing The saddle rests on precision hand-scraped double V ways & the table rests on precision hand-scraped V & flat ways which are coated with TURCITE-B. Guide ways are equipped with auto lubrication to resist wear for lasting accuracy & dampening Enlarged column & base create high stability & rigidity Automatic lubrication system is supplied as standard to ensure sufficient lubrication to lead-screws & guideways Precision ASDlll Automatic Surface Grinders: 8" x 18" thru 20" x 40" Large Capacity ASDlll Automatic Surface Grinders: 24" x 48" thru 32" x 120" Call 800-323-0972 or visit www.clausing-industrial.com Celebrating A Century in the Machine Tool Business April 2015 AdvancedManufacturing.org 117
If it seems like the company is just giving away its and could, theoretically, use that knowledge to compete secrets, well, that s because it basically is. Though with Linear s contract manufacturing services. But the customers do have to pay for training and development company sees its strategy a little differently. As they courses, they re getting all of Linear s industry knowledge explain, they re just bridging the generation gap that exists between traditional manufacturing and 3D printing. Additive manufacturing scares a lot of people because they don t understand it, Eisiminger says. The way we see it, the more educated people are about the technology, the better off manufacturing will be as a whole. In 2015, Linear will begin offering what they call Research & Development Pods. Part of a 17,000-ft 2 (1579-m 2 ) expansion plan, the pods will feature 32 direct metal laser melting (DMLM) machines that customers A traditional injection mold, left, has several hotspots when compared to an injection mold built with DMLS conformal cooling technology, right. can lease with 24-hour access. Lessees can provide their own personnel or contract a Linear employee to monitor the machine. Manufacturing Engineering Career Opportunities We ve been doing additive manufacturing for a long time and there are a number of companies that have been growing, making samples and Pratt & Whitney, a world leader in the design, manufacture and service prototypes. Some of those prototypes of aircraft engines is transforming its operations and supply chain are preproduction parts and our customers are looking at them, deciding in preparation for the projected ramp up of F135 engine program and PurePower Geared Turbofan engine family whether to take them to production. Our idea was to keep offering preproduction services and then, when com- Manufacturing Engineering Qualifications and Experience Mfg Eng Generalists *(4422) 6-8+ years of strong manufacturing panies are ready to move forward with engineering experience Mfg Eng Discipline Specialists production, we d be ready to take that Preferred proficiency in at least MACHINING (4428) one: Machining, Sheet Metal on and set up machines dedicated to SHEET METAL FORMING (4426) Fabrication, Forging, Casting, their project, Tenbusch says. FORGING (4425) Welding/Joining, Coating, or The expansion will also include COATING (4430) special processing space for a new DMLM machine lab WELDING/JOINING (4427) Preferred Technical experience in engine components and training center, additional finishing CASTINGS (4451) manufacturing including machined stations, and expanded tooling and Mfg Cost Engineers (4768) components, fabrications, or airfoils. moldmaking operations including a Regional Mfg Engineering Lean and Six Sigma experience new gundrill and CNC and EDM equipment. At Linear, you have the widest Support (4432, 4433, 4434, 4435) Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering, Manufacturing Management positions (4436) Engineering, Industrial Engineering, and deepest options of any service http://www.utc.com/careers Aerospace Engineering or related technical field required. and any solution provider in North * keyword: #, see above America, Colter says. 118 AdvancedManufacturing.org April 2015