Pioneering precision manufacturing with courage: BRIGHT breaks through connector technology barriers with 3D printing technology

Currently, with the deep evolution of the equipment manufacturing industry towards electrification and intelligence, the design of components is increasingly tending towards integration, miniaturization, and high precision. In this context,BRIGHT, an innovative enterprise in the German equipment inspection industry, has provided a solution for advanced automotive manufacturers' high-precision connector processing problems with the help of Mofang Precision's surface projection micro stereolithography (P μ SL) technology.This case not only reflects BRIGHT's forward-looking vision and innovative courage, but also demonstrates the continuously improving technological strength and intelligent contribution of Chinese precision manufacturing enterprises in the global industrial chain.

01 Face difficulties head-on and confront the challenges of precision manufacturing

As a cross industry technology solution provider, BRIGHT has a professional team of over 100 people, with a wide range of business covering important fields such as the automotive industry, aerospace, and railway technology.

In 2024, Peter Hautke, General Manager of Sales and Operations for BRIGHT's Electronic and Electrical Division, will lead the development and manufacturing of the new generation of vehicle control unit testing equipment. As the intelligent nerve center of modern automobiles, the vehicle control unit mainly manages key functions such as engine ignition and fuel injection, automatic air conditioning control, safety systems, and advanced driving assistance systems. These highly integrated devices continuously receive signals from various sensors and precisely drive the operation of actuators - any small deviation can have a serious impact on the entire system.

The core challenge of this project is to develop a Y-shaped adapter cable for connecting control units and measuring equipment.The key component is the internal connector board, which needs to integrate about 100 pins and has extremely strict requirements for shape and position tolerances, which must be controlled within ± 20 μ mFaced with such precise manufacturing requirements, traditional injection molding processes or ordinary 3D printing technology are unable to meet the demands. Especially under the premise of ensuring accuracy,Stable production of small batch products with a total of 18 models and 150 pieces per batchProposed stability and consistency in manufacturing processesvery bigChallenge.

02 Technological breakthrough, innovative path for micrometer level connectors

Faced with this technological challenge, BRIGHT has chosen to establish a partnership with AM Pioneers, a German provider of 3D scanning services, engineering, and manufacturing solutions. As a distributor of printing systems,AM Pioneers has decided to adopt Mofang Precision microArch ® The S240 3D printing equipment has an optical precision of 10 µ m and a molding size of 100 × 100 × 75 mm ³Not only is it suitable for prototype development of microdevices, but it can also meet the requirements for serial production of final quality.

Frederik Nu ß baumer, Sales Director of AM Pioneers, commented that the S240 equipment combines high accuracy, precision, and critical process stability for this project. We are confident that the printing tolerance of the connector board can be stably controlled within the required range of 20 µ m through this device. The products prepared by this device have excellent mechanical strength, dimensional stability, and detail restoration ability, providing reliable manufacturing support for the project.

03 Achievement verification, significant advantages of small batch production

BRIGHT and AM Pioneers successfully passed the customer's verification and won the project order with their connector samples that met the technical requirements. Compared with traditional injection molding solutions, the Mofang micro nano 3D printing solution adopted this time demonstrates the following key advantages:

• Significantly reduce initial investment costs:This technology eliminates the high cost of injection mold development and is particularly suitable for small batch, multi type production modes, effectively avoiding the risk of large-scale mold investment.

• Significantly shorten the product development cycle and have high flexibility:The solution can quickly respond to design changes and iterative requirements during the development process, fundamentally accelerating the overall process from design to mass production.

• Comprehensively enhance testing security and product reliability:With high-precision manufacturing capabilities, this solution allows for more comprehensive and rigorous testing and verification of key components such as connectors, ensuring the reliability and safety of the final testing system.
  

Based on the previous success, the customer has officially approved the mass production of a total of 18 different specifications of connectors using Mofang technology, with a production capacity of 150 pieces per batch and a total delivery of 2700 components. In production, Mofang black high-performance HTL resin is selected. This material has excellent mechanical strength, stiffness, and high temperature resistance, meeting the stringent requirements for components in automotive testing environments.

04 Innovation Inspiration, Collaborative Cooperation in the Industrial Chain

The success of the BRIGHT project is an effective verification of the collaborative innovation value of the entire industry chain that Mofang adheres to. It indicates that high-precision technology cannot just stay at the level of parameter competition, and must be deeply integrated with actual industrial application scenarios. At the same time, it cannot be separated from the close cooperation of upstream and downstream enterprises in the industrial chain, which is the core of promoting key breakthroughs in technology.

At present, Mofang's micro nano 3D printing technology has been steadily integrated into global scientific research exploration and industrial practice through excellent process repeatability and stable molding quality, becoming a key supporting tool for innovation breakthroughs in multiple high-precision and cutting-edge fields. The development path of technology has always been full of challenges. As long as we adhere to the innovative spirit of daring to be the first, China's precision manufacturing will inevitably occupy an increasingly important position in the global industrial chain.