The Ukrainian engineering firm ZMDB “Progress” named after Academician O.H.Ivchenko has choosen the technology provided by 3DCERAM, the pioneer and world leader in 3D ceramic printing for the manufacturing of their foundry cores.
3Dceram continues the sales of its CERAMAKER ® 900 printers across the world. As part of its strategy to develop and conquer new markets, the French based team has been selected to install the first 3D printer CERAMAKER® 900 in the Ukrainian factory, ZMDB “Progress” named after Academician O.H.Ivchenko, with the aim of developing and manufacturing of complex casting cores for turbine blades.
Because the aerospace industry is constantly seeking to optimize the performance of its equipment ( satellites, measurement tools, optical instrumentation…) by ex-ploiting the properties of ceramics, 3DCERAM works in close collaboration with the big players in the aerospace sector for the design and topological optimization of parts. With this background and more production achievements of complex parts for the aeronautics sector, the French expertise company was selected by the Ukrainian company.
ZMDB “Progress” named after Academician O.H.Ivchenko is a mechanical engineering design office that develops and manufactures aircraft engines, gas turbines and combustion engines .Specialized in this field for over 70 years, it is one of the jewels of the Ukrainian industry.
In 2014, to try and solve the issues relating to the production of ceramic cores for the manufacturing of turbine blades. ZMDB “Progress” named after Academician O.H.Ivchenko undertook a market research case and chose 3DCERAM amongst three European manufacturers, because the company had their own research laboratory and production center. The team of experts exploit all aspects of the steps essential to the production for ceramic cores. 3DCERAM collaborates with IRCER ( the institute of research od ceramics) in Limoges on the development of new materials.
Since last October, the first CERAMAKER ® 900 designed and manufactured in France, has been installed in the plant of the company ZMDB “Progress” named after Academician O.H.Ivchenko, based in Zaporizhia in the south of the country. To carry out the correct implantation of its deployment, a 3DCERAM team was on site for 2 weeks for installation and ensured the smooth running of the various stages of the manufacturing process.
The purchase of the CERAMAKER® 900 is part of a collaboration with the R&D department of the factory that develops new designs of casting cores and turbine blades.
The CERAMAKER ® 900 will also allow the ZMDB “Progress” named after Academician O.H.Ivchenko teams the possibility of reducing the scrap rate on parts by more than 50%.
‘ The mission was realised within the agreed timeline with a great professionalism. Thanks to the great synergy and teamwork, ZMDB “Progress” named after Academician O.H.Ivchenko now has all the necessary equipment for the production of ceramic cores and we can adapt the technology 3DCERAM has provided us with to our parts’ explains Eduard Kondraytuk, Chef of Technology at ZMDB “Progress” named after Academician O.H.Ivchenko.
Additive Manufacturing brings a new dimension to the usual industrial process. Today designs of foundry cores are becoming more complex and to make a porous ceramic foundry core, the method consists in making the core into several pieces and then assembling them manually, in particular by gluing. In addition to saving time and increasing productivity, 3DCeram’s breakthrough and excellence technology delivers the following benefits:
• Flexibility of design,
• Quick creation of new designs,
• Better responsiveness and productivity,
• Increased profitibility,
• Maintaining the strengths of ceramics,
• Premium quality: no alteration of the quality of the realization, inherent to the ceramics.
Since the project has started, it has already been noted that the quality of ceramics printed by the CERAMAKER ® 900 is similar to the ceramics currently used by more traditional processes.
As part of this agreement 3DCERAM has developed a bespoke design process for this type of ceramic cores by 3D printing. The mission of 3DCERAM is to encourage and allow ZMDB “Progress” named after Academician O.H.Ivchenko to be autonomous and productive, as quickly as possible.
According to Richard Gaignon, co-director of 3DCeram ‘The collaboration with these renowned aeronautics actor legitimizes the excellence of our 3D ceramic printing technology. Ceramic materials are very resistant and with unusual physicochemical properties (resistance ti corrosion, electrical insulation ..) After the success of our first satellite mirrors, which are a milestone in the development of our company and represent a significant advance for the aerospace sector, the manufacturing of foundry cores for turbine blades will be a new challenge for the future of ceramic 3D printing!
