The additive manufacturing is integrated into more and more sectors, it is no longer a secret for anyone. This includes more traditional manufacturing industries, where additive manufacturing is more adopted as a complementary technology to produce lighter yet strong parts. This is at least the case for Société Parisse, a French company based in Bourgogne-Franche-Comté, which has adopted industrial 3D printing thanks to a collaboration with INTAMSYS and CADvision.
Société Parisse was founded in 1981 and is based in 58, in Donzy – the street where it is located bears the name of the founder, Gérard Parisse. It specializes in precision mechanics, in particular the creation of special machines and assembly control. The teams are renowned for their know-how and high production quality. The company operates in various sectors, including Formula 1 and motorsport, professional cycling, the pharmaceutical industry and even the aerospace sector, notably supplying parts for the Ariane rocket.
A 3D printed part with high performance materials
Société Parisse has been using traditional processes for a long time. In its premises the company has 4 machining centers (3,4, and 5 axes), 4 CNC lathes (3 and 4 axes), including a bi-spindle, 2 wire EDM machines EDM (Electro Discharge Machining), a flat rectifier, a cylindrical rectifier, conventional turning and milling, a metrology control laboratory, a laser engraver and a design office. Today, they have also decided to embark on industrial 3D printing, responding to the growing demand of their customers, who are both French and international.
3D printing with high performance polymers for lightweight production parts
But why did Société Parisse turn to additive manufacturing? And how did the company adopt this technology? First, she needed lighter parts. More precisely, according to Laurent Parisse, director and owner of the company which bought it from his father Gérard Parisse in 2003, they wanted to lighten the parts, more particularly those which could no longer be manufactured by machining due to their weight. Additive manufacturing allowed greater freedom of form and design. However, the company knew that it had to retain the original properties of the metal parts even when switching to 3D printing. To achieve this, she turned to INTAMSYS and CADvision, a reseller of additive manufacturing solutions with more than 15 years of experience, also based in France.
A piece made by the Parisse company with the FUNMAT Pro 610HT 3D printer
Société Parisse was looking for a printer with an open material system that could help them produce high-quality 3D printed parts. After carrying out independent research, CADvision advised them to opt for the solution FUNMAT PRO 610 HT from INTAMSYS. This FFF machine is known for its open system and compatibility with high performance materials; the company claims it was the answer to at least 99% of its concerns when adopting 3D printing. And this, thanks to a number of characteristics that were particularly important for their work. She cites in particular the chamber capable of reaching 300˚C, ideal for printing with high performance polymers like PEEK and PEKK, as well as the extruders that can reach 500°C with an all-metal hot nozzle. In addition, she mentions the large build volume of 610 x 508 x 508 mm which allows either the creation of very large parts or multiple small parts for low volume production.
High-performance polymers have been key to Société Parisse’s adoption of 3D printing. These “super polymers” include materials like PEEK (polyether ether ketone) and ULTEM, renowned for their ability to replace certain metals thanks to their great strength and rigidity and their high resistance to heat. Additionally, they are also chemical and corrosion resistant making them useful in even the most extreme environments, while being much lighter. Although the company has used high-performance plastics before, this is the first time it has 3D printed them, taking advantage of the many benefits of additive manufacturing.
On the left, a frame designed by the design team and printed on the FUNMAT PRO 610 HT seen on the right
How did Société Parisse use the INTAMSYS FUNMAT PRO 610HT?
Société Parisse has adopted additive manufacturing for prototyping which is often costly and inefficient with CNC machining. It has also employed it for end-use parts, notably for the production of spare parts, but also for direct use in the aeronautical, railway and pharmaceutical industries. An example part is a frame, used as a remote control to test a train car. Normally, it is made up of 17 different parts; thanks to additive manufacturing, the frame was designed in one single piece.
About the choice of the FUNMAT PRO 610 HT 3D printer, Laurent Parisse concludes: “ For us, all indicators were green: price, room size, features, etc. We are always on the lookout for new innovations and we avoid the mainstream, and with INTAMSYS we have succeeded. » You can find out more by clicking on the link HERE or watch the video below:
*Credits of all photos: Société Parisse