DMLS Materials - Technical Specifications

Stewart Golf design,
develop and manufacture
luxury powered golf caddies and
recently launched the F1 Lithium to the
market; a fully remote-controlled top of
the range golf trolley, retailing at £2,500.
SLS model before and after finishing
C A S E S T U D Y
It was imperative that the new design was tried and
tested before going ahead with full production and,
using our Rapid Prototyping services, they were able
to generate 3-dimensional models direct from 3D CAD
data using Selective Laser Sintering (SLS) technology.
The resulting tactile models enabled the designers
to make small design modifications along the way,
without the need to invest in unnecessary tooling
which could prove expensive and time-consuming.
During previous product development, the designers
at Stewart Golf have used both Stereolithography (SLA)
as well as SLS. However, they found that whilst SLA
can be produced to a high quality finish, the material
Furthermore, the self-supporting nature of the SLS
process enables large hollow parts to be produced.
With some clever positioning of through-holes by the
designers, our modelmakers were able to remove the
unsintered powder from inside the cavity walls. The
holes were then carefully sealed to allow a smooth
finish to be achieved. The SLS Nylon material emulated
that of the actual production material, thereby allowing
the designers to create a realistic weight for the parts,
making their testing all the more accurate. Had the
parts been produced in several pieces and later joined
together, this could have compromised both the
strength and functionality.
itself was too weak for functional testing and became “Jon Miller, Engineering Director at Stewart Golf says “As
good as 3D CAD systems are, there is nothing better than having a realistic
affected by atmospheric conditions, making them and fully functional product in your hands. The SLS models enabled the
either brittle or too flexible. However, it is possible to Stewart Golf team to discuss every feature of the product in great detail,
ranging from the overall appearance and styling of the product to the
achieve an extremely high standard of finishing with smallest of tooling details. The complete SLS prototype was also used for
SLS. Ours team of skilled modelmakers and finishers demonstration purposes at our distributors, enabling them to appreciate
the concept and performance improvements. Furthermore, the individual
can create high quality aesthetics, generating a model components along with 3D CAD data were taken to our suppliers to ensure
that is comparable to the final manufactured item. the parts could be easily manufactured without the need for expensive
tooling modifications.”
”
The resulting prototype model of the F1 Lithium Golf
Trolley not only enabled Stewart Golf to produce
photography for pre-product launch literature, but
A bargain is something you don’t need
at a price you can’t resist
the models were also robust enough to allow final
English Proverb
product testing both on and off the golf course.