CAD Technology Guide

Bicycle manufacturer Trek Bicycle Corp., Waterloo, Wis., relied on service bureaus to create physical 3D models of bicycle components. The company also prototyped tooling mockups and accessories such as shoes and helmets. It sometimes took a bureau several days and a lot of paperwork to create a model. Now the company has moved prototyping in-house and generates parts in just hours via a Connex50 3D printer from Objet Geometries Ltd., Billerica, Mass.

“The machine is clean and office friendly,” says Manager of Trek’s Prototype Development Group Mike Zeigle. “And it produces parts that rival those made with SLA in terms of quality and finish. But the biggest advantage is that the machine — unlike other technologies — can print parts and assemblies made of multiple materials, with different mechanical or physical properties, all in a single build.”

Parts produced on the Connex have fine details and a smooth and durable surface. The machine can print so-called “living hinges,” soft-touch parts, and overmolds. Printed parts closely emulate the look, feel, and function of a wide variety of end products.

Most recently, the machine played a key role in the company’s launch of its new Speed Concept 9 Series bike — a time-trial bike used in the Tour de France and Iron Man Hawaii. The frame design features aerodynamic cross sections that lower wind resistance and improve speed. Almost every part of the new design was prototyped on the Connex and then shipped from Trek in Wisconsin to a California wind-tunnel-testing facility, where sample frames were tested at wind speeds of 30 mph or more.

“The designers had several ideas for the aerodynamic features and wanted to see the impact on wind resistance,” says Zeigle. “We printed multiple parts on the Connex that the designers could snap onto the bike frame and then test in the wind tunnel.” The team even 3D-printed durable accessories such as water bottles and bento boxes to make testing conditions more realistic.

“That we could print multiple iterations quickly let us experiment more while still making the deadline,” says Zeigle.

The operator of Trek’s Connex printer, Lupe Ollarzabal, says that having the machine in-house has boosted the company’s productivity. “The Connex let us get a new product to market quicker and get a better product to market on time,” he says. “The machine, thereby, provides a win-win for us and our customers.”

Trek’s designers now find themselves prototyping a lot more frequently. “Most of the prototypes we create are things we never would have prototyped before,” says Zeigle. “When we outsourced or had to rely on our in-house milling operation, it was just too costly and time consuming to do a lot of prototyping. The Connex has also helped us significantly reduce tooling mistakes that can add weeks or months to a product launch.”