Ford Sheet Metal Prototyping

To speed up prototyping ford has created a rapid process they call the ford freeform fabrication technology f3t for short.

Ford sheet metal prototyping.

Rapid prototyping for sheet metal parts posted in the technical forum. Ford engineers are developing a highly flexible first of its kind patented technology to rapidly form sheet metal parts for low volume production applicati. Ford s f3t manufacturing tech makes prototyping more rapid. Our sheet metal fabrication process unlike traditional sheet metal shops we have infinite capacity and an easy to use online quoting system ensuring on time shipment every time whether you need a single part or 500 parts.

Rapid prototyping rp techniques in the sheet metal forming industry is developed to quickly test the form and fit of new sheet metal products on a prototype basis as well as for production runs characterized by small lot sizes. See how ford does it with this short video video. For some jobs it. Sadly stamping can take up to 6 8 weeks from the time the design leaves the cad station so it s not great for prototyping.

Sheet metal fabrication is a set of manufacturing processes used to turn sheet metal stock into functional parts. This article provides an overview of some of the technologies used for rp and low volume production of sheet metal. There are several processes that fall under the umbrella of sheet metal fabrication. Ford has introduced a sheet metal process that eliminates the need for expensive dies to be machined.

The sheet metal is usually between 0 006 and 0 25 inches 0 015 and 0 635 centimeters thick. Over the last 100 years or so the ford motor company has gotten really good at stamping sheet metal parts. Their new freeform. According to ford f3t introduces a high degree of flexibility into what is otherwise a time consuming process with the ability to produce a sheet metal prototype in three days.

We would like to show you a description here but the site won t allow us. Ford calls this ford freeform fabrication technology f3t. Once fully developed the ford freeform fabrication technology f3t will allow for lower costs and ultrafast delivery times for prototypes that require sheet metal parts up to three business days versus two to six months needed with conventional methods.