Radford Motors: custom car manufacturing with 3D printing

Radford Motors: custom car manufacturing with 3D printing

Radford Motors: custom car manufacturing with 3D printing

Radford Motors: custom car manufacturing with 3D printing

Radford Motors produces small-batch, highly customized, one-of-a-kind cars. Additive manufacturing is part of the company's recipe for success – its flexibility, special materials, and tool-free manufacturing capabilities.

Radford Motors builds exclusive luxury cars with a focus on high-end craftsmanship, limited edition production, customization and performance. The company's history dates back to the original Radford Motors, a British coachbuilder founded in 1948, which built custom bodies for car manufacturers such as Bentley, Aston Martin and Austin Mini Cooper.

Challenge: small-batch, cost-effective production

Radford Motors’ first model series, consisting of just 62 units, did not allow for traditional manufacturing methods that rely on the economics of mass production. A faster and more cost-effective means of prototyping was needed than the traditional method of CNC machining foam and clay. Installing a full factory tooling kit would have involved costs and logistics that were not feasible for this highly customized, limited-run business model.

Solution: additive manufacturing

To create and produce the prototype of the Radford Lotus Type 62-2 production vehicle, the company relied on additive manufacturing, which allows for a flexible development and manufacturing process. Radford uses large-format Stratasys F770™ and Stratasys F900™ printers, which offer a spacious build volume. Thermoplastics such as carbon fiber ABS-CF10  and ASA offer the right strength-to-weight properties for tooling and production line parts.

Result: economically viable business

The combination of Stratasys 3D printing capabilities and strong, yet lightweight materials allows Radford Motors to design, iterate and build custom vehicle tools and components much faster and more economically than traditional manufacturing methods. The capabilities offered by additive manufacturing help make Radford Motors’ business model of building small, highly customized vehicles economically viable.

Radford Motors: custom car manufacturing with 3D printing
The 3D printed dashboard is covered with leather before installation.
Radford Motors: custom car manufacturing with 3D printing
ASA heating/cooling duct end-use component ready for installation under the dashboard.
Radford Motors: custom car manufacturing with 3D printing
Prototype of wheel rims made of black ASA material in the 3D printer.
Download the solution guide for manufacturing clamping devices!

Learn how additive manufacturing can bring new momentum to the fixture manufacturing process while increasing time and cost savings!

Download the 12-page 
Solution Guide in Hungarian!

New colors for the Stratasys F770 3D printer

New colors added to the Stratasys F770 3D printer material range

New colors added to the Stratasys F770 3D printer material range

Color is a fundamental means of communication, although we rarely think of it that way. From art to traffic lights, we use color in many areas of life to convey information and categorize the events and objects around us. This is one of the main reasons why the Stratasys F770 3D printer material range has been expanded with six new colors.

3D printed drilling template made of red ASA material

Color coding is also used for differentiation and communication. It can be product differentiation, safety classification, or indicating the difference between tools, to name a few. Color can quickly and clearly convey information in a process-driven manufacturing environment. It is therefore not surprising that customers are showing a high interest in colored 3D printing materials, as many use additive manufacturing for applications where color plays an important role. 

In the aerospace industry, for example, tools that need to be removed before flight are colored red. By printing these tools in red ASA, the painting phase can be skipped, allowing for faster parts availability. Similarly, 3D printing manufacturing tools in different colors provides an effective visual tool for classification and organization, eliminating the need for painting or other post-production markings. White, gray, and black are most commonly used in various stages of prototyping and engineering to quickly and clearly present the final product design.

With seven color ASA substrates, the Stratasys F770’s large work area improves efficiency in fast-paced manufacturing environments and opens up new possibilities for producing large-scale parts – whether it’s a prototype for a car fender or a component for a large appliance concept.

Stratasys F770 3D printer

It's time to think BIG!

Did you know that the Stratasys F770 is the best value FDM 3D printer with the largest heated work area on the market?

Get to know this large-format additive manufacturing equipment!

Trade in your current 3D printer for a discount!

Trade in: 3D printer credit

3D printer credit when purchasing new Stratasys equipment

Renew your 3D printer for great discounts!

Find out how much your EXISTING 3D printer is worth
when you buy a NEW STRATASYS MACHINE!

In the rapidly changing world of 3D technologies, our 3D scanners and 3D printers are faster and more efficient than ever, and the ever-expanding range of 3D printer materials supports the introduction of new applications. To stay ahead of the competition, it is essential to keep up with the latest technological developments.

To help achieve this goal, our current trade-in offer is a great starting point for any business looking to upgrade their old Stratasys 3D printer or replace their 3D printer from another brand with a new Stratasys machine.

When purchasing a new Stratasys 3D printer, VARINEX will now credit your existing 3D printer! The trade-in value offered depends on both the 3D printer you are trading in and the 3D printer you wish to purchase, based on our unique offer. 

SOME EXAMPLES OF INTERCHANGEABLE EQUIPMENT

Contact our expert colleagues to discuss how much your existing 3D printer can be included in the promotion!

FIND OUT THE CURRENT VALUE OF YOUR 3D PRINTER!

Enter your current 3D printer type to calculate your discount!

3 simple steps to the exchange process

Enter your details and the details of the 3D printer you want to replace (type, serial number, year of manufacture) on our form!

Based on the information provided, we will send you a valuation, from which you can find out how much discount you can expect.

Use the discount to get your new Stratasys 3D printer!

Which Stratasys 3D printers are eligible for the discount?

FDM technology

PolyJet technology

INTERCHANGEABLE BRANDS

Formlabs

Trade-in 3D printer exchange offer

Maximum EUR 15,000

UltiMaker

Replace your Ultimaker 3D printer!

Maximum EUR 10,000

Markforged

Trade-in 3D printer exchange offer

Maximum EUR 25,000

Trade in your 3D printer for a discount!

Buy your new 3D printer at a discount by replacing your existing technology!

Industry-leading cutting-edge technology

Solve your biggest challenges with Stratasys' unmatched technology!

Premium service support

Our premium service ensures that your 3D printer operates reliably 24 hours a day.

Do you have a question?

DO YOU HAVE A QUESTION?

We understand that implementing additive manufacturing can raise many questions for your business.

We are happy to help you find your way, andour team of experts is ready to assist you!

Zoltán Fehér
Technical Director
+36 30 241 7813
feher@varinex.hu

Bence Misli
sales consultant
+36 30 321 2225
misli@varinex.hu

Stratasys F770 for 3D printing large parts

Stratasys' new F770 3D printer makes it easier to 3D print large parts

The Stratasys F770™ 3D printer has the longest fully heated build chamber on the market – measuring 1171 millimeters diagonally
The Stratasys F770™ 3D printer has the longest fully heated build chamber on the market – measuring 1171 millimeters diagonally

for manufacturers® 3D printer
The Stratasys F770™ 3D printer features the longest fully heated build chamber on the market. Measuring 1171 millimeters diagonally, it offers a spacious build volume of more than 370 liters, opening up new possibilities for industrial manufacturing, prototyping,and production-line part applications. The F770 3D printer is available to order now and is expected to ship in late June.

The F770 uses standard thermoplastics and a soluble support material. This allows for the design and 3D printing of complex internal structures with minimal rework. In addition, the integrated GrabCAD Print™ software allows for 3D printing directly from CAD files, even for large, complex parts. The device can also be connected to enterprise management systems via the MTConnect standard and the GrabCAD Software Development Kit. The mobile device monitoring system and built-in camera enable 24/7 remote operation. It provides up to 140 hours of unattended printing, 7 days a week, without changing materials.

3D printing of large parts in-house

Luxury appliance manufacturer Sub-Zero Group uses the F770 3D printer to produce parts that were previously too large to make in-house
Luxury appliance manufacturer Sub-Zero Group uses the F770 3D printer to produce parts that were previously too large to make in-house

Sub-Zero Group Inc., a luxury appliance manufacturer in the US, was one of the beta testers of the F770. Doug Steindl, head of the company’s development lab, said the 3D printer helps it keep larger parts in-house, saving 30 to 40 percent. “Our 3D printing lab is faced with building a new product every six weeks. The faster we can get things done, the better! And the fastest way to do that is to keep as much of the work in-house as possible. The F770 fits that need.”

The F770 helps manufacturers eliminate the high cost and long lead times of traditional machining, the complexity of some high-end 3D printers, and the poor quality and hidden costs of many other low-end large-format 3D printers on the market. The F770 offers the intuitive interface and ease of use of the Stratasys F123 series, in jumbo size. The system has an accuracy of better than 0.25 mm on the XY axis and a build space of 1000 x 610 x 610 mm. Its key applications include large-scale jigs and fixtures, bulky functional prototypes such as vehicle panels, and large print trays full of small-scale production line parts. 

Time to think big

“It’s time to think big,” said Dick Anderson, vice president of Stratasys Manufacturing. “As 3D printing becomes more common in manufacturing plants, this machine will make it possible for them to 3D print large-scale or high-volume parts. However, our experience with the world’s leading companies has taught us that quality parts are non-negotiable, and that labor productivity and capital costs are essential for competitive advantage. We built the F770 to flawlessly meet all manufacturing requirements.

The Stratasys F770 3D printer is available in ivory ASA and black ABS-M30™ base materials, and SR-30™ soluble support material.

If you are interested, you can find more information about the Stratasys F770 3D printer