Twelve European companies and institutes have been working on the mobile factory 'CassaMobile' under the leadership of the Fraunhofer Institute for Manufacturing Engineering and Automation (IPA) in the EU project of the same name. The idea and concept originated at Fraunhofer IPA. The Italian word 'CassaMobile' translates as 'container'. Although the green and white container looks inconspicuous from the outside, the impression is deceptive: an intelligent mini-factory is hidden inside. It can be used to 3D print bone drilling templates for complicated bone operations, for example, which can then be reworked in a milling machine, checked for quality and packaged in sterile packaging.

Transport by truck, plug in and produce

The mobile factory offers various advantages for the manufacturing companies. Firstly, the great flexibility: the researchers have deliberately chosen the dimensions of the container so that it can just be driven along the roads without an escort to where they need it - thus saving money and protecting the environment. Once on site, they can get started immediately: The container is transported fully equipped to its destination, where it then only needs electricity, water and compressed air. As production can be carried out close to the customer, delivery times are significantly shorter. This could result in more sales: Because if the delivery takes too long, some customers may decide to buy a product that is available more quickly.

Flexibility through modular design

A look inside the 'CassaMobile': modular and intelligently networked production system in a very small space.

© Fraunhofer IPA

A wide variety of customized products can be manufactured directly on site within a very short time - after all, the researchers have deliberately designed the factory to be modular. The process chain can be flexibly modified or extended, and individual modules can also be omitted. For example, the mobile factory can be used in disaster areas after earthquakes. It produces the components that technical relief organizations urgently need directly on site - for example to restore the drinking water supply.

Production is also conceivable in areas where it would be very costly to set up a factory due to a lack of suitable buildings and the necessary infrastructure. CassaMobile' has its own complete infrastructure and could, for example, produce spare car parts in Africa, where they are in short supply.

3D printer as the centerpiece

The core module of the production system is the 3D printer, which was developed at the IPA. "We combine two materials for printing: we usually use polyamide for the component itself. The areas where we don't want to have any material later on are first filled with a support material, which we then dissolve in a solvent," explains Raphael Adamietz, project manager at the IPA. In this way, the researchers can produce three-dimensional free-form structures. The printing materials are available as a rolled-up plastic cord. This is melted and deposited in a line on the substrate. To make the surface homogeneous and the component dimensionally stable, the researchers also heat the installation space.