manufacturing industry, the combination of supporting wheel, additive manufacturing (3D printing) and traditional mechanical manufacturing technology is gradually changing the design and production mode of products. This paper will discuss the application of these three technologies and their relationship.

1. The role of the supporting wheel

Supporting wheel is a common part of mechanical equipment, which is mainly used to support moving or rotating objects, reduce friction and improve efficiency. They are widely used in various industrial fields, such as automobiles, aerospace, robots and so on. The design of supporting wheel needs to consider the factors such as material strength, wear resistance, corrosion resistance and operating environment.

2. Additive manufacturing (3D printing)

Additive manufacturing, also known as 3D printing, is a technology to build 3D objects by stacking materials layer by layer. Different from the traditional subtractive manufacturing, additive manufacturing can realize one-time molding of complex structures, which greatly reduces the mold cost and production cycle. In addition, 3D printing can also use a variety of materials, including plastics, metals, ceramics, etc., which provides greater flexibility for product design.

3. Traditional machinery manufacturing

Traditional mechanical manufacturing usually involves casting, forging, cutting and other processes. These methods have been developed for hundreds of years, with mature technical system and wide applicability. However, traditional manufacturing methods often face challenges when dealing with complex geometric shapes, and the production cycle is long and the cost is high.

4. Manufacture and application of supporting wheels

The supporting wheel can be manufactured by any one or a combination of the above three technologies. For example:

Traditional mechanical manufacturing: precision machining by lathes, milling machines and other equipment is suitable for mass production.

Additive manufacturing: rapid prototyping by using 3D printing technology, especially suitable for small batch customization and supporting wheels with complex structures.

Mixed manufacturing: first, use 3D printing to make complex internal structures, and then finish surface finishing through traditional machining to achieve the best performance.

5. Advantages of technology integration

Combining the manufacturing of supporting wheels with additive manufacturing and traditional mechanical manufacturing can bring the following advantages:

High degree of freedom in design: 3D printing allows designers to create complex structures that are difficult to achieve in traditional manufacturing, thus optimizing the performance of supporting wheels.

Improve production efficiency: shorten the research and development cycle through rapid prototyping of 3D printing; Traditional mechanical manufacturing ensures the high efficiency of mass production.

Cost reduction: For small batch production, 3D printing can significantly reduce the mold cost; For mass production, the cost advantage of traditional mechanical manufacturing is more obvious.

Quality control: The mixed manufacturing method can ensure the surface quality and accuracy through traditional machining while ensuring the complex structure.

6. Conclusion

The manufacturing of supporting wheels is a typical interdisciplinary field. Combining additive manufacturing and traditional mechanical manufacturing technology, we can give full play to their respective advantages and realize more efficient, flexible and high-quality product production. With the continuous progress of technology, this integrated manufacturing model will be more widely used in the future.