3D printing full scale GKN engines for head office display

Thirdway creates workspaces for the world’s leading brands and businesses. They worked on creating GKN’s new flagship office HQ in London.

Job Information

Customer Info/Context

Thirdway is a leading workplace design and build specialist. Their award-winning team delivers unique office spaces for the world's leading commercial businesses. 

Thirdway secured a prestigious contract to design and develop the 7500 sq ft in Westminster for the $10 billion Aerospace business GKN. This space is significant because it was to become GKNs worldwide headquarters. It had to cater to the needs of senior corporate teams whilst also aligning and conveying GKNs 250-year-old legacy, reputation for continuous innovation and commitment to aerospace excellence.

Above all, this commercial area needed a centrepiece to provide the wow factor to all who enter the space - a set of full scale assemblies of the flagship products developed by GKN.

Issue / Challenge

Thirdway were tasked with creating the new HQ space for GKN London, and they chose to work with 3D People on taking the idea of centrepiece models that needed to highlight GKNs engineering excellence in Aerospace and Engineering.

Design inspiration materialised from the geometry and beauty of the raw engineering components in GKN Automotive’s product lines, tied in with industrial and contemporary interiors frequently seen in hotels and restaurants. Breakout spaces were highlighted as very important to GKNs modern and inclusive working culture, and therefore the area needed to feel inspiring and show off GKNs heritage. 

3D People supported Thirdway in taking a concept through to full scale, realistic, fully-assembled models of GKN products hung in the centre of their main breakout room. These pieces were set to become the show-stopping inspirational centrepieces truly fitting for this transatlantic company.

3D People’s Solution

3D People were provided with complex CAD assemblies of the fully functional GKN products. From here, we were able to leverage our extensive expertise in taking a digital model through a process of repair and modification, ready to be 3D printed.

First, the assemblies were inspected, repaired and consolidated. As digital CAD data is converted and transformed to different file types, errors can surface. The data needs to adhere to a very specific set of rules to allow it to be 3D printed - our job is to ensure that the files you uploaded are fully checked for quality and any issues removed or modified to ensure the best possible parts are produced in our equipment. 

The assembly was consolidated to a single piece, with specific components removed or modified to ensure any thin-walled sectors or potential issue areas were avoided. The models were then hollowed internally to save on weight, which could cause issues down the line when attempting to hang them from the ceiling. 

The full-scale models that Thirdway required were larger than what could be produced with our industrial SLS equipment. We devised a solution to split the model according to the natural existing split lines on the real-world assembly and even incorporated a toleranced pin-and-hole assembly method for easy assembly after all the parts had been manufactured.

The assemblies were printed with Selective Laser Sintering (SLS) technology, retaining almost all of the amazing detail and features seen in real-world products. They were professionally painted and finished before being hung for senior members of the GKN team to enjoy.

The end result of this project was that Thirdway and GKN were able to create a modern, stylistic flagship HQ location fit for a world-renowned engineering company. 3D People were able to successfully support in manufacturing of the full-scale products that acted as the centrepiece of the main breakout room in this space. The project was delivered on time, and competitive, industry-leading prices were on offer for Thirdway.

The Business Case - Why Additive Manufacturing with 3D People?

3D People delivered a bespoke, large print project for Thirdway on time and to specification. The project requires the team to think outside the box, innovate and develop new methods of file preparation, model splitting and assembly as part of this process. At 3D People, we have the equipment and the technical expertise to support you on your next bespoke project.

1. 3D People can support you in bespoke production projects requiring both equipment & technical expertise - 3D People have the capability to manufacture thousands of components per week - indeed, we do this with hundreds of customers already. Not only this, we have experience of working with the materials we manufacture. We’ve overseen the finishing, assembly, modification and installation of standardised components within complex assemblies for multiple customers and industries. We can undertake rapid batch production, inspect parts, and supply certificates of conformity if needed.

2. 3D People can process your files, advise and develop assembly methods - We have worked hard to continue to add complementary services and finishes for our 3D printing technologies, like our industry-leading Satin Black Finish and the installation of metric threaded inserts to your components. We can develop and coordinate custom assembly methods as part of our suite of services designed to support you in getting as close as possible to the finished product.

3. 3D People can offer the most competitive pricing in the market by combining multiple 3d printing technologies and value-add services under one roof - 3D People already offer some of the most competitive pricing on the different 3d printing polymer technologies we offer. That’s before you take into consideration our bulk pricing discounts and our ability to use multiple technologies to produce the most competitive prices in the industry on your parts.

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