LedGo and Fiberneering build Spaceship

LedGo is a Dutch based company specializing in video, LED and visual effects.

Hans de Vet, ceo of LedGo, was asked by Acme, and exclusive luxury nightclub in Central Hong Kong, to build a spaceship which will be positioned over a dancefloor emitting light and visual effects. Wings, video projecting parts and illuminated rockets move rythmically to the beat of the music.

Engineering and work preparation

Initially Fiberneering was asked to 3d-print the complete spaceship and all parts. However, in order to assess the most pragmatic and economically efficient production methods for the seperate parts the LedGo team the Fiberneering engineers analysed each seperate part and determined per part the most appropriate and cost-effective manufacturing method. When components are flat or consisting of straight profiles working with plate material and extrusion profiles is often the most sensible method and 3d-printing doesn’t offer much added value here. However, when producing complex geometry, especially when combined with integrated components, conventional manufacturing methods could easily result in costly engineering projects, means of production and long lead-times. By using aditive manufacturing techniques for complex geometry the time to a functional product is vastly reduced while reducing engineering costs and lead-time.

Assembly of large 3d-printed parts

Some of the components are 2 meters long by 1.5m wide. Considering are current machines can print 50x50x100cm we assemble larger parts, using the same resin used to print the parts. This guarantees a sturdy connection and a construction consisting entirely of our FRP3D resin, making it it very easy to finish and compatible with various coatings or fiber reinforcement. This method enables us to efficiently make objects up to 4 meters long.

Fiber reinforced 3d-prints

Due to the weight of the spaceship, heavy electronical components and the resulting mechanical loads on the 3d-printed parts adding to the fact the entire assembly hangs over a crowded dance floor safety is obviously a critical factor during production. Because of the factor all components are reinforced with multiple layers of glass fiber, a technique Fiberneering initially formulated and developed their specific resin for (a proper adhesion between resin and fibre) the structural integrity is guaranteed.

Integration of electronic components

When using conventional production methods all cable trays, ducting and housings for electronics components would be manually bonded, bolted or welded to the construction. When using additive manufacturing all these features can simply be 3d-printed as part of the construction without considerably adding to production time and completely eliminating time for assembly.

 

Fewer components result in more reliable products

Integrating and eliminating components by considering these as 3d parts as well in an early stage in the design/engineering phase can vastly reduce assembly steps , costs and risk of failure. By using our FRP-3D resins and smart topology optimisation skills we can greatly reduce the weight as well.