News

2023 - CFK qualified new material CP1 to supply 3D printed braille handrail signs to Deutsche Bahn.

Our additive manufacturing division will continue to produce and supply 3D printed braille handrail signs for German railways within a new contract. Together with our partner Schilderwerk Beutha the solution is expected to further improve the assistance of visually impaired travellers to better navigate in and around the train stations. The Laser Powder Bed Fusion (L-PBF), a 3D printing technology, enables the production of individual handrail signs with different messages including braille and lengths in one production run. In addition, the innovative Aluminium alloy Aheadd® cp1 designed and supplied by Constellium helped us to print such parts with high build rates without compromising quality, enabling cost reduction for printed parts and improving product performance.

“Our team is committed to driving the development of 3D printed solutions to not only combat supply chain challenges, but also to improve the travel experience of customers, including visually impaired people, in the rail sector.. It is important that industry experts develop user-focused 3D printing applications by creating specific solutions and materials. This boosts the end users' confidence in additive manufacturing products and will accelerate the transformation towards digital manufacturing," said Arvid Eirich from Deutsche Bahn..

CFK's additive manufacturing team has been working with Aheadd® CP1 alloy since 2021 and exploring various 3D printing aluminum applications where conventional materials have difficulties to meet the desired performance. We are keen to include the new material in our portfolio as it brings us competitive advantages in terms of product performance in several aluminum applications. Through the use of Aheadd® CP1 we are able to shift our existing 3D-printing solution for visually impaired persons to the next level. We are convinced, that this is an attractive option for other transportation operators in need of solutions for handicapped people.