Manchester Met

42 www.manchester-metrology.co.uk Sports bikes like Fireblades are challenging to ride on the road due the riding position being designed primarily for racing. This was in issue for Colin as it resulted in him having a lot of weight put on his hands. Combined with vibration and road impacts it became a regular occurrence for Colin to be left with tingling and numbness in the hands. For racing this would be tolerable but for comfortable road use, which is Colin’s primary use of the bike, this would be quite dangerous if he continued to take the effects put onto his hands when using the bike and may even have resulted in him struggling to or no longer being able to ride. Colin began to source something that would help reduce the amount of weight on his hands by utilising the shape of his motorbike. He first began producing a prototype part to prove it would be effective. Following this he began to research a way to develop something more permanent and visually appealing in comparison to the prototype. The surfaces involved are compound curves that would be very difficult to perceive and work with. After discovering the 3D printing service offered by Manchester Metrology; Colin decided that this would be the optimum solution. Colin McAndry reviewed “The part Manchester Metrology designed and printed is a permanent and much better made copy of my prototype. It works very well indeed, both as a part and as an example of how 3D additive engineering can solve what otherwise would be a very tedious and uncertain process to replicate. Manchester Metrology were prepared to help me from my first enquiry, I was grateful for their open-minded attitude to grasping what I wanted. The facilities and capabilities I have seen at Manchester Metrology appear very comprehensive and capable of meeting virtually any request large or small. “ The advanced Mark 2 3D printer is one of the latest advancements in 3D printing technology created by Markforged. The Mark Two industrial grade 3D printer uses materials that no other 3D desktop printer can, such as Carbon Fibre, Fiberglass and Kevlar. Printing a part to be flexible or strong is easy and intuitive with this industry leading piece of technology. Offering limitless possibilities, whether you are an engineer operating in aerospace, automotive, biotechnology, construction, marine or transport, or a manufacturer producing high-strength end-use parts and prototypes, the Mark 2 is unquestionably the best solution for most 3D printing requirements. Daniel Haughton of Manchester Metrology concluded “Given our need to produce a high quality and durable version of Colin’s’ prototype, we chose to use the Mark 2 3D printer by Markforged as I believed this to be the perfect solution to meet the needs of our customer. The advanced Markforged product has exceptional material capabilities and is a very reliable Colin McAndry, the owner of a 2007 Honda CBR1000RR Fireblade, is a motorbike enthusiast. He has owned the 2007 Honda CBR1000RR Fireblade for 3 years and it is one of 3 identical bikes owned by Colin. 3D PRINTING CAPABILITIES EXCEED COLIN McANDRY’S EXPECTATIONS piece of technology. Having this piece of equipment enabled me to produce the bike part with ease and precision to ensure customer satisfaction. Had I not had this piece of equipment I believe I would have struggled to fulfil Colin’s requirements.”