Aug. 2, 2019—Swinburne University of Technology and Tradiebot Industries have partnered to bring 3D printing and augmented reality (AR) to the collision repair industry, according to a report by TCT Magazine.
The collaboration sees the application of a new in-house formulated polypropylene composite material, developed by Swinburne materials scientists, for the manufacture of replacement plastic bumper bar taps and headlight lugs.
A mobile app is being developed by Tradiebot, an Australian company, to help collision repairers perform quality control on repairs. Users will be able to scan broken plastic parts to generate a replacement or select from a library of pre-designed, 3D printable parts.
The material is compatible with automotive grade injection molded plastic and aims to reduce the number of damaged parts being sent to landfill or waste due to missing tabs and lugs. The material can be welded directly onto bumpers or headlight bases.
