Usage of Flexfill TPU 98A
in company Dureco

RUGGED BLUETOOTH BEACON STATIONARY

Filaments by Fillamentum are distributed all around the world. This time we will have a closer look at the products of company Dureco that is settled in Australia. For its project, Dureco has chosen Flexfill TPU 98A. „We have been asked to make a rugged Bluetooth beacon, which can have a long service life at the mine or construction site. Needs to be rugged and needs to be relocatable and serviceable, “explains Tomas Blaha, a General Manager in Dureco.

To achieve all that, it was necessary to have a metal body and mounting bracket. Problem with using metal enclosures for devices whose main functionality is to broadcast radio signal is that it does not work very well. That is the reason why antennas are mounted outside of metal enclosures. As the result metal body and plastic top were needed to avoid signal shielding and allow correct radio signal distribution.

Search for materials

This has become a very interesting journey. “We searched and looked at what others present as rugged, industrial beacons. Most of the time the beacon housing is made from ABS plastic and sealed to protect from elements, “says Mr. Blaha.

This is where additive manufacturing speeds up development and provides valid feedback as you are able to make prototypes quickly from different materials.

Dureco went and made a prototype from ASA plastic. Basically, this filament hast the same properties as ABS plastic, this is used to make most of injection molded products. Dureco is using FDM filaments from Fillamentum. Awesome quality and selection of different materials and colors makes it a great choice for prototyping.

“What we have found out was the problem. Using this material for this type of the product destined to be mounted in a harsh environment with potential debris flying from machinery and vehicle wheels would crack the enclosure and compromise electronics etc. in an unpredictable time frame. When we have a look at vehicle tires for example, how much abuse they can withstand…,” describes Tomas Blaha and continues, “Fillamentum has a great offering and we choose to test Flexfill TPU 98A. High resistance to impacts and cuts, relative ease of use. With good design the parts are sufficiently rigid.”

Low volume production

After assembling and water ingress testing, the testing of mechanical resilience has reached the point where there is a capability to run low volume productions with a combination of classic CNC and additive manufacturing processes.

Source: Rugged Bluetooth Beacon – Dureco

Despite ASA Extrafill is predetermined for outside usage and it better resists to UV in this case company Dureco needed a material which is used in a harsh environment where machinery and vehicle wheels could crack the enclosure and compromise the electronics. It was very important to choose material that is wear and abrasion resistant, and impact resistant. Flexfill TPU 98A perfectly meets all of the mentioned requirements.

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