The future belongs to high-tech materials such as fibre-reinforced plastics because they are light and yet extremely robust. Processing them is cost-intensive though. That is where 9T Labs comes in. This firm is revolutionising conventional processes with a new kind of procedure.
Image: 9T Labs
Fibre-reinforced plastics combine optimal stability with low weight. However, depending on the application, production times can be long and the proportion of manual work high, which drives up costs. The desire to solve this dilemma is what motivated three individuals to found the firm 9T Labs, a start-up based in Zurich’s Limmat Valley.
The firm specialises in the production of structurally complex parts from continuous fibres and thermoplastic materials – i.e. materials that can be reshaped after the manufacturing process. This allows low weight to be combined with the excellent mechanical properties of fibres. In manufacturing, 9T Labs combines conventional processes with 3D printing: When a component is being made, high-performance materials like carbon fibres are only used for printing where the element needs to be stable and structurally shapeable; everything else is added using a different synthetic material – in a casting procedure, for instance. The advantage of this combination of procedures is that 3D printing, which is slower, is only used when absolute precision and resilience are required. The majority of the element is produced using the faster procedure.
The advantages of the procedure are obvious: Similar products on the market are made of metal. Thanks to hybrid technology, 9T Labs uses lighter material and less of it, leading to a weight reduction of at least 50 percent. At the same time, the fact that the products are cheaper and have a smaller carbon footprint increases their appeal. Weight reduction is a key factor for applications in the automotive, aviation and sports equipment industries in particular, but is also becoming increasingly attractive to the luxury goods market.
In 2022, 1000 watch cases for renowned watch manufacturer Oris were produced at 9T Labs; bicycle parts such as pedal cranks and derailleurs are to follow in 2023, then medical devices and door hinges for aviation in the subsequent years. These are the first steps towards mass production. Hybrid technology looks set to achieve the things that 3D printing on its own cannot. This is aided by end-to-end digitalisation and the firm’s own database, which stores information on products and processes and will provide a source of established good practice going forward. As a new industry standard, it would indeed give 9T Labs a clear first-mover advantage. That is a major goal for this fast-growing and multi-award-winning firm, founded in 2018.
Innovation and know-how are one thing, experience and feedback are another: “Innovation is often impeded not by a shortage of capital, but by a lack of feedback from experts and customers,” Yannick Willemin, Director of Business Development, is convinced. “Intelligent initial feedback is worth more than immediate success.”
Comprehensive and further information on the subject can be found in the article 3D printing of composites and multi-materials.
