6/18/2023 0 Comments Bastion bikes![]() ![]() “We generate the CAD (computer-aided design) model of what we want to print. “Our core strength is parametric modelling,” Woolcock said. In this sense 3D printing isn’t all that different to printing a digital photograph or operating a CNC milling machine – you have to have a design and the data of what you’d like to make. Step one: The dataīefore building any parts, you need the data to tell the printers what to print. So what exactly is 3D-printed metal? What processes are involved? And what are the limitations? To answer these questions, we sat down with Bastion’s co-founder and engineering director, James Woolcock. The company also produces frame components for renowned Australian custom builders such as Prova Cycles, Baum Cycles, Devlin, Mooro, and more. For the past three years, the young Australian company has relied on in-house printing capabilities.īastion uses its 3D metal printers to produce the titanium lugs that dictate the custom geometry and stiffness of its carbon tubed bicycles, and as of this year, the brand’s now producing its own forks and cockpits, too. They first used 3D-printed titanium lugs in 2015 to produce the first custom road bike of its kind and the brand continues to refine the technology today. When it comes to 3D printing metal for bicycle purposes, few have more hands-on experience than the Melbourne-based team at Bastion Cycles. And while still niche in its usage, you can add 3D printing to the list. Metal hydroforming, computer-controlled milling, and laser cutting are all now commonplace within bicycle parts manufacturing. Modern technology is continually opening the door to new ideas. ![]() The character lines along the length of the arm are reminiscent of those found in the lugs of their frames helping tie the crank back into the distinct Bastion aesthetic.Heading out the door? Read this article on the new Outside+ app available now on iOS devices for members! The asymmetric design of the crank gives the feeling of movement even when stationary. The hybrid titanium and carbon fibre spindle is a novelty in the industry, and aligns with the design philosophy of Bastion of using titanium for complex shaped and loaded parts, especially where contact is involved, and carbon fibre for simple shapes where the loads are well defined and the angles of the fibres can be aligned efficiently to carry those loads. The internal structure and wall thickness maps have been optimised over 17 design iterations and the result is a stiffness to weight ratio that is some 2.4 times a solid forged aluminium crankset and is approaching the level of the cranksets they produced for the Olympics. The people from Bastion Cycles spent months benchmarking the best in the market, building the design targets, and then determining the technology, materials and manufacturing techniques they would use to meet those targets.Īlready experienced in making cranksets for track cycling and after developing significant intellectual property, it is clear that they know how to reinforce and structure the interior of the hollow crank arms to resist the combination of torsional and bending loads for the lowest possible weight. They know that they aren’t the first ones to produce cranks, or even the first to produce 3D printed titanium cranks, so they were determined to be better, at least in the metrics they find to be the most important, like stiffness to weight ratio. All mating and bearing surfaces are precision CNC machined. The 30 mm spindle is comprised of 3D Printed titanium drive splines with a moulded carbon fibre torque tube connecting them. The design features hollow 3D Printed titanium cranks arms reinforced with Bastion’s signature internal structural lattice. Team progressed their ideas from concept paper and business proposal through to sketches and CAD (Computed-Aided Design) development. Working entirely remotely with regular design reviews done via video conferences, the Willing to make the most of every situation, they committed to planning the crankset project. During the pandemic, Melbourne went into one of the longest and strictest lockdowns in the world, and the entire staff of Bastion Cycles had to work from home for over five months. ![]()
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