DQBD
leverages
Stratasys H350
3D printer torevolutionize
the cyclingsaddle

When using the H350,
we have seen costsavings across the entire
product development
process of up to £22,000
against those of injection
molding methods, as weare eliminating toolingcosts completely.”
Sebastian Hess

Case Study

CEO at DQBD

2 2Consisting of a semi-rigid, personalized 3D printed spine and athermoformed seat pad, the saddle was designed with additive
manufacturing in mind.

Based in Stuttgart, Germany, innovation driven
design & development company DQBD GmbH
specializes in the field of sport products, technicalprotection, wearable technologies, footwear, bikecomponents and light e-vehicles. As an establisheddesign partner for brands around the world,
the team at DQBD works on every step of thedevelopment process - from initial concepts to final
part production. The company credits its success,in part, to a wide range of expertise under one
roof allowing for better efficiency and innovative
solutions. To make those solutions faster and moreaccurate, the company embraces new technology
in a variety of areas, including 3D printing andgenerative design.

DocumentCaseStudyTitle HereDQBD has extensive experience in the bicycle
industry and has worked closely with leading
brands to develop innovative cycling products.
Through discussions with these partners, it wasapparent that the sport is constantly striving tooptimize the comfort and fit of the saddle for riders.
Armed with this feedback, DQBD set itself thetask of developing a personalized state-of-the-art
saddle that would literally take the riding experience
to a new dimension.
“For us, this project was about creating asaddle that encompasses comfort, support andperformance without compromise,” comments
Sebastian Hess, CEO at DQBD. “We knew thatthe only way to achieve this would be to design
a saddle that could be tailormade to each user
individually.”
However, the innovative concept was difficult
to produce accurately. In order to manufacturea saddle that is customizable to each user
individually, the team needed to be able to adjust
and manipulate the geometric structure of thesaddle’s load-bearing parts quickly and efficiently.
Yet, the level of precision and geometry needed forthe project could not be achieved with traditional
manufacturing methods. Additionally, with the plan
to produce a personalized product at scale, thehigh costs and long lead-times associated withinjection molding proved unviable.
Design flexibility and precision throughout
product development
Having previously leveraged 3D printing foroccasional projects, DQBD was aware of thetechnology’s benefits and as such, explored theoptions available that would meet the specificcriteria for its latest endeavor.
“We had always planned for AM to play a pivotal
role in the creation and eventual production of
SAM - our cycling saddle,” says Hess. “In fact, we
designed the saddle with additive manufacturing inmind.”

3 3
DQBD’s research ultimately led to discussions withStratasys, who recommended that its H350™ 3D
printer provided the design flexibility and production
quality needed to realize DQBD’s vision of acompletely customized cycling saddle that could
be produced at volume quantities.

Software mapping of pressure points and weight
distribution is used to match the geometry of thesaddle with the rider’s body to create the perfectfit, while the composition of rigid and flexible zonesof the saddle’s spine offer support and adaption
precisely where needed. This unique combination
offers more flex than other performance orientatedsaddles, translating to a higher level of comfort andless rider fatigue.
Essential for the design was a material thatoffered high ductility, high impact and high fatigue
resistance. The PA11 material of the H350 delivers
production-grade plastic parts for large volume
demands and enables a high nesting density while
maintaining part consistency.

High Yield PA11 polymer powder’s high ductility and impact
resistance allow for the production of parts that meet industry
standards and surpassed DQBD’s own expectations.

Document
Case
StudyTitle HerePowered by SAF™ technology, the H350 is part of
the H Series Production Platform of powder bed
fusion-based 3D printers and has been engineeredfor production-level throughput of end-use parts.
Ensuring high levels of accuracy and quality, the 3D
printer’s counter-rotating roller coats powder layers
onto the print bed and prints absorber fluid toimage the part layers. A passing IR lamp fuses theimaged layers over the entire span of the print bed,
providing uniform thermal conditions to ensure partconsistency for all build parts on the print tray.
“As well as delivering consistently accurate,
production-grade parts at volume quickly andaffordably, the H350 offers a unique opportunity
to personalize products in a way that cannot be
replicated with traditional methods,” comments
Hess. “We can now create a saddle that maximizes
performance on a per-rider scale while alsoenhancing comfort.”
The saddle consists of a semi-rigid, personalized
3D printed spine and a thermoformed seat pad.

Stratasys’ H350 3D printer provides the design flexibility andproduction quality needed to produce a completely customized
cycling saddle at scale.

“We put the saddle through rigorous testing
including impact strength, pressure and fatigue
resistance to ensure that it met industry standards
and our own expectations,” says Hess.
Another key consideration of the design wassustainability. The Stratasys High Yield PA11
material is a bio-based plastic made of a renewable
raw material derived from sustainably growncastor oil. The entire saddle assembly is glue-less,and at the end of the product’s life, components
can easily be separated and reintroduced intoproduction.

4Overcoming time and cost barriers
Crucially, by additively manufacturing several of
the saddle’s load-bearing parts at scale, DQBD
is also saving thousands of euros in costs andcutting lead times from months to just several days
compared to traditional molding methods.
“When using the H350, we have seen costsavings across the entire product development
process of up to £22,000 against those of injection
molding methods, as we are eliminating toolingcosts completely,” explains Hess. “We have alsoshortened our lead times to around 10 days
compared to the 3-6 months it can take withtraditional manufacturing.”
Looking ahead
As DQBD integrates additive manufacturing further
within its operations, the company hopes toleverage new opportunities from it.
“The consistency and high-quality precision of theH350 3D printer has made the idea of custom
personalization at scale a reality and allows us
to take cycling to a new level,” adds Hess. “Theprogression of AM is a never-ending revolutionarystory. As we look towards the future, we hopeto push the envelope of possibilities even further
by producing an entirely 3D printed personalizedsaddle,” he concludes.

To watch the full video of the SAM
saddle project with 3D printed SAF
technology components, click here.

•	Leveraging the Stratasys H350 3Dprinter, DQBD has seen cost savings
across the entire product development
process of up to £22,000 against thoseof injection molding methods as toolingcosts are completely eliminated.
•	The H350 3D printer, which is poweredby SAF technology, has enabled DQBD
to shorten lead times to around 10 days
compared to 3-6 months with traditional
manufacturing.
•	The Stratasys High Yield PA11 polymer
is derived from a 100 percent renewablebio-source from sustainably growncastor beans, contributing to thesustainability of the project, which was akey consideration.
•	The H350 delivers consistently accurate,
production-grade parts at volume
quickly and affordably. Additionally, theH350 offers DQBD a unique opportunity
to personalize products in a way thatcannot be replicated with traditional
methods. The design flexibility andproduction quality of SAF technology
allows the DQBD team to create asaddle that maximizes performance ona per-rider scale while also enhancing
comfort.

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Case Study

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