Virtual and Physical Prototyping

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Industry case study: rapid prototype of mountain

bike frame section

Paul K. Collins, Robert Leen & Ian Gibson

To cite this article: Paul K. Collins, Robert Leen & Ian Gibson (2016) Industry case study: rapid
prototype of mountain bike frame section, Virtual and Physical Prototyping, 11:4, 295-303, DOI:
10.1080/17452759.2016.1222563

To link to this article: https://doi.org/10.1080/17452759.2016.1222563

Published online: 19 Sep 2016.

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VIRTUAL AND PHYSICAL PROTOTYPING, 2016
VOL. 11, NO. 4, 295–303
http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/17452759.2016.1222563

Industry case study: rapid prototype of mountain bike frame section

Paul K. Collins, Robert Leen and Ian Gibson
School of Engineering, Deakin University, Geelong, Australia

ABSTRACT ARTICLE HISTORY

The purpose of this study is to detail a virtual and physical prototyping process to overcome a Received 25 May 2016
design constraint in the mountain bike industry. Through a series of techniques, 3D scanning, Accepted 7 August 2016
developing detailed CAD models, then through additive manufacturing processes, a solution was
KEYWORDS
developed. The challenge in the industry is the constant geometrical changes of components; Prototype; additive
the trend has been that bike cranks are becoming narrower due to biomechanical factors and manufacturing; product
tyres are becoming wider due to rider preferences and increased grip. This change in geometry development; 3D printing;
results in metal tubes that can no longer be deformed without exceeding the minimum bend cycling
radius for the material. As such exceeding the minimum bend radius will induce early
performance failure and geometrical (aesthetic) defects. The solution is an additive
manufactured part that can be substituted into the process without disrupting the entire
conventional build process of a customised bike build.

Introduction Typical MTB chain stays that are constructed from

Product development over the last couple of decades
has experienced a significant shift in tools and tech-
niques. These tools and techniques now allow us to
design and develop almost any item and produce it in
a wide variety of materials. As such, small and medium
enterprises can now afford to use these tools just like
larger multinational corporations. The central tool to
these product development works is 3D solid modelling
computer-aided design (CAD), but that now that has
been augmented with such tools as 3D scanning and
additive manufacturing. The challenge this study
focuses on is found within the mountain bike (MTB)
industry, specifically custom steel and titanium frames
and clearance issues that exist between demand for
increasing tyre width, narrowing crank arms and shorten-
ing wheel bases. The combination of these three features
means that the MTB frame geometry needs to be signifi-
cantly altered and redesigned to ensure no clash of
components.
The specific components for this study are representa-
tive of trends that are appearing across all brands:
Schwalbe Racing Ralph (Schwalbe. Schwalbe Racing
Ralph 17 April 2016) MTB tyres that have a nominal
width of 2.5” (63.5 mm) and SRAM XX1 (SRAM. XX1 X-
SYNC Crankset 17 April 2016) cranks with a q-factor of
156 mm and 38-tooth chain ring. As shown in Figure 1,
using these components, the clearance looks generous
enough, with adequate space to locate a yoke attachment.
titanium are 25.4 mm diameter circular tubing (Ti3-2.5).
To increase vertical stiffness and optimise space the
tube is ovalised to a width of ∼19 mm. The challenge
for this particular manufacturer is that to achieve the
clearance spacing of all the components, the resulting
tube geometry exceeds the possible minimum bend
radius. It is recommended that a minimum bend radius
for titanium tubing at room temperature be between
6 and 7 times the tube diameter (Marciniak et al. 2002).
In this case that represents a minimum bend radius
(assuming a 19 mm ovalised tube) of between 114
and 133 mm without any significant degradation to
material longevity. This indicates that placement of a
yoke using conventionally bent titanium tubing would
be difficult.
Scanning
A creaform EXAscan (Creaform. HandySCAN 3D 3 March
2016) 3D scanner was used to create a complete 3D
model of a ‘Racing Ralph’ tyre mounted on a DT Swiss
MTB wheel. Due to the repeating nature of the geometry
only one-eighth of the wheel was scanned.
Due to the accuracy and size of the elements of the
EXAscan, 0.25 mm characteristic element length was
chosen. Once in Geomagic software (Geomagic, Geoma-
gic Wrap 2016) the elements were decimated and conso-
lidated to vary between 5 and 0.25 mm depending on
the features within the MTB tyre (Figure 2(a–d)).

CONTACT Paul K. Collins paul.collins@deakin.edu.au

© 2016 Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group
296 P. K. COLLINS ET AL.
Figure 1. Design envelope for MTB frame geometry.
The resulting wireframe was exported into Solidworks
(DSS Solidworks 2016). MTB is a very dynamic activity
and thus there is common flex in both wheel and tyre
geometry. It was decided that the geometry envelop in
the lateral direction would be widened by 10% and
thus the widest nominal point of the tyre will increase
up to 70 mm from the original 63.5 mm. This 10%
encompasses the tyre flex, compensation for over-
Figure 2. 3D scanning of ‘Racing Ralph’ MTB tyres clockwise a. EXAscan b. scanned elements c. & d. full wheel build combining scanned
and user-generated models.
inflation and lateral flex from the fully constructed
wheel (Figure 2(c) and 2(d)).
CAD
The CAD development was the central pillar to this study;
all the data generated from 3D scanning and existing
components were placed into a parametric assembly
model in which all the geometric features could interact
with each other. This was important due to the fact of
working with a custom bike manufacturer; since every
bike builder is different it is reasonable to assume that
there are slight variations to each bike that is built.
These variations can have the effect of changing the
frame geometry, but not externally supplied
components.
Only the tyre was 3D scanned, which was due to it
being a flexible element and the variation of up to 10%
lateral size differential needed to be captured. All other
CAD geometry was either sourced from either supplier
(SRAM. XX1 X-SYNC Crankset 17 April 2016, Works,
Paragon Machine Works 3 March 2016) or generated

from scratch, such as the bottom bracket. For quick and
easy manipulation of the model a mock wheel was devel-
oped with a hexagonal profile. This decision was done to
ease computing requirements for the industry partner.
A solid set of boundary conditions were now estab-
lished (Figure 3) in which the blank space now represents
the design area. A combination of 2D and 3D CAD tech-
niques were utilised to develop the final model. A variety
of 2D sketching techniques mainly using splines (Figure
3) were used during the ideation phase on the blank
space. By imposing rules such as minimum clearance
(10% tyre flex) between components and minimum
bend radius (6–7 times radius) using conventional tita-
nium tubes, it quickly becomes apparent that a constant
through thickness geometry is not achievable. Combin-
ing the geometrical constraints with manufacturing pro-
cesses it becomes apparent that conventional tube
deformation techniques will no longer be possible.
Thus either CNC machining or additive manufacturing
will need to be considered, as the design progresses
from 2D to 3D.
The 2D geometry was decided upon and then pro-
gressed to development of a 3D model. Interfaces of
the new component had to be considered at this stage:
. The component was to be welded to a cylindrical
bottom bracket at one end then also welded to ova-
lised titanium tubes at the other.
. The interface at the bottom bracket was decided to be
a straight profile and later machined to fit depending
on the bottom bracket size variation from suppliers.
. The interface with the existing titanium tubes was to
be either a bevel-butt or U-butt process (Boundy
2012) that would extend the full perimeter of the
tube and be ground back.
With the rise of collaborative design, data need to be
transferred efficiently and effectively between parties,
Figure 3. Design envelop with concept generation and boundary
conditions 2D view.
VIRTUAL AND PHYSICAL PROTOTYPING 297
and with proliferation of software a universal format
was needed. In this study the use of adobe 3D PDF
(PDF Consortium 17 April 2016) format was used, it
allowed ease of transportability across various platforms
and also allowed interrogation from all parties.
CNC machining versus additive manufacturing
processes
Due to the nature of design as identified in the previous
section a decision had to be made between CNC machin-
ing and additive manufacturing. A small case study was
developed with a similar component identified and com-
pared in a cost versus material versus fabrication
manner.
Paragon Machine Works (PMW) supplies a yoke
attachment for MTB rear wheels (Figure 4). It is machined
in two halves and must be welded together, at a part cost
of 477.50 AUD. The total component weight is 136 g
(68 g for each half), which is machined from a 2.25 kg
billet of material; this represents a total wastage of
94% of the base billet material. If the PMW proposed
concept was designed for the Selective Laser Melting
(SLM) AM process the materials cost including support-
ing materials would be 223.75 AUD.
With a purpose-designed SLM-friendly process
(Figure 5) two important factors have been achieved;
first a reduction in material needed and second a
reduction in support material. The redesigned com-
ponent is now 120 g as opposed to 136 g and support
material has been reduced by nearly 100%, bringing
the cost down to 193.50 AUD. The re-design considered
Figure 4. PMW CNC manufactured yoke.
298 P. K. COLLINS ET AL.
the elimination of most over-hanging edges to minimise
support material as well as removal of all CNC fixtures.
This part is intended to print in the vertical orientation,
thus allowing for five components to be printed at
once on an SLM125 thus optimising production speed.
FDM and SLM development
A fused deposition melting (FDM) process was used as an
analogous process for design optimisation before final
printing in the SLM process. Cost of printing was the
main driver with several of the printing constraints remain-
ing similar; printing happens in a layer by layer process
with support material needed for overhangs of greater
than 35 degrees (Figure 6) (Cloots et al. 2013, Brandt
et al. 2013).
A uPrint supplied by Stratasys (Stratasys. uPrint SE 17
April 2016) and SLM125 supplied by SLM Solutions
(GmbH, S. S. SLM 125 HL 17 April 2016) were used for
this study. Using the analogous process allowed for
quicker testing of the concept which had the impact
of reducing the print time from 18 h to 90 min in
the FDM process. The two areas of concern were
the central bridge and the ovalised tube interface;
initially both these features had overhangs of greater
than 35 degrees.
The initial bridge design started quite shallow then
quickly progressed to horizontal (Figure 7(a)). This
feature initially required support from the base plate
up to the underside of the bridge as well as internally
through the cylindrical section of the bridge.
To overcome this design constraint the bridge was
made into an inverted ‘V’ shape (Figure 7(b)) and a
central rib structure was placed through the cylindrical
section (Figure 7(d)). The effect of these two changes
meant the removal of supports for the central bridge
Figure 5. MTB yoke designed specifically for case study and addi-
tive manufacturing.
and also stiffened the bridge up. The area of inertia
(about the lateral cross-section axis) increased from
1437 to 1599 mm4 and thus torsional stiffness in that
area is increased by 11.3%. Lateral and torsional stiffness
are always factors considered for optimisation in the
cycling industry.
The ovalised tube interface for welding was optimised
according to two aspects: first weld surface area and
second support removal. Welding traditionally processed
materials to additive manufactured components has
rarely been done. It is a well-known phenomenon that
due to the heat-affected zone in welding of metallic
materials the area becomes more brittle than the parent
materials. The maximum surface area is required to
ensure good joint strength. The initial design (Figure 8
(a)) was a C shape with two 90-degree angles between
the new component and titanium tube, which created
the most surface area, but also generated good part
support while printing (Figure 8(b)). The two alternatives
were a 35-degree chamfer or a radius; both options
removed all printing supports however, due to
maximum surface area of weld the radius was chosen as
part of the final design.
Finite-element Analysis
Finite-element Analysis (FEA) was performed using Auto-
desk Mechanical Simulation (Simulation Mechanical,
Autodesk 2016) to virtually simulate and validate a
number of different load cases on the optimised
design with respect to the changes impacted by
support removal. The simulation involved two loading
scenarios which were set up to reflect high-impact
forces (Covill et al. 2015) that can occur in mountain
biking. A third scenario was also set up to demonstrate
the effect of a compression load.
The focus of the FEA was on validating a refined
model of the yoke. In Figure 9, the ‘original design’
yoke has a flat bridge section and no internal rib
support running through the bridge. The final model
Figure 6. Critical angles for non-supported overhang (Cloots
et al. 2013).

Figure 7. Design evolution to remove supports – clockwise (a) initial bridge design with printing supports (b). ‘inverted V’ design with
no printing supports needed (c). original bridge cross section which needed internal bridge supports. (d) Final bridge cross section with
internal rib.
iteration ‘redesigned part’ included a bridge with larger
angles and an internal rib running through the bridge.
All scenarios were set up to share common grounding
constraints, being that the topmost plane was fixed with
no degrees of freedom, that is, where it attaches to the
bottom bracket of a bike frame. The boundary conditions
were set up as follows:
. A torsion load case with forces applied in opposing
directions.
. A sideways ‘shunt’ load case, simulating high impacts
that occur when hitting irregular surfaces on banked
turns. This scenario is also common when a MTB
lands in a banked turn after a drop or jump.
. A compression load case with forces applied towards
the central axis. This load case is not typical in cycling,
however was undertaken to give a full understanding
of the stiffness behaviour around the longitudinal
central axis of the part.
Figures 9 and Table 1 show the comparative simu-
lation results numerical and as a graphical contour plot.
It was validated through the FEA results that these two
changes (increase in bridge angle and addition of an
VIRTUAL AND PHYSICAL PROTOTYPING 299
internal bridge) increased the stiffness of the part in all
three test scenarios.
Once all the design optimisations for additive manu-
facturing were incorporated into the design, a final
print on the SLM was done to ensure the part actually
performed as intended (Figure 10). The printed part as
seen in Figure 10(b) was given a very light surface
polish after removal from the printer.
Discussion
This product development challenge took place in an
industry that is far older than the new design and proto-
typing techniques that have been developed to solve the
current problem. Therefore some interesting questions
and results have been raised.
The new components have been designed and opti-
mised while looking at a variety of design and manu-
facturing techniques. While in CAD and using
additive manufacturing it is easy to design any geo-
metrical feature desired; the new design still needed
to be able to interface with conventional manufactur-
ing, such as machining, welding and tube/sheet
metal forming.
300 P. K. COLLINS ET AL.

Figure 8. Ovalised tube interface for welding. (a) Initial design with 90-degree angles and (b) final design with large radii to ensure
printing with no supports.

The resulting concept showed that it is possible to Alternatives for small to medium enterprises
design and produce cost-effective components for (SMEs)
commercial use in additive manufacturing. As shown
The technology and development tools that have been
with the above case studies, a degree of complexity
employed are not always acceptable for SMEs. This pro-
is needed to meet the minimum-manufacturing
vides a challenge whether it is cost, skills or infrastructure
threshold of deciding between CNC machining and
related. Not every SME can have a 3D scanner, CAD
additive manufacturing. Once that threshold is met
system, FDM and SLM printer on hand to design and
there is a clear financial advantage as shown with
develop such concepts. However, it may be possible,
the new design concept. As a simple substitution
using free to low-cost tools, for an SME to develop
between CNC and SLM, there was a 54% difference
such a concept.
in cost in favour of SLM. Using the re-designed com-
Photogrammetry and processing tools have been
ponent a 60% improvement is achieved. This is a sub-
developed extensively over the last few years. Two free
stantial difference; any offset in materials, labour,
tools that could be implemented are 123D Catch or
capital and profits can be accounted for within those
Autodesk Memento (Autodesk, 123D CATCH 2016,
margins. As SLM becomes a more common process,
Autodesk, Autodesk Memento 2016) that have the
it is anticipated that the comparatively high cost of
ability to capture and develop 3D models from a series
powders will reduce and these margins will increase
of photos and videos from such devices as phone
even further.
cameras and digital single-lens reflex cameras.
With effort and open design guidelines material sup-
For example, the Fuel3D scanner has a resolution of
ports for printing can be removed and in some cases
350-micron and as such is comparable to 250-micron
such as the bridge design it can even aid with increased
element size that was used with the CreaForm scanner.
torsional stiffness. Using analogous processes such as
The difference in cost between the two scanners is an
FDM allowed for quicker design development, proof of
order of magnitude, but the accuracy of the results is
concept and design validation before a longer SLM
less than 30%. Consider also that scanned an MTB tyre
process needed to be implemented. While the study
which is ∼70 mm wide and added 10% clearance factor
showed that it was possible to manufacture the part
to ensure fitment of all components. So for a lower cost
cheaper using additive manufacturing rather than CNC
alternative the loss in scanning accuracy is more than
there is still a lead time in AM that needs to be overcome.
made up with clearance factor and price considerations.
While the current design can fit a maximum of five con-
Once that 3D model has been generated it can be
cepts on a build plate it still takes longer than machining.
imported into Fusion360 (Autodesk, Fusion 360 2016)
In this instance, since this is for a bespoke custom bike
CAD software that runs a subscription model for SMEs
builder whose output is approximately five bikes per
and can be offered for free to start-up companies. As
week, the lead time is acceptable.

Table 1. FEA results.

Torsion scenario Shunt scenario Compression scenario
Max displacement (mm) Max stiffness (N/mm) Max displacement Max stiffness Max displacement Max stiffness
Original part 5.72 209 10.4 115 8.35 144
Redesigned part 2.85 421 5.2 231 3.86 311
 VIRTUAL AND PHYSICAL PROTOTYPING 301

Figure 9. FEA displacement contour plots. (a) Original part under torsion, (b) redesigned part under torsion, (c) original part under shunt
load, (d) redesigned part under shunt load, (e) original part under compression load and (f) redesigned part under compression load.

for the third process of FDM printing, a small printer can by SMEs at a lower cost base. One of the aspects that
be purchased for less than 3000 AUD, such as a Makerbot still need to be developed are outsourcing for SLM.
(Makerbot. Makerbot Replicator 17 April 2016). The first However, there are enough service bureaus that special-
four processes discussed in this study can be replicated ise in prototype manufacturing and are increasingly
302 P. K. COLLINS ET AL.
Figure 10. (a) Final CAD design with (b) final SLM printed component.
providing production parts for industry. The most impor-
tant aspect is skill development and operators, while all
the tools are available to industry, people still need to
run the tool to ensure that the best results are
developed.
Conclusion
The design challenge that has been described in this
study is not new for companies that utilise various
components from other suppliers and then design
systems where all those components interact. In this
example it was the cycling industry, which is in the
constant pursuit of ideal biomechanics, light-weight-
ing, durability and fashion. These drivers pushed a con-
ventional tube bending process beyond the material
limits and as such needed an original and new sol-
ution. As such the resulting bike may be considered
to be better performing in some way and that
Design for Additive Manufacturing techniques has
been employed.
In summary, the need for such a study was driven by
the traditional design exceeding minimum bend radius
for titanium tubing and thus the materials functional
limits. Various other solutions for this problem could be
found, but few would encapsulate the aesthetic appeal
that consumers look for in a product. Additive manufac-
turing allowed the best solution of aesthetic appeal and
functional effectiveness.
The key tools in the process:
(1) Generating a design envelop from data given by
component suppliers as well as 3D scanning
techniques.
(2) Developing a virtual design in CAD.
(3) Cost comparison analysis compared to other manu-
facturing techniques.
(4) Finite-element analysis to validate the proposed
design.
(5) Additively manufacturing the final design solution to
be incorporated into the MTB frame.
The key idea to this study is that even though the tech-
nology is available will it always be as cost effective? In this
study, additive manufacturing was shown to be the pre-
ferred manufacturing technique; printing a 3D model
that has parametric principles so that it can be adjusted
for new and developing components or different users,
which also means that it is a highly adaptable process.
The most important requirement though is to have motiv-
ated and informed users as well as skilled people within
the companies especially small to medium enterprises
to drive the technology adoption forward.
Disclosure statement
No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.
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