3D Printing
News Videos Newsletter Contact us
Home / News / Ricoh Employs nTop and 3D Printing Continuous Factory Monitoring Camera
qidi

Ricoh Employs nTop and 3D Printing Continuous Factory Monitoring Camera

January 24, 2024

Ricoh has embarked on a journey to adapt its pocket-sized Theta 360-degree camera for 24/7 monitoring of factory production lines. Faced with the challenge of operating in environments as hot as 32 degrees Celsius, the design team has leveraged nTop’s implicit modeling software to optimize the camera’s casing.

Traditionally, the Theta camera’s main circuit board triggered an automatic shutdown to prevent overheating, jeopardizing continuous operation. To overcome this hurdle, the engineers at Ricoh strategically redesigned the casing, focusing on optimizing heat exchangers and dissipating excess heat effectively.

Ricoh Employs nTop and 3D Printing Continuous Factory Monitoring Camera
CAD model of the Theta camera. (Image Credit: Ricoh)

Opting to keep the project in-house, Ricoh utilized its aluminum binder jetting capabilities. Despite the notorious difficulty of using aluminum with binder jetting due to oxidation, Ricoh’s technology, featuring a specialized binder and a unique sintering process, successfully delivered reliable parts.

The design team adopted a gyroid structure for the casing, selected for its ability to enhance heat dissipation and maximize the advantages of 3D printing. Through nTop’s implicit modeling software, the gyroid structure was fine-tuned to achieve optimal heat transfer performance. This lightweight, self-supporting structure, with a high surface area to volume ratio, addressed the thermal management goals effectively.

Tsuji Masato, a mechanical designer at Ricoh, praised nTop for its ability to solve thermal issues efficiently. The software enabled the team to create and test complex shapes like gyroids rapidly—an accomplishment practically impossible with conventional CAD software.

Gyroids
Gyroids produced with nTop software. (Image Credit: Ricoh)

The incorporation of the gyroid structure resulted in a redesigned heat transfer path, achieving a remarkable 24% reduction in internal electronics temperature compared to the previous design. With these enhancements, the Theta camera now boasts the capability to run continuously for over 24 hours without the threat of overheating, unlocking new possibilities for its application in factory settings.

“NTop is great for solving thermal issues, because it allows us to model and test the geometry needed for heat dissipation easily and quickly,” says Tsuji Masato, mechanical designer in the development for mechatronic and software section at Ricoh.

“With conventional CAD software, it is practically impossible to evaluate multiple complex shapes such as gyroids. With nTop, creating and testing these shapes was easy.”

Thanks to nTop and Ricoh’s own additive manufacturing expertise, the collaboration has transformed the Theta camera, ensuring uninterrupted factory monitoring with advanced thermal management. This breakthrough sets a promising precedent for the integration of 3D printing and innovative design in the manufacturing industry.

Source: develop3d.com

Come and let us know your thoughts on our Facebook, X, and LinkedIn pages, and don’t forget to sign up for our weekly additive manufacturing newsletter to get all the latest stories delivered right to your inbox.

Share:
WhatsApp Twitter Facebook LinkedIn Buffer Reddit E-mail
About the author | Phillip Keane
Phillip is an aerospace engineer from UK. He is a graduate of Coventry University (UK), International Space University (France) and Nanyang Technological University (Singapore), where he studied Advanced Manufacturing at the Singapore Centre for 3D Printing.
Join our newsletter

Our newsletter is free & you can unsubscribe any time.

Latest posts

Designer Creates Modular Sneakers with 3D Printed Soles and Climbing Rope Laces

Daniyar Uderbekov, a designer based in Kazakhstan, has developed UDRB, a pair of modular sneakers designed to address environmental concerns in the footwear... read more »

Fashion

Nestlé Expands 3D Printing Operations for Manufacturing Parts Across UK Sites

Nestlé has implemented standardized 3D printing processes across its UK manufacturing facilities over the past year. The company uses a team of three... read more »

News
Nestlé Expands 3D Printing Operations for Manufacturing Parts Across UK Sites

Cornell Researchers Develop 3D Printing Method for Enhanced Superconductors

Cornell University researchers have developed a one-step 3D printing method that produces superconductors with improved properties. The research, published August 19 in Nature... read more »

News
Cornell Researchers Develop 3D Printing Method for Enhanced Superconductors

Scottish Maritime Project Shows Promise for 3D Printed Ship Components

A Scottish project using large-scale additive manufacturing for shipbuilding components has completed its second phase, demonstrating potential benefits for the maritime industry. The... read more »

News
Scottish Maritime Project Shows Promise for 3D Printed Ship Components

Navy Maintenance Center Uses 3D Printing to Replace Destroyer Pump Component at Fraction of Conventional Cost

The Southeast Regional Maintenance Center (SERMC) has successfully used 3D printing to manufacture a replacement cooling rotor for an Arleigh Burke-class guided missile... read more »

Military
Navy Maintenance Center Uses 3D Printing to Replace Destroyer Pump Component at Fraction of Conventional Cost

Rapid Fusion Launches AI Assistant for Large-Format 3D Printers

British manufacturer Rapid Fusion has introduced "Bob," an AI-powered assistant designed to optimize operations for its large-format 3D printing systems. The company developed... read more »

News
Rapid Fusion Launches AI Assistant for Large-Format 3D Printers

Creality Submits IPO Prospectus for Hong Kong Stock Exchange Listing

Shenzhen-based 3D printer manufacturer Creality has submitted a prospectus to the Hong Kong Stock Exchange for a main board listing. The company began... read more »

News
Creality Submits IPO Prospectus for Hong Kong Stock Exchange Listing

Graphjet Technology Partners with Malaysian University on 3D-Printed Heat Sink Development

Graphjet Technology has entered into a collaboration agreement with the Centre for Materials Engineering and Smart Manufacturing (MERCU) at Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM).... read more »

News
Graphjet Technology Partners with Malaysian University on 3D-Printed Heat Sink Development

Humtown drives US Manufacturing Comeback with Additive Sand Casting

Humtown Products, an Ohio-based company, is positioning itself to serve manufacturers looking to bring production back to the United States. The company specializes... read more »

News
Humtown drives US Manufacturing Comeback with Additive Sand Casting

Oak Ridge National Laboratory Releases Advanced Dataset for 3D Printing Quality Monitoring

Oak Ridge National Laboratory has released a comprehensive dataset for its Peregrine software, which monitors and analyzes parts created through powder bed additive... read more »

News
Oak Ridge National Laboratory Releases Advanced Dataset for 3D Printing Quality Monitoring

Social

  • Facebook Facebook 3D Printing
  • Linkedin Linkedin 3D Printing
Join our newsletter

Our newsletter is free & you can unsubscribe any time.

Featured Industries

  • Automotive
  • Aerospace
  • Construction
  • Dental
  • Environmental
  • Electronics
  • Fashion
  • Medical
  • Military
  • Snapmaker Artisan Premium 3-in-1

    • - Print size: 400 x 400 x 400 mm
    • - comes with enclosure
    More details »
    $2,999.00 Snapmaker
    Buy Now
  • QIDI Tech Q1 Pro

    • - Print size: 245 x 245 x 245 mm
    • - 600mm/s max speed
    More details »
    $449.00 QIDI Store
    Buy Now
  • QIDI Tech X-Max 3

    • - Print size: 325 x 325 x 315 mm
    • - fully enclosed
    More details »
    $799.00 QIDI Store
    Buy Now
  • QIDI Plus4

    • - Print size: 305 x 305 x 280 mm
    • - print temperature of 370°C
    More details »
    $799.00 QIDI Store
    Buy Now

Company Information

  • What is 3D Printing?
  • Contact us
  • Join our mailing list
  • Advertise with us
  • Media Kit
  • Nederland 3D Printing

Blog

  • Latest News
  • Use Cases
  • Reviews
  • 3D Printers
  • 3D Printing Metal

Featured Reviews

  • Anycubic Photon Mono M5s
  • Creality Ender 5 S1
  • The Mole 3D Scanner
  • Flashforge Creator 3 Pro

Featured Industries

  • Automotive
  • Aerospace
  • Construction
  • Dental
  • Environmental
  • Electronics
  • Medical
  • Military
  • Fashion
  • Art
2025 — Strikwerda en Dehue
  • Home
  • Join our mailing list
  • Contact us
Blog
  • Latest News
  • Use Cases
  • Reviews
  • 3D Printers
  • 3D Printing Metal
Featured Industries
  • Automotive
  • Aerospace
  • Construction
  • Dental
  • Environmental
  • Electronics
  • Medical
  • Military
  • Fashion
  • Art
Company Information
  • What is 3D Printing?
  • Contact us
  • Join our mailing list
  • Advertise with us
  • Media Kit
  • Nederland 3D Printing