Canyon relies on 3D printing from BigRep for the development of bicycle frames

The German bicycle manufacturer Canyon relies on additive manufacturing technology from BigRep to speed up the development process of its bicycle frames. Usually, initial frame prototypes are created by welding steel tubes. This method is expensive, time-consuming and difficult to implement changes quickly. Alternatively, prototypes in the bicycle industry are often manufactured using composite materials, such as carbon fiber-reinforced plastic (CFRP). However, this process is costly. The production of molds for CFRP frames alone costs between 10,000 and 25,000 euros and takes weeks.

Johannes Thumm, engineer at Canyon, describes the advantage of 3D printing in frame development: “We can design, print, test and decide immediately whether to pursue or reject the concept.” The use of 3D printing technologies, especially with devices that use PLA or TPU, significantly reduces both costs and development time. The first tangible prototypes are available in just a few days, which enables shorter iteration cycles.

For a current project, Canyon is developing a bicycle frame that is to be made entirely from a single, recyclable material.
At the same time, this frame has to meet the high mechanical requirements of racing. To achieve this, the engineers are using generative design to automatically determine the best possible frame shape based on predefined parameters. However, these computer-generated designs have to be adapted before they can be realistically implemented. This is precisely where 3D printing offers decisive advantages, as changes can be printed and tested within a few hours.