The German company CFK uses 3D printing to produce special handrail signs with Braille for Deutsche Bahn. The signs are designed to help the visually impaired navigate at train stations. According to CFK, 3D printing enables cost-effective, low-volume production of the customized signs.
The project uses the laser powder bed fusion process. This allows various panels with different lengths and Braille inscriptions to be produced in a single step, according to CFK. A special aluminum alloy allows high printing speeds without compromising quality, it adds.
According to Deutsche Bahn, the 3D-printed Braille signs will improve accessibility at train stations. CFK sees the order as evidence of the competitiveness of 3D printing. Additive manufacturing, it says, can take existing solutions for the blind and visually impaired to a new level.
CFK has already been printing components from the aluminum alloy it uses since 2021. The company sees itself as a pioneer for metallic 3D printing and the industrial application of the process.
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