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Ready-for-Flight Antenna in Powder Bed Fusion

Thales Alenia Space is a french aerospace manufacturer that has played a significant role in space exploration for more than 40 years. As new technologies usher in the new era of space exploration, reducing overall lead time and increasing throughput becomes especially important in staying competitive in the growing market. Learn how Thales used the FormUp 350 and aluminum AS7 to achieve their additive manufacturing goals in this case study.

INDUSTRY

Space

CHALLENGE

Design and build a monolithic antenna using additive manufacturing that meets ECSS qualifications and supports the customer’s goal of achieving TRL 3 maturity for additively manufactured antennas.

KEY BENEFITS
  • Global distortions of the antenna: ±0.3mm
  • Reduced weight: less 600 gr
  • Production rate: 1 antenna /day /machine
  • Reduced post-processing
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Reduced lead time
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Creative Shape
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Printed in One Piece
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Thin Walls

History

Typically, Thales Alenia Space manufactures this type of antenna in multiple parts. Then, each piece is bonded or bolted together in complex and time-costly steps. While making precise components is not so difficult, assembling them into a precise antenna is time-consuming and has major impacts on global lead time and throughput for serial production. This is why Thales turned to additive manufacturing as a solution.

Challenge

Develop a 325mm diameter antenna with a 1mm wall thickness through additive manufacturing, ensuring minimal distortions and a surface finish that meets ‘ready-to-fly’ standards without requiring post-processing. By meeting these standards, TAS will be positioned to achieve a Technology Readiness Level (TRL) 3 for additive manufactured Cassegrain antennas.

Solution

AddUp worked closely with Thales Alenia Space to provide a counter-deformed simulation.

First a lightweight design was generated around initial specifications: main and sub reflectors surfaces, available design space, interfaces localization. Next, an isogrid structure was designed at the back of the main reflector to add stiffness to the system. Then a numerical simulation was done to anticipate the distortions of the antenna during the production.

Finally, a counter-deformed file is obtained from the initial simulation. The goal is to adapt the original design in the opposite direction of the simulated distortions. During the production, the distortions due to the internal constraints and the counter-deformed design cancel each other, keeping the real part as close as possible to the original design.

In order to get the best surface finish, requiring minimal post-processing, AddUp and Thales Alenia Space used their ECSS-qualified recipe on the FormUp 350, in aluminum AS7.

The performance of this recipe, coupled with the machine’s full-field 4 lasers, also enable high productivity. Series production simulations carried out by AddUp show a production rate of more than 2 antennas per day per machine.

Results

The final design achieved a lightweight antenna, weighing just 385 grams. The isogrid structure was meticulously optimized to minimize weight by varying the sizes around the reflector, thereby reinforcing only the necessary areas. The connecting arms between the main reflector and the sub-reflector were engineered and designed to minimize coupling effects in near field, optimizing overall antenna far field radiated performances. The distortions were successfully minimized, with a deviation of ±0.3mm over 90% of the antenna, which was well-received by both parties involved. Additionally, the global surface finish and roughness met the target of Ra 6.3 for both reflectors, achieving a completely satisfactory result.

Learn about Thales 3D Morocco’s FormUp 350 ECSS Qualification here.

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Discover how Michelin produces over one million tire sipes a year for their production molds using metal 3D printing

When Michelin found that the metal AM machines on the market did not meet their high-quality requirements for tire sipe production, they partnered with Fives to create a machine that met these requirements. Learn about the history of tire sipes, the challenges Michelin faced, and the solutions that resulted.

INDUSTRY

Automotive

CHALLENGE

Traditional manufacturing of tire sipes is costly and time consuming.

KEY BENEFITS
  • Limitless personalization options
  • Manufactured and replaced on demand
  • Significant weight and material waste reductions
  • Minimal post processing
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Creative Shape
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Lead Time
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Weight
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Performance

History

Siping was invented in 1923 by John F. Sipe, as a means to provide better traction on the bottom of their shoes. The process was not largely applied to tires until the 1950s as a means to improve traction. One of the technological innovations of the 2000s was the arrival of metal 3d printed sipes. Sipes for tires are designed to heavily improve road holding on wet or wintery roads, while still allowing the rubber to remain rigid, and maintain these levels of rigidity when the tire is new or worn. The shape and size of the sipes directly affect the tire’s noise pattern and traction characteristics. Using Additive manufacturing to create metal-printed sipes opened a new world of possibilities.

Challenges

Conventional manufacturing and installation of tire mold inserts involve a light metal casting of an aluminum-silicon alloy, which allows for rapid heat removal, shortening production time. Tire mold segments are made by casting or milling with finishing carried out manually. Broad sipes can be inserted into the mold segments, but narrow inserts less than 3mm are not easy to work with due to the hardness characteristics of the alloy. Steel sipes are used as inserts in their stead, made by stamping and cold bending; a major cost and time element of the process.

SOLUTIONS

Michelin has been utilizing AM since the early 2000s to manufacture tire sipes used within their tire molds. After years of using AM technology, Michelin found that the metal AM machines on the market simply did not meet their high-quality requirements for serial production. So, they partnered with another industrial manufacturing powerhouse, Fives, and sought to develop a Laser Powder Bed Fusion (L-PBF) machine that could build tire mold inserts and industrial parts with quality, accuracy, and repeatability. From this collaboration, AddUp was formed and the FormUp® 350 PBF machine was created.

AddUp’s high-precision, fully digitalized, and highly flexible process allows Michelin to produce the complex forms required to make molds and sipes for its tires. Critically important features to Michelin’s tire sipes:

  • resolution down to 0.2mm features
  • shallow overhangs as low as 15 degrees
  • surface finish as low as 4 Ra μm, as printed

The FormUp®350 is built to use extremely fine powders (5-25μm). This coupled with a roller recoating system enables support-free production and superior surface finishes. For Michelin, sipes can be manufactured and replaced on demand with minimal post-processing needed. This technique not only provides a quick assembly, but also provides weight savings, reduces raw material wastage, and provides limitless personalization opportunities.

Results

Today, Michelin produces over one million tire sipes a year for their production molds using AddUp’s FormUp® 350. Lead designers continue to create increasingly sophisticated sipe shapes to improve traction for wet and snowy conditions. For example, a winter tire mold can contain up to 3,000 sipes and over 200 different sipe designs! AddUp’s FormUp Powder Bed Fusion technology stands up to the task and can produce these sipe shapes efficiently and to the highest quality standards.

By completely transforming the processes used to produce parts, metal additive is changing manufacturing as a whole. Now there is no longer any need to go through several preliminary steps or assemble different components to obtain the desired part, instead, the final product can be produced in a single step. Digital files are the only information needed to reproduce the exact same part, and parts can be modified at any time to make the process more flexible than ever before.

Learn more about how Michelin is using Additive Manufacturing:

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AddUp optimized the design of a rocket nozzle to improve the performance of a micro-launch vehicle.

Metal additive manufacturing can lead to fuel and production savings in aerospace. In this case study, you will see how AddUp optimized the design of a rocket nozzle to improve the performance of a micro-launch vehicle. 3D printing is already the future of the aerospace industry. Read the case study about an optimized design of a 3D printed rocket nozzle.

INDUSTRY

Aerospace

CHALLENGE

To print an innovative rocket nozzle to optimize engine performance in space

KEY BENEFITS
  • Mass reduction
  • Printed parts with complex geometries
  • Resistance to high temperatures
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Mass Reduction
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Creative Shape
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Function Integration
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Performance

History: AddUp & Aerospace

In the aerospace industry, new design freedom that comes with additive manufacturing allows for lighter parts, leading to fuel savings. Customization opportunities and absence of tooling are also seen as an advantage in this industry, where production volumes are quite low. Aerospace experts believe that the performance gains and reduced production costs will lead to 3D printing taking over as the manufacturing method of choice in the industry.

One of the leading trends in the field of space transportation is the rise of smaller launchers, able to send payloads of less than 500 kg into orbit. It is one of the most promising aspects of the New Space: micro and mini launchers provide flexibility and responsiveness that make them a complementary solution to conventional launchers.

Challenges of printing innovative rocket nozzles

A nozzle is a component of a rocket responsible for producing thrust. Hot exhaust gases are accelerated from the combustion chamber through a tighter throat, then expanded out the exit. This process converts the energy in the combustion gases into kinetic energy.

The complete development of an orbital launcher engine is a long and complex process requiring several iterations of design, manufacturing, and static firing tests. This presents a demanding task from the project management side.

With the field of micro and mini launchers becoming such a competitive environment, rapid iteration is both a technological and commercial necessity.

Considering technical challenges: the high temperature inside a nozzle requires cooling the walls as close as possible to the heat source, to avoid any components melting. This cooling is usually done via tubes attached to the nozzle and becomes more complex when the nozzle is more compact to meet the propulsion needs of smaller launchers.

Solution for a 3D printed rocket nozzle

In rocket engine nozzles, the exhaust gases heat up to approximately 3000°C. During the design of the nozzle, it was important to keep in mind that any available alloys wouldn’t hold up when exposed to such high temperatures.

All the cooling functions where integrated into the nozzle, allowing it to conduct the hot gases while maintaining its shape and performance. Prior to combustion, the fuel acts as a coolant. The propellants are stored at low temperature and run through the internal channels of the nozzle before being captured and injected into the combustion chamber to be burned.

Results and benefits of additive manufacturing

The part was printed on a PBF (laser – powder bed fusion) machine, AddUp’s FormUp® 350. This system, with open parameters and an integrated powder recycling module promotes rapid iterations, reducing the time between builds by making build file preparation quick and easy. The several recoating systems (roller, brush, and silicon wiper) allow for minimal design constraints and a wide selection of metal powders. These advantages are crucial in the development of nozzles and other rocket components.

CAD-rocket-nozzle
Rocket-nozzle

  • Metal additive manufacturing made it possible to create complex, integrated cooling channels; something impossible with conventional techniques on small engines. This nozzle, which normally requires months of work with traditional welding methods, took only 49 hours to produce. The experts at AddUp chose to use Inconel® 718 to print this new nozzle. This material has excellent mechanical properties and can withstand very high temperatures.

    Rocket engine designers can now iterate faster to improve the nozzle shape, running more tests in a smaller timeframe. Engineers can also take advantage of the new design freedom brought about by additive manufacturing, enabling them to push further to optimize engine performance.

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INDUSTRY

Medical

CHALLENGE

Significantly reduce production costs when additively manufacturing large spinal implants using a multi laser system and a larger build plate

KEY BENEFITS
  • Cut production costs by up to 30%
  • Increase the output by 2.61 parts per hour
  • Fine feature resolution and optimal osseointegration
  • Reduced post-processing
  • Lower total part cost
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Integrated Features
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Reduced Lead Time
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No Support
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Performance

History

Large spinal fusion devices are conventionally printed on smaller format machines using Powder Bed Fusion (PBF) or machined out of polyetheretherketone (PEEK) bar stock. When manufactured additively, these larger spine implants are typically printed on small format machines with a small build plate and only 1-2 lasers. They are also typically printed with their anterior face upwards in Z. This orientation in combination with the multi-step process creates a worst-case scenario. The price increases because most of the cost is driven from the production process itself. Although the cost is high, benefits that Additive Manufacturing (AM) large spinal implants are realized through the lattice design and surface roughness, providing osseointegration which leads to better patient outcomes. Another benefit to AM spinal fusion devices comes from the material. AM allows for printing in titanium with a greater fracture toughness and higher ultimate tensile strength. When produced using PEEK, these types of implants lack ideal osseointegrative features. This coupled with an unstable material supply chain creates challenges when manufacturing large spinal fusion devices using PEEK. For these reasons, producing these implants additively is often preferred.

Challenges

Although AM provides greater osseointegration, higher strength materials and better patient outcomes, the manufacturing of LLIF devices on smaller platforms with 1-2 lasers increases the cost of the finished implant. These implants are tall in Z which leads to increased build times that are further increased with a small number of lasers. When using a scraper/brush recoating process, the underside of the anterior face usually needs to be supported via breakaway supports. The LLIFs must also be removed from the build plate using wire electrical discharge machining (EDM). The customer is charged for both processes as they are inherent in the small build capacity, low number of lasers, and traditional recoating systems.

SOLUTIONS

Using the FormUp 350 PBF machine cuts production time and increases the output by 2.61 parts per hour when compared to smaller platforms with 1-2 lasers. This is thanks to a 350 millimeter squared build plate that can hold 1.5x times (152 parts vs. 96 parts) the amount of large spinal implants when compared to smaller platforms. The use of 4 lasers allows for 152 large spinal implants to be printed in just 32 hours.

The FormUp 350 utilizes a powder roller technology which allows for geometric complexity using minimal supports and results in optimal surface finish. The FormUp 350 allows for the realization of intently designed complex structures and surface roughness that contributes to better patient outcomes. There is no longer a need for a plasma porous spray or sheet based trabecular surface and the surface roughness is not a byproduct of the process. This helps to decrease the manufacturing processes required to complete a finished product. The parts come off of the printer closer to the net shape and require less manual processing and/or support removal. This combination of a 4-laser 350mm3 build volume and a near net part directly off the printer simplifies the manufacturing steps. The reduction of processes contributes to better design realization, reduced leads times, and thus lower part cost. This helps to reduce costs along all parts of the supply chain and supports more efficient patient outcomes.

Results

Large spinal implants produced using small build capacity, low number of lasers, and traditional recoating systems cost more than when produced using the FormUp 350.

The FormUp 350 machine is ideal for medical applications because it provides an improved and cost-effective process to mass-manufacture highly complex and/or customized medical parts.

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  • Parts built per laser on the FormUp 350
    • 2 Laser – 76
    • 4 Laser – 38
  • Time to build on the FormUp 350
    • 2 laser – 52.95
    • 4 laser – 32.35
  • Annual throughput on the FormUp 350
    • running 1 shift per day for 52 weeks per year
    • 1 – 1.5 from laser off to laser on (build flip)
POWDER2 Lasers4 Lasers
Medium, 30μm powder (hrs)52.9532.35
Annual throughput16.84527.408

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Learn how AddUp worked with German toolmaker Gira to modify an existing mold to achieve shorter cycle times and improved heat conduction using additive manufacturing. 

INDUSTRY

Tooling & Molding

CHALLENGE

It was difficult to find a potential project at Gira, since most of the sockets and switches are produced  with a high-gloss finish, something the AM community hasn’t tackled yet.

We found an intriguing application in a socket variant for surface mounting. Due to the core on the locking side cannot  be sufficiently tempered by conventional means. There is no way for machine channels to homogenously cool the part across the height of the mold.

KEY BENEFITS
  • Improvement in temperature control
  • Reduction of cooling time
  • Understanding AM Specific Design Approaches
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INCREASED PRODUCTIVITY
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REDUCED MANUFACTURING TIME
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CONFORMAL COOLING

History

Gira’s toolmaking stands for the innovative production of technically high-quality products and assemblies with industrial precision. A particular strength lies in the great speed and flexibility with which they create solutions for large series, small series, and prototype tools, all cost-effectively. Gira is also capable of creating tools for multi-component molded parts.

The aim of this project was to modify an existing mold to achieve shorter cycle times with the core of the part now being designed to be produced by AM.

With the existing mold, the part can be produced to the required quality specifications, but the conventional cooling of the mold core results in  suboptimal heat conduction. Eventhough the cycle time is already in an economic range,  Gira noted  that further improvement can be made in this area.

There lies the potential to improve heat conduction in the core through an improved cooling channel design, and thus a reduction in the  cooling time is made possible through additive manufacturing.

Challenge

The end-use part produced by the mold is a polycarbonate socket, and has a wall thickness of approximately 3mm. The core of the insert has a large contact area with the polycarbonate andthis entire surface must be cooled homogeneously in order to achieve optimized heat conduction compared to the conventional core. In order to achieve largely uniform heat dissipation, it is imperative to design the cooling channels with equal spacing to the respective surfaces and to properly choose the spacing between the channels.

Following these rules leads to  highly effective cooling but there are other manufacturing considerations to be taken into account. After the 3D printing process, the part must be thoroughly depowdered, and as the complexity of the circuit of cooling channels increases, so does the complexity of depowdering of these channels. This step in the process chain is critical to both the functionality of the part and the safety of workers exposed to the powder.

Delivering flawless parts and protecting workers is AddUp’s priority.

Solution

The geometric properties of the core were used to inspire the design of the channels. There is an axis of symmetry in the core around which a channel can be mirrored. This feature is more often used to save construction costs, but is also convenient in achieving perfect balancing of the ducts, since they can all be modeled in the same way.

Since this core is built into an existing mold, the cooling inlets and outlets are predetermined. To supply the four channels with coolant, a quadruple parallel circuit is built into the core. In this way, it is possible to connect all the channels to the existing coolant supplies.

In the process of designing the channels, de-powdering must be considered. The alignment of a part on the 3D printing platform is determined by its geometry, the desired tolerances, and the amount of support structure. In the case of this core, the optimal orientation is obvious due to the recess for the plug and the angle for demolding. However, this alignment has the disadvantage of making the part difficult to depowder because the inlets and outlets are located on the plate.

To ensure that the operator does not come into contact with powder, only properly de-powdered parts can be removed from the  confined zone. In this zone, the operators are equipped with protective clothing and respirators, PPE that is not required in the rest of the process chain.

In order to thoroughly de-powder the fourfold parallel cooling system, the component must first be sawed off the build platform. To prevent loose powder from escaping from the component, an orifice plate was installed. That orifice plate wasn’t removed until the component was back in the powder zone, preventing any powder from escaping until ready to thoroughly de-powder the part.

This project is a good example of a very complex component being depowdered without compromising safety, because the safety of the employees must always be the top priority.

Results

An improvement in temperature control are guaranteed by employing intricate complex conformal cooling channels using the design freedom of AM. This project shows that designing molds with AM in mind can lead to ample downstream benefits. Gira will be exploring opportunities in their early development stages knowing they can use AM to increase performance of their molds. Gira and AddUp will continue to work together as they find more and more applications where AM can help their customers.

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Gira 3
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Gira 5
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  • Design of parallel and balanced cooling circuits.

  • Stock material as small for post-processing

     

     

  • Addition of references and clamping surfaces

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This case study presents the development of an optimized heat exchanger for the Form Up® 350 machine. The goal was to improve heat dissipation and adapt the dimensions for easy installation.

INDUSTRY

Aerospace

CHALLENGE

To reduce production costs and lower lead time while optimizing neat dissipation for a neat exchanger.

KEY BENEFITS
  • 64% reduction in size
  • Weight of the part divided by 6
  • Simplified installation
  • Reduced production costs and time
  • Enhanced reliability with monobloc design
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CREATIVE SHAPE
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INTERNAL CHANNEL
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MASS REDUCTION
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PERFORMANCE

History

The project to produce a heat exchanger for the FormUp® 350 machine arose from the desire to take advantage of the know-how developed by PrintSky, a joint venture created by AddUp, a manufacturer of metal 3D printing machines, and Sogéclair, a supplier of innovative solutions for cleaner, safer mobility. The aim was to assess the benefits of an optimized additive manufacturing solution by comparing it with the current system, produced by conventional methods.

The part chosen for this application is the cooler for the fusion fume exhaust stream. In an L-PBF machine, such as AddUp’s FormUp 350, an inert gas flow passes through the manufacturing chamber, evacuating the fumes generated during melting. This gas flow, which circulates in a closed circuit at high speed (several meters per second), requires an efficient cooling system.

Challenges

One of the main constraints of the project was to keep the production cost of the exchanger lower than or equivalent to the conventional solution while optimizing its performance to improve heat dissipation and adapting its dimensions to simplify installation in machines.

For this innovative project, the AddUp’s engineers started from scratch. They defined the level of performance to be achieved to design a heat exchanger that perfectly met the needs of the application, without conforming to market standards. The internal channels, fins and interfaces have been customized to optimize the compactness and the part performance.

Designers drew on PrintSky’s core competencies to optimize geometry, footprint, and production times (using high-productivity recipes). Internal channels, fins, and interfaces were customized to optimize part compactness while ensuring enhanced performance. All this was achieved by inte-grating AddUp’s experience in heat exchanger manufacturing.

Solution

AddUp and Printsky’s designers chose to optimize the exchanger’s geometry and footprint, as well as manufacturing times. To achieve this, they used high-productivity recipes and incorporated AddUp’s experience in the field of heat exchangers into each of their design choices. The shapes of the cooling fins, for example, were designed to facilitate the removal of unfused powder. This innovative exchanger and its connectors were designed in CATIA, and cooling was simulated using Altair software. The whole unit was designed to be printed in a single piece, thus reducing the assembly times compared with traditional mechanically welded exchangers.

Results

This new heat exchanger, optimized in terms of heat dissipation and pressure loss reduction thanks to Printsky’s in-house tools and expertise, offers a 64% gain in volume over the previous system, with its mass divided by six. The choice of aluminum has resulted in a compact yet efficient solution, adapted to all the constraints imposed by the FormUp 350 machine environment, at a price equivalent to a conventional solution.

Today, the cooler is in the final stages of industrialization and will be put through its paces in trials to assess its actual performance on the additive manufacturing machine. A final optimization phase is planned to adjust geometries and manufacturing choices based on these tests.

Designed in aluminum, a material that is both light and a good thermal conductor, the compact exchanger efficiently cools the hot gases from FormUp 350.

  • 64% smaller footprint.

  • Mass divided by 6.

  • Equivalent price.

  • Enhanced reliability with monobloc design.

AddUp SAS

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+33 (0)4 73 15 25 00
AddUp Inc

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USA

+1 (513) 745-4510
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+49 241 4759 8581

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