(AICON 3D Systems GmbH: Braunschweig, Germany) -- TI Automotive is a global supplier in the automotive sector headquartered in Warren, Michigan. As a leading manufacturer of fuel storage and fluid carrying systems for braking and powertrain applications, the company cultivates worldwide relationships with all important automakers. Today, approximately 30 million cars built every year rely on TI’s technology.

TI Automotive’s plant in Fuldabrück, Germany, specializes in manufacturing prototypes of fuel pipes. Because these pipes are made of plastic, they cannot be bent with a conventional bending machine. Instead, they are processed by thermal forming. The quality of the formed pipes is assured by Daniel Bock, who monitors the whole manufacturing process. For example, he has to make sure that the geometry of a produced prototype has the exact size according to the drawing specifications. To check the contour of a prototype, it is measured in two stages: first, directly after thermal forming, and a second time after the assembly of add-on components like flanges or brackets.

 …