Round Comb Honey Frame, whats possible with Additive Manufacturing?

Idea

Three years into beekeeping using the Flowhive system, we are always looking for new ways to harvest honey since we don't have space for traditional methods. We started beekeeping primarily to increase the number of pollinating insects in our area after watching some alarming documentaries about the decline of these insects and the potential consequences if we lose them.

We became interested in the Ross Rounds and Ceracell's round comb frames, but living in Sweden makes it difficult and extremely expensive to source these frames.

I work professionally with 3D printing, helping companies of all sizes change the way they produce tooling, fixtures, spare parts, and end-use parts. I have extensive knowledge in design, DFAM (Design for Additive Manufacturing), and production using this technology. I began the design process as a fun experiment to explore what can be achieved with additive manufacturing, both for prototyping and production/distribution

Design

The design is created to be well-suited for 3D printing, emphasizing minimal support material, limited material usage, and short print times.

The full-length frame, starting with the Langstroth format which we use, is divided into two sections to ensure it can be printed on commonly available 3D printers. The frame consists of two halves (each split into two sections) with or without beeswax placed between them.

Rings are inserted into both halves before assembly, and the halves are locked together using super magnets.

A complete frame consists of:

• 4 Frame Sections

• 8 Rings

To easily cut the beeswax into the correct size and shape, a stamp has been designed, which can be used like a cookie cutter to press the wax into the desired form.

If you dont want to use vax at all, we're doing testing right know to see if they build the comb only in the rings.

Manufacturing

All of the parts needed, except for the beeswax used between the two halves, are produced using FDM 3D printing with a material called PETG.

PETG is commonly used in food containers and similar, it have an acceptable heat and chemical resistance which means that the frames is possible to sterilise. 

To ensure that no harmful additives come into contact with the honey humans will consume, we use a 3D printer with a full stainless steel hot-end instead of the more common brass hot-ends, which contain small amounts of lead.

The final frames will be printed in natural, clear PETG produced locally here in Sweden.

Food-safe 3D-printed parts are a significant topic in the industry today, and choosing the right material along with the appropriate manufacturing process is currently the best approach.

Local production

One of the benefits of Additive Manufacturing is its scalability in production. Increased demand in another country or even in a different part of the world can be easily addressed by setting up a small production facility locally.

This approach eliminates the need for expensive injection moulding tools, which often result in significant overstocking of plastic parts (due to the large volumes required to justify tooling costs) and reduces the need for shipping across oceans, as much of the low-cost injection moulding is done in Asia.

This allows for local production as needed, where needed.