OTR Engineered Solutions, based in Rome, Georgia, US, has introduced OTR3DLab, a physical prototyping service designed to cut development timelines for off-highway tyres, wheels, tracks and related components.
Bringing a new off-the-road tyre, wheel, track or component concept to market has traditionally required significant investment in tooling, long lead times, and limited opportunity for full-scale visual evaluation before committing to production. Using large-format 3D printing technology, OTR says it can now produce full-scale physical prototypes of new product concepts in a few weeks rather than months, letting customers assess on-vehicle aesthetics, fitment, proportions, clearance and overall design direction before committing to production tooling.
Full-scale prototypes customers can handle
“OTR3DLab gives customers something they have never truly had before in the off-the-road market: the ability to physically experience a full-scale concept before making major tooling decisions,” says Patrick Sexton, global vice-president of engineering and innovation at OTR Engineered Solutions. “Instead of relying only on drawings, renderings, or small-scale models, customers can now see the product, touch it, and review it on actual equipment. It allows them to make quicker decisions with reduced risk.”
The service supports more than 1,000 printable materials, including flexible, rubber-like elastomers intended to closely mimic the look and feel of a production tire. The equipment can produce prototypes up to one cubic metre, or approximately 35 cubic feet, allowing customers to receive large, full-scale concepts of treads, tracks, wheels, castings, housings and other components.
Printed full-scale physical tire prototypes can be mounted directly onto standard steel or aluminium wheels using conventional tire mounting equipment. This lets customers review assemblies in a more realistic format and, in some cases, place them directly on equipment for visual evaluation, packaging studies and final design validation.
Paired with an AI design platform
The new service complements OTR’s TreadIQ, an AI-powered tire design platform used to rapidly develop custom off-the-road tread concepts for OEMs and distributors. With TreadIQ, OTR engineers can apply customer preferences for tread styling, performance attributes, application needs and visual direction, with the system assisting in the generation of functional tire concepts. Once TreadIQ generates a concept, OTR3DLab turns it into a physical prototype.
“Combining AI-powered tire design with full-scale 3D prototype development provides OTR customers with a faster, more interactive, and more visual innovation experience,” says Oscar Torres, president and chief executive of OTR. “It allows us to move from idea to concept to physical review much faster than traditional development methods. That speed can be a major advantage for customers working to launch new products, refresh existing platforms, or differentiate themselves in competitive markets. Ultimately, it’s another way we’re making customers’ lives easier.”
OTR Engineered Solutions specialises in off-the-road tire, wheel and track solutions for original equipment manufacturers and aftermarket customers, offering value-added services including warehousing, tire mounting, sequencing, engineering support and customer-specific development solutions. The company has established partnerships with OEMs across construction, lawn and garden, powersports, agriculture, forestry, mining, materials handling and specialty vehicle markets, with more than 30 facilities and warehouse locations across the US, Canada, Europe and Asia.
More information is available at otrwheel.com/otr3dlab-prototyping-service.
