For less than the cost of a good used car, you can buy a 3D printer that will turn your CAD designs into three-dimensional objects overnight.
3D printing is a unique form of printing developed for rapid prototyping. In the process, a three dimensional object is created by layering and connecting successive cross sections of material. 3D printers are generally faster, more affordable and easier to use than other additive fabrication technologies. While prototyping dominates current uses, 3D printing offers strong potential for short-run digital manufacturing.
Intent of this article is to inform you of recent developments in this key technology. Check out the following sidebars:
To review basics, see Brushing up on printer selection
To see recent developments, see What leading companies are doing
To see contest-winning applications, see And the winners are…
To weigh in on the issue of whether it’s better to own a 3D Printer or use a service bureau, go to Engineering Exchange and join the discussion in progress.
What leading companies are doing
3D Printers are known to be among the most affordable of model-making devices, and recent pricing developments have emphasized this affordability. For example, British firm A1 Technologies has just launched the RapMan, a 3D printer for only £1000, or about $1520. Targeted for use in schools, RapMan was developed to assist in teaching CAD and CAM.
Suggesting that their 3D printer will allow this technology to be affordable for all schools teaching Design & Technology, A1 notes that RapMan comes in kit form, and hints, “ Building the (printer) allows pupils to learn basic engineering principles. Once it is built, 3D parts can then be produced using an extruder head laying down a fine bead of molten plastic.”
Dimension 3D Printing, has launched the uPrint Personal 3D Printer for $14,900. Designed for the desktop, uPrint requires only a 25 x 26 in. footprint and features an 8 x 6 x 6 in. build envelope.
U-Print personal 3D printers from Dimension.
Using Dimension’s FDM technology, uPrint builds models with Stratasys ABSplus — a material on average 40% stronger than the company’s standard ABS material, making it ideally suited for testing the form, fit and function of models and prototypes. uPrint also features a soluble support removal system, allowing for hands-free removal of the model support material. On March 24, Dimension announced significant price reductions on other 3D printer lines.
Dimension 3D Printers
www.dimensionprinting.com
EOS GmbH Electro Optical Systems, a leading manufacturer of laser-sintering systems, introduced new metal and plastic sintering materials at the recent Rapid 2009 Conference & Exposition. New materials included three metals and two plastics:
• EOS NickelAlloy IN718, a nickel superalloy that is frequently used in high-temperature applications and other components subject to high stress levels.
• EOS NickelAlloy IN625, a nickel superalloy that is highly resistant to oxidation and corrosion and extremely strong at high and low temperatures, making it well suited for aerospace and chemical processing applications.
• EOS NickelAlloy HX, a high-temperature, corrosion-resistant Hastalloy able to withstand harsh environments.
• EOS PEEK HP3, a high-performance polyaryl ether ketone polymer, which is the first high-temperature polymer available for laser-sintering. It is durable, heat-resistant, biocompatible and sterilizable, making it ideal for aerospace and medical applications. PEEK parts are made exclusively on the new EOSINT P 800 for high-temperature laser-sintering.
EOS GmbH Electro Optical Systems
www.eos.info
Objet Geometries Ltd. introduced its newest 3D printer, the Alaris 30. This first-of-its-kind desktop model allows designers and manufacturers to create durable, high-quality models at minimal cost and with great accuracy and ease of use.
Alaris 30 3D printer from Objet Geometries Ltd. is a desktop model that creates durable, high-quality models at minimal cost.
The office-friendly system – small enough to fit on any desk – prints true-to-life prototypes with exceptional detail, including “finished-quality” smooth surfaces, moving parts and text that stands out clearly. The new printer uses PolyJet Photopolymer Jetting Technology, which achieves high accuracy and resolution (600 x 600 dpi) by jetting proprietary FullCure photopolymer materials in 28µ layers. Similar to a line printer, the jetting head slides back and forth along the X-axis depositing a single layer of photopolymer onto the build tray. Each layer is immediately cured and hardened by UV light, producing fully cured models that can be handled immediately without additional post-curing.
Objet Geometries
www.objet.com
Z Corp. unveiled a “3D Printer Stimulus Package” for schools in the United States and Canada, including grants of up to $10,000 for devices that have proven to engage students, enhance learning and foster career opportunities. The Package makes qualified K-12, vocational technical schools and two-year colleges eligible to receive:
• A $4,000 grant for the ZPrinter 310 Plus monochrome 3D printer;
• A $10,000 grant for the ZPrinter 450 multicolor 3D printer;
• A free consumables starter kit with the ZPrinter 310 Plus
• An extended one-year warranty
ZPrinter 310 Plus monochrome 3D printer from Z Corporation.
The package includes enough supplies for 70 students to build a baseball-size 3D model (other similarly priced 3D printers include only enough supplies for two students).
Z Corporation
www.zcorp.com
3D Systems Corp. introduced new, higher strength VisiJet EX 200 Plastic for 3-D Printing. VisiJet EX 200 Plastic is specially formulated for improved toughness to expand 3-D Printing into more demanding form, fit and function applications.
Models produced on Dimension 3D printers include disk brake assembly and kitchen faucet.
New V-Flash Printer from 3D Systems is a desktop unit that sells for less than $10K, shown with two 3D models.
Also, they are introducing a new desktop 3D printer that will sell for less than $10,000. Named the V-Flash FTI-230, the new unit is part of the 3D systems comprehensive portfolio of 3D printers.
3D Systems Inc.
www.3dsystems.com
Brushing up on printer selection
When choosing a 3D printer, your choice will depend on the goals set for your model. Are you checking for form, fit, feel, or function, or some combination of these features? These factors, and those to follow, are summarized from our most recent and thorough article, “Tips on selecting 3D Printers,” in the May, 2008 issue of Design World.
3D printing systems will let you:
• Analyze form: How the model looks.
• Analyze fit: How parts will fit together.
• Analyze feel: How the finished product will likely feel in your hands.
• Analyze function: Some 3D printer systems use materials to provide insight as to how the final product will perform.
In addition, 3D printers will often:
• Control the costs of design modification and validate the design.
• Provide faster feedback.
• Produce production-quality product. Some printing systems offer the ability to produce thousands of plastic parts for use, not just examination.
• Create parts at your desk: Several systems are small enough, and environmentally friendly enough to operate in an office rather than on a plant floor.
• Eliminate noxious materials. 3D printing usually eliminates toxic chemicals like those used in some stereolithography machines.
• Reduce follow on processes, reducing or eliminating post-processing steps.
Printing processes include:
• In ink jet printing, layers of a fine powder are selectively bonded by “printing” an adhesive from the ink jet printhead in the shape determined by a CAD file.
• In a photopolymer system, the machine feeds liquids, usually some type of photopolymer through an ink-jet type printhead. UV light, which can be mounted in the printhead, cures each layer as it is deposited.
• In Fused Deposition Modeling (FDM) printing systems, a bead of plastic is extruded out of a nozzle creating a part line by line.
• In Film Transfer Imaging (FTI), a thin layer of material is dispensed onto a reciprocating film carriage. The carriage reciprocates in a motion similar to that of film in a camera. At each reciprocating movement, the cartridge brings a fresh layer of material onto the build surface, which is then imaged with UV flash photography one layer at a time.
Own a 3D Printer or use a service bureau?
Join this ongoing discussion at Engineering Exchange. It started when Design World founder Mike Emich asked this question: Has anyone seen a calculating tool that can help with an ROI analysis of when it makes sense to purchase a 3D Printer rather than using a service provider?
Two engineers responded. Engineer A said, I have seen several from equipment vendors, but they rarely factor in downtime, troubleshooting, maintenance, etc. Of course our prototyping needs have always been pretty serious (larger parts & assemblies, 0.1 mm general tolerance, finish to spec, and so on) If you find the right service (and do a lot of work) I think it comes out roughly the same when you factor employee expenses.
I think the largest advantages of owning your own machine have less to do with accounting, and more to do with flexibility, quality control, logistics and scheduling. Of course these factors eventually translate to meaningful numbers for accounting but sometimes take a bit longer to do so.
Engineer B added, One has also to consider that when you have it in-house you can do the stuff which otherwise you would not have done because of costing. Another thing which you might consider is selling the extra time. In the end as (Engineer A) said it all boils down to accounts.
To check for more recent comments, or to add your own, go to: http://www.engineeringexchange.com/group/rapidmfg/forum/topics/roi-outsource-3d-printing-or
And the winners are…
3D Printers are often the tool of choice for innovative young technologists trying to create exciting new products. Here are several award-winners you may want to learn more about.
Shiv Gaglani, then a 15-year-old student from Melbourne Beach, FL, developed a novel rapid prototyping approach to tissue engineering. He worked to build replacement tissue and organs for patients needing transplants. After joining a team of South Carolina researchers, he advanced a method to “print” tissue structures using an ordinary, desktop inkjet printer and computer aided designs. By printing two dimensional layers one on top of another (“rapid prototyping”), he was able to construct a 3D branching tube of smooth muscle and endothelial cells – basically, a blood vessel. This novel approach allows rapid fabrication of 3D, multi-cellular tissue, or the building blocks of organs. He has continued his work in biomedical engineering and regenerative medicine by working with stem cells and nanotechnology at Harvard University. For this, Shiv has been inducted into the National Gallery for America’s Young Inventors.
Dimension 3D printing recently announced the nine finalists in its fifth annual “Extreme Redesign” challenge. Extreme Redesign: The Ultimate 3D Printing Challenge, is a global design and 3D printing contest for high school and college students. The nine finalists were selected from an international pool of entries by a panel of experts from within the design and engineering fields. Designs fall into one of three categories: High School, University, and Art and Architecture. The three first place category winners will receive $2,500 scholarships. The remaining finalists will each receive $1,000 scholarships. A short Web video featuring the nine finalists, photos and design descriptions are now available at www.designworldonline.com. Search by article title.
MPF
Source: :: Make Parts Fast ::
