It’s the end of 2017. Retrospection is in vogue at this time. So, in case you were wondering what stories interested your fellow colleagues; we have a list. These were the most read stories on Make Parts Fast during 2017.
A few trends pop out from this list. Readers were looking for information on working with various types of materials in additive manufacturing. And readers were looking for information on reducing additive production cycles. But readers also had time for a little bit of fun and checked out what 3D printing can do to the design of cars. Check out the links to the stories below to see if you missed any of your colleagues best-read features.
Materialise new automated support generation software for metal 3D printing saves time
Materialise introduced software that automatically generates support structures for metal additively made parts. The benefit–drive down the costs and time to produce metal 3D printed parts.
The e-Stage for Metal program automates support generation for titanium, aluminum and stainless steel parts. e-Stage for Metal delivers significant time savings compared to manual support generation, including support design (up to 90%), support removal (up to 50%) and part finishing (up to 20%). In addition, nearly all of the expensive metal powder trapped in the support structures can now be recovered. The automated process also limits the risk of human error and related build crashes.
Working with metal materials for additive manufacturing
This article gave advice and tips on how to best work with metal in additive manufacturing proceesses. It covered a range of questions, including proprietary materials and tips on obtaining desired properties during the additive process.
Why 3D printed lattices could replace foam
Carbon reports that it can offer an alternative to traditional foam with its elastomer lattice innovations that leverage proprietary programmable resins and software capabilities. Carbon’s capabilities will enable designers to obtain specific properties in specific parts of their designs.
How HP Inc. slashes design cycle time
The engineers at HP Inc.’s New Product Innovation Team based in Corvallis, Oregon, needed to shrink the development time of consumer and business inkjet printers and cartridges. They worked with Proto Labs in reducing design cycle time using Proto Labs injection molding processes. Here’s how they did it.
Working with plastics in 3D printing
Plastics, whether in powder, filament, or pellet form, are one of the main material types used in 3D printing/ additive manufacturing (3DP/AM). As 3DP/AM matures, developers continue to explore plastic chemistries and capabilities to offer materials that rival more traditional versions.
This article covers tips and techniques for getting the qualities you want in your plastic 3D printing parts.
The manufacturing plant of the future
Contributing editor Paul Heney interviewed John Dulchinos, VP of Digital Manufacturing, Jabil, on how one of the three biggest contract manufacturers in the world (Jabil) sees additive manufacturing fitting in to its plans.
And finally, 3D Printed Cars: Five Amazing Designs
Here’s a look at some amazing designs for automotive, courtesy of the amazing design capabilities enabled by additive manufacturing.
Leslie Langnau
llangnau@wtwhmedia.com
