3d printing at home Archives - Perfect 3D Printing Filament

In 2016, Massachusetts-based 3D printing company RIZE Inc. released its first industrial-grade desktop 3D printer, the Rize One, renowned for its safety, low emissions, and elimination of post-processing. Then, in 2018, the company introduced the first industrial desktop AM solution for manufacturing full-color functional parts, the XRIZE system, which I was lucky enough to test out at RAPID 2019. Today, it’s announcing a new kind of desktop 3D printer, the professional RIZE 2XC, an adaptive system that was developed collaboratively with South Korean 3D printer manufacturer Sindoh.

I spoke with RIZE CEO Andy Kalambi ahead of the release, who told me that even during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, the company has been “very productive.”

“It’s been an interesting time, but rewarding,” Kalambi said.

He said that the RIZE team speaks every morning during a check-in meeting, to make sure everyone is doing okay and see if anyone needs help with a project. Even during lockdowns across the US, the company has been busy, 3D printing personalized face shields that were distributed to hundreds of essential and healthcare works in the Boston area and working on the new 2XC.

“Entirely during COVID times, we developed this new printer with Sindoh,” he told me.

The RIZE 2XC was engineered from home offices, and, according to a RIZE press release, is a testament “to the safety principles embodied in RIZE’s solutions – principles that are especially relevant today as organizations reinvent workflows for a return to office locations.” The business supply chain needs to be even more flexible now due to COVID, and RIZE says its new printer can help. The 2XC can be used at home – no need to worry about germs spreading from lack of social distancing – and in offices and classrooms, with no fear of releasing harmful airborne volatile organic compounds (VOCs).

“The newer, higher performance, safe materials from next-gen FFF players such as RIZE are helping to drive a transformation in the 3D printing sector that are particularly relevant now as the world emerges from a pandemic. The durability and safety advantage that’s possible from next-generation 3D printing systems merits the attention of any engineering or design team that wants to give their users the best, and safest, tools,” Tim Greene, research director, 3D printing, for IDC said in the release.

The adaptive printer is the first deliverable to come from the RIZIUM Alliance, which is a new collaboration between RIZE and industry partners, like Sindoh, to drive safer, more sustainable 3D printing. The RIZE 2XC was made with a redesigned Sindoh dual-extrusion 3D printer, which can run engineering-grade RIZIUM materials that are moisture-resistant, recyclable, and zero emission.

“We based our material on safety – it’s engineered for safety, durability, and strength,” Kalambi told me. “They’re medical grade, and especially in today’s context, things like sanitizing and being able to wash it with alcohol or acetone is important. Materials science is our differentiating factor.”

Kalambi told me that the ‘C’ in the company’s new 2XC printer stands for ‘composite,’ since RIZE takes a “material-led approach.”

“What we have done now is taken our material portfolio and partnered with industrial players, so we can offer it to a broader market of users.”

Sindoh is applying the innovative RIZIUM materials, engineered for user health, so that customers in various sectors on its platform can use a safe, sustainable material at a lower price.

“With Sindoh, we’re working with the same materials,” Kalambi explained. “We have done lots of engineering efforts with them to get the printer ready for our materials, worked on nozzles and the drive train and the slicer, all of that, and made the printer far more robust. It’s a printer that is a joint product. It’s a new hybrid platform, releasing a set of products with Sindoh that’s based on our polymers and materials science.”

The two independent extruders on the RIZE 2XC are designed for composite filaments and hardened materials. One extruder runs RIZIUM polymers and composites, which can be washed with just soap and water, while the other runs the unique RIZIUM Support, created by RIZE specifically for filament-based extrusion 3D printers. All in all, RIZE says that its new printer offers a safe way to fabricate durable, strong, functional components, without any unnecessary post-processing.

“The RIZE 2XC is especially well-suited for a variety of Industrial and Academic applications,” Ricco Busk, Director at RIZE partner CADSYS, stated. “Given the high demand for having 3D Composite Parts, we are able to, almost immediately, sign up a customer for the RIZE 2XC to use in their innovative plastic molding applications, such as robotic grippers. Combining RIZE’s material advantage in the high quality, easy to use 2XC 3D platform opens doors to new markets for 3D printing that need precision parts made safely and sustainably.”

Kalambi told me that the RIZE 2XC has plenty of great features, such as a heated build plate, a camera for monitoring prints, and automatic bed leveling. Because the company’s Augmented Polymer Deposition (APD) platform has not been added, the system does not print in color, but he said that it does have “a much bigger build volume” in comparison to other desktop printers.

“It’s great for home and office use, as those industries wanted a good printer within a certain price point,” Kalambi explained. “Lots of 3D printing is being done in schools and offices, which is why we partnered with Sindoh…they have lots of knowledge in the education field. That industry had a requirement for a low-cost printer, and RIZE wanted to be able to offer a more affordable option.”

Kalambi also said that the RIZE 2XC is great for 3D printing industrial parts.

According to the RIZE release, this new printer is the first that has brought “safe, sustainable 3D printing” to the industry’s compact sub-$5k market, which can help organizations struggling to get back on their feet in a post-pandemic world get a leg up over the competition.

“Sindoh’s cooperative R&D effort with RIZE showed us that we chose the right partner indeed – a partner as committed to innovation in materials and technologies as we are. We’re delighted to expand our reach into more segments of the market through the cooperative solutions we are creating with RIZE,” said BB Lee, CEO, 3D Printing Division at Sindoh Co., Ltd.

The RIZE 2XC will be available from RIZE’s network of channel partners starting June 30th, for an introductory price of $3,995 in the US market and €3,995 in Europe. In the meantime, I’ll be keeping my ear to the ground, because Kalambi said RIZE will have some more exciting news to share with us in mid-July.

The post RIZE Introduces Adaptive 2XC Desktop 3D Printer for Offices, Schools, and Homes appeared first on 3DPrint.com | The Voice of 3D Printing / Additive Manufacturing.

In this post, we’re going to delve deeper into the procedures that you could use for making face shields, spare parts and medical parts for COVID-19. Please note that this article is well-meaning advice given to aid you in a time of need and in no means medical advice. We are not implying that the materials or processes or suggestions listed or linked to are fit for purpose or indeed that they should be used to make a medical device or ancillary product; only that of all of the printable materials and methods these at least could be used more effectively than other materials. GMP still is the only way to do this properly, but for the home, we’re going to give you these tips. Please check the relevant certifications and approvals for your material. Use the information in this article at your own risk but please do not risk someone else’s life through optimism or overconfidence.

There is this palpable feeling in the maker community and in 3D Printing companies that to do nothing at all would be the greatest sin. On the whole, that may be the case, but specifically, when making a product used in medicine, failure to observe safety requirements, standards, and best practices could mean that people who otherwise would live long lives could die because of your 3D printed product. It may seem that “a mask is better than none at all” but if that mask infects seven more people because it can’t be cleaned properly it could, in fact, be a far worse outcome than no mask at all. Ethically for me, this advice is like telling a friend who will drive drunk to wear a seatbelt. But, I admire all of the hard work that makers and 3D printing companies worldwide are putting in, I admire your gumption and I am proud of all of the people wanting to use 3D printing to make a better world.

Desktop FDM Recommendations

Repeatability Issues Related to file handling

With desktop FDM printers we have some specific software-related concerns that need to be addressed. Opening a file in a CAD system could change a file. A different slicer or a different version of the same slicing software will get you a different part. Typically values for filament temperatures and speeds have huge effects on part quality and things such as layer adhesion. There is a huge range of different temperatures and print speeds used for the same materials but different vendors. Different colors of filament from the same vendor have a different optimal temperature. Differences in settings between machines will mean that you or I will get a different part. Those random settings you inputted in Cura the first time you booted it up and that one time you played with retraction and left it at some value will have a huge influence on the part outcome. Check to make sure that your slicer values and machine settings are all normal before beginning. Check to make sure that you are printing the right version of the right file. This may seem silly, but we’ve already seen dozens of different versions of files proliferate and one would be NIH checked but the others would not be.

Issues related to material handling

Humidity, airflow, and ambient temperatures really have an effect on your parts. Do not use rolls of filament opened weeks ago for critical parts. Use only new rolls of filament. As you know has significant effects on PLA and wreaks havoc in hours on PA. For best results pre-dry problematic filaments to make sure that they are low on moisture. Moisture and dust on filament have effects on the parts also. We want to altogether avoid having any dust or particles enter and lodge in between layers. If your printer is not yet enclosed then this would be the perfect time to Lack yourself an enclosure of some kind. This will be safer and give you better print results. 3D printers work best on the floor where they are most stable and vibration-free. You should promptly discard cardboard, outside packaging and plastic bags. You should disinfect rolls, filament, and relevant printer surfaces.

Surfaces

Soap and other disinfectants can be used to kill COVID-19. Please be aware that COVID-19 may “live” months, weeks, days or hours on surfaces depending on those surfaces. The two most relevant papers here are a New England Journal of Medicine and a Lancet paper. COVID’s surface stability means that it lasts on polymers and steel for a week and on glass for three days. COVID-19 can persist for a week on surgical masks as well so be sure to use a new one, washed one (if possible with your type of mask) or a shield.

Our primary concern is that your well-meaning effort would disseminate one infection in your home to the face shields of 100 medical workers or all of your colleagues. Maybe you’ve played the “floor is lava” game growing up? With COVID the safe bet is, everything is lava. Also just for safety’s sake assume that you have the virus and act as paranoid as this would make you. Wash hands a minimum four times a day. Wash your hands any time you enter the print room. Here is a video showing you how to properly remove surgical gloves. This CDC guide on glove removal is handy. Here is a video on how to properly remove your mask. Here is a simple video on how to store your mask. This protocol explains how you could, with much care, use vaporized hydrogen peroxide to clean masks. Here is a video on how to properly wash your hands. Washing your hands is the thing do, hand sanitizer is a stopgap measure for when a tap and soap are not available. This purple paint demonstration is very helpful. Put your PPE on in the correct way and right order.

Always wear gloves for your COVID project but only in the print room and only for the task at hand. Do not leave the room with those gloves, don’t go to the toilet with them. Do not pick up your phone with them or open the front door or grab a Coke. Use a completely new pair of gloves when taking out finished parts from the printer and packing them. Wear a face shield.

Do not eat in the room which you’re printing in and do not let others or pets in if possible. Wear a set of clothes and shoes that are clean and have just been washed. Wear your “I’m printing now shoes” only in the print room. Have bins for gloves and discarded materials next to the door. They also should act as physical reminders to remove gloves, discard cardboard etc. Attach some kind of door opening device to the door, this could be as simple as taping a pen to it so you can open it without using your hands or you can print the Materialise door opener or similar. Vacuum the entire room extensively, twice at least. Dust the entire room. Ventilate well after, opening windows after you do this. Check the ventilation in the room after.

Any and all surfaces in, on and around the printer should be disinfected. Disinfected is not a synonym for cleaned or touched briefly by a rag. First you clean something then you disinfect it. With key things you can then after also sterilize them. This Australian guide can be used to clean the room and direct surroundings of your printer. A very good EU guideline for cleaning spaces can be found here. A good CDC guideline for the same can be found here and a more detailed document can be found here. These are the NYC business disinfectant guidelines. Not everything that you may think is a disinfectant actually is. This is an NYC list of EPA listed disinfectants. When at all possible adhere to healthcare setting guidelines. Please read these documents before beginning this project. You should plan ahead where finished parts will be put and clean those surfaces. If you are not going to read these documents, please don’t make medical stuff at home. When not in use, filament rolls should be enclosed in airtight containers. Tools used to remove prints or cut filament should be sterilized and disinfected. Not a typo.

Printer itself

You should use completely new nozzles for your COVID-19 project. Depending on your printer a new head could be preferable. Nanofilled materials, carbon black, metal-filled materials, glass fiber and carbon fiber will all leave behind traces that you do not want present in your parts, inside print heads and nozzles. Many additives in low cost and quality materials lack approvals. Even premium materials often have undisclosed additives. All previous materials will to some extent leave traces inside nozzles. Clean your feeder wheels specifically and remove any loose metal shavings and polymer parts there. Vacuum and clean out the inside of your printer including materials below the build platform and materials such as hairspray residue that will have built up across the side walls of your printer and on top of the surfaces of steppers and motion stages. Calibrate your printer and try to do any and all operations after disinfecting and cleaning notable surfaces without touching the printer. Make sure that the printer is level and minimize any airflows in or across it. Do long term maintenance operations such as straightening rods, lubricating axels and other surfaces, replacing common consumables before you get started.

Update software and make sure any connector cables SD cards etc. are also clean and ready. Imagine yourself doing the entire workflow from setting up a print to packing a part. Can you reduce the number of operations or number of times that you touch something? Update all software as well and do not forget to extensively clean printer control surfaces, knobs and, buttons. Extensively disinfect and clean your laptop. Use one device to control the printer. Try avoid using your cell phone in the print room or better yet, don’t bring it inside. Disinfect your cell phone regularly. Make sure that loose residues of materials such as WD-40, lubricants and bed adhesives are not about where they should be. Try print direct on glass or other surfaces without Pritt or try BuildTak or equivalent. Clean your sink, taps and things such as a rack to store build plates, the side table to store filament, any tools you may have forgotten. Leave the room, enter again and try to set up a print, be completely mindful of every surface you need to touch. Were and are they clean? Survey the room once again. Clean and disinfect relevant surfaces including all light fixtures. Good luck out there.

This is a living document and will be updated. Do you have tips, suggestions and best practices? Email joris (at) 3dprint.com.

The post Safety Suggestions for 3D-Printing COVID-19 Medical Parts at Home appeared first on 3DPrint.com | The Voice of 3D Printing / Additive Manufacturing.