Interview with Kai Witter Looking at the Business Case for DyeMansion Depowdering and Dyeing Powder Bed Fusion Parts

From file to software to machine to finished part takes a design along a path through many different vendors, formats, processes, and interactions. We as an industry are trying to manufacture, reliably with a disparate set of tools and technologies. In between ones and zeroes and finished product we have many crucial steps that get an idea closer towards becoming a thing. Depowdering in powder bed fusion (SLS, selective laser sintering) and other powder technologies such as Multijet Fusion was once seen as a cost center. An annoying laborious task that had to be done. A block of powder with 3D printed parts in it had to be sieved, hand cleaned for the parts to be sorted, matched and shipped. As much as a third of 3D printed part cost is manual labor. You can appreciate this is you see how this depowdering process works and just how labor intensive it is. Companies have traditionally offered tumblers and other surface treatment solutions to ameliorate this and improve surface finish. A few years ago a company wanted to change this. Rather that seeing depowdering as a cost center they saw it as a part of a series of process steps that elevated a mere polymer shape into a consumer-friendly part. Rather than just selling a machine that performed an operation this team, the DyeMansion team developed three different machines that while working together could depowder, surface treat and dye a part. A process chain with a high degree of automation and tooling meant to work together in a highly optimized way. We covered the company before when they raised a series A of five million, when they launched in the US, when they won an award, when they went to AMUG, when they showed at Formnext in 2016 and when they got investment previously.

 

The Powershot C parts cleaning machine, step 1.

When I got started dyeing SLS parts was done in those electric soup kettles that you see at catered events. We used Dylon meant for coloring t-shirts and had a person stirring by hand. Parts would dye unevenly becoming dark blue on one side and lighter on the other. It was a mess always and cauldrons full of red and blue dye were everywhere. It didn’t exactly feel like the future of manufacturing rather more the future of witchcraft. And that is precisely where we are now. We’re going from spells, hope, exotic ingredients and promises to ISO, GMP and repeatable production. What do we see? Everyone wants to make or sell 3D printers, lots of people are developing software and many sell materials but only one firm is developing a line of post-processing solutions that in an integrated way depowders, cleans and surfaces parts. The three machines work in tandem and are rather confusingly named the Dyemansion Powershot C, Powershot S and Dimension DM 60. The Powershot C is not a camera but then again there are precedents in the 3D printing industry in having names similar to camera names. The C cleans parts and depowders them using movement and ionization and damaging parts less than alternatives, while the S is a blasting cabinet with a high degree of automation that gives parts a more closed and more uniform surface texture and structure; and the DM 60 is the dyeing unit.

The S, the second step for surfacing.

All in all I’m a huge believer that in a Gold Rush sell picks and shovels and have heard great things about the labor-saving capabilities of these units from friends. We spoke to Kai Witter who after a long 3D printing career became the sales manager at DyeMansion and is helping bring the technology to manufacturers worldwide.

The DM60 Dyeing unit

Kai said that Dyemansion is, “A company that’s evolving from a startup to a global market leader who offers value-adding post-processing solutions for AM plastic parts manufacturing. We are the challenger of the status quo, together with AM printer manufacturers we challenge injection molding industry.” 

How much labor does your depowdering station save? If I did 5 full builds a week, how much money or how many hours would I save?

As usual, all this is application dependent. Let’s look at saved hours as cost of conventional manual blasting units and staff costs vary a lot:

The average cleaning time of one batch with PowerShot C is 10 mins

  • Let’s assume 100 mid-sized mid complex geometry parts (loading volume is a full HP4200 job or 75% of a EOS P3x Job). So we assume 5 Runs/week
  • Loading and unloading each 2 mins, in total 4 Mins

Powershot C:           

  • 4 mins (loading & unloading)
  • 5 runs a week
  • 50 weeks
  • 4 m(ins) x 5 (runs) x 50 (weeks) = 1000 mins or 16,5 hrs 

Conventional manual blasting:

  • 3 mins average. cleaning time/part
  • 4 mins (loading & unloading)
  • 5 runs a week
  • 50 weeks
  • Cleaning: 100 (parts) x 3 (mins) x 5 (runs) x 50 (weeks) = 75.000 mins/1.250hrs
  • Loading & unloading: 4 (mins) x 5 (runs) x 50 (weeks) = 1.000 mins
    • 76.000 mins or 1267 hrs
  • 16 vs 1267 hrs

  • Powershot C saves 1251 working hours. 

So it is three units that work together? How do they work and how much do they cost?

The three unity combined build an integrated workflow, so called ‘print-2-Product’ workflow to turn 3D printed raw parts into high value products in 3 hours only. Automated, efficient and reproducible.

  1. Powershot C: Cleans parts in 10 mins only, without damaging the surface. Compared to manual cleaning we assure the sensitive surface of 3D printed raw parts is not damaged from too much blasting pressure and broken or worn blasting media.
  2. Powershot S: Refines the surface of the raw parts with a smooth touch, matte-glossy finish and improves scratch and water resistance of the parts in 10 mins only. The PolyShot process prepares the part for homogeneous dye absorption that leads to an even color image over the complete surface of each part and all the parts.
  3. DyeMansion DM60: Is the fully automated Dyeing system to fit out the parts with any color required. The DM60 adds the final value to parts. Launched at tct 2018 we have added 170 standard RAL colors to our out of the box portfolio. Any other color, suiting the material and required finish of the part can be developed at DyeMansion in only 3-4 weeks

 

So how does it work as an investment? 

“If we assume industry standard of 5 years depreciation and the calculation above (saving 1250 hrs pa) customers have a positive impact on their bottom line after the 1st month of using the Powershot C.” 

Why is damage prevention so important?

“Our infiltration Dyeing process does not add a layer to the raw part as we know it from spry painting. They dye connects with the material and avoids another process step to create a nice surface. Further it enables to finish printed textures, eg leather structure alike textures as used for automotive or aerospace interior parts.”

What does the ionization do?

“It removes the static charge of the parts and thus avoids that parts attract loose powder residue in the cabin atmosphere back to the parts. It ensures that parts are really clean.”  

Why is a homogenous surface quality important?

“A homogeneous dye absorption is the prerequisite for an even color image of the end use part. We finish the printed part including printed textures without any impact on the geometry. Neither the Powershot C (Step 1), nor Powershot S (Step 2) are abrasive and (Step 3) the dyeing, does not add a layer to the part like spray painting does. Thus, an additional process ta accomplish high quality end-use part surface is not required.”

How does the second step work?

“The PolyShot surfacing is a proprietary surface compression process with plastic media to even out the heterogeneous surface roughness and porosity of 3D Printed plastic parts.”

Why is the feel of the product important?

People are used to comparing parts with what they know, such as Injection molded parts. Rough surfaces don’t create an image of quality, they are scratch and dirt sensitive.

It is all about perception and mind change. The high-quality perception of 3D printed parts on a manufacturing level, even if the visual appearance may not be relevant for the functionality (functional end-use parts or functional protoytypes) is a prerequisite to open up more and more applications that are injection molded today, maybe only because of the feel.

Does it make it feel more luxurious?

I would not call it luxurious. I think it meets injection molded standards, at least. Nevertheless, some of our customers from the life style industry describe our matte-glossy look as more valuable than the typical shiny look & feel known from Injection molded parts.

How long do these steps take?

  • Step 1 – Powershot Cleaning => 10 mins
  • Step 2 – Polyshot Surfacing => 10 Mins before the dyeing and optionally a few minutes after the dyeing to increase the matte-glossy look & feel.
  • Step 3 – Dyeing => 90 to 150 mins

How does the coloring process work?

“We have developed an automated, flexible, geometry independent infiltration process where the parts are constantly moving in a water bath. The cartridge is filled with the recipe (reflecting color, material and finish) to accomplish the required color. Further a RFID chip on the cartridge defines the required process parameters such as temperature curve, holding time and pressure that is required. The dye connects with the part as a chemical reaction.

The recipe and DM60 process together make reproducible, high quality end-use parts. The operator just scans the RFID information, adds parts and Cartridge to the part basket of the DM60 and presses start. After 90 – 150 mins the DM60 process is finished including a cleaning and fixation step. When the DM 60 door opens, parts a free of dye.”

 How much are the cartridges and how do they work?

“The cartridge price varies between €40 and €105 depending on the required volume of the dyebath.

The cartridge contains the recipe for the required color and the RFID Chip for the required DM60 process parameters. The cartridge is inserted into a shaft at the bottom of the part basket. The cartridge is opened and the dye mixed with the water when the DM60 has reached the process conditions. After 90-150 minutes the parts are ready just a little moisture (Dye free) from the cleaning a fixation phase remains.”

How many colors can I do?

“We have around 200 Colors of the shelf and have developed more than 400 individual colors for customers, such as corporate colors, creative colors and for special finishes. We can develop almost any color within 3-4 weeks development time.The price is €250 for a defined color from a color system such as Pantone and €750 form a reference part.”

What are some of the interesting things customers are doing with your products?

This is always the toughest questions. There are so many interesting and mind-blowing applications with DyeMansion. But the competitive advantage our customers accomplish prevents them from making it public. Famous parts are automotive and Aerospace interior parts, prothesis and orthoses, medical devices and instruments, Eyewear frames and top-notch sports shoes with 3D Printed and DM finished midsoles.

Beijing: Researchers 3D Print Chiral MetaMaterials

If you have been heavily influenced by 3D printing or are just a fan of the many innovations brought forth today, chances are you have also become far more knowledgeable about materials science than you ever imagined. While in the beginning 3D printing was greatly ruled by thermoplastics such as ABS and PLA, the list of materials today is expansive—with some being wildly alternative from chocolate to hemp—and the choices just continue to grow.

Metamaterials allow researchers to create on an even more elevated level, and continued strides may change the face of how numerous applications are manufactured in the future. Recent work by Beijing researchers, discussed in ‘Deformation mechanism of innovative 3D chiral metamaterials,’ explores the importance of man-made materials that can be microstructured to include properties not available naturally. They also examine deformation mechanisms, to include:

  • Uniform spatial rotation deformation
  • Tensile-shearing directed
  • Tensile-expansion directed
  • Deformation mechanisms of 3D chiral metamaterials
  • Deformation mechanism competition between varying types

(a–d) x-y, y-z, z-x and stereo views of as-fabricated chiral- chiral- antichiral metamaterials; (e–h) x-y, y-z, z-x and perspective view of as-fabricated chiral- antichiral- antichiral metamaterials.

The chiral metamaterials explored by the team of researchers offers strong potential for designing with a variety of strengths and densities, sound metamaterials, electromagnetic metamaterials, optical metamaterials, and more. The research paper goes into detail regarding the expanding qualities of auxetic metamaterials, along with their ‘enhanced’ mechanical properties.

“Auxetic materials can be applied for designing innovative multifunctional structures, such as: body armor, packing material, knee and elbow pads, robust shock absorbing material and sponge mops. According to the geometrical relations of auxetic unit cell, there are mainly three types of auxetic materials: reentrant materials, rigid square rotation materials and chiral structures,” state the researchers.

A chiral structure is one that cannot be separated into two identical halves. A good example is that of a DNA strand. The researchers point out that other natural chiral materials are that of flower petals and stems that climb in a twisted fashion, as well as ‘tendrils and twisted leaves.’

“Because of their lack of mirror symmetry, chiral metamaterials have recently enabled several remarkable phenomena, such as negative refractive index, superchiral light, and use as broadband circular polarizers or detectors,” state the researchers.

The x-y, y-z, z-x and stereo views of the architected 3D chiral matamaterials (a,b,c) and (d) chiral- chiral- antichiral metamaterials; (e,f,g) and (h) chiral- antichiral- antichiral metamaterials.

With 3D printing, chiral structures can be fabricated with even greater functionality in applications such as electronics. In the scope of this research study, the team focused on chiral- chiral- antichiral, and chiral- antichiral- antichiral metamaterials. Type A and Type B were 3D printed on an SLS 3D printer at BMF Material Technology, Inc. in Guang Dong Province of China.

The nylon was evaluated before compression tests began:

“Totally, 5 uniaxial tensile samples are fabricated, and uniaxial tensile experiments are performed on an Instron®5985 machine at a displacement rate of 1 mm/min. Finally, the average elastic modulus of the 5 as-fabricated tensile samples is:Es = 1021.00 MPa, where the deviation of modulus is: ±0.75 MPa, and the average ultimate strain of the material is εmax = 0.16,” stated the researchers.

The researchers then employed compression tests, noting:

  • Loading force
  • Displacement images
  • Deformation images

Axial strain and compression stress were created as the researchers worked to minimize friction. Beyond that, they continued to simulate deformation and then compare all the results.

“With the progress of micro- and nano- manufacturing techniques, the proposed 3D chiral metamaterials show promising performances for future industrial applications, such as: nano chiral metallic glass with extensive hardening and large ductility, sound absorption and vibration attenuation metamaterials, morphing structures, optical chiral metamaterials, shape memory actuators and biomechanical devices,” concluded the researchers.

What do you think of this news? Let us know your thoughts! Join the discussion of this and other 3D printing topics at 3DPrintBoard.com.

[Source / Images: Deformation mechanism of innovative 3D chiral metamaterials]

 

The x-y, y-z, z-x and stereo views of the architected 3D chiral matamaterials (a), (b), (c) and (d) chiral- chiral- antichiral metamaterials; (e), (f), (g) and (h) chiral- antichiral- antichiral metamaterials.

 

 

RC Jet Boat #3DThursday #3DPrinting

chase512 shares:

My redesign to make it a lot more durable and simple to make it is still a work in progress.
If you have any question just leave a comment happy to help

download the files on: https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:3036577


649-1
Every Thursday is #3dthursday here at Adafruit! The DIY 3D printing community has passion and dedication for making solid objects from digital models. Recently, we have noticed electronics projects integrated with 3D printed enclosures, brackets, and sculptures, so each Thursday we celebrate and highlight these bold pioneers!

Have you considered building a 3D project around an Arduino or other microcontroller? How about printing a bracket to mount your Raspberry Pi to the back of your HD monitor? And don’t forget the countless LED projects that are possible when you are modeling your projects in 3D!

The Adafruit Learning System has dozens of great tools to get you well on your way to creating incredible works of engineering, interactive art, and design with your 3D printer! If you’ve made a cool project that combines 3D printing and electronics, be sure to let us know, and we’ll feature it here!

LEGO Towbar #3DThursday #3DPrinting

telboy2002 shares:

Towbar for LEGO

Small Tow hook for my LEGO type RC Car,

https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:3028903

download the files on: https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:3036740


649-1
Every Thursday is #3dthursday here at Adafruit! The DIY 3D printing community has passion and dedication for making solid objects from digital models. Recently, we have noticed electronics projects integrated with 3D printed enclosures, brackets, and sculptures, so each Thursday we celebrate and highlight these bold pioneers!

Have you considered building a 3D project around an Arduino or other microcontroller? How about printing a bracket to mount your Raspberry Pi to the back of your HD monitor? And don’t forget the countless LED projects that are possible when you are modeling your projects in 3D!

The Adafruit Learning System has dozens of great tools to get you well on your way to creating incredible works of engineering, interactive art, and design with your 3D printer! If you’ve made a cool project that combines 3D printing and electronics, be sure to let us know, and we’ll feature it here!

Case Study Shows How 3D Printing Can Optimize and Consolidate Parts

Safran Electrical and Power is a designer and manufacturer of electrical systems for both fixed and rotary wing commercial and military aircraft. Its customers were demanding more additively manufactured parts, so the company decided to connect with someone who was an expert in 3D printing and design. The solution came in the English company Betatype, which was founded in 2012 and works with customers in multiple industries including consumer, industrial, aerospace, medical and motor sports to provide functional 3D printed components.

Within Safran’s Power Division, Dr. Mark Craig, the Materials, Special Processes and Composites Company Expert, works to coordinate additive manufacturing solutions.

“We came across Betatype in a search for 3D printing specialists and it was clear after our initial discussions that they had the knowledge and skill-set we were looking for to add value in our new part production programme,” he said.

For this particular case, the Power Division was looking to improve the design of an electrical generator housing. Betatype focused on a number of key areas to improve the housing: improved strength, increased stiffness and a reduction in overall weight, which 3D printing helped the company to realize. Betatype developed a proof of concept using an ultra high density lattice as part of a sandwich structure with over 10 million elements, a first for the company as part of a case study.

Safran has been encouraged by this initial work and is looking to further pursue 3D printing for housings and other components.

“We knew creating a more complex, higher density lattice structure was the key to achieving what Safran was looking for in the part,” said Betatype CEO Sarat Babu. “Applying our technology and multi-scale approach, we were able to control the scan path and exposure settings down to each element of the sandwich structure’s design. By pushing the AM process of laser powder bed fusion well beyond its standard processes, we created the ultra-high density lattice structure required.”

The proof of concept created by Betatype turned out to be a success. It optimized Safran’s generator housings for additive manufacturing and took a design consisting of multiple components to a design with only one piece. By doing this, Betatype and Safran were able to drastically reduce the overall part count as well as manufacturing times.


Betatype is known for “Engine,” a data processing platform the company built for managing and controlling multi-scale design. Betatype has combined Engine with its team’s strong foundation in material science, engineering and industrial design to achieve greater fidelity at every scale of additive manufacturing part design. Betatype applies its multi-scale approach particularly to complex parts that cannot be easily manufactured through traditional processes – such as Safran Electrical and Power’s electrical generator housing.

Betatype is based in London.

Discuss this and other 3D printing topics at 3DPrintBoard.com or share your thoughts below. 

[Images: Betatype]

 

Free 3D Systems Whitepaper Discusses Scalable, Digital Molding Process and Figure 4 3D Printing

Injection molding was invented nearly 150 years ago, and while the manufacturing process has been improved several times over the years, something that hasn’t changed about the technology is its need for tooling, which can take weeks and even months to complete. Digital molding is a scalable 3D printing process that can increase the speed and simplicity of producing plastic parts, allowing designs to move from CAD to manufacturing without the use of tooling, and can make parts too complex for injection molding to handle.

This disruptive technology – a good alternative for low-volume plastic part production – is also the focus of the latest whitepaper by 3D Systems. The company’s tool-less digital molding is backed by its configurable, modular Figure 4 manufacturing process, making it possible to facilitate part design iterations on the spot and increase product transitions without retooling.

“This paper outlines the evolution of digital molding, explains how it works, details benefits for manufacturers, reveals business drivers for the technology, and provides perspectives from an industry expert,” 3D Systems writes. “Cost and time savings claims are documented by benchmarks that demonstrate the performance of digital molding versus traditional injection molding.”

Chuck Hull with his 1984 patent that inspired the Figure 4.

Figure 4 technology can manufacture parts out of hybrid materials that are biocompatible and durable, and feature elastomeric properties and high temperature deflection. The process uses arrays of manufacturing modules, serviced by robotics, to rapidly output a finished geometry; downstream workflows are also used to optimize throughput, and the Figure 4’s processing speed “enables use of reactive plastic resins with short vat lives, leading to tough, functional parts such as those used in thermoplastic applications.”

The Figure 4 SLA configuration was patented by 3D Systems’ co-founder Chuck Hull 30 years ago, when the technological advancements he needed to make the process a reality were not yet available. But progress in advanced robotics systems, continued SLA and materials advancement, digital texturing, CAD/CAM software that enables 3D design, and higher speed in processing raw materials in the vat have led to the technology’s current digital molding process.

“The digital molding process invented by 3D Systems is comprised of discrete modules for every step required in direct 3D production. Each stage is automated, reducing the need for human intervention. Following input of the digital benchmarking vent file, the first part was produced within 92 minutes, followed by additional vents at rates equivalent to one recurring unit every 95 seconds,” 3D Systems wrote in its whitepaper.

“The Figure 4 technology that drives digital molding comprises an array of super-fast membrane micro-DLP (Digital Light Processing) printers. The array enables the digital molding process to take advantage of parallel processing efficiencies. Printers within the array are called “engines,” and each one is extremely fast at producing physical objects. So fast, in fact, that 3D Systems characterizes the process as a motion or velocity. Depending on the geometry and material, a 3D object can be pulled from a 2D plane at speeds measured in millimeters per minute.”

3D Systems’ Figure 4

Robotic arms that move the parts through each process step allow for streaming parts production, and digital inspection can also be integrated into the Figure 4 modules.

There are many benefits to digital molding technology, such as lower costs, more efficient part customization, greater part complexity, no minimum order quantity or batching, no more physical storage issues, and because there’s no waiting for tooling, production can start right away. This means more flexibility, and multiple products can also be created at the same time. Additionally, digital molding configurations complement existing production methods used on the shop floor.

“The advantage of digital molding is that it gets rid of tooling. Design for digital molding needs to address functionality only, not draft angles, undercuts, side inserts and other features required for injection molding. As compared to the several weeks it takes for the initial design of a textured injection molded part, digital molding can be done in a matter of hours,” 3D Systems stated in the whitepaper.

The whitepaper also discusses the implications of digital molding on cost and Product Lifecycle Management, in addition to revealing the results of its benchmarking study that compared the design and production of an automotive vent using traditional injection molding versus digital molding. Perspective from industry expert Tim Shinbara, vice president of the Association for Manufacturing Technology (AMT), was also shared.

Figure 4 Direct 3D Production vs. Injection Molding

“Digital molding, as implemented in high-speed, modular and massively scalable configurations by 3D Systems, has the immediate potential to be a disruptive alternative to traditional injection molding for low volume plastic part production,” the 3D Systems whitepaper concluded.

You can download the 3D Systems whitepaper for free on the 3DPrint.com website.

Discuss this story and other 3D printing topics at 3DPrintBoard.com or share your thoughts below. 

Interview with Anders Olsson about the Olsson Ruby and Olsson Torque Wrench at the TCT Show

 

Anders Olsson is an all-round great person and a boon to the 3D printing community. His Olsson block gave us easy to exchange nozzles, with the Olsson Ruby we got a great nozzle and now with the Olsson Ruby High Temperature we have a high-performance nozzle for abrasive materials. The ruby material lasts long and is meant to withstand many hours of abrasive materials. The new Olsson Ruby High Temp can handle 500 C which means it can be suited for PEEK and other high-temperature applications.

The Olsson Torque Wrench

Anders also designed a unique torque wrench which will be available soon. This 3D printed wrench-ling is part standard wrench head but augmented by a part 3D printed in HPs multijet fusion technology. Very easy to use it gives you the precise pressure needed to mount a new interchangeable nozzle. Another item developed by Olsson is the new Print Core CC Red from Ultimaker also used for abrasive materials. A wealth of new and exciting things at the Olsson stand and more than enough reason to interview him at the TCT Show where he was attending with his partners at 3DVerkstan which I think is a market leading reseller of 3D Skrivare and 3D Skrivare supplies in the Nordic countries.

The Olsson Ruby, left and the new Olsson Ruby High-Temperature Nozzle

What is the Olsson Ruby

It’s a unique nozzle for 3D Printers, designed to print highly abrasive materials while retaining the excellent heat conductivity of brass. It works equally well for printing common FDM (FFF, Material Extrusion) 3D printing materials up to 300C. There is also a high temp version of the Olsson Ruby, enabling the use of high temp materials up to 500C.

Why is it so successful?

Our customers are getting high performance and consistent results out of using the ruby nozzle when printing abrasive materials. The materials are composites with fillers such as carbon, boron carbide, and glass fiber among others. This lets them get a new type of functionality in materials that can bring improved mechanical properties as well as radiation shielding, electrical conductivity, ESD shielding and more.

How many have been sold?

We have sold more than 15000 units worldwide.

Wait you use real rubies for this?

Yes, for consistent results we use industrially grown rubies, which are also better for the application than natural rubies with their inherent flaws.

Why is wear resistance important in a nozzle?


Because when printing abrasives with common nozzles, they wear out fast and affect print quality in a negative way.

Why do nozzles always use brass and not copper or another material?

This is usually because brass has a combination of good properties:

  • High machinability
  • Excellent heat conductivity
  • Relatively low cost

Other materials might have worse heat conductivity or worse machinability, and might be more expensive or a combination of these qualities.  For copper alloys, they are a little harder to machine than brass and depending on the alloy they might also be too soft and start to anneal at common printing temperatures. That said, in our new High Temp version of the Olsson Ruby nozzle, we are using a special, high conductivity copper alloy which has excellent thermal conductivity and retains its mechanical strength at over 500 degrees Celsius.

Will you develop new nozzles?

Yes, we just launched a High Temp version of the Ruby Nozzle and are continuously developing new nozzles and other accessories. Some are in collaboration with 3D Printer manufacturers, such as the newly announced Print Core CC Red for the Ultimaker S5 3D Printer.

Interview with Xioneer CEO Andrei Neboian at the TCT Show

Xioneer impressed me with its multiple material bays that let one pre-dry filament inside the printer. In this way, one could condition the filament on the machine itself and prepare it for 3D printing. With hygroscopic filaments such as PLA performance is significantly retarded and the material becomes brittle making it difficult to print. Polyamide materials (PA, Nylon) are even worse and suck up water like a starving man in the desert. These filaments may in a day or two to exposure to ambient air become less than performance ready. Polyamides such as PA 6 and PA 12 are industry standards and are great performance polymers for a lot of applications. By drying on the machine itself Xioneer shows us that they’re thinking about performance in an intelligent way. The machine has slick software and the parts on display were impressive as well. The company has cartridges for materials exchangeable nozzles for fine, bold and abrasive materials. A patented heating system and a full scan to ensure build platform calibration are other interesting features. Enough of a reason to interview CEO Andrei Neboian about the company and their printer.

What is Xioneer?

The company was founded in 2012 and has around 20 employees working at our headquarters in Vienna, Austria. Our main investor is the German company Fischer, well known for the Fischertechnik sets and its products for the construction industry.

What does your company hope to achieve?

We want to help companies to achieve more with 3D-printing. We do that by caring for every detail and by constant innovation and merging that into great 3D-printing systems. Our FFF-systems are flexible, reliable and accessible and provide great value to the customer – letting them do more with 3D-printing than before.

What makes your systems different than other 3D printers?

It’s the combination of technical innovations and smaller improvements in details that make our products stand out. Our systems are more flexible (e.g. with the different swappable nozzle-units), easier to use (e.g. automatic material management and automated calibration), and provide the benefits of high-end AM systems (e.g. material drying, heated build environment, water-cooled nozzles).

Who are your target customers?

We target various industries such as automotive, aerospace, medical and tooling manufacturers who want to create functional parts from industrial materials quickly and efficiently.

For what types of parts and applications is your system ideally suited?

Our swappable nozzle-units and materials cover a wide range of applications. Ranging from large fixtures and mounts printed within record time from PC or ABS, to carbon-fiber reinforced jigs, or small intricate parts with thin walls printed with flexible Nylon or TPU.

What makes the Xioneer desktop better than other desktop systems?

Over 6 patented technologies are used in our desktop system as well as in our industrial system. These provide state-of-the-art topographic calibration system for the nozzles and for the build-surface as well as the unique material feeding system which is the easiest to use on the market.

What kind of motion system is on it?

A derivative of the Core-XY system adopted to the needs of 3D-printing by our engineers.

How accurate is it?

The positional accuracy is within the range of 5 micrometers or lower.

What is Gecko Peel and what does it do?

GeckoPeel is our support material which is flexible and easy to remove from the surface of the model. It makes support removal much safer and quicker and other materials.

How does your automatic calibration work?

It scans the entire surface of the build table and compensates any unevenness automatically during the print. Unavoidable deformations caused by e.g. the high temperature of the print surface and the build chamber are compensated automatically. This allows using the entire build-surface and saves costly setup time.

You have “plug and play” proprietary filament but can I also use my own?

We provide a range of materials which we have tested internally. But we also understand that different customers and industries have their specific material needs. Therefore, we offer an on-demand service to certify customer materials through our internal material testing process.

How much is the X1?

List price for the Starter Set is under 15000€

And the X1s?

List price for the Starter Set is under 25000€

It seems to have a lot of spool holders in it?

These are the additional pre-dry units to prepare more material cartridges for printing. This saves time in busy environments where you need additional spools of material ready for your next print-job immediately.

PA CF is really being adopted much more widely, how come?

It’s a great material which combines the strength of Nylon with the stiffness that the fiber-reinforcement gives to your parts.

So why do you have four different nozzles and what do they do?

Our quick-changeable nozzles offer you more flexibility to do things beyond a standard filament printer can do. The nozzle-unit BOLD lets you print parts in lower resolution much quicker than any other nozzle: large bulky parts are made in just a few hours instead of days! The nozzle-unit HARD is made of a wear resistant ceramic material which allows printing fiber-reinforced materials such as PA-CF. The nozzle-unit FINE lets you create intricate parts in the level of detail which is usually expected from high-resolution 3D-printing technologies. The nozzle unit STANDARD is our all-rounder covering all other print-jobs. The additional benefit of our patented twin-head system is the ability to combine different nozzles within a single job: print the inside of your part with a BOLD nozzle, while preserving the high quality of the outer shell with the STANDARD nozzle – this will save you hours!

What is your modelPlus material?

It’s a modelling material with similar mechanical properties to ABS, and a great surface finish. It’s highly recommended for printing visual prototypes.

Why should I buy one of your machines and not one from another company?

The Xioneer X1s provides the latest technology for producing functional parts from a variety of industrial plastics. It’s a high value product with a quick return on investment, and a money-back guarantee. On top of that, we provide application support to our customers to get the best out of their X1s.

 

Triton Dynamics: 3D Printed Swimming Flipper for Amputees

Designing a prosthetic of any kind is far from an easy task. But developing one with a pivoting ankle that’s functional enough to use in water? That requires serious research and development. Thankfully, with the help of 3D printing and Shapeways’ EDU program, Shawn Jones, a former design student at Northeastern University, has been able to take that concept and make it into a reality. Jones has plans to bring to market the swimming flipper, named Triton Dynamics, to enable below-the-knee amputees to swim again.

“My first goal was to create an entire prosthetic leg and flipper,” Jones told Shapeways. “This later turned into just developing a pivoting ankle with a mechanism to engage a flipper once in the water. After several years of research, we came to minimizing the swimming flipper due to the ergonomics of both walking and swimming. My team of engineers has concluded that the main pain points were the lack of spring while walking and the limited propulsion of the flipper while in the water.”

With the help of the EDU Grant

With his goals in place, Jones applied for and received an EDU grant from Shapeways. With the assistive funding he received, he was able to develop the first rotational device for the flipper.

“This item was very helpful for when I took it to Northeastern University’s Generate group. They are a student-run organization [that] help out entrepreneurs looking for engineering assistance. They were able to see what I originally designed and saw the actual 3D printed model. This helped them realize the design in a physical space as well as find out the areas of improvement in the design.”

Learning the complexity of 3D design

And although Jones had taken some 3D design courses while at Northeastern University, his experience in the craft was limited, meaning he had a lot to learn when tackling the prototype of Triton Dynamics.

3D rendering of one swimming flipper

3D rendering of the Triton Dynamics swimming flipper

“I did not spend a lot of time working in the 3D printing environment in college. This means I had to teach myself how to use the software and equipment. This took a lot of extra time. I also did not have a mechanical engineering background, so I had to search for a team of engineers who had the same passion for helping others. I luckily found a handful of students who I, today, continue to work on this project with.”

Now, after working with his time tirelessly on Triton Dynamics, he’s hoping to turn his project into a business.

Army veteran Christy Gardner of Lewiston, Maine, trying on the Triton flipper.

Army veteran Christy Gardner of Lewiston, Maine, trying on the Triton flipper.

“I am working on turning the project into a business now. This comes with patenting the prototype as well as making sure everything is FDA approved. This is all quite a new learning experience for me. I am hoping to get a final prototype finished by 2019.” he said.

Solid advice for aspiring designers like himself

In terms of advice for aspiring designers nervous about tackling the world of 3D printing, Jones said, “Don’t give up. It can be very frustrating starting off because every measurement has to be exact. Make sure you measure several times before sending it to the 3D printer. Remember that the material may expand during the process, so make the inverted piece a little smaller than the exact fit. I wish I knew that before I printed an entire project. Be creative, don’t let restraints get in your way. Always look for ways to push the limits of 3D printing.”

Jones added, “My research project showed me that what I was working on could be something worth continuing. I had a lot of positivity within the university and throughout the greater Boston area while working on this project. We want to truly enhance the health and well-being of below-the-knee amputees by giving them the opportunity to explore and continue aquatic activities as a means of physical and mental therapy and the enjoyment of life. Let’s help bring my wounded brothers and sisters back into the water.”

Are you a student or a teacher?

You may be eligible for a 15% discount through our EDU program. Learn more.

The post Triton Dynamics: 3D Printed Swimming Flipper for Amputees appeared first on Shapeways Magazine.

3D Printing Studied as a Way to Produce Tooling for Injection Molding

Injection molding is one of the more traditional manufacturing technologies that 3D printing is striving to replace – at least in some applications. 3D printing will likely never fully replace it, but will rather be used alongside it as a complementary technology. Already 3D printing has shown its value to injection molding as a cheaper, faster way to create tooling, for example. In a thesis entitled “Tooling for Injection Molding Using Laser-Powder Bed Fusion,” a University of Louisville student named Mohith Ram Buxani takes a closer look at using 3D printing to create tooling for injection molding.

The injection molding industry has always suffered from high costs and long lead times for tool making. 3D printing is an alternative method of creating tooling, saving time and money.

“There are various studies that approach the 3D printing route for the fabrication of tooling for injection molding,” says Buxani. Additionally, there are studies that involve the use of simulations for the evaluation of part-design. However, there were minimal studies found that integrated these perspectives together and evaluated the performance of L-PBF (laser-powder bed fusion) fabricated molds. Therefore, this study has taken on the challenge of integrating the individual expertise of each industry to create a supply chain collaboration.”

Buxani’s research group 3D printed multiple tools for injection molding using a variety of materials and machines that achieved good mechanical properties. The study focuses on evaluating L-PBF fabricated molds using experiments and simulations examining several categories: post-machining, part design, material design and conformal cooling channels. The first part of the study uses injection molding experiments and computer aided simulations to understand the effects of single-sided L-PBF fabricated mold cavities on injection molded part quality and molding material composition. The next part of the study uses experiments and simulations to evaluate L-PBF fabricated core-and-cavity tooling with conformal cooling channels.

In the first part of the study, a mold cavity was selected in the form of an elliptical-shaped keychain. 17-4 PH stainless steel was used to 3D print the mold. Trials were run with the a version of the mold as printed, as well as one that had been machined, using both physical injection molding processes and computer simulations. The injection molded parts were greatly improved using the machined mold. The experiments also concluded that parts with thin walls tend to cool more quickly and achieve better part quality in terms of sink marks and warpage. The location of sink marks and warpage could be accurately predicted in computer-aided simulations, but their magnitude was not well described.

Another conclusion was that 3D printed molds can help identify improvements in part design, material composition of polymers, and simulation methods more quickly than traditionally manufactured molds.

In the second set of experiments, conformal cooling channels were 3D printed into the tools.

“In traditional manufacturing, conventional cooling channels are straight-hole passages built into the injection mold insert to decrease cooling time and increase temperature uniformity for part quality,” Buxani states. “However, design constraints in traditional manufacturing do not always allow conventional cooling channels to cool down a complex part uniformly.”

Additive manufacturing enables the production of mold inserts with conformal cooling channels, which are cooling passage holes that follow the part’s geometry, cooling the part in a much more uniform manner. The research team 3D printed two cavity-side molds with conformal cooling channels at different depths: 8 mm and 4 mm. These molds were evaluated using experiments and mold-filling simulations. The simulations indicated that the conformal cooling channel design influenced the surface temperature distribution of the part. However, simulations indicated no alleviation by conformal cooling channels in the center temperature of the thickest region. There was not a significant difference in part quality or cooling with the incorporation of conformal cooling channels for these particular mold designs; additional designs need to be tested.

Discuss this and other 3D printing topics at 3DPrintBoard.com or share your thoughts below.