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3D Printing News Briefs: November 20, 2019

We’re starting out with some formnext news in today’s 3D Printing News Briefs, as the show is currently taking place in Frankfurt this week. SCANLAB is introducing a new scan system control extension at the show. We also have some metal stories today – Desktop Metal has launched 4140 chromoly steel for its Studio System, while QuesTek Innovations and the German Aerospace Center are exploring the potential of a high-temperature aluminum alloy. Moving on, XJet’s Carmel 1400 AM system was installed at KU Leuven University. Finally, Additive Minds investigated EOS 3D printing without the use of supports.

SCANLAB Integrating Process Data into 3D Printing

Laser scanning solutions manufacturer SCANLAB GmbH is at formnext 2019 this week, and will be introducing a scan system control extension that uses a smart data-acquisition interface that reads external sensors. It’s a functioning model of an intelligent interface, and can integrate sensor data into scan system control – giving AM users the ability to inquire about, and evaluate, centralized process data.

Two tradeshow demonstrators were created that show how diverse the integrable sensor range is. The first incorporates a surface-temperature pyrometer into the scan head control, and the sensor system’s data merges with laser beam position data. In the second, an OCT (optical coherence tomography) sensor from Precitec is integrated to measure the powder bed’s surface topography. Visit SCANLAB at formnext this week at Booth B41, Hall 12.0.

Desktop Metal Launches 4140 Chromoly Steel for Studio System

Massachusetts-based company Desktop Metal is expanding its material portfolio by launching 4140 chromoly steel for industrial applications for its office-friendly Studio System. 4140 is a versatile material, with high tensile strength, abrasion and impact resistance, and toughness. DM Studio Systems users can now use this material to 3D print parts like connecting rods, couplings, pinions, press brake tools, and more for industries including automotive, agriculture, industry, and defense.

“As global demand for the Studio System grows, Desktop Metal is broadening its materials portfolio to include 4140 chromoly steel, enabling designers and engineers to print a broad variety of critical industrial applications, such as couplings, forks, pinions, pump shafts, sprockets, torsion bars, worm gears, connecting rods, and fasteners. Now, teams around the world will be able to leverage the Studio System to iterate quickly on 4140 prototypes and ultimately produce end-use, customer-ready parts faster and more cost-effectively,” said Desktop Metal’s CEO and Co-Founder Ric Fulop.

QuesTek’s 3D Printable Aluminum Alloy

Integrated Computational Materials Engineering (ICME) technologies leader QuesTek Innovations LLC and the German Aerospace Center (DLR) are working on a joint project to explore the potential of QuesTek’s new 3D printable high-temperature aluminum (Al) alloy. The material, able to perform at temperatures between 200-300°C in its as-built condition, is being developed by QuesTek under several US Navy-funded Small Business Innovation Research awards, and is believed to be the first powdered Al alloy to meet necessary requirements without any subsequent heat treatment. The DLR will be 3D printing demonstration components with the material, which can be used to fabricate more lightweight precision components like heat exchangers.

“The accelerated design and development of a printable aluminum alloy capable of meeting so many current needs is especially exciting, as it will enable concurrent design of material composition and component geometry,” stated Greg Olson, QuesTek Chief Science officer. “Based on our internal test results, we see broad application of this material in manufacturing components for aerospace, satellite, automotive and high-performance racing.

“We are particularly pleased to be collaborating with the DLR. Their unrivaled reputation, expertise and close relationship with industry needs will bring an important new scope to our efforts.”

XJet’s Carmel 1400 3D Printer Installed at KU Leuven University

Professor Shoufeng Yang, KU Leuven, shakes hands with Avi Cohen, VP of Healthcare and Education at XJet.

For the first time, a 3D printing system has been installed at a European academic institution. XJet recently delivered its Carmel 1400 AM system to the KU Leuven University in Belgium, where it will be used to for university research and to help develop regional 3D printing medical opportunities. The 3D printer, and its proprietary NanoParticle Jetting (NPJ) technology, will be put to good use at the European research center, as academics will used it to explore medical applications and AM educational and research purposes. XJet’s zirconia material will also be used to 3D print ceramic medical models.

“Since the Carmel was installed, we are already reaping the benefits. The XJet system offers the high levels of precision and exceptional detailing required, levels which were previously impossible or extremely time-consuming in post-processing. The use of soluble support materials, with no harmful powders, makes it a much easier process and opens up opportunities to innovate that simply did not exist before,” said Professor Shoufeng Yang, who is heading the AM research at KU Leuven. “It’s an amazing and fantastic technology for R&D in universities and for the manufacturing industry, and it’s very exciting to be a part of. I believe that this is the best ceramic additive manufacturing method which can be easily upgraded into future multi-materials additive manufacturing, which is a grand challenge in the AM industry.”

XJet is also attending formnext this week – you can find the company at stand #C01 in Hall 12.1.

3D Printing Without Supports

Image credit: EOS

Michael Wohlfart, DMLS Process Consultant for the EOS Additive Minds Process Consulting team, wrote an article on LinkedIn, titled “Building without support? Possibilities and limitations,” about the design aspect of printing without supports in metal powder bed fusion technology, which can reduce build time, material consumption, and cost. The three main reasons for supports are heat transfer, residual stress, and recoater forces, but there are workarounds for all three. In recoater forces, forces are acting on the part while spreading powder, and the recoater will wipe away parts not connected to the baseplate. Prop supports, such as cones and stacking parts, can be used to negate the need for a baseplate connection. Wolfhart discussed a few examples that were 3D printed on an EOS M290 out of titanium.

“Let’s move on to a more advanced design and even incorporate stacking,” Wohlfart wrote. “Since Christmas season is coming up, how about a Christmas tree designed with Siemens NX and pimped with nTopology? By turning it upside-down, the tree is self-supporting and the tree trunk can act as a shell for the next tree. You can see a small overlap of 0.1 mm in x-y-direction between the lattice and the solid parts in order to assure a good connection.”

To learn more, check out Wohlfart’s LinkedIn post.

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The post 3D Printing News Briefs: November 20, 2019 appeared first on 3DPrint.com | The Voice of 3D Printing / Additive Manufacturing.

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Interview with Dynamism and Desktop Metal on the Ultimaker S5 and DM Studio System

Dynamism has been a retailer of 3D printing technology for over two decades, and the company always does well at keeping up with the latest, most talked-about 3D printers. Currently, one of its featured products is the Ultimaker S5, which was released last year and designed for industrial 3D printing. Another is the Desktop Metal Studio System, released in 2017 and designed for metal 3D printing in an office setting. Both systems exemplify two of the largest trends in 3D printing, more sophisticated desktop systems and binder jetting metals. Dynamism itself is at a crossroads as well. We’ve been talking to resellers around the world these past weeks to figure out what the 3D printing market is like for resellers today. What is a reseller to do? Do they move towards industrial or wait for the consumer market to grow? Dynamism gives us some interesting insight that points to them not only becoming more of business-focused firm but also looking at being more of an integrator.

Both the Desktop Metal and Ultimaker 3D printers have made a big impact on the 3D printing industry since their respective releases, and Dynamism is excited about their futures as well as its own. Recently both were showcased at CES, which wrapped up last week. We were able to talk with Dynamism CEO Douglas Krone about the Ultimaker S5 and its role in manufacturing.

Do you believe that the S5 will be used for manufacturing?  What is holding it back from manufacturing now? 

“On this point, I’d to point out that both the Ultimaker 3 and S5 are already widely used in manufacturing globally, for producing tools, jigs and fixtures.

To talk about end parts, are early use cases of customers printing end parts used in low volume products like machines or robots—grippers on robotics is a prime example. In these cases companies have looked at their BOMs (Bill of Materials) and found non-critical parts, often replacing metal with advanced 3D printed plastic.  This provides short terms savings, but an even larger long-term advantage: far more efficient spare part production, though the life cycle of the product, and beyond.  (Even after products are discontinued, companies must maintain a spare parts inventory—usually for years.)

I think that’s where Ultimaker’s Open Material strategy is a big win.  These machine/robot producers require specific materials from leading chemical companies (certification, procurement risks) not from 3DP producers themselves (with the resulting lock in). Having said this, Ultimaker is focused prototyping, tools, low volume production and spare parts made on location.”

Do you foresee people using Ultiwalls (clusters of desktop printers) to manufacture parts?  Will you need to automate more things on the printer or Ultiwall? Such as part removal? 

“The current S5, and what we expect to see next from Ultimaker (the next-generation of ‘concrete floor’ machines), can be deployed in wall-formations.  (And Cura’s CuraConnect supports that use.)  But space, health, and safety requirements differ so much per factory and country, it would not make sense for Ultimaker to do a standard ‘Ultiwall’ product.  You can expect 3D printing solutions providers like Dynamism to create these types of customized arrangements for larger customers.”

What are instances of Ultimaker adoption in the automotive industry?

“We see almost every automotive company, not just OEMs, but also in second, third and fourth tier now using Ultimaker. Uses are part development, tool design, and tool production. Ford and Volkswagen have especially impressive showcases.”

Are there any product announcements or other news from the show?

“The next news we expect from Ultimaker will be later this year.  Look for innovative accessories that will work with all existing Ultimaker S5s, and make a great 3D printer even better.  And of course Ultimaker is always iterating and improving Cura.”

To learn more about Desktop Metal’s Studio System, we spoke with Desktop Metal VP of Product Larry Lyons.

How well is the Desktop Metal Studio System doing?

“As our office-friendly systems are making their way to customers throughout the country, we recently announced the launch Studio System+ and Studio Fleet which together offer enhanced features for metal prototyping and low volume production. Engineers and designers who are looking to push the limits of metal 3D printing with small parts or parts with fine details can now achieve even higher-resolution, with a customizable system configuration for greater process efficiency and throughput right on the shop floor. The new Studio System+ retains all the key features of the original Studio System with advancements that allow customers to build to scale and offer high-resolution printing. Studio Fleet adds a custom-configurable, in-house metal 3D printing solution to support a variety of production scenarios and scales for a wide range of low- to mid-volume applications across industries. For the first time, on-demand metal 3D printing will be able to deliver accessible and scalable manufacturing that adapts to diverse business needs, part requirements, production volumes and cost constraints. We have received hundreds of reservations for our Studio System and are now shipping in volume to our customers in the USA. The Studio System is available in 45 countries, and we expect to begin international shipments in mid-2019.”

How well (and how) does the system compensate for shrink in all directions in different part sizes?

“Shrinkage is dependent on a number of factors, including alloy used, geometry of the part and size. As part of the Desktop Metal design, printing and sintering process, our software analyzes all of the factors that impact the approximate 18-20 percent shrinkage and automatically adjusts scaling factors in each dimension to yield the intended part size.”

How much can one Desktop Metal Studio System make?

“With one Studio System printer, 12” x 8” x 8” is the maximum build volume, so any part that fits in that box can be printed. The Studio printer has a maximum print rate of 1 in 3/hr so the throughput of parts printed depends on the volume of the part you are printing. The debinder and furnace have the same build volume, but offer adjustable trays to batch process many parts at once, which is exemplified by our Studio Fleet offering.

For customers needing a higher throughput, Studio Fleet is a custom-configurable solution for in-house metal 3D printing—supporting a range of applications for low to mid-volume production. Built to scale, it leverages Studio System+ technology—including a software-controlled workflow and stackable shelving for batch processing—for the rapid production of high-quality, complex metal parts. For the first time, on-demand metal 3D printing will deliver accessible and scalable manufacturing that adapts to diverse business needs, part requirements, production volumes, and cost constraints. The Studio Fleet is available to be built in two configurations:

  • 3:1:1 – With 3 printers + 1 debinder + 1 furnace, customers can realize a 300 percent improvement in throughput for only a 50 percent increase in system cost.

  • 5:2:1 –  With 5 printers + 2 debinders + 1 furnace, users will be able to realize 500 percent improvement in throughput for only a 100 percent increase in system cost.”

For automotive, what kinds of parts are your customers targeting?

“Our automotive customers are targeting parts across all stages of product life cycle. For Studio, most applications are in the product development, prototyping and tooling (jigs/fixtures/molds) areas where lower volumes and quick turnaround times match well with the Studio’s capabilities. For the Production System, which will be available to ship in 2019, early applications we are seeing are in the replacement / aftermarket parts, customization and serial production where volumes requirements range from mid-to-high throughput. Many customers are developing end-use parts that will appear in new cars that have yet to hit the market and will deliver higher performance at a lower cost than the traditional manufactured alternative in today’s cars.”

How much faster is it than MIM? How much cheaper is it than MIM?

“For the Studio System, the time it takes to produce the initial part is 2-3 days. This compares to several weeks or even months with MIM due to the mold that needs to be designed and manufactured before the MIM process can begin. This allows customers to dramatically accelerate the time it takes to get an initial prototype for testing and validation work compared to the traditional MIM process. It also allows customers to iterate on their design and test each iteration before ordering the mold to be manufactured, which can save thousands in costly mold changes if a change is needed.

Because of the expense associated with manufacturing the mold in MIM, most MIM companies will not bid on any job that is less than 10,000 units due to the mold cost making the parts too expensive. The Studio System provides a more cost-effective solution for low-to-mid volume applications in the MIM industry, especially when leveraging the throughput and cost advantages of a Studio Fleet installation.”

What kinds of part sizes can I reliably print with the Desktop Metal Studio?

“With the Studio System printer, 12″ x 8” x 8” is the maximum build volume, so any part that fits in that box can be printed. In addition, we recently introduced a new swappable high resolution printhead with supporting software profiles allows for smaller parts with finer features and animproved surface finish. This creates opportunities for new geometries and applications with the ability to print parts similar to those produced with metal injection molding (MIM)—parts featuring sintered voxels as tiny as 240um in XY by 45um in Z, which is smaller than a grain of table salt—making it ideal for a variety of applications such as parts for consumer electronics, medical devices and automotive.”

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