Sharebot Releases Improved SnowWhite2, Low-Cost SLS 3D Printer

In 2014, Italian 3D printer manufacturer Sharebot introduced its low-cost selective laser sintering (SLS) system, SnowWhite, at the TCT Show, two years prior to its market release. The company has since branched out in its 3D printer offerings, but is still improving its SLS system, releasing the SnowWhite2, an improved update to the original SnowWhite with some new features.

“SnowWhite was created to bring the advantages of sintering to small and medium-sized companies and laboratories, all in an economic, simple and effective way without sacrificing the professional quality of the result,” Sharebot states on its website. “The user can really “print in one click” because, once the profile of the material has been defined, the printing process is completely autonomous, requires no external intervention and the results are perfectly repeatable.”

The Sharebot SnowWhite2 features what Sharebot refers to as direct laser sintering (DLS) technology, infusing prints with thermal and mechanical resistance. Because of its CO₂ laser, multiple thermoplastic powders should work with this system, such as PA12 and TPU. It’s also possible to use special powders loaded with other material particles, like aluminum, carbon, or glass, to give prints a variety of mechanical, visual, and physical properties. 

Textile sample 3D printed on SnowWhite2

One improvement that the SnowWhite2 features is an upgraded software interface, which includes custom print profiles and open parameters. The printer uses the Simplify3D slicer, and has Ethernet connectivity, which partners well with the Sharebox3D print notification system.

Another one of the major changes is improved temperature management of the print chamber. The SnowWhite2 printer can be integrated with a separate module, the SnowWhite2 Nitro, that uses oxygen presence sensors to regulate the flow of whichever inert gas is used, nitrogen or argon. This makes it possible to control the atmosphere inside the chamber, which Sharebot says means no more yellowing prints.

The company says that the Nitro module can be easily added for a modified print atmosphere at any time, and that it’s easy to set the 120 kg printer up. According to Sharebot, it takes less than ten minutes to start up the SnowWhite2, about the same amount of time to move from loading your material to printing out the first few layers.

The company states that the printer’s other features include ease of use, minimal maintenance and fast cleanup, durable prints with highly detailed surfaces, a heated build chamber, and a 50 micron Z-axis resolution. Sharebot also notes that, on average, the new SnowWhite2 consumes less than 1.5 kilowatts of electrical per hour, includes an advanced laser control system with emissivity settings, and that all the unused powder is recycled and “can be directly reused in subsequent processing.”

Assembly sample 3D printed on SnowWhite2

Additional SnowWhite2 3D printer specs are:

  • 100 x 100 x 100 mm print volume
  • 100 micron XY resolution
  • 0.2 mm spot dimension
  • 35 mm/h Z-axis speed
  • scan speed up to 3500 mm/s

With the SnowWhite 2, we are now seeing the second generation in low-cost SLS machines, as Sinterit has already released the Lisa 2 and Sintratec the S2. The goal with these systems is to bring sophisticated SLS technology down to a price point that smaller businesses and labs can afford. However, as these machines advance, one has to wonder how their costs will increase. Just as Sharebot has created its Nitro module for improved prints, Sinterit has launched a series of accessories that will likely bring up the total overall cost of operation. They may still be able to keep prices below high-end production systems, as Sinterit has demonstrated that it is still focused on reducing costs as much as possible with its accessories.

Sharebot is now taking pre-orders for the new SnowWhite2 3D printer, with delivery beginning October 1st, 2020. Also, there is currently a special discount for pre-orders of the printer until September 30; contact the company’s marketing department for more information.

(Images courtesy of Sharebot)

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3D Printing Webinar & Virtual Event Roundup, May 31, 2020

With so many events going virtual due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, there’s also been an increase in the number of webinars that companies in the additive manufacturing industry are holding. To make things easier for our readers, since there’s so much online content to choose from these days, 3DPrint.com is compiling all of these available webinars, and the virtual events, into a weekly roundup for you, starting today.

Freeman Technology Webinar

Characterization Tools for Evaluating Polymer Powders for Laser Sintering Webinar

This Tuesday, June 2nd, UK-based Freeman Technology, a Micromeritics company that creates systems for measuring the flow properties of powder materials, will host a webinar at 9 am ET titled “Characterization Tools for Evaluating Polymer Powders for Laser Sintering.” Enrico Gallino, Senior Engineer – Material Specialist at Ricoh UK Products Ltd, will speak about evaluating an AM powder characterization methodology, and will also discuss the results of screening the relevant properties, such as flowability, shape, and thermal properties, of a variety of materials.

“As additive manufacturing (AM) technology transitions from the fabrication of prototypes to serial production of end-use parts, the understanding of the powder properties needed to reliably produce parts of acceptable quality becomes critical,” the webinar site states.

“Achieving the optimal quality for parts does not only depend on setting the right process parameters. Material feedstock also plays an important role when aiming for high performance products. In the case of selective laser sintering, polymer powders are used as a raw material. Therefore, controlling the quality and correctly characterizing the particles used in the process is a key step to successfully apply polymer AM techniques and also to expand the range of material that can be process with this technology.”

Click here to register.

Dassault Systèmes Webinar

Dassault Systèmes be will holding a live webinar on Thursday, June 4th at 10 am ET, titled “Intuitive 3D Designs with CATIA® and SOLIDWORKS® on Mobile Devices.” Participants will have the chance to learn how beneficial flexible design workflows can be when delivering products to market, faster, across many different industries. There will be a live demonstration, using tablets and PCs, on how combining CATIA and SOLIDWORKS on the 3DEXPERIENCE platform will allow your business to add engineering details with simple parametric modeling, create organic surfaces with subdivision (Sub-D) modeling, generate complex patterns and shapes quickly, optimize and evolve designs using an algorithmic approach, and more – all from your own device. The demonstration will be followed by a live Q&A session.

“Discover our portfolio of ready-to-go online Design and Engineering applications in action, which enable you to design from your laptop, your smartphone or tablet! Enjoy increased agility without compromising best-in-class design and engineering capabilities,” the webinar site states.

“With its growing app portfolio and secure cloud technology, the 3DEXPERIENCE platform enables you to manage all facets of your product development process while reducing infrastructure costs, IT overhead, software maintenance and complexity. All 3DEXPERIENCE solutions work together seamlessly making data management, sharing and collaboration easy.”

Click here to register.

3DHEALS 2020 Global Summit

The 3DHEALS conference is going virtual this year, as the 3DHEALS 2020 Global Summit runs from 11 am-9:30 pm ET June 5th and 6th. Offering powerful networking and effective programming on a global stage, this popular bioprinting conference – sponsored by Whova and Zoom – brings together influencers and audiences from over nine countries, offering opportunities and insights that can be beneficial to stakeholders. With over 70 speakers, more than four workshops, startup events, simulated in-conference experience, an interview series hosted by Dr. Jenny Chen, and more, this is one you won’t want to miss.

“3DHEALS2020 is designed to cater to a wide range of professionals, ranging from healthcare early adopter, manufacturers, engineers, legal professionals and policymakers, C-Level executives, entrepreneurs, investors, and more. We aim to create an effective program that maximizes the attendee’s experiences and decreases the barriers in communication among stakeholders,” the event site states.

Click here to register.

Will you attend these events and webinars, or have news to share about future ones? Let us know! Discuss this and other 3D printing topics at 3DPrintBoard.com or share your thoughts in the comments below.

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3D Printing News Briefs: December 3, 2019

We’re starting today’s 3D Printing News Briefs out with a new case study, and then concluding with some business. CRP USA has been working with additive manufacturing in the motorsports sector. Moving on, Gardner Aerospace has acquired FDM Digital Solutions Ltd. Finally, the Head of Engineering at Formlabs is joining up with Digital Alloys.

CRP USA AM in Motorsports Case Study

3D printed oil pan in Windform SP, University of Victoria’s Formula SAE race car 2019 version

The University of Victoria (UVic) Formula Motorsport team has been using 3D printed oil pans on their SAE competition cars for the last four years that were created with CRP USA‘s laser sintering process, and Windform TOP-LINE composite materials. As a CRP case study details, carbon-composite Windform XT 2.0 was used to print the oil pans for the race vehicles in 2016, 2017, and 2018, and while they performed “amazingly” the first two years, the engine overheated during a test of last year’s car, which caused the temperature of the oil to rise above what the pan could handle.

For this year’s vehicle, the team decided to use the carbon-filled Windform SP composite material to 3D print the oil pan, as it has a higher melting point. They also made the mating flange thicker to lessen the chances of failure, and both of these changes led to a better, more robust oil pan. At next week’s Performance Racing Industry (PRI) Trade Show in Indianapolis, CRP USA will be showing off some of the other 3D printed solutions it’s helped create for the motorsports industry at booth 1041 in the Green Hall.

Gardner Aerospace Acquires FDM Digital Solutions

Graeme Bond (FDM) & Dominic Cartwright (Gardner Aerospace)

Global manufacturer Gardner Aerospace announced its acquisition of FDM Digital Solutions Limited, one of the UK’s top polymer additive layer manufacturers. FDM was formed in 2012, and its business model of original design solutions, manufacturing capability, and customer collaboration is successful in the aerospace, automotive, medical, and motorsports industries. The company will now become part of the new Gardner Technology Centre business unit, which is focused on R&D and advanced technology.

“Gardner Aerospace is breaking new ground in terms of technology. The acquisition of FDM and the creation of our new Technology Centre business unit provides us with the perfect opportunity to expand our technical knowledge, R&D capability and product offering, and aligns us with our customers’ growing expectations on innovative solutions, continuous improvement and cost competitiveness,” stated Gardner Aerospace CEO Dominic Cartwright.

“The role of 3D printing within manufacturing is constantly expanding and this newly acquired additive layer manufacturing capability complements Gardner’s long-standing capabilities as a producer of metallic detailed parts and sub-assemblies.”

Formlabs’ Head of Engineering Joins Digital Alloys

Carl Calabria

Carl Calabria, an AM industry veteran and the Head of Engineering at Formlabs, is leaving the company to join Digital Alloys, Inc. as its CTO. The Burlington, Massachusetts-based 3D printing company introduced its unique Joule printing last year, which it claims is the fastest way to make the hardest metal parts, as the wire-feed process doesn’t require any metal powder. By adding Calabria to its team, where he will be responsible for the company’s research and engineering, Digital Alloys can accelerate the release of its high-speed metal AM process.

“Leaving Formlabs was a difficult decision, but I was drawn to the size of Digital Alloys’ market, the team, and the opportunity to use Joule Printing to deliver metal printing solutions that have the speed, cost and quality needed for volume manufacturing of larger parts,” said Calabria. “The remarkable technology is producing titanium and tool steel parts faster, and at lower cost than conventional manufacturing processes.”

Watch this video to see Digital Alloys’ Joule printing process in action:

 

What do you think? Discuss these stories and other 3D printing topics at 3DPrintBoard.com or share your thoughts in the comments below. 

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3D Printing News Briefs: October 25, 2019

We’re talking about art and business in today’s 3D Printing News Briefs. An art installation at Millennium Park was created through the use of 3D printed molds, provided by Fast Radius. Farsoon has signed a joint development agreement with Rapid Manufacturing, and EVOK3D is partnering up with the Currie Group to accelerate its sales growth.

Fast Radius Makes 3D Printed Molds for Art Installation

Artist Edra Soto was commissioned to build an outdoor art installation in Chicago’s popular Millennium Park, which resulted in her freestanding Screenhouse, constructed by Navillus Woodworks out of over 400 custom-cast concrete blocks and opening today in the park’s Boeing Gallery North. Navillus enlisted the help of Fast Radius to create 3D printed molds for the blocks, which helped save on development time and money. The company printed the molds out of PA 12 material, using HP’s MJF technology. 3D printed lattice structures were used in the construction, which also helped reduce the weight of the piece.

“Our mission is to make new things possible to advance the human condition. I can think of no better way to serve that mission than helping bring Edra Soto’s beautiful design to life in Chicago’s Millennium Park, where it will be enjoyed by our fellow Chicagoans and visitors from around the world. This project with Navillus shows the potential of additively manufactured molds to redefine construction project design,” Fast Radius CEO Lou Rassey said in a case study about the project.

Farsoon and Rapid Manufacturing Sign Joint Development Agreement

PA12-based parts fabricated by Rapid Manufacturing on the beta-Flight-HT403P in Rümlang.

Stuttgart-based Farsoon Europe GmbH, a subsidiary of Chinese company Farsoon Technologies, has signed a joint development agreement for beta testing of its Flight technology with Rapid Manufacturing AG, headquartered in Rümlang, Switzlerland. Per the agreement, earlier this month Farsoon installed its new Flight-HT403P, with a 400 x 400 x 540 mm3 build cylinder and 500W fiber laser, at Rapid Manufacturing. After completing initial tests successfully, the Swiss company is now using the laser sintering system to make plastic PA12 components and parts with high resolution, low surface roughness, and good mechanical properties for its customers.

“We are impressed by the strong will power to increase the competitiveness of laser sintering, which Rapid Manufacturing is systematically implementing with the installation of our machine,” stated Dr. Dirk Simon, the Managing Director of Farsoon Europe GmbH.

EVOK3D and Currie Group Partnering

Australian company EVOK3D, which supplies and supports both professional and production 3D printing solutions and is the HP 3D Production Specialist Partner for the country, announced that it has signed a partnership equity agreement with Currie Group, a top end-to-end Graphic Arts service supplier in New Zealand and Australia. Currie Group provides and services high-quality printing equipment, and EVOK3D will leverage its management experience to continue growing its sales and support capability.

“3D printing has moved beyond just prototyping and is now a viable direct manufacturing technology. To meet the growing demand for these technologies we needed to scale the business and Currie Group is ideally positioned having pioneered digital disruption of the 2D print industry over the last 20 years. For our clients across education, design, industry and healthcare it means they can continue to invest with confidence,” stated Joe Carmody, the Managing Director for EVOK3D.

Discuss these stories and other 3D printing topics at 3DPrintBoard.com or share your thoughts in the Facebook comments below.

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3D Printing Metal End-use Part Applications

This article describes the ideal use-cases for each process & comparison with other solutions to help you identify opportunities using 3D Hubs in your organization for metal 3d printing service.

Definition: End-use part is any good that is either sold as a product or placed in service within a company’s internal operations.

There are 6 processes to consider:

  1. FDM / FFF (plastics)
  2. SLA / DLP (plastics)
  3. SLS / MJF (plastics)
  4. SLM / DMLS (metals)
  5. Metal FFF (metals)
  6. Binder Jetting (metals)

In part 1 we talked about plastic parts, in part 2 we discuss only metals. 

4. SLM/DMLS

Selective Laser Melting (SLM) and Direct Metal Laser Sintering (DMLS) are metal powder bed fusion 3D Hubs printing processes that are most commonly used today as they are especially suitable for high-end applications since they offer advanced material properties and superb design freedom.

While both utilize high laser power to bond together metal powder particles to form a part– layer-by-layer, SLM will achieve a full melt, while — due to the very high temperatures — DMLS will cause the metal particles to fuse together at a molecular level. 

The majority of metal alloys are compatible with the DMLS method, wherein SLM, only certain (pure) metal materials may be used.

Still, the differences between these two 3D Hubs printing technologies are so slim; they can be treated as the same for designing purposes. 

In this section, we will take a closer look at the technical characteristics, manufacturing process, and the limitations and benefits of these two, very similar techniques.

How it works: SLM/DMLS 3D Hubs printing process basic steps:

  • First, the build chamber is filled with inert gas then heated to the optimum print temperature.
  • A thin layer (typically 50 μm) of metal powder is spread over the build platform.
  • Next, the laser scans the cross-section of the part, selectively bonding the metal particles.
  • Thus, the build platform moves down a layer when the entire area is scanned, and the process repeats until the build is complete.
  • After the printing process is complete, the build must first cool down before the loose powder is extracted.

This step is only the beginning of the SLM/DMLS 3D printing manufacturing process. Once the print is complete, several compulsory and/or optional post-processing steps are also required before the parts will be ready for use. 

Compulsory post-processing steps include

  • Stress relief: Before continuing with any other operation, the internal stresses that develop during printing, due to the very high processing temperatures, need to be relieved through a thermal cycle.
  • Removal of the parts: In SLM/DMLS the parts are welded onto the build platform and EDM wire cutting or a band saw are used.
  • Removal of the support: To mitigate the distortion and warping that occurs during printing, support in SLM/DMLS is required. Support is CNC machined or removed manually.

Additional post-processing steps are often required to meet engineering specifications that may include:

  • CNC machining: When tolerances are tighter than the standard ± 0.1 mm that’s required, machining is employed as a finishing step. Only the slight material is removed this way.
  • Heat treatments: Hot Isostatic Pressing (HIP) or heat treatments can be used to improve the material properties of the part.
  • Smoothing/Polishing: Certain application requires a smoother surface than the standard RA 10 μm of as-printed SLM/DMLS. CNC machining and Vibro, chemical, or manual polishing are available solutions.

How it works: Laser source bonds metal powder particles

Strengths:

  • Geometric freedom
  • High accuracy & fine details
  • High-performance materials

Materials:

  • Stainless Steel
  • Aluminum
  • Titanium
  • Superalloys

Use case #1 – Optimized brackets

DMLS / SLM is used to create lightweight parts through advanced CAD processes, such as topology optimization. They are of particular interest in the automotive and aerospace industries.

Use case #2 – Internal geometries

A far more common use of DMLS / SLM is the creation of parts with internal channels. These find applications in the manufacturing industry (for example injection molding tooling with internal channels for cooling) or for heat exchangers.

Pro tip: Make sure that no support structures are needed to manufacture the internal channels, as they will be impossible to remove.

5. Metal FFF: What is metal extrusion?

Metal Extrusion is a low-cost metal 3D printing process alternative that is most suitable for prototyping purposes or for one-off custom parts.

It is a variation of the classic FDM method for plastics. In 2018, the first Metal Extrusion 3D printers were released also known as an Atomic Diffusion Additive Manufacturing (ADAM) and Bound Metal Deposition (BMD).

A part is built layer-by-layer, like FDM, by extruding material through a nozzle, but the material is not plastic, unlike FDM but is a metal powder held together with a polymer binder. The result of the printing step is a “green” part that needs to be sintered and de-bonded to become fully metal.

Here, we examine the characteristics and key limitations and benefits of this additive process to help you understand how you can use it more effectively.

How does metal extrusion work?

Metal Extrusion consists of a three-stage process involving a printing stage, a de-binding stage, and a sintering stage. 

The Printing Stage…

  • Raw material in a rod or filament form, which basically consists of metal particles that are bound together by wax and/or polymer.
  • This filament or rod is extruded through a heated nozzle and then deposited– layer-by-layer to build a designed part based on the CAD model.
  • While, if necessary, support structures are built. The interface between the part and the support is printed with ceramic support material that can easily be removed later manually.

When printing is complete, the “green” resulting part must be post-processed using similar steps like Binder Jetting, in order to become metal. The “green” part is washed first for several hours in a solution to remove almost all of the binders. Then it is sintered inside a furnace so that the metal particles are bonded together to form the fully-metal part.

During the sintering process, the dimensions of the parts are reduced by about 20 percent. to compensate for this, the parts are printed larger. Like the Binder Jetting process, the shrinkage isn’t homogenous, meaning that trial and error will be required to get accurate results for particular designs.

How it works: Metal/binder is extruded through a nozzle to print the part, which is then thermally sintered.

Strengths:

  • Does not require industrial facilities
  • Based on MIM
  • Complex metal parts

Materials:

  • Stainless steel
  • Tool steel

Main use: For internal operations

An alternative to CNC, Sand casting

Quantity: 1-50 parts

Use case #1 – CNC part replacements

Metal Extrusion is excellent for functional CNC prototyping and small productions of metal parts that would otherwise require a 5-axis CNC machining to produce.

6. Metal Binder Jetting

Metal Binder Jetting is increasing in popularity rapidly. What makes it especially suitable for small to medium production runs, is its unique characteristics.

In this section, we will dive deeper within the steps used in the Binder Jetting to learn the basic characteristics of metal parts production.

What is Metal Binder Jetting?

Metal Binder Jetting is a process of building parts by placing a binding agent on a slightly thin layer of powder in through inkjet nozzles. Originally, it was used to develop full-color models and prototypes from sandstone. A variation of the technique is becoming more popular lately, because of its batch production capabilities.

In metal Binder Jetting printing, the printing step is done at room temperature, which means the thermal effects, such as, internal stresses and warping aren’t a problem, like in SLM/ DMLS, and therefore, supports are not needed. To create a fully metal part, an additional post-processing step is required.

How does Metal Binder Jetting work?

Metal Binder Jetting involves two-stages; a printing stage and a post-processing stage.

The printing process works like this…

  • A thin layer (typically 50 μm) of metal powder is spread out over the build platform.
  • A carriage that has inkjet nozzles will pass over the bed while selectively depositing binding agent droplets of wax and polymer to bond together the metal powder particles.
  • When done, the build platform will move down, then the process will repeat until the entire build is complete.

The result of this printing process is a part of the “green” state. To create fully metal parts and remove the binding agent, a post-processing step is necessary.

This post-processing stage requires two variations: Infiltration and Sintering.

How it works: Binder is jetted onto metal powder particles to create the part, which is then thermally sintered

Strengths:

  • Great design freedom
  • Based on MIM
  • Batch production

Materials:

  • Stainless steel 
  • Tool steel

Main use: Low-run metal production

An alternative to Metal Injection Molding, Die casting

Use case – Low-run production

Binder Jetting is the only metal 3D printing technology today that can be used cost-effectively for low-to-medium batch production of metal parts that are smaller than a tennis ball.

Why engineers use 3D Hubs for 3D printing

Instant quoting & DFM feedback

Build and edit your quote online. Review your parts for manufacturability and assess the cost of different materials, processes and lead times for your project in real-time. Explore our 3d printing service for every type of additive manufacturing project. 

Readily available capacity

Benefit from our network of 250 manufacturing partners to access instantly available capacity. Our manufacturing partners are both local and overseas.

Quality & reliability

Dedicated 3D Hubs team to ensure your parts consistently meet your quality expectations. We also offer phone, email and chat support for any concerns or questions you may have.

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3D Printing News Briefs: July 2nd, 2019

We’re talking partnerships and materials in today’s 3D Printing News Briefs. The Alfa Romeo F1 team and Additive Industries are strengthening their technology partnership, while Beam-IT and SLM Solutions are expanding their own cooperation. Metallum3D just opened a new beta testing program for its stainless steel filament, while Zortrax and CRP Technology are both introducing new materials.

Alfa Romeo F1 Team and Additive Industries Strengthen Partnership

At the recent Rapid.Tech-Fabcon industrial 3D printing conference in Germany, Additive Industries announced that its current technology partnership with the F1 team of Alfa Romeo Racing would be growing stronger. The Sauber Engineering company, on behalf of Alfa Romeo Racing, has ordered an additional: 4-laser, multi-module MetalFAB1 Productivity System, bringing the total up to four systems and making it Additive Industries’ largest customer with a high-productivity metal 3D printing capacity.

Our installed base is growing fast, not only with new customers in our core markets like aerospace and the automotive industry but also through existing customers like Sauber Engineering, who are advancing to become one of the leading companies in industrial 3D printing in Europe, ramping up production,” stated Daan Kersten, the CEO of Additive Industries. “Although most users of metal additive manufacturing are still applying prototyping systems, we see an increasing number of companies concluding they need dedicated systems for series production. Our modular MetalFAB1 family is the only proven system on the market today designed for this use. We are grateful and proud to be technology partner to Sauber Engineering and the F1 team of Alfa Romeo Racing.”

Beam-IT and SLM Solutions Sign Expanded Agreement

M.Sc.Eng. Martina Riccio, AM Process Leader of Beam-IT and technical team

Italian 3D printing service bureau Beam-IT and metal 3D printing provider SLM Solutions have signed an agreement, which will expand their current long-term cooperation. Together in a joint venture project, the two will work to develop more material parameters – focusing on certain material properties – for the nickel-based alloys IN939 and IN718; this process will help create a less lengthy timeframe in terms of parameter testing. Additionally, Beam-IT has added two new SLM 3D printers to its product portfolio: an SLM 280 and an SLM 500.

 

 

 

“We are pleased to announce our cooperation agreement with SLM Solutions and the two additional machines,” said Michele Antolotti, the General Manager of Beam-IT. “We regularly produce high-quality parts for our customers using selective laser melting because the SLM ® technology works efficiently, quickly and, above all, safely. With the expanded capacity of our new multi-laser systems we can also increase our productivity and react to the increased interest in SLM ® technology from our customers.”

Metallum3D Opens Stainless Steel Filament Beta Testing Program

Virginia-based company Metallum3D announced that it has opened a beta test program for its stainless steel 316L 3D printing filament. This new program will support the company in its development of an affordable and accessible on-demand metal 3D platform for FFF 3D printers. The Filament Beta Test Program is open until July 31st, 2019, and a limited run of 150 0.5 kg spools of Metallum3D’s stainless steel 316L filament will be offered for a discounted price on a first come, first serve basis.

Nelson Zambrana, the CEO of Metallum3D, said, “Our 1.75mm Stainless Steel 316L filament material has a metal content of 91.7% by weight or 61.5% by volume, while maintaining enough flexibility for a minimum bend diameter of 95 mm (3.75 in.). The combination of high metal loading and filament flexibility was a tough material development challenge that took us over a year to solve.”

Zortrax Introducing Biocompatible Resins for Inkspire 3D Printer

Last year, Polish 3D printing solutions provider Zortrax developed the Inkspire, its first resin 3D printer. The Inkspire uses UV LCD technology to create small and precise models for the architecture, jewelry, and medical industries. With this in mind, the company is now introducing its specialized biocompatible resins that have been optimized for the Inkspire to make end use models in dentistry and prosthetics.

The new class IIa biocompatible Raydent Crown & Bridge resin is used for 3D printing temporary crowns and bridges, and is available in in an A2 shade (beige), with high abrasion resistance for permanent smooth surfaces. Class I biocompatible Raydent Surgical Guide resin for precise prosthetic surgical guides  is safe for transient contact with human tissue, and offers translucency and high dimensional accuracy. With these new materials, the Zortrax Inkspire can now be used by prosthetic laboratories for prototyping and final intraoral product fabrication.

CRP Technology Welcomes New Flame Retardant Material

Functional air conditioning piping made with LS technology and Windform FR1

In April, Italy-based CRP Technology introduced its Windform P-LINE material for for high-speed, production-grade 3D printing. Now, it’s officially welcoming another new material to its polyamide composite family – Windform FR1, the first carbon-filled flame-retardant laser sintering material to be rated V-0. The material is from the Windform TOP-LINE family, and passed the FAR 25.853 12-second vertical, the 15-second horizontal flammability tests, and the 45° Bunsen burner test. The lightweight, halogen-free material combines excellent stiffness with superior mechanical properties, and is a great choice for applications in aerospace, automotive, consumer goods, and electronics.

“Only a few days from the launch of a new range of Windform® materials, the P-LINE for HSS technology, I’m very proud to launch a new revolutionary composite material from the Windform® TOP-LINE family of materials for Laser Sintering technology,” said Franco Cevolini, VP and CTO at CRP Technology. “Our aim is to constantly produce technological breakthroughs. With Windform® FR1 we can steer you toward the proper solution for your projects.

“We will not stop here, we will continue our work on renewal and technological expansion in the field of Additive Manufacturing. Stay tuned!”

Discuss these stories and other 3D printing topics at 3DPrintBoard.com or share your thoughts in the Facebook comments below.

3D Printing News Briefs: June 8, 2019

In this week’s 3D Printing News Briefs, we’re talking about partnerships, new software and buildings, and a neat 3D printed miniature. Together, Evolve Additive Solutions and Evonik are developing materials for the STEP process, while Awexim has partnered with Farsoon in an exclusive sales agreement, and SHINING 3D and 3D Systems released Geomagic Essentials. Oerlikon inaugurated its new R&D and production facility, and a Reddit user posted video of a miniature 3D printed steering wheel that fits on a video game controller.

Evonik and Evolve Partnering to Develop 3D Printing Materials

A little over a year ago, Stratasys spinoff company Evolve Additive Solutions emerged from stealth with its production-scale additive manufacturing STEP (selective thermoplastic electrophotographic process) solution. Now, the company is partnering up with the Evonik Corporation, a leading specialty chemicals company, in a joint development agreement to formulate the thermoplastic 3D printing materials for STEP solutions. Initial efforts will be focused on polyamide 12, PEBA, transparent polyamide, and polymer for the polyamide 6 series, and the two companies also plan to create a wider range of production materials for STEP users in the future.

“Evolve’s entirely new technology approach will allow us to expand the range of applications of our high-performance powder materials, which are produced through a unique production process,” said Thomas Grosse-Puppendahl, the Head of the Additive Manufacturing Innovation Growth Field at Evonik. “With more than 20 years of experience in 3D printing, we will also develop a wider range of customized powder formulations to unlock the full potential of the STEP technology.”

Farsoon and Awexim Sign Exclusive Sales Agreement

Another 3D printing partnership has Farsoon Europe GmbH, which is located in Stuttgart, signing an Exclusive Sales Agreement with Warsaw-based Awexim, which was founded in 1991 as a technical consulting and cutting tools supplier. Awexim’s 3D printing adoption as an official Farsoon Europe sales agent will support Poland’s industrialization of 3D printing with Farsoon’s Open Laser Sintering Systems.

“Farsoon’s strength in industrial Laser Sintering Systems, ideally supports our strategy to enter into the 3D Printing market. We support industrial customers in Poland for almost 30 years with top quality tools, machine tools and especially top quality technical and customer service. We are glad to start cooperation with such solid partner as Farsoon, whose approach and vision is similar to ours,” said Andrzej Wodziński, the Managing Director of Awexim. “This cooperation opens huge possibilities to bring even more solutions for our customers on solving their needs. 3D printing is a future of industry, and we are sure, that connection of Farsoon and our team will have big influence on this industry in Poland.”

SHINING 3D and 3D Systems to Deliver Geomagic Essentials

Chinese company SHINING 3D recently announced that it has partnered up with 3D Systems to launch a new cost-effective scan-to-CAD solution. The two released Geomagic Essentials on the market as a bundled offering along with SHINING 3D’s most recent handheld, multi-functional 3D scanner: the Einscan Pro 2X series.

The Einscan Pro 2X and 2X Plus are lightweight and compact, with faster scanning speeds and higher accuracy. The new Geomagic Essentials bundled offer only increases these capabilities, as the solution is perfect for downstream reverse engineering and scan-to-print applications. While many CAD software programs are limited in terms of what they can do in processing, Geomagic Essentials makes the scan data compatible with native CAD workflows, so designers wanting to integrate part design and 3D scan data can do so with ease.

Oerlikon Inaugurates New R&D and Production Facility

Technology company Oerlikon is based in Switzerland, but it has 170 locations in nearly 40 different countries, including the US. The company provides surface solutions, equipment, and materials processing, and as part of its continuing growth strategy here, recently celebrated the opening of its new $55 million, state-of-the-art Innovation Hub & Advanced Component Production facility in Huntersville, North Carolina. This is Oerlikon’s second location in the state, and the 125,000 sq ft, fully functional facility employs about 60 people and will continue to gradually add jobs as the business continues to expand.

“We are already working with customers in the aerospace, automotive, energy and medical industries in the US, and we anticipate continued growth in those sectors, as well as in others. We believe that additive manufacturing can transform production in many industries, and we are excited that our presence here in North Carolina allows us to better demonstrate those possibilities to our customers,” said Dr. Sven Hicken, Head of Oerlikon’s Additive Manufacturing business.

State and federal officials spoke at the inauguration event, which was attended by employees and their families, in addition to business leaders and customers. Oerlikon presented a local robotics club with a check at the event in order to begin growing collaborations with academic institutions and show support for STEM learning.

Oerlikon Huntersville Event

We had a lot of fun last week opening our new Innovation & Proctuction Hub in Huntersville, NC. Check out what happened on the big day! #OerlikonUSA #OerlikonAM

Gepostet von Oerlikon Group am Freitag, 7. Juni 2019

3D Printed Steering Wheel

Reddit user Malespams recently posted a video of a 3D printed steering wheel in action, but not one for a regular-sized car…or even a car at all, actually. No, this miniature green wheel is made to attach to the controller for a video game system, like XBox, to make it easier and more natural to play racing games. However, not everyone who commented on the video thought that the 3D printed mod would make these games easier. One person said that it would offer “zero control” during play, and another noted that it covered the controller’s right stick and would make it hard to press any buttons,

“I have one, but while it’s a fun concept it covers the dpad so if you’re playing horizon you can’t access Anna m. Sometimes it hits the clutch and messes me up,” user 3202 people wrote. “It’s sometimes fun and I could see people having fun if they got used to it.”

If you’re interested in making your own game controller racing mod, check out this Thingiverse link.

Discuss these stories and other 3D printing topics at 3DPrintBoard.com or share your thoughts in the Facebook comments below.

Rapid 2019: Interview with GE’s Jake Brunsberg on Binder Jetting for Manufacturing

A while ago GE announced its’ surprising entry into the binder jetting market. GE was already active in two metal 3D printing technologies Laser Powder Bed Fusion and Electron Powder Bed Fusion. Both these technologies use an energy source to selectively heat grains of powder in a sealed chamber. PBF based technologies produce dense, accurate parts that are being used in aerospace, implants, dental and other demanding applications. PBF technologies are far from perfect. The initial investment is high (around $1.5m if you want to do manufacturing) and requires an industrial gas installation and sophisticated resources, employees and knowledge. It may take a company a year to coherently manufacture parts with Powder Bed Fusion for metals. But, once they do they can reliably make tens of thousands of parts in a predictable way with these technologies. Arcam’s EPBF is being used at GE Additive to make turbine blades and orthopedic implants while the Concept Laser/In house derived LPBF is being used for all manner of aerospace and industrial parts.

A much lower cost, much lower barrier to adoption technology was dominating the headlines however: Binder Jetting for metals. HP, Desktop Metal, Markforged, and others were steaming ahead with this technology.  The headlines were in favor of binder jetting which was being touted as the technology that would bring inexpensive manufacturing in metal 3D printing to thousands of firms. With much lower investments and quicker adoption, this easier cheaper technology would produce parts for mere cents that could go into cars and relatively inexpensive goods.

I’m personally very skeptical about binder jetting metals. I know if enough people and more importantly enough VC money believe that you will make it then you may make it. But, 3D printing is not a filter for your selfies. In binder jetting a layer of fine (less costly than PBF) powder is jetted together via a binder, the part is then sintered. Essentially a lot of the process is very similar to the MIM (metal injection molding) business. And there they have traditionally had many problems with the sintering step. In sintering, results can vary enormously depending on wall thickness, part size and geometry. Studying initial binder jet metal parts made me only more skeptical. At the same time, existing firms such as ExOne and Voxeljet had been doing the same thing for years making millions of binder jetted metal parts albeit without the marketing pizazz.

When I heard that GE had made its own binder jetting 3D printer in a number of months I found it a surprising but very logical move. Now with the firm getting some traction I’m curious to see where they’re headed with this.  I sat down with Jake Brunsberg who is leading GE’s binder jetting initiative to find out more about the technology.

What is the status of binder jetting at GE? 

We have a beta machine at the moment. We hope to release it widely in 2021. At the moment we’re working with key partners to understand the needs of the manufacturing industry. We’re working with partners inside GE to learn what their requirements are to manufacture metal parts with binder jetting. With both Cummins and Wabtech we’re looking at what our partners need to manufacture at an industrial scale in automotive and transport.

How does binder jetting fit in with your other technologies? 

Our binder jetting solution is suited for high volume low-cost parts. With binder jetting you may not be able to do everything that you can with Electron Beam Melting or Direct Metal Laser Melting but you do have high throughput and much lower costs.

How do you hope to position the technology? 

For binder jetting, we’re really looking at other types of components such as power train components. For some of these parts, we believe that our binder jetting solution can produce cost competitive parts. Ontop of that we hope to see further gains as we help our customers design for additive. If we can then help them design for Additive, part consolidation, conformal cooling and weight saving will improve them further still. We’re really looking to help the customer add value to the parts. We are aiming for positive ROI as opposed to traditional manufacturing technologies with which we’d like to compete at volume.

We’re also aiming to make larger components. Basketball size parts. We’ve worked for a long time on the technology side of the material space. This lets us make large parts suitable for serious manufacturing. 

We’re looking at industrial firms, automotive firms and the MIM industry as customers. We also have made binder jet parts capable of aerospace applications. For volume we’re of course looking at cars and industrial but throughout our own businesses we have a lot of business units that are really interested such as our aero and power businesses.

We see binder jetting as being a very synergistic technology. Orthopedic implants for example could be made with Arcam EBM, and you’d never use binder jetting for that application. However, you could 3D Print the surgical tools that are used in that operation with binder jetting.

What is different about your approach? 

We are looking at the full process. Outcomes are really dependent on all of the steps in the process. By looking at all of the steps and using our experience in industrializing manufacturing for many technologies we’re developing one solution.  This is a  whole factory solution. We aim to let our customers make meaningful parts. Meaningful parts with repeatability. 

In order to do this we’re looking at predictive analytics, we’re looking at distortion, we’re looking at the sinter cycle.  Our approach is very integral. Through software, we’re able to predict the final shape. Without this ability, it would never get out of the lab. And we want to be out of the lab, on the factory floor. 

Do you feel that you’re looking at binder jetting differently than others?

A full process solution is our real focus. Production parts with the right design considerations taken into account. Things like predistortion compensation will let us roll out this technology at an industrial scale. We are geared towards industrializing technologies. We look at the total cost per part and take into account full business ROI including things such as inventory management and aftermarket support. We look at true TCO because this matters to us.

What materials are you looking at? 

We’re experimenting with a broad range of materials. We’re mostly looking at heavy steels such as 17-4 and 316. Any kind of sinterable steel is of interest to us. We’re also looking at nickel superalloys for aviation applications. We’re testing parts such as high temperature brackets for example instead of using casting.

Steel is one of the most popular materials worldwide and this is where our focus is now with the second generation binder jetting machine.

You hope to launch in 2021? 

Yes, we hope to launch then but first, we want a full factory line in place so we can validate the technology. We want to be a production solution and we want customers to be able to see that.

 

 

3D Printing & Additive Manufacturing Milestones: EOS Celebrates Three Decades

Germany’s EOS has been revolutionizing and expanding the world of manufacturing for 30 years now. As one of the leaders in 3D printing and additive manufacturing, their innovative impact in past decades has been formidable. And it continues, as they celebrate three decades of progress in industrial 3D printing.

Founded in 1989 by Dr. Hans J. Langer, EOS has an installed base of almost 3,500 industrial 3D printing systems around the globe. While most 3D printing enterprises centered around rapid prototyping to begin with, the technology overall has become well-known for offering affordability, speed, and the ability to make items never before possible. Along with that is a growing popularity for low-batch and serious production of functional 3D printed and additive manufactured parts.

Since 1989, the EOS vision has been to create 3D printed products with laser technology—and while it may not be as much of a novelty anymore, the world of 3D printers still has infinite room for development. The EOS team sees their success in the world of industrial 3D printing as stemming from their pioneering spirits, courage in creating, and a motivation to make people’s lives better with the industry- and customer-specific 3D printing solutions they produce.

The founder of EOS, Dr. Hans Langer.

With a centered focus on laser sintering, EOS has continued to make strides:

“While the early phase of the enterprise was still dominated by stereolithography technology, since 1997 EOS has concentrated exclusively on laser sintering,” states the team in their latest press release. “This was a far-reaching decision at that time and the right strategy, as it turned out. The powder-bed based process is particularly well suited to today’s rapidly growing market of series applications. This is true both in terms of quality and reproducibility and the speed and cost of part production.”

EOS 3D printing products allow clients to manufacture high-performance parts that function in a wide range of applications such as aerospace, the transportation sector, and medical field, due to lighter weight, flexibility, and stability. EOS technology produces less waste and can also be integrated into existing production mechanisms.

“EOS’ technology and know-how are accordingly used in a variety of industries and areas of life: Whether fuel-saving components in the aviation sector, spare parts on demand for buses and trains, or prostheses individually created to suit each patient,” states the company in their press release.

While 3D printing and additive manufacturing offer extensive benefits to so many different industries today, conventional manufacturing techniques are still heavily relied on. EOS sees the big picture and envisions all these technologies coming together for many companies in a busy digital factory atmosphere. This is an exciting concept that EOS is actively advancing:

“The establishment of complete digital production platforms is a major goal that we are aiming to achieve in the coming years,” said Dr. Adrian Keppler, CEO of EOS. “It’s not just about providing the right 3D printing solutions, but about evaluating, planning, setting-up, and optimizing AM production cells to leverage all the advantages and possibilities of digitalization.”

EOS P 800

Today, EOS employs over 1,200 people around the world—a far cry from the original team of four! They are still family-owned, and independent, offering AM systems in both polymers and metals. EOS also offers a consulting unit, Additive Minds, with 300 successful customer projects.

Much has happened over three decades, and EOS has assisted in the spectacular evolution of 3D printing all along the way. Just in the past few years they have begun focusing on a larger group strategy while expanding training programs too. They have created automated systems for additive manufacturing with metal, expanded further with a new 3D printing plant, and acquired and integrated Vulcan Labs into their continually growing fold.

Find out more about EOS here. 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: EOS]

3D Printing News Briefs: February 22, 2019

We’ve got some exciting dental news to share first in today’s 3D Printing News Briefs – Stratasys just announced its new full-color dental 3D printer at LMT Lab Day. Moving on, Farsoon has been busy developing an advanced pure copper laser sintering process, and Aether is working with Procter & Gamble on a joint development project. DyeMansion has announced a new UK distributor for its products, and three researchers address the challenges of adopting additive manufacturing in a new book about best practices in the AM industry.

Stratasys Introduces Full-Color Dental 3D Printer

This week at LMT Lab Day Chicago, the largest dental laboratory event in the US, Stratasys has introduced its new full-color, multi-material J720 Dental 3D printer which lets you have 500,000 color combinations for making very high resolution, patient-specific models. Its large build tray can print six materials at the same time, and it’s backed by GrabCAD Print software.

“Labs today operate in a very competitive space where differentiation counts on mastering the digital workflow and expanding into new products and services. The J720 Dental 3D Printer is designed to change the game – allowing levels of speed, productivity and realism the market has never seen,” said Barry Diener, Dental Segment Sales Leader for Stratasys. “This powers laboratories to meet the demands of a competitive market and push the boundaries of digital dentistry.”

See the new J720 Dental 3D printer at LMT Lab Day Chicago today and tomorrow at Stratasys Booth A9. It’s expected to be available for purchase this May.

Farsoon 3D Printing Pure Copper

Pure copper heat exchanger

Two years ago, after Farsoon Technologies had introduced its metal laser sintering system, the company’s application team began working with industrial partners to develop an advanced 3D printing process that could additively produce components made of pure copper. Copper is a soft, ductile metal with both high electrical and thermal conductivity, and it’s often used in industries like shipbuilding, electronics, automotive, and aerospace. But most additive copper is based on alloys, and not the pure metal itself, which is hard for lasers to regularly and continuously melt and can cause problems like thermal cracking and interface failure.

That’s why Farsoon’s work is important – all of its metal laser sintering systems can successfully create cost-effective, high-quality pure copper parts. The company’s process and unique parametric design is able to meet custom needs of customers, and to date, it’s launched 13 process parameters for metal powder sintering, including pure copper. Some of the parts that have come out of Farsoon’s recent collaborations include a pure copper heat exchanger, which featured a 0.5 mm wall thickness, complex spiral geometry and was printed in a single piece. Farsoon is open for additional partners seeking to further develop the 3D printing of pure copper and other specialized materials.

Aether and Procter & Gamble Begin Joint Development Project

Aether CEO Ryan Franks and Director of Engineering Marissa Buell with an Aether 1

San Francisco 3D bioprinting startup Aether has entered into a two-year joint development agreement with Procter & Gamble (P&G) in order to develop 3D printing and artificial intelligence technologies. The two will use the multi-material, multi-tool Aether 1 3D printer as a technology creation platform, and will create several hardware and software capabilities that hope to automate and improve P&G’s product research applications and develop a next-generation Aether 3D printer. An interconnected network of computer vision and AI algorithms aims to increase automation for multi-tool and multi-material 3D printing, while high-performance cameras will enable new robotics capabilities. Aether is also working on additional software that will help P&G automate and speed up image processing.

“Aether is working with P&G to completely redefine 3D printing.  It’s no longer going to be just about depositing a material or two in a specific pattern. We’re building something more like an intelligent robotic craftsman, able to perform highly complex tasks with many different tools, visually evaluate and correct its work throughout the fabrication process, and constantly learn how to improve,” said Aether CEO and Founder Ryan Franks.

DyeMansion Names New UK Distributor

3D print finishing systems distributor DyeMansion, headquartered in Munich, announced that Cheshire-based 3D printing services supplier Europac3D will be the UK distributor for its range of machines. Per the agreement, Europac3D will now offer all of the AM finishing systems in DyeMansion’s Print-to-Product workflow, which includes its Powershot C powder blasting system, DM60 industrial coloring system, and the PowerShot S, which delivers homogeneous surface quality to 3D printed, powder-based plastics. Because of this, Europac3D is one step closer to achieving its mission of being a one-stop shop for 3D printing, scanning, and post-processing services.

“DyeMansion’s post-production systems are worldclass and add the all important finish to additive manufacturing,” said John Beckett, the Managing Director of Europac3D. “Their systems are perfect for companies or 3D print bureaus that have multiple SLS or HP 3D printers and allow us to extend our offer by providing market leading additive manufacturing finishing systems for 3D-printed polymer parts.”

New 3D Printing ‘Best Practices’ Book

We could go on and on about the many benefits offered by 3D printing (and we do), but there are still industry executives who remain unconvinced when it comes to adopting the technology. But a new book, titled “Additive Manufacturing Change Management: Best Practices” and released today, is here to provide some guidance for those still holding back. The book, which addresses some of the challenges of adopting 3D printing, was published by CRC Press as part of its Continuous Improvement Series and written by Dr. Elizabeth A. Cudney, an associate professor of engineering management and systems engineering at the Missouri University of Science and Technology, along with Divergent 3D’s VP of Additive Manufacturing Michael Kenworthy and Dr. David M. Dietrich, who is an Additive Manufacturing Engineering Design Fellow for Honeywell Aerospace and Dr. Cudney’s former doctoral student.

Dr. Cudney said, “If company leaders are interested in bringing additive manufacturing online, this book can help them decide if it makes sense for their industry.

“There’s often a lack of planning, a lack of understanding, a resistance to change and sometimes fear of the unknown. Our hope is that this book will provide a good road map for managers to advance additive manufacturing at a faster pace.

“We wanted to take a look at how companies can roll out a new technology, new processes and equipment and integrate that in such a way that you have a good product in the end.”

In the 17-chapter book, the authors present what Dr. Cudney refers to as a ‘road map’ for business leaders looking to adopt 3D printing. The eBook format costs $52.16, but if you want that shiny new hardcover version, it will set you back $191.25.

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