Sandvik & BEAMIT Qualify Super-Duplex Osprey 2507 Metal Powder for 3D Printing https://ift.tt/3gHeuDT Even though, as SmarTech Analysis has reported, metal additive manufacturing is currently working to recover from the supply chain disruption and manufacturing downturn “brought on (or at least intensified) by the COVID-19 global pandemic,” the last couple of years there’s been a major increase in the use of iron-based and extremely corrosion-resistant metals; this is mainly due to the fact that industries working in challenging environments, like the offshore and marine sectors, require more advanced materials, not to mention on-demand spare parts production to reduce material waste and unnecessary stock. Both Sandvik, which offers a wide variety of AM metal powder alloys, and part subsidiary BEAMIT Group have worked over the years to qualify various materials, such as titanium alloys, for additive manufacturing, and together have announced their ability to 3D print components out of super-duplex stainless steel Osprey 2507 metal powder, which is well-known for its high durability and excellent corrosion resistance. Now they’re launching the material on the market, heralding its abilities to print components that are crack-free and nearly fully dense, even before post-processing has occurred.
Sandvik owns a significant stake in BEAMIT, which includes one of the industry’s largest AM machine parks and is said to be one of Europe’s top AM service providers for demanding industries in need of high-end metal parts. So customers in the market for larger-scale 3D printed metal components are in luck.
According to the company, Sandvik has long been a leader in the duplex stainless steel evolution, and some of its super-duplex materials have been used for applications in corrosive environments, including chemical processing and the seawater-exposed offshore energy field. The super-duplex Osprey 2507 alloy, able to hold up well under harsh environments, was optimized for 3D printing by Sandvik’s material experts, and with its high mechanical strength and corrosion resistance, it can now be 3D printed more easily into the shape of seamless tubes, bars, and plates.
Sandvik collaborated with Norwegian Eureka Pumps and energy giant Equinor to produce a faster, more lightweight impeller for the offshore sector, and because it’s 3D printed, the component was manufactured more efficiently as well. According to the company’s “Plan it, Print it, Perfect it” approach, printing is only one of seven necessary steps to be successful with the industrialization of the technology, and thanks to the newly AM-optimized super-duplex Osprey 2507 alloy, several projects in the marine sector, which relies on super-duplex stainless steel, are now taking place. To learn more about super-duplex stainless steel material and 3D printing, you’re invited to attend “Additive By Sandvik: Material Matters,” the next episode in the company’s interactive webinar series, on May 18th. Sandvik’s metal powder and AM experts will discuss what the company calls the “game-changing combination” of 3D printing and super-duplex stainless steel, and if you pre-register, you can even send in topics and questions ahead of time. (Source/Images: Sandvik)
Printing via 3DPrint.com | The Voice of 3D Printing / Additive Manufacturing https://3dprint.com April 27, 2021 at 08:36AM
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Hexagon and Authentise Partner for Open End-to-End 3D Printing Software Platform https://ift.tt/32UvBtM Swedish tech company Hexagon has gradually been making in-roads into the additive manufacturing (AM) industry. This has mostly centered on simulation and design for 3D printing, such as through its partnership with IMDEA and its MSC Apex generative design software. Now, it has taken a significant step further into the space by teaming with Authentise, which focuses on 3D printing manufacturing execution systems (MES). Together, Hexagon’s Manufacturing Intelligence division and Authentise aim to offer an end-to-end software platform that covers everything from design and 3D printing to quality assurance to create a repeatable, predictable and traceable manufacturing ecosystem. Authentise already attempts to manage nearly every aspect of production for a 3D printing factory, including pre-production steps for specific files, monitoring of every printer within a fleet, tracking of materials both within systems and around the workshop floor, quote generation, quality assurance, scheduling and the maintenance of a digital inventory of parts. It also attempts to collect and transmit as much data as possible from all of these steps so that they can be used to inform future production and integration into other software apps.
As a leader in simulation, metrology, CAD and geographic information systems (GIS), Hexagon has a lot to offer the 3D printing industry and one can easily see the synergies it would have with a firm like Authentise. As it develops simulation for 3D printing, for instance, we can imagine the ways it will be able to ensure that models are free from defects before printing, possibly by deforming them to compensate for any stresses that might occur during the fabrication process. Metrology can then be used to conduct quality assurance at the end of production, matching the final part with its CAD model. And the use of geospatial and GIS technology could potentially aid in the integration of the production line into the larger supply chain, tracking the shipments of parts to customers and supplies to the factory.
The companies say that they will connect the various silos of manufacturing by digitizing every step, from part design to quality assurance, applying such technologies statistical process control (SPC) with machine learning (ML) and artificial intelligence (AI) in the process. Necessary to this weaving of the digital thread is the use of open architectures across the hardware and software used. Recently, 3DPrint.com Executive Editor predicted that MES companies will more likely be bought up, rather than built up, due to the long runway likely required to pay back investors. For that reason, it wasn’t surprising to him that Materialise scooped up Link3D and Bassetti bought 3DTrust. Perhaps Hexagon, which has partially established itself in so many industries due to a number of important acquisitions, will one day buy out its partner here, Authentise. It’s an idea suited to Joris’s Dream Mergers and Acquisitions series, at the very least. In the meantime, those interested in applying for a free process evaluation, can visit the Authentise website here or attend Hexagon and Authentise´s presentations at the AMUG conference, May 2-4, 2021. Printing via 3DPrint.com | The Voice of 3D Printing / Additive Manufacturing https://3dprint.com April 27, 2021 at 08:06AM
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Kawasaki’s 3D Printed Spare Part Flown to Ship via Drone https://ift.tt/3sPXwFS One of the few businesses tackling the world of maritime 3D printing is Wilhelmsen, one of the largest businesses in the maritime sector, along with its partners, such as steel conglomerate thyssenkrupp and Wilhelmsen spin-out Ivaldi. The group’s current strategy is using additive manufacturing to produce spare parts, and to get those parts out to customers at sea they’ve deployed some unique methods. In particular, they’ve teamed up with Singapore startup F-Drones to fly them out to their clients. The partners demonstrated this capability when serving the MMA Offshore on behalf of Kawasaki Heavy Industries. During the Maritime Drone Estate Launch in Singapore, the partners digitized, printed, tested and delivered a cooling water pipe connector to MMA Offshore’s vessel, MMA Monarch. So far, the Wilhelmsen-thyssenkrupp AM fulfillment platform serves over 3,000 vessels from different locations globally. The ability to 3D print replacement parts for the marine sector has many of the same benefits that 3D printed spares have for businesses generally, and then some. The reliance on a digital inventory makes it possible to get components that are out of production and reduce the quantity of extra items an original equipment manufacturer (OEM) must manufacture in order to serve clients in the aftermarket space. This, in turn, reduces supply chain costs and delivery times. When it comes to getting these components to customers at sea, drones don’t have the same carbon footprint that other delivery options have, thus offering a potentially more sustainable solution to part delivery. The cooling water pipe connector was first tested for quality assurance by the DNV-endorsed Quality Assurance Framework. DNV is the world’s largest classification society and has become the go-to group for certification and testing of 3D printed parts in the maritime industry. The part was developed by the Wilhelmsen-led Joint Industry Program on Additive Manufacturing in Singapore consortium, which received funding from the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore under its Maritime Innovation and Technology Fund. Among the consortium’s members are OEMs like Wärtsilä, Kawasaki Heavy Industries and Hamworthy pumps, along with DNV, thyssenkrupp, Ivaldi Group and Tytus3D, as well as end users who are already involved in Wilhelmsen’s 3D printing program. Wilhelmsen and thyssenkrupp step-up collaboration with 3D printing joint venture from Wilhelmsen group on Vimeo.
Kawasaki Heavy Industries is a large and important member to adopt this unique model for delivering spare parts. One of Japan’s three major heavy industrial manufacturers, Kawasaki is a $12 billion company by revenue that operates across a number of industries in addition to shipbuilding, such as aerospace, motorcycles, engines, and military.
Having already established a consortium dedicated to 3D printing and delivering spares in the maritime sector, with Singapore the headquarters for this collaboration, competitors will have to build a substantial network in order to rival the shipping giant. Who that competitor might be is still to be determined. Printing via 3DPrint.com | The Voice of 3D Printing / Additive Manufacturing https://3dprint.com April 27, 2021 at 07:06AM 10 Customizable Signup Form Examples For Easier Conversions https://ift.tt/3gGtXUG Enticing website visitors to sign up for your newsletter or a coupon deal is no easy task. And without signup forms, it’s almost impossible to get them to provide their email addresses or any other personal data. The interesting part about signup forms is that they come in many shapes and sizes. They can be a simple form with two fields or lengthy forms that ask for everything from a person’s name to their birthday. But you must pick the right form for the occasion. (Hint: if you are trying to grow your newsletter list, you probably don’t need to ask for a person’s postcode; it’s irrelevant for the occasion.) Without further ado, here are 10 fully customizable signup form examples you can use right now on your own website or landing page. And the only tool you’ll need to set them up is GetResponse. Table Of Contents 1. Lead magnet formWhat’s good about this signup form?
Who or what it’s best forBy sticking to a simple combination of name & email address, this signup form is perfect for lead magnets and newsletter signups. Pro-tip: GetResponse’s form builder is a simple way to create embedded forms to build your email list! You can choose from a library of templates you can customize to fit your company’s email marketing goals. As each signup form template is professionally designed, there’s no need to know code, but there is an HTML builder if you want to create one from scratch. Learn more about the tool’s features here. GetResponse’s signup form template library 2. Contact us formWhat’s so good about this signup form?
Who or what it’s best forThis form is perfect for top-of-funnel visitors to your website — people who’re just hearing about your business or read your blog post and want to know more about your company. Or they just have questions about your product or service but aren’t ready to buy yet. 3. Purchase/coupon sign up formWhat’s good about this signup form?
Who or what it’s best forThis form is best for targeting visitors looking at your product or pricing page or those who’ve visited your website in the past. It’s perfect for visitors who are ready to make a purchase but need a little more persuading. 4. Lead magnet signup form (with a website field)What’s good about this signup form?
Who or what it’s best forThis is a great signup form to use for website visitors who are looking for specific guides and ebooks to solve their problems. It is particularly helpful for leads who need more nurturing through email marketing campaigns, thanks to the added field asking for their website address. 5. Volunteer sign up formsWhat’s good about this signup form?
Who or what it’s best forUse this signup form for getting volunteers, event invites, and product launches. Even better, the copy also instills a sense of FOMO (fear of missing out) and encourages visitors to sign up. 6. Demographic data capturing signup formWhat’s good about this signup form?
Take Expedia. On their site, a signup form confused customers who were adding wrong addresses to payment forms, leading to payments getting denied. But more people finished the payment process after the company removed the field from the form, resulting in an extra $12 million in annual profit.
Who or what it’s best forCustom fields like this on a form are super helpful if you want to target your emails to those on your list who live in different countries. If you are selling products and services to customers both locally and internationally, knowing where they are located helps you personalize email communications. Collecting information in a signup form makes that easier, as everything will be added to your email database using automation. 7. Freebie signup formWhat’s good about this signup form?
Who or what it’s best forThese types of signup forms work exceptionally well for seasonal events (Christmas, New Year’s Eve, Halloween) or product launches, where access or tickets may be limited. You can boost the conversion rate by up to 15% by offering an incentive in a signup form. These are best for top-of-funnel website visitors that are browsing your website because of an event, product launch, or a competition with a prize. 8. Order signup formWhat’s good about this signup form?
Who or what it’s best forBusinesses who don’t have built-in ecommerce tools on websites and landing pages, but still want to give their customers a way to make simple order requests online, will love this form. 9. Resource download signup formWhat’s good about this signup form?
Who or what it’s best forThis form entices potential customers to download lead magnets so you can add their details to your email list. 10. Newsletter signup formWhat’s good about this form?
Who or what it’s best forThis form drives newsletter subscribers to your email list through simple, convincing copy. ConclusionSignup forms are still one of the best, quickest, and cheapest ways to grow your email list. Not only do you have complete control over how much (or how little) information you ask leads to input, but they’re also customizable, so you can use them for almost anything. Whether you are encouraging people to download a lead magnet, attend a product launch, or sign up for a Christmas special, you can deploy signup forms to build your email list. Using a tool like GetResponse’s form builder makes the process even easier. Instead of building forms from scratch, you can use and customize professionally designed templates to gather data quickly and watch your email list grow! Best of all, using the tool you can not only build signup forms but also run paid ad campaigns, build signup pages, run email sequences, manage your mailing lists, send newsletters, and much, much more. Printing via GetResponse Blog https://ift.tt/2Xap2TD April 27, 2021 at 07:00AM
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Essentium Launches New HSE 3D Printer with Independent Dual Extruders https://ift.tt/3sXK8j3 Following years of research, Essentium has launched a new 3D printer designed and developed for the demands of the factory floor. Essentium’s newest High Speed Extrusion (HSE) 3D printer, known as the HSE 280i HT, is built on independent dual extrusion system (IDEX) technology, enabling manufacturers to speed the time to industrial-scale production of parts, even for complex geometric shapes, while significantly reducing post-processing costs. Essentium also revealed new high-performance materials for chemically-resistant and low-surface-energy 3D printed parts. A Texas innovator of industrial AM solutions, Essentium wants to change how things are made. Focused on disrupting traditional manufacturing processes by bringing speed and strength together, at scale, with a no-compromise material set, the company says it is committed to creating industrial solutions for the world’s top manufacturers. Now, the company turned to breakthrough IDEX technology to offer users “the ultimate machine tool to 3D print at scale.” Known as a unique architecture technology for 3D printers, IDEX is based on individual extruders that can move independently along the X-axis. However, Essentium claims that, unlike other IDEX 3D printers on the market, HSE 280i HT features “true independent dual extruders,” which means each head is fully independent on both the X- and Y-axes. Doubling productivity compared to conventional desktop 3D printers, IDEX technology was created by the Barcelona-based research group BCN3D in 2015 and has become a standard of extrusion that other manufacturers apply to their own systems. Revealed on April 27, 2021, the HSE 280i HT printer was built to transform manufacturing floors and solve AM challenges related to speed, strength, and scale. Essentium considers these limitations have held back the shift from prototyping to full-scale production runs in industries like aerospace, electronics, automotive, contract manufacturing, and consumer goods. Claiming to deliver world-class print speeds of more than 500 mm per second – which is 15 times faster than its competition – the platform leverages a non-slip, high-torque extrusion system with all linear servo motors. Differing from most fused filament fabrication (FFF) processes that rely on a heated build chamber, the HSE 280i HT 3D uses a multimodal heating method designed to heat the part, eliminating the need for manufacturers to wait for the chamber to heat up to start printing. Essentium believes that there is an increasing interest in using 3D printing, even on the FFF level, for end-use parts and not just a single unit, but even for a short series of production parts. So, in that regard, it expects the new technology to achieve twice the productivity of similar FFF solutions, making it appealing for serial production applications.
Intended to address both the speed and strength issues with traditional fused deposition modeling (FDM) and FFF 3D printers, Essentium’s new platform is foremost built upon its High Speed Extrusion technology. Revealed in late 2018 and designed to extrude material at high speeds, the HSE AM system allows manufacturers to design, prototype, and produce final parts at scale on the same technology using the same materials and the same machine. The brand’s flagship printer, the HSE 180, was launched on the market in 2019, and later that year, Essentium received a $1.5 million Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) grant by the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) to advance its HSE AM technology to support the U.S. Air Force (USAF). The Phase II project was an ideal opportunity for the startup to identify critical components relevant to support the USAF, including ground support systems, service components, maintenance, repair, and overhaul (MRO) equipment, and demonstrate the ability to 3D print these parts on-site and on-demand with verified digital build files. Essentium told 3DPrint.com that as a result of the award, its team of engineers still test and develop new materials and processes using the HSE and certify new materials. In fact, aside from its novel 3D printer, Essentium also announced a new high-performance material to help manufacturers realize the full potential of industrial-scale AM and deliver on its commitment to creating a global, open ecosystem that puts users in control of their innovation. Developed in partnership with German chemical specialists at the LEHVOSS Group, Essentium PP-CF is a 20% carbon fiber reinforced polypropylene filament made with high-performance, thermoplastic LUVOCOM 3F resin from LEHVOSS’ 3D printing material line launched in 2018. Designed to deliver excellent mechanical performance combined with outstanding printability, the new material is expected to offer excellent chemical resistance and low surface energy, making it useful for silicone and urethane molding applications. Essentium PP-CF will allow manufacturers to print chemically resistant, low surface energy parts with greater strength and stiffness than unreinforced polyolefins. Both the 3D printer and materials were revealed just in time for Essentium’s upcoming virtual showroom experience. The online space launching May 2, 2021, was uniquely designed to give 3D printing users, enthusiasts, and interested customers an inside look into all things Essentium from anywhere in the world. From product launches to real customer stories and white papers, even a portal for webinars, up-to-date news, and events, the innovative virtual platform will be a great way to engage anyone interested in the company’s technology. Printing via 3DPrint.com | The Voice of 3D Printing / Additive Manufacturing https://3dprint.com April 27, 2021 at 06:06AM
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How to Become an Online Teacher (And a Successful One) https://ift.tt/3xrnToZ Want to start teaching online and make a buck? In this article, we’re sharing how you can become an online teacher – and a successful one, too. Printing via GetResponse Blog https://ift.tt/2Xap2TD April 27, 2021 at 05:49AM
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Dafi Kuhne: The Absurdity of the Moment https://ift.tt/3eCX3Sa Over the past year, letterpress printmaker and designer, Dafi Kuhne, has been working on a project called The Absurdity of the Moment; a series of 10 large (70x100cm) letterpress printed posters. The posters have all been produced from hand-cut linoleum and hot metal type, and printed in up to 10 print runs each. The 10 motifs will be on exhibition from April 22 until August 1, 2021 at Museum für Gestaltung in Zürich. Dafi’s poster series also functions as a visual diary. Whilst creating, he was guided by his own state of mind, which simultaneously expresses our collective emotions, too. In his designs, feelings such as uncertainty, fear, anger, and impotence are juxtaposed with positive experiences of greater serenity, a slower pace of life, and solidarity in practice. Things that seemed absurd at first soon became normal and no longer attract much attention today. The Absurdity of the Moment represents the circumstances in society that confront us with the challenge of managing everyday life without planning for the future, whilst also recognising humorous moments within this scenario. For each poster, Dafi has also created a 30 second reel with a short personal comment on each motif that will be available through QR codes at the exhibition and also posted on Instagram. The exhibition is on from April 22–August 1, 2021, at Museum für Gestaltung Zürich, Switzerland. Printing via People of Print https://ift.tt/2DhgcW7 April 27, 2021 at 04:22AM
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Plastikcomb Magazine 2.0 | Crowdfunding Now on In Perpetuum https://ift.tt/3gGEOhr Recently launched on our brand new crowdfunding platform for independent publications, In Pereptuum, is Plastikcomb Magazine (PCM) 2.0. The publication is a biannual alternative art magazine that explores experimental editorial design based on featured artist’s work. PCM’s founder is self-taught artist and graphic designer, Aaron Beebe, who decided to create his own magazine after being constantly rejected by publications and galleries. Heavily influenced by RayGun, Aaron frames the magazine’s editorial content in a chaotic, abstract style, with a main focus on featuring artists’ work, short stories, and thoughtful interviews. PCM 1.0 was released in November 2020 and was designed by Aaron, along with Thomas Schostok, who lives 3,292 miles away in Essen, Germany. They produced the magazine solely through texts and emails. Their first issue was voted one of the top 10 self-published magazines in 2021 by Adobe and PAGE Magazine (Germany). PCM 2.0 is the perfect publication for those who crave the certain aesthetically pleasing layouts and content of publications from the past. The 40 page zine will be PUR bound and litho printed CYMK by Pressision Creative Print & Finishers, and will feature the work of artists including Iain Perry, Ed Fella, and Anthony Grant, to name a few. As part of this special campaign, we have put together a series of exclusive rewards for you to grab in addition to or as part of your magazine preorder. Rewards include getting your name printed inside its page, a luxury sticker pack, an enamel pin, and a poster! Printing via People of Print https://ift.tt/2DhgcW7 April 27, 2021 at 03:32AM Kornit Digital Unveils Clothing Printing Process with 3D Printing Capabilities https://ift.tt/3nsyJGL 3D printing and clothing manufacturing are strange bedfellows, with most marriages between the two involving some form of polymer textile that makes for interesting runway shows, but don’t seem as though they could make it onto the rack. However, we may see more 3D printing incorporated into the fashion world through a new digital textile printing technology from Israeli-American company Kornit Digital (Nasdaq: KRNT). Digital textile printing, in this case a form of direct-to-garment (DTG) printing, is a process by which an inkjet printhead deposits colorant onto a fabric. Generally, Kornit’s process has involved pre-wetting a fabric within the printer, printing ink onto the textile, and then applying a fixing agent all within the printing system itself. To achieve full CMYK color on dark garments, it begins with a white coat of ink. The new MAX technology makes it possible to deposit 3D layers onto fabrics. Dubbed “XDi”, this feature makes it possible to embed 3D objects onto textiles such that it can simulate embroidery, vinyl and heat transfer within a single process. In this way, XDi offers some of the advantages of 3D printing in that these 3D features are additive and, therefore, do not produce the same waste that comes from subtractive processes.
Both DTG and its leading competitor, dye-sublimation, represent a new trend in on-demand clothing manufacturing. Through companies like vPersonalize, it’s possible to take digital models of garments, such as t-shirts and dresses, and produce sewing and cutting patterns that can then be produced with DTG or dye-sublimation. This opens up the possibility of producing individual garments on-demand. For instance, clients that use vPersonalize’s platform can offer consumers the ability to customize apparel, changing colors or adding names and emblems. There are still a number of steps that would need to be automated in order to make the production of textiles fully automated, but we are seeing a similar trend occur in fabrics as we are in general manufacturing. If the printing, cutting and sewing of a t-shirt were to be fully automated, it would be possible to not only print a desired pattern onto the clothing, but also customize the size and silhouette and have it produced as a single item on demand.
With Kornit’s XDi, this sort of DTG production goes beyond typical colored inks to produce embroidery and other embellishments that would typically require labor-intensive sewing and stitching. Kornit did introduce an additional automation feature, ActiveLoad, a robotic system that makes it possible to semi-automatically load the fabric into the printer without having to manually straighten it exactly onto the loading platform. Kornit was founded in 2002 with veterans from the digital printing sector, including HP. It’s not surprising to see an Israeli company form based around inkjet technology, given the fact that Objet, the pioneer in inkjet 3D printing, was born there, as have been several other inkjet-based 3D printing firms, such as XJet and Nano Dimension. What is interesting is that it is focused on the textile space. The closest competing technology to XDi that I’m aware of is Voxel8’s ActiveLab system, which is capable of depositing polyurethane onto fabrics. The main demonstrator application of the ActiveLab system has been the production of shoe uppers, which has previously been difficult to achieve with 3D printing. Although we’re still wondering what’s going on with Voxel8’s electronics 3D printing behind the scenes. There’s also Stratasys’s recent experiments with 3D printing onto garments. How the capabilities of Kornit’s XDi process compare to something like what Voxel8 can achieve is hard to know. We’ve reached out to Kornit for more information on the technical aspects of the technology. The first system to include MAX technology is the Kornit Atlas MAX, which features the aforementioned XDi process. Customers with existing Kornit Atlas systems will be able to get an upgrade in the first quarter of 2022. Printing via 3DPrint.com | The Voice of 3D Printing / Additive Manufacturing https://3dprint.com April 26, 2021 at 06:12PM Virtual Review: the Formlabs Fuse 1 SLS 3D Printer https://ift.tt/2R0fKY9 The desktop fused filament fabrication (FFF) movement quickly saw a proliferation of low-cost FFF systems, which was followed by a similar trend with desktop vat photopolymerization machines. The low-cost selective laser sintering (SLS) revolution, however, hasn’t been as quick to take off. This is, in part, due to the cost of the components involved and the complexity of SLS machines. Nevertheless, the trend is occurring at a slower pace, with several firms now offering desktop SLS machines, including Sinterit, Sintratec, Sharebot, and Formlabs. The most recently released is the Fuse 1 from Formlabs, which attempts to offer affordable SLS 3D printing with the quality now expected of the Formlabs brand. We recently got a chance to see a demonstration of the Form 3L large-format stereolithography (SLA) 3D printer from the Cambridge-area startup. Now, Joshua Niman, Sales Engineering Lead at Formlabs, has given us a look at the Fuse 1 so that we could get a sense for its workflow and ease-of-use. Setting up an SLS print in the company’s PreForm software is similar to doing so with an SLA system, except that there is no need for support structure generation due to the fact that the powder in the machine provides the support necessary. Instead, it offers automatic packing to ensure that the complete build volume can be filled with parts. This is a beneficial feature for getting the most throughput out of the machine and utilizing the material with the greatest efficiency. The packing density of the Fuse 1 can achieve a total 100%, according to Niman. They demonstrated this by 3D printing an entire brick the size of the build chamber. However, the job that he was demonstrating had a packing density of 28 percent. The Fuse 1 has a material refresh rate of 70 percent recycled material and 30 percent new material, necessary for supporting the parts as they’re being fabricated. So, for this print job, only about two percent more material (roughly two kilograms) would need to be added to the machine to achieve that refresh rate for the next job. This may not be true for other systems that may have a packing density that reaches far below the refresh rate. If the density is only 10 percent and the refresh rate reaches 20 or 30 percent, there is a 10 to 20 percent of excess powder in the system that cannot be used for a subsequent similar job but that also isn’t being sintered. In other words, in a job that is packed as much as possible, only two percent of the 5.5 kilograms that fill the entire machine is being wasted. In addition to providing data about the packing density and the ratio of used to unused powder in a job, PreForm also indicates the anticipated cooldown time for a print job. Unlike FFF and SLA, the print chambers of SLS machines must cool after printing is completed, otherwise the parts might experience stress upon exposure to the colder external environment. The Fuse 1 is packaged with a metal stand on adjustable feet that brings the system up to chest. Everything on the machine is handled through a touchscreen that not only shows maintenance and build status, but also connects to a camera that provides live updates of the build and can be used to take screenshots, all of which can be done remotely as well. This can also be useful as a teaching tool for educational institutions. Like other Formlabs 3D printers, the Fuse 1 is compatible with additional software offerings, such as tools for networking and monitoring multiple printers. Because of the industrial nature of SLS technology, the Fuse 1 has some prechecks that are required before a print job can begin. This includes vacuuming out the filters every 30 hours of printing or changing them out every several thousand hours, checking or filling the material stock to ensure there is sufficient powder for printing, checking and wiping down the thermal sensor and optical cassette, and inserting the build chamber. These steps are all displayed in the form of a checklist on the touchscreen so that new or forgetful users can be sure to perform each of them as they prep the printer. While they may be a bit more than one might need to do before operating an FFF or SLA 3D printer, this did not seem like excess work for operating a complex piece of industrial equipment. In fact, it seemed extremely user-friendly for something that has previously been limited to industrial environments and service bureaus. Quote request Are you looking to buy a 3D printer or 3D scanner? We're here to help. Get free expert advice and quotes from trusted suppliers in your area. Powered by Aniwaa The thermal sensor should be wiped down with a a disposable lint free cleaning pad and ethanol to ensure that the temperature reading of the machine is correct. The entire chamber is pre-heated to limit the amount of energy the laser must use to fuse the plastic particles. The optical cassette prevents the laser and mirrors from being hit with powder during the fusing process. The build chamber features an actuator that moves the print bed down before a new layer of powder is spread across. Once the print is complete, the build chamber can be removed and brought over to the Fuse Sift for depowdering. Due to sensors integrated into the chamber, the depowdering station can read the temperature of the unit in order to determine if the parts are ready to process. If so, the Sift can raise the print bed with the press of button, revealing a sintered cake within unsintered powder. A hood and vent protects the user as they move the cake over to a processing area with a coarse grate over a fine mesh screen. While the partially sintered material can’t make it past the mesh, any reusable powder can pass through to the hopper below. The user can then excavate their parts with picks, brushes and other tools while the processing area vibrates material loose. Meanwhile, the hood blower is running continuously to ensure that any material that kicks up gets filtered through the hood vent. The Sift system then makes it easy to prepare a new material cartridge for printing. They select the ratio of new to used powder and then pour new material into a hopper while the machine combines it with the leftover powder that was just reclaimed during the excavation process. Niman, who previously worked with SLS and metal laser powder bed fusion machines at a previous job, emphasized the compact footprint of the Fuse 1 in comparison to large SLS machines.
One of the most striking features of the system, in addition to its compact footprint, was that it seemed extremely easy to use. Surely there are hiccups that a user runs into in operating the Fuse 1 and Sift, but it seems as though Formlabs has tried to take into consideration the user experience as much as possible so that the printing process runs more like a 2D inkjet printer one might have in an office than a piece of industrial manufacturing equipment. And the fact that Niman performed his presentation in an actual office space reinforced this perception. Despite this office-friendly image, the Fuse 1 is being used for end part production and in larger manufacturing farms. Partial Hand Solutions is one company that is using the technology to 3D print end parts, specifically patient-specific prosthetic fingers. PrintParts is a customer that has a Fuse 1 print farm for producing structural, load-bearing and mechanical parts. You can read more about PrintParts as one of the first service bureaus to adopt the Fuse 1 here. It also established a fleet of Markforged machines, demonstrating that it’s possible to run a service bureau with lower cost systems. While there was a bit of a delay in initially getting the Fuse 1 to market, it doesn’t seem to have impacted the current shipping status of Formlabs’ new machines. According to Niman, there is only a three-week lead time for receiving a Fuse 1 after purchase. Printing via 3DPrint.com | The Voice of 3D Printing / Additive Manufacturing https://3dprint.com April 26, 2021 at 08:36AM |
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