A few years ago I started watching machinists on YouTube and became enamored with the trade. I enjoyed watching the process of slowly carving away material to make a part, it was very satisfying. I also liked the idea of being able to make metal parts, so late last year I decided to turn my fascination into a hobby and I bought myself a used mini lathe. Since the lathe is so small, any stock sticking out of the chuck more than half an inch starts to wobble.
Every additive manufacturing company says that their latest product offering is “groundbreaking” and “revolutionary”, which can get a little tiresome and make it difficult to really understand if any AM technology will actually make a positive impact for your business. With the recent launch of the M600 from Meltio, the loft promises of a groundbreaking technology are still there, BUT I believe there are six unique aspects of this machine that will help it deliver real value for those who need to produce metal components.
Innovation in manufacturing has always been a dynamic field, continually pushing boundaries and redefining what’s possible. One such breakthrough is the integration of fiber layups with BigRep 3D printed parts. This fusion of traditional composite manufacturing techniques with cutting-edge additive manufacturing opens up a world of possibilities, offering unparalleled design freedom, structural integrity, and efficiency.
Photocentric is excited to announce the addition of two more resins to their extensive lineup of UV and Daylight resin offerings, HighTemp DL401 and Rigid DLFR. Years of development from their chemistry team, in collaboration with renowned beta users, have created their first genuine alternative to metal tooling. Let's take a look at the key features of each material and where they can fit in your production process.
The new Meltio M600 is designed to solve problems of long lead times, costly stock-keeping and increasingly fragile supply chains, thanks to its unique metal 3D printing technology. This new system increases productivity and reduces manufacturing costs, brings new materials to the table and most importantly is ready to perform 24/7 with minimal operator interaction for autonomous production.
Most modern manufacturing companies know they COULD benefit from additively manufacturing some of their PARTS, but they hesitate to invest in the equipment. The reasons why can vary, but over the last few years the EXBuild team has seen a trend. Until now, much of the hardware available on the industrial AM market has been pretty much just hard-to-use, outdated technology stuffed in a sleek new package. This means that a company looking at AM equipment not only has to decide on a printer, but also needs to decide what resources they are going to scrounge up in order to build out an entire AM department. Common questions include: who has time to learn how to run this printer? Who will maintain this printer? Who will fix this printer when it breaks? Who will decide what to print and not print?
In the ever-evolving automotive industry, the race to innovate has never been more critical. Among the tools driving this innovation forward, BigRep 3D printers have emerged as game-changers, offering unmatched capabilities in design, prototyping and production. Let's explore some real-world examples of how BigRep 3D printers are transforming the automotive landscape.
Late last year Photocentric, the inventors of LCD resin printing, upped the ante once again on what is considered to be Large Format resin printing. Their Magna printer already dwarfed the competition with a build volume that only million dollar SLA machines could try to keep up with. The Titan makes the Magna look small, so many would say “why get a Magna anymore when I can capture the same level of detail on the Titan?” The short answer is you should always use the right tool for the right job. Let's dive deeper.
The 3D printing industry is full of everything from delusional hype to realized productivity gains, and everything in between. BUT the recent advancements in both materials and hardware has made 3D printing less hype and more productive for industrial applications.
Up until now, 3D printing very large parts has been costly, slow, and problematic. Large format 3D printers, their software, maintenance, and consumables are all extremely expensive and the finish can still be rough requiring a lot of post-processing. One option can be to use more affordable small printers to print in smaller pieces and then carefully join them together, but its more time consuming and the part may not fit together properly. Either way, the process is slow and parts could fail during the print or worse, later in use.