When 3D printing first arose, the imagination of users and producers alike militated against real-world use. Now expectations have slowed down as the technology has sped up to meet in the middle. There are $1,000 printers today that compare favorably to the $50,000 printers of a decade ago.
RPG Industries is a full-service manufacturer working with automotive, aerospace, and oil industry clients. Started in 1995, the company primarily offers EDM, CNC machining, waterjet cutting, and additive manufacturing services.
While metal 3D printing is not replacing traditional manufacturing methods, it is changing how we think about fabricating metal parts. The basic physical difference in how objects are made with additive produces some major functional differences. The most important of these functional differences is that additive manufacturing can be used to create complex geometries that would be difficult or impossible to achieve with traditional manufacturing methods.
Today is an exciting day as we introduce our newest material, Onyx ESD, to our Markforged customers and the rest of the manufacturing world! Onyx ESD will allow electronics manufacturers to take advantage of the Digital Forge and the massive benefits it brings, even in applications with stringent ESD safety requirements necessary to avoid damage to sensitive electronics.
The key to unlocking strength in continuous fiber 3D printing is by understanding where you can leverage strands or panels such that they distribute the loading forces in tension or bending, as we covered in the Physics of 3D Printing. Below, we share a few different methods for identifying and placing fiber within your part to provide strength where you need it.
As you design your part, consider how it can be optimized for the layer-by-layer 3D printing process. Below are six steps to keep in mind when designing your parts.
As we covered in Physics of 3D Printing, imagine the fiber is like raw spaghetti. If you try to bend it, it snaps. If you try to compress it lengthwise by trying to push the two endpoints closer together, it also snaps. However, if you load it in tension by pulling on it, it can hold a decent load. Like the spaghetti, continuous fibers are strongest when loaded in tension. The key is understanding where the fibers are loaded in tension, and how a given load can distribute amongst the local fibers.
The development of stronger 3D printing materials has encouraged manufacturers across industries to explore CNC vs 3D printing, and find ways to 3D print functional parts that were previously CNC machined. The 3D printing process can save manufacturers considerable time and money, while still generating the quality necessary for industrial-level production.
Manufacturers that make the switch can leverage 3D printing software to prototype and produce parts in a single day, for a fraction of the cost of traditional CNC machining. However, there are still several key areas where CNC may still be the right choice.
From physical to financial, let’s walk through some of key areas to evaluate before deciding between CNC vs 3D printing.
Both 3D printing technology and composite materials, especially carbon fiber, are big players in the world of prosthetics, and with the Mark One 3D printer, students at Auburn University have designed and prototyped unique concepts in the field of accessible devices. Jerrod Windham, associate professor of Industrial Design in Auburn’s School of Industrial and Graphic Design, leads a class that is part of a project nine years in the making. Each semester, rehabilitation and industrial design students work with client users with physical disabilities to develop specific products that target their needs or desires as individuals.
Just as with any manufacturing process, there are optimized and non-optimized ways to design parts for 3D printing. In this case, DFM (Design For Manufacturing) becomes DFAM — Design For Additive Manufacturing — and while your printer won’t chastise you like your machinists will for failing to consider fabrication methods in your design, the part integrity will suffer. This article covers the general outline for printing a composite part on Markforged printers: design, reinforce, print. You might be surprised by how straightforward composite printing is!