3D Prototyping
Being associated with an Electrical Distributor specializing in automation products, I've decided to write about a technology which I have no experience. Although I have no experience, I am deeply intrigued by its ability to see and hold your ‘Mechanical’ design in a very short time after its conception! Our customer’s expect us to respond in a timely fashion, should it be any different getting a CAD (computer aided design) thought into their hands quickly as well?
I've been around for a while and have seen the 3-D prototyping machines utilizing multi-axis machining centers, grinding away a solid piece of metal or plastic, eventually forming parts which are assembled into their completed product. However, this process is wasteful, expensive and very time consuming. But, as you can expect, there are other technologies to “print” these new thoughts/designs. Yes, ‘printing’ is the term used today, actually “3D Printing” or “Rapid Prototyping” describes this technology. There are many systems in use today, which I have seen in various customers’ R&D labs. This afternoon I was browsing a technical journal and I saw an article on “Rapid Prototyping” describing the benefits of these machines. The article described the ability to quickly design, test, build – then “tweak” your mechanical designs – all made in a reasonable amount of time with great $$ savings to please your customers.
These “3D Prototyping” systems began in the late ‘70s early ‘80s with a technology named “SLS” or Selective Laser Sintering. This process utilizes a software tool to design your product in a “3D” environment, then you would “print” or communicate to a ‘hardware motion system’ (“printer”) and utilizing a powdered median (ceramic, metal, plastic or glass) “paper” are layered in a specified thickness and exposed to laser emissions (“print head”), which fuse the particles into a mass. With ‘pass-after-pass’, and ‘layer-after-layer’, the design would eventually form a 3D object. However due to the cost of the laser and the time to re-layer, this process was only being used by a select few companies.
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| Example of parts made by Rapid Prototyping |
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| Pump Vane prototype |
But as you can imagine, there is another technology which I will discuss called “FDM” or Fused Deposition Modeling. This has been around since the ‘80s, but recently commercialized due to its simplicity. If you are familiar with ‘MIG’ (Metal Inert Gas) welding, commonly referred to as “Wire Feed” welding; this process feeds spooled wire into a weld head to make contact with your metal work piece. So, as a similar analogy, we could automate the process and with multiple passes, this system will make a 3D object. As with ‘MIG’, ‘FDM’ uses a plastic core which is fed into a heated “print” head which applies the melted resin onto a micro layer, eventually making the 3D design.
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| Medical advances can be tested with Rapid Prototyping |
FDM machine video: http://vimeo.com/14292165
The machine which caught my eye is made by a company in Brooklyn, NY, called the “MakerBot”. This system seems too good to be real! But after many revisions, their new machine is called “MakerBot Replicator 2”. MakerBot is a newer company who began in 2009, recently a venture capital company (The Foundry Group) invested over $10 million into them! With these machines available for under $3,000, I would watch this company! Anyways, there are a number of companies out there making ‘FDM’ 3D prototype machines, including: MakerBot, 3DSystems, Stratasys and others.
For more information, please see MakerBot’s site (Standard Electric Supply Co has no relation or affiliation with MakerBot)
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| MakerBot Replicator 2X - Rapid Prototyping Machine |
If you have other suggestions or need Electrical Automation Components, please contact Standard Electric Supply Co.
