Rapid Prototyping Speeds Nestlé Redesigns

Monday, November 21, 2011 by Ruth Jacques

What could you do in the time it takes to brew and drink a pot of coffee? Nespresso

Nestlé Nespresso S.A. can pour out a new iteration of its highly-designed single-serve espresso machine with caffeinated speed thanks to its Diminsion 3D rapid prototyping machine.

If you're an espresso afficianado, then you know the care, craftsmanship and attention to detail that goes into each tiny cup. More than 20 years ago Nestlé Nespresso developed a home-brewed option that rivals the pours of trained baristas. The...

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Aviation components soar through production with FDM process

Monday, August 22, 2011 by Ruth Jacques

Toroid housing
When the safety of thousands of fliers depend, in part, on the products your company makes, top-quality components is imperative, as Kelly Manufacturing Company (KMC) , the world’s largest manufacturer of general aviation instruments well knows. 

The M3500 instrument from KMC’s R.C. Allen line provides the pilot with the rate of aircraft turn. The toroid housing that contains the coil used to power the instrument’s gyro was previously made of urethane castings, which often required...

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Excerpt 1: Is Now the Time to Try Direct Digital Manufacturing? (An Idea Whose Time Has Come)

Thursday, August 4, 2011 by Joe Hiemenz
Additive Manufacturing (3D Printing) is used for direct digital manufacturing finished goods.
When additive manufacturing was introduced 20 years ago, it was a rapid prototyping tool only. However a few visionaries dreamed of using it to build end-use parts of unlimited complexity in quantities as small as one, without investing in tooling. Two decades later technological advances have turned this dream into a reality. Here’s an excerpt from a white paper by Stratasys CEO Scott Crump that explains what direct digital manufacturing (DDM) has to offer to today’s manufacturing companies....Read More »

Metal parts from 3D prototypes

Monday, June 21, 2010 by Rob Winker
A customer asked me last week if the FDM technology can produce patterns strong enough to withstand the investment casting process. 

Yes, parts built using FDM technology (fused deposition modeling) can produce high-accuracy complex patterns to make metal components. We have detailed application guides that explain two casting processes: investment casting and sand casting

Investment casting using FDM patterns
For complex parts that have tight accuracy specifications, I suggest using the...
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