If you’re at Toronto’s Discovery 12 show today, you may want to
check out the Additive Manufacturing panel discussion at 2:00 in
the Enbridge Theatre. Stratasys VP Jeff DeGrange will join
the panel of presenters. Learn how the additive manufacturing
industry is migrating from rapid prototyping to direct part
production.
Here’s the presentation description:
Rapid Prototyping - How
Increasing the productivity of your company decreases the time to
market
Recently,
we've seen an increase in requests for various types of inserts in
3D prototypes and production parts. With Fortus 3D Production Systems, a build can be
paused and objects can be inserted directly into a 3D printed part.
You can then resume the build and when it’s finished, your
object is embedded firmly into the final part; it can be partially
exposed outside the part for functionality or completely enclosed
within the part. The end result is some very cool looking and
functioning 3D...
Incorporating
Screw Threads Into FDM Parts
Screw threads are one of the most common components used for
fastening parts in an assembly or attaching pipe tubing together.
Here are five ways to incorporate screw threads into Fused Deposition Modeling parts, followed by some
useful applications.
Threads directly from the FDM machine Depending on the pitch and helical profile, it may be possible to
design your desired thread right into the CAD file. Typically,
large pitched threads on parts used for...
Last
week Gardner Publishing, launched “Additive Manufacturing,” a
quarterly supplement to Modern Machine Shop and its sister
publication, MoldMaking Technology. A surprising move, since
these publications are aimed at CNC and mold-making facility
leaders.
By recalling hockey legend Wayne Gretsky’s secret to success,
Senior Editor, Peter Zelinski explains why
Gardner launched the publication. Gretsky said his secret was
to skate where the puck is going, not where it’s been. It involves
“seeing...
At year-end there are always a ton
of “Top 10” and “Best of” lists. At Stratasys, we’ve compiled our
“Best of 2011 Webinars” list too. Whether you’re looking for
inspiration to maximize your existing additive manufacturing
equipment or justification to present your case for securing a
rapid prototyping system, grab a cup of coffee and spend a few
minutes with a few of Stratasys’ webinars
from 2011. We'd love to hear what other webinars you might like
to see -- leave your comments below.
Until our economy turns around, will you
hunker down or invest in technology?
When the economy started to tank, Matt Hlavin, CEO of Thogus
Products, a 61-year-old manufacturing company rooted in injection
molding and heavily dependent on the automotive industry, chose not
to await economic recovery, but to invest in Fused Deposition
Modeling (FDM) technology and diversify. His decision has paid off
in spades.
With FDM in place, Thogus shifted to small-volume molding and
now competes with high-cost...
As
additive manufacturing is used more frequently to
produce short-run production parts and manufacturing
tools, like jigs and fixtures, engineers need to consider how
well the parts hold their dimensions over time. The main
controlling factor in assessing dimensional stability is the
production material.
A Stratasys white paper, entitled "The
Accuracy Myth: Don't Make the Mistake of Confusing Resolution with
Accuracy" addresses the question of long-term stability of parts
produced by additive...
It’s
only natural that engineers working with additive
manufacturing / 3D printing should have focused on the
resolution of the manufacturing system in the days when "rapid
prototyping" was used to produce conceptual
models judged on appearance only. Today, additive
manufacturing is commonly used to produce tooling, functional
prototypes and low volume production parts that must meet the same
demanding dimensional requirements as traditional manufacturing
methods. In this changing environment,...Read More »
As fall kicked into high gear, students and teachers sharpened
pencils and revved up their 3D printers. Find out how one Minnesota
middle school added heft to its pre-engineering curriculum
with the
Dimension uPrint Personal 3D Printer.
Read more.
The
University of Minnesota Formula SAE Team found that FDM (Fused
Deposition Modeling) is a powerful tool and teamed with RedEye's
rapid prototyping capibilities to help fine-tune their designs
and build their low-volume custom parts.
In total, three complete intake assemblies were built out of FDM
ULTEM 9085. One assembly was used on their dynamometer in the
lab. That one was used to get their manufacturing process
sorted out.
The maroon and gold assembly that is shown on the car was...
Direct
digital manufacturing of plastic parts has come a long way. But,
how close are we to do-it-yourself manufacturing?
Advancements in FDM technology are
making it possible to not only use additive manufacturing for rapid
prototyping, but low-volume manufacturing too. In fact, muscle cars
are being restored today using low-volume manufacturing. The Pit
Viper, a restored supercharged 1968 Ford Mustang built by TPI
(Total Performance Inc.), is an impressive example. After exploring
traditional...
BMW's AG plant in Regensburg, Germany has already road-tested fused
deposition modeling (FDM) for product development through design
prototyping, and is now driving quickly towards more direct
digital manufacturing to further maximize their investment in their
Stratasys 3D Production System.
Engineer Gunter Schmid notes, "The FDM process can be an
alternative to the conventional metal-cutting manufacturing methods
like milling, burning, and boring." He, along with fellow
engineer, Ulrich...Read More »
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...
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 »
The cost of rapid prototyping
is offset by a future payoff that can include avoiding an
investment in tooling for a less-than-optimal design and
highlighting ways in which your design can be improved. This type
of expense makes sense regardless of the state of the economy.
Following is the fourth and final excerpt from an editorial
expanding on this subject, which was written by Stratasys CEO,
Scott Crump. A link to the full article is at bottom.
While a recession demands
change in the way we do...
The first known mention of the proverb “measure twice, cut once”
dates back back to 1591 when John Florio published Second
Frutes. He could not have dreamt how relevant his words would
still be to companies developing products in challenging economic
times more than four centuries later. Here’s an excerpt from a
recent editorial by 3D printer maker, Stratasys CEO, Scott
Crump, who applies it to rapid prototyping. Over the next
four weeks we will publish brief excerpts from the article.
The following events, although fictional, are very real problems
in companies with low volume product needs.
Design Engineer (DE): " I just spoke
with our tooling vendor and they are quoting us $15,000 just for
the tool and the lead time is 4 weeks."
Engineering Manager (EM): Gets out his
calculator. "We only need 50 parts, that's $300 per part not
including their molding costs. We need these out in the field next
week if possible. What's with the long lead time?"
The
white paper –
“Is now the time to try direct digital manufacturing?” was
authored by Stratasys CEO Scott Crump in 2009. Over the past two
years the trend of direct digital manufacturing has continued to
grow, and this paper is more relevant today.
The paper discusses how Direct
Digital Manufacturing (DDM) (also called rapid
manufacturing) is worthy of consideration as a way to reduce
costs when producing manufacturing
tools or finished goods in low volume. And it looks at how
Stratasys used...
Using direct digital manufacturing (DDM) as an alternative to
traditional manufacturing is so new that it takes a bit of finesse
to explain what it is and where it fits best in terms of production
of end-use parts. Learn the 5 primary characteristics of a good DDM
opportunity. Read
More
One of the things I enjoy most about working in this industry is
when family, friends, acquaintances ask the loaded question, "What
do you do?". My answer has evolved throughout the years as I've
tried to figure out the best term to use with a layman. Words like
additive fabrication or even rapid prototyping don't really make
sense to the average person. I just carry a small part with me on
my key chain at all times.
In a recent blog post by Scott Crump, he commented on how the
term rapid...
Recently,
we've seen an increase in requests for various types of inserts in
3D prototypes and production parts. With 
Incorporating
Screw Threads Into FDM Parts
As
additive manufacturing is used more frequently to
produce short-run production parts and manufacturing
tools, like jigs and fixtures, engineers need to consider how
well the parts hold their dimensions over time. The main
controlling factor in assessing dimensional stability is the
production material.
The
University of Minnesota Formula SAE Team found that FDM (Fused
Deposition Modeling) is a powerful tool and teamed with 
Direct
digital manufacturing of plastic parts has come a long way. But,
how close are we to do-it-yourself manufacturing?
The
white paper – 
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