Additive Manufacturing 3-D Printing

Additive Manufacturing (3-D Printers)

ADDITIVE MANUFACTURING (3-D PRINTERS)

10/5/2015

FDM or PolyJet 3-D Printer?

Comparing Fused Deposition Modeling (FDM) or PolyJet 3-D Printers is right for Red

Tim McDougald CAD Engineer tmcdougald@redvalve.com

Valve/Tideflex速 to reduce the overhead cost and improve productivity.

Additive Manufacturing (3-D Printers)

Table of Contents

I.

Definitions and Terminology

1

II.

Purpose of Proposal

3

III.

Industry Background Information Related to 3-D Printing

4

IV.

Solutions and Cost Scenarios

5

1. Stratasy’s Objet, Fortus, and Dimension series

5-7

2. 3D Systems’ ProJet x60 and ProJet HD 3000/3000 Plus

7-8

V.

Conclusion and Wrap-up

9

VI.

Sources

10

VII.

Quotes

11

Tim McDougald | Page 1

Additive Manufacturing (3-D Printers)

Additive Manufacturing (3-D Printers) FDM OR POLYJET 3-D PRINTER?

I.

DEFINITIONS AND TERMINOLOGY 3-D printing is a process for making a physical object from a threedimensional (3-D) digital model, typically by laying down many successive thin layers of a material called slicing.

Additive

manufacturing

Rapid

prototyping)

official

industry

is

(or the

standard

term (ASTM F2792) for all applications

of

the

technology. It is defined as the

process

of

joining

materials to make an object from 3-D data (CAD, STL, etc.), usually layer upon layer, as opposed to subtractive manufacturing methods.

Compression molding is a method of molding in which the material, generally preheated, is first placed in an open, heated mold cavity to form the part.

CNC (Computer Numerical Control) is a computer program that converts numerical coordinates of a graph and controls the movements of the cutter shaping the metal material.

FDM

technology

(Fused

Deposition

Modeling)

is

an

additive

manufacturing technology commonly used for modeling, prototyping, and production applications. It is one of the techniques used for 3-D printing.

Nylon 12 is a polymer made from aminolauric acid or laurolactam monomers that each has 12 carbons, hence the name ‘Nylon 12’. It is one of several nylon polymers.

Photopolymer is a polymer that changes its properties when exposed to light, often in the ultraviolet or visible region of the electromagnetic

Additive Manufacturing (3-D Printers)

spectrum. These changes are often manifested structurally, for example hardening of the material occurs as a result of cross-linking when exposed to UV light.

Polycarbonate is a synthetic resin in which the polymer units are linked through carbonate groups, including many molding materials and films.

Polymer is a large molecule that is made up of repeating subunits connected to each other by chemical bonds.

Polymer, are basically,

anything that has a plastic or rubber material. * Non-polymers include: elements, metals, ionic compounds, and some organic matter.

Prototype is a first, typical or preliminary model of something, especially a machine, from which other forms are developed or copied.

Reverse engineering is the reproduction of another manufacturer’s product

following

detailed

examination

of

its

construction

of

composition.

Subtractive manufacturing is achieved by using a block of material usually metal, and then removing the excess through CNC milling or turning technology.

Tango family offers a variety of elastomer characteristics including Shore scale A hardness, elongation at break, tear resistance, and tensile strength.

Rubber-like material is useful for many applications including: 

Exhibition and communication models



Rubber surround and over-molding



Soft-touch coatings/nonslip surfaces



Knobs, grips, pulls, handles, gaskets, seals, hoses, and footwear.

Rubber-like materials include: 

Rubber-like gray (TangoGray FLX950)



Rubber-like black (TangoBlack FLX973)



Rubber-like translucent (TangoPlus FLX930)

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Additive Manufacturing (3-D Printers)

Rubber-like advanced black (TangoBlackPlus FLX980)



Ultem 9085 is a FDM thermoplastic ideal for aerospace, automotive, and military applications because of its FST rating, high strength-to-weight ratio, and existing certifications. It empowers design and manufacturing engineers to 3-D print advanced functional prototype and production parts.

II.

PURPOSE OF PROPOSAL Does Red Valve/Tideflex® have a competitive edge against our competitors?

For decades, our company has been one of the leading producers of handfabricated parts for valves, gadgets, gussets, and compression molds.

However, it may be time for us to explore the possibilities of reducing the high volume of waste in order to save the company from financial stress, so the company has more potential profits from our inventory. Moreover, this positive momentum to become a sustainable company would allow Red Valve/Tideflex® to establish an Additive Manufacturing Division to our repertoire.

Being able to utilize this division would allow the Engineering Department to verify each part’s precision before it is produced and developed by an extremely exorbitant metal fabricator. The value of adding an additive manufacturing (AM) system

to

our

engineering

department would pay dividends well after it was completely paid off in four to five years. For instance, if one 3-D printer

was

purchased

today

at

$250,000, it would be paid off in as little as eight (8) business quarters (two (2) calendar years). Also, AM will allow

us

materials

to

add

before

presentational our

clients

purchased our products.

Red Valve/Tideflex® could be on the breakthrough of achieving an enormous amount of productivity while decreasing its overhead and labor costs. This new proposal will allow Red Valve/Tideflex® to prototyping designs with AM methods.

This

proposal

covers

the

definitions,

industry

background

Additive Manufacturing (3-D Printers)

information, gives valuable solutions, and concludes with information on how AM is a reliable source for managing time and budgets in the industry.

III.

INDUSTRY BACKGROUND INFORMATION RELATED TO 3-D PRINTING This year Red Valve/Tideflex® has recently purchased an automatic cutting machine called Autometrix Radium® to help control rubber waste, and shield overhead costs. This cutting program will be a definite improvement and mark a cornerstone for the company in the future. However, it should not be the only scenario to achieve lower cost-saving benefits when dealing with compression molds. Therefore, one of the best practices is to do ‘test runs’ with lower-priced materials such as polymers, photopolymers, and other plastics when making 3D model of our products. These ‘test runs’ will save engineers, technicians, and designers lots of time when trying to see if the product will fit in the valve by having experiments with inexpensive materials like polymers and plastics.

Creating an opportunity to add an AM system to the daily operations will establish a strong method where we can examine a prototype’s design before purchasing costly materials.

This would prove to be a solid investment for our

company.

Any manufacturing process could be improved with AM to improve efficiency capacity and unit cost of materials and labor. For instance, companies like Joe Gibbs Racing in Huntersville, NC utilize 3-D printing to build gadgets for their race cars at impressive speeds to keep up in the racing industry. Also, they have used several CNC machines to develop engine parts for their racing vehicles.

Other companies such as Danko Arlington, Inc. in Baltimore, MD and Champion Motorsport in Pompano, FL utilize FDM manufacturing in their businesses. Danko Arlington (Danko) has found a niche for the using AM for their pattern tooling operation. Using the FDM process, their products have been successful with rapid prototyping. Danko has earned recognition for its design with aerospace casting which required 100% radiographic inspection on its military parts. smooth

interior

Similarly, Champion Motorsport (CM) wanted to achieve a and

exterior

surface

finish

on

its

tubular

composite

Tim McDougald | Page 5

Additive Manufacturing (3-D Printers)

components. They used the Fortus 3-D Production System to make conceptual and functional model prototypes that were soluble cores for their high performance turbo inlet ducts. Now, its ducts are made in a single piece by laying up carbon fibers on the FDM printed soluble core.

IV.

SOLUTIONS AND COST SCENARIOS This proposal includes price quotes from two very reputable 3-D printing companies:

Stratasys and 3-D Systems.

Stratasys has an established

reputation in the 3-D community by building

its

AM

systems

to

help

engineering deparments make realistic prototype designs. Also, 3-D Systems has transformed its classic printing company to become a 3-D printing industry giant. quite

unique

Both, however, have products

that

would

enable Red Valve/Tideflex速 to choose which system is more valuable and well-balance to meet our needs.

Stratasys: Objet, Fortus, and Dimension Series Stratasys has three potential choices in their additive manufacturer line: Objet, Fortus, and Dimension series. All three are capable of serving our company but come with different speeds, abilities, and costs.

Objet Series (24, 30 Pro, and 30 Prime) This series builds prototypes in a photopolymer material and cures it with a UV (ultraviolent) light. The size of the build chamber or build plate where the model is prepared varies among series types. All of these Objet series use a process called PolyJet 3-D printing and is much like an inkjet printer.

The

material is jetted out onto layers of a curable liquid photopolymer where the build preparation software has calculated each placement of photopolymer and support constituents used.

Basically, this process accumulates fine layers to

Additive Manufacturing (3-D Printers)

make a 3-D part and any support material can be removed by hand or with water-based solutions. A prototype can be used immediately without any chemicals or powder added at the end.

F o r F o Fortus (250mc, 350mc, and 450mc) The Fortus machines use FDM plastic and have the capabilities of using multiple materials if you choose the 350mc and 450mc models. The build plates on these models are rather larger than the Objet series. They are more expensive with price tags above $150,000. The 350mc and 450mc additive machines have the ability to run real ABS, Nylon 12, Ultem 9085, and polycarbonate.

All of these products use FDM technology which enable

production grade builds while having extremely durable characteristics. Fortus 3-D printers use thermoplastics that have advanced mechanical properties such as high heat, caustic chemicals, sterilization, and high-impact applications.

These properties make finished products have fine details, and smooth surfaces, accurate strengths. Also, no special venting is required with the Fortus production systems.

Dimension (1200es and Elite) Other FDM technologies, the Dimension 1200es and Elite, are special in their own distinctive ways. The build plates are roughly 10�x10�x12� and only ABS plastics are available with limited colors. These products print from the bottom

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Additive Manufacturing (3-D Printers)

up on deposited layers with supports material. No curing is required with these models; simply wash them with water-based solutions. Also, the models can be drilled, tapped, sanded, and painted to match the designer’s requirements.

This model is a good match for modeling compression molds, patterns, and customized tools and fixtures. Overall, the Dimension 1200es includes many beneficial aspects of what Red Valve/Tideflex® would be looking to accomplish with an AM system.

3D Systems: ProJet x60 and ProJet HD 3000/3000 Plus 3D Systems of Rock Hill, SC, has several powdered and plastic filament 3D printers which can generate models of about 12” by 7.7” with the height of 8”.

All of these printers have a different build volume.

The powdered 3D printers

utilize monochrome or color printer and start from the top of the machine working its way to the bottom. The printing machine fills the microscopic holes or gaps in the model, seals the surface, enhance the color saturations, and thus, improve mechanical properties of the part.

Essentially, this process

solidifies the materials use to create the component model leaving the rest of the powder for to be recycle for the next part to be printed.

3D Systems has different approaches to achieving AM. The first 3-D Printer model is called the ProJet x60 (160, 260C, 360, 460 Plus, 660 Pro, and 860 Pro) utilizes a powder-print format.

The second models

are called ProJet HD 3000 and HD 3000 Plus, which use an ABS filament plastic for its tasks.

ProJet x60 Series

Additive Manufacturing (3-D Printers)

The ProJet x60 series has the ability to use either mono or color depending on the model. They can be print 3-D models which provide extremely good tensile and flexible strengths for the finish prototypes. However, they do have one setback being the parts are formed using a powder substance that has to be air-brush, cleaned, and soaked in cleaning solution after printing is complete. Moreover, the ProJet x60 requires a toxic solution, not water-based, to help remove any debris or powder particles. This process is very timeconsuming and the chemicals used are not safe for everyday use.

P

P r ProJet HD 3000/3000 Plus ProJet HD 3000 and HD 3000 Plus are professional 3-D printers with highdefinition and high-volume. These do not use a powder for their builds, but rather an ABS material plastic. These parts still need to get cleaned with a toxic chemical solution once they are printed.

Basically, this AM system needs to

remove the bulk wax by soaking the prototype in a wax bath. In 2010, the machine cost about $16,000 per unit.

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Additive Manufacturing (3-D Printers)

V.

CONCLUSION AND WRAP-UP Engineers, designers, and shop builders at Red Valve/Tideflex® could be able to manage their waste content, add productivity to the workload, and produce scaled graphical prototypes with either of these AM systems in this article. Many questions remain to be unanswered still about 3-D printing, but this report should clarify several topics. One problem is which product is the right choice for our capacity? Do we want a powdered or ABS 3-D modeling systems? Several enquiries such as these are all very reasonable to ask if we want to manage our materials better to become more financially stable and improve our profit margins.

All of these models in this article have different abilities, characteristics, and processes that they use to create a 3-D prototype. Some use ABS filaments, while other types of 3-D printer may use a recycled powder component. Other types of filaments such as Nylon 12, ABS, HDPE, polycarbonate, and Tango (rubber-like properties) can be utilized to make a design. Stratasy’s supports a blending formula for filaments to create unique color, but only their Connex 2 and Connex 3 models which range from $120,000 to $250,000.

Thus, the

Connex models have be excluded from this report.

Whether we choose Stratasy or 3D Systems to select from, however, we will begin a thorough transformation of improving our company’s reputation and output performance to our customers. Our clients will be able to see if the parts fit before detailed and costly metal fabrications begin. This is literally what we are after with pursuing our requirement for a quality 3-D printer. Simply having an AM system produce flexible and extremely robust sample parts would make Red Valve/Tideflex® a choice that perspective clients will trust for years to come.

VI.

SOURCES

Additive Manufacturing (3-D Printers)

Mishek, Dan. “How and When to Choose Between Additive and Subtractive Prototyping?” Moldmaking Technology.

2009. 1-2. Internet. 24 Aug

2015 http://www.3dsystems.com/3d-printers/professional/overview http://www.stratasys.com/3d-printers/design-series “D3VU 2015: Digitial Manufacturing and Prototyping.” D3 Technologies.

Webinar. 01 September 2015.

VII.

QUOTES

See next pages for three (3) price quotes for Stratasys’ Objet 24, Objet 30 Pro, and Objet 30 Prime from Prototyping Solutions.

Tim McDougald | Page 11