3D PRINTING & ADDITIVE MANUFACTURING INTELLIGENCE
MAG EUROPE EDITION VOLUME 28 ISSUE 4
www.tctmagazine.com
DRIVING INDUSTRIALISATION HOW SLM SOLUTIONS IS ACCELERATING AM heavy industry
AM in power generation.
CULTURE
3D technologies in art and research.
design
New machines and challenges for AM's Design hardware class.
HIRTISATION®
FULLY AUTOMATED POST-PROCESSING OF 3D-PRINTED METAL PARTS
No mechanical processing steps involved
Removal of powder cake
Reaching deeply into cavities and geometric undercuts
Removal of support structures
Combination of electrochemical pulse methods, hydro-
Levelling of surface roughness while retaining
dynamic flow and particle assisted chemical removal
edge sharpness
VOLUME 28 ISSUE 4 ISSN 1751-0333
EMPOWER DESIGN INNOVATION.
EDITORIAL
HEAD OF CONTENT
Daniel O’Connor e: daniel.oconnor@rapidnews.com t: + 44 1244 952 398 DEPUTY GROUP EDITOR
Laura Griffiths e: laura.griffiths@rapidnews.com t: + 44 1244 952 389
ASSISTANT EDITOR
Samuel Davies e: samuel.davies@rapidnews.com t: + 44 1244 952 390
ADVERTISING
3D SCANNING SOLUTIONS TO PROPEL PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT.
Carol Cooper e: carol@rapidnews.com t: + 44 1244 952 386
Discover the latest generation of the HandySCAN BLACK and Go!SCAN SPARK.
HEAD OF MEDIA SALES
ADVERTISING MANAGER
Nicky Martin e: nicky.martin@rapidnews.com t: + 44 1244 952 365
Go!SCAN 3D™ HandySCAN 3D™
PRODUCTION
Sam Hamlyn Matt Clarke Ellie Gaskell
MANAGEMENT
+49 711 1856 8030 l creaform3d.com
C.E.O. / PUBLISHER
Duncan Wood
VP, CONTENT, STRATEGY AND PARTNERSHIPS
James Woodcock e: james@rapidnews.com t: + 44 1244 952 391
Is your powder recovery process future-proofed?
SUBSCRIPTIONS
PUBLISHED PRICES TCT Europe Print Subscription - Qualifying Criteria UK & Europe - FREE US/Canada - £249 ROW - £249 TCT North America Print Subscription - Qualifying Criteria US/Canada - FREE UK & Europe - $249 ROW - $249 TCT German Language Print Subscription - Qualifying Criteria UK & Europe - FREE US/Canada - €249 ROW - €249
Recover
Re-qualify
Reuse
Quick and safe transportation of AM powders
Virgin and reclaimed powders qualified with maximum yield
Compatible for use with all printers and powder vessels
The Russell AMPro® Range is a range of solutions for all powder transfer systems whether using powder containers, a fully integrated closed-loop powder recovery system or inert gas conveying and sieving.
Subscription enquiries to subscriptions@rapidnews.com Read this and back issues for FREE on Issuu www.issuu.com/tctmagazine
BPA Worldwide Membership The TCT Magazine is published bi-monthly by Rapid News Publications Ltd Carlton House, Sandpiper Way, Chester Business Park, Chester CH4 9QE, UK.
Controllable & repeatable
Maximum productivity
Reduced manual handling
Safeguard operators safety
t: 011 + 44 1244 680222 f: 011 + 44 1244 671074
© 2020 Rapid News Publications Ltd
While every attempt has been made to ensure that the information contained within this publication is accurate, the publisher accepts no liability for information published in error, or for views expressed. All rights for The TCT Magazine are reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part without prior written permission from the publisher is strictly prohibited.
Call +44 (0) 20 8818 2000 today to discuss your AM powder handling requirements
With the widest range of materials, the EOS M 290 reliably manufactures your application: aluminium, cobalt chrome, nickel, stainless & tool steel, titanium alloys and more. Which of the 21 materials fits your business? www.eos.info
EOS M 290 With 21 Materials for Production
FROM THE EDITOR LAURA GRIFFITHS
You're Invited By now, after months of lockdowns and travel restrictions, I would imagine most of us have attended or at the very least been invited to some kind of virtual event. And going off this headline, you’re probably thinking, “oh no, not ANOTHER one.”
For event organisers and individual companies, these online gatherings have slowly become a part of our everyday existence (I’m not going to say the “new-you know what”) by replicating in-person events with a 3D tour around a virtual exhibition centre or prerecorded presentation over Zoom. Networking has been more of a challenge and while we might enjoy complaining about jet lag and long days spent trawling a trade show floor, the awkwardness of virtual tables, promotional spam, and picking an appropriate backdrop in your living room, have emphasised how much we’re missing that regular face to face interaction. The thing is, while digital events are great, there is no perfect way to simulate that invaluable in-person experience whether seeing new technology up close or meeting your peers at a conference. So, really, why are we even trying to? This crisis has given many of us an opportunity to think differently. Just as we saw 3D printer OEMs adopting temporary new business models to provide PPE manufacturing services, or traditional supply chain gaps being plugged with additive, at TCT, we’ve also been exploring new ways of doing things.
mix conferences from a treasure trove of past TCT conference talks, and switched our regular trips to manufacturing facilities with video tours and live streams, shown in our recent virtual visit to Photocentric’s Magna 3D printer farm. We also launched the Additive Manufacturing Global Community Discord Server, a new forum for AM professionals to meet and drive the conversation around our industry. And we’re very (geekishly) excited about it. We want this to be a place where AM users can share ideas and learn, and we encourage members to actively participate in discussion. We know no one likes being the first to put their hand up but we’re a friendly bunch and we guarantee you’ll recognise a few familiar names already on board. If you have questions about a new process or need some advice on a particular pain point in your workflow, this is where you will find it. While the immediate goal of this platform is to build a home for networking in the absence of face to face events, our long-term ambition is to create a community for those conversations to continue as regular programming slowly resumes. We’ve also got plans for knowledge bars and ‘Ask Me Anything’ sessions in the works. As this magazine goes to print, the server already has 150+ members, conversations are starting to take shape, and we’re inviting our readers to join them: mytct.co/discord
We created an online AM resource centre, built our own pick n'
28.4 / www.tctmagazine.com / 05
VOLUME 28 ISSUE 4
COVER STORY
8
08. DRIVING INDUSTRIALISATION
In part two of this SLM Solutions double feature, Global Head of Business Development Ralf Frohwerk discusses how the metal AM pioneer is pushing towards industrialisation.
HEAVY INDUSTRY
11
11. LEADING THE WAY
Assistant Editor Sam Davies speaks to Baker Hughes on its deployment of AM at seven centres of excellence.
15. LIGHT WORK OF HEAVY INDUSTRY
A case study from Advatech Pacific and PADT in overcoming part obsolescence in power generation with topology optimisation and additive.
17. MAKING WAVES
How NSCC, Biome Renewables and Renishaw used metal AM to build a retrofit wind turbine component to generate 10 to 13% more power at lower wind speeds.
08
23
20
Culture
20. BEHIND THE SMILE
Sam talks to contemporary artist Vic McEwan about exploring 3D technologies to aid research into facial nerve paralysis.
23 Research & Academia 23. AM RESEARCH WITHIN THE HIGH VALUE MANUFACTURING CATAPULT
The AMRC’s James Hunt on leveraging the UK’s AM research facilities to allow companies to de-risk their journey towards AM adoption.
30
28
Design AM equipment
28. PICTURE PERFECT
Head of Content, Dan O'Connor looks at Stratasys' latest sytem that sneaks in under the CONTEXT defined Design Class of 3D printers.
30 Expert Advisory Column 30. TEAMWORK MAKES THE 3D PRINTING DREAM WORK RMIT University Additive Manufacturing Fellow and Managing Director of Additive Economics Alex Kingsbury on lessons learned from building a state-of-the-art AM innovation centre.
DRIVING INDUSTRIALIS How SLM Solutions is accelerating AM.
I
n Issue 28.3 SLM Solutions’ Global Head of Business Development at SLM Solutions, Ralf Frohwerk discussed how the metal AM pioneers are roadmapping a route to additive manufacturing (AM) success. In part two of the interview, we’ll see how the company is pushing towards industrialisation.
6 BELOW:
SLM SOLUTIONS SLM800
Can you talk to us a little about repeatability and how companies ensure that in series production every part is the same? What are the factors to consider? SLM Solutions provides in-line process quality control systems that ensure monitoring & controlling of quality relevant process parameters for high-quality parts. The Melt Pool Monitoring (MPM) system, for example, determines the thermal radiation from the melt on the powder bed while the Laser Power Monitoring (LPM) system permanently monitors the targeted and the actual emitted laser output during the entire production process. An additional offering is the Layer Control System (LCS) which monitors the powder bed and detects possible irregularities in the coating. To achieve high-quality builds with high density and surface quality, a clean process chamber is essential as well, because a disruption of the laser beam can reduce the amount of laser power arriving at the powder bed. Our patented sintered wall technology therefore pushes a uniform stream of gas through the chamber to prevent this disruption of the laser beam. Steady flow speed ensures reliable soot removal and prevents soot accumulation on the beam entry glass. Compared to traditional technologies metal AM is still relatively new, however for the last decade we have talked about how engineers and designers need to start thinking differently thanks to these technologies, do you think that tide is turning and people are getting used to metal AM? We have been working with many different people from different industries. Of course, there are industries that adapt to new technologies faster than others. The automotive and aviation industries, for example, are quite advanced. Nevertheless, we see it as our task, as the leader of additive manufacturing, to show people the advantages of SLM technology and to improve the ROI of our customers – it doesn’t matter if they are already experts or beginners. To work with customers not only as a machine provider, but as a solutions provider, also to contribute to the development of “real AM business cases” is our goal.
08 / www.tctmagazine.com / 28.4
As the technology has matured so have considerations of health and safety, how does SLM Solutions ensure that the process is safe? A safe machine environment, following industrial standards is a basis for the use of additive manufacturing systems in industrialised serial production. SLM Solutions machines are equipped with closed loop powder handling to limit operator contact while securing process integrity. Powder transport, sieving and storage is contained within a closed-loop, inert gas atmosphere. The closed loop powder system is also fundamental for equal powder quality during the whole build process and supports high part quality. When talking about safety, storage and waste disposal is a particularly important issue. Byproduct of the welding process is submicronic soot and condensate, which can be pyrophoric by nature. SLM Solutions machines are equipped with a permanent filter module. The filter module traps process soot particles from the process gas stream in a sintered plate filter and coats the waste material with an inhibitor for dry disposal. Clean gas returns to the process chamber: Machine uptime is increased, gas flow stabilised, and consumable costs are reduced, all while increasing safety.
COVER STORY
SATION for customised parameter developments and exotic powders. This open architecture strategy is a great advantage for users and paves the way to innovative solutions and materials if required. SLM Solutions works closely together with its clients to qualify new additive manufacturing parameters that enable, for example, printing at increased thicknesses aiming at reduced production times, and reduce costs.
SHOWN: CZINGER 21 ON PACIFIC COAST HIGHWAY
“We see it as our task, as the leader of additive manufacturing, to show people the advantages of SLM technology and to improve the ROI of our customers.”
5 ABOVE:
CZINGER TEASES 21C’S ADDITIVE MANUFACTURING PARTS
How important is it for the progress of the industry that large material companies are now invested in the technology? To answer this question, it is necessary to look at what it needs to develop and successfully use new materials on SLM machines. First, the powder is certified for the SLM process. This process consisted of analysing the chemical composition of the material. Once these tests are successfully completed, SLM Solutions and its team of parameter development experts are able to establish ideal printing parameters for the metal powder. SLM Solutions provides standard parameter sets for the traditional materials, but SLM machines are also open
Would you agree that it is true that some of the best examples of AM use is from companies that are not as sexy as aviation, oil and gas etc? We have seen that industrialisation of metal additive manufacturing requires good answers to aspects like quality, safety and productivity. However, the success of AM largely depends on the extent to which designers succeed in rethinking parts. Our Joint Development Partner, Divergent Technologies, recently showcased where this path leads with its technology demonstration vehicle, the Czinger 21C hypercar – an allwheel drive sports vehicle weighing 1250 kg and outputting 1350 hp through a strong hybrid powertrain. It has a multimaterial chassis structure that is printed using its proprietary aluminum alloys, including an exhaust system printed in heat resistant Inconel. Additionally, the roof crash structure is printed in titanium for increased lightness at the highest point of the vehicle and added strength. Divergent-Czinger plans to produce a limited number of highly personalised vehicles to demonstrate the weight, cost and time saving benefits of the Divergent Adaptive Production System that incorporates Selective Laser Melting. This example shows that the automotive industry is far advanced in terms of the industrial series production of SLM parts and to answer your question - if you describe the advantages of additive manufacturing as sexy, there are interesting examples in all of our core industries. Of course, not all of them look like the 21C. What is next for SLM Solutions? Stepping forward to industrialisation with improved productivity, parameter developments and an awesome global team of experts.
28.4 / www.tctmagazine.com / 09
A Strong Future Stands Behind Us! ARMSTRONG RM COMBINES OLD-WORLD CRAFTSMANSHIP WITH INNOVATIVE, ADVANCED MANUFACTURING SOLUTIONS . . . . . EVERY DAY FOR OVER 50 YEARS
•1968-2018•
50
•1968-2018•
50
ISO 9001:2015 Certified • ITAR REGISTERED • AS9100 Rev.D email: sales@ARMstrongRM.com • tel: (315) 437-1517 For more info visit us at: ARMstrongRM.com
FUNCTIONAL ALUMINIUM & PLASTIC PROTOTYPES RAPIDLY • Machined Aluminium Castings • One Shot Casting • Rubber Plaster Mold • Precision Air Set Sand • Graphite Die Casting • RIM – Reaction Injection Molding • CNC Machining & Hogouts • Painting, Finishing & Assembly
HEAVY INDUSTRY
LEADING THE WA WORDS: Sam Davies
F
lorence, Talamone, Celle, Aberdeen, Houston, Kariwa and Dhahran.
These are the seven locations in which Baker Hughes has deployed additive manufacturing centres of excellence. Just seven years ago, it had none. While 2020 has seen the company harness its additive capability to address medical device and PPE shortages as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, 2019 was a year of significance, for it qualified as many enduse additively manufactured components as the previous five combined. Baker Hughes now has a collection of more than 450
“In oil and gas, it's a high mix, low volume type of play. That's why additive is perfect.”
qualified parts which, altogether, have been additively manufactured over 25,000 times. “Without question,” Dr. Mikhail Gladkikh, the company’s Global Technology and Operations Leader for the Additive Services Growth Venture, says, “we are the leader in the area for oil and gas on functional additive manufacturing applications.” That industry leadership, exhibited through its myriad downhole and turbomachinery applications, stems from those seven facilities. Each houses teams of additive manufacturing specialists and invites engineers from the company’s various product lines to share knowledge, technology and insights, and ultimately leverage additive to solve problems across the business. Gladkikh describes the centres as ‘catalysts for additive implementation.’ In Aberdeen, the additive team is focused on oil field equipment applications, while the two centres in Italy primarily serve Baker Hughes’ turbo engine endeavours. Around 50% of the effort exerted in Houston is on the additive manufacture of parts, with a focus also being placed on process and materials development, which occur hand in hand. The Dhahran facility is primarily an R&D centre and houses Saudi Arabia’s first industrial metal additive manufacturing
ABOVE: 5
BAKER HUGHES METAL 3D PRINTED PARTS
28.4 / www.tctmagazine.com / 011
International exhibition and conference on the next generation of manufacturing technologies
Not able to travel? Join us virtually!
Frankfurt, Germany, 10 – 13 November 2020 Hybrid, safe, successful together. formnext.com
The entire world of additive manufacturing Design and software
R&D Metrology
Materials
Post-processing Services
Manufacturing solutions Pre-processing
Additive manufacturing surrounds a whole world of processes. Instead of a world tour you only need one ticket – for Formnext!
Where ideas take shape.
Offical event hashtag #formnext
HEAVY INDUSTRY system, installed last year. One application to come out of this facility is a Rock Lock backup ring, which was redesigned for an additive process to permit a packer expansion range, meaning the part can now run operations in a wider range of wellbore sizes. The design of this part would not be possible with traditional technologies. Back in 2013, Baker Hughes’ first printed component was a core holding barrel for downhole applications, with fuel nozzles for turbomachinery being additively manufactured around the same time. Over the years, the application of 3D printing has expanded right across the business; rapid prototyping and jigs and fixtures made up most of the early use cases, but end-use parts materialised in gas turbines, compressors, downhole tools and in Baker Hughes’ measurement and sensor product lines too. “In oil and gas, it is a high mix, low volume type of play” Gladkikh says. “That’s why additive is perfect because you can design and manufacture parts economically for a load of one – sometimes that’s what we have to do. There’s lots of very simple components that don’t make sense for additive, but there are also lots of complex assemblies, like hydraulic manifolds or different types of completion equipment, where additive makes a lot of sense. This is where additive is best; where we can not only cut lead time because of the process or supply chain approach, but we can also redesign and improve functional performance because additive allows us to open up the design envelope and make possible solutions that were impossible before with conventional.” Unlocking these possibilities is to take Baker Hughes’ application of 3D printing to the next level. Not only does the company want to reduce weight, componentry and cost, but it also wants to leverage the technology to keep components operational and keep operations running. Right now, out in the field, drilling deep down into the Earth’s surface, is a proof of concept drill bit manufactured with a hybrid technique that teams 5-axis CNC milling and Direct Energy Deposition (DED). This drill bit is machined to a near net shape - because the volume of material needed ‘doesn’t make sense for additive’ - before the DED process adds 17-4PH stainless steel material to the blades with cutters inserted later. Typically, downhole drill bits like this are discarded after a few uses such is the wear and tear of the component, but utilising this hybrid approach and Baker Hughes’ scanning equipment borrowed from its inspection business, the company will restore the drill bit to its original shape by adding material on to the existing substrate and redeploy the component. “If you have an obsolete part, you need to understand what the functional performance of that part is,” Gladkikh explains, “and sometimes that is going to be damaged. You need to use your engineering skills and engineering first principles to restore it back to make sure that it
SHOWN: INSIDE BAKER HIGHES TALAMONE FACILITY
performs the function that it was designed for. With [this hybrid process], you can restore it back to that shape or you can also think about how we can improve the shape, so it performs that functional role better.” This process is set to be applied to a host of drill bit products across the Baker Hughes business, with the company also able to deposit 316 stainless steel, Inconel 17 and tungsten carbide using that hybrid technique. While 3D printing has the capability to restore these components to be re-used, there are many occasions where parts need to be completely replaced in order to keep operations moving. Gladkikh says many Baker Hughes customers face losses of hundreds of thousands of dollars a day when a spare part is required but neither the inventory is adequately stocked nor the regional manufacturer responsive. Baker Hughes is thus setting up an Emergency Services offering with 3D printing technology at the heart of production and 3D scanning again being deployed to reverse engineer parts once a ‘design triage’ process is carried out. This service will work to actively reduce physical inventory, a concept already in action at Baker Hughes, as well as facilitate local manufacturing, producing parts as close as possible to the point of need. “If a plant or asset is down, the cost of downtime is a lot more than the cost of printing that spare part; this is where we add a lot of exponential value, we can quickly utilise our capabilities in 3D scanning, reverse engineering and design for additive, and print those spare parts,” Gladkikh explains. Baker Hughes is enjoying this added value to an industry-leading extent. Hundreds of parts printed thousands of times have been qualified to the same requirements as thousands more conventionally manufactured components. The company is not just redesigning existing parts to reduce the weight and cost, but also looking to reduce waste through the restoration of existing components and streamline
5 ABOVE:
BAKER HUGHES ADDITIVE MANUFACTURING ENGINEER
the supply chains of itself and customers. This across several continents and dozens of countries. And there’s more to come. “We definitely see additive as a core competency and as one of the key technologies for the future. Together with machine learning and edge computing, this will take energy forward and we’re at the forefront,” Gladkikh says before adding: “But we need to see more robust machines, bigger sized machines and more material variety. We need to automate to minimise powder handling, we need to fully take advantage of that design freedom capability and we’re working with some of our digital partners, such as ANSYS and Autodesk, to use their suite of generative design technologies. Another application we’re exploring, and we already have products where this is implemented, is multi-material. This opens up a whole new envelope. Another opportunity is smart devices, embedding sensors into the tools and products we’re additively manufacturing today, to truly transform the performance of those products. “This is the future; this is where we’re going.”
28.4 / www.tctmagazine.com / 013
Mass Finishing Efficient systems engineering and innovative technologies – powerful and economical
Surface Finishing is our DNA Shot Blasting Individual systems engineering and intelligent process solutions – reliable and energy efficient
AM Solutions The full solution provider for 3D post processing equipment and 3D printing services
Rösler UK | 1 Unity Grove | Knowsley Business Park | Prescot | Merseyside | L34 9GT Tel: +44 (0)151 482 0444 | Fax: +44 (0)151 482 4400 | rosler-uk@rosler.com | www.rosler.com
HEAVY INDUSTRY
LIGHT WORK OF HEAVY INDUSTRY WORDS: LAURA GRIFFITHS
W
hen faced with the challenge of part obsolescence – perhaps spares haven’t been in production for a long time, your original tooling no longer exists, or the original vendor is no longer in business – you have a choice: you can either find new suppliers or find a new way of doing things. When recently presented with such a request and nothing but large blueprint sheets to hand, Advatech Pacific, a U.S. aerospace and defence contractor, saw an opportunity to adapt a legacy gas turbine engine family to new prospects in power generation using topology optimisation and additive manufacturing (AM).
“For some of these parts, instead of investing the time and money to create the new casting tooling, it makes more sense and saves money to make them through additive manufacturing,” Matt Humrick, Engineering Manager at Advatech Pacific, told TCT. “As part of that effort, we wanted to combine with topology optimisation and show the customer how these two technologies complement each other and give them some new solutions for the problems they're facing.” To demonstrate, the team chose a simple short torque arm part which connects a linear actuator to a bellcrank assembly and adjusts inlet guide vanes within the gas-turbine engine. The first step was to create a CAD model of the assembly using the original geometry and structural analysis data from ANSYS simulation as a foundation. From there, a torque arm model containing extra material was placed into ANSYS Mechanical to perform topology optimisation and “iterate and decide what it [the software] thought would be the best solution,” as Matt explained. The reimagined design needed to save weight but also match the bending stiffness of the original torque arm. Advatech engineers were able specify geometric and surface constraints between the torque arm and shaft, and predict the uneven pressure between contact faces with significant load transfer along the inner edge and almost no load transfer at the outer edge of the shaft. After performing the analysis, the optimised, organic shape was then exported into a separate CAD program for clean-up and further iteration before preparing for test printing in ABS. Pam Waterman, 3D Printing Applications Engineer at PADT, an authorised reseller of ANSYS simulation software with 25 years of AM experience, who worked with Advatech
on the project, said the goal was to show that a seemingly simple part could be redesigned with less material. Prototyping in plastic provided an inexpensive way to demonstrate the new geometry before graduating to printing in stainless steel. Pam commented: “It's clear that this would have been virtually impossible to produce with traditional machining so additive was the perfect solution to actually create the final part.”
SHOWN: LEGACY GAS-TURBINE ENGINE DESIGN WITH ORIGINAL TORQUE ARM CONNECTING LINEAR ACTUATOR TO BELLCRANK
Comparing the geometry of the original part with the new, optimised version with intended stainless-steel material properties, the new torque arm design achieved a 45% weight reduction and matched the original part’s stiffness. However, aside from weight reduction, Matt believes one of the more interesting benefits of topology optimisation is in its capabilities as a design tool. “What topology optimisation does is allow the designer to break away from preconceived notions and pre-existing design guidelines from [their] company and present novel solutions that you otherwise wouldn't have thought of,” Matt said. “That could either save weight or save cost or produce just an overall better performing part.” Matt believes test cases like this are a light bulb moment for demonstrating the potential for AM in overcoming part obsolescence, reducing tooling costs, and improving design. In this particular instance, that also meant redesigning to meet new exhaust-emissions requirements.
SHOWN: ANSYS MECHANICAL STATIC-STRUCTURAL STRESS RESULTS OF TOPOLOGY-OPTIMISED TORQUE ARM
SHOWN:
FINAL VERSION OF CAD SOLID MODEL BASED ON OPTIMISED ANSYS STRESS RESULTS
Matt said: “If you're dealing with a customer that has no experience with additive before, sometimes just taking an existing part without any modification and just printing it, so that they have a part to hold in their hand […] then that sort of opens the door to other possibilities.” Pam added: “It's not just redoing what you had, even though that can be valuable, it's what's the next step.”
SHOWN: ORIGINAL (BELOW) AND TOPOLOGY-OPTIMISED (ABOVE) DESIGNS, PRINTED FOR VISUAL COMPARISON IN ABS. FINAL PART COULD BE 3D PRINTED IN STAINLESS STEEL
28.4 / www.tctmagazine.com / 015
Make the future with proven powders created by Praxair
TruForm™ metal powders support every part you make with capacity, quality and experience. • Used by leading OEMs across AM industry
• Custom alloys and particle sizing available • Aerospace-grade
It’s
Learn more: praxairsurfacetechnologies.com/am To order: Praxair Surface Technologies GmbH Am Mühlbach 13, 87487 Wiggensbach Germany Tel: +49 (0) 837 0 9207 0 Fax: +49 (0) 837 0 9207 20 Email: AME_Europe@praxair.com
Tru2Spec™ is the leading custom alloy formulation process for OEMs looking to go beyond conventional powders.
Tru:
© Copyright 2019 Praxair S.T. Technology, Inc. All rights reserved.
Creative:Clients:Praxair:5701-25931UpdatedHalfPageTruFormPrintAdforGermany:5701-25931UpdatedHalfPageTruFormPrintAdforGermany-192mmx136mm_v02.indd
December19,201911:45AM
Scott AM specialises in advanced manufacturing technologies to support product design and prototype development, low volume production and rapid prototyping. We work with a range of industries including automotive, healthcare, consumer goods and industrial products. STOCK & SUPPLY: • Extensive range of Polyurethane vacuum casting resins
OFFER: • Range of vacuum casting systems and ancillaries, including the ScottAM 1000 and ScottAM 4000 vacuum casting machines
• Silicone tooling materials
• Fully qualified engineers, experienced in service, applications support and training for vacuum casting machines from MTT, MCP, Renishaw and ScottAM.
• Accessories and consumables
With our expertise, qualified and experienced staff, we are here to support you. For more information, please contact us at sales@scott-am.com or visit www.scott-am.com
Aerospace
Automotive
Healthcare
Motorsport
ScottAM Ltd Sutherland Works | Beaufort Road | Longton Stoke-on-Trent | Staffordshire | ST3 1RH
Official suppliers of Pelnox and H&K resins from Japan, regarded worldwide for their quality, performance, and safety.
HEAVY INDUSTRY
MAKING WAVES
How Nova Scotia Community College (NSCC) used additive manufacturing to produce two innovative ocean turbines for technology firm Biome Renewables.
B
iome Renewables is a technology development firm based in Toronto, Canada that specialises in designing aerodynamic improvement technologies for wind turbines. The firm was founded in 2015 to advance renewable energy using biomimicry, the practice of solving human design challenges by observing strategies found in nature. Biome Renewables designed the PowerCone, a retrofit component for wind turbines that allows the turbine to produce 10 to 13% more power at lower wind speeds, while reducing turbulence on the rotor and minimising noise. The team based the design on the falling path of a maple seed, made unique by its geometry and ability to efficiently use wind. The start-up is at the forefront
of its field, pioneering new equations to develop its nature inspired products.
CHALLENGE
Biome approached NSCC to expand its offering in tidal wave energy generation because of the college’s specialism in the field. However, NSCC primarily develops plastic solutions which would be inappropriate for hostile tidal environments. The turbines would have to withstand corrosion, debris impact and cope with the strong tidal forces acting upon them. Biome had to completely reimagine the product to work in a new environment. The new PowerCone would also need to withstand incredible loads. Failing to obtain the appropriate level of robustness in the product could result in the prototype failing and being lost in the ocean, pushing the project significantly back and polluting the testing site. Building a PowerCone out of stainless steel would improve its robustness. Further, by using innovative geometries and non-traditional designs, the PowerCone had the potential to avoid cavitation; damage to turbines caused by rapid changes of
“We saw an opportunity to adapt our technology to a market ripe for innovation.” pressure in a liquid, which is common in marine applications. For these reasons, NSCC approached the Canadian subsidiary of global AM leader Renishaw for technical assistance. Rapid testing and revising of prototypes is particularly easy with AM technology, as designers can digitally edit and build using one machine and a variety of metal powders, instead of using multiple processes. This technique also allows engineers to build more complex geometrical shapes with ease, enabling Biome Renewables to push the biomimetic application one step further.
SOLUTION
“From a technical standpoint, Renishaw’s team synched really well with ours,” explained Ryan Church, Founder and CEO at Biome Renewables. “We did not have a big skillset in AM, so they were the missing piece to the puzzle and together we had all the components for a successful project.”
28.4 / www.tctmagazine.com / 017
Multi Jet Fusion Handbook With a combination of Protolabs’ production processes and HP’s Multi Jet Fusion service, this 104-page handbook provides a comprehensive view of best practices and detailed design guidelines. Full of expert tips for accelerated additive manufacturing, this handbook covers numerous topics such as: designing for accuracy, aesthetics, optimisation, dimensional tolerancing and much more. Read online at protolabs.co.uk/multi-jet-fusion-handbook
Stay connected with Protolabs
HEAVY INDUSTRY
SHOWN:
THE NEW TURBINE WAS DEVELOPED AND TESTED IN TWO MONTHS AND REDUCED COSTS BY UP TO 80%
often get questions from clients asking if AM parts can be welded together and this project proves that it can certainly be done without negatively impacting the product’s efficiency.”
RESULTS
When contacted by NSCC, Renishaw recognised the technical challenges of the project and offered to help. The team decided to use an off-the-shelf turbine that they could retrofit with an AM built PowerCone. NSCC used its Renishaw RenAM 250 system to manufacture the parts which, when originally installed, was one of the first AM machines used in Canada. The project moved forward with daily collaboration via phone and video conferencing between the three parties and several Renishaw AM specialists in the UK. The build itself was divided in two between NSCC and Renishaw, taking one month in total to produce all parts. Biome Renewables worked on updating its designs to account for the PowerCone moving in water and for the new manufacturing process. Given Biome Renewable’s requirements, the blades had to be light to tolerate the marine environment but could not be hollow as it would make them weaker and susceptible to debris impact. Engineers used an internal
lattice structure to reduce weight while preserving the robustness of the turbine, and to also significantly reduce build time. Surface finishing made the blades more hydrodynamic, minimising potential roughness. “The project was a great opportunity for us to adapt our expertise,” continued Church. “AM seemed an obvious choice because we could prototype complex designs with ease. The biggest challenge we faced was adapting our CAD designs to both a new environment and manufacturing method in an efficient way. Getting the meshing and lattice right took some work but rapid prototyping helped us make the final product seamless.” The project required the machine to operate for long periods of time, with the longest build lasting 150 hours. The PowerCone was larger than the space available within the AM250, so each blade was printed in separate parts and then welded. “I have worked on several hundred builds and manufacturing the PowerCone was one of the more challenging ones,” explained Mark Kirby, Additive Manufacturing Business Manager at Renishaw Canada. “I
NSCC, Biome Renewables and Renishaw successfully built a prototype and spent the second month of the project in testing. The build was sent to the UK, where it was tested in Strangford Loch, Northern Ireland. Ocean testing was completed on October 1st, 2019, and confirmed Biome Renewable’s hypothesis – the modification on the turbine produced significant levels of power over a wide range of tidal velocities. “As a business with extensive experience in wind energy, we saw an opportunity to adapt our technology to a market ripe for innovation, such as tidal energy,” continued Church. “The potential has always been there but there is a lack of products that can extract power in any long term and practical fashion. Creating internal structures in the blade as loadbearing elements using composite manufacturing would have taken more work, money and time than it did with AM. We saved months of time and reduced costs by around 80% with this method.” The European Commission reports that companies have designed around 170 types of wave energy converter, yet less than 20% make it to full-scale prototyping. AM offers quicker prototyping and a more cost-effective manufacturing process, which gives the tidal PowerCone an edge over competitors. “Speed was the most impressive aspect of this project, Biome Renewables managed to go from their first design to a successful prototype in a time that would be hard to replicate without AM” continued Kirby. “Effective collaboration and a balance of expertise made the project an absolute pleasure to work on. It led to an intense four weeks but its success is a testament to good communication and competence.” “In the future we plan to develop a largescale PowerCone to function as a full rotor. This makes the most sense as fewer components mean less load, production time and cost,” explained Church. “We would welcome another collaboration with Renishaw in the future.”
3 LEFT:
EACH BLADE COMPONENT WAS 3D PRINTED SEPARATELY AND THEN WELDED
28.4 / www.tctmagazine.com / 019
BEHIND THE SMILE Contemporary artist Vic McEwan talks to TCT Assistant Editor Sam Davies about how his use of 3D scanning and 3D printing is aiding research into facial nerve paralysis.
I
guess there was a feeling of inadequacy, I always felt inadequate as a person. I think that’s very human, just very, unashamedly human. Where I used to see something wrong with that, I don’t think there’s anything wrong with that anymore.” The voice is William’s and overlays pictures of his profile as a 3D scanning device flashes across an obscured face, half of which doesn't work. It remains still when he smiles or grimaces, laughs or cries. William’s face cannot absolutely communicate the things he’s feeling, or react to the things he sees, but he can talk. He opened up on his experiences as one living with facial nerve paralysis in a series of interviews with contemporary artist and researcher Vic McEwan, who in 2019 embarked on a project to not just tell the stories of those affected by the disability, but allow a small number of them to explore their medical condition in a new way. In March, hundreds of visitors to the Tate Liverpool museum in the UK heard William’s story. It was the first component of an interactive exhibit titled, ‘If They Spend the Time to Get to Know Me’ - a line lifted from William’s interview and a display that featured a 3D printed replica of his face. Getting to know William, his experiences and the condition that affects 1.5% of people at some point in their lives, was part of McEwan’s aim. He had teamed up with the Sydney Facial Nerve Clinic
020 / www.tctmagazine.com / 28.4
in his native Australia, observing the treatment given to patients, before opening up a dialogue to understand more about the emotional and physical experiences and then getting creative. Performative art, visual pieces and video work have all been strings to the McEwan bow as his work continues. Becoming the first contemporary artist to be accepted into the Department of Medicine and Health at the University of Sydney, McEwan is one in an emerging field of arts practice-led PhD researchers looking to use art to enable ‘knowledge production’. What this entails is everything you’d expect of a traditional thesis – being transparent with the methodologies, articulating the background of the field and detailing important considerations like, for example, the anatomy of the face – while also presenting a body of work through exhibitions, which will also be examined. “Embodied knowledge,” McEwan calls it. “So much rich information, and what a more standard researcher might call data, has been drawn from that experience at the Tate.” McEwan’s goal is to explore the effects of facial nerve paralysis in a deeper way. While acknowledging the science of the condition – that when damaged or inflamed the face’s five nerve branches can lose function and reduce the ability for brows, eyelids, cheeks and lips to move – McEwan has sought to determine the impact those
CULTURE INSPEX
4 RIGHT:
3D MODELLING INSIDE ARTEC STUDIO
6 BELOW:
MCEWAN'S FACIAL NERVE HARP
“They’re not having a fear about their face, they’re having a real wonder about their face.”
6 BELOW:
PRINTED PARTS MADE UP A WALL OF FACES
inabilities have on the person. “What an astonishing thing to think about,” was his immediate reaction upon learning that some Sydney Facial Nerve Clinic patients couldn’t express their happiness through a smile. What an astonishing thing to have to live with, he would learn. “I was hearing people talk about themselves feeling disembodied from their own face,” McEwan tells TCT, “like their face isn’t a part of them because it doesn’t move anymore. They don’t smile; they feel an emotional sense of happiness, but they look at their face in the mirror and their face isn’t showing happiness. People would talk about not knowing their face and so one of the ways that they are dealing with their illness is in understanding them separate from their face. “Other people speak about more horrific things; ashamed of it. A lady was speaking about being in fear of when her kids grow up and she has to go to their weddings and school graduations, that she’s going to ruin those events for their kids. She’s thinking, ‘if I place myself in the world, it’s a negative thing, not just for me, but for the people I love.’” Despite some early hesitance around incorporating technology into a project that is exploring the emotional aspect of how people live with facial nerve paralysis, McEwan had the idea to leverage 3D scanning and 3D printing technology in a way that might help the patients reconnect with their faces. Recreating an exact replica of the patient’s faces digitally with Artec 3D scanning technology and physically with the 3D print – and
28.4 / www.tctmagazine.com / 021
CULTURE CULTURE
allow them to follow the process, see the 3D imagery, hold the print in their hands and respond to the technology’s output in the presence of McEwan – enabled McEwan to create several different artworks that were exhibited at the Tate. “I was completely surprised by the whole process of scanning and printing. It’s a craft, it’s very tactile, it’s not just about G code and computer files and putting that data into a printer, there are so many nuances to how that happens,” McEwan says. “What I was surprised about is the human isn’t removed from it. The patients I work with are very much in their scans, they’re there in their final 3D printed objects that we make and then they’re there in the artworks that we make out of those 3D printed objects.” At the Tate, Artec’s Eva 3D scanning device and Prusa i3 mk3 extrusion printers were used to create a facial nerve harp and a wall of faces. The facial nerve harp is a musical instrument based on the scans and prints of a patient’s face, with the five branches that come out of the temporal bone and spread across the face, representing a harp’s strings, able to yield a melody. McEwan says it ‘gives a voice’ to the part of the faces that no longer works. Meanwhile, the wall of faces was made up of patients and visitors alike, with 3D prints being continuously added to display throughout the exhibition thanks to the two Prusa machines working overnight at the Tate. “It’s been a really rich exploration of scanning and printing,” McEwan says. “We’re starting to find all these artistic outcomes from every step, particularly in the Artec [Studio] software. Visually, some of the ways you can view those images, as they’re being captured and after they’ve been captured, are really beautiful; there’s poetry to some of them, they are quite visually stunning. And to scan somebody’s face who experiences facial difference, somebody who struggles with their profile or the spotlight being put on them, and then [for them] to stop and look at the images they see, they see [them] as being beautiful.
022 / www.tctmagazine.com / 28.4
5 ABOVE:
WILLIAM SPEAKS TO VIC MCEWAN
“By seeing that beauty of the way those images look in a computer before we’ve even done anything with the scan, I witness patients have a real wonder about their face. They’re not having a fear about their face, they’re having a wonder and that allows them to enter into their face again, rather than step away from it.”
“The patients are very much in their scans, in their 3D printed objects and in the artworks.” SHOWN: 3D MODEL OF WILLIAM'S FACE
While McEwan’s artwork and thesis intends to explore the emotional and physical impact of facial nerve paralysis, to educate and raise awareness of the condition too, the process of replicating patients' faces and the raw, personal discussions around it, have been somewhat therapeutic for many of the subjects of McEwan’s study. As the flashes cease, the full face of William finally appears against a dark backdrop, his eyes blinking not exactly in tandem and while his mouth raises only half a smile, his eyes convey a complete one. He continues: “Emotions don’t have to be a physical manifestation as much as they’re a metaphysical manifestation. I can be happy without outwardly projecting that. I don’t need a physical vessel to be happy and I’m confident with my face at the moment. I’m becoming more accepting of it and it’s because I feel intrinsically very, very happy with who I am as a person.”
RESEARCH AND ACADEMIA
AM RESEARCH WITHIN THE HIGH VALUE MANUFACTURING CATAPULT
The UK has long been known for its AM research and academia; in this piece, James Hunt discusses the efforts to combine and catalyse those explorations. AUTHOR BIO:
Following more than ten years as a researcher in the UK steel industry, James moved to the University of Sheffield helping to expand the reach and capability of the innovative metals processing group. James was instrumental in expanding the facilities of the centre’s advanced manufacturing techniques ranging from inkjet printing to metal injection moulding, additive manufacturing and electron beam welding. Since moving to the AMRC in 2016 he has been responsible for establishing a combined strategy for the complete additive manufacturing process chain from powder through to finished part, helping supply chain companies to explore the possibilities of AM.
“Helping to maintain the UK’s position as one of the global leaders of Additive Manufacturing (AM) is one of the HVMC’s key strategic objectives.”
28.4 / www.tctmagazine.com / 023
T
he UK’s High Value Manufacturing Catapult (HVMC) consists of seven world-class centres of industrial innovation that works collaboratively with industry and academia to deliver new manufacturing solutions across a broad range of technology areas. Helping to maintain the UK’s position as one of the global leaders of additive manufacturing (AM) is one of the HVMC’s key strategic objectives and the collective activities of the HVMC are very much aligned towards removing the barriers to the adoption of AM by; developing new material & process capabilities, demystifying some of AM’s dirty secrets, enabling technology solutions across the supply chain and through providing access to capability & expertise to allow companies to de-risk their journey towards the adoption of AM. Each of the seven centres has specific specialisms in certain technologies, processes or sectors and some of the key research topics will be highlighted in this article. There are also a number of cross centre initiatives aimed at addressing some of the challenges identified within the AM UK National Strategy document, where leveraging the combined capability and geographical reach of the HVMC can deliver maximum impact for industry. A good example of this is how the HVMC has been working with the KTN (Knowledge Transfer Network) to host a series of AM awareness events across the country. Helping companies to understand what the opportunities are for utilising AM within their business and providing real world examples of how other companies are already exploiting the technology. Following on from this we have now developed a suite of Business & Technology support packages that will be used to assist companies on topics such as; product suitability for AM, technology selection and business case assessment.
CENTRES OF EXCELLENCE
The MTC hosts the National Centre for Additive Manufacturing (NCAM) providing a leading role in setting the research agenda, and developing the technology and systems required to address the key challenges within the AM value chain. It is home to the European Space Agency (ESA) AM Benchmarking centre and is also one of the ASTM’s Centres of Excellence contributing towards the development of national and international standards for AM. Major research programmes include DRAMA, a £14.3m collaborative research project providing a digital reconfigurable AM facility which allows aerospace supply chain companies to learn, model and validate end-to-end process chains. One of the key
024 / www.tctmagazine.com / 28.4
outputs from this project is the creation of an AM Knowledge Hub, an open access site containing valuable resources covering topics such as health & safety, design guides and technology overviews. CPI focuses on the development of materials for AM, which includes novel thermoplastic blends for fused deposition modelling (FDM) and thermosets for vat photopolymerisation (SLA). This has allowed CPI to expose SMEs in the North East region to the benefits of AM while formulating bespoke materials for their specific applications. Areas of note are development of biodegradable polymers for single-use applications, biocompatible polymers for biomedical modelling, increased functionality through inclusion of nanomaterials and exploring the mechanical properties of polymer AM parts experimentally and by simulation (FEA). CPI is also part of an IUK funded consortium developing materials for 3D printing batteries via SLA. The key area of focus is using AM to deposit the battery cell active materials whilst also introducing controlled porosity to achieve greater control over device functionality and thereby improving battery cell performance.
RESEARCH AND ACADEMIA
Further development of new materials is taking place over at the Warwick Manufacturing Group (WMG), this time with metallic materials where new alloy systems are being developed for both wire and powder deposition processes. Via the Innovate UK (IUK) funded project IMPACT, WMG has worked with industry to develop a novel 3D printer that combines deposition of polymer based materials and electrically conductive inks, enabling the production of fully functional electromechanical parts. While in another IUK project WMG are applying their expertise in CT and laser scanning towards the development of a platform to enable the cost-effective and efficient finishing of metal powder bed components, and providing a cloud-based marketplace for delivery of the platform.
SETTING STANDARDS
The Advanced Forming Research Centre (AFRC) is performing research into remanufacturing via the use of laser metal deposition (LMD), this has included various projects with the oil & gas sector and for high value tooling. IUK funded project, DigiTool, has created a digital
closed loop Remanufacturing framework, with the full integration of scanning metrology, LMD and adaptive machining, all within a digital infrastructure. The end user case was a forging die repair, which was repaired around the flash lands and cavity resulting in greater than 100% improvement on die life. This demonstrates how AM can be used by traditional manufacturing industries to complement and improve their existing manufacturing processes. Further work with key industrial partners including BP, Shell, Total, Equinor, Technip FMC has resulted in a guideline for AM for the oil and gas and maritime industry. Which has now been published as a standard (DNVGL-ST-B203). The Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre (AMRC) has a worldclass reputation for research into machining science, it is now applying that knowledge to metal AM processes to ensure a seamless integration between deposition and finish machined part. This includes modelling & simulation of the processes to predict residual stress and distortion, mitigating the impact of this on the final part via careful planning of the laser scan parameters and the toolpath. There is also more fundamental research taking place on the machinability of the materials, working with the likes of Seco
“The capability and expertise of these HVMC centres is open to all UK manufacturing companies.�
Tools to understand if specific tooling inserts might be required to maximise productivity. This knowledge then feeds back into the design process to ensure that features generated in the CAD environment are compatible with downstream processing. Although the NCC focusses mainly on the development of manufacturing technologies for composites, there are still opportunities to work in the field of AM. For example FDM processes can be used to create highly complex conformal honeycomb structures, the NCC is investigating how these can be incorporated into composite sandwich panels to deliver superior performance to conventional panels. Another research programme exploring the application of large format FDM printing for the rapid fabrication of composite layup tooling providing a viable alternative to traditional hard metal tooling which can be expensive and has long lead times. The Nuclear AMRC focusses on the use of industrial-scale directed energy deposition (DED) capabilities for the manufacture, customisation or repair of large components – an approach termed Bulk Additive Manufacture. Defining characteristics, such as high deposition rates, are derived from high-integrity techniques, using arc, power beam and solid-state methods, to de-risk, accelerate and promote reliable and robust technologies into the power generation industry and other sectors with similar large-scale requirements. Collaborative R&D programmes, such as the Additive Manufacturing Optimisation and Simulation (AMOS) project, which focussed on developing a DED platform for prolonging component service life and reducing repair costs, demonstrate how the Nuclear AMRC is delivering high impact results, through strategic national and international partnerships. The capability and expertise of these HVMC centres is open to all UK manufacturing companies, so if you have a challenge area that is preventing you from exploiting AM, we would be delighted to work with you on delivering a solution.
28.4 / www.tctmagazine.com / 025
PICTURE PERFECT
As machine sales within the CONTEXT market research defined Design Class (20,000-100,000 USD) struggled during early 2020, a new machine launch by Stratasys attempts to buck the trend.
A
dditive manufacturing (AM) is arguably the manufacturing technology with the most significant range in prices. To help those outside of the industry understand how diverse it is, it’s important to stress that you can pay one hundred dollars for a machine or you could spend one million, and there’s everything in between. CONTEXT market research defines that everything in between (20-100k USD) as Design Class this includes (but is not limited to) machines as diverse as Sintratec’s S1, Markforged’s X5, BigRep’s Studio G2, Xact Metal’s XM200. One machine that has snuck in under that umbrella with a bit of “we’re sub 100k USD” marketing is the 99,000 USD Stratasys J55. Its launch was scheduled for this year’s RAPID + TCT, the postponement of that show wasn’t going to quell a project that the elder statesmen of AM were quietly confident could shake the foundations of design validation 3D printing. Like any good marketing team, the Stratasys incumbents turned the threat into an opportunity, with a huge virtual launch of the machine. Whether Stratasys intended to ensure the machine did fit into the Design Class pricing structure created by CONTEXT or not, it certainly won't be a hindrance to have it described as such to one of the machine’s key target markets – industrial product design. "Where designers are spending most of their time is in this middle stage, this detailed design,” Gina Scala, Director of Marketing, Global Education told TCT at the time of the launch. “This is where you are really honing the aesthetics and the function of the product. Here, it's all about colour, material finish, the fit, feel and function. Designers are producing the most models at this stage. Therefore, they
028 / www.tctmagazine.com / 28.4
need to do it rapidly. They need to get feedback, apply the feedback. What we found is if we compare this to traditional methods, really sending these models out to a model shop, the J55 allows these parts to be produced 79% quicker internally."
TOO GOOD TO BE TRUE?
Without the trade show comfort of being able to see and touch parts made from the machine and have its quality validated from those TCT Expert Advisory Board Members we usually see floating around a RAPID + TCT show floor, it has been difficult to separate hyperbole from true innovation. With a 478,000-colour gamut taking up under half a square metre of floor space at around a third of the cost of enterprise-class PolyJet systems, the J55’s specs almost look too good to be true. According to Kinetic Vision, a multi-disciplined design consultancy that lists 50 of the Fortune 500 as its clients, the J55 more than lives up to its billing. Kinetic Vision is not a 3D printing novice, operating several FDM and SLA machines, as well as a forerunner of the J55’s PolyJet technology, but when their industrial designers first got hold of the J55 as a BETA customer they were blown away. “At the price point with the capabilities that it offers, there has been nothing like the J55 in the industry,” Aerin Shaw, Marketing and Partnership Lead at Kinetic Vision told TCT. “Achieving Pantone colours with little post-processing has forced a complete rethink of how we 3D print. We can now conceive of a product on a Monday, have it designed by end of that day, printed overnight, and have a picture-perfect model delivered to the client by Tuesday lunch. We've never been able to do that before.” The J55 can print simultaneously with five colour materials, plus a sixth for
“At the price point, with the capabilities that it offers, there has been nothing like the J55.” printing supports, enabling nearly 500,000 colours plus transparencies and textures using VeroClear material. While it doesn't offer the multi-material capabilities of its bigger sister J series enterprise systems, what is does provide is a new patented rotating build platform with fixed print head, which is said to maximise reliability and machine footprint (the machine offers a max build volume of 22 litres) while also significantly reducing operational noise to a level similar to that of a home refrigerator. For Lyle James, Group Manager of the Innovation and Industrial Design group
DESIGN CLASS CULTURE
3 LEFT:
THE J55 HAS A COLOUR GAMUT OF ALMOST 500,000 COLOURS
6 BELOW:
PARTS FROM THE J55 REQUIRE LESS POSTPROCESSING THAN OTHER POLYJET METHODS
at Kinetic Vision, the J55 has not only fitted seamlessly into the workflows but consolidated them: “We use it for a variety of projects including both internal design evaluation and final presentation models, for which we'd traditionally we’d use separate machines and separate processes. As a design firm, one of the challenges to any project is to assess the level of finish that would be appropriate for any given phase. Budget is a driver for that; if you're talking about assessing a variety of colour at an internal validation stage it’s not always possible to go to the extent of painting and finishing parts, the J55 is eliminating the budgetary constraints for us in the middle of the project.”
APPLICATION = COST JUSTIFICATION
5 ABOVE:
FULL SPEAKER MODEL PRODUCED ENTIRELY ON J55
CONTEXT’S most recent report written for TCT stated: “Key end-markets for Design price class printers, such as jewellery and dental businesses, were all but shut down across the globe, severely impacting demand for new machines[…] This resulted in -37% fewer Design
printers shipping in Q1 2020 than in the same period of the previous year.” What Stratasys is setting out to achieve with the aggressive J55 pricing, is to unlock applications in industrial product design that would previously have required an investment in Industrial machinery (+100,000 USD). CONTEXT’s report for TCT does however fear for the market of both Industrial and Design Class machinery in this current climate: “The impact of COVID-19 on key vertical markets for Industrial and Design printers was still severe in the second quarter and, with fears of a resurgence of the virus continuing to affect the decisions such businesses are making about capital expenditure, the trough in demand will, potentially, be more prolonged." Given the fact that there has been nothing like the J55 in this price class it could be the case that Stratasys is best placed to buck the trend. The CONTEXT report does also provide a modicum of optimism as it continues: "While increases may take a while to materialise, forward-thinking companies are expecting a U-shaped recovery in printer shipments and are already betting on a future demand surge.” With the J55 machines not shipping until Q3 and a suite of features that we’ve previously associated with much more expensive technology, it appears Stratasys may be at the forefront of that surge.
28.4 / www.tctmagazine.com / 029
TEAMWORK MAKES THE 3D PRINTING DREAM WORK T
CT Expert Advisory Board member, RMIT University Additive Manufacturing (AM) Fellow and Managing Director of Additive Economics Alex Kingsbury on building an AM innovation centre. Back in 2015 I was given the opportunity that not many are granted – the opportunity to build an AM centre from an (almost) blank slate. I say “almost” as I was handed over a big, dank warehouse-like space full of old, neglected research equipment in various states of disrepair and misuse. Thankfully for me, an excellent project coordinator was already on the job of allocating new spaces for the equipment, either a new lab or, the more likely option, a dumpster bin. There were already a few people on the task of down-selecting and spec’ing different AM machines for this new space, and a team of architects and building services staff putting together a plan for rejuvenating this old space into something that would look extraordinary. With that, a small team was beginning to emerge, and my task was to bring it, the vision, and the team of people, all together.
030 / www.tctmagazine.com / 28.4
The schedule for this project was a thing to behold, and thanks to the diligence of everyone involved, went off more or less without a hitch. The big space had been cleared out, painted from top to bottom, auxiliary services were upgraded, and importantly, numerous safety upgrades for metal powders were put in place. The old, dank warehouse had been transformed into a light-filled, bright and airy space befitting of a modern and high-tech showpiece centre of AM innovation. The architects had really worked their magic on the visitor and foyer space which looked more like a New York style loft apartment than a meeting space at a research institute. Delivery day arrived and we all marvelled at the huge crates containing precious, highly priced AM machines. One of the team members who had been intensely involved with the procurement of a particular machine named it her “million-dollar baby”. Certainly, the machine had about a nine-month waiting time, the delivery had its pangs of pain, and there were plenty of teething problems that ensued after arrival! The week of installation was unfortunately timed with a short trip I had to make for a conference talk. In hindsight, leaving my team at this time was not the right thing to do. They managed well, but a good captain doesn’t abandon ship at a critical time. It resulted in needing to arbitrate a small turf war via email, which for physical spaces just doesn’t work that well remotely (a lesson we are all no doubt learning more about currently!). Nevertheless, I came back to a glorious sight – two new metal machines installed, one metal machine relocated, and a rather large sand printer humming away already. I promised the team that travel was off my agenda for the foreseeable future and I was duly forgiven.
Such a special space deserved a very special launch, so we planned a celebration to coincide with our national manufacturing week. An invitation was delivered to our federal minister for Industry and Science as more of an aspirational goal, but lo and behold we received a reply that he would ‘maybe’ appear and, don’t worry “you’ll receive 24 hours’ notice if he does.” The week leading up to that launch had all hands on deck filling display cabinets, designing informative banners, collecting every single stand-up sign we could muster, and generally just trying to make the space look less like a nice warehouse full of machines, and more like an innovation centre of research and learning. One team member had done a beautiful job designing a commemorative plaque for the event but when it came time to press print, that million-dollar baby threw a bit of a hissy fit. The team worked well into the night to get the machine running, and we all crossed our fingers as the print button was pressed the next morning. With twenty-four hours to launch we received notification that the minister would indeed be joining us. Just as well, as the plaque that was just being cut off the plate (successful print – yay!) had his name on it. We did a last-minute dash around to sweep the floor, straighten the displays, set up for our guests, fine-tune the agenda for the umpteenth time, check that machines were happy, and went home exhausted but excited. Suffice to say the day was a huge and memorable success. Our CEO, senior management, all our stakeholders, major industry partners, and anyone who had been involved in the centre’s success was there. The minister arrived with his entourage, gave an excellent speech, announced the centre open, and we all
TCT EAB INSPEX COLUMN
“Without the team, none of this would have happened.” cheered and took happy snaps. We celebrated well past dinner time, and like any good party, it finished with a few stragglers winding down feeling happy and a bit sentimental. I know that I sound a bit Pollyannaish when I say that without the team, none of this would have happened. Nevertheless, it is true. Everything from securing the funding, preparing the space, procuring, installing and commissioning the machines, and holding the launch, took a league of excellent people who were all committed to a common vision. While I was the person tasked with bringing it all together, this mission was much bigger than me. It was a dream that started big and grew bigger over time, but there was a corresponding team that was equal to the challenge. We were unified by a common goal, we fostered a high-trust environment, we all knew our part to play, and everyone took responsibility for the big tasks and the small, less exciting ones too. As a result, we now have something we can point to and say, “we did that”. It’s a fabulous feeling.
April 26-29, 2021
McCormick Place, Chicago, IL
For 30 years, the additive manufacturing community has helped shape RAPID + TCT into North America’s most vital event, where world-renowned American ingenuity drives the adoption and advancement of the technology.
VISIT RAPID3DEVENT.COM TO LEARN MORE RP21 TCT Europe Print Ad Resize.indd 1
7/17/20 10:45 AM 28.4 / www.tctmagazine.com / 031
THE DIRECTORY
THE DIRECTORY Fully equipped development and production company for prototypes and serial production.
Metalise it… DMLS and SLS
ADDITIVE MANUFACTURING
• Fast turn around • Competitive pricing • High Quality • In-house design/development capabilities
www.3dtech.cz
Derby, Derbyshire, DE24 9FU, United Kingdom +44 (0)1332 742820 www.addqual.com
3ddc.eu
LARGE STOCK OF LEGACY SLA SPARE PARTS All components can be sourced and supplied to keep your Machine in production
Key services Qualification Post Processing 3D Re-Engineering Verification Fast Make Tooling
call 07398 927855 or email INFO@3D-SQUARED.COM | WWW.3D-SQUARED.COM
e | adam@agprototypes.com AddQual panel.indd 1
w | www.agprototypes.com30/05/2018
13:38
t | 01707 391 120
COST EFFECTIVE PRODUCTION WITHOUT ANY TOOLING. FIND OUT MORE ABOUT OUR CARBON 3D SERVICES 01223 836837 compfab.co.uk
comp_fabricationpanel_2020.indd 3
GET
YOURS
FREE
06/04/2020 09:42
Tooly Por table 3D prototyping
. bot
TO ADVERTISE HERE CONTACT CAROL COOPER ON + 44 1244 952 386 OR EMAIL CAROL@RAPIDNEWS.COM
THE DIRECTORY
THE DIRECTORY
- Design - Metal Additive - 3,4 & 5-axis CNC Milling - Multi-axis CNC Turning - EDM Wire Erosion - Assembly www.frazernash.com
enquiries@frazernash.com
+44 (0)1730 230 340
UNITS - SUPPLIES - REPAIRS - SERVICES Contact our Additive Experts
01765 694 007
sales@goprint3d.co.uk
Incremental Engineering Ltd Design, Prototype & Production Specialist HP MJF Service Bureau E: contact@incrementalengineering.com W: incrementalengineering.com
Large Scale Additive Manufacturing Solutions
• Print Service • Machine Sales
tct_advert_1.pdf 1 19/03/2018 11:07:10
• Service • Spare Parts
pi-am.co.uk • info@pi-am.co.uk • 01603 891618 C
M
Y
CM
MY
CY
CMY
K
ď ˇ INSPECTION ď ˇ MEASUREMENT ď ˇ REVERSE ENGINEERING ď ˇ 3D PRINTING
www.laser-scanning.co.uk
E: sales@laser-scanning.co.uk T: +44 (0)114 257 3650
more than a magazine For the latest news, reviews and industry technologies
MAG
www.tctmagazine.com TO ADVERTISE HERE CONTACT CAROL COOPER ON + 44 1244 952 386 OR EMAIL CAROL@RAPIDNEWS.COM
The Event for
3D PRINTING & ADDITIVE MANUFACTURING INTELLIGENCE
29 30 01 JUN/JUL 2021 NEC, Birmingham, UK
Evaluation, Adoption, Optimisation The UK’s premier showcase of additive manufacturing & 3D printing technology. An event focused on developing real understanding at all levels of UK industry of the potential of additive manufacturing and 3D printing. The best way to put your business in front of one of the fastest growing additive manufacturing markets in the world.
Exhibit Now!
www.tct3sixty.com
Co-located Shows
