TCT NA 2.1 by TCT Magazine

MARCH 2016 www.tctmagazine.com

HANDS ON HEART

HOW SOMOS AND STRATASYS DIRECT MANUFACTURING ARE IMPROVING HEART SURGERY

ACCELERATING 3D technologies

MARCH 2016

ISSN 2059-9641

EDITORIAL HEAD OF CONTENT

James Woodcock james@rapidnews.com GROUP EDITOR

Daniel O’Connor daniel.oconnor@rapidnews.com ASSISTANT EDITOR

Laura Griffiths laura.griffiths@rapidnews.com NEWSDESK

+44 (0) 1244 680222 REGULAR CONTRIBUTORS

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PRODUCTION Sam Hamlyn Tracey Roberts

M ANAGEMENT C.O.O. / PUBLISHER

Duncan Wood C.E.O.

Mark Blezard

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REVERSE ENGINEERING THE GRAPHICS PIPELINE

LEAD NEWS

Dan talks to Whispering Gibbon about how they created a software that specializes in bringing virtual content to life through 3D printing.

HANDS ON HEART

How Somos' advanced materials and Stratasys Direct Manufacturing are improving heart surgery by putting 3D printed models into the surgeon's hands.

COMMUNICATING COLOR

A look at how Stratasys’ collaboration with Adobe is streamlining the full-color designto-print workflow with Stratasys Creative Colors Software and Adobe’s 3D Color Print Engine.

FEATURES

MANUFACTURING IN SPACE

Editor, Dan O’Connor, speaks to Andrew Rush, President of Made in Space, about how 3D printing could play a significant role in enabling humanity’s future in space.

GAME OF DRONES

Dan finds out how Aurora Flight Sciences used Stratasys technology to create the world’s largest, fastest and most complex 3D printed drone.

GENERATION GENERATIVE

Assistant Editor, Laura Griffiths, speaks to Jesse Harrington Au at Autodesk about how generative design is opening up new design possibilities powered by intelligent algorithms and organic forms.

ADAPTING MASS FINISHING TECHNIQUES FOR POST PROCESSING OF 3D PARTS

Steven Alviti, owner of Bel Air Finishing Corp. provides a guide to the world of surface finishing for additive manufacturing.

AMUG PREVIEW

A sneak peek at some of the things attendees can expect from the 2016 edition of the must-attend Additive Manufacturing Users Group Conference.

US 3D PRINTING & ADDITIVE MANUFACTURING SERVICE PROVIDER LOCATOR

MANUFACTURING GOES ORGANIC

The annual US service provider map is back to help you find the right 3D technologies provider who can help turn your ideas in reality.

How Materialise’s 3-maticSTL was used to optimise the design of a hyfraulic valve at the VTT Technical Research Centre in Finland.

RAPID PREVIEW

PERSONALIZE PRINTING PRESS

A pick of some of the best 3D prints we’ve spotted over the last month.

3D PRINTING TITANIUM

RETURN OF THE KING

How Hoeganaes is taking its 65 years experience in metallurgy and applying it to a new line of metal powders designed for the additive manufacturing industry.

Could the new high-speed stereolithography process, SLA Bot-1, be the most revolutionary thing we’ve seen from 3D Systems since the SLA 1, 30 years ago?

THE GAME CHANGER IS TIME

Laura meets industry newcomers, NewPro3D, to find out about the world’s fastest 3D process yet and why they don’t want to be a 3D printing company.

VISUAL FX AWAKENS

Dan gets to see how reverse engineering principles help in reproducing the famous Holochess in Star Wars: The Force Awakens.

North America’s largest 3D manufacturing event lands in Orlando this year. We highlight some of the things you can expect to see on the show floor.

REGULARS

05 48

EDITOR’S letter TODD GRIMM COLUMN 03

ACCELERATING 3D TECHNOLOGIES

CONTENTS

TCT | MARCH 2016 EDITION

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ACCELERATING 3D TECHNOLOGIES

FROM THE EDITOR

Community Spirit

ommunity seems to be a word I type a lot these days (and on reading this back that frequency has significantly increased), we use it to describe consumers of TCT’s wares; you might be readers of this magazine but then you might also watch our videos, attend one of our trade shows, advertise in the magazine or speak at one of our conferences and you might do all of those things, the noun community seems most fitting to all of you delightful folk. While you may be a member of the TCT community, TCT and its team are very much members of yours - the community that is powering an industry that is, despite some wobbly financials in 2015, on course to grow substantially. As the industry and therefore community grows it's important that we have get togethers like a town meeting to ensure that each community member understands, broadly, what and where the rest are up to. In this issue we preview two of the biggest family get togethers in the US; AMUG 2016 and RAPID 2016. AMUG is, at its heart, an excellent networking event, the spirit of openness in attendees, exhibitors, organisers and speakers alike really took me by surprise during my debut last year. Because AMUG is a users’ group most people, even first time attendees, are not newcomers to the technologies, on the contrary lots of attendees to RAPID may be just that. Though

we’ll see swathes of familiar faces RAPID is about engaging a wider audience to join the community whether that be by generating business or education. As with all communities members will be lost and it was during a period of merriment as we were breaking down at formnext that Stefan Ritt of SLM Solutions delivered some sombre news about the passing of Eric Wencel. I never had the pleasure of meeting Eric but those of the TCT team who did meet the North American Marketing Manager of SLM Solutions at those aforementioned community events tell me we’ve lost a significant member of that community. TCT passes its condolences on to Eric’s family and friends. Druck On

Daniel O’Connor Group Editor

MARCH 2016 www.tctmagazine.com

LEAD NEWS: SOMOS

HANDS ON HEART

How Somos and Stratasys Direct Manufacturing are improving heart surgery

MARCH 2016 www.tctmagazine.com

he heart is an extremely complex organ. As the physicians at the Texas Cardiac Arrhythmia Institute (TCAI) can attest, no two human hearts are exactly the same. Due to the organ’s complexity, it is virtually impossible for even the most brilliant physician to diagnose a heart condition without extensive imaging of the patient’s heart. Even with the incredible progress made in obtaining results from CT scans, echocardiograms and ultrasounds, cardiologists agree that there is no comparison for being able to see an actual model of a specific patient’s heart in question—one the doctor can physically hold in their hands. Dr. Vikram Devaraj, Director of Solid Materials Research for the Texas Cardiac Arrhythmia Research Foundation, had the idea to improve upon the preparation for openheart surgery by using 3D-printing technology to give the physicians at TCAI access to anatomically accurate representations of their patients’ hearts. “Dr. Horton, Dr. Beaman and I came together on this project to figure out a way to make additive manufactured models of the heart from direct CT scans,” Dr. Devaraj explains.

ACCELERATING 3D TECHNOLOGIES

However, without the budget, capacity or expertise needed to own and operate an additive manufacturing system, Dr. Devaraj and TCAI turned to Stratasys Direct Manufacturing for their expertise and guidance in additive manufacturing, along with the security in knowing their files would be handled safely and confidentially. Stratasys’ ability to print models of patients’ hearts on demand, with extreme precision and rapid turnaround only made Dr. Devaraj and his team more confident in the success of the project. As Dr. Devaraj explains, the CAD (ComputerAided Design) files used to create the models are taken directly from the patient’s CT scans so the printed heart model is an extremely accurate representation of the patient’s own anatomy. Stratasys Direct Manufacturing then optimizes the CAD file for 3D printing and uses Stereolithography (SL) technology to build the models. SL uses UV lasers to cure liquid resins layer by layer and is among the most precise 3D printing technologies. “We chose to produce the models with Somos WaterShed XC 11122 due to its clarity and precision,” says Chuck Alexander, Director of Product Management at Stratasys Direct Manufacturing. “When examining the 3D printed model the clarity provides doctors and patients a chance to see intricate internal valve structures and better prepare for the procedure. In addition, this material has a high level of dimensional stability which is critical as the model must retain its proper dimensions.” “It was suddenly a way to look at the internal organs without having to open someone up. And frankly, even if you open someone up, it’s not the same; it doesn’t look

Having this type of 3-dimensional mapping and printing of an actual heart of that particular patient is invaluable in speeding up and improving safety and efficacy of the procedure

the same. Having this type of 3-dimensional mapping and printing of an actual heart of that particular patient is invaluable in speeding up and improving safety and efficacy of the procedure,” explains Dr. Rodney Horton, M.D., F.A.C.C., Cardiac Arrhythmia Specialist, who worked alongside Dr. Devaraj to bring his idea to life. “Not only has it made my work with patients better and my clinical practice better, but it has opened up the opportunity for improving on medical devices themselves, coming up with applications you wouldn’t have otherwise thought of because you can spin the model around in your hand and see connections and geometric orientations that you wouldn’t have recognized before.” Stratasys Direct Manufacturing works directly with TCAI on an ongoing basis in order to produce hearts printed from CT scans. The hearts are printed and delivered to the physicians in a matter of hours, enabling the physicians to study the models before performing open-heart surgery on a patient. As Dr. Horton puts it, “If a surgeon needs to repair something, they have this in their hand before they open up the chest. So it’s enormously valuable from that standpoint.” The ability to produce unique patient models is just one way additive manufacturing has shifted the health care industry away from a one-size-fits-all approach to more customized solutions for improving outcomes. Freed from the design and capital constraints of traditional manufacturing—and with further advancements in additive materials from Somos® and processes from Stratasys Direct Manufacturing—doctors and medical institutions will continue finding new ways to provide better care for all of us.

MARCH 2016 www.tctmagazine.com

EXPLORING THE INTERSECTION OF DESIGN & TECHNOLOGY

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Company

SPACE ACCELERATING 3D TECHNOLOGIES

MANUFACTURING IN

SPACE

ABOVE: Archinaut Concept

WOR DS : DA NIE L O’ C ON NOR

There was a time in the not too distant past were pretty much every mainstream news article about 3D printing started with a description of the Star Trek Replicator, fortunately those days have been and gone when talking about manufacturing on terra firma but forgive this erstwhile writer for dragging that metaphor back from the dead for this article.

“Manufacturing in space has been something that has been a given in science fiction since time immemorial, since HG Wells,” Andrew Rush, President of Made In Space, tells me and it isn’t just the realms of science fiction that the concept has been floating around for a long time. The Space Studies Institute ran a bi-annual conference from 1977 called Space Manufacturing until 2010 and the idea of 3D printing in space can be traced back to 2001 when NASA were testing a Stratasys FDM machine on a micro-gravity KC-135 flight. The conclusions from that experiment were: “Solid Freeform Fabrication has significant potential as an enabling technology for long-duration manned space flight. Rapid development of an International Space Station (ISS) flight experiment is supported.” And a four-year programme was recommended. So it seems quite strange that the first proper usable item 3D printed in space was a ratchet on the ISS by Commander Barry “Butch” Wilmore some 13 years later. While one may wonder why it has taken so long Andrew Rush points out that there are so many more factors than just micro-gravity to consider when 3D printing in space.

Manufacturing in space has been something that has been a given in science fiction since time immemorial, since HG Wells

ABOVE: Made In Space Zero Gravity 3D Printer MARCH 2016 www.tctmagazine.com

MEDICAL

AEROSPACE

Hoeganaes Corporation, a world leader in the development of metal powders, has been the driving force behind the growth in the Powder Metallurgy industry for over 65 years. Hoeganaes has fueled that growth with successive waves of technology, expanding the use of metal powders for a wide variety of applications.

AncorTi™ • Spherical Titanium Powder for Additive Manufacturing • Particle Size Engineered for Selective Laser Melting (SLM) and Electron Beam Melting (EBM) • Rigorous Quality Testing

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SPACE ACCELERATING 3D TECHNOLOGIES

RIGHT: Butch and the Made In Space Wrench

“There’s no natural convection in a micro-gravity environment and heat is a huge thing for any 3D printing and we had to really factor in the human safety,” says Rush. “3D printing material is often hydrocarbon based and toxic in some ways when heated so we had to ensure that we had systems in place to protect the astronauts. We also don’t use support material on ISS because it can allow a foreign object to breed on station, so designing moving parts prints like the ratchet without support material is another level of difficulty.” Made In Space made a total of 25 parts in a total of 28 hours on its initial Zero-Gravity 3D Printer on board the ISS but the ratchet is rightfully the most famous of those. It wasn’t a test part like all of the other designs that had been planned meticulously before its launch it was a spare of the moment opportunity Andrew Rush and his team seized upon. Commander Wilmore had gone to the printer to remove a little a sample socket head - designed to prove that spare parts could be produced in zero gravity – he looked at the part and laughed. “The ISS is about the size of a house with six people living in it and just like you often lose things in your own home, where you have gravity to hold them down, the astronauts lose things on occasion,” Rush says, sticking up

for Commander Wilmore’s misplaced torque wrench. “It was a really awesome opportunity to design something useful for Butch.” Bearing in mind the fact that they could not use support material the Made In Space design team set about making a single-part torque wrench in just a day and asked NASA if they could not only schedule in some time in Butch’s busy schedule for him to pick the print up but also use the space agency’s notoriously confidential uplink process to send the part to the machine. “Within three and a half hours the famous picture of Butch was taken, he was very happy with it and crucially we proved that if things go array on a mission, we can fix it with 3D printing.” THE FINAL FRONTIER Ratchets and spare parts are one thing but Made In Space goal from its inception in 2010 is to ‘enable humanity’s future in space’. The Zero Gravity 3D Printer is just the first step of an incredibly ambitious and thorough plan. Next is a more fully rounded additive manufacturing facility, called AMF, that is slated in to be launched to the ISS in Q1 of 2016 and the aim of that commercially operated machine is not only to allow companies and researchers to test in space without having put the wares onto a rocket but also to put into action the next step for Made In Space’s galaxy quest.

ABOVE: 1.5 tonne moon dust building block

produced as a demonstration courtesy of ESA

“It costs roughly $20,000 per kilo to get something into space,” explains Rush. “If you came to me and asked to launch a CubeSat (miniaturized satellite for space research) it would take at least six months to get a launch date, get it qualified to fly and then to wait around for that rocket to blast off. But by having a manufacturing facility stationed in space we can save thousands of dollars and cut the time down significantly.” In his CES 2016 presentation Rush described the ability to manufacture and deploy satellites in orbit as being the second in a paradigm shift for human space exploration from what he described as the current “camping trip model” of packing everything up before we go. If the first paradigm shift has been achieved and the second sounds feasible, the third is positively HG Wellsian. “In every single frontier we’ve had tools to manufacture living spaces and we currently don’t have those for space,” says Rush, with the emphasis being on currently. Made In Space is working on a technology that will allow us to print huge objects in space from a smaller machine, a technology that may solve a problem that is hurtling towards us in less than a decade.

MARCH 2016 www.tctmagazine.com

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SPACE

COURTESY OF ESA and FOSTER PARTNERS LIFE AFTER ISS You only have to take a look at UK column inches and airtime dedicated to Tim Peake’s blast off to the ISS to see how relevant the research and living quarters remains. Yet it’s long past halfway of its lifecycle; in 2024 the plan is to dump the $150 billion asset in the ocean. In March of 2015 Roscosmos and NASA confirmed that the Russian and US space agencies would work together on building a new space station, which would help with the ultimate goal of a mission to Mars. Rush believes that the only option to do so would be to manufacture it in situ. “The ISS was built via shuttle over 40 missions, we don’t have the benefit of shuttle anymore. Currently, if you want to create something big in space you have to pack it all down like origami to fit into a rocket and though we’re really good at that, it creates points of failure which are the engineer’s worst enemy.” Made In Space’s answer is Archinaut technology

being developed under NASA’s Tipping Point Technologies fund. Archinaut aims to enable spacecraft to manufacture and assemble unlaunchable structures in orbit. Though this genuinely does sound like something from sci-fi Rush tells me that there are four key factors to manufacturing and assembling in space and three of them have already been achieved; 3D printing in a micro-gravity environment; 3D printing with vacuum rated materials; and in-space robotic assembly, which robotic arms already on the ISS would be capable of. The final factor is the ability to manufacture extended complex structures in orbit, which is where Archinaut steps in. For this project Made In Space is teaming up with Northrop Grumman - to provide expertise in electronic interfaces and external thermal control - and Oceaneering Space Systems, who will design and build the manipulator arm. This ability to robotically manufacture in space gives kudos to the plans of NASA’s European peers at the European Space Agency (ESA) who announced earlier this year that they are going to push ahead with an idea that even they have labelled as “crazy” in the past. The basic principle has been in this magazine before; we would send robots to the moon, they would use moon dust as the raw material to build habitats, which humans could inhabit and then we could then launch longer missions from.

In a press conference General Director of the ESA Prof. Jan Woerner said: “I looked into the requirements I see for a project after ISS. As of today, I see the Moon Village as the ideal successor of the International Space Station for (space) exploration. The moon would be a stepping stone or a pit-stop, that’s crucial, because we have to test, for instance, how to build structures on a planet, instead of bringing all the stuff there,” echoing those sentiments Andrew Rush made. When asked about the feasibility about a lunar village the Made In Space President was surprisingly upbeat about the idea. “We don’t have enough moon dust to just play around with, we didn’t bring enough back, but there is volcanic ash and soil that simulates the properties of moon dust really well. We have printed objects and structures with it that could be suitable for the building blocks of a lunar habitat. With any lunar mission there’s a lot of engineering and a lot of planning to do but the basic concept works.” With all of this talk of moon dust, as our conversation came to an end, I had to ask Andrew Rush if he finds the conspiracy theories about the moon landing funny or infuriating? After laughing he said: “It is only frustrating when it gets to the point where it is actually threatening real science and fortunately that’s less prominent with the moon conspiracies than it is with vaccinations.” 

MARCH 2016 www.tctmagazine.com

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DRONES

W O R D S : DA N I E L O ’C O N N O R

THERE ISN’T A 3D PRINTING TRADE SHOW ON THE GLOBE THAT DOESN’T FEATURE AT LEAST ONE COMPANY SHOWCASING THE BENEFITS OF THE TECHNOLOGY FOR THE MANUFACTURE OF DRONES, WHETHER THAT’S MARKFORGED SHOWING HOW ITS CARBON FIBER REINFORCEMENTS MAKES FOR DRONES THAT CAN BE CRASHED WITHOUT BREAKING, VOXEL8 SHOWING HOW ITS MULTI-MATERIAL 3D PRINTING IS CAPABLE OF BUILDING A QUADCOPTER WITH INBUILT ELECTRONICS OR FORMLABS SHOWING HOW ITS ARRAY OF MATERIALS IS USED TO BUILD MARBLE’S TOPOLOGICALLY OPTIMISED COMMERCIAL MRB-1, DRONES AND 3D PRINTING GO TOGETHER LIKE JOFFREY AND SOME POISONED WINE.

of parallels when you look at the world of 3D printing and that of drones; both have seen themselves reach peak hype over the past few years, both have seen an upturn in consumer level investment without that killer application, both have seen scaremongering over security in the mainstream press, both have been around for a lot longer than most realize, both have more technical nomenclature – additive manufacturing (AM) and unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) and both are seeing an uptake in investment from substantial commercial and governmental operations. The synergy between industrial AM and commercial UAVs was never more evident than at the Dubai Air Show at the back end of 2015, where Stratasys and the Aurora Flight Sciences – a leader in the advanced aerospace sector – unveiled the largest, fastest, and most complex 3D printed unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) ever produced. Capable of speeds in excess of 150mph the 80% 3D printed drone was designed and built in half the time it would have taken traditionally. “At Aurora we build drones, we’ve been building drones for 30 years, before it was cool,” says Dan Campbell, Aerospace Research Engineer at Aurora Flight Sciences. “We’ve been using 3D printing for four years but it is only over the last two years and even the last year that the business as a whole has become really interested.” here are lots

CASE FOR THE DEFENSE Whereas lots of the 3D printed UAVs are from startups and hobbyists as Campbell says Aurora are an established player, one who, in August of 2015, won a $15.4 million contract modification on top of an initial $6 million one from the U.S. Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) to begin moving forward with a U.S. defense research program to develop and insert new aircraft automation into existing planes and helicopters.

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MARCH 2016 www.tctmagazine.com

DRONES

At Aurora we build drones, we’ve been building drones for 30 years, before it was cool

“A lot of the drones we make are low rate initial production, they are one offs,” explains Campbell. “Most of our costs are labour, so what we see from 3D printing is it really allows us to compress the schedule and become more efficient with the labour, which is hugely cost effective.” With its in-house Fortus 450mc Aurora primarily uses FDM technologies and the ULTEM material, which passes several internationally recognised aerospace safety requirements. “The biggest worry I used to get from engineers was ‘isn’t FDM brittle?” Says Campbell. “But they’ve begun to realise that 3D printing is becoming the path of least resistance; resistance is time, money and hassle. We all gravitate towards the path of least resistance and if you don’t then you become less competitive.” Though the initial idea was that the printing of complex parts with curvature would do away with the substantial costs of tooling, Aurora are, like many companies who’ve invested in the technology, starting to see the potentials in using 3D printing for tooling. “A lot of our money comes from the Department of Defence and their research projects but for the 3D printing of tools we’re putting our own money into it because we see so much promise. “It is a learning process for us because it’s not an exact replacement for aluminium tooling. We have to alter our manufacturing process to work with 3D printing tools but we’re getting there.” Campbell adds.

UAV DIY? In 2014 engineers at the University of Virginia were takes by the Department of Defense to investigate the feasibility of producing a military standard UAV using 3D printing and off-the-shelf hardware like a smartphone, it turns out it was very feasible and it was printed in little over a day at the cost of $2,500, so is 3D printing making it easy to manufacture drones? “It takes years and years of practice to become a skilled enough tradesman to manufacture a small aircraft traditionally,” says Campbell. “With 3D printing the learning curve is much smaller. So now I’m able to design and build my own aircraft.” As scarily easy as that sounds most people aren’t Dan Campbell, most people aren’t lead engineers at the University of Virginia, flight is not something we’re naturally gifted in. Designing a military grade aircraft is not imminently likely for the layman and though most of this article might make creating a UAV seem like a doddle, Campbell is keen to point out that the technology has its drawbacks. “They say 3D printing offers design freedom but to really take advantage of that as an engineer I want more control over how I tell the machine to operate. In aerospace the goal is to get every single gram out so even though the software lets you do the sparse fill, you can design your wall thickness etc. I think there’s still more we could do if we had more control in optimising the design.” 

MARCH 2016 www.tctmagazine.com

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ACCELERATING 3D TECHNOLOGIES

icture a basic dining table - a rectangle or circle, four posts and that’s about it, right? As humans we’re based on an industrial way of thinking and the way we have built the world around us has been influenced by years and years of believing ‘this is how something should look’.

Generation

Generative WOR D S : L A U R A G R I F F I T HS

This is where we should be going, we should be working with nature.

Now with the help of computers and advanced manufacturing methods, our dependable way of dreaming up products is being challenged as we start to see designs that are unlike anything we’ve ever come across before. Displacing the idealized future-vision of clean, angular, minimalistic products, designers and engineers are now going completely against the grain with a form of design that is more akin to the movement of nature, powered by algorithms instead of standard engineering principles: generative design. I met with Jesse Harrington Au, Autodesk’s Chief Maker Advocate at Autodesk University, the company’s annual design software spectacular in Las Vegas - and by spectacular I mean Stormtroopers, break-dancers, robots, the works - to talk about how generative design is opening up possibilities for a future of making things differently. “The solutions are so organic. People who have been engineers for years are trying to bend their minds around these weird geometric shapes and say ‘yes that’s right, the algorithm is correct’,” Jesse explained. “There have been a lot more physical projects coming out that have turned into a reality. Now we can look at them and ask what is missing, what do we need.” The standout example of this, which we saw at AU, was the world’s largest 3D printed aeroplane cabin component, the “bionic partition”. A collaboration between Autodesk, Airbus and The Living, the part is a reimagined and optimized version of the dividing wall between the seating area and plane galley that holds the jump seat for flight attendants. A perfect case of how “technology is making the quantum leap from passive to generative”, as Jeff Kowalski, Autodesk MARCH 2016 www.tctmagazine.com

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INDUSTRIAL 3D SOLUTIONS

AUTODESK

CTO describes, the part was 3D printed in Scalmalloy, an aluminium-magnesiumscandium alloy created by APWorks, and is 45% lighter than any current traditionally manufactured partition on the Airbus A320. The ability to create optimized parts for aerospace is not only beneficial because it reduces material costs but it also shrinks the costs associated with the entire aircraft throughout its lifetime. Fuel costs can be reduced dramatically by a significant weight loss in individual parts, which is why the aerospace industry happens to be one of the biggest adopters of additive manufacturing. With this new generative design approach, Airbus estimates a saving of up to 465,000 metric tons of c02 emissions per year. As designs made with generative are so complex, additive manufacturing is often the only way these chaotic shapes can be realized. But as with any new technology, designers are sceptical and even fearful that generative design will have a negative effect on their work - the old, “the machines are taking our jobs!” is a very real concern. Generative design mimics cellular structures and bone growth and is capable of computing large sets of design alternatives to meet specific constraints to improve design quality and performance. It enables the creation of designs that humans would not otherwise be able to come up with but really that’s a good thing – in many ways generative is taking the work out for us and giving designers even more freedom to create better, optimized and sustainable solutions. Generative marks a change in the way people think about designing. It’s not about an automated solution replacing traditional skills; it’s about co-creating design with a computational power that’s living up in the cloud. The designer still chooses the constraints, the goals, what they want the final piece to achieve but the software determines the most optimized way of presenting that in a manufacturable product. Jesse commented: “It’s remarkable. This is where we should be going, we should be working with nature.” Some of the generative pieces on display at AU included a stunning archery “Optima” bow designed by John Briscella as part of

It’s not about an automated solution replacing traditional skills; it’s about co-creating design with a computational power that’s living up in the cloud.

the Autodesk Artists in Residence program. But another area where generative is showing the most value, is in the medical field, something Autodesk is championing with the acquisition of Within. Designed to optimize the 3D printing of medical implants, Within Medical software uses micro lattice structures, which the human body responds to much more successfully for osseointegration. Generative works so well in this area because the forms it produces are similar to that of the human body. Look at a generative piece and it assimilates the make-up of bones. “It’s been really interesting to watch that grow within the medical field,” Jesse commented. “Titanium being one of the only materials that your body will actually internalise rather than reject, it really does create some interesting solutions medically. So we’ve seen that coming out of generative and people are mixing that with the precision of Ember [Autodesk’s open source DLP 3D printer] to revolutionize some things in the dental industry.” A lot of cool technology talks about ‘the future’ and though generative design may seem like a world away from what we currently know, it is in fact being used right now from things like art to implants. Those medical examples are already living inside hundreds of people across the globe and that’s only set to expand as adoption grows and boundaries disappear. For aerospace, the Airbus partition has already completed its first phase of testing and further assessments are expected to commence later this year along with a debut test flight. Autodesk’s ambitions state that we could see this component on the market as early as 2018 with other parts to follow in 2020, laying the foundations for changing the way we travel and beyond. 

MARCH 2016 www.tctmagazine.com

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To push the envelope for Additive Manufacturing:

Just add Arcam.

Welcome to Arcam – a pioneer and proven leader in cost-efficient Additive Manufacturing solutions for the production of orthopedic implants and aerospace components. At the heart of our total offer are Arcam EBM® systems, based on cutting-edge electron beam melting technology, that offer freedom in design, excellent material properties and high productivity. The build chamber interior is designed for easy powder handling and fast turn-around times. What’s more, you can rely on our highly competent application engineers to support you from design to production – adding value every step of the way. With the Arcam EBM® process, you can take full advantage of powerful electron beam melting technology to differentiate your products and boost productivity. • Freedom in design • Easy to use operator interface • Latest generation EB gun • Fast cooling

See what you can achieve with Arcam. Visit www. Arcam.com

TOTAL

DESIGN FREEDOM

COST

EBM

EFFICIENT MULTIBEAM PRODUCTION

MASS FINISHING

for Post Processing of 3D parts

Steven Alviti’s Bel Air Finishing have been manufacturing and supplying mass finishing equipment for 40 years, as the demand for end-use 3D printed parts increases Steve has penned a guide through the world of surface finishing for additive manufacturing.

WOR DS : S t e v e n A lv i t i , O w n e r o f B e l A i r F i n i s hi n g C o r p.

here are numerous challenges in achieving quality surface for additive manufactured (AM) parts. Those challenges can stem from the chosen method of 3D printing – FDM, DMLS, SLS, SLA - by nature AM parts are created by layering of material. The size and deviation of these layers as well as the orientation of the parts in the working envelope are significant factors that affect the surface finish on the manufactured part. Complications can also arise from the material choice itself; the range of particle size, the way the material reacts to the AM process, etc. There are abundant benefits of 3D manufacturing; the ability to create complex geometries with intricate detail, parts with complicated internal passages, etc. However, just like anything else - where you gain on one front, you may lose on another. In the case of 3D printing, the cost associated with all the benefits is achieving a quality surface finish. Many industry leading companies and research labs are looking to understand the available finishing techniques, their limitations, and the costs associated with making a qualified 3D part within industry surface requirements.

ABOVE: A metal AM part before and after Bel Air’s finishing is applied.

DOS & DONTS

If you want to successfully use 3D technology for manufacturing components that require fit, form and function… you must consider the surface finishing requirements before starting the design: DO - Consider your surface finish requirements before you choose your 3D printing method and technology. Speed of a build and resulting surface finish seem to be at the opposite ends of the spectrum. The surface of a part can vary between a Ra (measurement of surface roughness) of 100 to 1000 micro inches. The surface of the printed part is directly affected by the printing technology and the material grain size. The lower the Ra the more likely and faster you can get to your required surface specification DON'T - Design a part with the “3D Hype mentality”. Hype suggests that you can take a five-piece assembly turn it into a “one shot build” with your printer. If you consider surface finish requirements and understand that conventional finishing methods will not be applicable, you may find that you need to breakdown and simplify your design. For instance, your “one shot build” may be divided into a two-part build with a single assembly. This may allow you to use standard finishing techniques to handle dimensional requirements and still have a more efficient process of production.

DON'T - Design a part with conventional manufacturing thought process. Chances are that you will have dimensional challenges and/or surface finishing problems when you take your part from the printed build and attempt to integrate it into its functional assembly. You will probably need to build your corner, angle and surface geometries in an unconventional manner. Loss of material at a surface, other than a corner, can range between .001 in. to .005 in. DO - Take the time to understand and experiment with conventional finishing methods. Have some specifically designed shapes made in several machine technologies and have the surfaces finished by conventional methods to analyze the results and limitations before you purchase or before you design a part. DO - Take the time to define your surface requirements before you design. Understanding the 3 dimensional topographic features of your build are necessary to define the surface as well as the conventional simple Ra measurement. A part after finishing, can have an Ra that meets the print specification but it can also have left over divots from your build. Typical convention surface call outs do not take this into account. 

MARCH 2016 www.tctmagazine.com

021

ACCELERATING 3D TECHNOLOGIES

Adapting Mass Finishing Techniques

28 SEPT - 29 SEPT 2016

EXHIBIT NOW

AMUG PREVIEW ACCELERATING 3D TECHNOLOGIES

AMUG 2016 WOR D S : DA N IE L O' C ONNOR

THERE ARE A HANDFUL OF MUST VISIT EVENTS IN THE ADDITIVE MANUFACTURING CALENDAR, THE ADDITIVE MANUFACTURING USERS GROUP (AMUG) IS MOST CERTAINLY ONE OF THEM AND THE 2016 EDITION IN ST. LOUIS MISSOURI, IS SET TO BE THE BIGGEST IN THE EVENT’S ILLUSTRIOUS HISTORY. The ability to bring together engineers, designers, managers and educators from around the world to share expertise, best practices, challenges, and application developments in additive manufacturing stands AMUG apart from most other industry events. Along with the chance to rub shoulders with some of the most important people in the industry at the many networking opportunities offered at AMUG 2016, the conference line up is nothing short of stellar. Some highlights of the four day conference through April 3-7 include keynotes from Todd Grimm and Jason Lopes, an on-stage interview with founder of Stratasys, Scott Crump, as well as a host of presentations including all areas of the additive manufacturing industry from material science to funding solutions. Just a selection of the tracks include talks from the likes of the U.S. Patent Office, GKN Aerospace, Dept. of National Defense Canada, Aerojet Rocketdyne and many more.

MUG also offers the opportunity to learn handson with a host of workshops and training from the many returning sponsors including Concept Laser, Renishaw, Stratasys, DSM Somos, SLM Solutions, ExOne, HP as well as offering a chance to see some brandnew technology first hand with the likes of Carbon (formerly Carbon3D) becoming sponsors this year. All of the sponsors will be exhibiting their wares at the two day AMUGexpo. Here’s a sneak peak at some of the things to expect at AMUG 2016: RIZE 3D After two years in stealth mode Rize 3D is preparing to showcase its potentially groundbreaking technology, which the company is claiming does away with many of the current flaws of 3D printing; strength, accuracy, surface finish, and color. Rize’s process for 3D printing involves several patented processes and what Rize are calling Augmented Polymer Deposition (APD).

Parts are created with filament of engineering thermoplastic extruded on a surface similar to the FDM process. In between each thermoplastic layer one or more inks are jetted through an industrial jet head onto the surface of the part. The inks are used to improve z strength, add color, improve surface finish or impede the attachment of the next layer creating an easy to remove support structure.

For full conferencing details head to www.additivemanufacturingusersgroup. com/

MARCH 2016 www.tctmagazine.com

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Industrial-Grade Systems & Services Binder Jetting Technology Delivers 3D Printed Sand Cores, Molds and Functional Metal Parts for Prototype and Production Volumes • less cost

• increased efficiency

• improved wear

• large parts

• complex shapes

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11/6/15 1:08 PM

3D Systems

simulation tools. It will be the most comprehensive center for precision healthcare and medical 3D printing solutions in the world, and many of these capabilities will be showcased at AMUG. XJET Xjet have been creating quite a buzz of late what with a team consisting of a chunk of the former Objet team at the helm as well as some significant investment from world leading venture capitalists. The technology is called Nano Metal Jetting and is being called “the world’s first direct 3D metal jetting system.” Although we will not get to see any equipment at AMUG the global unveiling of the company will be during conferencing sessions.

Argyle

ARGYLE MATERIALS Bolson Materials International and their exclusive distributor in the Americas: Argyle Materials, Inc. will be at AMUGexpo after announcing the immediate availability of wholesale PCABS filament and eeprom chips compatible with all Fortus 3D printers (except 200mc & 250mc) and Legacy FDM machines (Titan/Vantage). The event will offer the opportunity to see how Argyle is able to run the new materials on both licensed and non-licensed Fortus systems with our unique eeprom chip solutions.

AMUG PREVIEW ACCELERATING 3D TECHNOLOGIES

3D SYSTEMS 3D Systems is celebrating 30 years of innovation in 2016, and at this year’s AMUG the company will showcase its next generation Stereolithography and vision of the future of additive manufacturing. 3D Systems will host a number of sessions at the event, ranging from software and design tools for 3D printing and production, to materials and applications in direct metal, full color and selective laser sintering, and healthcare specific applications. 3D Systems will also be coming off the grand opening of its Healthcare Technology Center in Denver, CO. This 70,000 sq. ft. facility will support the full range of its healthcare solutions, including 3D printed medical devices and implants, virtual surgical planning, and surgical

CARBON For the first time publicly, Carbon will be showcasing its commercially available machine. The company is planning a robust schedule of presentations and experiences featuring a deep dive into its first product solution and materials, a look at how CLIP will impact an array of industries from consumer products to medical to automotive and a few of early customers will be discussing their vision for CLIP. Carbon is continuing to grow its early customer base, having recently announced four service bureaux and contractmanufacturing partners including CIDEAS, Sculpteo, The Technology House and WestStar Precision.

Carbon

SIGMA LABS As a first time exhibitor at the AMUGexpo Sigma Labs will be showcasing its newly launched PrintRite3D in-process quality monitoring system for metal additive manufacturing as well as the company’s metal contract printing business. Sigma Labs will demonstrate its in-situ process control and quality assurance monitoring technology for Additive Manufacturing. The system known as PrintRite3D pairs SENSORPAKTM multisensors and hardware with INSPECTTM, CONTOURTM and ANALYTICSTM software modules for comprehensive quality management of AM processes. The system can be adapted as a third-party add-on to any manufacturer’s metal 3D printing machine. This real-time monitoring and control technology for additive manufacturing technologies will allow a rapid and low cost approach to metallic part certification & qualification. 

Sigma Xjet MARCH 2016 www.tctmagazine.com

025

2016 Additive Manufacturing Users Group

28th Annual Education & Training Conference April 3 - 7, 2016 2016 AMUG CONFERENCE April 3 - 7, 2016 St. Louis Union Station St. Louis, Missouri

2015 AMUG Innovators Showcase

The Head of Klarg (Realize, Inc.)

2015 Advanced Finishing Technical Competition Winner

Accelerating and Advancing AM Technology AMUG For Users, By Users LEARN

NETWORK

WHO SHOULD ATTEND

In-depth education and training sessions by AM industry experts and OEM representatives.

AMUG network provides attendees access to users with 25+ years expereience in the industry. Attendees network with AM-dedicated OEMs and vendors.

Those that have access to, use, or operate AM equipment

For a current list of all sponsors visit www.am-ug.com

AMUG_TCT half page US ad 2016.indd 1

> Operators

> Engineers

> Technicians

> Designers

> Managers

> Educators

2016 Diamond Sponsors

REGISTRATION INCLUDES > Conference (4 days) > AMUGexpo (2 nights) > Keynote Presentations > Innovators Showcase > General Sessions > Technical Sessions > Workshops > AMUG Awards Banquet > Technical Competition > Student Poster Session > Networking Lunches > All Meals and Beverages REGISTER TODAY! www.am-ug.com Click on the orange button to register For more information on attending, exhibiting or sponsoring, visit the AMUG website: www.am-ug.com

2/19/16 9:30 AM

SOFTWARE FEATURE ACCELERATING 3D TECHNOLOGIES

rganic O

MANUFACTURING GOES

W O R D S : L A U R A G R I F F I T HS

there’s

point Materialise wanted to drive home last year, it was that Materialise has an entire backbone of software solutions for the AM industry. “The tool of choice for the 3D printing industry”, as Stefaan Motte, Vice President of 3D Printing Software, at Materialise described. The company’s flagship Magics and 3-maticSTL software are enabling companies to verify and help ensure the printability of even the most bold and disruptive innovations. One of those organisations is the VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland, Northern Europe’s largest multidisciplinary research centre. VTT needed to create an optimized hydraulic valve for their customer Nurmi Cylinders, a manufacturer of industrial products for marine and offshore applications. VTT relied on Materialise software 3-maticSTL to enhance the design, topologically optimised with Altair software. Typically, conventional hydraulic valves are manufactured from a solid block of material in which internal channels are created through subtractive drilling processes. This can often mean that some auxiliary drillings need to be plugged, which creates the risk of leakage. In order to combat this, researchers at the centre decided to look to an alternative manufacturing solution that would generate a much lighter component with better fluid flow, minimal risk of leakage and ultimately increase the part’s performance. Topology optimization allows engineers to reduce the weight of a part without compromising strength. The result is usually a very rough organic form that is not always ideal to print. Therefore, the part needs to be cleaned up and o n e

redesigned, which often takes days. After the initial optimization process, VTT used 3-maticSTL to clean up the data in just a matter of hours and then applied an FEA simulation to confirm that the final model had no signs of stress. After enhancing the hydraulic valve in 3-maticSTL, VTT were able to position the part, create supports in Magics and then send the file direct to an SLM Solutions metal printing machine. The added benefit of Materialise’s custom SLM Build Processor, designed to enhance the communication between software and machine, meant that the part was sent to print, divided into slices and printed with the optimum laser scan strategy. “Additive Manufacturing has a huge impact on several industries. The freedom of design allows companies to create parts that could not be produced without AM,” explains Manuel Michiels, engineer at Materialise who supported VTT with their project. “This extraordinary technology requires a new way of thinking. Therefore engineers and designers need powerful 3D printing software that can help them to unlock the full

IMAGES:

VTT and Nurmi Cylinders Oy

potential of AM and create highperformance parts like Nurmi Cylinder’s hydraulic valve”. The final printed part weighs just 600 g, a huge 76% saving in comparison to the original subtractive manufactured part and a substantial benefit to both the manufacturer and efficiency of the part over its lifetime. By using the topology data and 3-maticSTL, VTT saved itself the often time-consuming and difficult task of directly redesigning the topology data to CAD. In addition, the smooth transitions between the internal channels improve the flow of fluids, and since no auxiliary drillings were necessary the risk of leakage is greatly reduced. Proving that the benefits of AM are “not a future dream”, Materialise’s innovation-filled 25-year history and the recent release of its Magics20 edition software, show that that the company is continuing to help businesses bridge the gap between meaningful applications and AM systems, be that through adapting established business models and products or helping to kickstart new ones. 

MARCH 2016 www.tctmagazine.com

027

RAPID PREVIEW

FOLLOWING ITS 25TH ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATIONS IN LONG BEACH LAST YEAR, NORTH AMERICA’S LARGEST 3D MANUFACTURING EVENT IS BACK FOR 2016 TO SHOWCASE THE LATEST UPDATES, EXPERTISE AND INNOVATION FROM THE 3D TECHNOLOGIES’ INDUSTRY. Taking place at the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando, Florida, on 16-19 May, visitors can expect exhibits from all the big players, speakers, tours, tech briefings and workshops covering the entire breadth of 3D technologies.

ENVISIONTEC

EnvisionTEC will BOOTH be continuing to build on its tradition of dedication to excellence. Along with showing a range of professional grade 3D printing solutions, the company will be previewing additional expansions to its material offerings for the 3SP line. Be sure to stop by booth #711 to witness an exciting new development as the company announces a brand new technology platform that opens up new possibilities for industrial customers, particularly aerospace and automotive.

CINCINNATI INC

711

SME recently worked with a group of 3D technology leaders to take the first ever scan of the Orion crew module. Cincinnati Inc. will be using its Big Area Additive Manufacturing (BAAM) technology to 3D print Orion in several large pieces and assemble onsite at RAPID. Florida Tech students will be available to discuss how the next generation of manufacturing professionals are being educated on advanced manufacturing technology.

BOOTH

467

CIDEAS

542

BOOTH

755

CONCEPT LASER Championing Industry 4.0, Concept Laser unveiled an integrated, modular new machine concept entitled “AM Factory of Tomorrow” at formnext. At RAPID, the German manufacturer will show how AM is shifting towards series production with its metal M2 cusing system and QM Meltpool 3D, process monitoring tool.

028

MARCH 2016 www.tctmagazine.com

642

The U.S. service provider has been providing rapid prototyping and additive manufacturing solutions since 1998 and has now become one of the first bureaux in the world to offer Carbon CLIP process. Joining its armoury of over 30 machines and 50 materials, customers can now get access to this competitively fast technology with “injection molded like” properties.

BOOTH

3D PLATFORM

BOOTH

The large-format 3D printer manufacturer is raising the bar with its latest industrial machine, the 3DP Workbench. Featuring a large build area of 1m x 1m x 0.5m, the machine can produce precision prints down to a 70-micron layer resolution and also uses SurePrint Servo Technology to cut print times in half.

RAPID PREVIEW

RENISHAW

The UK-based leader in precision management and metal 3D printing will showcase the full scale of its metal AM production chain which includes the recently launched production-ready RenAM 500M metal AM system, sophisticated QuantAM software and extensive range of metrology solutions. BOOTH

555

FEATURES Returning to the show floor this year is the Contemporary Art Gallery highlighting the innovative ways designers are using 3D technologies. Last year’s exhibition included a 1:1 recreation of John Merrick’s skull and Kinematics dress from Nervous System so expect a mix of weird and wonderful 3D creations. The popular 3D Playground will also feature once again to give visitors the opportunity to play around with various 3D solutions. This year will include hovercraft races, hands on opportunities with STEM educational tools and a close look at state-of-the-art bio-printing capabilities. The RAPID 3D Printing Fashion Show is sure to be a big draw whilst the annual RAPID Puzzle Challenge, representing the various technologies and materials on the show floor, will also be back. CONFERENCE The RAPID 2016 conference (17-19 May) will feature talks from over 150 industry leaders on how additive manufacturing can solve challenges from imaging to manufacturing and inspection. Highlights include … DAY 1

• Unlocking Possibilities for Manufacturing End-Use Parts: It’s in the Materials - Jason Rolland, Carbon3D • Modifying Quality Management Systems to Meet Unique Needs of AM – Chris Krampitz & Paul Bates, UL

DAY 2 • Keynote - 4D Printing in Medicine: Developing Medical Devices for the Growing Patient - Robert Morrison, MD, Scott Hollister, PhD, University of Michigan • A Look at the Future of 3D Printing with HP Multi Jet Fusion – J. Scott Schiller, HP

DAY 3 • Question Everything: BAAM Technology and the Future of AM - Rick Neff, Cincinnati Incorporated • Using AM to Reduce the Development Time of Racecar Parts - Brian Levy, Joe Gibbs Racing

Q&A SME talked to Sheku Kamara, Dean of Applied Research at Milwaukee School of Engineering and RAPID advisor, about careers, trends and challenges in AM. Q: How will AM experience and expertise weigh in careers going forward? A: I place job opportunities in additive manufacturing in two categories: Technical & Management. Think of the “Technical” side as skills having to do with operating systems; machines, interfaces. There is demand for this knowledge and experience – and there will always be. The growth of direct metal systems and large frame systems are among drivers of continuing – even expanding – need for this "Technical” track. In the “Management” track, I think of the skills, knowledge and ability to appropriately implement additive manufacturing into a specific organization, work area or process: knowing how to use the capabilities of additive manufacturing, how to fit those capabilities and match them to needs or opportunities for improvement in existing manufacturing processes and projects.

complexity and challenge with other associated additive manufacturing technologies. Consider hybrid machines: those machines that can perform additive steps and then, in the next step or pass, perform subtractive machining. I think this is the direction of metal machines – the hybrid. The rapid building of a part or component, coupled with the accuracy and surface finishing of subtractive technologies – you’re using the hybrid to produce end-use parts. Q: Are there other developments that you’re watching? A: I’m so very intrigued and excited about direct-write systems – these applications create electrical circuit boards from ground up – applying different materials to create the structure and at the same time, applying conductive material where needed to create the circuit – all in a single machine.

Q: What are the biggest challenges for companies that are looking to adopt 3D printing technology? A: I think there are several challenges in different areas. Q: It’s clear that a high level of Really, it comes down to that knowledge and skill is critical. “Management” ability I mentioned What’s at stake when dealing with a earlier, because the direction of still-developing technology? the technology and its evolving, A: The last thing you want (and dynamic state now requires it. I’m it’s something that has certainly not really talking about polymer happened) is the inappropriate machines; polymer machines are placement or flawed integration of accessible; so common really an additive manufacturing machine because they’ve become relatively or system into an existing operation: simple. Compare them to metal when it’s used incorrectly it disrupts systems and know that the ratio is the operation, and, importantly, probably a few thousand polymer creates disappointment, distrust, machines for every metal system. rejection of the technology. An The higher relative cost of metal operation that could have benefited machines certainly has something instead rejects the technology and to do with that, but metal also brings never knows the advantages or a new level of technical demands. efficiencies that could have been Knowledge and experience with attained. divers key metals and metallurgy; more experience and expertise in Q: What are the most interesting material science and mechanical technology trends you’re seeing in properties. And, has been noted in AM? research, the need for awareness A: Even after all these years of safe application, installation and (and really, polymer additive use. Air quality and filtering, fire/ manufacturing or printing has explosion precautions, heat transfer been around at some level for and more – it’s really a whole new over 27 years) there is continued and different level. evolution and refinement and new direction. And while many of For more information those systems are getting close to “push the button” operation, there visit www.rapid3devent.com is increasing – and interesting –

MARCH 2016 www.tctmagazine.com

029

Redefine your design

Bracket for a satellite produced on a Renishaw AM250

Explore the potential of additive manufacturing Renishaw’s additive manufacturing systems use powder bed fusion technology to produce fully dense complex metal parts direct from 3D CAD. Also known as 3D printing, this technology is not constrained by traditional manufacturing design rules. Create complex geometries such as conformal cooling

channels for tooling inserts, reduce component weight by only placing material where it is needed, and consolidate multiple parts in one assembly. Additive manufacturing is also complementary to conventional machining technologies, and directly contributes to reduced lead times, tooling costs and material waste.

■

No requirement for tooling.

■

Increased design freedom—complex geometries and hidden features.

■

Rapid design iterations right up to manufacture.

Renishaw.com/additive

Renishaw Inc Hoffman Estates, IL www.renishaw.com

Additive TCT 12_15.indd 1

10/27/15 5:11 PM

3DS ACCELERATING 3D TECHNOLOGIES

30 years ago Chuck Hull invented stereolithography (SLA) and with that came the industry that our magazine is entirely dedicated to, 3D printing.

Return of the King? W OR DS : DA N IE L O’ C ON NOR

At CES 2016 Chuck’s legacy filled the entire marketplace but you’d be hugely mistaken if you think that doesn’t mean the great man and his company are not still innovating at the top of their game. At the Las Vegas event, Todd Grimm pointed me towards something on the 3D Systems stand that he said may go unseen by the passing public, in fact one person in the industry I spoke to thought it was merely an application demonstration. On the contrary the SLA Bot-1 might just be the most revolutionary thing out of 3D Systems since the SLA 1, released 30 years ago. “This (The SLA Bot-1) is really just a demo of some new technology we’ve got coming,” explained Scott Turner, Sr. Researcher at 3D Systems “What we have underneath is what we’re calling codename: Figure 4. If you look at Chuck Hull’s original patent it had an image of how to do stereolithography upside down printing through a membrane, that’s what this machine is doing at really high speeds.” That membrane Scott mentions is key to fast SLA 3D printing, fast is all the rage at the minute what with Carbon and companies like Newpro 3D (who both use DLP technology) and both use a sort of membrane in order to speed up that process. The SLA Bot-1 or Figure 4 is forming shapes in front of my eyes as Scott talks me through the process, the torso model in the above picture took 24 minutes to print, and yes I said minutes.

“The Figure 4 is a real highspeed stereolithography process the reason we want to do that is we can get into hybrid materials. Those hybrid materials can have multi-mode polymerisation so we can have elastomerics, we can have toughened parts because we can use other energy sources to do secondary polymerisation,” says Scott. It is clear that Chuck is still very active at 3D Systems and I believe that he has been a huge part of this new innovation. It was interesting to see Chuck watching on at the TCT 3D Printing Conference at CES as companies like Voxel8, Carbon 3D and HP discussed how they’re going to revolutionize the industry when he knows full well that he has already done it once and might have something up his sleeve to do it again. The SLA B o t - 1 concept is a work

The SLA Bot-1 concept is a work in progress, not a finished product so as yet there’s no release dates.

in progress, not a finished product so as yet there’s no release dates. “We’re working with some key customers in particular verticals to kind of map out the exact specifics of how we make it readily available but the materials is the really interesting part. “We want to show is that it



RIGHT: The SLA bot-1 in action at CES 2016

is not a machine,” says Scott. “It is a module that you can integrate into your particular manufacturing environment. Here we’re demonstrating it with a six-axis off the shelf robotic arm and not only is the robotic arm picking up parts when they’re done, relocating them, it is actually part of the building process lifting up the tray as the imager is firing and creating the object." 2015 was a tough year for 3D Systems falling stock prices, a departing CEO and the ceasing production on a range of other machinery but if the SLA Bot-1 is anything to go by 2016 is going to be an exciting year indeed. 

LEFT: Part produced in

rapid time

MARCH 2016 www.tctmagazine.com

031

NEWPRO3D ACCELERATING 3D TECHNOLOGIES

The Game Changer is Time

WOR D S : L A U R A G R I F F I T HS

March, Joseph DeSimone, announced that in just 12 months, Carbon3D would release its CLIP technology with speeds up to 100 times faster than current 3D printing methods as a full product. Since then the 3D printing world has been engrossed by the idea of a technology that could completely change the game in terms of speed and efficiency but in that time, another name has quietly entered the race to the title of ‘fastest 3D printing technology’, Canada-based startup NewPro3D. But unlike Carbon, there was no TED Talk, millions of YouTube views or Terminator comparisons to bring the industry to the attention of a company that believes it’s taken the lead on speed. Instead, a modest stand in the middle of the CES 3D Printing Marketplace and a sign that simply but boldly stated: “World’s fastest 3D printer”. It’s easy to brush off a “world first” in this industry where every technology is just that one extra word away from the perfect marketing opportunity and you would have been forgiven for walking by and thinking exactly that. However, the difference here is that NewPro3D’s machine was there, printing large, complex lattices to completion in minutes and doing so right in ast

front of your eyes. “We are really a research and development company, frustrated by the time it took to 3D print,” Diego Castanon Seoane, founder of NewPro3D, explained. “We ended up developing a 3D printer so now we are a 3D printing company.” After spending two years in R&D, NewPro3D believe they have come up with a technology that has “revolutionized the speed of 3D printing”. Similar to DLP, Intelligent Liquid Interface (ILI) technology is a resin-based method that integrates a transparent membrane between the curing resin and the light source, which is designed to create a “dead zone”. This eliminates the mechanical repositioning used on similar processes and instead allows the object to grow at record speed.

Today we are the fastest but to keep that we need to keep working.

NewPro3D says the technology is neither size nor geometrically limited with an object as big as 25 feet long not out of the realms of possibility – a prototype of this size is currently underway. Promising that this machine is designed for “so much more” than prototyping, the Vancouver-based company says this technology has the potential to speed up manufacturing in industries like dental, medical and jewellery where a ring cast can be printed in just under a minute. What may come as a surprise is that the team at NewPro3D have no desire to be a 3D printing company. They are inventors first and foremost and right now the idea is to seek potential licensing opportunities rather than manufacture the machines themselves. The company is apparently already in active talks with various blue chip companies to do just that. “We’re open to all business opportunities,” Nick Findler, Marketing Manager at NewPro3D. “We want to look at all licencing and other opportunities that come our way and our ears are definitely open. We’ve only been around for two years now but the sky is really the limit with us.” Despite it’s presence at a consumer event, NewPro3D insists that this technology is for more than just the garage tinkerers - though judging by the “Take my money please!” comments on YouTube, they’ve already got a captive audience. They believe the real value of this technology is in industrial sectors such as aerospace and automotive where 3D printing acts as a much faster and viable alternative to traditional processes like injection moulding. “Mass production is going to change, it’s already changing but the game changer is time,” Diego, commented. “You can’t take 18 hours to print an object. So we’re bringing that to the table … I understand that today we are the fastest but to keep that we need to keep working. There’s always going to be somebody that’s going to beat you.” That is why they’re not stopping with resins and are in fact already moving onto their next venture - building the world’s fastest metal 3D printer. With metal 3D printing in a whole other league to their current technology, it will certainly be interesting to see what the team at NewPro3D come up with and how its challengers to the speed-crown respond. 

MARCH 2016 www.tctmagazine.com

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VIDEO GAMES

REVERSE ENGINEERING THE GRAPHICS PIPELINE

D We were always looking to print in-game creations out and realized that that was a problem that hadn’t been solved.

W O R D S : DA N I E L O ’C O N N O R

flash of curiosity and potential entrepreneurship last year I pondered what a good idea it would be to take the architectural stadium models from thesoccer-based video game FIFA and 3D print them. The in-game stadia are generated using sophisticated 3D scanning software and then rendered into the parameters of the game. How difficult could it be to 3D print them? Well, too difficult is the answer to that question. Although the stadia may be beautifully rendered and the software to export them into Blender is straightforward turning those into anything near a printable model proved impossible for a layman 3D modeler such as myself. The idea was benched. In January 2016 a UK-based company sealed a six-figure investment round in order to bring to market its software that specialises in bringing virtual content to life through 3D printing. Whispering Gibbon is the brainwave of CEO Joe Stevens and his team and it all started with gaming. “We’ve worked for some of the industry’s biggest companies so our background is very game orientated,” explained Stevens. “We were always looking to print in-game creations out and realized that that was a problem that hadn’t been solved. Because 3D printing has been around for so long we assumed that there would be a method to pick up any 3D content and print it out.” The Whispering Gibbon team boasts 60 years of building the engines that games are built upon, they began to create games that would allow users to generate 3D content and then the software on top of it to extract that model into a watertight printable file. uring a brief

“One of the games we worked on was a virtual bonsai tree,” said Stevens. “You plant the seed and it grew in 3D, each person’s tree was unique depending on the way you kept it, bent the branches, chop the branches and you were then able to get a 3D printable model for your creation.” This “reverse engineering of the graphics pipeline,” as Joe Stevens describes it, might well have become Whispering Gibbon’s Post-it note moment. Famously 3M scientist Dr Spencer Silver was attempting to create a super strong adhesive and instead invented a low tack substance that left no marks on the surface when removed, it went on to form the basis of one of the most popular stationery items in the world. By cracking the niche subject of grabbing 3D content from games with their software, RenderFab, the team may have solved a wider 3D printing problem. “The starting point was to develop a piece of software which would enable you to grab any 3D content that had been optimised to be displayed on screen and 3D print it,” detailed the CEO. “Primarily this was for gaming but game content is actually the most difficult to grab because within a game so much of what you see on screen is faked. Once you’ve cracked that then it becomes pretty trivial to do the same for an architectural model and other CAD data.” The power of RenderFab has proved quite the draw for Whispering Gibbon, not only has the company had the aforementioned funding from Northstar Ventures and been voted into the prestigious Develop100 game developers 'Ones to Watch' list but it is also attracting attention from outside companies looking to use this piece of software, which was developed for in-house use, to extract 3D content for industrial means. Despite that interest it is gaming that remains at the heart of the company and it would seem my entrepreneurial hunch may have been a viable business after all… “We did a careers day at a school recently the thing the kids wanted to recreate the most was goals in FIFA. They wanted to capture a 3D print of them scoring a specific goal against their mate, I thought it was going to be more traditional user generated content like Minecraft but really they wanted to print that experience they’d created and shared with somebody else.”  MARCH 2016 www.tctmagazine.com

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STRATASYS ACCELERATING 3D TECHNOLOGIES

Communicating Color WOR D S : LAUR A G R IFFIT H S

ull-color is a big deal in 3D printing. With so many companies claiming to offer the ‘holy grail’ for certain industry sectors and the emergence of machines that can actually live up to those claims – the Mcor Iris is still the only machine on the market that offers the complete ICC color map - the need for solid foundations to leverage the full potential from this color spectrum, has never been more prevalent. At the recent, SolidWorks World event in Dallas, the color issue was spotlighted once more when Stratasys solidified its commitment with software giant, Adobe, to streamline the design-to-print process. The missing piece of the puzzle is Stratasys Creative Colors Software, designed to form a bridge between Photoshop CC’s full color engine and the company’s new enhanced Objet 500 Connex3 multi-material, multicolor 3D printer - currently the only 3D printer series that benefits from Adobe Color Management.

Whilst color is a major part of this, perhaps the most important development to come out of this collaboration is the ability to export designs using a standard PDF format. Designers can transfer their work as a 3D PDF file – a format which has already been in existence for almost a decade - whilst maintaining all of the correct color information and eliminating any issues before going to print – the

ultimate goal being the ability to use a simple “Ctrl + P” command to send a file straight to a 3D printer. The PDF first came about in 1993 and since then it has remained the standard file format for exchanging documents. The beauty of a PDF document is that the digital version looks just like it would if printed and can be viewed by anyone with standard reader software. Sharing files this way means that 3D images can be sent as easily as a regular document and errors can be detected and repaired in Photoshop before the file is sent for printing. It removes the need to have a proprietary 3D format viewer on the user’s desk whilst large files can be transported without losing data and encrypted for security, a huge bonus for protecting intellectual property.

We first saw the first seeds of this planted in 3D printing back in 2014 when Stratasys displayed its collaboration with Adobe in a number of examples that showed how we can pick and choose where we place color in a design down to very fine details. Back then, Mike Scrutton, Product Development Manager for Adobe, explained how the company wanted to take the same level of sophistication and simplicity that we take as a given in the 2D world, into the 3D space - “We take 3D printing in full color for granted, but color in 3D printing is still somewhat of a novelty.” So Adobe set itself the challenge of solving the same problems with 3D printing that were first tackled in 2D in the early 80s. The recent announcement signals the first time Photoshop CC users can send colorful 3D files directly to Stratasys Direct Manufacturing to have their designs printed. Designers can create and print models that combine multiple gradient colors and material properties within Stratasys’ new expanded color range. Using Stratasys Creative Colors Software, powered by the Adobe 3D Color Print Engine, designers can leverage vibrant palettes with an expanded color spectrum, improved textures and patterns support, and accurate color previews. It also features a streamlined and simplified design-to-3D print workflow, which can be used with local Objet Connex3 systems as well as with the Stratasys Direct Manufacturing parts-on-demand service. The direct Adobe-Stratasys Direct Manufacturing 3D printing experience incorporates soft proofing, geometry fixing and print price quoting. Hailed by Adobe as “a true game-changer for the creative design industry”, this new software solution is the first of its kind to deliver a fully color managed workflow from design-to-print and represents a significant milestone in improved accessibility and color possibilities.  MARCH 2016 www.tctmagazine.com

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REVERSE ENGINEERING

W O R D S : dA N I E L O "C O N N O R

hen the term

reverse engineering crops up, one tends to think of legacy components for automotive, aerospace, or oil & gas applications that require bleeding-edge technology for the most accurate results but there is a new wave of users who require just the principles of the technology for creative pursuits. One such pursuit was for authenticity by movie director, J.J. Abrams in making the most successful movie of all time, Star Wars: The Force Awakens. Though Abrams had the world’s most advanced graphics technology at his fingertips, he was interested in reconnecting with the original trilogy of the 70s and 80s by using the techniques and people that made those movies some of the most beloved in history.

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MARCH 2016 www.tctmagazine.com

The general consensus about the prequel trilogy decades later was that it was over reliant on CGI and lacked the heft of the physical special FX created by using puppetry, make-up and stopmotion animation. In order to seem like a continuation of the original treasured trilogy Abrams didn’t just pick up with the old cast but a lot of the old crew too, especially for visual effects. Phil Tippett is something of a legend when it comes to physical special effects, his work on the original Star Wars trilogy won him and his studio accolades and contracts for years to come. Abrams particularly loved a scene from the first Star Wars in which Chewbacca plays a game called Dejarik – a sort of holographic chess – on board the Millennium Falcon that Tippett and co had created using stopmotion animation and puppetry. Many of the original puppets have since disappeared and creating them from scratch again would have involved painstaking handcraft copying of stills had a spot of hoarding and

some hi-tech not come to hand. Tippett Studio contacted the Lucasfilm archive to see if any of the original puppets remained, they managed to track down a gift consisting of four Dejarik characters mounted to a plaque that was presented to George Lucas after the success of Star Wars: A New Hope. Although George had kept the characters the rubber had disintegrated to the point were they were unusable so the team turned to the principles of reverse engineering. Instead of hiring expensive scanning

REVERSE ENGINEERING ACCELERATING 3D TECHNOLOGIES

equipment for precise results the team were more interested in simply the shape and for this a simple DSLR camera and photogrammetry was enough to create a workable digital model. It was at this point the team turned to San Francisco-based 3D printing service Moddler, who have plenty experience in the creation of Visual FX for Hollywood. “Tippett Studio got in touch will us in May of 2014, about 2 years prior to the release of The Force Awakens” Jared Murnan, Rapid Prototyping Manager tells TCT. “They had determined the optimal way to go about recreating the Holochess scene was by scanning, 3D printing, molding and finally casting.” Although the reverse engineering represents a tiny step of the painstaking process of stop-motion animation for a relatively tiny scene of nostalgia in the new Star Wars movie, it was essential in recreating that authenticity to which Abrams strived. Whether it is creating thousands of faces for the Oscar nominated stop-motion animation Anomalisa, the suit for Iron Man or a simple prop in thousands of movies 3D scanning and 3D printing have become essential; parts of the movie making business and Hollywood is waking up to the potential of reverse engineering in a big way.

Whether it is creating thousands of faces for the Oscar nominated stop-motion animation Anomalisa, the suit for Iron Man or a simple prop in thousands of movies 3D scanning and 3D printing have become essential.

Recently during a visit to a UK design agency I was allowed to briefly catch a glimpse of some top-secret prop work for an upcoming blockbuster. Although the information is under embargo what I can say is the lengths that were taken for this single prop were quite spectacular, it involved scanning a prehistoric fossil, applying that fossil’s texture to a 3D printable material designed specifically and handcrafting the shape to wrap this rubber like material around. All for one prop. “The props industry is absolutely in a state of change due to 3D printing,” says Moddler’s Jared Munan. “Garage hobbyists, costume designers, VFX houses and world-famous prop masters are implementing 3D into their process. It speeds up the entire workflow significantly and the more 3D printing becomes accessible the more people use it. “Polyjet technology, like we use at Moddler, is especially great for props as it seamlessly snap fits, sands well, takes paint well, it's easy to glue, and most importantly it is fast, has a large build bed and the high surface resolution is undeniable. For prop makers and product designers, The hard part is getting the CAD file, once you have that, printing is easy and will get you 90% of the way to a finished prototype or master for mold making.”

MARCH 2016 www.tctmagazine.com

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US MAP ACCELERATING 3D TECHNOLOGIES