TCT Europe 20.4 by TCT Magazine

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TCT LIVE

AUG 12 JUNE 12

PREVIEW ISSUE

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Print IT 3D: What a difference 20 years makes..... The TCT TOP 5 Most Influential Talk Back Through The Doors: IPF Limited TCT Live 2012 Preview leading product development and additive manufacturing since 1992 tct 20/2

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Volume 20/Issue 4 www.tctmagazine.com

EDITORIAL Group Editor James Woodcock E: james@rapidnews.com T: + 44 (0) 1829 770037 Editorial Assistant Kay Roberts E: kay.roberts@rapidnews.com T: + 44 (0) 1829 770037

EDITORIAL ADVISORY BOARD Todd Grimm, T.A. Grimm & Associates, Inc. Jeremy Pullin, Renishaw PLC Dr Joel Segal, Nottingham University Graham Tromans, G. P. Tromans Associates Terry Wohlers, Wohlers Associates Dan Johns, Bloodhound SSC

SALES Group Advertising Manager Carol Hardy E: carol@rapidnews.com T: + 44 (0) 1829 770037

ART Production & Design Manager Sam Hamlyn E: sam@rapidnews.com T: + 44 (0) 1829 770037 Graphic Designer Adrian Price E: adrian@rapidnews.com T: + 44 (0) 1829 770037

PUBLISHER Duncan Wood E: duncan@rapidnews.com T: + 44 (0) 7798 844259

C.E.O. Mark Blezard E: mark@rapidnews.com T: + 44 (0) 1829 770037

The TCT Magazine is published bi-monthly by Rapid News Publications Ltd Unit 2, Chowley Court, Chowley Oak Lane, Tattenhall, CH3 9GA, UK. Telephone: + 44 (0) 1829 770037 Fax: + 44 (0) 1829 770047 © 2012 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. ISSN 1751-0333

The TCT Magazine is endorsed by the following organisations as a leading resource for information on Rapid Product Development and Additive Manufacturing technologies.

AMUG

The Global Alliance of Rapid Prototyping Associations

The Additive Manufacturing Association

Medilink WM

Member of Gauge and Toolmakers Association

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AUG 12

!From The Editor

Show & Tell

Firstly rapid news communications group has launched the MediPlas show, which works in tandem with Medical Plastics News (MPN) magazine. As the name suggests the show will feature medical plastics, a fast-moving sub-sector for of the larger medical devices industry. Of equal â&#x20AC;&#x201D; if not slightly greater excitement to me â&#x20AC;&#x201D; is the launch of the Personalize Pavilion as part of TCT Live. This area is dedicated to the makers and consumers who would like to see 3D printing in action and features companies such as MakieLab, UltiMaking, Makerbot, MiiCraft and many more. As is befitting such a major event, 16 pages of this issue are dedicated to highlighting the companies, machinery, services and materials on show at TCT Live and the Personalize Pavilion. In this preview will you also find lists of the speakers for the seminar and

conference programme, which this year features keynote speakers Phill Dickens from the University of Loughborough and Todd Grimm from T A Grimm associates. Elsewhere in the magazine we hear from the Top 5 nominations from the TCT Top 20 Most Influential in AM and 3D Printing. Charles Clarke takes a look at Wolfram's SytemModeler software that is used to model larger scale interconnected and complex projects. We also take a look at the developments in the world of metals additive manufacturing including Fabrisonic and its Ultrasonic Additive Manufacturing system, the new look ExOne company and its MIT-derived inkjet printing, and more. I hope many of you plan to attend TCT Live 2012 and its seminar sessions and conference. Entry is free, as is parking and even Wi-Fi. Register now on www.TCTshow.com. Jim Woodcock Group Editor james@rapidnews.com

FROM THE EDITOR

It is difficult to believe that it's already time to preview TCT Live 2012. Last year's TCT Live was co-located with Interplas, the largest plastic processing show in the UK, and saw an unprecedented 5000 visitors through the doors. In keeping with the theme co-located events 2012 sees two new exciting developments within the NEC, Birmingham.

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www.tctmagazine.com

TCT VOLUME 20 | 4

contents 01

For more detail, please see page 9.

05 12 6

editorial insight tct news and comment

feature:

through the doors:

Additive Manufacturing is a Poor Substitute Todd Grimm

Dan Johns, Bloodhound SSC

News for engineering, product development and manufacturing

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What do the TCT Top 5 Most Influential think about 3D printers in homes? About current innovation? About tomorrow’s 3D world?

IPF Limited, UK We took a drive down to visit IPF Limited at the company’s Essex, UK, HQ. What’s inside that grey box?

column: $6m may not get you a Steve Austin... but the technology sure is close!

25 Top 5 Highlights

Print It 3D, resellers for 3D Systems, have been instrumental in developing models and prototypes for the next installment of James Bond films, SKYFALL. Here the company charts how things have changed in the last 20 years, leading to this point.

column:

column Bloodhound

column Todd Grimm

on the cover:

12 tct news and comment

cover star Lead News

editorial insight

on the cover

feature: Printoptical Technology from LUXeXcel Named as one of Terry Wohlers’ emerging additive manufacturing technologies in the 2012 Wohlers’ Report, this inkjet-based 3D printing solution offers some novel properties and applications.

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leading product development and additive manufacturing since 1992

virtual prototyping feature: Case studies from Pi-Vr and Autodesk showcasing the state-ofthe-art in virtual prototyping

AM in Metals A look at some of the develops in the increasingly important metals processing capabilities of AM.

78 Long term Data Archiving

74 New Business Models for AM

feature:

Wolfram SystemModeler Charles Clarke examines Wolfram Research’s powerful systems modelling suite.

16 pages of information on the upcoming TCT Live event at Birmingham’s NEC this September.

feature:

68 Virtual Prototyping

Preview

Information from the exhibitors, speakers, keynotes and organisers has been brought together to form an indispensible guide to the must-visit show of the year — including information on the Personalize Pavilion and co-located events.

Wolfram SystemModeler

35 TCT Live

52 AM in Metals

Printoptical Technology

Through The Doors

TCT Live 2012 Preview

29 32

feature: New business models for AM Berenschot’s Onno Ponfoort takes a look at some new business models for AM, with focus on the Direct Spares trial, and its implications on other aspects of manufacturing.

feature: Long Term Data Archiving The next installment from Theorem Solutions, exploring the challenges and solutions associated with protecting your data today, and for the future.

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!Cover Star What a difference 20 years makes.....

Today, most of us know that this product design revolution — additive manufacturing or 3D printing — started over 20 years ago, but it was slow to take hold because only the largest enterprises could take advantage of its power and promise. It was costly and complex and there was a scarcity of vital capital to fund the pioneering companies on the bleeding edge of what was perceived as a risky, niche market opportunity. Fast forward to 2012 and all of that has changed, with medical prosthetics, car parts and unmanned drones to iPhone cases just a few examples of the tangible items that manufacturers large and small are making with 3D printing technology. So what really changed? What was the tipping point? UK-based companies like Print IT 3D believe that a great deal has changed — particularly as relates to price, performance and proximity — and they suggest that we have just begun to leverage the capabilities of 3D printing in commercial, healthcare and educational applications. The era of the office began approximately 8-10 years ago when the acquisition price of 3D printing technology dropped below £60K ($100k,€80k), the footprint evolved to a console or desktop form factor and the system no longer required a dedicated operator. With price and performance, 3D Systems recognised that to cover the global market potential they needed the benefit of a reseller channel, so the third leg of the stool was established. Value-added resellers and distributors of CAD/CAM software, metrology and other related systems launched the next major growth phase of 3D printing.

Print IT 3D, based just outside Bridgend in south Wales, represents a number of different technologies when it comes to 3D printing. With years of experience they have found that no single solution offers the answer to every product design or development challenge. There is a complete imagination-to-production cycle with numerous steps and stages where 3D printing brings substantial value in compressing time and reducing wasted resources — financial and human. In the ideation step, a client benefits from concept models to help them iterate and gain consensus on a proof of concept. Depending upon the size and sophistication of the company or institution it is important to offer a couple of options to create that first concept model. In education or for an entrepreneur cost may be one of the most important factors. Plastic Jet Printing with a RapMan kit or the beautifully evolved 3DTouch provides a durable, colour model at a very reasonable cost. If a smoother surface finish is desired then a desktop solution like the ProJet 1000 or ProJet 1500 with a choice of colours may be the better alternative. There is also a monochrome Zprinting option and all will deliver an affordable initial concept model.

COVER STAR

UK-based 3D printing supplier disrupts the design to manufacturing paradigm and unleashes creativity

If the company demands a realistic model in the inspiration phase there is nothing more powerful than full colour 3D printing to express every nuance of the concept and allow everyone to ‘see’ the idea come to life. Zprinting is currently the only commercially available alternative, with access to a full spectrum colour pallet of over 390,000 shades. This solution is now being adopted for applications as diverse as shoe and apparel design, architectural modelling, new consumer electronics products, the arts and entertainment categories.

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!Cover Star

One-third scale Aston Martin DB5 courtesy of Propshop Modelmakers

Next the product development stage moves to prototyping which usually includes the requirement for functional models along with form and fit parts. And again the purpose or use of the model should dictate the appropriate technology and material. In this case the Print IT 3D portfolio features 3D Systems’ ProJet 3500 series with its unparalleled high-resolution detail, durability and surface finish quality, plus the ability to produce not only functional prototypes in plastic, but also precision wax patterns for investment and micro casting applications. The next step will be the production or manufacturing process of the final product. At this phase the need for 3D printing continues with the ability to develop tooling and moulds for the manufacturing line or produce the actual end use object or product. The choice is completely up to the client with a range of options that include some of the printers we have already covered and move into the realm of production systems like Stereolithography, Selective Laser Sintering and others.

At the other end of the spectrum, this May, 3D Systems opened up this world of creation to everyday consumers with the Cube, a personal 3D printer that the company promises even an 8-year-old can master. This $1299 USD desktop printer pulls heated plastic material from a singlecolour cartridge, then applies layer upon layer with a jet print nozzle to create a tangible item. While this printer will not be sold by local reseller partners it does complement and amplify their efforts by converting more fans. Kids who discover 3D printing at home and in school will go into the workplace and expect it, and parents who are exposed to it in the workplace will bring it home. 3D printing tipping point or not,there are exciting new applications emerging everyday that enhance our lives and entertain us as well. ... Just this August a new stop motion movie – ParaNorman – made amazing use of full colour 3D printing technology to design and create hundreds of puppets for this engaging feature film.

The growth of end-use manufacturing applications is accelerating with emphasis in several categories that affect the consumer and the industrial complex. Today there is an explosion in custom consumer products from lighting, furniture and accessories for the home to jewellery and other wearables for the individual. A growing number of global companies and governmental agencies are beginning to re-localise manufacturing for core applications in transportation, aerospace and defence.

And for the broad audience of movie goers it doesn’t get any better than seeing 3D printing put to work to create amazing vehicles and other cool devices of the future for our favourite movie heroes, like 007. As you will see in some of these fantastic images 3D printing was used to recreate a third scale model of the Aston Martin DB5 built by Propshop Modelmakers, in conjunction with Print IT 3D, this DB5 will be featuring in the latest James Bond instalment, SKYFALL.

Another great example is medical and other healthcare applications. Prosthetics, orthopaedics, dental restorations, hearing aids — anything related to the body is organically shaped and customised per the individual, so there is enormous opportunity. Computer-aided surgery, for example — planning surgical procedures based on skin data, etc. — is a fascinating and growing field. Some companies and institutions are even doing research on how to print body parts, replicating everything from bones to organs to tissues. This is a field that’s ripe for growth, and where 3D Systems will continue to innovate.

Yes, over the past 20 years 3D printing has improved our lives in so many ways, including arts, gaming and entertainment. It would appear that the only real barrier to reaching that tipping point or arriving at the final frontier is the limits of our imagination! www.printIT-3D.com www.propshop-uk.com www.3dsystems.com

The technology barriers have largely been broken down — almost eliminated over the years — with the exciting potential of a variety of new and emerging applications incenting the inventors to be continuous innovators and users across the spectrum of industries or institutions demanding even more functionality from the solutions.

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!News !GEOMAGIC RELEASES NEW FREEFORM AND CLAYTOOLS 3D MODELLING SOFTWARE Geomagic has released two new versions of software from its Sensable Group’s 3D modelling product lines – Freeform v12 SP2 and Claytools v4. These new releases are the first since Geomagic’s April 2012 acquisition of Sensable Technologies, Inc., and the Freeform Plus release is the first instance of incorporating Geomagic technology into a Sensable 3D modelling product.

Freeform v12 SP2 is an update release to v12 which shipped earlier this year with key features and usability enhancements that allow customers to reportedly save significant time and effort when designing highly detailed and complex organic models. It adds support for 3D Connexion’s SpacePilot Pro and SpaceMouse Pro, which can be used in addition to Sensable’s force feedback haptic device, to allow for enhanced 3D manipulation. Additionally, Freeform Plus users now have advanced auto-surfacing capabilities, incorporated from Geomagic Studio. Autosurfacing is used to convert Freeform’s voxel or polygonal models into solid and surface models, so they can be imported into traditional CAD engineering programs such as Dassault’s SolidWorks, PTC’s Creo, or into CAM products for tool path generation. "I am impressed with the way that Geomagic’s surfacing capabilities are now incorporated into Freeform Plus," said Nancy Hairston, Principal of SculptCAD in Dallas, Texas. "This combines the industry’s best surfacing product with the world’s best organic sculpting product.” Comment: TCT caught up with Ping Fu, Geomagic’s larger-than-life founder and CEO, at the RAPID 2012 event in Atlanta. Fully kitted out with 3D printed earings, necklace, watch and shoes (with in-built iPhone holder of course), it is obvious that Ping is a dedicated evangelist for all things 3D. Since founding Geomagic it has become a powerhouse of 3D digital design, manipulation and output software. The purchase of Sensable makes perfect sense for both companies — having spoken with employees on both sides the company cultures seem to be anear-perfect fit, something of a rare occurrence within this industry. During our conversation Ping explained how she sees content creation moving away from the mouse, keyboard and touchscreens of present towards a more immersive haptic and free-space experience. The likes of Microsoft’s Xbox Kinect demonstrate how gestures in a 3D space can be interpretted as meaningful inputs with an (outwardly) simple bit of kit. Having witnessed the enthusiasm and ambition at first hand, I for one am excited to see where Ping and Geomagic can take this technology. Geomagic www.geomagic.com

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!News

ORNL purchased its first Arcam EBM system in 2009. Since that time ORNL and Arcam have worked together to create opportunities for US industry to adopt Arcam’s EBM technology to meet emerging advanced manufacturing challenges. Under a newly installed Cooperative Research and Development Agreement Arcam and ORNL will deepen their collaboration to advance Arcam’s unique technology to bring even greater advanced manufacturing benefit

!AUTODESK ANNOUNCE THAT INVENTOR FUSION IS NOW AVAILABLE IN APPLE’S APP STORE According to Robert “Buzz” Kross, Senior Vice President, Design, Lifecycle and Simulation at Autodesk: “Autodesk’s direct modeling technology changed the game in ease for use for 3D CAD design. With Autodesk Inventor Fusion for Mac, we are excited to bring the same disruptive innovation to users of Apple’s newest OS X Mountain Lion.” Autodesk Inventor Fusion’s key features include: 2D sketching — start designs by using simple 2D sketch tools and control sketches with dimensions. Users can generate multiple shapes fast with 2D layouts. Direct modelling — users can more easily push, pull and edit to reach the final desired result. Direct modelling helps users focus on the design task and not on complex modelling commands and dialogues. Autodesk Inventor Fusion technology is a history-free 3D design tool. Assembly design — Assemblies that mimic the real world make positioning and moving the design fast and predictable. Designing in context provides users with information to help make better design decisions. Flexible assembly structure ensures that users can make changes at any time.

to US industries. As part of this agreement Arcam intends to locate an application development center at ORNL to support US industry application development. Oak Ridge National Laboratory is a multiprogram science and technology laboratory managed for the U.S. Department of Energy by UT-Battelle, LLC. ORNL’s mission is to deliver scientific discoveries and technical breakthroughs that will accelerate the development and deployment of solutions in clean energy and global security, and in doing so create economic opportunity for the United States. ORNL’s scientific programs focus on materials, neutron science, energy, highperformance computing, systems biology and national security. ORNL has more than 800 ongoing industry partnerships, hosts more than 30,000 visitors annually, and is DOE’s premier energy and materials national laboratory.

Comment: Small companies offering high-technology often means slow uptakes, but initiatives like this continued cooperation agreement between Arcam and ORNL can really help bring the benefits of early-adoption to a larger section of industry. As is often the case, the first people to the table when new technology is on show is the military and government — if they like what they see it can mean development rates accelerate massively, with the benefits of that available to wider government and private business that much quicker. Arcam AB www.arcam.com

view designs on the go with Autodesk Viewers for iOS or WebGL-enabled browsers. Autodesk Inventor Fusion technology for Mac was created with Apple’s latest OS X in mind and takes advantage of new features in Mountain Lion. Autodesk Inventor Fusion for Mac additionally helps users leverage their 3D CAD modelling in ‘Full Screen’ to help maximise productivity and bring design to the forefront. The software is fully interoperable with AutoCAD and Autodesk Inventor Software and a variety of other Autodesk and third party CAD tools. Autodesk has also created a Wiki Help Site for Autodesk Inventor Fusion for Mac, designed to help users more effectively collaborate, troubleshoot and take advantage of this Maccompatible release. Users can add or edit Help information, while also sharing videos, best practices, tips and tricks, tutorials and more.

NEWS

!ARCAM AND OAK RIDGE NATIONAL LABORATORY SIGN COOPERATION AGREEMENT Arcam and Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL), Tennessee, US, have signed a cooperation agreement under which the parties will facilitate the introduction of Arcam’s EBM technology to US industry through a Manufacturing Demonstration Facility (MDF).

Autodesk Inventor Fusion for Mac is available as a free download, in English, in the Mac App Store. For more information and to download Autodesk Inventor Fusion for Mac, visit the Mac App Store. Autodesk www.autodesk.com

Real-Time Visualisation — beautiful 3D and fast real-time navigation make it easier to create and present designs. Cloud storage — store and share designs using Autodesk 360 collaboration service. Users can

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!News !HELMETS FOR BLOCKBUSTER FILM ‘PROMETHEUS’ PRODUCED BY CMA MOLDFORM CMA Moldform Ltd has revealed that they produced the clear, bubble-like helmets that were used in the filming of the latest blockbuster 'Prometheus', directed by Ridley Scott. Over the years, CMA has produced numerous special effects for many films including Bond movies and various TV and theatre productions. After some time in Research & Development to establish the correct resin for fully functional, optically clear helmets, CMA had to produce two types of helmet — some for long-term use and some that were capable of breaking during filming. The mould design

!DELCAM RATED WORLD'S LEADING CAM SOFTWARE SPECIALIST FOR 12TH YEAR The latest NC Software Market Analysis Report from leading US analysts CIMdata shows that, in 2011, Delcam again had the highest vendor revenues and received the highest end-user payments of all the CAMcentric companies. This means that the company has completed twelve years as the world's leading specialist supplier of CAM software and services, having first achieved its global leadership in 2000, despite a number of mergers and acquisitions that have created some larger competitors. Delcam also continued to increase its market share. The company’s share of total end-user expenditure grew from under 6.7% in 2010 to just over 7% in 2011. CIMdata predicts a

!POLYONE TO COLLABORATE WITH UNIVERSITY OF DAYTON RESEARCH INSTITUTE ON ADVANCED MATERIALS INNOVATION PROJECT PolyOne Corporation, global provider of specialised polymer materials, services and solutions, will participate in a three-year collaboration project with university and industry experts to develop advanced materials and production parts using AM.

The project is made possible through an Ohio Third Frontier grant of nearly $3 million to the University of Dayton Research Institute, which will collaborate with PolyOne and other companies to develop and produce polymer formulations that will be used in specialty applications for the aerospace and automotive industry. Other project participants include GE Aviation, Rapid Prototype & Manufacturing Inc. (RP+M) and Stratasys.

and material employed was also of significant importance to the successful results. In addition, the specifications called for high strength, minimal section thickness, to be lightweight and most importantly — to have maximum optical clarity for close-up camera shots. Peter Turnock, MD of CMA said: “Some of these helmets had to be capable of breaking or being smashed without harming the actor, and still be of high optical quality. These were produced from a "Smash" resin that had to be kept at a constant temperature to achieve the "breakaway" effects! We produced over one hundred optically clear helmets that were worn throughout the production.” CMA Moldform Ltd www.cmamoldform.co.uk

further increase in market share to around 7.5% for Delcam in 2012. The CIMdata report also confirmed that Delcam continues to employ by far the largest number of staff devoted to CAM software, with 629 staff. This total includes the largest development team in the industry, with 190 people working on the company’s manufacturing software. No other company employs more than 300 people for its CAM activities. Total end-user spending on NC software and services is estimated by CIMdata to have grown by 10.2% in 2011, reflecting the rebound in manufacturing in most regions of the global economy. This established a new record for the industry, slightly ahead of 2008 levels. CIMdata projects that the growth in

“We are honoured to be part of this collaborative project and provide our formulation expertise to develop these specialty applications,” said Dr. Christopher Murphy, Vice President, Research and Development, and Chief Innovation Officer, PolyOne Corporation. “We look forward to working with the other project participants in Ohio to bring these new innovations to market.” The Ohio Third Frontier is a technology-based economic development initiative that provides funding for open innovation, entrepreneurial support, value chain development, and expansion of a skilled talent pool that can support technology-based economic growth. Comment: Announcements about materials are, as we say in the UK, like buses: one waits hours for a bus to turn up, then two come at once! Although tct 20/4

manufacturing will accelerate further in 2012 and so estimates that end-user spending for NC software will increase by 12.2%. Delcam Chief Executive, Clive Martell, was delighted to see formal confirmation of his company’s continued leadership in the CAM software industry. “By employing the industry's largest development team, we can ensure that each of our programs is the most productive for each of the sectors in which we operate,” he claimed. “It also means that we can keep up with the rapid rate of development by the machine-tool companies and supply software that can program successfully the increasingly sophisticated machines now being produced.” Delcam www.delcam.com

this analogy may not equate to countries with more advanced public transport systems, I hope you get the point. PolyOne is an enormous company with 2011 revenues of $2.9 billion, and its involvement directly with the world of AM will certainly be welcomed. As AM develops it is likely that we will see plenty of large, established names looking for a slice of the pie, not just in materials but across the board. The investement and experience that comes with this will certainly be a good thing for the ‘fledgling’ technologies. PolyOne www.polyone.com

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!News

“Solid Composites has made a name for itself as a creative developer and supplier of thermoplastic powders for laser sintering and electrostatic coating, among other things, and is therefore the partner of choice for us when it comes to successfully marketing our TPU innovation,” explains Jürgen Hättig, TPU marketing specialist at Bayer MaterialScience.

!SOLIDSCAPE LAUNCHES 3ZPRO HIGH PRECISION 3D PRINTER Solidscape, Inc., manufacturer of high precision 3D printers for direct manufacturing applications, has launched the 3ZPRO 3D printer. Aiming for one-touch simplicity, the fully automated 3ZPRO printer brings the power of 3D high-precision printing to the office desktop and retail environments. Users of any technical level can now produce their own high-precision wax parts, ready for casting; an important consideration as the company's technology has found particular success with jewellers and artists. The intuitive touch screen utilises icons as a common language, and is the gateway to a powerful array of innovative features including self testing and auto-calibration functions, wireless connectivity and the ability to load and manage jobs from a remote desktop.

Until now, primarily soft, elastic materials and rigid thermoplastics, such as polyamide, were commercially available for selective laser sintering. “Our TPU products, with their high toughness, elasticity and strength, have now closed the gap between these material classes. And that opens the door to good application opportunities,” Hättig said. The first representative of the new class of TPUs is Desmosint X 92 A-1. One of its advantages is that the space in which the TPU is processed layer by layer must be maintained at a temperature of only 80 °C, in contrast to polyamide, for instance, which is processed at slightly below its melting temperature. “Because heating the processing space generates most of the total energy cost, this method results in significant savings on energy. And our TPU has only a very low tendency to warp, meaning the sintering process runs very stably. Lastly, the non-sintered powder does not age inside the processing space and therefore can be used for the next job, an enormous cost advantage compared to the classical laser sintering material PA12,” Hättig explains.

Comment: When it comes to materials, any new development is met with yelps of excitement across the industry. Materials continue to be one of the major stumbling blocks that AM faces in its journey to mainstream acceptance. The sight of a new player with a new material for laser sintering is very interesting indeed. If the reports are accurate, the new material could come at a very opportune time for users and bureaux struggling with ongoing supply chain issues for PA12. Likewise, the prospect of lower power consumption and better recyclability of non-sintered powder will have the bean-counters rubbing their hands. Bayer MaterialScience | Solid Composites GmbH www.materialscience.bayer.com | www.solidcomposites.de

Inc. “Operators only need to refill materials and replace the build plate, similar to what they already do with their [2D] home printer.” Solidscape is also introducing the next generation of what it says are stronger, more durable materials, 3ZMODEL and 3ZSUPPORT. These materials produce parts that are easier to work with, while retaining precision and characteristics required for investment casting. “Small to medium businesses can now become more profitable and compete effectively by efficiently producing parts in-house and having much greater control over their daily workflow," stated Esposito. “The 3ZPRO brings the power and promise of 3D direct manufacturing to nearly any business.”

NEWS

!NEW THERMOPLASTIC POLYURETHANES FOR LASER SINTERING Bayer MaterialScience and Solid Composites GmbH are partnering to develop thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU) powders for selective laser sintering. The start-up company based in Voerde, on the Lower Rhine, will be awarded a brand license to market the new high-tech materials under the name Desmosint. This opens the door to numerous potential applications, for instance in the automotive industry, in sports goods, robotics or aerospace engineering. Solid Composites is a spin-off of the Fraunhofer Institute for Environmental, Safety and Energy Technology (UMSICHT).

Solidscape www.solidscape.com

New, reportedly user-friendly software extends the 3ZPRO solution by enabling operators to select incremental printing options using a simple on-screen slider bar. Other software innovations provide much greater flexibility in scheduling, simplification of the work flow and remote management. “These enhancements are the direct result of feedback we receive from our loyal customers, and it will allow companies to become more self-sufficient in their direct manufacturing endeavors,” remarked Fabio Esposito, VP Worldwide Sales and Marketing, Solidscape,

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Additive Manufacturing is a Poor Substitute WORDS | TODD GRIMM @ T.A. GRIMM & ASSOCIATES, INC

accuracy, repeatability, surface finish, feature detail and material properties. But it’s not, so we continue to use the tried and true solutions.

As long as we evaluate AM against the performance standards of machining, moulding, casting and forming operations, it will continue on a path of good but only moderate growth. Additionally, without breaking free of predetermined constraints, the unique advantages of AM will be undermined, overshadowed and unrealised. A better alternative is to change the game, change the rules or change the objectives. This will create more opportunity to apply AM and allow its unique characteristics to produce amazing results. Phenomenal growth for AM, especially as a production process, will occur only after industry stops trying to replicate what is already possible.

With this mentality, AM is competing in a game with the odds stacked against it. The requirements fitting for conventional methods become artificial constraints. Those requirements place value on what is already possible while ignoring what AM does differently. AM can only excel when priority is placed on the unique qualities. AM excels when it makes that which was previously impractical or impossible both feasible and realistic. For example, in functional prototyping applications, AM does not fare well when a key requirement is matching the material properties of the final product. Yet, simply adjust the goals to include rapid evaluation of functionality — with no concern for complex geometry —with approximate properties, and AM becomes the tool of choice.

Better, Cheaper or Faster If faster where enough to warrant a substitution for machining or moulding, AM would have displaced these processes long ago for the production of prototypes. The combination of faster and cheaper has fared only marginally better.

Allowing for trial and error during functional evaluation changes the game. With AM, early designs may be simultaneously reviewed for form, fit and function with the expectation that the design will be altered along the way. Its speed, ease and efficiency make iterations in all three areas possible. Rather than hoping that the investment in conventionally made functional prototype pays off the first time, designers have the luxury of a review followed by change, all the while meeting aggressive schedules.

Why? Because “better” is the missing link. As a substitute, AM would have to be as good or better within the established quality standards of

The personal, office-based 3D printer is another example of changing the game and writing new rules. The concept of self-serve model making,

GRIMM COLUMN

When the rules, requirements and expectations are unchanged, additive manufacturing (AM) is a poor substitute for established processes. Yes, there are many advantages, but they are easily overshadowed by the apparent limitations when evaluated as a direct replacement for something that already yields good results.

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with no apprenticeship required, is revolutionary. In this capacity, AM cannot be a substitute because no other technology can perform in this way. It is no longer a question of being better, faster or cheaper. It is the best, fastest and cheapest option because no other alternatives exist. Materials are an Advantage When it is evaluated as a substitute, the most glaring disadvantage of AM is materials. For functional prototypes and series production, AM materials — excluding metals — will be a poor substitute. Since the first rapid prototype came off a stereolithography machine, industry has been demanding a broader range of materials that match the properties of the thermoplastics, thermosets and thermoplastic elastomers used in conventional processes. Happily, we have seen advancements in both the quantity and quality of AM materials. But AM processes are different from all that have come before them, and that difference means that we will never match those properties.

Blending during the AM process yields a staggering number of properties. It also presents industry with an unmatched ability to produce parts with material properties that vary throughout the object (functionally graded materials). Since this capability does not exist outside of AM, we can’t benefit from it until we stop trying to match the properties of conventionally made parts.

No other class of technology processes such a broad range of materials. Name another that can make parts from metal, plastic, ceramic, glass, paper and sand. Now, consider what would be possible if we no longer strived to use materials that are common in everyday life. Envision a future that leverages AM processes to make parts with materials that cannot be processed in any other way. With these new materials, AM will not be a substitute. Instead, it will be an alternative with its own set of rules.

When asked why it did not offer an unlimited palette of material combinations or functionally graded materials, Objet replied that it had found that users demand a known set of material properties. Without data, users find it difficult to select and specify a material that meets the performance requirements. They demand a material property sheet, which cannot be delivered if the user is creating his own custom blend.

While phenomenal developments will occur, we already have examples of the power of AM in the area of materials:

So without the predictive sciences, AM is once again constrained to the standards of subtractive and formative processes. This constraint will be eliminated, but when is unknown. Also unknown is whether demand will drive research or new sciences will create demand.

Objet: Of the 107 materials for Connex, 90 are Digital Materials that are blended during the build process. University of Exeter: Research has produced an aluminum composite, with exciting properties, that is formulated during the selective laser melting process. Optomec: Both LENS (metals) and Aerosol Jet (direct write electronics and bioprinting) combine multiple materials during deposition. Professor Lee Cronin (Glasgow University): Having successfully demonstrated the concept, Cronin’s team is now working on ways for AM to print out relatively simple drugs, such as Ibuprofen, from a small number of base compounds.

This chicken-and-egg scenario is also true for the creation of new, never-before-seen materials. R&D is expensive. So will companies create AM-oriented materials and hope that there is demand? Will users have to prove the need and the market opportunity to give these companies the motivation to formulate something that can only be processed with AM? And the last barrier lies within all of us. Are we willing to accept the risk that comes with trying something new? Will our companies support the endeavour?

GRIMM COLUMN

New Barriers Viewing AM as an alternative removes the pre-existing constraints, but it also creates new obstacles that must be overcome before we can capitalise on all that it can do. Since blend-on-the-fly material creation and gradient material properties have never before been possible, we lack the science to predict performance. Without an understanding of the results, it is difficult, maybe impossible, to put these capabilities into service.

Shackling AM with the constraint of matching properties makes materials a disadvantage for functional prototypes, tooling, jigs, fixtures and production parts. However, start with a clean slate — a fresh set of only the mechanical, thermal or electrical properties needed for performance — and AM’s unique qualities can become advantages.

With change comes risk. So changing the game, changing the rules or changing the objectives to make AM a superior alternative, rather than a poor substitute, means that we must accept a little jeopardy to unleash the amazing potential of AM.

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$6m may not get you a Steve Austin... WORDS | DAN JOHNS @ BLOODHOUND SSC

I tried, like so many others, to buy tickets for the 2012 Olympics using the ticketing system that gives longer odds than the National Lottery. I don’t actually know anybody that was successful in buying tickets for any of the events. In fact the only the people I do know that are actually going are, technically, ‘staff’. One is performing in the opening ceremony and the other is the security bloke. My inbox has been flooded with emails from ‘London 2012 Tickets’ ever since, which I delete immediately since I am still irritated that out of the 23 events I declared interest in, I didn’t get any. Most were for the more obscure events that I thought would have had lower subscriptions, and therefore more probable to get a ticket. Like for, say, Handball.

We talked about the conditions they would be racing in and the unusual spares list that their support teams have to take, like spare body parts. The technology in prosthetic limbs is now so advanced that his team can compete alongside able-bodied teams, which is the point Tony wants to make. He doesn’t want to be labeled as disabled, because he is not. He is perfectly able, and to prove it he and his team mates, with their spare body parts, will race 8,000km from Lima to Santiago through the harshest of environments and human challenges in a 275 bhp 4.0L Land Rover V8 Wildcat. Many of these technological advances can be seen during the Paralympics. If you have a keen interest in technology, then you may be better off watching these ‘Parallel Olympics’, since many of the athletes will be competing using modern technology to overcome similar challenges. Just take a look at Oscar Pistorius, the ‘Blade Runner’, using the much debated Flex-Foot Cheetah, a RunningSpecific Prostheses (RSP) which is designed to emulate the elastic function of tendons. He holds the world record for the 100 m with a time of 10.91s.

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BLOODHOUND

It wasn’t until the recent MIA Summer Reception hosted by the House of Lords, that I took more of an interest in the Paralympics. There I met Tony Harris, who is the co-driver, and founding member, for the Race-2-Recovery team, racing in the Dakar Rally. This is a phenomenally inspiring project made up largely by service personnel, who have overcome the worst kind of injuries, to compete in the toughest rally. In his own words he describes his injury as a ‘mere scratch’, having lost his left leg below the knee when blown up by an IED in Afghanistan.

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These Olympians are even more inspiring if you consider the events as technology demonstrators, and by contrast (and with some imagination), Bloodhound would be beaten from a standing start over a 100 m sprint by Oscar. By the time he’d crossed the finish line, our car will have only moved about 16 m, however I should point out that the conversion rate from potential to kinetic energy is somewhat slower than a coiled spring. If on the other hand we were allowed to start in full compressed ‘coiled spring’ mode, Andy would hit 60 mph in less than a second, and 100m would be gone in under 0.25s.

Not to mention the shoe itself, it won’t work anyway from today’s 3D Printer materials and processes. That’s why we only see 3D Printed shoes as fashion accessories. As a functional high performing shoe, it’s an ambition maybe, but not even a practical solution for a problem that doesn’t exist. I’d suggest the Arts Council, Medical Research Council and the EPSRC create a joint fund to bring some proper engineering and material science to creating better prosthetics instead. And while they are at it, maybe fund the elusive mobile parts hospital for ‘growing’ spare limbs in the field, and then fund the Race-2-Recovery team to demonstrate it during the Dakar Rally. Make it a responsibility of the IAAF to encourage the use of technology. I for one do want to spend $6 m and see Steve Austin compete, and if it comes to it I’d even bring back the Tug-of-War event and enter the entire Bloodhound team along with the car. At 135,000 hp it will take 270,000 Olympians, and a Steve Austin, to beat it. If Bloodhound is inspiring the next generation of Scientists and Engineers, then Tony and Oscar are inspiring today’s generation by not just overcoming severe injuries, but then competing and showing us all what being human really is.

BLOODHOUND

Maybe there is good reason to limit the use of technology in athletic events; however I’d like to see the opposite. Use the Paralympics to really push technology and help transfer to real world healthcare faster. I don’t mean higher performing running shoes like the Royal College of Art presented recently using 3D Printing, that’s just a ridiculous waste of public R&D funding as it will be banned like the shark-skin swim suit in the Olympics, and useless in the Paralympics for athletes using RSPs.

My disappointment at not getting tickets for the Olympics was short lived after meeting Tony, and if I’m honest, I am not really that interested in athletics. I just wanted to go since it’s here in Britain, and that should be an experience available to us who live here, in Britain. If Paris had won the bid to host the games, I know for a fact that the entire Athlétique Equipe Français would have gone on strike the minute they sensed that tickets weren’t readily available for their fellow countrymen. Just saying.

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TOP 5 Talk Back

In the last issue of TCT we published the results of the TCT Top 20 Most Influential Poll, rounding up the readers’ most influential people across the industry. As predicted some people were happy (the people on the list!) and some were furious (those not on the list) — some tried very hard to disparage, belittle and undermine the list, though they almost certainly failed to place the results in the right (any?) context.

Looked at for what it was — a snapshot of opinion across a little over a month — the results are telling in terms of who is getting the column inches and

how readers of TCT see the industry we cover. It’s not the same as it was 15, 10 or even 5 years ago. Far from being a sure fire sign that the end is nigh as some have convinced themselves, it’s a sign that we’ve not even got into our stride yet.

engender — summed it up quite succinctly when I met with him at RAPID 2012 in Atlanta: “For people allegedly involved in the 3D revolution, a lot of them see the industry around them in one dimension!”

Diversification, competition, pressure — the melting pot of innovation that will spur this industry (sometimes kicking and screaming) into the next 20 years.

Here the Top 5 answer questions linked to the many facets of the AM and 3DP world — I am sure their answers will cause some debate too. Jim Woodcock

Abe Reichental — with the ease of expression that 12 months of seemingly non-stop TV interviews

Fried Vancraen, Materialise consuming what we print, whether it comes out esthetically perfect or not, the danger of additional waste that comes with other home printers is minimised. “Where I see the potential is in speciality print shops, much like the local print and copy shops we see people using today for 2D printing. These shops will be able to offer a greater variety of materials and technologies, will be able to guide people to choose the right solution for their object and they may even have a specialisation in terms of materials, speed, or the kind of experts they have inhouse. I can also see 3D Printing moving into more traditional stores in order to allow people to choose objects off the shelf and then order personalised elements that can be printed instore. For example, you could go to a shoe store and choose the style, colour and fit that you want, much like now, but in addition, you could order inlay soles that are printed to be a perfect fit for your feet.” Will buying 3D printed goods be commonplace in 5 years time? FV: “Yes. Although I don’t necessarily see a 3D printer showing up in every home, I certainly see printed products finding their way into people’s lives. In fact, this is already happening at a scale that most people don’t realise. A great example of this is the impact that 3D printing is already having on the jewellery industry. As is mentioned in the 2012 Wohlers Report “Over the past decade, globalisation of trade has resulted in major changes in the jewelry industry…manufacturers who wish to keep their production on shore have found that new technology is the only way to keep costs in line and offer a competitive, custom product.” We will see more and more custom jewelry being produced in the years to come and being purchased by a public eager for something unique and personalised, but still affordable.” What's the best use of 3D printing / Additive Manufacturing that you have seen recently? FV: “That is a very hard question to answer. tct 20/4

There are a lot of amazing projects that have been made possible thanks to 3D printing/ Additive Manufacturing (AM) and it is very difficult to choose from among them. However, here is my attempt: “Although not a recent example, one application of AM that continues to impress me is the creation of personalised, acousticallyoptimised hearing aids. Although not necessarily the largest or most stunning objects to ever be printed, these hearing aids have made a positive contribution to the lives of millions. Here at Materialise it is also impossible to ignore the impact that the medical applications of AM are having on patients. For example, by working in collaboration with Anaplastologists, we are using AM to help people with massive facial defects regain a better quality of life — helping them recover lost functionality (speaking, chewing, etc) and escape the stigma and loss of social interaction that can result from these defects. This is because AM aids in the creation of high quality reconstructions using silicone prosthesis and helps in the planning of facial reconstructive surgeries and transplants. The results are incredible.”

TOP 5 TALK BACK

Will there ever be a 3D Printer in every home? FV: “To be honest, no, I don’t think there will be or should be a 3D printer in every home. In the hands of some, these home 3D printers will be powerful tools and they will create great things. However, if they are abused, they will add to the environmental damage already being done with meaningless mass production by adding even more useless objects to the pile of waste our society already produces. That being said, I think there is a potential for kitchens to start including food 3D printers. We consume food on a daily basis, so if we use the printer even once a week we can not only bring a little variety and fun into our meals but it will also be worth owning such a machine. And by

Beyond 3D printing, what technologies excite you the most at the moment? FV: “More and more, I see 3D printing as the packaging of a result and actually, what excites me now is the technology that allows for the printing of much better results. These are the technologies that are related to the virtual simulations of products. For example, by performing functional analysis using cuttingedge software, products can already be improved before they are produced. This technology is also allowing surgeons to perform virtual surgeries and in doing so, helping them plan the ideal approach for complex operations. “It is easy to see why this technology excites me - it is so complementary to 3D printing. By using this technology, it becomes possible for objects to be printed that are optimised, finalised, and more sustainable as a result.”

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Abe Reichental, 3D Systems Will there ever be a 3D Printer in every home? AR: “I am passionate about and committed to 3D printing in the home, and I believe that the only remaining barrier to achieving this vision is the bewilderingly complex world of CAD software with its steep learning curve. By democratising creativity we intend to remove all of the expert friction that exists between millions of people and this amazing technology.

people want to customise and individualise, the question is more about what isn’t going to be customised and personalised. We have made a lot of investment in Cubify, which is mainly an online content and delivery marketplace of customised and individualised goods, and we recently acquired FreshFiber, which sells 3D printed cell phone covers in Apple stores, online and elsewhere.

“The most powerful lesson we have learned from Twitter and Facebook is that everybody became a publisher when the publishing tool was sufficiently democratised. The same thing can happen here. I firmly believe that everybody is creative and every one of us is innovative, but most people are intimidated by the complexity of the process. Remove the complexity and ‘gameify’ content creation like we are doing with apps like My Robot Nation — make it fun, make it easy and make it intuitive — and millions will flock to the technology and even more will use it. It will become the canvas upon which to create and make, to turn virtual into actual and to unleash every persons creativity.

What we are learning from observing the customer behaviours in both scenarios is that in the same way people monogram their shirts and opt to buy certain designer labels for fashion or cars or accessories, they will want to distinguish themselves and even if they can’t design the item from scratch, they will want personalisation. It is ingrained in the human condition and 3D printing allows you to express this individuality in tangible and meaningful ways.”

“For me, it comes down to the point of not if you have a 3D printer, but how many? How many personal computers, tablet computers and smartphones do you now have, and how many did you think you would have had 10 or even 5 years ago?” Will buying 3D printed goods be commonplace in 5 years time? AR: “I say yes to this question as well — there is a preponderance of evidence to suggest that

What's the best use of 3D printing / Additive Manufacturing that you have seen recently? AR: “To me the most compelling and touching applications are where we make a significant impact on human life. This applies to a great deal of the work we do in healthcare applications but especially in our bespoke prosthetics. Specifically the work we have been involved in with younger men and women who are amputees, allowing them to reclaim their body symmetry in a way that is also personalised. This to me is amazing as it not just about enhancing quality of life in the physical sense but also in the emotional and spiritual sense — it is much more satisfying than putting a part in an F18 fighter jet or on your smart phone.”

Beyond 3D printing, what technologies excite you the most at the moment? AR: “The gameification of content creation. Another big part of my vision for democratising content creativity is the removal of CAD complexity and scanning complexity, allowing people to either create or capture and modify without ever having to know a stitch of CAD. Beyond our core competencies and vertical market 3D printing solutions the big opportunity that excites me is how to enable anyone to start to create and make with colouring book simplicity. Approximately 1% of the population has the raw talent to make a beautiful painting on a blank canvas, but millions can colour within the lines. Therefore, bringing colouring book simplicity to 3D content creation could be bigger than everything else we do today and will accelerate the broad adoption of 3D printing, taking the virtual to the physical.”

Terry Wohlers, Wohlers Associates 3D printers for play, experimentation, and entertainment. They will become the most popular class of 3D printers in homes.”

Will there ever be a 3D Printer in every home? TW: “No. Two reasons: 1) It will be easy for everyday consumers to order parts and products on the web, and 2) Even if a consumer owns a 3D printer, it would not support the range of materials, mechanical properties, colours, surface textures, etc., required by most consumer applications. An exception is that children will have low-cost, safe, and easy to use

Will buying 3D printed goods be commonplace in 5 years time? TW: “Yes. Shapeways, i.materialise, and Ponoko are among the first consumer-oriented portals for purchasing 3D printed products. In the future, we can expect to see many more. It will grow to the point where large, established companies, such as Amazon, will sell 3D printed products. Most customers will buy them not knowing or even caring how they were manufactured, just as they do now.”

What's the best use of 3D printing / Additive Manufacturing that you have seen recently? TW: “I’ve seen so many fascinating applications, so it is somewhat difficult to say. If I had to “boil” it down to one, it would be the use of the technology for healthcare. This spans many

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applications, including 1) models to assist teams of surgeons, 2) drill and cutting guides to assist with complex surgeries, and 3) medical implants. Eventually, the technology will be used for the production of replacement body parts and this application will become the most impactful.”

Beyond 3D printing, what technologies excite you the most at the moment? TW: “One broad area of interest is the development of web-based design tools for inexperienced consumers. Simple drag and drop interfaces are emerging that are free and do not require any installation. Meanwhile, codesign/co-creation web environments enable anyone, located almost anywhere, to influence and personalise a design. When more of these become available, we will quickly see an order of magnitude increase in the amount of 3D content available for additive manufacturing and 3D printing.”

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Bre Pettis, MakerBot Will there ever be a 3D Printer in every home? BP: “Right next to the toaster! Instead of buying mass-produced objects from the store, people will make their own light fixtures, kitchen utensils, jewellery, door knobs and children's toys on demand, in their own homes, for pennies on the dollar. We're going to be amazed that we ever got along without our MakerBots.” Will buying 3D printed goods be commonplace in 5 years time? BP: “There's already a huge community of forward-thinkers and early adopters who print everyday goods at home on their Replicators or pay to have them printed by services like Shapeways. Five years sounds more than reasonable - how long did it take for the iPod?”

What's the best use of 3D printing / Additive Manufacturing that you have seen recently? BP: “Practical things like replacement lens caps for DSLR cameras. Fantastic things like Gargoyles and puppets. Surprising things like Velcro.” Beyond 3D printing, what technologies excite you the most at the moment? BP: “Devices that help you be more aware of yourself, like Fitbit. New interfaces for controlling digital music devices. The Raspberry Pi.”

Peter Weijmarshausen, Shapeways

Will buying 3D printed goods be commonplace in 5 years time? PW: “Definitely, as will designing 3D printed products. We're seeing major shifts in how products are being made, and by whom. Mass manufacturing caters to the lowest common denominator and assumes everyone's needs are the same. 3D printing, by contrast, enables you to make something — on demand — that fits your needs exactly. By making 3D printing accessible and affordable to everyone, we're democratising manufacturing and bringing about a revolution in how products are made, and by whom.”

What's the best use of 3D printing / Additive Manufacturing that you have seen recently? PW: “Some are using 3D printing to make highly complex devices on their own, and thereby democratising them. One great example is Mark Suppes' project to 3D print a DIY Nuclear Fission Reactor. He is working to realise clean cheap clean abundant energy through an open source Bussard fusion reactor (also known as the Polywell), at home, in Brooklyn, with a little help from the magic of 3D printing to fabricate the components.” Beyond 3D printing, what technologies excite you the most at the moment? PW: “I'm a big computer and open source geek, and anything that has to do with Formula 1 cars. But honestly, I'm really excited by the innovations being made with 3D software. Making it more accessible to people of all technology backgrounds, and designing software that keeps printability in mind.”

TOP 5 Talk Back tct 20/4

TOP 5 TALK BACK

Will there ever be a 3D Printer in every home? PW: “The short answer is probably not. Home devices are great for prototypes, but even with cost and technology improvements, it's unlikely that we'll have home printers that can accommodate the kinds of designs, materials, and finishes you expect of final products. Home printers are a great technology for serious makers and tinkerers who want to continuously prototype and test, but we're working towards a future in which people can make whatever they want using 3D printing, even if they don’t have the printer at home or CAD design skills.”

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Through the Doors IPF Limited, UK Left: IPF are the UK's only bureau service using Objet's multi-material printing technology, producing parts like this combining a rigid white 'wheel' with a soft black 'tyre' — in one print.

Regular readers of TCT will have seen Todd Grimm’s column (TCT 20/3; page 16) stating that there are ‘Eight Reasons to Keep Your Service Bureau’. One of the places you would have found heads nodding in agreement to this sentiment is IPF Limited, Essex, UK. TCT recently took a trip down to the company’s Nazeing facilities to see Gary Miller, IPF’s Head of Additive Rapid Prototyping, to find out what the modern service provider is all about. Like so many manufacturing businesses in the UK, IPF’s headquarters is located on the sort of industrial estate on the outskirts of a small town that one passes daily. Driving past the rows identikit pre-fab units and dimly lit offices, it’s almost impossible to tell what happens behind these closed doors. I’ve visited (and worked on) enough of these estates to know that you should never judge a book by its cover — these places are a hotbed of technological innovation and slightly embarrassed entrepreneurial spirit that defines modern British industry.

with the technology and see what they could do. Enter stage left Gary Miller, then CNC programmer and now head of Additive Rapid Prototyping, and confirmed 3D printing addict. Under Gary’s stewardship, IPF has grown its stable of 3D printers to include solutions from three providers — Objet, EnvisionTEC and Stratasys.

IPF fits this mould perfectly — innocuous looking units on an unremarkable looking industrial estate mask the cutting-edge technology, skilled workmanship and business success contained within. IPF was established in 1969 by Bill Bloomfield senior, who, at 83 is still active within the company. He has semi-retired now though — down to five days per week. Sometimes six…

The 3D printing side of the business quickly grew to become 20% of the company’s business in 2004, rising to 25% in 2007 and now stands at around 45%. This rapid expansion soon began to overload the company’s 3D printing capacity, especially work on the Objet multi-material Connex500. Continuing material development from the Israel-based Objet (such as the popular ABS-like material) had the machine running at full capacity for clients across a huge breadth of specialities.

Initially the company offered traditional (although some of it was pretty cutting-edge back then) plastic processing operations, such as machining and fabrication, for all kinds of plastic components. Over the years, the technology has kept up-to-date with the addition of CNC machining, laser cutting, engraving and computer-managed workflows. Combined with the growing expertise of the company, this development fuelled growth and expansion into larger premises, incorporating more processes.

Not wanting to turn work away, and spotting an opportunity to run more efficiently, the company recently invested in a second Connex500 machine. As Gary explained, the changing of the cartridges on the largest machines is fairly wasteful in terms of time and material, it is more efficient to run without changing the type of material cartridge you load. IPF now has one Connex500 running the ABS-like material which is itself created from resins in two separate cartridges, combined to form a ‘Digital material’, the other machine runs the mix of soft and rigid materials that have become one of the hallmarks of Objet’s technology.

In late 2003 the company took the plunge into 3D printing, picking up a second-hand Quadra Tempo Objet 3D printer, with little knowledge of exactly what the machine would do for them, but wanting to experiment

Alongside the Connex500 duo sits an Objet Eden350V and, dwarfed by the larger Objet machines, an EnvisionTEC Perfactory that the company uses for small, highly detailed parts work.

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THROUGH THE DOORS

Right: New Kids on the Block: You won’t see this anywhere else in the UK — Eden350V, Connex500 and Connex500 side-by-side.

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IPF’s Perfactory system is used to create very fine details in a range of resins, including filled resins, high-temperature resins, and materials for medical, dental and jewellery

As Gary explained: “In the first 20 plus years of operation not only did we have less customers visit us but those that did wanted some sign of productivity — swarf, chips and noise — as you’d get in any manufacturing facility running traditional subtractive technology. With the 3D printers came a new kind of customer like F1 teams used to a different way of working. Barring the smell of the resin or hot ABS, there’s not much mess when you’re working with 3D printers at this level. The machines themselves are fully contained, the materials are easily and neatly stored, and the operation is very quiet.

As Gary readily acknowledges, even the spread of 3D printing technologies that IPF has at its disposal cannot hope to replace the traditional technologies on which the company was founded: “There are many things that a skilled craftsman can achieve with machines and hand tools, that 3D printers simply couldn’t replicate. But by combining the new and the old, together with experience and a deep understanding of how to achieve the best results for our customers, we are able to take on virtually any project safe in the knowledge that we have the technology here to make it happen.” IPF Limited www.ipfl.co.uk

THROUGH THE DOORS

“The new facility will house all our 3D printing technologies in a more… sophisticated setting, more befitting to their status!”

With the expansion of workload, comes an expansion in staff and equipment, and subsequently a need for more room. IPF has already combined two adjacent units to create more room, but throw in another machine — the behemoth Stratasys Fortus 400mc and it soon became obvious that the company needed even more room. Luckily an adjacent unit became available at the right time, and IPF snapped it up.

Left: Come on, we’ve all done it. Right?: Gary gets to know the new Fortus 400mc

Right: Work is well underway on IPF’s new unit, combining office, showroom and manufacturing space

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Clear Advantages from

LUXeXcel

LUXeXcel’s Printoptical technology allows recreation of transparent geometrical shapes, optical- and magnifying structures within a part

WORDS | JIM WOODCOCK

Dutch company LUXeXcel caused quite a stir at the RAPID 2012 conference with it’s range of ‘Printoptical’ 3D printed products. Named as one of Terry Wohlers’ emerging additive manufacturing technologies in the 2012 Wohlers’ Report, this inkjet-based 3D printing solution offers some novel properties and applications. Inkjet printing is often touted as one of AM’s strongest suits because of the scalability, materials options and long research history of inkjetting in a 2D environment. Currently inkjetting is used in two main ways in the field of AM: either a binder is jetted onto a powder substrate (3D Systems / ZCorporation, ExOne and Voxeljet for example), or the material or materials themselves are jetted, before being cured (Objet’s Polyjet system).

A third application, which somewhat combines the above, is the High Speed Sintering (HSS) method being researched and commercialised at The University of Sheffield and Loughborough University. In HSS inkjetting is used to deposit a binder onto a polymer powder bed, which is subsequently exposed to and infra red heat source. The binder selectively absorbs the heat energy, causing the polymer powder particles to melt, forming a 3D solid.

LUXeXcel’s ‘Printoptical’ technology is most easily compared to the Objet method, in as much as the material(s) that form the end part are jetted from the nozzles, before being set by exposure to UV light. Where the Printoptical technology differs however is the ‘off-the-machine’ clarity of the parts, along with the ability to recreate vivid colours and textures. The process begins with a substrate of either glass, foil or polycarbonate, onto which the clear UV-cureable polymer is jetted. The drop-sizes vary according to the particular design, but a resolution of 1,440 dpi — which requires single droplets of just 18 μm and an approximate volume of one droplet of 7 pl (picolitre) — are currently possible. The maximum droplet volume is 40 pl. This process is repeated for every layer or pixel resulting in transparent geometrical shapes, optical- and magnifying structures.

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DATA MANAGEMENT

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LUXeXcel has made its target market clear by the way that the company is structured around the technology. For a start, they are not a machine producer — you can’t buy a Printoptical printer from the company at the moment. Licensing options are available however through the LUXeXceL Printoptical Process Supplies business unit. The EXXELENS subsidiary caters to the LED lens sector, one of the most promising applications for this technology. LUXIMPRESS deals with the graphic, decorative, communication, marketing and artistic applications of the technology (so if you like the look of that business card, these are the people to talk to). LUXeXceL Printoptical Productions offers the process as a service for external customers.

The combination of transparency, colour and texture lends the process perfectly to the recreation of stained glass windows and other artworks. The images here show lenses set in realistic wooden surrounds, all created in a single print. The limited Z axis depth means that it is not quite the ‘3D’ printing we have come to expect from the likes of Objet, but this is an interesting development for the industry and another string to the bow of those who say that inkjet is both the past, present and future of printing. LUXeXcel www.luxexcel.com

Multiple ‘optically active’ structures can be created in a single part using a single print, giving lens makers for LED lighting previously unknown levels of flexibility. The stunning clarity of the parts comes from a period of rest between jetting and UV curing, allowing the polymer to ‘relax’ into a smoother shape before it is permanently set. Colour, texture and magnifying structures form part of a single print. The high-resolution of the process (1,440 dpi) is anticipated to increase further as research and development of the Printoptical technology continues. The technology has the potential to greatly simplify the current complex lens production processes.

Printing lenses and surrounds in a single process leads to some stunning effects, such as this optical element seemingly embedded in a realistic wood surround. Although limited to around 1 mm in the Z axis, this process shows great promise for further development into a truly three-dimensional technology.

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TCT LIVE 2012 PREVIEW

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Show Preview 35 tct 20/4

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TCT SHOW HIGHLIGHTS dedicated to visitor experience TCT Live is the event for Product Development, Additive Manufacturing and 3D Printing in Europe. Each year TCT Live evolves with the latest industry developments so that it can continue to be the ideal forum for everyone involved in the concept, design, specification and manufacturing processes to learn how Additive Manufacturing and 3D Printing are continuing the push boundaries.

WHEN?

Whether it’s a brochure that lands on your desk, an internet search with hours spent trawling the web or a telephone conversation with a potential supplier, nothing gives you a greater understanding of the real capabilities of a product, technology or company, than being able to compare and contrast in a real-live environment.

Wed 26 Sept 2012 9.30am-4.00pm

It’s also a great chance to network with like-minded peers and keep one step ahead of the game.

Tue 25 Sept 2012 9.30am-5.30pm

WHERE? Hall 3A, NEC, Birmingham, B40 1NT www.thenec.co.uk

Over 200 Leading Exhibitors

Technology Tracks

On the show floor, TCT Live will play host to over 200 exhibiting companies who aim to showcase the most innovative and dynamic technologies available on the market. With a focus on live machine demonstrations, technologies on display include additive manufacturing, 3D Printing, inspection, metrology, material suppliers, prototyping specialists, software and CAD/CAM/PLM.

On offer is a huge range of free, live educational seminars. Spanning the two days the TCT Technology Tracks include:

TRAVEL

Inspection, Digitising & Metrology in Product Development & Additive Manufacturing — with case studies and interactive demonstrations this seminar takes visitors through the full spectrum of equipment available

By Car: You can use the AA Route Planner to help you plan your journey http://www.theaa.com use The NEC Birmingham postcode - B40 1NT.

Additive Manufacturing & 3D Printing Conference

Additive Technology Introduction Session — presented by industry-guru Graham Tromans this back-tobasics seminar gives newcomers to the industry an overview of additive manufacturing technologies and explains how businesses can take advantage to advance their product development and manufacturing processes.

By Rail: The NEC is served by Birmingham International train station, connected by a covered bridgelink. London is only 90 minutes away.

The TCT conference is characterised by high quality presentations from leading users of the technologies and industry commentators. Once viewed as a niche area of product development and manufacturing the AM and 3D printing sector has escalated significantly in the last 12 months with global awareness of the processes increasing at an unprecedented rate. With the prolific number of headlines though, there comes an inevitable amount of hype and this is where the TCT Live AM & 3DP Conference comes into its own. Anyone who registers to attend this free annual event will be confronted with the truth about Additive Manufacturing and 3D printing, what it can do, and, indeed, what it is doing in the real world within industry and the creative sectors.

Venue Details

Digital Manufacturing & Materials for Dentistry — looks at the impressive advances in technology suitable for dentistry as more and more laboratories recognise the advantages of incorporating cutting-edge techniques into their process. Software in Product Development & Additive Manufacturing — ideal for visitors wishing to maximise the potential of their product development software, with an in-depth look at some of the leading CAD/CAM/PLM software currently available in the marketplace.

Dedicated Jewellery & Silversmithing Conference Session

Technical Briefings in Metals and Non-Metals — ideal for anyone looking to source and purchase 3D printing or additive manufacturing machinery.

For forward-thinking jewellery designers and manufacturers wishing to discover how the latest technologies and techniques can help them to stay ahead of the competition, then TCT Live has introduced a dedicated Jewellery and Silversmithing Conference Session. Designers and manufacturers of jewellery, Silversmithing and high-value goods will be able to learn how Additive Manufacturing and 3D Printing technologies can be applied to their workflows. AM and 3DP liberate the designer — many of the structures possible with these cutting-edge technologies could simply not be recreated by traditional methods. AM and 3DP can be used in the design, prototyping and even manufacturing stages of the workflow, with direct output of precious metals pieces. If you’re new to the technologies of AM, 3DP or CAD, an afternoon conference session is being held on the first day of the show, 25th September, which is supported by the Goldsmiths’ Company and the Jewellery Industry Innovation Centre at Birmingham City University.

Do you remember the first time you saw an object made real in front of your eyes? There's no doubt that 3D printing can appear magical, but it's no illusion, it's not witchcraft, it's not trickery — it's real, it's here and it's available to you today. Following the successful launch of the www.prsnlz.me brand, TCT Live is pleased to host the first Personalize pavilion. Our dedicated pavilion will bring this exciting area of the industry to life on the show floor by showcasing some of the leading users and champions of this incredible industry, which is threatening to ignite the next industrial revolution.

Personalize Pavilion

By Air: Birmingham International Airport is the nearest airport, a few minutes from The NEC.

PARKING YOU STAY WE PAY - Rapid News Communications Group, the organisers of TCT Live 2012 will pay for your parking if you stay beyond 3pm on the day of your visit.

ACCOMMODATION Birmingham Convention Bureau is our accommodation partner for TCT Live 2012. Simply visit www.meetbirmingham.com and you will have direct access to the dedicated TCT Live online reservation & information services web page.

Free WiFi Something all events should offer, but not all do. These days it is essential for visitors to remain connected when out of the office.

Co-located Shows Running alongside TCT Live will be Mediplas, MM Live UK, MEMS Live and NANO Live — these events combined with the PPMA Show and the Sensing Technology Show make up the largest gathering of engineering professionals in the UK in 2012.

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Steinbichler UK LTD Stand P12 Tel: +44 1527 837283 Web: www.steinbichler.co.uk BluePrinter Displays SHS Technology BluePrinter is a new Danish 3D printer manufacturer with a professional and easy-to-use 3D printer. BluePrinter makes it affordable to purchase and use a professional 3D printer for small/medium sized companies and for departments in large corporations. Small/medium sized companies often use an external service provider of prototypes and large corporations use an internal service provider. BluePrinter is decentralising 3D printing by delivering a professional, high-quality and easy to use 3D printer priced $20,000. BluePrinter delivers highgrade output comparable to laser sintering quality. The target users are CAD users (engineers, designers and product developers) who, by using a 3D BluePrinter, can print early stage high quality conceptual and functional models as a fully integrated step intheir development cycles. The ease of use and the office friendliness enables the CAD user to have his/her own prototype manufacturing site right in the office. The technology BluePrinter is based on a new proprietary technology called selective heat sintering (SHS). SHS technology uses a thermal print head to sinter thermoplastic powder into 3D objects. BluePrinter is present at TCT Live to display the SHS technology and to continue to expand its partner network. Blueprinter ApS Stand N2 Tel: +45 4035 1048 Web: www.blueprinter.dk

Materialise Set to Show Areion Materialise is showing Areion, the first fully operational race car with a stereolithography body at TCT Live this year. Designed by Formula Group T, with design and manufacturing support from Materialise, this electric car has been created as part of the Formula Student competition, and will compete in a series of races in the UK, Germany and Italy, before its feature display at TCT. The car was developed through Materialise’s cocreation mode which supports organisations that wish to leave behind today’s design limitations and produce

small production series in a profitable way. The car is also an excellent example of how state-of-the-art Rapid Prototyping technologies can support designers through those ever critical design verification and communication/ presentation processes. In addition to the race car, at this year’s TCT Live, Materialise is offering personal previews of the latest release of the leading STL file preparation software, Magics 17, and is demonstrating how the recently released Streamics (Additive Manufacturing automation and control system) can increase efficiency and ensure quality throughout the complete Additive Manufacturing process. Streamics offers a centralised and efficient means of data storage that provides traceability and repeatability, while automating time-consuming and laborious tasks such as file fixing, quoting/costing, and platform preparation.

quality assurance in its manufacturing processes, products, service and delivery, 3T has gained its third quality standard in April 2012; AS 9100 Rev C for the production of metal parts using additive manufacturing (AM). Already holding ISO 9001:2008 and ISO 13485:2003, the standard required for medical devices, it is the first AM Company in the UK to hold all three quality standards. It frees up designers to create parts in new ways which were previously impossible to build, and offers considerable cost benefits when compared to conventional manufacturing techniques. The AM process makes it possible to incorporate undercuts, channels through sections, tubes within tubes and internal voids, with the resulting parts being used in a range of high-performance applications including aerospace, automotive and medical devices.

Materialise Stand N20 Tel: +32 16 39 66 37 Web: www.materialise.com

Mcor Technologies Introduces The Mcor IRIS Mcor Technologies is introducing The Mcor IRIS at TCT Live this year. The Mcor Iris joins Mcor’s paper 3D printers and the vision of producing high-quality, low cost, eco-friendly 3D prints. It provides full 3D colour prints with the highest quality colour and the finest detail. It prints photo-realistic 3D parts with a high-quality resolution. It's parts are robust, eco-friendly and cheap. It is easy to use and is office friendly – no dust, no fumes – as easy as printing on paper. It can fit into any office or school environment making it the ideal rapid prototyping platform for professional and student users alike.

Steinbichler Exhibit on a Dedicated Stand Steinbichler UK is exhibiting at TCT Live 2012 on a dedicated stand for the first time this year. Previously, it has been represented by partner Central Scanning but this year, it has opted for a separate stand to be able to show the full range of Steinbichler 3D Digitising products. Steinbichler has the latest generation T Scan CS laser scanning systems complimented by the highly regarded Steinbichler L3D and Comet 5 11MP fringe projection systems which will be shown at the show. In addition, it will also have the new ABIS Optimiser surface inspection system which is the first portable surface inspection system on the market and well worth a look. Automation is a growth area in the world of 3D Digitising and additional to the class leading 3D digitising systems. It has some excellent automation products allowing the automation of all measuring systems in the range using one common software platform – Steinbichler Visio. It'll have representation from Steinbichler UK

Mcor Technologies Stand P15 A1 has a Unique Portfolio of Tel: +353 41 686 2800 Affordable 3D Technologies Web: www.mcortechnologies.com A1 has a unique portfolio of affordable 3D technologies, which includes 3D scanning, hapticated 3D creative design, 3D milling through 5 axis machining and a recently launched 3D kit printer, the Maxit. It is the first 3D printer designed with the education market in mind, and has benefits that also make it attractive to any other users. These include: low cost, quick and easy to assemble, reliable and consistent printing. It believes that designing and making in 3D should be 3T has Produced Lightweight accessible to everyone, not just Components technologists and 3D CAD users. Its 3T has produced lightweight 3D products are all quick-to-learn, components and complex structures in easy-to-use, and allow any user to plastic using Selective Laser Sintering work from concept through to (SLS) and in metal using Direct Metal complete 3D model, in any material Laser Sintering (DMLS) technologies. from foam, through wax and plastics, Removing the need for tooling, these up to light metals such as aluminium. layer-based techniques generate fully functional and high-performance parts A1 Technologies in just a matter of days, offering Stand P17 significant time savings and reduced Tel: +44 7775 651028 costs. It has continuous commitment to Web: www.a1-tech.co.uk

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3T RPD Ltd Stand P16 Tel: +44 1635 580284 Web: www.3trpd.co.uk

TCT LIVE 2012 PREVIEW

and the head office in Germany available throughout and will be free to discuss 3D Digitising system requirements at the show.

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Objet Demonstrates Objet30 Pro Objet, innovation leader in 3D printing for rapid prototyping and additive manufacturing, has introduced the new Objet30 Pro. The professional in-house 3D printer that combines the accuracy and versatility of a high-end rapid prototyping machine with the small footprint of a regular desktop printer. It provides a number of unique capabilities in one machine: The industry’s highest level print resolution with 28 micron super-thin layering and seven different 3D printing materials. It is the world’s only desktop 3D printer capable of printing in clear transparent material, high-temperature resistant material and polypropylene-like material. It is positioned as the ultimate prototyping solution for designers, engineers and product managers. It provides the industry’s highest levels of prototyping accuracy and material versatility, and ensures dramatic cuts to product development times and promises the successful delivery of concept to final product creation. Objet30 Pro Desktop 3D Printer at a Glance: seven different materials including clear transparent and high temperature materials, 28 micron highresolution printing, spacious build tray size of 300 x 200 x 150 mm, the ultimate prototyping solution for designers, engineers and product managers and reliable and easy to use. Objet Stand P18 Tel: +49 7229 7772621 Web: www.objet.com

IPF Offers Unique Service IPF is the UK’s only service bureau supplying 3D printed models with the Objet500 Connex and Objet350v Eden systems. It offers a completely unique service that provides rigid and flexible prototype models. It supplies rigid prototypes built in high-quality 16 micron layers, flexible prototypes produced quickly without the need of expensive masters and tooling, varying shore values and there are up to 60 different materials available. Rigid, flexible and over-moulded parts all built in a single prototype without the need for assembly. IPF has invested in the latest high-end 3D printing technologies. It now prints in VeroClear for maximum optical clarity and ABS-

like material delivering strength, excellent surface finish, fine detail and good heat deflection temperature. Recent additional investment has seen it acquire another Objet Connex500 and a Stratasy Fortus400.

includes non-contact Co-ordinate Measuring Systems and Optical Profile Projectors, along with an extensive range of gauging products including calipers, bore gauges and micrometers. Amongst its range of non-contact Coordinate Measuring Systems sits the IPF 3D Printing Venture 3D Vision System. Equipped Stand P19 with intuitive Fusion software, fully Tel: +44 1992 899409 programmable white LED surface Web: www.ipfl.co.uk lighting system, automatic video edge detection facility and high resolution USB2 CCD camera, it is perfect for the meticulous in-process and final inspection checks synonymous with the Plastics industry. The Venture 3030 CNC and VuMaster 2D CNC vision systems is available for demonstration on the stand, with a conventional R14 GXL horizontal profile projector and gauging products. It's centralised UK sales, service and Mlab Cusing Machine has customer support function, along with its Generated Significant Interest worldwide distribution network, Concept Laser’s Mlab cusing machine strengthens the cornerstone of its ethos; is featuring on the ES Technology / to offer its global customer base Concept Laser booth at TCT Live this year. It will demonstrate how easy it is to solutions to the most demanding of measurement challenges. build metal parts directly from 3D CAD designs. Parts can be built in just hours Baty International from stainless steel, cobalt chrome or Stand P27 precious metals such as yellow gold. Additional materials, currently available Tel: +44 1444 235621 and under development for the system, Web: www.baty.co.uk include bronze, silver and titanium. The system is designed to operate Laser Prototype Offers a Material unattended overnight. The Mlab cusing to Suit Every Need is aimed at markets that require smaller Belfast-based bureau, Laser Prototypes (less than 90 mm x 90 mm x 80 mm) is offering a complete one stop shop for fine detail metal parts. For larger all Rapid Prototyping and Rapid components, it uses its established M1, Manufacturing requirements. Established M2 and M3 systems which can build over 21 years ago to address the needs parts up to 300 mm x 350 mm. Since of companies requiring Rapid Prototyping its launch the Mlab cusing system has it has continually reinvested in the very generated significant interest from a latest technologies. With an engineering diverse range of industries including: approach to their materials range it now Automotive, Aerospace, Medical Device, offers the UK’s widest range of resins Tool & Mould manufacturers as well as and powders. “Customer confidence in the Dental and Jewellery sectors. the strength and functionality of Rapid Prototyping materials has increased ES Technology significantly in recent years and there has Stand P25 been an increased demand for Rapid Tel: +44 1327 701 107 Manufacture through processes such as Web: www.estechnology.co.uk Selective Laser Sintering and Vacuum Casting. Laser Prototypes is committed to remaining at the forefront of Rapid Baty International Ltd Prototyping and Rapid Manufacturing Strengthens Ethos developments in order to ensure the Drawing from 80 years of experience, highest-quality components on time and UK-based Baty International Ltd has become a respected global leader in the on budget” commented Campbell Evans, Sales Director at Laser Prototypes. From field of vision-based measurement flame retardant to water resistant systems. Its portfolio of products tct 20/4

materials and everything in between, Laser Prototypes has a material and process to suit every Rapid Prototyping and Rapid Manufacturing need. Laser Prototypes (Europe) Ltd Stand P29 Tel: +44 28 9096 0680 Web: www.laserproto.com

Midas Pattern Specialises in Large-Scale Polyurethane Mouldings Bedford-based Midas Pattern Company specialises in producing large-scale (up to 2.5 m x 1.5 m) low-volume, highquality, polyurethane mouldings, as well as offering the facility to create large prototypes in production materials in very short timescales. The large production mouldings, which are utilised in many industry sectors, are particularly suitable for use as equipment enclosures in medical, analytical and scientific applications, where valuable and specialist technology needs to be enshrouded in large and complex multipart moulding assemblies. It offers two patented tooling systems: FASTrim for prototyping in production materials and MRIM for production volumes. Both systems has been produced in-house and quick to produce, very accurate and can be easily modified to incorporate changes in design at any stage of tooling and moulding production FASTrim is a low cost solution to producing even large prototypes, in production materials, from CAD data, in as little as 10–15 days. MRIM is a high-quality composite tooling system offering low set-up costs for high-quality mouldings in volumes from 1 to 2000 per annum, with a guaranteed life of 5000 off. All Midas mouldings are supplied fully finished, painted, screen printed and assembled ready for installation. Midas Pattern Company Ltd Stand P36 Tel: +44 1234 358394 Web: www.midas-pattern.co.uk

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technologies, materials and processes which enable clients to have 1-off models through to batch castings, machined polymers and vacuum-cast injection moulded mimics.

Legor Group SpA Stand R15 Tel: +39 444 467959 Web: www.legorgroup.com and www.powmet.it

EOS is the Market Leader for E-manufacturing Solutions Founded in 1989 and headquartered in Germany, EOS is the technology and market leader for design-driven, integrated e-Manufacturing solutions for industrial applications. It offers a modular solution portfolio including systems application know-how, software, process parameters, materials and its further development. The portfolio is completed by services, maintenance, application consulting

and trainings. An AM process, it allows the fast and flexible production of high-end parts at a repeatable industry level of quality. A disruptive technology it paves the way for a paradigm shift in product design and manufacturing. It accelerates product development, offers freedom of design, optimises part structures – also enabling lattice structures – and functional integration and as such creates significant competitive advantages for its customers.

PDR Stand P30 Tel: +44 2920 416725 Web: www.pdronline.co.uk

engineering grade resin and are ideal for prototyping, bridge tooling and lowvolume production. Firstcut satisfies the need for functional prototypes much earlier in the development cycle for quantities of 1–10+. Because Firstcut delivers prototypes in engineering grade resins and aluminium they will have real material properties and improved surface finishes. When 3D CAD model has been submitted, its powerful supercompute cluster creates an interactive EOS Electrical Optical Systems Ltd quote giving pricing options and where Stand N18 appropriate, suggesting changes to HyperMILL Offers a Tel: +49 89 893 36 2188 improve manufacturability. Simply Comprehensive CAM Concept Web: www.eos.info interact with the quote online, tailor HyperMILL offers a comprehensive options such as material and delivery CAM concept that integrates 2D, 3D, HSC, 5axis and mill/turn strategies on to personal requirements and with one uniform user interface. An easy-to- every change, the pricing information automatically updates. This built-in use intuitive user interface, a clear “what if” analysis enables last minute graphical user interface, fully project refinements to be automatic collision control and accommodated at the click of a button. automated functions such as transformation and mirroring all make PDR Offers Full Spectrum of Proto Labs Ltd programming easier for the user and Design and Development Stand R12 reduce programming times. Feature Product Development & Prototyping Tel: +44 1603 283 601 technology and the macro database Services PDR is one of Europe's enable users to automate and optimise Web: www.protolabs.co.uk leading design consultancies. It offers the programming of standard the full spectrum of design and geometries such as holes and pockets development solutions required to take See Stratasys 3D Printers and 3D in a highly efficient manner. This a new product to market. With over Production Systems in action concept is supplemented by CAD seventeen years experience and This year at TCT Live you are invited to software, CAD integrated functions, sixteen international design awards in CAD direct interfaces and user-defined watch live demos of our most popular the last six years PDR has developed a 3D printers and 3D production systems. postprocessors, so that the entire reputation for excellence in new You’ll see the: Mojo 3D Printer, uPrint process chain can be handled from product development. Driven by a SE 3D Printer, Fortus 400mc and Fortus one source. highly-skilled team of designers, 900mc 3D Production Systems – all engineers and technicians, PDR's inbuilding unique parts for a wide variety OPEN MIND Technologies UK Ltd house design studios and rapid of applications. Whatever you do, don’t Stand S15 prototyping facilities are fully equipped miss Mojo. Mojo is not only our newest Tel: +49 8153 933 591 to provide leading edge product design 3D printer, it’s also our most affordable. Web: www.openmind-tech.com and development support at any stage And, with the magic of Mojo at your of your product's life cycle. PDR has fingertips, there’s really no limit to your Proto Labs is Delivering Prototypes creativity. Powered by Fused Deposition worked with a wide range of sectors in Production Intent Materials providing the expertise required to Modeling (FDM) technology, designers Proto Labs is delivering fully functional and engineers use Stratasys 3D Printing develop commercially successful products that satisfy and exceed all the prototypes in production intent technology in nearly every industry: materials to dramatically cut the cost functional and aesthetical aerospace, defense, automotive, and time normally associated with requirements to excel in their chosen medical, education and consumer product development. It empowers marketplace. With the latest 3D CAD, products. Stop by the booth and we’ll designers and engineers with the 3D scanning, prototyping, machining, show you why so many engineers trust means to rapidly develop, test, and get Stratasys to make their prototyping, tooling and batch production their products to market first in an technologies, all available in-house, design and manufacturing processes ever-competitive global market place. PDR offers a broad spectrum of client easier. Protomold delivers injection moulded support including; user observation parts from moulds manufactured and reporting, initial idea conception, Stratasys utilising state-of-the-art high-speed creative industrial design, mechanical Stand N16 engineering, prototyping and low batch CNC machining technologies. Parts Tel: +49 69 420 9943 0 can be moulded using almost any manufacture. It provides a range of Web: www.stratasys.com tct 20/4

TCT LIVE 2012 PREVIEW

Legor Group - Always on Hand Legor Group is a multinational organisation and a service always on hand for its customers, anywhere in the world, with a tradition supporting the specialisation developed during its many years of experience in the sector. Over time it has made expertise and comprehensive on-the-ground presence its distinguishing features, giving it the edge over its competitors: splitting of the production lines into divisions guarantees maximum specialisation supported by unique know-how. Strategically, the Research and Development functions has been maintained within the company, running right across the various divisions and generating synergies that produce maximum technology with optimised management of costs. Product and process innovation remain its strength and is considered the basis for growth together with the necessary in-depth understanding of local markets and customers. In order to develop new technologies and identify potential growth areas, it is in close contact with academic and research institutions and with important industrial partners on an international scale, thus making the most of a shared qualified innovating force that enables it to rapidly and efficiently offer the market a constant stream of new products. Today Legor Group is a reference point for gold jewellery and allied markets in all areas involving cutting edge production processes, comprising processing, working and finishing of precious and non-precious metals.

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Additive Manufacturing & 3D Printing Conference Tuesday 25th September

Wednesday 26th September

Chair: Jeremy Pullin, Rapid Manufacturing Manager, Renishaw Plc

Chair: Neil Hopkinson, Professor of Manufacturing Engineering, The University of Sheffield

10.15

11.00

11.30

KEYNOTE: Additive Tech — Challenges and Opportunities in the Real World Todd Grimm, President, T. A. Grimm & Associates, Inc. Rapid Results: Prodrive’s Development of the MINI John Cooper Works World Rally Car Paul Doe, Lead Engineer, Prodrive, BMW Mini Team From Virtual to Physical: A Stroll through a Diverse Digital Landscape Andrew Dawood, Principle, Dawood & Tanner, Cavendish Imaging, Digits2Widgets

12.00

3D Printing Functional Prototypes at Burton Snowboards Sean Horning, Project Engineer, Burton Snowboards

12.30

3D Printing in Architecture: From Models to Building Xavier De Kestelier, Partner, Specialist Modelling Group, Foster+Partners

1.30

Rapid Jewellery Manufacture by Laser Melting of Precious Metal Powders: Fiction or Future Joerg Fischer-Buehner, R&D Consultant, Legor Group SpA

2.00

3D Printing Unlocks Customisation On-Demand Fulfilling Your Customers Needs & Desires Mark Bloomfield, Founder, Electrobloom Using 3D Printing at Grant Macdonald Silversmiths Luke Orford, CAD/CAM Designer, Grant Macdonald

3.00

From Dream to Reality: Incorporating New Technologies with Hands-on Skills Silvia Weidenbach, Jewellery Artist, Weidenbach

3.30

e-Manufacturing for Laser Sintered Jewellery Lena Thorsson, Cookson Precious Metals Ltd

11.00

Scaling Up AM Applications for the Bloodhound Supersonic Car Dan Johns, Materials, Process & Technologies Engineer, Bloodhound SSC

11.30

3D Printing: A New Dimension in Connectivity Stuart Burns & Damian Vesey, Rotite Technologies Ltd

12.00

Novel Ceramic Materials and 3D Printing Applications Stephen Hoskins, Director, Centre for Fine Print Research, University of the West of England

1.00

A Year of High Temperature Polymeric Additive Manufacturing at CALM Dr. Sara Flint, Commercial Manager, CALM, University of Exeter

1.30

Additive Manufacturing Improves Reliability & Reduces Downtime of Automation Systems at GSK Anthony Reeves, Lead Engineer (Automation Support), GlaxoSmithKline

2.00

Additive Manufacturing in the National Health Service Russ Harris, Professor, Loughborough University

2.30

Evaluating the Appropriateness of Biological Testing of AM/RP Materials Dominic Eggbeer, Research Officer, National Centre for Product Design and Development Research

Keynote Focus - Day 1

Keynote Focus - Day 2

Additive Technologies: Challenges and Opportunities in the Real World Todd Grimm, President, T. A. Grimm & Associates, Inc.

Developments of Additive Manufacturing and Its Future Phill Dickens, Professor of Manufacturing Technology at Loughborough University

“Additive Manufacturing and 3D Printing are creating boundless opportunities and igniting the next industrial revolution.”

“Twenty years after the introduction of Rapid Prototyping, we are now starting to see serious use for manufacturing.”

Todd Grimm is a 22-year veteran of the additive manufacturing and 3D printing industry. From his work as a consultant, writer, author, speaker, editor and advisor, he was recently named as one of The TCT Magazine’s 20 most influential in the additive manufacturing (AM) industry.

Phill Dickens is Professor of Manufacturing Technology at Loughborough University where he has been Director of the Innovative Manufacturing and Construction Research Centre, Associate Dean of Research for the Engineering Faculty and Pro Vice Chancellor (Enterprise).

Todd is President of T. A. Grimm & Associates, an additive manufacturing consulting and communications company, and Editor for ENGINEERING.com. He is also a columnist for TCT Magazine. Todd has served as chairman of the Society of Manufacturing Engineers’ community for AM and currently serves on the board of the Additive Manufacturing Users Group (AMUG) as its AM industry advisor. Kicking off the Keynote Address on Day 1, Todd will ask the question: How much progress has there been and what are the realistic promises of additive technologies today and tomorrow? Additive technologies have become the hot topic of the day, and all accounts seem to be that Additive Manufacturing/3D Printing have rocketed forward, creating boundless opportunities and igniting the next industrial revolution. Are you making the most of the technology or have innovators that are eager to change the product development and manufacturing processes left you far behind? And if you join the revolution, what are the real world challenges, obstacles and constraints that these accounts fail to reveal?

KEYNOTE: Developments of Additive Manufacturing and Its Future Phill Dickens, Professor of Manufacturing Technology, Loughborough University

Chairperson: Richard Bibb, Senior Lecturer, Loughborough University

Additive Manufacturing in the Jewellery Industry Chair: Frank Cooper, Technical Manager, JIIC

2.30

10.15

Join Todd to discover where the additive technologies fall between the two extremes of practicality and promise. Realign your perceptions so that you can capitalise on the opportunities and bypass the obstacles.

After starting work in the area of Rapid Prototyping in 1990, he was a pioneering researcher in this field working on processes such as 3D Welding and using copper coated Stereolithography models as electrodes for EDM. He founded the Rapid Manufacturing Research Group in the early 1990’s leading various research projects, supervising many successful PhD students and securing one international patent, which is still being used. Phill has led international government missions, published widely, given a number of international keynote speeches and acts as a consultant to this industry. Phill’s presentation will look at how additive manufacturing started with its roots in Rapid Prototyping in the late 1980’s and early 1990’s. It was initially used extensively in the product development world to manufacture prototypes and then had a brief foray into the tooling world. The main Rapid Prototyping techniques were suggested as processes to manufacture end use parts in 1996 where cost comparisons were made with injection moulding. Over the next few years the term Rapid Manufacturing was adopted. In these early days it was recognised that there were many limitations with material properties, accuracy, resolution, surface finish, repeatability etc. Now, approximately 20 years after the introduction of Rapid Prototyping these techniques have advanced to the stage that we are starting to see serious use for manufacturing. This presentation will look back at predictions that have been made over the 20 years and assess how accurate they were. It will update these predictions for the next 10 years. A brief look will also be taken at how Intellectual Property issues have affected the industry and how future development will occur.

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Morris Technologies Stand T21 Tel: +1 513 733 1611 Web: www.morristech.com

Trac Measurement Systems is Announces The Easicheck Trac Measurement Systems is pleased to announce a new addition to their product range; The Easicheck, a CMM & Articulated Arms checking artefact. The Easicheck Reference artefact enables the user to perform interim verification checks on any CMM or arm in-between annual calibrations. It is recommended your arm or CMM is checked at regular

Trac Measurement Systems Ltd Stand U12 Tel: +44 1952 210020 Web: www.trac-group.com

Concept Laser GmbH is Offering a Range of Four Machines Concept Laser GmbH is an independent company that forms part of the Hofmann Innovation Group from Lichtenfels, Germany. Concept Laser is recognised as the world's leading manufacturer of industrial laser machines for fabricating components from metal powder using the unique LaserCUSING layer construction method. Concept Laser is offering a range of four machines, starting with the new Mlab cusing – plus the M1, M2 and M3 Linear systems. The M1 is a compact, proven, entry-level system whilst the M2 provides an ATEXapproved platform for reactive materials such as aluminium and titanium. The M3 linear is the largest machine in the range, offering features such as a large work envelope and wheel-out build chamber for easy access to heavy parts. Industries such as the automotive, aerospace, medical device, mould & tool manufacturers as well as the dental and jewellery sectors use the unique LaserCUSING process to produce both prototype and production level components. Depending upon the system chosen, parts can be manufactured in a variety of metals including: cobalt chrome, stainless steel, titanium, aluminium and precious metals such as yellow gold and silver. Concept Laser Stand P25/SHARER Tel: +49 9571 949 241 Web: www.concept-laser.de

SpaceClaim Devlops SpaceClaim Engineer SpaceClaim develops SpaceClaim Engineer, the world’s leading 3D Direct Modeling software that brings powerful yet easy-to-use 3D to all engineers. It transforms businesses by empowering all engineers to work with CAD data from any source, regardless of origin. SpaceClaim is used in a number of applications including concept modeling, bid modeling, 2D to 3D transition, manufacturing, reverse engineering, sheet metal manufacturing and model prep for analysis in a number of industries including automotive, defense, aerospace, manufacturing and medical devices. SpaceClaim Corporation Stand R18 Tel: +1 978 482 2216 Web: www.spaceclaim.com

Machine Works Introduces Polygonica Polygonica is a software toolkit that solves problems in solid models automatically such as self-intersecting triangles or open solids, also provides useful functions for STL manipulation and other Boolean operations. MachineWorks Ltd Stand R20 Tel +44 114 223 1370 Web: www.machineworks.com Solidtec GmbH Specialises in Production of Plastic Products Solidtec GmbH is specialised in the production of plastic prototypes, limited-lot-production, small and preseries in original materials. The mould is made of high-strength aluminium and the plastic parts are produced on own injection moulding machines. Lead times are 2–4 weeks for simple moulds and 4–6 weeks for complex moulds. The complete process is realised at Solidtec GmbH in Dieburg,

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Germany and includes mould construction, mould making and injection moulding. Solidtec GmbH Stand R22 Tel: +49 6071 922925 Web: www.solidtec.de Europac3d is Supplying Portable Measuring and 3D Scanning Systems Europac3d is supplying portable measuring and 3D Scanning Systems to capture and record virtually any object or surface for reverse engineering and inspection purposed. Europac3d is the exclusive independent agent for Romer portable measuring arms, ideal for tactile probing used in quality control and inspection. A perceptron scanner can be combined with a Romer arm to provide one of the most accurate and highest resolution scanning systems on the market place with a point resolution of 4.5 microns. The DS2 scanner from Solutionix is perfect for small volume high accuracy scanning such as dental, jewellery and small engineering objects. Artec 3D real – time scanners are ideal for body and head scanning used in CG/Animation and medical imaging. Europac 3Dimensional Stand R24 Tel: +44 1270 216000 Web: www.europac3d.com 3Dconnexion Introduces 3D Mice 3Dconnexion is the global leader in advanced input devices for engineering, design and visualisation professionals. Supported by today’s most popular and powerful 3D applications, 3Dconnexion 3D mice offer a more intuitive and natural way to interact with digital 3D content. With a 3D mouse users can pan, zoom and rotate as if they’re holding the model in their hand or fly like a helicopter through three-dimensional worlds. It’s a level of control that’s simply not possible with a traditional mouse and keyboard. Hundreds of thousands of users worldwide testify to shortened product design cycles, a reduction in work-related fatigue and

TCT LIVE 2012 PREVIEW

Morris Technologies Offers HighQuality Complex Parts Founded in 1994 in Cincinnati, OH, Morris Technologies (MTI) has been a stereolithography (SLA) house and machine shop. In 2003 Greg Morris recognised the potential for applying additive manufacturing concepts to metal parts and brought the first direct metal laser sintering (DMLS) machine to the United States. In the 10 years since, MTI has emerged as the global leader in additive metal manufacturing, now operating one electron beam melting (EBM) and 20 DMLS machines. MTI continually demonstrates its commitment to the growth and promotion of additive metal technologies by investing heavily in research and development. Morris Technologies develops materials and processes to advance additive manufacturing for producing complex metal parts. As a result of this investment, it now offers 13 different alloy options, including titanium 6AI-4V, Inconel 625 and 718, aluminum 6061T6, and stainless 17-4PH. MTI’s unsurpassed knowledge and experience with additive metals benefits customers by offering high-quality, complex parts and saving both time and cost. MTI’s additive manufacturing capabilities is complemented by a world-class machine shop that includes 3-, 4-, and 5-axis CNC; EDM; and extrude hone.

intervals as part of the ISO 10360 standard. Easicheck can be used on a range of arms' and CMMs' to carry out regular tests, so the local confidence of the measurement results are maintained at a high level. The Easicheck is going to be demonstrated at the forth-coming TCT Live show. Trac Measurement Systems is providing a comprehensive range of Inspection and Testing Services and Equipment. Its environmentally controlled UKAS Laboratory provides Calibration/Inspection and Reverse Engineering services using high-quality measuring equipment ranging from CMMs through to geometrical inspection devices.

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ES Technology EuroPac 3Dimensional ExOne Fabbster FARO UK Fcubic Fruth Innovative Technologien Geomagic Global TCT GOM UK Limited GTMA Guyson International Limited Hanman Advanced Castings Hewlett Packard Hexagon Metrology (UK) Limited Hoffman Innovation Group IPF 3D Printing IREPA Laser John Burn Co. Ltd Laser Prototypes (Europe) Limited Legor Group SpA LPKF Laser & Electronics Ltd MachineWorks Limited Makerbot Makielab Mantech Geometrics Ltd Materialise UK Ltd Additive Manufacturing Solutions. Mcor Technologies Limited Measurement Solutions Ltd MiiCraft Midas Pattern Company Limited Morris Technologies, Inc. netfabb GmbH Newby Rapidcast Nikon Metrology NV Objet

EXHIBITOR LIST 3D Systems Corporation 3D3 Solutions 3Dconnexion 3di Consulting Ltd 3Shape A/S 3T RPD Limited A1 Technologies Ltd Alpha Lettering Systems Anarkik 3D Arcam AB Armstrong Mold Corporation Artec 3D Baty International BfB/3DS Blueprinter ApS Cadventure Central Scanning Limited citim GmbH Concept Laser Core Robotics David Vision Systems Denford Ltd Develop3D Magazine Drumlord Limited DWS S.r.l Electrobloom EMCO Education Engineering/New Design Envisiontec UK EOS Electro Optical Systems Limited

N12 U23 R29 R35 T18 P16 U6/P17 U37 P17 R16 P6 T14 P27 T2 N2 P2 T14 T23 P25 P17 P17 R38 U41 U25 U15 U4 T6 U20 N4 N18

Open Mind Technologies UK Limited PDR Physical Digital Limited Poly-Shape S.A.S Polygonica PrintIT 3D Ltd Proto Labs Ltd PRSNLZ.ME QMT MAGAZINE - Cranbrook Media Limited Rapid Product Development Group (RPDG) Rapidparts Ltd Renishaw plc RP Support Ltd Sciaky Inc Sculpteo SLM Solutions GmbH Solidscape, Inc. Solidtec GmbH Solutionix Corp. SpaceClaim Corporation Star Prototype China Limited Steinbichler Strand7 UK Limited Stratasys GmbH (Europe) TCT Magazine The Engineer The Manufacturer The Rapid Group The University of Wolverhampton Tiertime Trac Measurement Systems Ltd Ultimaking Ltd Voxeljet Werth Metrology Ltd Workstation Specialists Xisis Ltd

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FLOORPLAN

P25 R24 S14 U5 S38 R14 S11 T30 U26 S18 S2 S37 U22 P26 S4 P25 P19 R9 S35 P29 R15 U30 R20 U3 U1 T16 N20 P15 R37 U8 P36 T21 S11 U18 R41 P18

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3Dconnexion Stand R29 Tel: +44 1256 769731 Web: www.3dconnexion.co.uk

See the New 3Z Pro Solidscape has launched its new 3Z Pro. Come by stand T36 to observe fully automated high precision 3D printing for the desktop in action. The intuitive touch screen utilises icons as a common language and is the gateway to a powerful array of innovative features including selftesting and auto-calibration functions, wireless connectivity and the ability to load and manage jobs from a remote desktop. User-friendly software extends the 3Z Pro solution by enabling operators to select incremental printing options using a simple on-screen slider bar. Other software innovations provide much greater flexibility in scheduling, simplification of the work-flow and remote management. The 3Z Pro brings the power and promise of 3D direct manufacturing to nearly any business.

Cadventure Stand P2 Tel: +44 20 7436 9004 Web: www.cadventure.co.uk

Solidscape Inc Stand T36 Tel: +1 603 429 9700 Web: www.solid-scape.com MSc for RM & RT Technologies The University of Wolverhampton has developed an MSc to enable students to gain an in-depth knowledge of current and new emerging technologies/software associated with Rapid Manufacturing (RM) and Rapid Tooling (RT) technologies. Studying either full-time or part-time (day release), the course aims to ensure that graduates will be able to demonstrate self-direction and originality; and deal with complex issues both systematically and creatively associated with rapid product manufacture. Through the exploitation of existing, new and emerging manufacturing materials and processes, with one of very few machines in the UK capable of manufacturing aluminium and titanium parts from metal powder, students will understand how this advanced technology is used by the aerospace, motorsport, and other premium engineering sectors. Emphasis will be given to hands-on experience of a range of equipment and machines that are rarely found in a single university.

Innovative 3D Scanners 3Shape A/S is a Danish company that specialises in the development and marketing of innovative 3D scanners and CAD/CAM software solutions to be used for the creation, processing, analysis and management of high-quality 3D data. In only a few years, 3Shape has become the global market leader in the dental CAD/CAM industry, as well as the industry of hearing aids, with systems installed in more than 55 countries. Quality control and Inspection represent a third area of market growth for the company. Thanks to a team of over 65 dedicated developers and an extensive experience in development and innovation, 3Shape offers unique 3D technologies and a high product release frequency. 3Shape’s solutions bring significant benefits in terms of quality, productivity and creativity to complex manufacturing processes, where the handling of physical objects is critical. Thousands of customised dental restorations, hearing instruments and quality control are produced every day using 3Shape’s advanced solutions.

The University of Wolverhampton Stand U24 Tel: +44 1902 321 656 Web: www.wlv.ac.uk

3Shape A/S Stand: T18 Tel: +45 7027 2620 Web: www.3shape.com

September at 2.20pm and will try to reveal the basis of the rapidly expanding industry of 3D Metrology and show the reduction in cost and time being saved by users of this technology. Visit stand T38, where we will be demonstrating the workflows between; accurate data capture, quality inspection and reverse engineering, Showing cost effective examples for a variety of applications in almost every sector. Being the only bureau service offering the GOM ATOS system. Physical Digital can offer bespoke solutions to any engineering, design and manufacturing industry and have the tools and experience to ensure the success of your project. Physical Digital will be announcing an exciting addition to their company at the show, which we believe will place us at the forefront of the 3D industry. Physical Digital Ltd Stand T38 Tel: +44 1483 857537 Web: www.physicaldigital.com

Geomagic and Xisis Unlike CAD, Geomagic offers solution Tiertime capability to create 3D content from Tiertime Beijing showcases its imaging the real world and real people, professional 3D printer Inspire series, verify dimensional quality by along with latest Desktop 3D Printer comparing a master design to as-built Up! series from its subsidiary Delta products, and simulate touch Micro Factory Corp., also known as, sensations in digital environments. pp3dp. Inspire series 3D printer is a high-end Geomagic products are used by engineers, designers, artists, medical industrial printer that offers many device designers and researchers, options for industrial users to print complicated parts. It is ideal for design academics and innovators worldwide to create new products, new processes work that requires high accuracy with and archive the world around us. cost saving and less time consumed. Xisis is a unique organisation Up! Series desktop 3D printer has been popular in the hobby community. established to partner with new and With its affordable price and great print existing 3D CAD software vendors, underpinned by world class service quality, it has won lots of loyal fans. Up! Printer was designed for designers and support. We offer software who like to print. It is ready to print 15 development, training, and transition services to users of our CAD solutions; minutes after opening the box. The Geomagic, SpaceClaim, DirectMill and software is as easy as one click printing, without going through multiple PAS CMM. We have combined leading edge softwares to get the final result. technologies from our vendors to offer Tiertime brings Up! Mini, its latest personal 3D printer, to TCT Live Show, an end to end suite of products to provide “Advanced Manufacturing” the first appearance in Europe. Up! solutions across all industries. Mini is easy to operate and more Geomagic and Xisis will show you how suitable for family use. to take an initial scan through a suite of software products to reverse Tiertime engineer and manufacture any part Stand T12 easily and efficiently, with minimal Tel: +86 10 69667183 training, to achieve a high Return on Web: www.tiertime.com Investment from complementary software technologies. Physical Digital Physical Digital’s theme for 2012 will be Xisis the ‘The hidden values of 3D scanning Stand T30 within development and manufacturing’ Tel: +44 1865 691000 this will be presented on Tuesday 25th Web: www.xisis.net

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TCT LIVE 2012 PREVIEW

improvements in design quality. The core technology inside all 3Dconnexion 3D mice has its roots in the field of robotics and space exploration. In 1993, a 3D controller was used on the space shuttle Columbia, manipulating the first robotic arm in space. This was the launching point for a family of 3D mice. A patented optical measuring system, it delivers unparalleled performance and a fundamental understanding of how designers and engineers work with their 3D software, drives the continual development of groundbreaking new products.

Sample Models on Display Cadventure will be showing the very best in 3D Direct Modelling and 3D Printer technology on offer for both Concept and Product Designers alike. See sample models created using 3D printing and the different finishes that are possible. Cadventure will be showing how SpaceClaim frees you from the conventional constraint based modelling that is both easy to use and in a class of its own. SpaceClaim Engineer is a great way of creating 3D Concept models and its 3D Printers are unique in being able to produce full multi-coloured models as part of your 3D workflow. If you need to create, import, merge or adapt your geometry this is a powerful addition to your CAD toolset that can work alongside your existing 3D software investment. This is a show special offer for all attendees to its stand.

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master prototypes, produce multiple copies of the final product. Drumlord Ltd Stand U25 Tel: +44 1495 249232 Web: www.drumlord.co.uk

3di has a Desire to Create and and Deliver Successful Products 3di is bringing together a combination of over thirty years product design experience, with a forward thinking development process and a desire to create and deliver successful product design solutions. 3di has continued to raise the bar for innovation since 2003. Focusing directly on innovation within the manufacturing industry 3di has endeavored to add value to all projects, through innovative design features and utilising manufacturing techniques to ensure minimal waste. Its approach to all clients is personal. Every element is clearly laid out and each stage reviewed as the project progresses. Case study – 3di design innovative hamster homes for Armitage! 3di is briefed to review Armitage’s entry-level range of hamster homes. Armitage are one of the UK’s oldest and most established companies within the pet care market. Both companies discussed the projects needs and work began on a new range for launch end 2011. The resultant designs included a flat pack wire top, reducing shipping costs, playful styling features for the hamster and new colour palettes. 3di has worked closely with the production team during the design process, through T1 first off samples to fully approved final products. 3di Consulting Ltd Stand R35 Tel: +44 1604 654114 Web: www.3di.co.uk

The HDI Blitz is the Latest Development from 3D Scanner Systems The HDI Blitz is the latest development from 3D3 Solutions, a cutting edge 3D developer of 3D scanning systems. 3D scanners are useful for capturing digital 3D scans from physical objects in seconds. The HDI Blitz is an affordable white light 3D scanner that requires no additional setup time. Simply plug in the system and it is ready for scanning. The HDI Blitz scans in less than one second and generates more than a million scan data points per scan using duo cameras for better scan accuracy. The 3D scanner scans an object without any direct contact to ensure there is no

measurement interference. The system produces black and white scans with the option of generating color data. It is useful for manufacturers, visual effects studios, research labs, and academic institutions that need complex 3D measurements for various applications (3D visualisation, 3D inspection, reverse engineering, or rapid prototyping). Mech Innovation Ltd (3D3 Solutions) Stand U23 Tel: +44 1926 886207 Web: www.3d3solutions.com

Drumlord Limited Build a Reputation for both Quality and Reliability Drumlord Limited is an award winning Rapid Prototyping Bureau with over 30 years experience of supplying exceptionally high-quality models and prototypes to a wide range of customers on time and on budget, building a reputation for both quality and reliability that is second to none. It maintains its position as one of the leading Rapid Prototyping specialists in the UK meaning it is constantly developing in-house processes and regularly invest in new materials and technologies. Its ability to combine traditional skills with the latest Additive Manufacturing technologies means it is uniquely placed to handle the greatest challenges. Its strength is in working closely with its customers, as partners, in the product development process. Whatever stage you are at with your project, its craftsmen, its workshops and its expertise are at your disposal and Drumlord can help: Establish the CAD design for the prototype, understand end requirements for the prototype, determine the most effective prototyping route, produce initial

any 3D scan data for mesh processing and inspection. Parametric inspection software enables repeat reports to be updated with just a few clicks of the mouse. The “Teaching by Doing” concept removes the need to record macros for repeat inspection, just create the report once then it automatically updates for the next scan and SPC batch inspection. GOM UK Ltd Stand S18 Tel: +44 2476 639920 Web: www.gom.com

Label Sign Systems Display a Range of Desktop Label Systems Label Sign Systems is going to be displaying and demonstrating a range of desktop label and sign making systems, including the CPM-100, at TCT Live this year. It can print on a variety of media including vinyl and polyester in up to 7 colours then cut each label and or text to size. The CM200 is a desktop in house sign making system for creating larger signs includes software and safety symbols. The CJPro is ideal for creating durable warehouse labels with bar codes, sequential numbering, database access and graphic symbols are all built into the dedicated software. Alpha Lettering Systems Stand U37 Tel: +44 1924 275747 Web: www.alphalettering.co.uk

GOM Set to Present Current Range of ATOS 3D Scanning Systems GOM is going to be presenting the current range of ATOS 3D scanning systems and GOM Inspect Professional software at TCT Live this year. It has a range of systems from the very portable, low cost, ATOS Compact Scan through to the market leading ATOS Triple Scan. GOM has systems suitable for a wide variety of scanning applications and budgets. To automate the scanning and inspection process GOM offer solutions from a single rotary table through to complete automation cells. GOM Inspect Professional software can be used with

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DigitalWax use Stereolithography to Create 3D Models DigitalWax is a range of rapid manufacturing systems that uses Stereolithography to create 3D models. A laser source emits ultraviolet rays which solidify a proprietary photosensitive resin layer by layer to build a solid model from a 3D file. The translation of a digital 3D model into a perfect solid object takes just a few hours. DigitalWax rapid manufacturing systems has been specifically developed for high-productivity applications for jewellery, dentistry and industry. DigitalWax systems is the perfect solution to produce jewellery, dental or general purposes patterns with the highest accuracy and surface quality, with the lowest running cost in the market. Each production need finds the right machine among the available for the different sectors: DigitalWax-J with 6 models of machines for jewellery, DigitalWax-D with 3 models for dentistry, DigitalWaxX for general industrial applications. DWS has developed specific series of photo-curable resins: DC series for direct casting of different jewellery patterns, RF series for direct casting of dental parts such as frameworks, crowns and bridges, DM and DL series for rubber moulding applications, RD series for the production of impression models for the dental field. DWS S.r.l Stand U15 Tel: +39 0445 372323 Web: www.dwssystems.com

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working envelope of 140 x 140 x 135 mm, to allow for manufacture of an extensive range of 3D models, using low-cost ABS material (available from £29 per spool, plus VAT). The UP! 3D Plus Printer comes as standard with 3D printing software which is so simple to use......just as easy as using a Laser Cutting machine! It meets with all European Health and Safety Standards and is CE approved. The UP! is now available exclusively from Denford (and appointed resellers) at £1,499.00.

engineering and quality inspection applications in industrial and manufacturing markets.

head office is in Sydney, and its UK office is in Cambridgeshire. The Strand7 software is a general-purpose FEA system designed for Windows and comprises pre-processing, postprocessing and solver functionality. Strand7 is used for linear and nonlinear analysis of structures and components (static, dynamic and heat transfer), and is well suited to companies of all sizes in aeronautical, civil, structural, mechanical, rail, geotechnical, marine, Denford Ltd materials handling and heavy industries. Stand R38 Strand7 is seamlessly integrated to Tel: +44 1484 728000 Windows and offers strong connectivity Web: www.denford.co.uk to other applications via the Windows clipboard and through support for industry standard file formats such as IGES, STEP, SAT and DXF. Strand7 has Nikon Metrology Offers Reliable gained widespread acceptance as an and Innovative Metrology advanced analysis tool in several Nikon Metrology yields the most thousand engineering offices around complete and innovative metrology the world. It is also popular for offering, including Coordinate undergraduate teaching of structural Measuring Machines (CMMs), Optical mechanics and is presently installed at Solutionx Set to Preview its CMMs, 3D laser scanners, handheld several hundred universities worldwide. Range of 3D Scanners Strand7 Pty Ltd offers ongoing technical Solutionix, the fast-expanding developer laser line probes, X-ray and Computed Central Scanning Ltd Tomography, Optical CNC measuring support and software maintenance to of structured-light 3D scanning Stand T14 systems, measuring microscopes, and Strand7 users. In addition, Strand7 Pty systems, is going to preview the very Tel: +44 1527 558282 Large Volume metrology systems. These Ltd conducts formal training courses in Web: www.central-scanning.co.uk latest in its comprehensive range of 3D the use of Strand7 and the applications scanners at TCT Live. Solutionix’ partner reliable and innovative metrology of FEA to real engineering problems. company, Medit-Dental, is also present, solutions respond to the advanced and time restricted inspection requirements Courses are held worldwide. featuring scanning systems developed of world-class manufacturers active in specifically for the dental CAD/CAM consumer, automotive, aerospace, Strand7 UK Limited market Launching at TCT 2012 is the electronics, cosmetics, shipbuilding, Stand S1 new-generation “Crossover Scanner”, Tel: +44 1480 211011 the Rexcan-CS and Rexcan-CS+, which medical and other industries. It also offers speed and accuracy in Web: www.strand7.com represent the very latest in the field of combination with the ability to measure high-accuracy, affordable, structuredalmost any surface. Nikon Metrology 10,000 Single Parts, One light scanning. Being compact and Metrology Partner portable and featuring multiple scanning has a full range of complementary Denford is Pleased to Announce Industries such as Automotive, volumes and fully automated scanning, software solutions for CMM and point the UP! 3D Printer cloud based inspection and reverse Aerospace and Energy are the Rexcan-CS is offering Denford is pleased to announce engineering applications. Nikon manufacturing modern transportation unprecedented value for European exclusive distribution rights for both Metrology also has a contract inspection and mechanical systems which house customers and is expected to education and industry for the UP! 3D service using a wide range of systems literally thousands of components. The revolutionise the industry. Scanning Plus 3D Printer - the latest 3D in our UK X-Ray Centre of Excellence. failure of a single part can lead to costs demonstrations is featuring the hightechnology for creating 3D designs, it This comprehensive bureau service is in the millions where vehicles are resolution Rexcan 4, including the new is perfect for education, bookable by the hour, day or even by recalled, aircraft are grounded and LED projection systems. Rexcan 4 manufacturing, engineering and scan for radiographic and CT imaging. wind turbines are out of action and in provides a maximum of 20 scanning architectural applications. This highNikon Metrology completes its product extremely difficult to reach places for resolution (0.2 mm accuracy), compact volumes, depending on the size of the portfolio with a vast range of support, servicing. Metrology is a key part of the object, and is capable of ultra-high (245 x 260 x 350 mm), portable and metrology and integration services. production phase to ensure the life of a accuracy, low noise and the ability to ready-assembled 3D printer comes component, with Hexagon Metrology capture an area up to 1.5 m diagonally complete with user-friendly software. manufacturers can rely on a single in a single shot. Solutionix is also going Nikon Metrology UK Ltd There is no training required - the Stand R41 metrology partner to cover all their to demonstrate the Rexcan-DS2 and machine comes with set-up Tel: +44 1332 811 349 measurement needs. On show will be Medit Identica high-performance instructions and a detailed user Web: www.nikonmetrology.com the new ROMER Absolute Arm — now desktop cabinet scanners, which have manual. Simply use the UP! 3D Plus up to 23% more accurate compared to Printer to convert 3D designs (.stl files) been developed specifically for smallthe previous versions. With point object applications such as a tooth, jaw, Strand7 Pty has Gained into durable, working ABS plastic repeatability values from 0.016 mm, Widespread Acceptance jewellery or turbine impellor. The models. The UP! is quiet and clean; the ROMER Absolute Arm is the most Solutionix-Rexcan range of 3D scanners Strand7 Pty Ltd is the company and with a small footprint, will not accurate portable measuring arm that responsible for the research and is designed to provide unparalleled clutter workspace. Yet for such a Hexagon Metrology has ever produced. development of the Strand7 Finite value in high-accuracy 3D scan data compact machine, the UP! 3D Plus It is available in seven different lengths, Element Analysis (FEA) software. Its collection for a wide range of reverse Printer has an impressively-sized Solutionix Corp. Stand S22 Tel: +44 7767 777614 Web: www.solutionix.com

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TCT LIVE 2012 PREVIEW

Central Scanning set to Exhibit Their Latest Technologies Central Scanning is exhibiting at TCT Live 2012 and is going to be demonstrating the latest technologies from Steinbichler and Artec 3D. Its close connections with Steinbichler, ARTEC, our ITP CMM and software suites to compliment allow to provide a full and comprehensive equipment sales and support service for our existing and new clients. It will have the full range of ARTEC 3D scanning systems including the new ARTEC EVA alongside the superb Steinbichler L3D fringe projection system on the stand where it will be providing live demonstrations and can even provide a 3D colour scan of yourself to take away! As the first resellers of the ARTEC 3D systems in the UK, it have a vast experience in the use of the systems and as such can provide a bespoke training and support package (or simply the system) and tailor its quotations to match individual requirements. Whether it be teeth sized objects or complete cars, Central Scanning can provide a full service to digitise, reverse engineer or inspect as required.

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TECHNOLOGY TRACKS 25th September – Theatre 1

26th September – Theatre 1

Inspection, Digitising & Metrology in Product Development & Additive Manufacturing Chair: Brendan Coyne, Editor & Publisher, Quality Manufacturing Today Magazine

Digital Manufacturing & Materials for Dentistry Chair: Ed Attenborough, Managing Director, Attenborough Dental

11.05

Chairperson’s Welcome Brendan Coyne, Publisher QMT

11.15

New Value Creation Potential Through the Combination of 3D Scanning and AM in Process Optimisation & Quality Assurance Volker Junior, Phoenix GmbH & Co. KG

11.40

RapidFit+…Changing the Game Siddhartha Kunti, Account Manager, Materialise

12.05

3D Scanning 101: The Fundamentals of the White Light Scanning Process Thomas Tong, President, 3D3 Solutions

12.30

Concept to Reality: 3D Scanning…Parametric Reverse Engineering…3D Prototyping – The Complete Solution John Beckett, Managing Director, Europac 3Dimensional

LUNCH BREAK 1.30

Using the Kinect Scanner with Free Form Design John Alpine, Vice President of Development, Geomagic

11.15

Additive & Subtractive Manufacturing of Custom Made Dental & Medical Devices Ed Attenborough, Managing Director, Attenborough Dental

11.40

Digital Manufacturing for the Dental Industry Martin Forth, Managing Director, Envisiontec

12.05

Software for the Design & Manufacture of Dental Restorations Peter Dickin, Marketing Manager, Delcam

12.30

Success in Dental e-Manufacturing Garth Stevenson, Sales Manager UK & Ireland, EOS

Software in Product Development & Additive Manufacturing Chair: Dr. Charles Clarke, Independent CAD/CAM Consultant The Software seminar will take an in-depth look at some of the leading product design and development software currently available in the marketplace.

1.55

Reliable Process Monitoring in a Workshop Environment Rich Jordan, Sales Development Manager, Renishaw

2.20

Hidden Values of 3D Scanning within Development & Manufacturing Tim Rapley, Managing Director, Physical Digital

1.15

Direct Modelling: Addressing the Complexity of CAD Peter Kelly, Sales Director, SpaceClaim

2.45

Optical Metrology Supporting the Complete Manufacturing Process Kevin Hawley, Sales Manager, GOM

1.40

Unlocking Design Productivity: The Customers View Steve Rosendale, Channel Technical Manager, PTC

2.05

3.10

Lastest Developments in the Use of CT Scanners for Dimensional Measurement Paul Nash, Director, Werth Metrology

Form & Function with NetFabb Selective Space Structures Ulf Lindhe, NetFabb

2.30

Solutions for Repairing Defective STL Polygons Dr. Fenqiang Lin, CTO, Machine Works

26th September – Theatre 2

25th September – Theatre 2 11.15 Additive Technology Introduction Session Presented by industry-guru Graham Tromans, this ever-popular back-tobasics seminar gives newcomers to ‘additive’ technologies a complete overview of additive manufacturing techniques in an easy to understand format.

Technical Briefings – Metals

This seminar looks at the impressive advances in technology suitable for dentistry as more and more laboratories recognise the advantages of incorporating cutting-edge techniques into the manufacturing processes of custom devices, prosthetics and cranial facial surgery.

1.30 1.45 2.00 2.15 2.30 2.45 3.00

Stuart Jackson, EOS Lars Ryberg, Arcam Colin Cater, Concept Laser Bob Salo, Sciaky Daniel J. Maas, ExOne Stephen Crownshaw, Renishaw Stefan Ritt, SLM Solutions

Technical Briefings – Non-Metals 11.15 11.30 11.45 12.00 12.15 1.15 1.30 1.45 2.00 2.15

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Abe Reichental, 3D Systems Stuart Jackson, EOS Chris Baker, Objet Conor MacCormack, MCor Paul Gately, Stratasys Eric Erikson, HP Martin Stevens, A1 Peter Hansford, Envisiontec Bill Dahl, Solidscape Inc. Niels Appel, Blue Printer

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high-performance computing solutions for the 3D CAD, CAM/CAE and Visual Effects industries. As part of the Acecad Software group of companies it has RP Support Specialises in Hexagon Metrology Ltd proudly been producing computer Performance Laser Sintering Stand S4 workstations for over 25 years, and is Materials Tel: +44 870 446 2667 very proud of its class leading product Web: www.hexagonmetrology.com Think Sintering Powders. Think RP Support. Aylesbury based RP Support, portfolio and in-depth industry knowledge. Products include powerful specialises in supplying performance desktop (WS) and laptop (WS-M) based laser sintering materials to the AM computer workstations, and Deskside market and will be showcasing an innovative and expanding range of over and Rack based (RS-D and RS-R) computing solutions which are 20 laser sintering materials at the designed for complex, simulation, forthcoming TCT Live 2012. Newly analysis and visual image rendering introduced Nylon 12 products include tasks. Available with a wide variety of PA 250, which produces parts with specifications, with prices starting from excellent surface finish and fine detail as little as £850. Workstation resolution, also offering superior Specialists offer a complete custom recyclability over existing Nylon 12 products. This material is also available built service with excellent pre-sales advice/consultancy; allowing as PA 250-ACF, a carbon fibre and Star Prototype Promises aluminium filled powder which can be investment in the most suitable configuration for you requirements Premium-Quality Parts sanded and machined. Also being (whether this be application, project or A British-owned China-based rapid introduced is PA 815-GS, a new offbudget). A free no obligation evaluation prototyping company that has earned a white, highly glass-sphere filled nylon or demonstration service is also global reputation thanks to its Anglo11 powder, which provides good available, allowing new customers the Chinese approach to business is aiming dimensional stability, a good heat ability to trial first-hand the latest to make a major impact when it deflection temperature and greatly computing technologies. exhibits at TCT Live 2012 in increased stiffness and impact Birmingham (25th & 26th September). resistance. Now established in the Workstation Specialists Star Prototype, is based in Zhongshan, marketplace is PA 850 black, a nylon Stand S21 and promises premium-quality parts 11 powder that produces parts with a Tel: +44 1332 545802 without premium-quality pricing and it true matt black finish and excellent Web: www.workstationspecialist.com intends to use the show to demonstrate fine detail resolution. It is process to the British market the sheer scope of friendly with exceptional impact its service, which covers everything resistance producing parts comparable John Burn Ltd is Becoming from Stereolithography (SLA) and Synonymous with 3D Printing to injection moulded PP and ABS. It is Selective Laser Sintering (SLS) to CNC John Burn Ltd is becoming synonymous ideal for parts with snap fit designs machining, vacuum casting and rapid with the rapidly advancing 3D printing requiring living hinges. Samples of all tooling for injection moulding. Gordon materials are available on request. RP market. A well respected re-seller for 3D Styles, managing director and owner of Support is providing professional Systems, 3D printing technologies, John Star Prototype, said: “When I set up this services to all users of Burn has worked hard to combine its business it was my intention to create a stereolithography and laser sintering knowledge and understanding of the service that had the flexibility to cope product design, rapid prototyping, and equipment including laser head with the wide and varied demands of refurbishment, maintenance and repair manufacturing market and bring new the RP industry and the capability to technologies and processes like 3D of hardware, upgrades for improving deliver the kind of quality that had printing to its customers.Its approach to equipment productivity, spare parts, previously only been associated with this ever improving technology is to offer user training and service contracts. Western prototype operations. Seven the customer the best possible match to years down the line we work with their requirements and ensure that they RP Support Ltd clients across the world, a great many choose the 3D printer most suited to the Stand S17 of whom return to us time and again – Tel: +44 7788 144339 work they do. John Burn is able to offer clear evidence that the fusion of the complete 3D Systems range of 3D Web: www.rpsupport.co.uk Western quality with Chinese prices printers and has a wide range of printers has been a great success.” Workstation Offer a Custom Built at its newly establish 3D printing studio Service with Excellent Pre-Sales in Birmingham. The aim of the 3D Star Prototype China Ltd printing studio is to be able to offer Workstation Specialists is an awardStand S13 customers the best opportunity to winning computer workstation and Tel: +86 760 2222 2556 assess, first-hand, the different types of rendering system manufacturer based Web: www.star-prototype.com in the UK. 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working side by side. By doing this, it is confident that its customers will be well placed to make a qualified decision when it comes to choosing the right 3D printer for their business. John Burn Co Ltd Stand S35 Tel: +44 121 508 4144 Web: www.johnburn.co.uk

Guyson International to Exhibit Equipment from New Range Leading industrial finishing equipment manufacturer Guyson International is going to be exhibiting equipment from its blast finishing and Kerry branded ultrasonic cleaning equipment ranges at the forthcoming TCT Live exhibition. The Guyson Euroblast range offers a wide selection of blast cabinet sizes and styles, one of which will be on show, and includes conventional stand-up-tooperate, seated and variable height models. All are ideally suited for smoothing out step lines, finishing SLS prototypes or creating the perfect-keyed surface for painting. This product is fast becoming an industry standard, being used by many of the companies exhibiting at the show. An optional micro-blast system, for particularly intricate work, will also be shown. This unit can be supplied with any new standard Guyson Formula or Euroblast cabinet, retro-fitted to most blast cabinets, or used as a free-standing unit. To complement the blast equipment will be a selection of Kerry ultrasonic precision cleaning equipment, including ultrasonic baths and tanks. These are ideal for cleaning prototypes after blast finishing or for prototype soluble support removal and certain products within the Kerry range are also capable of being used with solvents. Guyson International Ltd Stand S37 Tel: +44 1756 799911 Web: www.guyson.co.uk

TCT LIVE 2012 PREVIEW

from 1.5 m to 4.5 m. At TCT Live Hexagon Metrology will be demonstrating products from across its range, including Optiv optical systems, ROMER & Leica laser scanning devices, Cognitens white light scanners and PC-DMIS measurement software. Visitors will also be able to discuss Hexagon Metrology’s value added services including training, subcontract measurement, and fixturing.

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Get Real with 3D Printing Visit the Personalize Pavilion at TCT Live Few, if any, can dispute that 3D Printing is an exciting and growing technology area that has hit the headlines across many channels in the last 12 months. As always this increase in awareness has also resulted in a confusing array of sources providing some wildly inaccurate and misleading information, particularly for the maker and the consumer. Part of the TCT Live 2012 experience at the NEC in September will be an extension of www.prsnlz.me brand, launched recently by TCT. The Personalize Pavilion will bring together the 3D printing and personal manufacturing communities for two days and provide a dedicated hub for visitors to get to grips with the reality of 3D printing. With the aim of demonstrating a wide variety of

Sculpteo Sculpteo, one of the major pioneers of the 3D printing industry, offers an online 3D printing service and manufactures and delivers a whole range of everydaylife objects starting from 3D files. These include models, figurines, prototypes, homeware and jewellery to name a few. The potential of 3D printing is endless! Sculpteo 3D prints objects in a range of materials including different coloured plastics, alumide, ceramic, spray painted resin and silver. At CES 2012 Sculpteo made headlines with the launch of the first ever 3D printing Sculpteo app and their 3D Printing Cloud Engine for consumers and online businesses. At TCT Live, Sculpteo will be unveiling a ground breaking new mobile application, which is set to shake up the 3D printing industry. Come and visit the Sculpteo stand U7 in the Personalize Pavilion for a demonstration and all will be revealed…

maker community and even consumers. The sturdy design of the MiiCraft 3D printer has been tested to ensure an improved and consistent printing performance. In terms of accuracy, the MiiCraft can build parts with a minimum layer thickness of 50 micron, with build speeds up to 3 cm/hour. Furthermore, MiiCraft is supplied with and operated by MiiCraft Suite, Python based software, which provides an STL viewer/editor, a slicer, a part checker and print controller. As 3D printing continues to capture the imaginations of a much wider audience, the MiiCraft 3D printer is the perfect choice for applications that require fine details and accuracy coupled with consistent printing capability. Miicraft Stand U8 Tel: +886 911 552 565 Web: www.miicraft.com

Sculpteo Stand U7 Tel: +33 1 83 64 11 22 Web: www.sculpteo.com

High-Resolution DLP 3D Printer at Entry-Level Cost The Miicraft 3D Printer A high resolution, reliable, entry-level 3D printer MiiCraft sets a new standard in terms of price and performance within the 3D printing sector. The MiiCraft 3D printer has been designed to overcome the limitations of low-cost, depositionbased 3D printers and offers a new paradigm at the entry-level by virtue of the fact that it is based on SLA technology using Pico DLP projectors. With a range of innovative features built in, the MiiCraft 3D printer will be remembered as the 3D printer that brought sophisticated 3D printing capabilities within reach of SME’s, the

Ultimaker Bring Resolution and Material Choice at Low Price The Ultimaker is a DIY-3D printer, rated among the best in the world within it's price range. The Ultimaker is praised for it's high printing speed and layer resolution having 0.01 mm within reach. The Ultimaker supports printing with biodegradable filament (PLA) and therefore, from an environmental point of view, the Ultimaker is a great choice. Already having sold over a 1000 Ultimakers within it's first year Ultimaking Ltd, the company that created the Ultimaker, is considered to

entry-level 3D printers for do-it-yourself makers all in one place, as well as some of the most creative and well-informed consumer facing brands that are utilising 3D printing for their business models, the Personalize Pavilion is the place to be in September for anyone keen to cut through the hype of 3D printing. Offering a community based approach, visitors to the Personalize Pavilion will come away with a firm grasp of the reality of 3D printing for the maker and the consumer — from some of the most dynamic and grounded people in the industry. It will give visitors a much-needed 3D printing balance together with the opportunity to assess the technology for themselves in a relaxed and open setting. be pioneering for 3D printing, open source hardware (OSHW) and the maker industry. The fact that the Ultimaker is a DIY-kit makes it stand out among others. With a well thought design Ultimaking aims to make building the Ultimaker a pleasant experience. Customers have a great advantage when they want to implement an upgrade or do maintenance because they have build the machine themselves. Ultimaking Ltd. is determined to make 3D printing a better accesible and a greater experience for everyone.

order using 3D printing fulfills an increasingly diverse range of customer desires. electrobloom engages the customer in the creative process by providing the necessary digital tools and services for them to realise their own jewellery collections, unleashing their creativity in the process. Electrobloom Stand U4 www.electrobloom.com

Ultimaking Ltd Stand U10 Tel: + 345 712 001 Web: www.Ultimaker.com

electrobloom - where everything is made especially for you electrobloom is rooted in observing flower and plant species where the sheer diversity provides an inexhaustible source of inspiration. The fascination lies not only with the visual motifs, but also the biological systems that govern their creation and their cultural significance that develops over time. As a jeweller and technology enthusiast, combining his love for making things with computing processes has always been an important aspect of Mark Bloomfield’s work. Through his company, 'electrobloom', Mark has embarked on a road of discovery that combines all of these interests. He has developed a creative business model that incorporates biomimicry at its very core. electrobloom also provides a viable foundation for mass customisation by using advanced additive manufacturing processes. A jewellery collection can be grown one layer at a time using 3D printers and it can be customised. A customisable product that is made to

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From Dream to Reality: Incorporating New Technologies with Hands-on Skills Silvia Weidenbach’s new jewellery combines high-tech processes with its own traditional skill-set of goldsmithing and silversmithing. The results sit somewhere between the future and the past, like props from a stylish science fiction film based on Elizabethan jewels. Symmetry is an important feature. Computers are very good at generating complex form – think of the fractal patterns that were once a popular screensaver – and also good at mirroring. Even bilateral symmetry is difficult to pull off through traditional craft techniques, because the maker must match their own work exactly. Multiple symmetry, and other mathematically derived formal logic, is still more challenging to realise by hand. Weidenbach exploits this capacity of the machine, but through subsequent embellishment has restored the objects to uniqueness and preciousness. Two realms of making are brought into an exuberant, hybrid union. Weidenbach Jewellery Stand W9 Tel: +44 773 853 11 56 Web: www.silviaweidenbach.com

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Faro Stand S38 Tel: +44 2476 217692 Web: www.faro.com SLM Solutions GmbH Exceeds all Expectations SLM Solutions GmbH in LübeckGermany is a leading manufacturer of Selective Laser Melting equipment for metals, Vacuum Casting equipment for polyurethanes and Investment Metal Casting systems. SLM Solutions also produces and sells bismuth based low melting metal alloys and various consumables as well as metal powders for selective laser melting processes. Focused industries are automotive, education, consumer electronics, aerospace and medical. The pioneer from prototyping to production is servicing its customers for more than 50 years and has long time experience in rapid prototyping construction and manufacturing processes. The SLM 280 HL is the latest generation of SLM systems and exceeds all expectations. Customers are comparably impressed from technical parameters and innovative details of the system. The SLM 280 HL provides a build chamber

of 280 x 280 x 350 mm and a unique double beam technology. This will improve not only the laser beam profile but also the quality factor of components as well as the building speed. SLM Solutions GmbH Stand T20 Tel: +49 451 160 82 0 Web: www.slm-solutions.com

with a complete finishing service from painting to plating is key to our growth. The VX printing systems offer high detail on a large build envelope, up to 4 m x 2 m x 1 m that is unrivalled by any other manufacture. Global TCT Ltd Stand U26 Tel: +44 1245 400955 Web: www.globaltct.com

Welding Systems and Processes That Lead the World Sciaky, Inc. is a world-renowned supplier of electron beam, advanced arc and resistance welding systems. Established in 1939, Sciaky provides innovative welding solutions and a wide range of contract welding services to the aerospace, defense, automotive, medical and other manufacturing industries. Sciaky’s groundbreaking Additive Manufacturing (AM) solution, which is referred to as Direct Manufacturing (DM), is the only large-scale, fullyprogrammable means of achieving near-net shape parts. The process utilizes Sciaky’s state-of-the art electron beam welding technology to produce functional prototypes and production parts at a fraction of the cost of traditional manufacturing methods. Starting with a 3D model from a CAD program, Sciaky’s fullyarticulated, moving electron beam gun deposits metal, layer by layer, until the part is complete, and ready for finish machining. Depending on the part being manufactured, deposition rates can range from 15 to 40 pounds of metal per hour.

The Magazine for Manufacturers The Manufacturer’s circulation reaches key decision makers across the broad spectrum of manufacturing sectors, from automotive to food and drink. The core audience is made up of senior decision makers at board level of the top 1,500 manufacturing companies in the UK. These companies are the larger enterprises in UK manufacturing, either in terms of turnover or number of employees. The UK manufacturing sector has a very large representation of high value and niche SMEs. These smaller enterprises are the backbone of UK manufacturing and compete on a global level and form the remainder of the monthly circulation. EEF — Know as ‘the manufacturers’ organisation’ has 16,000 members. Through a strategic partnership forged between EEF and The Manufacturer in 2010, The Manufacturer magazine is distributed to every EEF member company. Many of the UK’s leading SMEs, the cradle of UK manufacturing innovation, are members of EEF.

Sciaky Stand T24 Tel: +1 877 450 2518 Web: www.sciaky.com

The Manufacturer Magazine Stand U14 Web: www.themanufacturer.com

Voxeljet as Service and to Buy in UK Global TCT Ltd is the UK and Ireland agent for Voxeljet GmbH. In addition to supplying machines and technical knowledge, Global TCT Ltd operates a Bureau service from our own VX 500 printer offering models for: Investment casting patterns and tooling; Architectural Models; Concept and bespoke Art work; Sand printed moulds and art Manufacturing models

Measurement Solutions Measurement Solutions are the UK's leading suppliers of innovative, easyto-use, portable 3D measurement and scanning systems. TCT Live 2012 will see live demonstrations of the latest HandyScan3D and Nub3D scanning solutions. A particular focus of attention will be the ease of use and the ability to inspect and reverse engineer all types

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of components to a high resolution and accuracy, from small plastic mouldings to a complete car! HandyScan3D is the world’s bestselling portable, handheld laser scanning system. Aimed at serious scanning applications, HandyScan3D provides high-accuracy, highresolution scan data that is suitable for the most demanding of applications. Nub3D offers low cost, high specification white light scanning capabilities. Suitable for all types of applications, the Nub3D range of scanners offer an unrivalled price/performance ratio in the field of white-light scanning. We are also able to offer a range of on site, contract scanning and measuring services — our specialists will be on hand to discuss any requirements you may have. Measurement Solutions Ltd Stand R37 Tel: +44 1733 325252 Web: www.measurementsolutions.com

Premium Metal Components Citim GmbH is a leading German service provider for Additive Layer Manufacturing. Within a very short time, premium metal components can be produced on its machines, which include two EOS machines — M270 and M280 with 400 watts fibre laser; and three machines from SLM Solutions GmbH — 250 HL, 280 HL with 400 watts fibre laser and 280 HL with a new 1 KW fibre laser. These systems cover a wide range of materials including tool and stainless steel, aluminium and titanium. Beyond that, citim looks back on many years of experience in the field of rapid tooling. Innovative casting processes complete its range of services, which include nylon casting, vacuum casting, laser sintering, PolyJet injection moulds, selective laser melting, die casting, moulds, sheet-metal forming tools, precision casting, and sand casting. Need some fast advise on technical possibilities? At TCT live 2012 you will find us at booth T23. Citim GmbH Stand T23 Tel: +49 39203 510623 Web: www.citim.de

TCT LIVE 2012 PREVIEW

See the FARO Laser Tracker Vantage at TCT live 2012 FARO is the world’s most trusted source for 3D measurement technology. The Company develops and markets computer-aided measurement and imaging devices and software. Technology from FARO permits high-precision 3D measurement, imaging and comparison of parts and compound structures within production and quality assurance processes. The devices are used for inspecting components and assemblies, production planning, documenting large volume spaces or structures in 3D, surveying and construction, as well as for investigation and reconstruction of accident sites or crime scenes. Its latest product, the all-New FARO Vantage, a Revolution in Laser Tracker Design, Delivers Elite Performance, has been recently launched. FARO shrinks the size of its industry-leading laser tracker by 25% while adding a host of new features that increase range and improve efficiency for customers. Enhancements like SmartFind, MultiView and integrated WLAN expedite measurement routines for unprecedented speed and efficiency. Dramatic reductions in size and weight make the device extremely portable. Visit FARO at S38 to see this brand new product live.

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FIVE SHOWS FOR THE PRICE OF NONE A Strong Focus on Growth Manufacturing Sectors Visitors to TCT Live 2012 are renowned for embracing the very latest innovations and techniques for product development and advanced manufacture — even the seemingly impossible. Taking time out of the office needs to be worthwhile which is why by visiting TCT attendees will also gain access to four other co-located shows — completely free of charge — and draw on the innovations being presented by the experts in these other growth sectors.

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B I R M I N G H A M , U K , 2 5 -2 6 t h S E P T E M B E R

Mediplas is a uniquely focused event for the highly specialised area of manufacturing plastic parts for the medical industry. The exhibition will cover all areas of the medical plastics supply chain including design and prototyping, materials, extrusion and injection moulding, process control, mould making and temperature control. Mediplas is distinct from existing medical device shows because it specialises in plastics — the new material of choice as bio-compatible plastics and polymer compounds continue to replace metal and ceramics in all industries, especially medical.

TCT Live is the event for everyone involved in the concept, design, specification and manufacturing process. It is the event to learn about the latest in Additive Manufacturing, 3D Printing and other cutting edge product development software and technology. With over 150 exhibitors and 5000 visitors in 2011, TCT Live continues to go from strength to strength. If your role involves accelerating time to market, reducing cost and improving efficiency then TCT Live will deliver you a return on your time invested by visiting the show.

MM Live UK boasts a complete range of Micro, Nano and MEMS Manufacturing technologies. Exhibits cover the full spectrum of technologies from laser micromachining through to micro injection moulding and from MEMS fabrication, through to assembly, inspection and test equipment. With the miniaturisation of components continuing as an ongoing trend, innovation and competitive edge in manufacturing is being increasingly enabled by micro and nano manufacturing technologies. NANO Live and MEMS Live for the Nano Manufacturing and Micro Electro Mechanical Systems (MEMS) sectors will focus on two very closely linked and emerging technology sectors.

Sensing Technology 2012 is firmly established as the UK's only dedicated national sensors, test, measurement and instrumentation event. A wide variety of products will be on show, ranging from temperature sensors to monitoring solutions.

No matter what industry your organisation operates in, the PPMA Show will have the right machinery and equipment for your processing and packaging needs. The PPMA Show caters to all the major UK industry areas including food & drink, pharmaceuticals, cosmetics, household products and chemicals.

TCT LIVE 2012 PREVIEW

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Sponsored by RENISHAW For more information visit our website www.renishaw.com

Additive Manufacturing in Metals WORDS | JIM WOODCOCK

Figure 1: Cookson Precious Metals has signed a cooperation agreement with EOS to further develop direct manufacturing of precious metals pieces, including this piece by designer Lionel Dean

In the last issue (and expanded on pages 25â&#x20AC;&#x201C;27 of this issue) you can find the results of the TCT Top 20 in AM and 3D Printing. This poll was undertaken with the view that it would give us a snapshot of an ever changing industry, with emphasis on who you, the reader, believed to be the most influential at the moment. The pickings were, for metals AM, somewhat slim. Deeper inspection reveals that as ever, metals AM is bubbling just under the surfaceâ&#x20AC;Ś tct 20/4

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Consumer Service Providers promoting AM in metals Shapeways: Alumide, Stainless Steel (with four additional finishes) Sculpteo: Alumide, Silver i.materialise: Alumide, Stainless Steel, Titanium, Silver, Gold, Brass Ponoko (in US only): Stainless Steel, Gold (plating)

Figure 2: Like so many of the striking artworks and designs associated with AM, this ‘Klein Bottle opener’ by Bathsheba Grossman turns complex mathematical problems (like an object with a single surface) into real, working objects. The example above has been realised in stainless steel through ExOne’s inkjet printing. Only a handful of the names featured in the TCT Top 20 poll are names that we would directly associate with additive manufacturing technology. However three of the Top 5 (Fried Van Craen, Abe Reichental and Peter Weijmarshausen) are perhaps three of the most influential in this area in some respects. Fried’s Materialise empire stretches far and wide, and although the in-house capability at the company’s HQ is devoted to FDM and Stereolithography, they successfully outsource their metal AM work to a number of service providers. Likewise, Abe’s 3D Systems is almost certainly the largest company in the AM and 3D printing space, with influence from the consumer and maker right through to high-end selective laser melting systems. In the direct metals space, 3D Systems sells re-badged Renishaw SLM machines, a carryover of a resller agreement with MTT Technologies Group. Peter Weijmarshausen is the CEO of Shapeways, a consumer-facing bureau (for want of a better explanation) that offers AM and 3D Printing to the general public through intuitive interfaces, desirable designs, and by offering a range of processes and materials. Fried Van Craen’s i.materialise arm of Materialise offers the same sort of approach, though with the likes of the high-design .MGX collections bolted on and with a wider range of materials on offer. The ability of non-professionals to design and make metals parts that are realised through additive manufacturing is certainly growing the market for metals parts quickly. Personalised jewellery is a major market, as a quick look at any of the major services will demonstrate. i.materialise are leading the way with (at the time of writing — this is a fast moving industry) five ‘metals’ offerings that anyone can go online and order parts in. Although alumide is not strictly a metal, it is at least ‘metallic’ and deserved inclusion in this roundup. Most of the consumer-facing businesses outsource their metals work to other service providers, allowing them to offer the largest range of processes to what is still a relatively fledgling market. That said, Shapeways has over 6,000 ‘shops’ where members of the public can sell their designs through the service, and has output over 1 million 3D printed products. The potential for this style of service are huge, with metals AM becoming increasingly important.

It is interesting to note, though hardly surprising, that these 3D printing services make very little distinction between processes, concentrating instead on vague material properties and descriptions to sell the material (some are better than others, but even ZCorp never went as far as to call its plaster-based powder ‘Sandstone’!). Outside of highly regulated industries this is very much the trend.

New Materials As has been the case from year dot, industrial applications users are always calling for more materials, better materials, and more certified materials to apply to their projects. As it stands, there are several commercially available metals available across the systems: • Tool steels (304, 316, 347, 419, 420, 17-4…) • Stainless steels • Titanium • Titanium Alloy (Ti-6Al-4V) • Aluminium casting alloys • Nickel-based alloys (Inconel 625, 690, 718 and 738) • Cobalt-chrome alloys • Gold • Silver

AM IN METALS

It is still to early to tell if the effects of this new development will trickle back to the AM machine vendors and change their emphasis in terms of research, development and production. It would certainly make sense for all vendors across metals and non-metals to pay attention to this market as it matures, the potential scope of this market being larger (in terms of potential number of parts made) than any other.

Development of new materials is driven increasingly by machine manufacturers working with development partners, as well as end-users running their own programmes. The openness of the individual systems, as well as the helpfulness of the vendor is something that buyers must take into consideration when looking to purchase a machine. Among the most high-profile recent development partnerships have been formed between EOS and Cookson Precious Metals, and Arcam and Oak Ridge National Laboratory. EOS also has a well established partnership with Morris Technologies, which was founded in 1994 making plastic parts on SLA, but has grown tct 20/4

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Figure 3: Dental parts created by Phenix Systems. In 2011 the company released a new dental application that allows to manufacture removable prosthesis, and launched a new version of the CAM Software: Phenix Dental V4.

to become one of the leaders in metals AM with a reputation for the development work it has carried out — especially for aerospace and medical applications.

Figure 4: Sciaky’s wire-feed electrom beam welding process can deposit up to 18 kg of metal per hour when working with materials like titanium.

Ultrasonic Additive Manufacturing

It’s always worth bearing this in mind, especially if you’re looking to the technology for the first time. Ensuring your aims are compatible with the abilities of the processes available can save a lot of money, disappointment and managerial shouting. Traditional casting, forging and milling processes are complemented by, not replaced by AM in a vast majority of scenarios. The advantages of adding AM to a traditional manufacturing set up can be significant however. If you look back through this issue to Todd Grimm’s column on page 17, you will again see the point that AM is not the manufacturing panacea that some still believe it is, or soon will be. Todd makes the point that with metals, the end parts are already more directly comparable in terms of materials properties than the majority of plastic AM is to traditional plastic processing. It all depends on what you measure, how you measure it and what your measuring it against. Arcam’s ‘Cooperative Research and Development Agreement’ with Oak Ridge National Laboratory further demonstrates that the manufacturers are all relatively small compared to traditional machine tool producers. In this instance the cooperation agreement allows Arcam to promote its machinery through a Manufacturing Demonstration Facility and will establish an application development centre to further support its activities aimed at US industry.

Fabrisonic LLC a cooperation between Solidica, a Michigan-based technology company, and EWI, an Ohio based manufacturing research organisation offers ‘solid state’ additive manufacturing, also known as Ultrasonic Additive Manufacturing (UAM). A precursor to this process was developed and first commercialised by Solidica in the early 1990s. The cooperation agreement with EWI has led to higher-powered systems that create true metallurgical bonds in a number of metals including aluminum, copper, stainless steel, and titanium.

AM IN METALS

It is important to note that, despite the company’s expertise in additive technologies, the most recent news from Morris Technologies at the time of going to press was that it had invested in a DMU 50 five-axis machine from Mori Seiki. In a recent question an answer session between Morris Technologies and the Oil and Gas Innovation Centre (www.oilandgasinnovation.com) Morris started by saying: “While we would like to be able to say that every part is ideal for this process, the fact is that a simple part that is successfully being cast right now is probably not a good candidate for additive manufacturing. The process is most suited for complex geometries that would be difficult [or] impossible to cast and/or machine.”

The most common methods of obtaining AM in metals are through the powder-bed based systems and powder or wire deposition systems. Powder bed systems are by far the most common, with laser- or electron beam-based energy sources and controlled-atmosphere chambers allowing reactive metals, such as titanium, to be processed. Powder or wire deposition systems deliver the material and energy source to the point it is needed via a robotic arm and a form of ‘print head’ which combines the laser and up to four material delivery nozzles.

UAM works by layering a sheet of the desired metal on top on the first, before passing over with an ultrasonic welder that bonds the two together. Between single or multiple layering operations a CNC mill can be employed to remove material in a specific area, creating deep slots, hollow, latticed, or honeycombed internal structures, and other complex geometries impossible with conventional subtractive manufacturing processes. Artifacts can also be laid between the sheets of metal, such as wires, sensors and fibres before the ultrasonic welder passes over, trapping them in situ. The fact that each new layer begins the process discrete and separate from the last also means that multiple metals can be used within the same part to take advantage of different properties through the Z-axis of the piece. The solid-state ultrasonic welding process allows a number of dissimilar metals to be welded together with true mettalurgical bonds obtaining composties that could not be created by other welding techniques. Bonding of dissimilar metals can be used for cladding of high-value metal onto a lower-cost metal substrate, and functionally graded laminates where variation of properties can be altered through Z by grading the

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Figure 5: Shows a 0.030” by 0.010” shape memory nitinol ribbon embedded within an Al 3003 matrix created by Ryan Hahnlen and Professor Marcelo Dapino from the Smart Vehicle Concepts Center using UAM.

Figure 6: The largest ultrasonic AM machine has a work envelope of 1.83 x 1.83 x 0.91 m Developed by Fabrisonic, the machine is being built by Ultra Tech Machinery, another Ohio, USA company. mixture of metals. The process can be paused while the workpiece is manipulated at any point, meaning that the reinforcements can be added and composites created on the fly.

Non-direct Metal AM

Mark Norfolk, President of Fabrisonic explained how, with the help of Dr Marcelo Dapino of the Ohio State University, Fabrisonic is developing this process: “We are currently building a machine with CNC machining AND laser machining. The laser will be used to create small channels (0.254 mm) that will greatly improve our ability to embed fibres into a metal matrix. We have recently worked on a project embedding a shape memory alloy, nitinol, into a aluminum substrate. The team has achieved a material with almost 50% nitinol by volume. As the composite material is heated the aluminum expands. However, the nitinol goes through a phase transformation and actually contracts. The sum of the expansion and contraction cancel out, creating a material with a very small coefficient of thermal expansion. This has many applications in bearings and structures with high tolerances.”

Ion Fusion Formation Ion Fusion Formation (IFF) has been developed by Honeywell Aerospace, a division of Honeywell International Inc., uses a plasma welding torch to create ions that heat feedstock for application at a deposition point. A plasma welding torch may use argon gas or the like in order to provide extremely hot ions that impact or collide with the feedstock in order to melt it and enabling application of the melted feedstock to a deposition point on a workpiece. By positioning the workpiece, wire feeder, and/or welding torch, parts, devices, or components can be built in almost any three-dimensional shape.

Producing metal parts via inkjet technology is a multi-step process (printing, curing, de-powdering, sintering, infiltrating and annealing) and results in roughly 95% density. The major advantages to this process however are the speed of build and the size of the parts that can be created. The metals currently available are 316 Stainless Steel/Bronze, 420 Stainless Steel/Bronze (Annealed & Non-Annealed), Tool Steel and Bronze. In the same way that ZPrinters bind plaster ‘composite’ particles together, so the ExOne process first binds powdered metal particles together forming a delicate part. At this point the part is only 60% dense and very fragile. The initial prints are then heated to around 180°C for 6–12 hours to fully dry the binder and create green part. From here the part is sintered at around 1100°C, melting the bound particles together and burning off the original binder. Parts are now at 60% density and must next be infiltrated with another metal with a lower melt point, typically bronze. The infiltrant is ‘wicked’ into the 60% dense part through capillary action. From here the part can be annealed by slowly reducing the temperature in the furnace.

AM IN METALS

In the last 12 moths the ExOne corporation has undergone a rebranding exercise, streamlining its offerings to the AM world using its inkjet printing solutions for large metal parts and bringing the ProMetal brand under a unified ExOne brand. ExOne is one of the companies that licensed the inkjet 3D printing process from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) — the principals are identical to those found in 3D Systems’ Zprinter range of full-colour 3D printers.

Parts of up to 1.83 m x 1.83 m x 0.91 m can be created using the Fabrisonic system, which is significantly larger than any current powderbed system, though smaller than could be achieved by a powder/wire deposition system operating outside controlled chamber. The latest developments to the process include combining UAM with laser machining.

According to the Wohlers’ Report 2012, IFF can process titanium, aluminium, stainless steel, low alloy steel, Inconel 718 and more.

Figure 7: Shows a 0.003” diameter shape memory nitinol wire embedded within an Al 3003 matrix created by Ryan Hahnlen and Professor Marcelo Dapino from the Smart Vehicle Concepts Center using UAM.

The sintering, infiltrating and annealing processes typically take 24–36 hours, after which the 95% dense part is ready to be milled, drilled, welded or soldered. Beyond this a number of finishing and plating options are available to remove build lines, and create a number of aesthetic patinas — including gold and nickel plating. If you were lucky enough to visit the RAPID 2012 expo in Atlanta earlier this year you would have seen the small ExOne demo parts that the company created for the 3D Printed Puzzle Cube. As the only metal part in the puzzle, they immediately stood out even before they were handled — reassuringly weighty even in such a small part!

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Figure 8: A FineLine MicroFine Metal Casting in Aluminum 2024-T7

Another inkjet system that uses AM in the production of metal parts comes from Germany-based Voxeljet. In this instance the company’s technology creates moulds and patterns for sand casting and investment casting, either by binding PMMA into a pattern to burn out, or by creating ‘tool free’ sand moulds.

Microfine Metal Casting process are a maximum part dimension of 76.2 mm maximum part volume of 24.5 cm3, and minimum feature size of 0.254 mm. Tolerances of +/- 0.0762 mm can be expected for features less than 25.4 mm. and +/- 0.127 mm for features greater than 25.4 mm. Surface finish of the parts as cast is very fine at approximately 32 RMS — similar to die-cast parts.

FineLine prototyping is now offering its MicroFine Metal parts with ‘micro-resolution’ in stainless steel and aluminium. The MicroFine process is actually two processes, with both direct metal AM and metal casting techniques employed in creating parts in Stainless Steel 17-4PH & Stainless Steel 316L, and Aluminum 6061-T6 (A356.2-T6) & Aluminum 2024-T7 (B206.2-T7), respectively.

Conclusion

The MicroFine Metal Direct process has a working build envelope of 90 mm by 90 mm by 76 mm. The process is capable of resolving features down to 0.127 mm. Tolerances of +/- 0.0508 mm or better can be expected on features under 25 mm. The current limitations of the

FineLine Prototyping’s MicroFine Metal Direct part in Stainless Steel 17-4PH reportedly enables the rapid production of parts with the finest features and tightest tolerances in the industry — at production-level quality.

AM IN METALS

Development continues apace within academia, vendor and user communities with focus on developing, testing and certifying new materials for existing processes. The total install base of all metal (bed and deposition, EBM and laser, direct and non-direct) AM technologies continues to grow at a sedate pace, but grow nonetheless. We are beginning to see a critical mass of users and interested parties develop as understanding of exactly where and how metals AM can have an impact on them be they consumers, product developers, engineerineers or manufacturers.

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Wolfram SystemModeler:

WORDS | CHARLES CLARKE

If you’re wondering what this is doing here then the quick answer is that simulation is as much a part of speeding up development processes as 3D Printing. We all know and appreciate the value and contribution of FE and CFD simulation to time compression – System Modelling is a little more difficult to get your head around, but here goes. A simple way to look at it is that the Wolfram SystemModeler is a time based modeller that uses physics based solvers to reconcile ‘systems’, whereas FEA and CFD are spatial modellers, again using physics, but these help us to understand what is happening internally in a volumetric sense. System modellers have been used in the past to examine road traffic accidents forensically to determine who was travelling where, at what speed based on the known outcome. They have also been successfully employed by games developers to provide realistic animations and collisions. Wolfram Research was founded in 1987 by Stephen Wolfram. It pioneered computational methods and tools to make mathematical computation much more accessible to engineers and scientists.

SystemModeler comes from Wolfram's acquisition of MathCore Engineering AB in 2011 and their modelling and simulation software system, then called MathModelica. SystemModeler is integrated with Wolfram's Mathematica software, as well as with the Modelica modelling language [see sidebar on p64]. By integrating closely with Mathematica, SystemModeler provides a tighter integration between

the modelling and engineering phases of system design. Engineering tasks can be accompanied by better visualisation of the system design, while the modelling phase can be backed up by real calculations. SystemModeler is probably the most complete full-scale, physical modelling and simulation tool of its kind. Unlike other systems, it does not require add-ons or plug-ins and supports fully, the standard Modelica modelling language. Wolfram’s flagship product is Mathematica which, not wishing to over simplify things, is a bit like MATLAB, whereas SystemModeler is like Simulink with a symbolic, drag and drop interface. More recently Wolfram has developed Wolfram|Alpha, which they call a ‘Computational Knowledge Engine’. Again please pardon the simplification, but it’s a bit like a technical version of Google with equations. Again, to give some perspective, this is the technology unpinning Apple’s Siri search agent for iPad and iPhone. Try it and see — it can answer questions like “What was the temperature in Rome when David Cameron was born?” as it has parallel access to all kinds of data. It also has all the underlying computational power of Mathematica built in, so it can do compound interest and Ohm’s Law calculations by just typing the data into your browser. And of course it’s a boon for kids doing their maths homework! Before we get too “Minority Report” here, system modellers are useful for understanding how complex systems work in a general sense. You

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can model how vehicle suspensions will react, how electronic control systems will control robots, all the time having access to photo-realistic visualisations of these systems – a JCB back-hoe is a popular example. The Wolfram SystemModeler provides a very general environment that handles modelling of systems with mechanical, electrical, thermal, chemical, biological, and other components, as well as combinations of different types of components. Like Mathematica it represents everything in symbolic form. In SystemModeler, a system is built as a hierarchy of connected components, often assembled interactively using its drag-and-drop interface. Internally, what SystemModeler does is to derive from its symbolic system description a large collection of differential-algebraic equations and event specifications, which it solves using powerful embedded, hybrid, symbolic-numeric methods. The result of this is a fully computable representation of the system that mirrors what an actual physical version of the system would do, but allows instant visualisation, interaction, simulation and optimisation analysis.

There’s a long and complicated history of products that do various kinds of system modelling. The interesting thing about SystemModeler is that from its very foundation, it takes a new approach that unifies and generalises what’s possible. In the past, products tended either to be specific to a particular application domain (like electric circuits or hydraulics), or were based on rigid low-level component models such as procedural blocks – it was difficult to develop new models that did not conform to existing templates.

SystemModeler uses a fully symbolic representation of everything, which immediately allows both arbitrary domains to be covered and much more flexible models of components to be used. In the past, little could have been done with such a general representation. But the major breakthrough is that by using a new generation of hybrid symbolicnumeric methods, SystemModeler is capable of successfully solving for the behaviour of even very large-scale system interactions. SystemModeler allows engineers and designers to create models of physical systems, using a modelling palate and a vast library of physical and logical components. In addition to providing a static model of the system being designed, SystemModeler can also simulate how a system runs, using time-lapse visualisations. There’s a library of thousands of standard components in SystemModeler: sensors, actuators, gears, resistors, joints, heaters, and so on. One of the key features is that it uses the new standard Modelica language for system specifications, so you can make use of existing model libraries from component manufacturers and others contributors. SystemModeler is set up to automate many kinds of system modelling work. Once you’ve got a system specified, it can simulate any aspect of the behaviour of the system, producing visualisations and 3D animations. It can also compile a report in the form of an interactive website, or generate a computable model of the system as a standalone executable so that the model can be passed round and put through it’s paces by all contributors.

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The Modelica Language Modelica is an object-oriented, declarative, multi-domain modelling language for component-oriented modelling of complex systems, e.g., systems containing mechanical, electrical, electronic, hydraulic, thermal, control, electric power or process-oriented subcomponents. The free Modelica language is developed by the non-profit making Modelica Association. The Modelica Association also develops the free Modelica Standard Library that contains about 1280 generic model components and 910 functions in various domains. Modelica is specifically designed for modelling physical systems. It allows individuals and groups using disparate modelling systems to work together efficiently on large-scale projects, constructing reusable custom components and libraries. Whilst Modelica resembles object-oriented programming languages, such as C++ or Java, it differs in two important respects. Firstly, Modelica is a modelling language rather than a conventional programming language. Modelica classes are not necessarily compiled in the usual sense, but are translated into objects, which can then be exercised by a simulation engine. The simulation engine is not specified by the language, although certain required capabilities are outlined. The Modelica code can also be translated into C code which is then compiled as is the case with SystemModler. Secondly, although classes may contain algorithmic components similar to statements or blocks in imperative programming languages, their primary content is a set of equations. In contrast to a typical programming language assignment statement, where the left-hand side of the statement is assigned a value calculated from the expression on the right-hand side, in Modelica an equation may have expressions on both its right- and left-hand sides. Equations do not describe assignment but equality. In Modelica terms, equations have no pre-defined causality. The simulation engine may (and usually must) manipulate the equations symbolically to determine their order of execution and which components in the equation are inputs and which are outputs. SystemModeler implements the Modelica language, which takes advantage of the strengths of component-based modelling, where the flow in individual components is modelled. This presents significant advantages compared to block-based modelling.

Wolfram MathCore is a founding member of the Modelica Association and has taken an active part in the Modelica language design since 1997. SystemModeler is the result of this effort and more than 10 years of close co-operation with customers in the automotive, heavy-machinery, life science, and marine sectors, making it the easiest Modelica tool to use.

You can run simulations and adjust variables to make sure your designs function properly before the final production stage is entered. Say for instance that you are designing a new car. Fuel efficiency is critical, and youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve decided you want to try different compression ratios in the engine. You might have an idea what impact this will have on efficiency, but what impact will it have on engine durability, power, gear ratios, and a million other interrelated factors? You donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t know and building a physical version of the engine to test would cost fortune per test and take too long. So you model the engine and in fact the entire car in SystemModeler. You can apply this kind of example to injection pressures or temperatures in a plastics injection production plant or even a one off facility. It is far quicker, easier and more economical to ring the changes in software than in the actual plant. These capabilities alone would make SystemModeler an extremely useful and important new product, for a whole range of industries from aerospace to automotive, marine, consumer, manufacturing, and beyond. But thereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s more because there is Mathematica too. SystemModeler integrates directly with Mathematica, which brings to bear a 25-year Mathematica technology stack to underpin the symbolic model. This enables many computational options. Just as Mathematica can operate on data or images or programs, it can now operate on computable models from SystemModeler. This means that it takes just tct 20/4

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a line or two of Mathematica code to do a full parameter sweep, or a sensitivity analysis, or a sophisticated optimisation on a model from SystemModeler putting incredibly powerful system optimisation at your fingertips. You don’t need to program FE optimisation decks any more. If nothing else it’s a handy ‘basket case’ eliminator, saving you time exploring blind alleys. You also get all of the interface features of Mathematica; you can do visualisations, introduce interactive controls on the fly, or produce computable CDF documents as reports. [CDF documents are like live pdfs – CDF stands for Computable Document Format where all equations in a document are live and you can input values and see the effect on the system model.] On top of this, you get all of the algorithms and analysis capabilities of Mathematica. So it becomes straightforward to take a model, and do statistical analysis on it, build a control system for it, or export results in any of the formats that Mathematica supports. A high-fidelity model is useful for much more than just numerical simulation, including everything from optimisation and control design to custom visualisation and interactivity. Together, SystemModeler and Mathematica provide complete programmatic control of simulations, enabling all kinds of design and analysis.

And through a direct link to Wolfram|Alpha, as well as its custom data import capabilities, Mathematica can supply these data to SystemModeler. This is just the start of the integration story. Soon it will be possible to integrate system modelling not only with Mathematica, but also at a deep level with Wolfram|Alpha and mobile apps. Allowing you to make system level simulations based on local readings or data input in the field. Mathematica allows you to represent a vast range of formal and algorithmic systems; SystemModeler extends this reach to large-scale practical engineering and other systems. We can already imagine some of the important things that this approach will make possible. But as the technology develops there will be many surprises along the way in the years ahead, as all users gradually realise the power of symbolic systems modelling. Wolfram is marketing the software for a range of industries, including aerospace, automotive and manufacturing. SystemModeler works on both the 32-bit and 64-bit versions of Microsoft Windows, as well as for Apple Mac OS X, versions 10.5 and higher. A student edition costs $75, an academic edition costs $495, and a commercial licenses cost $3,495, though discounts are available for purchases bundled with Mathematica, as well as for occasional use.

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Virtual Prototyping at Bosch Siemens Hausgeräte GmbH Nowadays, almost every industrial designer or engineer is confronted with VR technology when trying to compress the development time of their products and projects. Early-staged product data has to be analyzed and visualised in time, while the final data might be used for pursuing marketing campaigns. VRED Professional is software that is especially designed for these demands: 3D visualisation is the solution more and more companies count on. VRED has been widely adopted in the global automobile industry; in other manufacturing and development situations the software is gaining traction, but is still unknown by some users. It is used in different engineering and design departments when it comes to Virtual Prototyping and product visualisations. For users, the software helps to close the gap between different workflows among a variety of departments. Even though VRED Professional is a high-cost software solution for Virtual Prototyping and high-end visualisations, the ROI is obvious within a short period of time after implementation. Here, Marc Pascó from B/S/H Bosch Siemens Hausgeräte GmbH gives an insight into how VRED Professional is used in his company:

“When looking for a new VR software, VRED succeeded against Deltagen and Showcase in a benchmark, because of its speed and render quality. After that, B/S/H decided to implement VRED throughout their whole product development lifecycle. Engineers use it for virtual prototyping; the design department use it for animations and to review their ideas in presentations. Recently, the marketing department has also started using VRED to create final renderings of new products. In the future, VRED shall also be used for training. “The clipping tool for cutting through an object at any point and hiding the outer parts of a product come in very handy when analyzing material composition of a part. “At the beginning it was very hard to convince the designers to use VRED Professional, because they were used to Keyshot. On the one hand, VRED is very complex software with a lot of features and finding the right icons or modules is not always easy. On the other hand, Keyshot does not offer the same range of functions that VRED Professional does. The customised training avialable from the PI-VR team is very helpful when getting started.

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“I guess, in the future it will also be necessary to have an intelligent VR software. In order to improve design and production processes even more, our software should be able to find out what next step the user wants to do when working with the product. The interaction between software and user has to be optimized. As mentioned, the interface of VRED still needs some improvement in order to make it more intuitive. Nevertheless, so far, no other software offers the same quality when rendering at such high speed.” VRED Professional comes in a modular configuration in order to leave the product as customisable as possible. VRED helps you to upload your CAD model, add material to your geometry, chose lighting, set cameras, load up an HDR image and stage products in an impressive scenario — all this in real-time. If you want to go one step further and convince Management boards or clients with an impressive presentation, Cave- or Power Wall-Setups can be accessed in mono or stereo display. For accelerated rendering or for handling very large data, you can use a number of distributed rendering technologies.

Photoshop) work has to be added. Lighting or lensflare effects can mimic reality from within VRED. Again, it is the speed of the rendering system is the real USP for most of the PI-VR's clients. The new version 6.0 of VRED Professional, which is to be released imminently, offers new features that give engineers and designers the chance to work on visualisations on a new level of perfection. For example, the new daylight system opens up new possibilities for the physically correct simulation of objects in different day and night situations. Also, newly integrated functions like subsurface scattering for the simulation of translucent objects or 3D real-time displacement to realistically deform surfaces lead to high-quality results. A completely reworked and ergonomically improved MaterialEditor, as well as the new material library in available in VRED Professional 6.0. Now, new materials like denim, silk, and velvet can be added to the scene and the user gets instant photorealistic feedback. New icons offer orientation and control over single commands and options. Together with the newly integrated interactive render passes, a 360° spherical lens has been implemented. You can look at your interactive render passes in real-time which enables you to make changes especially on your Depth or Material ID pass. (VRED Pro Youtube Channel: http://www.youtube.com/user/VREDPRO?feature=mhee) As with every software, there still is some room for improvement. A problem facing uptake of the software is that not a lot of people know how to use VRED! To combat this, PI-VR recommends in-house training and also offers project specific consulting. On the one hand, it might be easier to learn and use VRED Professional when effort will be put into further development of the User Inferface. On the other hand, VRED Professional is supposed to be used by people with know-how in 3D visualisations. Starters can try VRED Essentials which costs €999 and is used mainly for on the field pre-visualisations.

VRED Professional includes important functionalities like the analyzing module, which plays a central role in an engineer’s daily work. By enabling engineers to take a closer look at the displayed content, surface analysis, point to point, edge to edge, or even joint measurements and many more are conducted in a virtual set-up. Also included is a clipping tool, that can create object slices in order to cut through geometries and get an overview of the insights. Intersections can be saved for later evaluations when needed. Annotations can be added to any geometry of the scene and saved within the dataset. This is especially useful when different departments work on the same prototype. Apart from the technological and development side, VRED Professional is also used by 3D artists and photographers to realise marketing campaigns for their clients. Different Camera set-ups include a lot of tools (e.g. Field of View, Depth of Field) that can also be found in the professional photographer's terminology. For example, with the animation tool motion blur and depth of field effects can be implemented for objects in motion on such a high level that almost no image editing software (e.g. Adobe

VIRTUAL ROTOTYPING

“The main features that convinced B/S/H to invest in the costly software are the real-time ray tracing engine and the amount of data you are able to work with. You can cluster as much hardware as needed and work on your scenario in real-time. With the new ‘team center’ application offered by the PI-VR and implemented at B/S/H, every department can upload their actual files and the virtual prototype is updated every day.

Developments in the automobile and even textile industry show that in the future, Virtual Prototyping and other VR technologies will play a more and more important role. It is especially necessary to have a prototype at an early stage of product development to reduce production costs. VR software like VRED Professional 6.0 comes in handy for optimising workflows at an early stage. PI-VR www.pi-vr.de

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Safe & Sound?

Despite fears to the contrary, could new ways of working be even safer than traditional methods? Colin Watson of Symetri discusses… Engineering Center LTD, Russia.

We may well be living in the age of the individual, but we are also sharing ideas and other information far more than in the past. In our personal lives we readily disclose details of our activities, thoughts and preferences on Facebook and Twitter. In the technology business, software vendors now often share code to enable collaborative application development to help increase the value of their core products. At work, we are just as likely to be collaborating via the cloud with someone in India or Hong Kong as with our colleague next to us; for example, if working concurrently on the same digital prototype.

This way of working has many advantages. However, when millions of counterfeit goods are seized by the UK border agency each year and many more fake designs reach the high street, how can a business share information across the globe and still be sure their intellectual property is safe?

In reality, designs are far more at risk from more mundane and unintentional threats. Loss of design integrity can easily occur if too many people have permission to make changes leading to “design by committee” and subsequent dilution of the original central idea. Using the wrong version of a design can also cause grave problems – as can corruption of data through inaccurate manual input into new systems throughout the design cycle. Digital prototyping has been around in some sectors for many years. However, it is only recently that the technology has been made more affordable, straightforward and accessible to a wider range of product designers and manufacturers. Now design prototypes are just as likely to be digital as physical they can be sent all over the world, yet legal ownership of the digital model is yet to be tested. Contractual terms, therefore, do need to be considered and reviewed in light of this greater collaboration.

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The benefits are extensive and these security issues can be easily overcome by tools to manage data throughout the process which control design iterations and the ‘who, when, where’ of data access. These enable concurrent work on a digital prototype without the possibility of engineers overwriting each other’s data, securely releasing and tracking files throughout the design process with audit trails for future reference. There is little doubt of the usefulness of the cloud or web-based services for designers. Many cloud technologies provide products and services that can be used without having to install them directly onto a PC and businesses are beginning to shift their work flows either to a private or a public cloud that offers the tools they rely on. Working in the cloud is all about avoiding the headaches of emailing files or of managing file versions as they are changed by the team. It eliminates the need to wait for hours or days for a rendering job or not having the right tools or software libraries when they are needed. It also means that files can be accessed from anywhere you have the internet and on any device. It also provides the potential for alternative versions of applications such as product lifecycle management (PLM) that are delivered via the cloud. Unlike traditional versions of these applications which are complex, expensive and take teams of specialists to install, these can be downloaded with minimum fuss without in-depth IT expertise – and in a matter of minutes, rather than the months of downtime usually associated with such products. Many people believe that data held on their local workstation or PC is safer than their files on the internet. This isn’t always the case. Often computers are susceptible to security risk because their files aren’t fully protected against unauthorised access and intrusion. Furthermore, as files are transferred across networks, they can become compromised, if this is not completed in a secure manner.

Colin Watson of Symetri

There is an argument that security in the cloud is better than if data is stored on a local server. A new study by Microsoft shows that worries could be easing as 35 per cent of small business respondents said that they had experienced noticeably higher levels of security since moving to the cloud. Why is this? Vendors are highly conscious of the worries of their customers and understand the threats. Their experience enables them to devise the right policies and practices. They develop security review processes and have built customised infrastructures and screening processes for personnel. In addition to perimeter firewalls at the access layer, host-based firewalls are employed where needed, with appropriate protection rules built into the systems to identify threats and keep data safe.

Security is important for ptotecting intellectual property, such as this Production Stack-Up from Liberty Drilling.

Host computers are purpose-built, validated and hardened platforms installed with only the necessary resources to supply the required cloud services. Additional tools, software and hardware are eliminated to minimise any potential threat access. All data in transit is encrypted. In other words, by outsourcing data storage to the cloud or a central offshore host, businesses are putting their data into the hands of top, global security experts which can be far more thorough than their own on-site security. This can be complemented by the usual precautions such as backing up work locally in a secure environment, protecting passwords and keeping PC security software and operating systems up to date with the latest security patches. Using the new-generation of data management and product lifecycle management (PLM) products on the market can help businesses overcome any security risks of collaborative working. Taking product design and management into the cloud simplifies remote working and puts far more features at the disposal of smaller firms without the budget to invest in powerful new hardware, so enabling them compete with larger firms on a more equal footing. Security concerns are valid, but in fact often files in the cloud can be safer than on a local PC. Using these worries as a reason to hold back means missing out on a major opportunity.

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Hybrid Wholesale

‘Parts on demand’ Characteristic Some designs can only be produced using 3D printing. Complex shapes, out of stock, vintage products, individual designs, etc. Many reason lead to ‘series of one’.

Figure 1: A selection of parts were used by the Direct Spare project to help establish the impact of a change to AM

Market situation 'Emotional products' like old timers, antiques, jewellery, unique object in the B2C market. And specialties, special tooling, in the B2B market. Basically this is prototyping with for use project. It requires first time right production. Many propositions in the B2C market are available (Shapeways, iMaterialise, etc,). But in the industrial environment this is still rarely seen. In B2B the customary approach still is: first prototyping, then final product. In the near future the prototype will be the product. Decision model Today ‘cost price plus’ seems to be the prevalent approach. Rules of thumb like: ‘Material cost x 2’ or ‘fixed price per mm3’ are used, often to maintain a competitive pricing level compared to standard products. But you can wonder if this is the correct approach. Value pricing seems to be highly applicable for these products. The emotional value (B2C), or the process gains (B2B) are often far higher than the cost price for ‘Parts on demand’.

WORDS | ONNO PONFOORT @ BERENSCHOT Additive manufacturing has emerged from prototyping into the manufacturing arena. Currently the focus is on producing unique or small series of products. In the near future industry will integrate AM into regular production cycles, for instance for producing spare parts. AM will help to reach business goals like: refraining from the production of obsolete parts, allowing for ‘local for local’ production, lowering the environmental impact of manufacturing. But to do this in an economically viable manner, the innovators and early adopters of the technology will have to embrace new business models. This article describes the characteristics of three possible business models that can be introduced in current value chains: ‘Balancing end of stock’, ‘Continuous product improvement’ and ‘Parts on demand’. But it also describes a revolutionary new model called ‘Hybrid wholesale’, that could revolutionise the spare part business as we know it. Issues in the spare part business Continuously decreasing product lifetimes, the increasing call for quick time-to-market and strict service level agreements, lead to a growing number of spare parts to be maintained. As a result, inventory of spare parts increases and distribution costs rise. Solving these customer demand and supply chain issues is especially a problem for SME’s, as they lack critical mass and have limited financial capabilities. But also for multinational corporations it becomes increasingly difficult to meet customer demand, legal and business (warranties, service level) requirements. Enormous centralised warehouses are needed to supply spare parts during the entire life cycle of the product. For example, the Material Support Centre of Airbus Industry typically maintains 4 million parts, of which 80% are slow movers. These parts are infrequently asked for — if ever used at all — and count for less than 20% of the sales. 3D printing of spare parts: possibilities and constraints In the Direct Spare project we developed a number of business models for using 3D printing to meet these challenges. The principle idea is simple: How can you refrain from producing, stocking and shipping parts that will never be used, and solely produce parts on demand and on location that are actually required by customers?

We found that it is possible to organise a Direct Spare supply chain. The three main models described below were found to be the most realistic set

ups at this moment in time. The basis for these models is found in a detailed analysis of the differences between the current situation and possible future situation regarding specific demonstrator parts. In the Direct Spare project we used a bracket from a Siemens machine dryer (the orange box), a gimbal for holding a camera on an unmanned helicopter from FlyingCam (the green box) and a front grill from a vintage BMW (the blue box) as demonstrator parts. These parts primarily helped us to focus on the right issues and to get a feel for the relative impact of a change to AM. It also helped us realise that each project is unique and rules of thumb are not part or sector specific. For each model we therefore indicate the main characteristic of the model; the market situation in which this model is a viable option; and the kind of decision model a company could apply to determine if delving deeper into AM possibilities is time and money well spent. Hybrid Wholesale The business models described above are all positioned within the current framework, the current practices and the current supply chain. In my view these models do not take full advantage of the possibilities AM offers. When we look at the way the world is evolving, three main developments, that are currently not aligned, will reform and shape industry: 1. Individualisation 2. Environmental responsibility 3. (Global) communities Individualisation is propelled by technological developments that allow for far more end user involvement in the design and production processes of goods and services. Transparency (online, off line, in administration, etc.) creates completely new forms of cooperation between those who supply and those who demand. Knowledgeable customers understand that they can have the perfect product and will learn to handle trade-offs (less perfect, but cheaper). The specific situation at a specific moment in time will determine how perfectly individualised the product needs to be. Environmentally conscious people value production methods producing less waste. Local for local production is on the rise. The trend towards urban farming is such an example. Refraining from transportation, when producing (spare) parts directly from design in a local AM shop, will become a major decision driver when selecting products. Mixing virgin and non-virgin material minimizes waste.

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Figure 2: Traditional versus Direct Spare Supply Chain

Figure 3: The Hybrid Wholesale model could benefit all participants

In a globalised market, customers will look for security and certainty. Global brands service this need when purchasing goods on line. High street outlets, online marketplaces and local production facilities will integrate into networks of manufacturing and service providers. They will become the accredited (global) communities for the supply of branded parts and products. It is not difficult to see how AM will enable these three developments to speed up and be mutually supportive. AM allows for personalisation and hold the promise of refraining from waste. It also supports knowledge sharing on a product by product basis, but in that area open mindedness of the global brand manufacturers is still required. For many products curated marketplaces are already available. iTunes, Amazon, eBay and many local online stores already serve as a platform for a far wider array of goods than they originally supported. iTunes is more than music, Amazon is more than books, eBay is more than trading second hand goods. It is only a matter of time before a curated marketplace for parts and product design will emerge. You (or the local shop) will just download the certified design of a broken rear view mirror or gearbox part and 3D print a fully guaranteed part locally. Thus refraining from stocking all those parts that are only rarely sold, but must be available because of service level agreements. By combining stock with an AM infrastructure, and using this infrastructure also for other purposes — printing of your own design, servicing next door Do-It-Yourself shops, etc. — the ‘Hybrid wholesaler’ will have sufficient sales. The ‘jury of his peers’ combined with social media level transparency secures top level quality. If not, his membership of the (global) community is at stake. Conclusion AM is an industrial revolution. In the near future ‘local for local’ production will be possible for a wide array of parts and products, against competitive prices. This will have a dramatic positive impact on environment and on local employment in the industrialised world. Already now many parts can be produced using AM, but most manufacturers are still hesitant. They raise questions like: “Can the exact same product be made, using exactly the same materials?” or “Can I protect my designs against copying?” or “will my customers accept parts produced via AM?” What we see is that for many products customer requirements can be met, even with a better fit that with the current product. But both manufacturers and customers need to be willing to make the effort and have the discussion on the requirements instead of just asking or looking into copying the current product. Just copying make you miss out on many of the benefits AM can bring you. But when you can open up the discussion with your customer on the actual needs he has, and you are able to show the possibilities of AM to meet these requirement, often the customer will choose for the better fit. Reaping better margins for you and more customer satisfaction at his side. Hybrid wholesale is one of the most promising business models that will emerge when partners really look for the possibilities to enhance customer satisfaction using AM.

Berenschot www.berenschot.com tct 20/4

‘Balancing end of stock’ Characteristic At the end of the product lifetime, the standard batch size in which parts are ordered is often much larger than the expected demand. Does it make sense to use AM to produce a small number of parts instead of ordering a few thousand? In this situation the parts will be 'As is', meaning the design will not be altered, except for the necessary adjustments to allow for AM. Which, by the way, can be quite substantial. Market situation This is a viable option in the B2C market (end of product lifetime) and the B2M market (end of tooling lifetime), for instance: - when no mould is available anymore, ordering a new mould is very expensive and writing of the tooling over a very small batch of parts leads to a cost price per part that is too high - when the part in case is very complex and expensive, which allows for some extra engineering costs even in the latter stages of the parts lifetime Decision model Basically you just need to calculate the tipping point. But that is easier said than done. Often no information is available regarding the full cost price for spare parts at the end of lifetime. Only the marginal costs are taken into account. Offsetting these costs with the total investment in design, engineering and production for using AM is hardly ever favourable. This model therefore only flies when a larger number of different parts can be produced with AM, and thus spreading the investment.

‘Continuous product improvement’ Characteristic Based on customer feedback and use information the design is adjusted. During the total lifetime of the product the quality improves. Over time leading to lower demand for repair and replacement. This does not mean unique products from the outset, but standard products with an open mind to adjustment and focus on quality. Market situation This is possibly an economically viable option for small series, speciality versions and/or complex parts. Constantly ordering new moulds would be too expensive, as the series are too small to overcome the investment. For small series of parts that require perfect fit to customer demand, and where meeting design requirements is more important than the lowest price, this is an option. Taking it one step further and offering individualisation of the product from day one, could further improve margins. Decision model This is a value pricing proposition. The main issue is to calculate if the price for design flexibility can be offset with a higher margin and/ or lower guarantee costs. It means that your organisation has to be able to upsell and have a really client centric marketing and sales attitude. Only using the technology to break out of the commodity trap is not enough. The company culture also needs to be adapted, next to the production set up.

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How to go about Long Term Data Archiving

This is the third in a series from Theorem Solutions that looks at Long Term Data Archiving in terms of what it is, why it is important and how to implement it. Our thoughts on Long Term Data Archiving (LTDA) have so far ranged from what LTDA is, to why it is necessary. Just summarising our last two articles, we know that in essence, LTDA is a process which has captured all relevant legacy data (in the case of engineering companies with a focus on legacy CAD data) and placed it in a safe location in a format where it can be reasonable expected to be available regardless of the future changes in CAD and/or PLM system. In addition, an effective LTDA process will also ensure that as current work in progress reaches sign off, it too is archived in the same process. This all needs to take place automatically, without additional tasks that require extra man-hours or run the risk of being inconsistent through uncontrolled manual intervention.

Without an effective Long Term Data Archive policy and processes, a failure similar to the one we have recently seen in Banking would probably mean the end of an engineering business and perhaps massive damage to its trading partners.

We looked at the question “Why do it?” and much of the rationale was founded on risk avoidance. This topic often gets less attention than it should but it has been brought into focus by recent real world events. All businesses that retain business critical legacy data now have a clear picture of the catastrophic implications of failed data management systems. Banking systems that had been designed to withstand failure have been seen to be unable automatically to recreate their records through recovery of legacy transaction data. That data has apparently been recovered manually, but at what cost?

However, it can’t be that difficult. We can draw a simple workflow which says get this data, check it, convert it, check it again and archive it. That all seems straightforward, so we could probably do it. Conceptually it is very easy but the Devil is in the detail.

The engineering parallel would be the failure to recover the loss of design and manufacturing data. In many cases it would not be possible to recover such engineering data manually. Engineering records are much more complex than ‘transaction lines’ and the likely outcome of such a disaster in an engineering organisation would be that whole generations of designs would have to be recreated, a task that is probably not feasible.

So, enough scare mongering. We know what LTDA is and we know why we should do it, why don’t we just get on with it? There’s the rub! Whilst we know what it is, and we know why we should do it, we do not know how to go about it, and why should we? Our business is designing and manufacturing whatever it is that we make, why should we need to suddenly become experts in information technology or archiving legacy data?

For each top level activity there may be dozens of sub activities, all of which can be mission critical. For example, take what might be the simplest part of creating an effective Long Term Data Archiving process, the very first step of locating and understanding the legacy data that needs to be archived. In all but the simplest of engineering businesses and with the simplest of products and the shortest of legacy time frames it will not be easy to find a single person who knows all there is to know about the legacy data. The data may not be a simple data set. It may be made up of CAD files, spread sheets, documents and manufacturing information of various types. Projects will be ‘stored’ in different places. Some may be online others off-line. The data held off-line might be on different magnetic

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media such as disks or even tapes and there could be media and formats that are outside the experience of company employees without even getting as far as considering older operating systems, filing systems, ancient databases and data sets. It seems straightforward but it isn’t. Just looking at this one aspect of a Long Term Data Archive we can already see that it isn’t simply a case of knowing where things are or their format, an effective solution also includes understanding them sufficiently to know what to do with them — and how to do it. If this problem only represents a single part of the archive process it might be manageable, but it is likely to be the same on every stage in the process and there is no doubt that LTDA is a multi stage process.

invited to prove that they can do what they say they can do. This will naturally have cost implications but these costs will be far less than the repercussions of getting it wrong. Established CAD data archiving specialists should have templates and proforma processes that will shorten the time taken to understand the requirement and to map out a solution. The fact that they will have done these things before also means a much higher likelihood of getting a very high proportion of the solution right first time. However, even so, a proof of concept phase is necessary because even the most carefully designed and well understood plan may miss something, and the best place to find out what has been missed is before implementation, where it can be put right before being brought into productive use. In the coming years it will be normal for engineering businesses to have installed Long Term Data Archive processes. The sooner they are installed the easier (and less expensive) they will be to install and the sooner they will be protecting companies from the risks associated with catastrophic loss of data.

Where Long Term Data Archiving is concerned, “talking a good game” is not good enough. LTDA is so important that its practitioners should be

Theorem Solutions www.theorem.com

DATA MANAGEMENT

The very task of identifying what needs to be done to what and defining the processes, is probably outside the scope of those companies that need to do it. However, there is an answer and that is to seek the advice of specialists and to task them with creating a plan that includes not only a definition of the process but also includes a proof of concept phase.

For each top level activity there may be dozens of sub-activities, all of which can be mission critical

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!AM, RP & 3D Printing Bureau Locator 2012

!AM, RP & 3D Printing Bureau Locator 2012 Scotland, Ireland and North ern

Trusted Partners

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Wales and West

There are not many companies that can afford (or would want) to have all the necessary technology for their workflows in-house. Whether you’re working on product development, engineering or as a specialist manufacturing company, there will always be a process that you need to outsource.

Amalgam Modelmaking Ltd Drumlord Limited Hanman Advanced Castings Plunkett Associates Ltd Cadventure Schneider Prototyping (UK) Ltd

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But access to processes beyond your in-house capability is only a small part of what the modern bureaux offers. While processes such as FDM and small-part stereolithography may be priced such that many SME’s can bring the technology to their office, lab or factory, other technologies remain out of reach. Selective Laser Sintering, Selective Laser Melting, multi-material Polyjet and many more are simply too expensive to acquire and run if they are not going to be used at capacity. It figures therefore that the necessary expertise with these processes is unlikely to be found in the community of casual users, but found with the technicians, designers and engineers that use these larger, more expensive processes everyday. One of the most often touted advantages of AM and 3DP processes is that they allow the designer to ‘design-formanufacture’ rather than ‘design-for-process’ — even now you’ll see claims like ‘make anything you dream’ on advertisements for these technologies. While there is an element of truth in this, especially when comparing AM and 3DP to traditional technologies, each process has its foibles that must be catered to. The best way to extract the maximum benefit is to tap into the expertise found in service partners across the country, continent or even globe. The UK is lucky to have someone that can help in the vast majority of instances! Quite often, the expertise you have available to you when you start to work with a bureaux can shave precious time and money from you projects, as well as eliminating the dead-ends associated with trial and error.

Beyond producing a model, prototype or part, bureaux can advise on material selection, build strategies, post-processing, finishing and even what to do next. The mantra ‘do what you know’ is potentially a little limiting — but when it comes to getting your projects (or those of your clients) completed on time and on budget, it pays to follow it.

All locations are approxima te. However the publishers

cannot be held responsible

for any omissions.

Many bureaux have capabilities beyond AM and 3D printing that will help you to achieve your goals more efficiently. Additive processes tend to offer the greatest value when combined with traditional techniques — and it’s also worth remembering that modern mouldmaking and machining technology is able to quickly produce parts — often in the end-use material — quickly and cost-effectively. Your geometries, number of parts needed and timescale will inform the best route for you, and the best of the bureau will sometimes reject the work and pass you on to someone better suited. You will no doubt already have seen something drop out of this issue of TCT onto your desk — the 2012 AM and 3D Printing Bureau Locator. Use this map to locate the best the UK has to offer across all the processes mentioned above. Bureaux realise that they are often working on projects that are not in the public domain — it is after all producing prototypes that is their bread and butter — so working under NDA is rarely an issue, and discretion will be assured. Developing a trusted partnership takes time, so pick up the phone and have a chat today, you never know where it will lead. tct 20/4

Central Region 11th Hour Prototypes 3D Creation 3D Parts CMA Moldform Ltd IGUS Ltd Pro2Pro Ltd Proto Labs Ltd Malcolm Nicholls Ltd

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!tct directory

TCT DIRECTORY

To advertise here call Carol Hardy on 01829 770037 or email carol@rapidnews.com

TA K I N G D E S I G N T O P R O D U C T I O N STEREOLITHOGRAPHY (SLA) 3D PRINTING (OBJET) SELECTIVE LASER SINTERING (SLS) DIRECT METAL LASER SINTERING (DMLS) FUSED DEPOSITION MODELLING (FDM) VACUUM CASTING CNC PRECISION MACHINING (3,4 & 5 AXIS) PROFESSIONAL PAINT /FINISHING FACILITY t. 01786 464434 e. sales@camodels.co.uk

www.camodels.co.uk

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!tct directory To advertise here call Carol Hardy on 01829 770037 or email carol@rapidnews.com

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