TCT NA 3.2 by TCT Magazine

NORTH AMERICAN EDITION VOLUME 3 ISSUE 2 www.tctmagazine.com

MAG N.AMERICA EDITION

DESKTOP METAL UNVEILED TCT GETS A FIRST LOOK AT THE HOTLY ANTICIPATED METAL TECHNOLOGY

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EDITORIAL HEAD OF CONTENT

James Woodcock e: james@rapidnews.com t: 011 + 44 1244 952 391 GROUP EDITOR

Daniel O’Connor e: daniel.oconnor@rapidnews.com t: 011 + 44 1244 952 398 DEPUTY GROUP EDITOR

Laura Griffiths e: laura.griffiths@rapidnews.com t: 011 + 44 1244 952 389 EDITORIAL ASSISTANT

Samuel Davies e: samuel.davies@rapidnews.com t: 011 + 44 1244 952 390 NEWSDESK

+44 (0) 1244 680222 REGULAR CONTRIBUTORS

Todd Grimm tgrimm@tagrimm.com

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PRODUCTION Sam Hamlyn Tracey Roberts Gareth Williams

M ANAGEMENT C.E.O

Duncan Wood PRESIDENT & FOUNDER

Mark Blezard

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FROM THE EDITOR #BeBoldForChange

hat was the theme of this year’s International Women’s Day which took place in March to celebrate successes and recognize areas where change is needed for a more equal world. It resonates particularly strongly in the manufacturing industry where, let’s be honest, we’re pretty outnumbered. I’m writing this letter on the flight home from the Additive Manufacturing Users Group Conference in Chicago where on numerous occasions, I sat down to dinner joined by only one other woman at the table. In a room of 1,600 delegates, there simply weren’t enough of us to go around. In contrast, our current European and North American edition magazines are filled with stories from women who are using 3D technologies in businesses and labs across the globe. Kara Ann Noack is heading up BASF’s 3D Printing business in North America, Alexandra Fletcher, is uncovering history in a reconstruction project for the British Museum, and Stacey DelVecchio, Additive Manufacturing Product Manager at Caterpillar is flying the flag for women in engineering (p. 30). But I wanted to use this Editor’s Letter, which Dan has kindly allowed me to hijack, to address something I’ve wrestled with for quite some time. In the TCT office, over half of our staff is female and the majority of those women have, in some way shape or form, experienced harassment at a trade event, namely post-show events. This industry is supposed to be progressive and in many ways it is. While it’s great that affirmative action is being taken to encourage more women into STEM roles, if

being whistled at, spoken to inappropriately or touched when you don’t want to be, on a business trip is something we just pass off as no big deal, the positivity is sort of lost. I’m saddened, but not shocked which is incidentally even sadder, by the various accounts I’ve come across from women who have experienced this type of behaviour, the kind you might expect in a bar on a Friday night without the added benefit of never having to interact with the person again. Every sexist joke we’re expected to politely laugh along with, every inappropriate comment, every pleather cat suit, highlights a lack of consideration for the women in our industry due to something that is socially accepted as “harmless” fun. This industry is all about forward thinking and we’re lucky to have so many intelligent women, and men (because this is by no means all men, far from it) that we should be championing what equality looks like. It may not be exclusive to our industry, but if we don’t crush the lingering stereotype in our own little piece of the working world, as insignificant as it may seem against a wave of inequalities, all of our efforts to challenge statistics will be futile. Every one of us can do our bit to be bold for change, and not just for one day of the year. Laura Griffiths

VOLUME 3 ISSUE 2 www.tctmagazine.com

Cover Story

DESKTOP METAL UNVEILED

Group Editor, Daniel O’Connor meets with the team behind the industry’s most hotly anticipated metal technology.

Medical

EVERYONE AND THEIR DOG

Deputy Group Editor, Laura Griffiths takes a look at how Texas A&M’s veterinary school was able to perform life-saving cancer treatment on a dog using 3D printing.

3D PRINTED PROSTHETICS 2.0 Editorial Assistant, Sam Davies speaks to a dad looking to take 3D printed prosthetics to the next level.

DRIVING SURGICAL INNOVATION WITH K2M

K2M, a leader in spinal operation technologies, has turned to 3D printing for its latest range of cuttingedge spinal surgery.

AMUG

REVIEW

An overview of the 2017 Additive Manufacturing Users Group Conference including conference highlights and product debuts.

ACCELERATING 3D TECHNOLOGIES

CONTENTS

TCT | VOLUME 3 ISSUE 2

Jigs & Fixtures

IS THIS THE END OF PROTOTYPING AS WE KNOW IT?

Laura speaks to Joseph DeSimone, Co-founder and CEO at Carbon about the company’s new SpeedCell solution and vision for production manufacturing.

CUSTOMIZING THE FACTORY FLOOR

Having launched paramate in 2015, and begun a partnership with robotic system developer, KuhnStoff in 2016, trinckle Co-Founders Florian Reichle and Gunnar Schulze discuss the software’s impact on the customization of robotic grippers.

CHANGING THE WORLD, ONE WOMAN AT A TIME

RAPID + TCT PREVIEW

Laura meets with Stacey DelVecchio, Additive Manufacturing Product Manager at Caterpillar to discuss how the industrial equipment manufacturer is ramping up its AM capabilities for production.

The first RAPID + TCT takes place in Pittsburgh on May 8-11. Find out what new technologies you can expect to see on the show floor and which speakers will be taking to the stage.

VOXEL8: MORE THAN JUST ELECTRONICS

XAAR’S 3D CENTER IS FIRST STEP TO 2020 VISION

Laura meets with the Voxel8 team at AMUG to talk about its new Industrial Platform and bringing multi-material printing into production.

Machining

Sam went along to the grand opening of Xaar’s 3D printing facility and spoke to Professor Neil Hopkinson about the lab’s 2020 vision.

MACHINING GIVES ADDITIVE THE EDGE

How a 73-year-old family-business gave itself a competitive edge by introducing additive manufacturing to a traditional machine shop.

MD&M EAST PREVIEW

A preview of MD&M East 2017 as 3D technologies take center stage with a two-day 3D Printing Innovation Summit focused on developments in the medical sector.

27 REGULARS

03 23 56

EDITOR’S letter GUEST COLUMN

TODD GRIMM COLUMN

VOLUME 3 ISSUE 2 www.tctmagazine.com

COVER STORY

WO R D S : Daniel O’ C onnor

A FIRST LOOK AT DESKTOP METAL T At the 1927 Solvay Conference, 17 eventual Nobel Prize winners including Marie Curie, Erwin Schrodinger, Niels Bohr and one Albert Einstein, met to discuss the outstanding preeminent problems in regards to the newly formulated quantum theory. It is this meeting of minds that conferences, like AMUG, are attempting to replicate to address the concerns affecting the additive manufacturing industry.

VOLUME 3 ISSUE 2 www.tctmagazine.com

HE CHALLENGES FACING ADDITIVE MANUFACTURING are simply too broad and threading the needle through from materials development to post-processing, with all of the stakeholders that involves, is nigh on impossible. However, what if one company focused on solving the whole process chain and brought in a team of experts to do so? On the back of AMUG, I visited one such company... Desktop Metal CEO, Ric Fulop, has assembled a team that wouldn’t feel out of place debating quantum amongst Einstein’s scientific realists and Bohr’s

instrumentalists. The difference being this team are pulling together to solve some of the most significant rate-limiting steps for metal 3D printing. Desktop Metal is going to make metal 3D printing a magnitude more affordable, faster and office friendly. “Our thesis is that metal 3D printers, today, are similar to 1970s punchcard computers,” explains the Ric during a tour of Desktop Metal’s HQ, 30 minutes outside of Boston, in Burlington, MA. “It is a technology that requires dedicated facilities like large argon gas tanks outside your premises, three-phase technologies that require you to invest $800k in the machine with

ACCELERATING 3D TECHNOLOGIES

Desktop Metal Materials Scientist Nihan Tuncer



LEFT: The DM Production System, the first metal 3D printing system for high resolution, high throughput metal 3D printing.

LEFT: BELOW: The

first office-friendly sintering furnace

CEO Ric Fulop (right) and Materials Research Scientist Uwe Bauer in Desktop Metal’s R&D lab

$200,000 of post processing equipment.” These problems had frustrated Ric in his previous company, A123 Systems - a lithiumion battery company that was the Boston’s biggest IPO in the past decade. In 2013, having been the first investor in a number of 3D related companies including ProtoLabs, Onshape, and Markforged, Ric stopped investing and started doing. He got together with some MIT professors, who are among the world’s leading experts in materials science, metallurgy, advanced manufacturing and 3D printing, and began brainstorming how they could make metal parts more efficiently. The fruits of that labor will be presented to the public for the first time at RAPID + TCT in Pittsburgh (May 8-11) but Ric and his team opened the doors to team TCT for a sneak

A yoke for a brake assembly (Right) produced with the DM Studio System as a replacement part for heavy machinery and (left) the original part that was cast and machined

peak of the most hotly anticipated 3D technology I can recall. Hotly anticipated is, in some ways, an understatement. We have seen many a technology launch, but anyone with a keen eye on the market will have noted the $100 million in equity funding that Desktop Metal has received from prestigious investors like Google Ventures, BMW, Kleiner Perkins and GE. Shrouding the tech in secrecy has only added fuel to the flame. Until our visit, all we knew of Desktop Metal’s technology is that it would be laserless. Desktop Metal has, in fact, created a host of technologies (135+ patents in process) and has threaded the needle right through the eye of many of metal 3D printing’s problems. There’s a new materials science that leverages the world’s most voluminous metal powders, hand-removable supports, software that takes your part from orientation right through to specified metal microstructures, using machinery that can be utilized in an office environment including the heat sintering furnace. ›› VOLUME 3 ISSUE 2 www.tctmagazine.com

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“A HUGE TECHNOLOGY CHANGE”

There are two 3D printing Systems at launch, a desktop version, and a production system; both are enabled by a proprietary sintering technology that is the same for both systems. “The microwave-enhanced sintering technology is a huge technology change,” explains Ric. “This is what allows us to make this office friendly. It has a reducing atmosphere that makes it possible to use lowcost powders like metal injection molding (MIM) powders. Right now people have to use low oxygen powders with a narrow particle size distribution that are very expensive. By having a reducing system in the furnace, we can use conventional powder metallurgy materials like MIM, which is what many of the parts in your iPhone, computers, and cars are made with.” During the tour Ric introduced us to the majority of the team, reeling off a biography of every team member no matter how junior or senior. One such member was Mark Sowerbutts, a sintering expert running the furnace project, who started his career at Oak Ridge working on uranium oxide sintering for fuel pellets and armor piercing projectiles. “I have worked on demanding and exciting end products like the space shuttle main engines, but as a furnace itself, this is the most exciting,” says Mark. “It has many demands that are challenging. Usually, they give you all the power you want, all the water you want and forklift it in, this has got to go in through a single door, plug into a wall and sinter parts that are tiny or large, parts that are complex or simple.” Considering a laser alone for a powderbed fusion machine can cost hundreds of thousands of dollars, to reduce the cost of the technology we have seen something of a move back to the indirect printing of

RIGHT: Easily swappable print cartridges

make for safe, fast material changes

metals that do away with a laser. Users are expected to use processes developed for traditional production methods, and it is often unclear how much additional cost or real estate space this will take. Desktop Metal is clear from the start you need both the printer and the sintering furnace, and the pricing is upfront. For the desktop printer and the furnace you will pay $120,000 for what the company calls the Desktop Metal Studio System. You can add more Studio printers to each furnace. The sintering system is fully automated, can reach temperatures of up to 1400°C, and in a point worth repeating can be utilized in an office environment without the need for external ventilation. “We are not just doing half the process,” says Ric. “(With traditional sintering ovens) you have no control, and you need a dedicated metallurgist to make good parts. If you do not know how to sinter correctly your gas flows are wrong, your oxygen control is wrong, and your part is not fit for purpose. “Our system has a metallurgist built into a box. We are taking some of the world’s best metallurgists like Chris Schuh and the 14 Ph.D. metallurgists and engineers that we have here and wrapping all that know-how into the hardware and the software, so you do not have to do any programming.”

TWO-PRONGED ATTACK At RAPID + TCT, Desktop Metal will show both the Studio and Production systems in action, the Studio System will be shipping in September 2017 with the Production System following a year later. They are completely different technologies but use the same sintering technology that can be used to sinter parts from both machines. The Studio System is akin to FDM printing, albeit very top end FDM. It uses a patented Bound Metal Deposition (BMD) extrusion process to make accurate and repeatable parts, extruding Desktop Metal’s media of MIM metal powders bound by a polymer mix - a chemistry developed inhouse, another check in the office friendly box. It has a 50-micron layer resolution, automated bed leveling, and a heated build area. The Studio System is designed ‘for engineers to engineer in the place they engineer.’ It is both affordable and userfriendly and could be truly transformative in the manufacture of low-volume part runs. The Production System, however, is not after those low-volume runs, Desktop Metal believes this machine will totally transform the mass manufacture of metal parts. The Production System uses what the company is calling Single Pass Jetting (SPJ). Created in unison by co-founder and inventor of the binder jetting process, Ely Sachs whose work spawned Z-Corp and ExOne, together with Paul Hoisington, a scientist with over 100 patents in the field of inkjet printing. Like the Studio System it is enabled by a proprietary sintering technology. It uses metal powders together with Desktop Metal’s binder and two full-width print bars containing over 32,000 jets, printing at a speed Desktop Metal say is over 100x faster than today’s most common metal 3D printing systems. Ric says SPJ is similar to what HP is doing in plastics except metal parts need to be sintered in the furnace. “Our system can print at roughly 500 cubic inches per hour,” says Ric. “In a laser-based machine with a similar build volume, you are looking at making twelve of these (Ric shows me a hockey puck sized part) a day. Because we can nest parts like SLS and don’t weld to a build plate, we can print 112 parts in one four and half hour run which is 560 parts a day.” With this level of output from the machine, the key to success is being able to process quickly. The printing ›› VOLUME 3 ISSUE 2 www.tctmagazine.com

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The DM Studio System is the world’s first affordable, officefriendly metal 3D printing system

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COVER STORY ACCELERATING 3D TECHNOLOGIES

mechanism is decoupled from the build box, which is encased in a cart that can be swapped and transferred for sintering. Both systems have another bonus for those wanting to print complex parts in metal, supports that are removable by hand. Desktop Metal has created and patented a unique ceramic release layer that sits in between supports. The ceramic is bound with polymers, and when sintered turns to sand, when supports are removed parts bear no witness marks.

Patented Separable Supports make it possible to remove support structures by hand

MIMICKING SUCCESS

Core to Desktop Metal’s philosophy is affordability, and with so many patented technologies one may think costs could begin to add up, but arguably the most important factor in Desktop Metal’s whole process is a decision that was taken very early on, to use Metal Injection Molding (MIM) powders. “Why did we base our technology on MIM?” Ric asks. “In my last business I was a supplier to the car industry, we made batteries for hybrid vehicles and electric vehicles. We were growing up at around the same time as Tesla, in a Tesla electric car the battery packs have thousands of little cells whereas in a conventional electric vehicle has these big batteries. We were makers of the big batteries. I asked their CTO, JB Straubel, Elon (Musk, CEO) and some other guys in the company, ‘Why are you building you electric vehicles with 18650 laptop cells?” They wanted to be at scale from a cost structure from day one, not wait until there was the volume in electric cars to bring the cost of batteries down, which would take two decades. “Their mission was, ‘let’s make this real,’ so they started with a raw material that was already at scale. That philosophy stuck with us; we looked at current metal technologies, and the entire business is built around a custom metal powder that is very expensive.” By basing the whole business around MIM materials and then designing a process that is compatible Desktop Metal has an economy of

scale. The raw materials for MIM are roughly 80 percent cheaper than powder-bed fusion simply because the production of MIM powders is three orders of magnitude higher than powder-bed fusion powders and involves less processing to produce. Thanks to this prevalence of materials, Desktop Metal will be launching with 30 alloys, and there are over 200 metal materials compatible with its systems. “Added to this is the fact that there are 40 years of research on sintering of MIM materials, says Ric. “As a result, there are massive data sets on mechanical properties..”

CLOSING THE LOOP

The software ties all these features together and closes the loop from a CAD file to a finished part complete with the microstructures mentioned above. To do this Ric, brought in the tenth employee at Solidworks and founder of Xpress3D, which went on to be RedEye and then Stratasys Direct Manufacturing, one Rick Chin. With a thorough demo, Rick Chin talked us through the software system that has taken inspiration from websites like Kayak with slider interfaces that allow the user to see individual payoffs and drawbacks of each orientation. “We want to make it so that our users are

Desktop Metal co-founders (front left to right: CEO Ric Fulop, A. John Hart, Jonah Myerberg; standing left to right: Yet Ming-Chiang, Chris Schuh, Ely Sachs, Rick Chin)

efficient with the technology from day one,” says the software guru Rick. “Whenever you are adopting a new technology there’s this period of trial and error. In 3D printing that involves wasting material, until you build up an intuition about how your printer works. We are capturing that intuition in the software.” Whereas other 3D printing software merely takes into account the printer, Desktop Metal’s software, which is all ran in the cloud for optimum performance, gives you the ability to understand your parts final mechanical properties once it comes out of the furnace. The software works in conjunction with all the hardware and is continuously feeding back from the printer and machines to improve the estimations given beforehand. Rick is one of the many stars that Ric Fulop has assembled like Ernest Solvay picking Einstein and co. for his 1927 conference. We haven’t even begun to mention people like; Yet-Ming Chiang, an MIT professor and co-founder; A. John Hart, another co-founder and MIT professor; CTO Jonah Myerberg, who spent the last two years working on the Porsche 919 Le Mans team that has won the race for the last two years; Matt Verminski, who helped robotics company, Kiva, become a leader in self-driving warehouse robots and was sold to Amazon for nearly $800 million; Marc Minor, who helped Carbon off the ground with one of the most watched 3D printing videos on YouTube to date; Animesh Bose, coinventor of MIM; Tuan Tranpham, a man many of you know from his long history in 3D printing and has come from Arcam on the back of the acquisition by GE; Peter Schmidt heading up design, MIT Ph.D. founder of Original . The list of names is exhaustive, Ric describes the team as, ‘not having training wheels,’ and in a brief encounter with Ely Sachs, he described Desktop Metal as the ‘most exciting project’ to date. He can say that again.  VOLUME 3 ISSUE 2 www.tctmagazine.com

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Accelerating Accelerating3D 3DTechnologies Technologies CAD/CAE CAD/CAESOFTWARE SOFTWARE 3D 3DPRINTING PRINTING ADDITIVE ADDITIVEMANUFACTURING MANUFACTURING MOULDING MOULDING&&TOOLING TOOLING MACHINE MACHINETOOLS TOOLS METROLOGY METROLOGY INSPECTION INSPECTION

26 26 -- 28 28 SEPT SEPT2017 2017

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Medical ACCELERATING 3D TECHNOLOGIES



LEFT: Cootie during a treatment session

W OR D S : LAUR A G R IFFITH S

EVERYONE AND THEIR DOG W Here at TCT we’ve reported on many of the amazing medical feats 3D printing has enabled from detailed medical models to metal cranial implants. But it’s not just humans that are benefitting from the numerous advantages the technology presents, as the veterinary world is discovering.

HEN DR. MICHAEL DEVEAU, Radiation Oncologist and Clinical Associate Professor at Texas A&M’s Veterinary School, was researching treatments for Cutaneous Lymphoma, a type of cancer that affects the skin, he was introduced to Cootie, a small Bischon Frise who had traveled from New Jersey to Texas with her owner in search of an alterative treatment for this rare condition. Having noted the potential for 3D technologies in his practice as both a teaching tool and surgical aide, it was Cootie’s case that inspired Dr. Deveau’s acquisition of a 3D printer. Typically, when humans are treated for Cutaneous Lymphoma, they are awake and made to stand in a certain position so that the radiation only passes through a particular area of the body, not too deep into the skin to avoid hitting non-affected organs – as you can imagine, for a dog,

it’s not that simple and so the treatment had been deemed impossible for animals affected with the disease. After performing some tests on a cadaver dog, which each took between two to three hours, Deveau realized it would be incredibly difficult to perform this particular form of radiation treatment on a living patient. So Deveau came up with the idea to use a custom mold that would place the animal in the optimum position for treatment and ensure repeatability throughout their course of treatment. Having already performed CT scans on Cootie ›› VOLUME 3 ISSUE 2 www.tctmagazine.com

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Medical



LEFT: Cootie before treatment

BELOW:

Cootie aftertreatment



ABOVE: Cootie getting into the treatment shell treatment

that before 3D printing your options were limited, you’d be limited to literally making a mold of the patient, which is very costly.” These molds are effectively a shell of the outer body that are placed around the animal to stop them from moving around and also act as a barrier to any infections during surgery. Cootie’s mold was printed in four pieces and took several days to complete at around 90% infill. The reason for this high infill level was to restrict the amount of radiation passing through the body but also to take more radiation out of the body and put it into the shell so that the radiation interacting with the shell could then turn around and back scatter into the patient. By around the fifth treatment Cootie was in strong partial remission and by the end of the course of therapy, she was in complete remission. So far Cootie is the only animal to have been treated using Deveau’s method but the hope is that it can be adopted at other veterinary centres around the world. Theoretically, that shouldn’t be too

difficult. Unlike other 3D printed medical devices, the molds don’t require any certification but Morgan explains there is another potential barrier that the industry faces; education. “I think a lot of people are hesitant to get into 3D printing if they haven’t been using it already and it’s true, there is a pretty hefty learning curve associated with 3D printing. What we’re finding is that there are a lot of vet schools already using 3D printing just not quite to its fullest advantage. If they want something printed they have to send it to an engineer or get it printed in another part of the university and it’s just not convenient. They would love the ability to have a dedicated veterinary 3D printer

at their disposal so that they could really easily work on these use cases that they have in mind because there are so many applications for 3D printing in veterinary medicine, it’s just about implementing it.” That’s exactly what’s happening now at Texas A&M as a result of Dr. Deveau’s research. He’s now passing on his knowledge to other areas of the university where fellow professors and doctors are keen to learn what is possible with this technology. According to Dr. Deveau, there is a big push from the veterinary sector to adopt more model-based training as the curriculum is re-designed to deliver more clinically focused scenarios for hands-on experience. By giving clinicians the ability to visualize and pre-plan for the optimal method of surgery, the technology is opening up the doors to treatment for countless other animals. Morgan added: “I think the biggest lesson he learned was that you can never anticipate all of the uses that will come out of having a 3D printer because there’s pretty much an infinite amount of things you can use one for. It’s just about getting it in front of somebody and letting their imagination take over to figure out how they can make it practical.” 

LEFT:

3D printed treatment shell

VOLUME 3 ISSUE 2 www.tctmagazine.com

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ACCELERATING 3D TECHNOLOGIES

during consultations, the university had usable 3D data, which could easily be turned into a digital file for manufacturing. But, making molds is expensive, specifically for one-offs, so an alternative was needed. With little experience in the technology beforehand, Deveau invested in a Gigabot 3D printer, a large-format, open source machine manufactured by Re:3D, to print a custom mold, or ‘treatment shell’, for Cootie. “With the molds, it was a very creative solution to the problem, no one had gone down that route of “what if we encased these patients in something so that we had them not only immobilized but so that every time they came in we knew they were in exactly the same spot”,” Morgan Hamel, Global Sales Manager, at Re:3D explained. “If you tried to do

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Medical ACCELERATING 3D TECHNOLOGIES

RoboHand and E-Nable have captured the world’s attention when it comes to homebrew 3D printed prosthetics. Sam Davies speaks to a dad looking to take it to the next level.

LEFT: Ben Ryan

with his creation

2.0

3D PRINTED PROSTHETICS

“T

HIS TIME LAST YEAR, I didn’t know anything about anything 3D printing. It’s been quite a steep learning curve,” reflects Ben Ryan as he begins to divulge how he used 3D technology to, firstly, create a prosthetic arm for his two-year-old son, and secondly, how his new business, Ambionics, will do the same for other children, with enough financial backing. A former teacher, and a lifelong tech hobbyist, Ben welcomed Sol into the world as a baby in full health. A moment burned into the father’s memory is Sol squeezing his thumb with both hands. Half an hour later, a suspected forceps injury would mean the newborn’s left arm would have to be amputated from

below the elbow. Immediately, Sol underwent exploratory surgery, and ten days after his birth, doctors were confident there would be no bone left below the elbow to ever be useful to Sol.



LEFT: The current generation of the arm is still being approved upon

Without knowing exactly what options may be available to give Sol the best mobility he could have, Ben persuaded doctors to leave an inch of bone under the arm’s key joint to preserve any potential function. The Ryan family simply didn’t want to close any doors. ›› VOLUME 3 ISSUE 2 www.tctmagazine.com

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Medical was working side-byside with Paul Sohi, an Autodesk Product Designer, who had used the same software to design Paralympian Denise Schindler a high-performance prosthetic leg. Fusion 360 allowed Ben and Paul to work both collaboratively and independently. Its cloud-based nature, and equally its capability to house comments from both users, enabled an efficient workflow which suited both parties, who were often in different time zones. Then, there was the software’s T-Splines modeling space. “For prosthetics, you have to deal with a very complex geometry,” Paul explains. “Trying to replicate what a calf looks like in 3D, for example, can be quite difficult but [Fusion 360’s] organic modeling space was more like working with clay. What we would do is bring a scan in of Sol’s arm and shrink wrap the shape of a [prosthetic] socket around the elbow. [As a result] we could build sockets in less than 30 minutes.” This ability to design sockets at such an increased speed has Ben in a position to step up production. Now able to go from scan to printed product in around 48 hours, Ben projects meeting Sol’s quite literal growing demand by producing sockets every three to four months. The resulting 3D printed sockets contain a fluid-filled cavity inside which accepts the expansion of growth, while a rubber insert over the socking on Sol’s stump maintains traction and comfort. Ben and Sol’s journey has been epitomised by the notion of trial and error. Changing software, scanner and even support institutions along the way, Ben is finally happy with how the development of Sol’s prostheses are progressing. Concurrently, and more, fortunately, Sol’s health has remained steady. Two years after convincing doctors to leave an inch of bone below Sol’s elbow, a risky move even by Ben’s own admission, it is so far so good. Sol has not required any follow-up surgery to remove the bone, is comfortable in his prosthetic and able to manipulate objects with it.

ACCELERATING 3D TECHNOLOGIES

Rather than close, a door opened before the year was out, specifically the door of Bangor University’s Pontio Innovation Centre. Ben was invited to tour the facility in December 2015 and was introduced to 3D printing in the form of Ultimakers, Stratasys’ Connex3s and a sample of printable materials. Between this and Sol’s amputation procedure, Ben had begun creating prosthetic prototypes using a Double Acting Hydraulic Cylinder. His brother Kevin was pursuing an idea based on polypropylene bellows. Ben’s idea was made from 15 mm copper pipe with two blank ends. Creating a piston and rod assembly with small O-rings glued on the outside, Ben proceeded to test how much resistance there was in this system through ten different prototypes. Realizing he could trigger quite strong activation of the rod with his little finger, and recognizing the output from Sol’s stump was just as powerful, Ben knew the system was practical. Drawing on Kevin’s own research after a discussion around their parents’ kitchen table, the brothers developed DAHB: Double Acting Hydraulic Bellow technology. Ben explains: “What the DAHB is, is a double acting cylinder but instead of having seals inside a moving piston rod assembly, it has collapsible walls, so it is essentially a two-way acting cylinder which is created out of something that can be 3D printed.” The DAHB technology capitalizes on Stratasys’ new Agilus30 polymer, designed to withstand repeated creasing and flexing. With DAHB acting as the foundation for Sol’s prosthetic, 3D technology would then complement it, while alignments with Life Sciences Hub Wales and an Autodesk software specialist brought extra doses of inspiration right when they were needed. On the imaging side, Ben started with an Artec scanner. Describing his time using the Artec technology as ‘laborious’, citing his tendency to lose tracking with the device, Ben was looking for another solution. He was instructed by Dr Ian Barwick, COO of the Life Sciences Hub, to use an Xbox 360 scanner, which he duly did while Sol was asleep. With the 360-scan complete, Ben then needed to work on the design. Bangor University had offered Ben free access to SolidWorks software, though it soon became apparent there would be issues with intellectual property (IP) should Ben be reliant on the center’s technology. Through the Life Science Hub in Cardiff, Ben was able to maintain IP and allowed access to Autodesk’s Fusion 360 software. Before too long, he



LEFT: Ben began by printing parts on an Ultimaker machine

While Ben’s DAHB technology received a timely boost with Stratasys’ Agilus polymer, the company is also upgrading the Connex machine Ben uses at Bangor University to print Sol’s prosthetic models. Now, SUP706 soluble support material will be compatible to allow prosthetics to print with even more accuracy. These advances have come at the perfect time for Ben as he looks to launch his new business. Originally a project solely to benefit Sol, it has snowballed into the start-up of Ambionics. Seeking to use the DAHB technology, and Autodesk’s Fusion 360 software, Ambionics will provide similar prosthetic limbs to children just like Sol. An Indiegogo crowdfunder has been launched to raise $200,000 but payment issues on the platform has led to Ben setting up PayPal on the Ambionics website. The money will be used to hire a design engineer team to create power-assisted prosthetics using DAHB; enable Ambionics to publish its DAHB and deformable, fluid actuated grip patents before the mid-October deadline; and start medical device usability trials on sample young attendees. Through the course of the last two years, the technology and its application can only take half the credit. The tightest of family bonds has been the groundwork for the whole project; Ben even refers to Paul Sohi as a big brother pulling him through the hard times. Out the other end, Ben and his family, both conjugal and figurative, are now looking to offer a helping hand to other children in the same situation as Sol.  VOLUME 3 ISSUE 2 www.tctmagazine.com

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INCE ITS INCEPTION, K2M has designed, developed and commercialized innovative complex spine and minimally invasive spine technologies and techniques used by surgeons to treat some of the most complex spinal pathologies. Most recently K2M has leveraged these core competencies into Balance ACS (BACS), a platform of products, services, and research to help surgeons achieve three-dimensional spinal balance across the axial, coronal and sagittal planes, with the goal of supporting the full continuum of care to facilitate quality patient outcomes. With the focus of three-dimensional solutions involved in the new Balance ACS strategy, K2M has turned to 3D printing to create spinal devices and planning tools that can account for the complex anatomy inherent with spinal pathologies in ways traditional two-dimensional technologies never could. In partnership with 3D Systems’ Precision Healthcare Solutions team, K2M has developed their Lamellar 3D Titanium Technology - a porous, surface roughened titanium biomaterial that has been built from the ground up to be biologically superior to the traditional solid titanium and polymeric biomaterials traditionally used in interbody and corpectomy fusion devices. Additionally, K2M has tapped into 3D Systems’ medical imaging and modeling expertise to offer surgeons BACS Anatomical Models, which can be used as intraoperative references for surgeons when conducting the most complex of spinal procedures. The BACS Anatomical Models utilize CT imaging and 3D Systems’ software and machines to create precise 3D replicas of a patient’s spine that allow a surgeon to visualize anatomy before and during surgery in a manner that was never

before possible. “As we were developing Balance ACS, our philosophy around the importance of three-dimensional balance in the spine, we saw so many tremendous opportunities with advancements in 3D modeling and manufacturing that we knew we wanted to partner with the company that showed the most expertise and experience in the medical applications of these technologies. Between the progress we’ve made with our Lamellar 3D Titanium Technology and the introduction of our BACS Anatomical Models, it is evident we have found the right partner in 3D Systems,” said Eric Major, President and CEO, K2M. The Lamellar 3D Titanium devices incorporate 500-micron longitudinal channels, which are intersected by transverse windows to create an interconnected lattice to allow for the potential of bone ingrowth into the 70% porous structure. The

surface roughness throughout these devices is controlled to the range of 3 – 5 microns, which has been shown to have an enhanced cellular response in comparison to smoother titanium surfaces. The devices are 3D printed on the ProX DMP 320 metals printer from 3D Systems using Ti 6AI4V material. 3D Systems operates as an equipment supplier for K2M and has also recently signed an extended partnership deal that delivers unique software solutions and the BACS Anatomical Models for advancing the three-dimensional treatment of spinal pathologies. “The unique vision of K2M is a perfect example of how 3D printing and software solutions offered by 3D Systems are changing the paradigm of manufacturing in many disciplines, but most notably in healthcare and medical applications,” said Gautam Gupta, VP of Business Development, Healthcare at 3D Systems. “At 3D Systems Healthcare, we believe that 3D printing technology is at an inflexion point, and is now enabling an efficient pathway to introduce new innovative products to the market in a way that can change people’s life and become the new standard of care.” 

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HERE’S NO DENYING THAT CROWDFUNDING gets a lot of attention and can raise funds at the level of a series A round. When looking at the successful funding – Pebble Time and The Coolest Cooler, both raised more than $10 million in under 60 days. Platforms like Kickstarter and Indiegogo also allow creators to get that “first to market” brand awareness, which can be a massive advantage as long as the creator delivers a quality product and great customer support. Crowdfunding also builds a strong community of loyal backers that become the voice for the brand, and gives the company the opportunity to use funds without the interference of investors. The allure of being first is also toxic for the platform and creators. In an effort to claim first to market awareness in the fastpaced field of technology, creators may be launching increasingly risky projects - unknowingly - in a kind of accidental marketing “ponzi scheme.” They want to offer massive value to compete, but end up giving away product at near cost, hoping to recoup the value later with orders that may never come. Then they never get investment or recurring sales, and realize the costs are much greater than they thought due to the complexities of R&D and manufacturing. The end result is the failure we’ve seen with recent multi-million dollar

failures like with the Zano Drone, Coolest Cooler, and Tiko3D. In addition, project creators in these categories are often great designers, or perfectionistic technologists, but they aren’t necessarily good at running a business. Because competition is fierce, margins are tight, and any issues that come up increase the chance of failure. The average failure rate of projects is stated to be 9% on Kickstarter, but the hyper-funded and technology/design categories have significantly higher failure rates. The crowdfunding platforms do little to support businesses after getting funded. The value they provide mainly includes access to non-refundable pre-orders funding and greater visibility or amplification of their product launch marketing efforts. For complex projects like those in the technology and design categories, this can contribute to their failure. Traditionally these types of businesses were supported by strategic investors, but without them, creators have nowhere to turn for help, whether it’s for advice or deeper pockets to sustain the business when things don’t go according to plan. So the allure of removing investors from the business plan increases their chance of failure. With outcomes like these becoming increasingly visible, more crowdfunding “super-backers” – those who repeatedly

support projects and create the majority of the revenue for platforms like Kickstarter – are getting vocal. Many are commenting that they have “learned their lesson,” “my wife won’t let me back any more projects,” or that this is “the last project I’ll back.” The problem is the crowdfunding platforms themselves. The platforms have no due diligence on important factors like cost of goods or technical feasibility. They mainly require that a project has a working prototype. Thus they are setting projects up for failure as projects aim for lower price points with no limitations. In the end, the reputations of crowdfunding platforms are suffering. Platforms like Kickstarter, who have been around the longest have the greatest “trust debt” because they’ve had the most time for projects to mature or fail. In some ways it’s become a wild-west, discount platform because it takes a portion of the proceeds in exchange for access, while doing little to vet the projects before launch or support them after a successful round of funding. In order for crowdfunding to become a viable platform for emerging technology companies, it’s critical that trust is restored. Trust is the most valuable commodity in today’s market, where loyalty is at an all time minimum. Thus the companies that create a movement by having a strong purpose, and vision that aligns with their customer will be the winners. Along these lines what help defines trust is transparency, congruency, and honesty, which are often lacking on platforms because creators are not required by law to provide full transparency. And lastly, platforms need to re-affirm what made them amazing in the first place - that is democratizing the way economies work by allowing the people to vote for which products should exist with their dollars, rather than having big companies dictate how it should be done. These are people who value, believe in, or simply admire innovation and want to be part of the process by communicating as a group, donating their time, and backing with their dollars. And they deserve a platform that shows it cares by reducing the risk of getting involved. 

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“B

E THAT CHANGE YOU WANT TO SEE”. That was the message from Jason Lopes, taken from a piece of graffiti on the wall next to the Chicago Hilton where 1,600 delegates gathered for the 2017 Additive Manufacturing Users Group (AMUG) Conference. ABOVE: It structured another of Lopes’ popular talks on Technical competition the use of 3D technologies in the special effects winner ‘Matilda’ industry and where he announced his departure from Legacy Effects as he heads to Cideas. The theme also nicely summed up how the industry and event itself are evolving, with Todd Grimm using his keynote to say that he underestimated the amount of innovation that has happened over the last twelve months with more companies popping up, ushering in the next phase of change. As always AMUG delegates are guaranteed to come back with invaluable knowledge and a few extra pounds on the waistline thanks to the meticulously planned meals throughout. All worth every calorie, even food is an opportunity to gain insight at AMUG. On one occasion during lunch I found myself sat a table with delegates from GE, adidas, Materialise and HP, asking each other questions and talking openly about the industry. That doesn’t happen very often. AMUG President, Steve Deak, opened the conference by commending the “10,557 years of additive manufacturing experience” in the room. That’s a crazy amount of intel, particularly when compared to first and considerably more intimate first meeting in 1988, then known as 3D Systems North American Stereolithography Users Group. Todd took to the stage for the first keynote to talk about discovery in additive manufacturing and provided a roundup of the latest technologies and trends. In what felt like a bit of a cult induction, Todd got the whole room to chant, “It’s time for a reboot!” in terms of practical AM applications, design approaches and alternative solutions (more in Todd’s column on p. 56). Our very own Head of Content, Jim Woodcock and AMUG’s Deputy Vice President, Mark Barfoot, provided an overview of new technologies from Diamond Sponsors on the show floor. This included Carbon’s SpeedCell solution (more on p. 27), 3D Systems’ latest Figure 4 iteration and Voxel8’s Industrial Platform (more on p. 31), which could all be seen during the twonight expo alongside new products from Admatec, BASF and Somos. Another highlight was a fireside chat with third AMUG Innovation Award recipient and inventor of Selective Laser Sintering, Carl Deckard. He told the story of how he came to discover SLS and gave his thoughts on the development of the technology. Carl said: “20 years ago there weren’t that many eyeballs looking at the problem, now there are lots of people working on how to make it better”. Stacey DelVecchio provided the day two keynote address on AM at Caterpillar (more on p. 28) and Graham Tromans delivered his unmatched expertise on the state of the industry. Other conference highpoints included; healthcare outlooks from Worrell and Johnson & Johnson; Mike Curtis-

Rouse from the Science and Technologies Facilities Council on using AM for off-earth applications; Jabil and Ultimaker on desktop 3D printing for industrial use cases; and Dr. Peter Liacouras from the Walter Reed National Military Medical Centre on 3D printing in military medicine. A regular AMUG feature is the annual Awards Banquet and the team pulled out all the stops to surprise delegates with a cool hosting venue. This year it was at Chicago’s Museum of Science and Technology; for a group of manufacturing and technology enthusiasts, it doesn’t get much better than that. During the awards, the new class of ten DINOs (Distinguished INnovator Operator) were welcomed into the fold and the AMUG Technical Competition winners were announced including Mike Littrell from Cideas, who won Advanced Finishing for model car Matilda, and Vince Anewenter who won the Advanced Concepts Award for “Tamper Proof Gages”. As AMUG continues to grow, one element that remains the same is an atmosphere that’s unlike anything else in the industry, and with organizers estimating over 2,300 attendees for next year’s edition, I for one hope that spirit can continue and flourish. As the AMUG board for 2018 is announced including key figures who have been a part of AMUG’s growth for many years, I have no doubt that will be the case. Bring on 2018.  Dates and location for AMUG 2018 to be announced.

Todd Grimm delivers keynote

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IS THIS THE END OF PROTOTYPING AS WE KNOW IT?

LMOST A YEAR AFTER IT DEBUTED ITS M1 3D PRINTER at the Additive Manufacturing Users Group Conference, Carbon returned to AMUG with a new pair of machine solutions and vision for production manufacturing. It’s called SpeedCell, a new system of securely connected devices featuring two new technologies, The M2 3D printer and Smart Part Washer. The M2 is the second system based on Continuous Liquid Interface Production (CLIP), Carbon’s breakthrough 3D printing technology that uses programmable, production quality resins to build real end-use parts. With a build chamber of 190mm x 118mm x 326mm, the machine offers twice the build volume of its predecessor and includes manufacturing-ready features such as locked printing parameters for validation and the option to serialize parts for traceability. The Smart Part Washer addresses the industry-wide pain of post processing and is linked to the printer via NFC communication readers to capture data as parts move through the cycle. According to Carbon, SpeedCell allows you to “stop prototyping and start producing”. Heralding the end of prototyping, an application which remains the primary function for many users of 3D technologies, might raise more than a few eyebrows but speaking with Joseph DeSimone, co-founder and CEO of Carbon, it’s not as pie in the sky as it sounds. “We’re doing something very different,” Joseph explained. “When you look at the four fundamental steps you have with the

WORDS : LAURA GRIFFITHS

product development cycle, it’s designing parts, prototyping those parts, developing the tooling to manufacture those parts and then actually manufacturing those parts. What we’re learning with our customers is if you design a product for the means of production whether you’re making one or a million of those parts, then that is a fundamental disintermediation of those four steps. So we eliminate prototyping and tooling and our customers are designing products directly on the means of production.” Joseph DeSimone holds large-scale Carbon part

DATA IS KING

Additional features include Carbon Connector expansion ports, which will soon support supplementary system capabilities including automated Smart Part resin dispensing and Washer temperature controlled resin cassettes. With that to come, current manufacturing-ready benefits such as part serialization are already ensuring that these machines are prepared for challenging regulated markets.

Joseph commented: “Having encrypted design files, that’s what we do, everything you would expect from a Silicon Valley company focused on manufacturing.” At launch, SpeedCell is available in two configurations; ‘Design SpeedCell’ and ‘Production SpeedCell’. Both machines will follow Carbon’s unique subscription based pricing model, with the M2 available at $50,000/year and the Smart Part Washer at $10,000/year. With several high-profile partners already using CLIP, Carbon says SpeedCell is a direct reaction to the needs of customers and strategic partners, including new customer and launch partner, Fast Radius, which is adopting SpeedCell in partnership with UPS. Joseph explained. “We’ve raised $220 million, the last [funding] round brought in some customers that weren’t in the fold before, so we’ve got GE, BMW, Icon, JSR and we’ve got a couple of others in the wing. So it’s having that momentum with customers and our product evolution is responding to their manufacturing needs.” One such customer is Dinsmore, a U.S. based 3D printing service provider, which was also one of the first companies to offer CLIP as a service. Jay Dinsmore, President and Founder of Dinsmore, Inc. commented: “We are a trusted partner to Carbon and are constantly working with them to explore new and exciting application opportunities for CLIP technology. The new M2 and Smart Part Washer are the next step on that journey” When Carbon says “prototyping is over” it doesn’t mean designers and manufacturers are going to stop iterating, but what is does allow them to do is iterate quickly and transform concepts into finished products all on the same platform. Joseph added: “The take home for us is this whole realization that you can stop prototyping, and that dramatically enhances the speed of business.” 

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BELOW: Carbon lab

CHANGING THE WORLD, ONE WOMAN AT A TIME

AMUG Technical Competition 2nd Place Winner

WORDS : Laura Griffiths

Deputy Group Editor, Laura Griffiths talks to Stacey DelVecchio, Caterpillar, at AMUG 2017 to discuss women in additive manufacturing and how the industrial equipment manufacturer is ramping up its AM capabilities for production.

ABOVE: Stacey DelVecchio 028

EETING WITH STACEY DELVECCHIO at the Additive Manufacturing Users Group (AMUG) Conference was like meeting a friend for coffee. Friendly, open and honest, the Caterpillar Additive Manufacturing Product Manager is a breath of fresh air, partially due to the lack of female interaction common to a week spent at any additive manufacturing (AM) conference, but largely as we get to talk about the most exciting developments in AM and why the trend for women leaving engineering roles is ever present. “I think it goes a lot to the culture,” Stacey explained. “Women are just leaving engineering. There is a lot of work with outreach, some of the stronger messages are about not forgetting the women you have, don’t just put your money towards the 5th and 6th graders, make sure that your programmes are really supporting your women because it’s hard to replace someone who’s got 20 year’s experience in engineering.” We meet on the second day of AMUG 2017 where Stacey delivered an engaging keynote presentation on the strategic aspects of applying AM in applications beyond prototyping at Caterpillar, the world’s leading global manufacturer of construction equipment. But before we even get into the business of additive, our conversation goes straight to women in engineering. Having served as President of the Society of Women Engineers (SWE), Stacey knows her stuff and talks

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Engine housing

enthusiastically about efforts to encourage more women into engineering and manufacturing roles. “I am a big supporter of Change The Equation which talks about how we talk about engineering,” Stacey explained. “It’s really more about asking, “How do you want to change the world?” not “What do you want to be?” and engineering is really the way to do it. I’m kind of biased! But there are so many facets of engineering so think about how you want to change the world and then figure out how to do that.” One of the ways Caterpillar is getting involved in influencing change and empowering women and girls is through the Caterpillar Foundation. The Foundation’s goal is to alleviate poverty by placing 50 million people on the path to prosperity by 2020, which sounds like a tall ask, but since 1952 the Foundation has contributed over $685 million towards creating sustainable solutions around the

AMUG ACCELERATING 3D TECHNOLOGIES

world. On the surface, Caterpillar is using its resources to do what you might expect from an industrial company, build roads and donate tools to communities. But when you dig a little further, the Foundation is focused on breaking the cycle of poverty through a collaborative approach to partnerships that addresses the root causes, which they refer to as Together.Stronger. One of the ways in which the Foundation is working to create sustainable change is through investments in women and girls as they play an essential role in community and economic development. They refer to this effort as ‘To Get HER Stronger,’ a subset of Together.Stronger.

“It just gives me the chills,” Stacey says referring to the Foundation’s ‘To Get HER Stronger’ interpretation. “As Caterpillar works to build a stable so cietal structure, our Foundation is focused on building human infrastructure through programs that support basic human needs, education and the environment. I look at that and I think how could that not excite girls when they want to do more humanitarian things.” Caterpillar is also championing diversity throughout the business having been named in DiversityInc’s 25 Noteworthy Companies in 2016 with ambitions to grow its workforce from the current 20% to 30% by 2025. LEFT: Ribbon  cutting on Additive Manufacturing Factory

ABOVE: Caterpillar Additive Manufacturing Factory

Piston bowl gauge

Fuel swirler

ACCELERATING ADDITIVE

Stacey began her career at Caterpillar in 1989 as a chemical engineering graduate. She freely shares that one of the reasons she ended up there was to be in the same city as her boyfriend, who also works at the company. He’s now her husband and in all these years, they’ve only ever had one meeting together so it all worked out pretty well. Occupying various roles within the company throughout her career, in 2014 Stacey was elected President of the SWE and put on special assignment in human resources. Upon her return to Caterpillar a year later, she found herself at a crossroads and had to decide either to stay within that area of the business or go back to engineering - that’s where additive came in. Since then Caterpillar has cut the ribbon on its dedicated Additive Manufacturing Factory as part of its 3D Printing & Innovation Accelerator. “I can’t imagine the people that have been here [in additive manufacturing] for 30 years,” Stacey commented. “To think about the people that have done the work all those years ago, it’s definitely exciting and has so much potential. I’ve never worked with something where so many people, my mom, my brother are asking, “What are you doing this for?” “What is that?” It’s a good place to be.” In fact, Stacey’s passion is so infectious that halfway through our interview, a guy stopped by to say that even though he doesn’t work in construction, after watching the morning’s keynote, if he had to buy a piece of equipment now, it would be Caterpillar. Job done, I say. Caterpillar has been using AM since 1991 when it first opened its Rapid Prototyping lab in Mossville, Illinois. In Stacey’s keynote, she shared an interesting statistic that

50% of Dow Jones companies, from that same year, have now disappeared from the list. Caterpillar is still there at the top and Stacey pins that down largely to the company’s ability to innovate and adapt, as it has done over the last 90 years in construction and engine development. In 2015, Caterpillar closed is Rapid Prototyping lab to make way for its Additive Manufacturing Factory designed for prototyping, low volume service tools and functional parts. The facility houses a range of technologies from Stratasys, 3D Systems, SLM Solutions, ExOne and Carbon, the latter of which Stacey is particularly excited about thanks to its acclaimed production-quality material properties. “Being a chemical engineer and coming from the materials and non-metallic background, being able to print rubber is super cool. In the beginning when I would go to these places and they would say “we can print rubber-like material”. That doesn’t make any sense, you’re talking to a technical person, why would you use the word “like” in that! The fact that Carbon is founded on materials science is great.” The wider industry is seeing a lot more collaboration between big players and customers to streamline AM and set the course for production. This application/customer focused mind-set means that AM machine manufacturers are more willing than ever to listen to the needs of big industrial adopters like Caterpillar to deliver solutions that suit their applications and needs. Recently the company struck a strategic partnership with FIT AG to design and print aluminium and titanium parts, which will give Caterpillar access to FIT AG’s AM technologies and accelerate adoption even further. The key now is to boost the profile of additive’s capabilities to get engineers thinking differently about how it can be applied and build on Caterpillar’s legacy of innovation and invention. “I talk to engineers at least once a week who don’t realize that we can print in metal and that it can get the level of quality and material properties that it can. I’m still impressed by it. People think now is not the time and it will eventually get there but I think, no now is the time.”  VOLUME 3 ISSUE 2 www.tctmagazine.com

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See us at RAPID + TCT 2017 • Booth 1122

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AMUG

Wrench printed in rigid epoxy

ABOVE:

Alpha Industrial Platform

VOXEL8:

WORDS : Laura Griffiths

MORE THAN JUST ELECTRONICS

F YOU’RE FAMILIAR WITH VOXEL8, the chances are you know them as the 3D printed electronics guys from Harvard known for cool printed watches and drones. Whilst you would be correct, the startup that arose out of Jennifer A. Lewis’s Harvard materials lab, are out to show that they’re much more than conductive components with the launch of a new industrial machine. “The vision that these guys were working on already at Harvard was multi-material capabilities, so co-depositing different materials or building on pre-existing parts,” Phil Inagaki, who joined Voxel8 as CEO in August, told TCT at the Additive Manufacturing Users Group Conference in Chicago. “Because this [electronics 3D printer] was the first product people always think “oh yeah those guys that do 3D electronics” but we really would prefer to be thought of as multi-material than electronic specific.” That first product was Voxel8’s desktop 3D printer, which sold over 100 units in 2016 as a Developer Kit to various companies and research institutions around the world. Though Inagaki says it was great to launch a desktop printer and see people doing interesting research with it, Voxel8 now wants to target more than R&D level applications and “see people out in the world with products that are manufactured with the technology”. With the entire industry chasing after production, the Boston-based startup is following

BELOW:

ABOVE:

Co-printing with rigid epoxy and conductive silver ink

Silicone insole

suit by scaling up with a new industrial machine that uses reactive chemistry to deliver functional multi-material printing. Currently in the alpha development phase, the Industrial Platform performs co-deposition of materials, which are mixed on the fly through a unique active mixing nozzle to deliver injectionmolded quality parts. The nozzle is the secret sauce responsible for making these parts possible. It allows users to work with several material inputs which are mixed and extruded in a viscous format to create what Voxel8 call “true polyurethanes” that don’t require any additional processing techniques such as light curing. “When we say industrial platform, it is not for prototyping it is meant for production,” Inagaki commented. “We’re doing a lot of application specific work. A lot of people are now tailoring

development to specific applications because that’s the only way you’re going to get real production parts.” Similar to Carbon, Voxel8 is offering real materials that deliver the same properties as those used in conventional manufacturing methods including a range of polyurethanes, epoxies, silicones and conductive silver inks. They’re strong too; I tried my best to break a sample elastomer piece (just to be sure), completely malleable but super tough. “Every application has it’s own set of specifications and what we’re really interested in is not working on a general platform to make everything but rather really attacking some verticals where this makes sense,” Jack Minardi, co-founder leading the software team explained. “So we interface with the people that know exactly what the material properties need to be to make high performance products and we work with them to define a set of specifications and then build custom materials that excel in those applications.” Those applications haven’t been made explicit just yet, though consumer products and footwear seem most likely and the team assures us that applications will come clear very soon, just in time for RAPID + TCT. Right now, with the Alpha version still in the lab, Voxel8 is open to machine partnerships that will see products made using the technology out in the real world in the not too distant future. Inagaki added: “Two years out we’d like to be very close to having production tools rolled out in factories which are starting to manufacture end products.” 

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ACCELERATING 3D TECHNOLOGIES

LEFT:

.the art of LaserCUSING

We require a wide range of Additive Manufacturing (AM) capabilities, ranging from quality monitoring to process parameter development, and need an architecture conducive to that research and development effort. DR. CHARLES ROHDE U.S. Naval Research Laboratory Acoustics Divisions

Concept Laser is the global leader in the design and manufacture of powderbed-based laser metal additive manufacturing systems. With over 15 years of design production experience, Concept Laser has the right solution for your laser metal manufacturing needs. Concept Laser Inc (USA) info@conceptlaserinc.com T: + 1 (817) 328-6500 www.conceptlaserinc.com

Machining ACCELERATING 3D TECHNOLOGIES

WORDS : Laura Griffiths

MACHINING GIVES ADDITIVE THE EDGE ABOVE: Two SLM systems at Imperial’s

machine shop

LEFT: Thread Milling  Additively Manufactured Component



ABOVE: Hybrid Manufactured Inconel Component

MPERIAL MACHINE AND TOOL CO. has been in the business of manufacturing for 73 years. A family-run firm, the New Jerseybased machine shop started out in the Forties when founder Michael Joest seized the manufacturing opportunities afforded by WWII. In the decades that followed, the company has continued to evolve with the times and the advancements that came with it. In the 70s that meant becoming early adopters of computer controlled machining centers. Now, the company has turned its hand to metal additive manufacturing (AM). The latter began to materialise a little over four years ago when the team sat down to discuss the company’s future, and the possibility of purchasing another 5-axis machining centre. Around that time, General Electric had just completed its acquisition of Morris Technologies, a significant mark of industry approval that inspired the large machining facility, which had already been using polymer 3D printing for prototyping for some time, to take a closer look at metal AM. “We didn’t know for sure what metal AM was going to bring, but we knew that it was important to get involved early,” Christian Joest, Vice President of Sales and Business Development and son of company President, Christian M. Joest, told TCT. “Being a family business, we approached the decision thinking about the next generation rather than next year’s profits. We recognized metal AM was going to play a central role in the future of advanced manufacturing.” After visiting a number of key metal AM companies, the decision to purchase an SLM Solutions 280 HL powder bed fusion system was made. Unsure where the potential market might be, the team spent the first five months learning the machine, getting to grips with its capabilities and teaching its experienced machining engineers how to transpose their years of knowledge to production with metal AM. Four years and two metal AM machines later, Imperial is supplying complex and lightweight end-use additive parts to some of the most regulated industries in the world, including oil and gas, aerospace and defense. But it’s not just additive alone that’s giving Imperial the advantage when it comes to these challenging application

areas. Christian says it’s the combination of AM with Imperial’s traditional machining expertise that’s provided a “significant advantage”, particularly in the last 12 months as the market has matured. “Our team delivers intricate end-use AM components by employing what we call a ‘Hybrid Manufacturing’ approach. After fabricating a complex design on our metal powder bed systems, we’ll finish the part using precision machining centers. This is absolutely vital in order to achieve the critical tolerances and features our customers need. Many applications require special SAE ports, flatness callouts on critical mating surfaces, or surface finishes that AM systems can’t achieve alone. It’s this holistic approach to AM that has really benefitted us on a competitive level. Rarely do you find metal AM capability combined with other advanced manufacturing services.” As the industry grows, so does the need for better training and education. Imperial has been working to overcome this challenge by developing an internal training program and helping customers understand how AM fits based on real-world experience. “I would say that educating people is probably the most difficult part of additive manufacturing. Most of the time, we have to start customer conversations on the ground floor, and make it very clear when and why additive makes sense. It really has to add something unique to the part. There’s a misconception that additive is a solution to everything, and that’s not the case. Education can be a slow process, but once the ‘light bulb turns on’ and a customer really grasps the value of AM, we’re able to develop some truly incredible designs.” Imperial was invited to speak at RAPID + TCT this year to share insights learned on their journey into metal AM (more on p. 43). As the industry rapidly expands, this insight is particularly relevant. “It’s extremely important to get the message out that using additive and subtractive manufacturing technologies together – not just additive on its own – is what’s allowing truly innovative breakthroughs. Additive is not going to replace CNC machining; it’s going to complement it.”  VOLUME 3 ISSUE 2 www.tctmagazine.com

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You Can’t Afford to You Can’t Afford to 3D Print Without It! 3D Print Without It!

Inspire delivers an easy-to-use set of tools for generating structurally efficient set concepts. Inspire delivers an easy-to-use of toolsWhen for paired with a 3D printer, users often reduce costs, generating structurally efficient concepts. When development material consumption, and paired with a time, 3D printer, users often reduce costs, product weight while increasing part performance. development time, material consumption, and product weight while increasing part performance.  Learn more at solidThinking.com/TCT  Learn more at solidThinking.com/TCT © 2016 solidThinking, Inc. and solidThinking Inspire. All Rights Reserved.

Company

MD&M East

With thanks to Life Sciences Group Editor at Rapid News, Lu Rahman adapted for TCT by Sam Davies.

HE PLATFORM FOR THE LAUNCH of new and innovative medical applications for the past 34 years, MD&M East will this year look to continue that tradition with two new focuses: 3D printing and smart manufacturing. Taking place between Tuesday, June 13th and Thursday, June 15th, at the Javits Center in New York, NY, MD&M East will deliver Summits on both new focus areas on the first two days of the event. The Conference will run from 8.30am to 4.30pm on the 13th and 14th, and 8.30am to 4.00pm on the 15th. With a spotlight on materials, prototyping, and the finished product, the conference will highlight what 3D printing can, and already does, bring to the medical sector. The expo floor will boast a dedicated 3D printing zone, which will feature a host of leading organizations in the 3D sector. Additionally, the two-day 3D Printing Innovation Summit is designed to provide an

in-depth education, to give attendees a full understanding of the latest developments. The 3D Printing Innovation Summit will bring together experts in the 3D printing space. Sessions will cover topics such as materials selection, making 3D printing cost effective, troubleshooting issues in additive manufacturing and lightweighting, overcoming challenges in end-user production, medical applications for 3D printing, and more. The Summit will also include a group tour of the show floor, stopping at some of the most innovative exhibitors’ booths for individual presentations. MD&M East has made 3D printing a key focal point of this year’s conference due to its growing presence in a variety of sectors, including the medical industry. Statistics, such as a projected 66.7% of manufacturers having adopted 3D printing in some way, have been cited to

VOLUME 3 ISSUE 2 www.tctmagazine.com

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ACCELERATING 3D TECHNOLOGIES

MD&M EAST 2017 PREVIEW

support MD&M East’s decision to focus on 3D printing. The 3D printing market is expected to be worth nearly $27bn before the end of the decade. Meanwhile, the focus on smart manufacturing will give visitors to the conference the opportunity to explore collaborative robots and robotics accessories on display from the world’s leading suppliers. Free activities will connect visitors with the leading technologies and professionals building the factories of the future. Attendees will also be able to receive the thoughts of leading experts in the sector via the Smart Manufacturing Innovation Summit. The two-day Smart Manufacturing Innovation Summit will consist of experts delivering insights in robotics, artificial intelligence, security, the Internet of Things, big data, machine control, among other things. Similar to the 3D Printing Innovation Summit, the Smart Manufacturing Summit includes a group tour of the show floor giving delegates the chance to see new developments in collaborative robotics up close, while hearing from some of the world’s most innovative suppliers. With technological advancements in connectivity and the shift to the digital enterprise, transforming the advanced design and manufacturing industry, MD&M East felt it right to concentrate on these growing technologies. By 2022 it is predicted the global collaborative robot market will be worth over $3bn, up from $110m in 2015. Similarly, the Internet of Things market is expected to exceed $660bn by 2022, up from $157bn in 2016. Registration for the MD&M East Conference is currently available online, while attendees can also register upon arrival. On-site registration will be open from 8.am on June 13th and 14th, and 8.30am on June 15th. 

Meet the newest supplier of the latest technologies. At GE Additive, we’re leveraging the resources of a global company to deliver innovative machines, materials and engineering consulting services to businesses around the world. From aerospace and automotive to medical and power applications, we’re committed to accelerating additive’s adoption and expanding the boundaries of what’s possible. See the machines that can grow your business at geadditive.com.

Tooling, Jigs & Fixtures ACCELERATING 3D TECHNOLOGIES

CUSTOMIZING THE FACTORY FLOOR WORDS : Sam Davies

RINCKLE LAUNCHED ITS PARAMATE SOFTWARE IN 2015, and since it has established itself as a revolutionary tool for the customization of complex products. Ranging from prosthetics to jewelry, paramate can be leveraged to build customized products in many different areas. A chance meeting with Hannes Kuhn, the CEO of Kuhn-Stoff, a robotic system developer, brought trinckle’s attention to a gap in the market. One which paramate might just have filled.

The configuration of robotic gripper components can be arduous, meticulous and timeconsuming. ABOVE & BELOW: These components also 3D printed need to be customized customizable grippers to ensure maximum for robotics performance. Kuhn arms  relayed these challenges to Florian Reichle and Gunnar Schulze, Co-Founders of trinckle, and in response, they posed paramate as a potential solution. Working together the two companies have sought to realize the potential of paramate in streamlining the process of producing robotic grippers. 3D technology’s customization proficiencies have contributed to its mass adoption in the healthcare, dentistry and consumer goods markets. Paramate takes the customization concept, and with a user-friendly interface, allows users of almost any capability

to configure a product to their needs, right down to the millimeter. When configuring robotic grippers, the software receives the desired parameters of a part and works the shape to that size. It stands to save a lot of time, and stress, for users who want a fast, efficient solution. Reichle, trinckle’s CEO, self-effacingly concedes tailoring robotic grippers may be ‘boring’ in comparison to a customized medical prosthetic, for example. Interest is simply a matter of personal intrigue. For manufacturers, it goes beyond interest, into business. And a design software with this volume of capability certainly does not constitute a bore to them. Rather, it provides them with significant advantages and creates new opportunities for the creation of custom products. “We talk about customization, and maybe people first think customization for jewelry, [where you can] change the color, or put a name on a smartphone case, for example,” Reichle tells TCT. “We’re thinking about customizing more useful, custom-made functions, for example, robotic grippers. There are a lot of cases where you need a particular gripping system to make sure [your application] works, and if you have to design everything from hand, it takes a lot of time. “If you have a very specialized gripping system, it helps to handle a lot of problems that you might not have [been able to] before. The same ››

VOLUME 3 ISSUE 2 www.tctmagazine.com

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Tooling, Jigs & Fixtures

RIGHT: paramate

software allows you to configure your gripper in any way you like

while the advanced algorithms in the background take care of the more complex configuration. This has allowed Hannes Kuhn to balance the considerable design challenges, and also leave enough flexibility to customize the grippers according to his customers’ specific needs. paramate’s web-based configuration function was also particularly welcomed by Kuhn, who suggests it will grant end users access to a simpler design process, especially suitable when changes need to be made quickly. Additionally, the paramate platform allows multiple components to be arranged simultaneously and boasts a secure and scalable cloud-based web hosting, keeping product data safe. The result is the potential for a protected, practical, customized design within minutes, or maybe even seconds. “Once we included [Kuhn’s] design rules and paramate ranges into the system, he was able just to define what he wants, and the application can just automatically calculate the right gripping system,” Reichle added. “Thanks to paramate, the design time was reduced from eight hours for one gripper, to a matter of minutes or seconds. And the gripper itself is not very expensive to print but having eight hours for designing effort is a lot [of time], and it was by far the biggest drawback of this gripper system.” Though confidence in the paramate software is high, trinckle is not a company for

resting on its laurels. Gunnar Schulze, trinckle’s Technical Director, outlined the intent to integrate more CAD systems available on the market to broaden paramate’s scope and expand its ability to create configurable products. Playing it coy, Schulze avoided naming names but did reveal there is a list of potential candidates, and an announcement of at least one new program was hinted at before the end of the year. trinckle’s ambition with paramate doesn’t stop there. The German company believes it can have a significant role to play as additive manufacturing continues its upward trajectory and cements its role in the next industrial age. “Maybe a little bit of wishing, but I could see paramate also playing a role in the whole concept of this smart factory,” Schulze told TCT. “So when you think of modern production facilities that are very versatile, which can be adjusted to produce new and different goods quickly, then I think we will probably come to the point that you have to modify some elements quickly and generate new custom components on the fly. This is somewhere I could see paramate as a solution in this particular field of automatization.” Founded in 2013, trinckle has come a long way to put itself in a position to strive for such heights. Providing industrystandard, web-based CAD software and a 3D printing service that allows users to take products from ideas to finished goods, trinckle has established itself in the additive manufacturing industry. In 2015, it was one of five start-ups to be recognized at formnext powered by tct, an award which brought the company a lot of attention in its early days. Its latest gift to the market, the paramate software, has reinforced its growing status, illustrated by occasions where trinckle is no longer required to sell its product. Instead, potential customers are trying to sell themselves. “We have noticed more and more companies are interested in 3D printing right now, so whoever we meet is interested in our solutions,” Reichle concludes. “The first feedback we got [for paramate] was positive. But, it has developed considerably since the beginning, people are excited about the possibilities. Now, sometimes I see my customer pitching applications of paramate to me and not the other way around.” 

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ACCELERATING 3D TECHNOLOGIES

happens in the MedTech industry for prostheses or implants or hearing aids; it is adjusted to your personal needs, it gives an extra value within the optic. It’s not like a name on a phone case; it can improve the part and makes it beneficial for the user.” Hannes Kuhn met the trinckle team a little over a year ago at an exhibition, and it soon became apparent that the paramate software was exactly what he needed. He explained the restrictions and challenges he faced building gripping systems to Reichle. Among other things, this would involve whether the air pipes were smooth enough and could hold enough air pressure. Designing one gripping system by hand typically takes industrial engineers up to eight hours. The complex design tasks, coupled with the recurring demand for custom robotic grippers, made this product an ideal candidate for trinckle’s paramate software. The resulting web application promises to save creators hours of design time for each design, and it perfectly demonstrates the strengths of paramate. Based on parametric design principles, with an intuitive Constructive Solid Geometry-based workflow, paramate gives the manufacturer the freedom to define parameter ranges for any configurable product element. These pre-defined parameter limits guarantee functionality and stability,

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RAPID + TCT PREVIEW ACCELERATING 3D TECHNOLOGIES

May 8-11, 2017 | David L. Lawrence Convention Center | Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania | Exhibits May 9-11

RAPID + TCT 2017 PREVIEW

HANGE IS IN THE AIR. Not only in the name of the world’s longest running 3D technology trade show but also in the attitudes of companies on the show floor. A little over a year ago TCT joined forces with the SME to cement the RAPID event as THE 3D technologies show in North America and judging by the look of the 2017 edition, it is well on its way to becoming just that. At formnext powered by tct back in November, RAPID + TCT exhibitor, Materialise, ran with the slogan, “playtime is over” and casting one’s eye over the exhibitor news one can see that the industry has taken the motif to heart. At RAPID + TCT, you’ll have the opportunity to explore the future of the industry through interactive experiences, 290+ hands-on exhibits, keynotes, and conference presentations from over 200 industry leaders. The level of cutting-edge 3D innovation at RAPID + TCT is unparalleled. But don’t think that this is just a trade show and conference; this is an event of monumental proportions. Here’s a quick rundown of some of the features not to be missed:

FACILITY TOURS See additive manufacturing in action at the offsite facility tours. Get familiar with 3D printing metals using Binder Jetting technology at ExOne, or visit the Arconic Technology Center, the world’s largest light metals research center.

TECHNOLOGY LAUNCHPAD Hosted by Advanced Manufacturing Media, the RAPID + TCT Technology LaunchPad is a showcase around the latest must-see technologies, applications and new product announcements. Located in the Show Floor Theater, the event will feature several 15-minute, technically-oriented presentations to divulge what’s new with some of

the hottest companies in additive. Each presentation will be followed by an interactive Q&A session with both attendees and media. Following the presentations, the event will transition into a short networking opportunity (with beverages and snacks) where all attendees can interact and personally ask questions of the presenters.

NETWORKING RECEPTIONS Networking receptions will be offered on Tuesday and Wednesday night to keep the interaction going. Connect with industry experts and network with peers in a relaxed environment. Receptions include a visit to home of the Pittsburgh Steelers, Heinz Field and the annual 3D Printing Fashion Show. ››

VOLUME 3 ISSUE 2 www.tctmagazine.com

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Available in three sizes, all systems in the SLM Solutions product line feature a common development and laser platform with transferable parameters for high quality metal parts from the lab to production. Offering build volumes up to 22% larger and build time efficiencies up to 70% faster than the competition, SLM Solutions can enhance your capabilities with single, dual and quadlaser selective laser melting! SLM Solutions is a leading provider of metal-based additive manufacturing systems and technology that support fast and flexible metal part production for the aerospace, automotive, energy, research and medical industries. SLM systems define the gold standard for bestin-class operator safety and top speeds through multiple laser configurations and a patented, bi-directional recoater.

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RAPID + TCT PREVIEW ACCELERATING 3D TECHNOLOGIES

RAPID + TCT 2017 PREVIEW

May 8-11, 2017 | David L. Lawrence Convention Center | Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania | Exhibits May 9-11

FIRST TIMERS MEET AND GREET RECEPTION

Whether you are new to the additive manufacturing industry or a veteran – if this is your first time at RAPID + TCT, you’ll want to make sure you attend the First Timers Meet and Greet Reception. The reception will be held Monday, May 8 from 5:00 – 6:00 pm in the South Terrace/Green Roof (3rd floor). This will be a great opportunity to meet some of the event and industry veterans. RAPID + TCT event advisors and members from SME’s AM Community will be in attendance to share their knowledge and help you plan your time at RAPID + TCT.

WORKSHOPS

Choose from several workshops covering concepts that will open your eyes to new manufacturing possibilities and advance your understanding of 3D printing, scanning, and additive manufacturing. The workshops will feature experts in metal additive manufacturing, casting, medical 3D printing, 3D scanning, and business implementation.

TECH BRIEFINGS

Familiarize yourself with the fundamentals of additive manufacturing, 3D scanning, and medical 3D printing at the RAPID + TCT Tech Briefings. This is a great opportunity for those not attending the conference to get a better understanding of the basics.

SHOW FLOOR TOURS

Don’t know where to begin? Take a tour of the show floor to get the most out of your RAPID + TCT experience. One of SME’s Additive Manufacturing Community experts will guide you around the show floor, where you’ll see key technologies, processes and innovations. You’ll also hear expert insights and have the opportunity to ask questions. If you’re new to 3D printing, scanning and additive manufacturing, and want to make the most of your time, this experience is perfect for you. RAPID + TCT also offers metal-focused and medical-focused additive manufacturing tours.

ADDITIVE MANUFACTURING STANDARDIZATION FORUM

Join us for this special program to discuss the current state of standards needed to advance the use of additive manufacturing. Explore identified gaps and priorities with particular focus on needs for aerospace, defense, and medical applications. Several prominent standards development organizations involved in the America Makes & ANSI Additive Manufacturing Standards Collaborative (AMSC) will discuss their work programs and present opportunities for you to get involved.

SMART MANUFACTURING HUB

Over the last decade, the evolution of the Internet of Things, Big Data and the desire for ever-increasing productivity has driven the smart manufacturing movement. The growing need for education, alongside increased offerings and adoption, has provided us with the opportunity to lead the discussion on the future of making things. RAPID + TCT has developed a dynamic area on the show floor to showcase the industry’s most advanced smart technologies: the Smart Manufacturing Hub.

SHOW FLOOR THEATER

Located on the show floor in booth #2321, the Theater is where you can explore the latest advancements in 3D technologies. You’ll hear from additive manufacturing’s brightest leaders on where the industry is headed next in medical, materials, and other hot topics.

DESIGN STUDIO

Located on the show floor, the Design Studio to highlights creative applications of 3D printing outside of the manufacturing industry. It will feature the 3D Art Gallery, which showcases the creative approach to art creation and production that’s made possible by additive manufacturing, 3D printing, 3D imaging and digital sculpture. The 3D Fashion show will also take place in the Design Studio on Wednesday, May 10 from 4:45 pm – 5:15 pm, featuring the latest creations from the world’s leading 3D print designers.

3D PLAYGROUND

The 3D Playground will feature a variety of fun 3D experiences. Get hands on opportunities with 3D scanning, 3D printing, specialized materials, and new production solutions. See how these solutions are being applied to tooling and end-use applications. Talk with the operators about their experiences to mature your understanding of this rapidly growing field. Be sure to check out the latest training available from Tooling U-SME.

RAPID + TCT PUZZLE CHALLENGE

The RAPID + TCT Puzzle Challenge helps attendees explore the different additive manufacturing technologies and materials represented on the show floor. You’ll have the opportunity to collect the pieces of a puzzle and assemble them into a complete design. The design will also be 3D printed by RAPID + TCT 2017 exhibitors. The 2017 puzzle will feature Pittsburgh’s iconic Roberto Clemente Bridge. In October 2016, SME worked with FARO Technologies, Direct Dimensions, Inc., and the NextManufacturing Center at Carnegie Mellon University to take the first-ever 3D scan of the Bridge.  VOLUME 3 ISSUE 2 www.tctmagazine.com

043

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• Surface aesthetics of printed parts that reset expectations and contribute to lower post finishing requirements Established in 2000, the UnionTech™ brand of photopolymer 3D printing equipment is now the domestic China market leader in stereolithography. In 2016 the formation of Union Tech, Inc. in St. Charles, Illinois, a fully owned subsidiary of Shanghai Union Technology Corporation, marked our expansion into North America. International distributorships and agents have also been established throughout Europe and Russia. New White Paper Available on Request: “Fresh Dimensions in SL Application Know-How” RP Sales America, Inc (RPSA) is the authorized Union Tech, Inc. distributor for the United States and is pleased to provide demonstrations of UnionTech™ SL equipment. For more information including introductory offers contact RPSA at: Info@rpsales.us or visit www.rpsales.us

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RAPID + TCT PREVIEW

May 8-11, 2017 | David L. Lawrence Convention Center | Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania | Exhibits May 9-11

DESKTOP METAL – BOOTH 1537

One of the most significant launches at RAPID + TCT will be that of Desktop Metal. The Bostonbased outfit will be presenting both of its 3D printers - the Studio System and Production System - as well as the microwave sintering technology that makes it possible to use metal injection molding (MIM) powders. Ric Fulop and his team will be on hand demonstrating its closed loop process. For more on Desktop Metal see our cover story starting on page five. 

ENVISIONTEC – BOOTH 1813

At RAPID + TCT, EnvisionTEC will be celebrating 15 years of inventing, manufacturing and selling 3D printers with the launch of a new 3D printer, materials and software. EnvisionTEC is the world’s third largest 3D printer company in terms of unit sales and offering a broad range of 3D printers from bioprinters and DLP printers big and small to large industrial solutions. While EnvisionTEC is best known for small parts in the jewelry, hearing aid and dental markets, the company and its printers have grown up. Today, the company can build large parts up to 10 cubic feet. Last year EnvisionTEC surprised the crowds at RAPID with its SLCOM composite 3D printer, which was unlike anything we had ever seen from the company before - be among the first to see what’s next at this year’s show. 

3DCERAM – BOOTH 1453

3DCeram, made up of a team of experts from the field of materials and processes for the 3D printing of ceramic objects, will present the Ceramaker 900 at RAPID + TCT. Manufactured in France, the 3D ceramic printer operates on laser stereolithography. This form of technology makes it possible to manufacture ceramic parts directly from a CAD file, without breaking the digital chain. This unique process has been employed by 3DCeram to enable the development of prototypes and bespoke ceramic components. With the Ceramaker 900, 3DCeram has been able to manufacture geometric pieces, simple or complex, at an increased speed. The Ceramaker 900 is the latest instalment in the Ceramaker line of ceramics machines and features a large printing surface of 300mm x 300mm. This solution is designed for ceramic component manufacturers, users of ceramic components, as well as key players in the luxury and biomedicine industries. 

ROBOZE – BOOTH 850

Italian 3D printer manufacturer, Roboze will debut the reinforced New Roboze One at RAPID + TCT. Aimed at SMEs, the desktop machine is an upgrade on the original Roboze One first launched in 2015 and is capable of working in a wide range of materials – 10 materials to be precise, including six new additions – at an accuracy of 25 microns. Harnessing Roboze’s patented beltless system, the machine includes a new stainless steel extruder which can reach up to 300° C, allowing the machine to work with a wider range of advanced polymer materials. New materials include; CARBON PA, a polyamide material reinforced

with 20% carbon fiber; Nylon 6, a polyamide with high mechanical resistance designed for metalworking applications; ASA, a techno-polymer with high ware resistance against weather, UV rays, yellowing and aging; PC-ABS, which combines PC mechanical properties with ABS to deliver high definition parts with good surface finish; ABS-HD, combining ABS mechanical properties with a strong level of superficiality for post-production operations; and ABS-ESD, an advanced polymer with an ABS base modified to include carbon nanotubes and process/loss modifiers. See the machine for the first time on Booth #850.  VOLUME 3 ISSUE 2 www.tctmagazine.com

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RAPID + TCT PREVIEW ACCELERATING 3D TECHNOLOGIES

RAPID + TCT 2017 PREVIEW

May 8-11, 2017 | David L. Lawrence Convention Center | Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania | Exhibits May 9-11

IMPERIAL MACHINE & TOOL CO – BOOTH 1841 While the metal additive manufacturing market is growing significantly, it’s still rare to find metal 3D printing capabilities outside large corporations or advanced research institutions. It’s particularly rare to find the capability married with advanced multi-axis CNC machining capabilities. Imperial Machine & Tool Co. is an advanced manufacturing company that has done just that by installing two SLM 280 HL “Twin Laser” systems in its 73-year-old machine shop. Imperial Machine & Tool Co. will present at RAPID + TCT on the impact of Hybrid Manufacturing and how AM “fits in”. “Hybrid manufacturing is what’s unlocking the most innovative designs, not just additive on its own,” says Chris Joest, President of Imperial Machine & Tool Co. “We’re going to bring some pretty

cool examples of hybrid-manufactured parts to the show. Once folks see what the possibilities are, they understand why we are laser focused on additive. It’s truly the next generation of manufacturing.” 

SLM SOLUTIONS – BOOTH 1713

SLM Solutions will present a SLM 280 2.0 upgraded system with increased laser power and advanced gas flow on the RAPID + TCT showfloor. With a build chamber that’s 23% larger than its competition and twin 700W lasers, the German manufacturer says the SLM 280 2.0 is the most productive metal additive manufacturing system in its class. SLM Solutions will also unveil its in process melt pool monitoring on an SLM 125 during the show. As verification of processes and qualification of production components becomes increasingly important, melt pool monitoring will detect the thermal emissions from the melt pool in real-time and archive the data as part of the build record. Such in-process monitoring improves the build process by allowing builds to be aborted if defects are detected or adjustments to be made during the print. Effective analysis and improvement of build parameters is advanced through the recorded data. 

EXONE – BOOTH 1623 At RAPID + TCT, ExOne will showcase one of the largest build boxes in the industry with its S-Max system in booth 1623. The company’s direct printing systems will be on display and attendees can learn how these systems can be incorporated into their manufacturing processes. In addition, ExOne will have several parts on display that highlight the versatility of its systems including: printed molds and cores, washout tooling, ceramic, and metal parts. Technical experts and staff from ExOne’s Engineering and Sales teams will be on hand at the booth to explain more. Brandon Cary, ExOne Industrial Sales and Marketing Specialist, will also be presenting at the conference on Wednesday, May 10 at 12:00. His presentation will examine the application of binder jetting 3D printing to sound absorption parts. 

PROTO LABS – BOOTH 1416

After announcing the addition of Stratasys’ PolyJet technology to its industrial 3D printing service earlier this year, Proto Labs will be showcasing some of the capabilities of this technology at Rapid + TCT. Now, Proto Labs’ customers can leverage PolyJet to create 3D printed parts comprised of both elastomeric and rigid materials. PolyJet typically delivers smooth surface finishes and can support complex geometries with flexible features. The inclusion of PolyJet takes Proto Labs’ industrial 3D printing services range up to four technologies. It already includes stereolithography, selective laser sintering, and direct metal laser sintering. The company’s proprietary software and digital approach to manufacturing allows customers to upload a 3D CAD file of their design at protolabs.com, receive an instant quote, and have 3D printed parts in hand within days. Proto Labs will have a range of PolyJet parts on display on the booth.  VOLUME 3 ISSUE 2 www.tctmagazine.com

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RAPID + TCT PREVIEW

May 8-11, 2017 | David L. Lawrence Convention Center | Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania | Exhibits May 9-11

3D PLATFORM – BOOTH 937 3D Platform, a global leader in manufacturing largeformat industrial-strength 3D printers, has recently launched the WorkSeries line of machines, including the WorkbenchPro 3D printer. The 3DP WorkbenchPro delivers 40% more build volume and up to 16x faster print rates with its unique features, including:

 HFA Extruder as standard, twice as fast as the WorkbenchClassic.

 HFE 300 & 900 – These high-flow extruders are

optional upgrades. The HFE 300 delivers 4x faster prints speeds than the previous model (the Classic), and the HFE 900 offers 16x faster print speeds than the Classic. Both are independently controlled for speed and extruded material amounts, and can accommodate filament sizes from 2.85 mm to 6 mm.  Open-Market Advantage – Save up to 90 percent using open-market materials and software  Industrial Strength Enhanced Mechatronics – Delivers four times greater performance and accuracy at top speeds, within an industrial framework that allows for 40% more build volume. “We’ve had a lot of success with our Workbench machine over the last 15 months. Our customers have asked us to take the Workbench to the next level” says Jonathan Schroeder, 3D Platform President. “We’ve now included a faster processor, touchscreen control, and 40% more print volume - features that our customers requested.” See the entire WorkSeries line at RAPID + TCT. 

LINK3D – BOOTH 847

LINK3D has announced the official launch of its revolutionary platform, the first global secure platform that connects engineers to additive manufacturing services. Following a recent round of $600,000, LINK3D’s proprietary technology provides engineers with a fully automated experience to identify industry specific additive manufacturing partners instantaneously, worldwide, who will be able to complete their manufacturing needs from prototyping through series production. The LINK3D team is comprised of several additive experts who have built and maintained global partnerships with 3D printing service providers in 17 countries - giving engineers access to 234+ unique metal and polymer materials and 154 unique machine models (metal and plastic). Engineers using LINK3D submit standardized, industry-specific request for quotes. These RFQs are matched instantaneously with LINK3D’s partnered manufacturers. LINK3D guarantees that matches are capable of successfully executing the order and meet critical needs (e.g. complex build parts, lead times, design, and speed to market). “Our mission is to make additive manufacturing accessible to anyone, anywhere at any time. We serve a diverse group of industries, focused on metal and polymer production”, explains CEO, Shane Fox. 

EOS – BOOTH 1413 EOS North America will highlight its vision for the factory of the future at RAPID + TCT through its end-toend additive manufacturing solutions and services. Onsite EOS will be running their most popular metal printers – the M290 and the M100 – which serve as the backbone for companies integrating AM into their existing manufacturing ecosystems. EOS also will be participating in the Medical Manufacturing Innovations (MMI) series, spotlighting exactly how AM can manufacture end-use medical devices and create personalized implants for patients. As one of the fastest growing industries benefiting from AM, sub-sectors like orthopaedics, tooling, implants, etc., are set to be transformed by the flexible, customizable, cost-effective and design-driven outcomes of AM. With increased pressure on manufacturers to produce low cost, high-quality parts, iterate quickly and scale on demand, EOS enables smart, efficient part production with proven results. Additionally, EOS Additive Minds consultancy group ensures customers maximize their AM investments, serving as a trusted collaborator and partner throughout the AM journey.  VOLUME 3 ISSUE 2 www.tctmagazine.com

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INNOVATORS

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RAPID + TCT PREVIEW

May 8-11, 2017 | David L. Lawrence Convention Center | Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania | Exhibits May 9-11

RAPID + TCT CONFERENCE PREVIEW With more than 200 expert speakers, engaging panel sessions and hands-on workshops, RAPID + TCT has undoubtedly the most comprehensive event content in North America. Running from Monday 8th May through Thursday 11th May alongside the vastlyexpanded show floor — the conference is divided into novice, intermediate and expert presentations across the topics covered ensuring everyone has access to information at the right level.

PEER-REVIEWED QUALITY

Presentation submissions for RAPID + TCT go through a rigorous vetting process thanks to the Conference Advisors who donate their time to ensuring the quality and breadth of coverage is truly world-class. The RAPID + TCT conference is by far the most comprehensive event on the calendar — topics such as Assessing the Internal Features of Additive Manufactured Parts and Surface Finish Control of Additive ManufacturedInconel 625 Components Using Combined Chemicalabrasive Polishing point to the depth of specialist knowledge imparted over the four days.

BREAKFAST AND BRAIN FOOD The highlight of the Conference is the morning keynotes, open to all attendees ensuring a huge crowd. Featuring presentations and panel sessions covering the entire breadth of the technologies and their applications and are extremely valuable for newcomers and veterans alike. On Day 1 hear about how America Makes is accelerating the use of AM in the US; Mickey McManus will discuss the impact of IoT and digital manufacturing; Todd Grimm will provide a can’t-miss roundup of the latest products in 3D printing and 3D scanning; and finish with a panel discussion from industry leaders on the transformation of manufacturing through 3D printing. Day 2 sees Philippe Cochet, Executive Vice President at GE take to the stage for the Keynote address, alongside a panel session addressing the New Frontiers in Metal 3D Printing with Ric Fulop (Desktop Metal), Kyle Nel (Lowe’s Companies Inc) and Don Jones (Caterpillar Inc.) ‘New Materials for 3D Printing in Medicine: What’s Next is Closer than You Think’ is the Day 3 keynote to be delivered by Drs Ramille Shah and Sue Jordan, followed by a panel session exploring how 3D printing in healthcare can grow beyond surgical guides. The final day sees regular speaker Terry Wohlers take to the stage to highlight the future of AM and 3D printing and a panel session, lead by TCT’s Jim Woodcock, will examine the product launches, announcements and tech advancements at RAPID + TCT and signpost the impact they’re likely to have on the industry in future. Beyond the conference a series of ‘Tech briefings’ covering Fundamentals of 3D Scanning/Imaging, Fundamentals of Additive Manufacturing and 3D Printing in Medicine will take place across the Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday of the event. The broad-scope sessions offer an overview of the technologies and the applications in the medical industry and will be delivered by experts Giles Gaskell, Graham Tromans and Andy Christensen respectively. 

TO REGISTER VISIT: WWW.RAPID3DEVENT.COM

VOLUME 3 ISSUE 2 www.tctmagazine.com

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ACCELERATING 3D TECHNOLOGIES

RAPID + TCT 2017 PREVIEW

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Xaar ACCELERATING 3D TECHNOLOGIES Xaar CEO, Doug Edwards (left) and Xaar Director of 3D Printing, Professor Neil Hopkinson lift the 3D printed veil, produced with a Xaar printhead in a Voxeljet HSS machine, to reveal the commemorative plaque.

XAAR’S 3D CENTER IS FIRST STEP TO ACHIEVING 2020 VISION WORDS : Sam Davies

ARCH 29TH, 2017 will be remembered for something other than Xaar’s grand opening of a 3D printing facility. Even in the foyer of the new center as dozens gathered to tour Xaar’s 3D printing laboratory in the city of Nottingham, UK, it was impossible to ignore. As Xaar’s CEO, Doug Edwards and Director of 3D Printing, Professor Neil Hopkinson lifted a veil, 3D printed by Voxeljet, to uncover a commemorative plaque, Prime Minister Theresa May was triggering Article 50 to take the United Kingdom out of the European Union. It was the topic of much discussion as partners, press and other industry personnel assembled preand post-tour. What would it mean for Xaar? Moreover, what would it mean for the rest of the 3D technology industry? Just over 1% of Xaar’s revenue comes from the UK, while European custom is responsible for around 45%. As the UK and EU enter two years of tense negotiations, the future is uncertain. Just as well then, that Xaar has the technological expertise, and now the facilities, to need not worry.

Having attracted Professor Hopkinson to the company a year ago, Xaar has the inventor of High Speed Sintering (HSS) heading up its 3D Printing Division. Holding expertise in the supplying of inkjet printheads, Xaar’s recent move into the mainstream 3D space parallels some ambitious plans through to the next decade. A host of objectives will need to be achieved to reach these targets. Last month, as the 3D Centre based on Nottingham Science Park opened its doors, one objective was. Born and bred in the city, it was more than just the romance, and convenience, that has seen Professor Hopkinson launch Xaar’s 3D Centre in his hometown. With his associations to three Universities connected by one of the UK’s main motorways, Neil

has launched a facility in a strong catchment area. One of the 3D center’s current employees first worked with Neil at the University of Sheffield. Then a Mechanical Engineering undergraduate, the employee was supervised by Neil during his final year project on High Speed Sintering. With this new center in a prime location, Neil almost guarantees there will be a similar route from local universities to employment with Xaar in the future. “[Opening the new facility] has been extremely gratifying,” Neil told TCT. “It has been a lot of hard work from the original idea [of developing HSS] to now getting ourselves a well-equipped facility with the right people to drive this technology to market. “What we wanted to do was position ourselves to get the

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Xaar best graduates to understand the technology. There’s an M1 (A British motorway) corridor of academic teaching and research, Sheffield, Nottingham and Loughborough Universities, who, between them, produce a few hundred graduates each year who have studied in 3D printing and we want to put ourselves where they are.” In addition to drawing in some of the UK’s best young talent in the 3D technology space, Xaar is also leveraging the skills and applications of already-established industry players. The company recently announced a partnership with Materialise, which will see Xaar use Magics and Build Processor software to not only design parts as the development of HSS continues, but also offer new customers a more comprehensive solution by supplying Xaar’s printheads with Materialise’s programs in one package. Developed in 2003, Loughborough University filed base patents for HSS technology two years later, with Neil as the lead inventor. Licensing the technology out to a number of companies, including VoxelJet, who printed the fabric part for the unveiling of the Xaar 3D Centre’s plaque on a High Speed Sintering machine with a Xaar printhead. The aim has always been to take the technology to market, and it was this goal that lured Neil from Sheffield University to Xaar. In 2013, a three-year scheme to develop supply chain and fullscale production of novel additive manufacturing, Factum Project, was launched. One of the technologies at the center of this project was HSS. Xaar was a partner of the project for the duration. Its role was to optimize the performance of third party fluids with its printheads. By 2016, it was evident to Neil that High Speed Sintering was ready commercially, but needed that extra push to get there. “Universities quite rightly prioritize teaching and research,” Neil said. “It struck me to maximize the commercial impact of this technology; it would make more sense to work for an organization where commercialization is the number one priority. Moving into industry was just the natural thing to do.”

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Neil with his invention, High Speed Sintering.

A 2020 VISION

Converging with Neil’s arrival, was the inception of Xaar’s 2020 Strategy. The 3D Centre, which will serve Original Equipment Manufacturers, material suppliers and end users, resembles a significant part of that strategy. Meanwhile, Xaar will be designing, but not ABOVE: Many of the recrutis at Xaar’s new center are recent selling, 3D printers from graduates from the universities Neil has ties to. its Copenhagen base. It all focuses on an inorganic growth approach, technology, several state-of-the-art facilities which involves Xaar’s acceleration of HSS, and a robust framework of determined an increase to its printhead sales, and also personnel in place, Xaar has a strategy to the acquiring of subsidiary companies, such establish itself among the leaders of additive as EPS in Vermont, which will significantly manufacturing. Said personnel are confident increase the company’s revenue. that with this structure in place, not even a “Xaar currently turns over £100m a year political development the size of ‘Brexit’ will selling printheads into markets like ceramic stop them. tiles. That is an example that flipped over “In terms of Europe, it’s hard to say at the from screen printing to digital printing a few moment. I don’t know enough about how years ago,” said Neil. “That flip over is what this is going to play out,” Neil concludes. “But I expect to see in many applications in 3D I am pretty upbeat that we’re still going to printing, going from injection molding or CNC be able to supply our products and services machining to High Speed Sintering. The plan very effectively, largely because we have a is to double our revenue by 2020, and to lot of technical strength behind what we do. increase it to £500m by 2025.” It’s very difficult to manufacture printheads. Xaar and Neil joining forces in early 2016 It’s very difficult to become an expert in terms was the perfect match – one that is mutually of protons of High Speed Sintering. I’m beneficial. Xaar’s ambition to double its confident that our technical expertise revenue by 2020 and then more than double is sufficiently valuable, and rare, it again by 2025, it will need Neil’s nous to ensure that we will and supervision as HSS is commercialized. maintain a strong To maximize HSS to its full capacity, Neil position.”  needs a similarly aspiring company to drive his invention forward. With an innovative

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TIME FOR A REBOOT WOR DS : T O D D G R I M M

To unleash the potential, we must free individuals, departments, companies and industry from traditional thinking and conventional wisdom.

Todd Grimm

is a stalwart of the additive manufacturing industry, having held positions across sales and marketing in some of the industry’s biggest names. Todd is currently the AM Industry advisor with AMUG

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DDITIVE MANUFACTURING (AM) makes models, prototypes, patterns, tools and parts — nothing out of the ordinary. It makes those items in metal, plastic, ceramic and composite — again, nothing unusual. It has the potential to cut costs and reduce time — two common goals applied to all process selections. Within this mindset, AM is often viewed as just another process for design and manufacturing. This is a big problem. As you are likely aware, and as experienced AM professionals will attest, AM is quite different than molding, machining, casting and forming. It effectively inverts our understanding of what drives costs, what impacts time and what is possible. AM distorts the reality for design and manufacturing that has become ingrained in our day-to-day operations. In this context, it is insane to limit the technology to the same old applications, expecting the same output with marginal improvements in time, cost or quality. Yes, it can be beneficially used in this way, but this approach imposes artificial constraints that undermine the real potential. To capitalize on AM’s possibilities and to leverage all that it offers, it is time for a reboot that recalibrates perception, understanding and expectation. To unleash the potential, we must free individuals, departments, companies and industry from traditional thinking and conventional wisdom. A successful reboot is one where there is a major shift in mindset. As Albert Einstein said, “The world as we have created it is a process of our thinking. It cannot be changed without changing our thinking.” Simply considering AM as an option to what is already being done well is not a significant change in thinking. If we heed Einstein’s advice, we set new goals and search for the challenges and opportunities that are poorly served by conventional processes. Mindsets where rebooting is needed abound, but those that I find most frustrating are linked to personnel that have embraced AM without considering that there is a new reality. Forging ahead with little contemplation, and often with little understanding, those in need of a reboot fail to appreciate the differences. As a result, they cannot capitalize on what makes AM unique. Three scenarios top my personal list for rebooting. Reboot #1 is for all those that opt to use AM “because they can” even if there is little advantage, or possibly a disadvantage. Enamored with the technology, the AM machines are asked to serve ill-fitted applications. The better approach is to investigate what is needed, determine if AM can

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offer value and then make the selection. The mindset shift is about finding practical applications where AM is uniquely qualified for the task. Reboot #2 is an absolute necessity when applying AM to anything beyond the product development phase. Every printed part must be evaluated for a redesign that improves the product by capitalizing on the design freedom that is offered. The mindset change is to begin by asking “How can the design be changed for AM?” before asking how much it will cost and how long it will take. Reboot #3 is to recognize that AM is an enabling technology that is best viewed as an alternative, not a replacement. If current processes are satisfactory, look elsewhere for AM applications. To find the big gains and robust outcomes, investigate the current challenges and opportunities that cannot be addressed by non-AM processes. As an alternative, AM may be able to make the impossible or impractical a reality. When this happens, the value is immense. Another aspect of Reboot #3 is to squash the beliefs that AM can be a universal replacement for conventional processes. AM won’t be the best solution for each and every application currently addressed by molding or machining. There is a time and place for both new and established technologies. To believe differently will lead those that need a reboot into a skirmish that is unwarranted and unwinnable. For each reboot, the key is knowledge. Without an understanding of what makes AM unique and why that difference is advantageous, individuals will continue to overlay what they know onto the alternative reality that AM creates. Yet, knowledge alone will not initiate a reboot. For that to happen, there also must be a willingness to change. Knowledge and a desire to change are a lot to ask of those that are not immersed in AM. Rather than subjecting rebootable minds to an intensive, crash course in additive manufacturing, AM professionals should use each inquiry and each print request as a teachable moment. Take some time to show them the light and act as a consultant to nudge them into our new reality. 

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