TCT NA 1 by TCT Magazine

DECEMBER 2015 www.tctmagazine.com

PEDAL TO THE METAL HOW CONCEPT LASER IS SPEEDING UP PRECISION TOOLING

ACCELERATING 3D technologies

DECEMBER 2015

ISSN 2059-9641

EDITORIAL HEAD OF CONTENT

James Woodcock james@rapidnews.com GROUP EDITOR

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

Laura Griffiths laura.griffiths@rapidnews.com NEWSDESK

+44 (0) 1244 680222 REGULAR CONTRIBUTORS

Todd Grimm tgrimm@tagrimm.com

ADVERTISING GROUP ADVERTISING MANAGER

Carol Hardy carol@rapidnews.com ADVERTISING MANAGER

Nicola Tattum nicola.tattum@rapidnews.com MEDIA SALES EXECUTIVE

Kelley-Jo Beattie kelley-jo.beattie@rapidnews.com

PRODUCTION Sam Hamlyn Tracey Roberts

M ANAGEMENT C.O.O. / PUBLISHER

Duncan Wood C.E.O.

Mark Blezard

SUBSCRIPTIONS PUBLISHED PRICES N. America Print Subscriptions USA/Canada/Mexico - FREE Outside of these territories - $249 Also available on iOS and Android devices – including back catalogue and Buyers’ Guides.

The TCT Magazine is published quarterly by Rapid News Publications Ltd Carlton House, Sandpiper Way, Chester Business Park, Chester CH4 9QE, UK.

t: + 44 (0) 1244 680222 f: + 44 (0) 1244 671074 © 2015 Rapid News Publications Ltd While every attempt has been made to ensure that the information contained within this publication is accurate, the publisher accepts no liability for information published in error, or for views expressed. All rights for The TCT Magazine are reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part without prior written permission from the publisher is strictly prohibited.

Somos Accelerating innovations Somos Somos ®

®®

Accelerating innovations Accelerating innovations With a portfolio consisting of a wide variety of category-leading materials, you are sure to find a Somos® material that will fit the needs of your next project. With a portfolio consisting of a wide variety of category-leading If you needyou some help orahave a job ® that you can’t handle areextra sure to Somos material that will fit the With amaterials, portfolio consisting offind a wide variety of category-leading in-house, we can connect you with a service bureau that will ® needs of your next project. materials, you are sure to find a Somos quickly turn your projects into a reality. material that will fit the needsIfof your next project. you need some extra help or have a job that you can’t handle ® at www.dsm.com/somos Get connected with Somos in-house, we can connect you with a service bureau that will If you quickly need some extra help or have a job that you can’t handle turn your projects into a reality.

in-house, we can connect you with a service bureau that will ® at www.dsm.com/somos connected with Somos quicklyGet turn your projects into a reality. Get connected with Somos® at www.dsm.com/somos

LEAD NEWS

PEDAL TO THE METAL

Editor Daniel O’Connor takes a look at the growth of Concept Laser and how it’s leading the way for metal additive manufacturing.

ONES TO WATCH

Assistant Editor Laura Griffiths takes a look at the rising stars of the 3D printing industry set to make their mark in 2016.

MINDING THE GAP

Dan interviews UL’s Chris Krampitz to find out how the company is working to address the issues emerging technology is bringing to manufacturing.

VISUALIZE THE FUTURE

Laura delves into some of the latest features in SolidWorks 2016 fuelled by the 3D design and engineering community.

PERSONALIZE PRINTING PRESS

STATE OF THE MARKET

FEATURES

An in depth look at the current landscape for 3D technologies across the region.

ACCELERATING 3D TECHNOLOGIES

CONTENTS

TCT | DECEMBER 2015 EDITION

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

FINDING FORM

WHAT DOES AVI REICHENTAL’S DEPARTURE MEAN FOR CONSUMER 3D PRINTING?

Dan speaks to Formlabs’ Will Walker about the launch of the company’s next generation 3D printer, the Form 2.

Dan reflects on 3D Systems’ CEO split and ponders whether it means the end of the road for the consumer 3D printing dream.

VIVA LAS VEGAS: THE CES 2016 SHOW PREVIEW

A taste of what to expect from the 3D Printing Marketplace and conference at the world’s biggest consumer electronics tradeshow.

SLOW AND STEADY WINS THE RACE

Exploring the phenomenal growth of the desktop printer manufacturer and flag flyer for the open-source movement, Lulzbot.

INCUBATING INNOVATION

Find out how Renishaw is lowering the entry barrier to metal 3D printing with its latest venture, Renishaw Solutions Centres.

35 38

REGULARS

07 42

EDITOR’S letter

TODD GRIMM COLUMN DECEMBER 2015 www.tctmagazine.com

ACCELERATING 3D TECHNOLOGIES

FROM THE EDITOR 21st century luddites

alter Hunt was a 19th Century American inventor, his name doesn’t rank alongside the likes of Edison, Tesla, Bell, Franklin or Ford but not through lack of creativity, through lack of vision. Amongst his many inventions is a forerunner to the Winchester repeating rifle, a fountain pen, and a safety pin for which he saw little use and sold the patent to pay a $15 debt. Perhaps the one that truly got away was the sewing machine; decades before the machine created millions of jobs across the globe in the textile manufacturing revolution, in 1834, Walter Hunt was in his basement showing his machine that took two spools of thread and a needle to produce a lockstitich. His daughter pleaded with him to reconsider patenting the machine on the grounds that it could be detrimental to the jobs of seamstresses, Hunt relented. His reluctance to commercialize the machine may have come from an increasing fear of technological advances during the industrial revolution. Across the pond in the North West of England, Luddites had spent the earlier part of the century destroying stocking frames, spinning frames and power looms that they perceived to threaten jobs. Hunt and the Luddites were of course wrong; because of the increase of productivity swathes of jobs were created; in the UK Manchester’s population grew from 25,000 to 350,000 over the course of 80 years, the majority of the people working in textile factories. A recent conversation with somebody outside the 3D technologies arena had me doing the usual 3D printing 101. As an example of the potential benefits of 3D printing at home I discussed the theory of Ikea and spare parts. Rather than having to manufacture, store and ship a spare part they could simply email you the part for you to print off at home I suggested, smugly. “But what about all of the jobs that could cost?” He retorted.

It struck me there and then that the much-touted ‘New Industrial Revolution’ could also bring with it the ‘New Luddite’. Although, it is true that since the acceleration of robotics in manufacturing the gap between US gross domestic product and employment has increased, Erik Brynjolfsson, Innovation Researcher at MIT, says that rather than racing against machines we should race with them and begin to understand how a labor-light economy should work. For this issue I had the pleasure of interviewing Shapeways’ CEO Peter Weijmarshausen, we discussed how 3D printing is inspiring a truer version of the American dream by lowering the barriers to manufacturing. Because of the technology, people can now create and sell a product without any capital, without storing any inventory, without even leaving the house. This inaugural issue of the North America edition of TCT Magazine + Personalize is peppered throughout with examples of how the growth of the industry is creating jobs whether that be through new innovations in Laura’s piece on what’s to come in 2016, UL discussing the skills gap facing manufacturing or LulzBot’s evergrowing team. 3D printing is the future, don’t be the next Walter Hunt, go forth and use 3D technologies to become the next James Dyson or Steve Jobs. Druck On

Daniel O’Connor Group Editor

DECEMBER 2015 www.tctmagazine.com

LEAD NEWS: concept laser

he 3D printing of metals is the industry’s fastest growing sector; various reports suggest that sales of metal-based 3D printers are up on last year’s numbers by upwards of 50%. According to a recent survey of additive manufacturing (AM) professionals the use of metal additive manufacturing is set to double over the course of the next three years, in that same survey 84% of participants said they’d like to see further developments in metal materials for additive manufacturing. One company leading the way in metals both in terms of growth and R&D is Concept Laser. After revenue growth of 75% in 2014 the German machines manufacturer consolidated its growth with a further 35% revenue increase in the first six months of 2015. While 45 systems were sold in the same period of the previous year, the company received 68 orders this year, a significant increase of around 50%. The company’s founder, President and CEO, Frank Herzog pioneered laser melting technologies a decade and a half ago; his work in developing Concept Laser’s LaserCUSING® technology has seen him nominated for the prestigious German Future Prize 2015 for Concept Laser’s work on project with Airbus as well as winning the 2015 European CEO award for his entrepreneurship in the additive manufacturing sphere. Having met with Frank Herzog during a tour of Concept Laser headquarters in Lichtenfels, Germany last year it is clear from his passion for the future this isn’t a company resting on those laurels. The fact that approximately a third of the company’s employees are within R&D shows a dedication to furthering the technology and not just profiteering off a bandwagon. Frank told TCT how he has set forth plans for future-proofing Concept Laser’s team: “A commitment to training the next

QTD-Insert Drill by MAPAL Dr Kress AG

generation is close to my heart and the establishment of the “Concept Academy” provides the ideal platform for consistent efforts in this area,” explained Herzog. “I believe that on-going training and development are the best way to create a strong nucleus and a basis for future development of LaserCUSING, to get young people enthusiastic about joining us and to expand the possibilities for additive manufacturing in industry. I think that these young people hold the real potential for the future and we need to facilitate and support their development.”

TAKING A LEAF FROM MAPAL’S BOOK Airbus Bracket Connector

Stirling Engine Concept by DEKA Research and Development

Part of Concept Laser’s unprecedented growth is down to an enthusiastic userbase, willing to take on projects to truly revolutionize the traditional design process. A great example of this is the aforementioned Airbus project, if you’ve been to see Concept Laser at a trade show you’ll no doubt have come across the Airbus A350 XWB connector bracket. The small but truly groundbreaking part is now airborne serving three major airlines, the bracket is 30% lighter than its traditional counterpart and is the first titanium component produced using 3D printing onboard a commercial aircraft. Although aerospace, automotive and medical are oft quoted primary verticals for all metal AM companies it is perhaps a less sexy application that has many in the industry standing up and taking note. The cover star of this very edition of TCT is a QTD-series insert drill by precision tools specialist Mapal, as you’ve probably guessed it is manufactured additively, with LaserCUSING technology. The benefits in additively manufacturing this part are vast, because of the technology’s inherent ability to create complex internal geometries Mapal were able to design spiralling ducts in order to increase the flow of coolant to the drill head meaning that it can work longer and faster than

PEDAL TO THE METAL WOR D S : DA N IE L O’ C ON NOR

DECEMBER 2015 www.tctmagazine.com

The HTC with Narrow Contour from MAPAL Dr Kress AG

ENGINEERING IN THE USA

Mapal’s adoption of metal additive technologies was mirrored at formnext powered by tct; the event showcased how multi-nationals like Audi are implementing additive technologies into their production processes. Though the execution of metal AM in Europe is fast approaching mass-adoption, the landscape in the U.S. is very different; President and CEO of Concept Laser Inc (the U.S. subsidiary), John Murray, outlined to TCT the potential reasons why: “Fully dense metal part processing was developed by our founder and CEO Frank Herzog so it makes sense

ACCELERATING 3D TECHNOLOGIES

previous incarnations. Dr Dirk Sellmer, Head of Research and Development at Mapal explained: “Compared with the previous central coolant supply with ‘y’ diversion, a spiral coolant routing increases the coolant flow by 100%.” Currently using two Concept Laser M1 cusing systems Mapal is in the process of applying AM in areas where it has seen innovation hampered by previous limitations in production. Another project has seen the German company use similar methods to those discovered in the manufacture of the QTD insert drill in order to improve hydraulic clamping technology. Hydraulic chucks improve precision, process and reliability but have previously had one major drawback, temperature resistance. As trends in metalworking move to more high-speed machining, heat resistance becomes a huge issue. If operated at over 50 °C traditional hydraulic chucks can burst, ruining an expensive part. Mapal has been working on solutions to this problem since 2009 and has recently had a breakthrough using LaserCUSING technology. By using a specially developed steelbased metal powder and an entirely new design Mapal has eliminated the need for brazing the basic body and expanding sleeve together. The brazed connection is the problematic area when working at high temperatures, the new design allows for a greater heat transfer meaning the chuck can now work at temperatures up to 170 °C. “Additive strategies shift the design principles towards product solutions which would have been inconceivable previously,” said Dr Sellmer. “The products offer obvious positives for us and our customers. There is no other way if you want to be successful in future.”

Concept Laser’s M2 cusing Multilaser

European companies were the early adopters. However, it also seems European customers are more aggressive about adopting these new technologies and techniques,” explained Murray. “Tooling with conformal cooled inserts, for example, is something that Hofmann Tool Manufacturing has been using for well over a decade. There is minimal adoption of this capability in the U.S. to date. Concept Laser is now 15 years old so the early adopters of metal AM have well over a decade of experience and a significant lead over U.S. companies. The U.S. market is just now beginning to open up.” Since the U.S. arm of Concept Laser, Concept Laser Inc., began operations back in August 2014 the company has seen unprecedented growth. So much so that during a recent visit by the company’s founder, Frank Herzog, it was announced that the U.S. subsidiary would already have to move to a larger premises because its Grapevine, Texas, HQ was ‘bursting at the seams’. With a full stock of parts inventory at the Texas HQ and five field service engineers located nationwide, Concept Laser Inc. is perfectly placed to serve growing demand as well as the 75 plus machines installed across the U.S., Canada and Mexico. One of Concept Laser Inc.’s most progressive and longstanding customers is DEKA Research & Development, headed up by the inventor of the Segway Human Transporter, Dean Kamen. DEKA have been using plastic 3D printing technology since its inception for rapid prototyping

purposes. DEKA was an early adopter with their acquisition of a Concept Laser M2 machine. This has meant the company is able to ramp up many of its more elaborate projects, like that of the Stirling Engine. The 19th Century invention can convert electrical power from any heat source, its advocates say it is one of the world’s most efficient engines; its drawback has always been the engine’s bulk-to-output ratio. DEKA is trying to eliminate that drawback using 3D printing’s inherent ability to create complex geometries in an array of materials. If successful the DEKA Stirling Engine could supply electricity to those far-flung corners of the world yet to be reached by a grid system. Helping out those in the developing world is a passion of Kamen’s and the Stirling Engine excites him, he told Forbes Magazine last year: “We have powered them using cow dung in Bangladesh, and even by burning olive oil.” With a burgeoning customer base implementing LaserCUSING technologies into massively different applications globally it is easy to see how Concept Laser has established itself as one of the leaders in metal 3D printing. “German engineering and quality is highly respected worldwide and our machines reflect the disciplined engineering and manufacturing,” detailed US-CEO John Murray. “Customers want machines that are reliable and consistent. Our recent advances are aimed at increasing the productivity and yield of our machines, while enabling our customers to certify their products’ performance with confidence.”  For more information visit www.conceptlaserinc.com

DECEMBER 2015 www.tctmagazine.com

n 2013 during President Barack Obama’s State of the Union Address he stated: “3D printing has the potential to revolutionize the way we make almost everything.” How close are we to realizing that potential? We’ve asked some of the industry’s leading players to discuss the state of the 3D printing market in their relevant sectors.

When asked how he saw the recent development of additive manufacturing (AM) in North America, leading 3D printing consultant Todd Grimm said: “Interest is at an all-time high but progress continues to be incremental and evolutionary. What I find very encouraging is that many have discovered the benefits of AM in making the tools that assist production, items like fixtures and gages. This is a gateway application that has immediate value while serving to expose companies to other possibilities.” The fact that the terms 3D printing and additive manufacturing cover a vast expanse of products, services and technologies including machines that retail anywhere between $200 and $1m means that a definitive number of what the market is currently worth is difficult to come by. Various reports have forecasts and current markets vastly different.

A recent report by International Data Corporation (IDC) that looked into more than 150 3D printer manufacturers that participate in the U.S. market said revenues of 3D printer sales in the U.S. alone are expected to reach $1.5 billion by 2019. Gartner believes that number to be $14.6m globally in the same time period, if we’re to take both figures at face value it means the U.S represents about 10% of the market. However Canalys have it much higher, telling TCT that in 2014 they estimate that the US represented about 35% of the market and 3D Hubs even higher saying just shy of 50% of their users are based in the U.S., which considering they are a European company says a lot about the U.S. dominance of the market. LOOKING FORWARD According to a recent survey of 700 professionals involved in additive manufacturing by Stratasys Direct Manufacturing, 73% believe that their company’s in-house 3D printing capabilities will increase in the next three years with aerospace and medical industries most likely to grow in-house AM. One big issue surrounding both those sectors is certification and Mark Barfoot, President of AMUG and Managing Director of Hyphen Services thinks that is the reason behind increasing in-house use. “The lack of medical grade materials and machinery available means some companies prefer to run dedicated

ACCELERATING 3D TECHNOLOGIES

THE STATE OF THE MARKET

state of the market medical machinery. The lack of FDA approval also means we see the primary applications for medical being external; medical modeling and surgical guides are outside the FDA’s remit,” says Barfoot. “I hope the FDA takes more of an understanding approach to innovation so that we can actually start seeing more customized, in vitro 3D printed parts using biocompatible materials.” Anecdotally, TCT understands that the uptake of metal 3D printing in North America is slightly behind Europe. This is more than likely due to the European cluster of laser melting manufacturers such as Renishaw, Concept Laser, SLM, Realizer and EOS, if you map the distance between those five manufacturers, they cover a surface area that could fit into Texas three times over. The abovementioned survey suggests that though U.S. adoption of metals may be behind it does not mean there is not a huge interest, with 84% of those surveyed saying they would like to see a further development of metal materials. Over the next few pages we’ll discuss the state of industry from three specific viewpoints, the consumer arm with Shapeways, the Aeorspace angle by GE Aviation and the manufacturing landscape with Stratasys Direct Manufacturing. The overall feeling is one of positivity, with enterprise 3D printing becoming that productive technology the industry craved.

DECEMBER 2015 www.tctmagazine.com

011

www.technyl.com

Jump from parts design to production with Sinterline® Technyl® Powders, the first polyamide 6 powder range for selective laser sintering. Leverage 3D printing to achieve optimal mechanical, chemical, and thermal performance for functional and durable prototyping and low- to medium-volume production. Get the exact solution you need from Solvay’s prototyping and service centers. From automotive to electrical to sporting goods applications, when you want to bring your products to market faster and easier than with injection molding, there is no stronger solution than Sinterline® Technyl® Powders.

SINTERLINE® by

state of the market

and a company’s business model versus simply identifying products that fit 3D printing.

ew people have a better feel for the market and its applications than CEO of Stratasys Direct Manufacturing, Joe Allison. One of only two people – the other being Graham Tromans – to receive two of AMUG’s prestigious DINO awards, Joe has been in the 3D printing industry for as long as it has been an industry.

Q. Stratasys recently said it sees tooling as the hidden star for 3D printing. As a service provider do you also see this trend? A. We do see a trend of tooling in the form of manufacturing aids being a more widely adopted application of 3D printing in many verticals. Our recent survey of North American professional users of 3D printing, many of them working for companies over $50m in revenue, expect substantial increases in tooling (36%), end-use parts (38%) and bridge/trial production (41%) by 2018, so those applications present highgrowth opportunities for the industry. The advantages of using 3D printing for jigs and fixtures are often understated; the technology can dramatically reduce lead times and production costs for custom manufacturing aids while also offering ergonomic benefits of being lightweight and durable. These manufacturing aids also speed up production to provide more output in less time with less labor, decreasing errors through increased accuracy controls. Q. With this in mind do you see the factory floor of the future having both traditional and additive technologies working side-byside? A. Absolutely. We see traditional and additive technologies as complementary. We already offer nine manufacturing technologies at Stratasys Direct Manufacturing, including traditional

methods such as CNC machining, so we’re able to see firsthand the advantages of having both methods on our factory floors. Overall, utilizing technologies in tandem provides greater benefits (e.g. streamlined manufacturing) than using them on their own, as manufacturers like Boeing, Airbus and GE can attest. Q. Do you think now that the hype surrounding 3D printing has somewhat waned we will start to see its true benefits being utilized to their optimum? A. Now that we’re past the hype stage, the conversation is changing from 3D printing’s technical benefits to its business value. That’s an important transition because that’s the language spoken by people in the boardroom (not the technical benefits of the technology), so it becomes easier for them to understand the true business value. Decreasing lead times, improving manufacturing efficiencies and reducing costs are all benefits that make an impression on the c-suite. It’s also important to focus on fitting 3D printing to the product

Q. UL has commented in this magazine that there is a significant skills gap in technicians for additive machinery. Is this a trend you see? If so, do you think education in the technologies needs to begin at an earlier age? A. Education is and will continue to be important, but interestingly, our survey found employee training and education does not come up high on the list of issues companies see as having the greatest future impact on the AM market. We believe this is because many have already invested in shoring up skill gaps and because younger engineers are getting educated and exposed to 3D printing earlier on. Look at the University of Louisville for example – they have a world-class additive manufacturing center dedicated to AM applications and research. As adoption grows, companies need help identifying new additive applications to determine the technology that can best fulfill those needs. At Stratasys Direct Manufacturing, it’s our job to take customers’ amazing new ideas for products and technologies and champion them into real applications, one-by-one, by identifying ways additive can bring them to life faster and easier. Q. Do you think the growing R&D as well as investment means we’ll be talking about an industry as big as the tool and molding industry in years to come? A. Growth in R&D and investments will lead to new equipment and materials, allowing 3D printing to continue expanding its applications and enter additional markets. Equipment that will build parts faster, along with materials approved for critical applications, will further improve the technology’s viability in creating production parts, which has already seen marked growth in the past couple years alone.

DECEMBER 2015 www.tctmagazine.com

013

ACCELERATING 3D TECHNOLOGIES

STATE OF THE MARKET: MANUFACTURING

STATE OF THE MARKET: AEROSPACE

ecause of its ability to print parts with complex geometries enabling topologically optimized designs, additive manufacturing has always been high on the innovation agenda for the aerospace industry where lightweight is key. It’s hard to pinpoint one particular leader in this field but after acquiring Morris Technologies in 2012 GE Aviation has been massively scaling up its AM. We spoke to Scott A. Gold, Lead Engineer of Additive Technologies Development at GE Aviation for his take: Q. Can you give us an overview of how the AM in the aerospace sector has evolved in the last few years? A. AM has been a disruptive technology in aerospace manufacturing as its use has seen wider adoption in the last few years. In addition to GE Aviation’s LEAP fuel nozzle, several other aerospace manufacturers have announced the inclusion of additively manufactured parts in upcoming offerings. Additive technologies have opened up design spaces, enabling designs to be manufactured that were previously impossible or prohibitively difficult to make. Q. What are some of the key challenges in getting AM parts certified, particularly in the U.S.? A. Certification is certainly a challenge for AM, as it would be for any relatively new technology. Organizations such as NIST and ASTM have been working hard to develop needed standards for AM. These efforts need to continue to grow and mature. The knowledge base for AM also needs to grow and become more widely known to enable development of standard testing methods and certification standards. Q. How do you think the state of AM in the U.S. compares to that in Europe? A. There is a great deal of AM expertise and capability on both sides of the Atlantic.

014

AM illustrates the globalization of manufacturing well. Metal additive machine manufacturers are today mostly based in Europe while the majority of the most widely used polymer additive machines are made in America. GE Aviation in America has been a leader in the use of laser powder bed technology while Avio Aero (a GE Aviation business) is a world leader in the use of electron beam technology. Exciting developments are also occurring in universities, national laboratories, and innovative startup companies in both the U.S. and Europe to illuminate the fundamental physics of additive processes and expand process capabilities. Q. What positive global implications does 3D printing stand to bring in the aerospace sector? A. Additive manufacturing will continue to bring positive but disruptive change to aerospace manufacturing. GE’s additively manufactured LEAP fuel nozzle consolidated 20 parts into one in addition to reducing the weight of the part by 25% compared to previous generation designs. By taking advantage of this wider design space, we can expect to see more improvements in aerospace component design and efficiency. Additive can also reduce the lead-time for development and production of new parts, reducing costs both of finished products and operating costs. The adoption of additive manufacturing for GE’s T25 sensor, approved by the FAA in February of this year and being retrofitted to GE90-94B engines, was driven primarily by a reduction in lead time. Printing over 400 of these parts could be accomplished significantly faster than the time required to create tooling for and to cast the same part. This same approach may be applied to improve existing engines or to extend the life of older engine platforms. Additive manufacturing is a relatively new technology, so we are only scratching the surface of the impact 3D printing will have on the aerospace industry in years to come.

DECEMBER 2015 www.tctmagazine.com

STATE OF THE MARKET:

onsumer 3D printing can be seen from two different perspectives, both as an inhome consumer product and as a service. Desktop 3D printing features heavily throughout this magazine so we decided to give the wolrd’s largest consumer 3D printing provider a chance to share its thoughts. We spoke to Shapeways CEO, Peter Weijmarshausen for his take on the current state of 3D printing.

Q. Shapeways famously shifted its headquarters to the U.S. in 2010, what was it about being based stateside that helped Shapeways grow in a way that would not have been achievable in the Netherlands? A. Firstly, our biggest market at that time was the United States so we wanted a presence here regardless but combine that with the fact that we had ambitious plans, which we still do, we figured that it would be easier to attract top talent if our headquarters was based in the United States. Secondly, the availability on investment in the United States is much greater than in Europe, I recently saw some figures that venture capitalists are deploying between four and ten times more money in the U.S. than in Europe and we’ve definitely benefited from that.

state of the market

CONSUMERS

Q. 3D printing is creating whole new business models, would you say that businesses like yourselves and 3D hubs are enabling a new age of the American dream? A. We’re in the midst of a revolution whereby manufacturing is moving from an analog technology to a digital technology. Typically when things move from analog to digital big changes happen, we’ve seen it with photography, we’ve seen it with 2D printing, we’ve seen software go from an analogue distribution to a digital distribution, I think we will see a similar transformation with physical goods and I think 3D printing is at the core of that. Platforms like Shapeways are enabling individuals to decide what products go to market instead of big corporations. We’re seeing that products no longer get made on the cheapest places on earth but as close to the end user as possible. We see that the amount of money required to bring products to market has gone down to almost zero, the only cost is the designer’s time. You now have direct access to manufacturing your product and creating a business without a big upfront cost. The time to market is also massively reduced for instance right after Katy Perry performed her half-time show at the Superbowl Left Shark was on Shapeways a day later.

Q. Do you see 3D printing taking a similar approach to 2D in the way people still don’t print high quality items in the home but go to a service a la Shapeways? A. I wouldn’t be surprised with the internet being the enabler that services like Shapeways deliver a service that people are really happy to use. That doesn’t mean that desktop printing won’t be used in the home, but just like with paper printing it doesn’t mean the majority of printing will be done in the home. I once found a number that 95% of paper is actually printed by services and not in the home, that leads me to believe that the service model is a good business model for physical products.

Q. Do you think that Shapeways is limited by 3D printing in any way? A. We currently use multi-step processes where we need to. With precious metals we print in wax, and then we use traditional investment casting and for porcelain we also use a hybrid process. We don’t do that because we like to, we do that because it is the best way for our company to make our customers happy. If you look at the lead times we offer it is those multi-step processes that take the longest for obvious reasons. I think with upcoming innovations new machines will make it possible to do direct printing in all those materials and even some materials we haven’t seen before. We will go completely digital in the future. Q. Do you think consumers care how a product is made? A. We want to be the platform where people make immensely beautiful products, period. How they get made in the end is not as relevant for the end user as being unique, you and I will talk about 3D printing because your readers want to know how we’re pulling this off but most people don’t care, just like they don’t care that they’re using the Internet Protocol 4 when using Facebook, they care about that they can share things with people.

DECEMBER 2015 www.tctmagazine.com

015

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

• increased efficiency

• improved wear

• large parts

• complex shapes

+1 877 773 9663 exone.com

Plasma Atomized

X1_HalfPgAd_TCT_USA_Dec2015.indd 1

11/6/15 1:08 PM

Spherical Metal Powder Manufacturer

Designed specifically for Additive Manufacturing, MIM, CIP/HIP & Coating processes.

Products

• Titanium gr.1 • Titanium Alloys Ti-6Al-4V gr.5 & gr.23 • Nickel Superalloys • Niobium • And Other High Melting Point Metals

016

Features

• High purity • Excellent flowability • Highly spherical • Low oxygen content • High apparent and tap densities • Virtually no gas entrapped porosities

DECEMBER 2015 www.tctmagazine.com

10 years + servicing major customers

www.advancedpowders.com sales1215@advancedpowders.com Tel: +1 450.434.1004

ISO 9001 : 2008 / AS 9100C

industry newcomers

U : LA S D R WO

FF GRI

ITH

The end of the year is usually a time when you start to see lists of TV shows to look out for in the new year, artists that are ‘one’s to watch’, films you must see, up and coming people, and so on. For the additive manufacturing industry, we felt a similar list would be necessary for a year that’s set to be full of blockbusting, game-changing, rising stars in technology. ADDITIVE INDUSTRIES Dutch manufacturer, Additive Industries, had interest piqued last year when it made its debut with nothing but a large empty box – no machine, no parts, nada - at Euromold 2014. Coming out of stealth mode at Rapid 2015, the AM newcomer unveiled the name of a brand new metal additive manufacturing system, the MetalFab1, which eventually made its debut at formnext. The modular MetalFAB1 system uses metal powder bed fusion technology and boasts a broad range of features designed to address the current needs of the aerospace, medical and automotive sectors. “With our MetalFAB1 system we aim to define a new category in 3D printing: industrial additive manufacturing,” Daan Kersten, CEO of Additive Industries, told TCT. “The modular MetalFAB1 system has a broad range of new features like fully automated build plate and

We aim to define a new category in 3D printing: industrial additive manufacturing.

product handling, multiple full field lasers, continuous in process calibration and integrated heat treatment. Our brand new system will offer unrivalled productivity, reproducibility and flexibility.” RICOH It’s always big news when an established name comes into the picture and that’s no different with Ricoh. After launching its AM Business in September 2014, the Japanese

Ricoh AM 55500P

multi-national, made a splash at formnext by exhibiting its very first 3D printer under the Ricoh brand, the RICOH AM S5500P. Designed in collaboration with Aspect, the RICOH AM S5500P is capable of producing high-definition, durable parts in a range of polymer powder materials including PA6 and Polypropylene. Currently only available in Japan and Europe, the machine features a large build area of 550 mm (W) × 550 mm (D) × 500 mm (H) (21.65 in x 21.65 in x 19.68 in) and is capable of moulding large or different kinds of parts, all at once. Peter Williams, Executive Vice President, Ricoh Europe, commented: “Ricoh has two decades experience of using 3D CAD technologies in its product design processes. The launch of the Ricoh AM S5500P is the next stage of Ricoh applying its vast experience and knowledge to accelerate innovation directly with its manufacturing customers.” ››

DECEMBER 2015 www.tctmagazine.com

017

ACCELERATING 3D TECHNOLOGIES

H C T A W O T S E

ONLINE 3D PRINTED PART QUOTING WASN’T VISUAL... UNTIL NOW.

TAKE CONTROL OF YOUR PART QUOTING

Orientation, feature strength and general aesthetics are visually ignored with every industrial online 3D Printing quoting software, until now.

With the patent-pending True-Quote™ web based 3D quoting software, you and your company have the power to interact three-dimensionally with your parts.

Feel free to utilize True-Quote™ on CIDEAS Inc’s company site, Buildparts.com for the purchase or quotation of actual parts, or to take it for a test drive today.*

Choose build orientation, resolution, color, finish and view support structures (which affect build time, surface finish, as well as, complex critical geometry).

For additional information about True-Quote™ please contact CIDEAS Inc: 847-639-1000. True-Quote.com

Buildparts.com

These unique True-Quote™ features actually affect; Price, strength, and lead-times for every process. True-Quote™ is perfect for Educational RP Labs and OEM 3D Printing Bureaus. It was designed specifically for the Consumers of 3D Printed parts, who seek accurate pricing conforming to nearly every project’s nuances. *Subject to terms and agreement within CIDEAS Inc’s website; Buildparts.com, as well as, True-Quote.com.

Patent Pending. ©CIDEAS Inc. 2015

industry newcomers

TRUMPF In another formnext first, German-laser manufacturer TRUMPF entered the AM business with not one but two, technologies for the production of metal parts. The new product range, which includes both laser metal fusion (LMF) and laser metal deposition (LMD) technology, is a result of a new division at its headquarters in Ditzingen and joint venture with laser system maker, Sisma. TRUMPF is now the world’s only manufacturer to have both of these pertinent technologies in its product range which are already used by the likes of Optomec, EOS, Concept Laser and SLM Solutions. “LMF and LMD are the two leading technologies for additive manufacture of metal parts – and we have them both,” Daniel Lichtenstein, Business Development Manager at TRUMPF, explained. “Depending on the application, these technologies complement one another perfectly. If you have a geometric complex and filigree component, LMF is the right technology. If you want to

deposit or repair a structure on an existing component, LMD is the right technology. With both technologies out of one source, we can always provide our customer the best solution.”

What’s important now is collaboration, standardisation, things that help the industry scale.

HP The prize for creating the biggest buzz over the last 12-months has to go to Hewlett Packard. Besides the fact that it’s the first entry from a major company that’s already championing the 2D MJF Parts

scientists and we could do it all ourselves but we think we could make a whole lot happen faster if we take a collaborative approach and let other companies participate as well.” So far, we still haven’t seen the machine in action but with a big launch set for Spring 2016, it won’t be too long until we get to see if this will in fact be the breakthrough it expects to be.

DECEMBER 2015 www.tctmagazine.com

019

ACCELERATING 3D TECHNOLOGIES

Trumpf

space, the printing giant says Multi Jet Fusion is the answer to the pitfalls of current 3D technologies: speed, quality and cost. “Our belief is this is a critical thing for expanding the market for 3D printing,” J. Scott Schiller, Worldwide Director of 3D Printing, HP, told TCT. “That improvement yields three main benefits that you can get form, fit and function without having to trade off and as a result we also bring the ability to take this technology into lots of different applications.” HP is taking a collaborative approach to its 3D printing mission with an open philosophy, which will play a key role in ensuring the technology grows. HP says Multi Jet Fusion should be thought of as more of a platform rather than a system. “What’s important now is collaboration, standardisation, things that help the industry scale,” Scott, added. “Our view was, we’re great materials

Redefine your design

Bracket for a satellite produced on a Renishaw AM250

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

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

■

No requirement for tooling.

■

Increased design freedom—complex geometries and hidden features.

■

Rapid design iterations right up to manufacture.

Renishaw.com/additive

Renishaw Inc Hoffman Estates, IL www.renishaw.com

Additive TCT 12_15.indd 1

10/27/15 5:11 PM

Channeling Additive & Subtractive Manufacturing • 3D Metal Printing • Tooling • Manufacturing • Training • Center of Excellence • R&D Pods For more information contact Kristen Eisiminger at: keisiminger@linearmold.com 12926 Stark Rd. Livonia, MI 48150 Phone: 734.422.6060 www.linearmold.com 020

DECEMBER 2015 www.tctmagazine.com

industry newcomers

CANON Another household name that recently made a play with its own technology was imaging goliath, Canon. No stranger to the 3D printing scene following a distribution partnership with 3D Systems earlier this year, Canon has decided to go it alone with a new 3D printer concept that has sights set on rivalling current technologies in terms of speed and print strength. Unveiled at the Canon EXPO with very little fanfare, just a video and a few print samples, the machine is a resin-based lamination system and will address diversity of materials, durability, simplification and post-processing. At the launch, Canon stated: “With the highest level of precision in the industry we’ve reduced the need for timeconsuming post-processing. Plus, higher modelling speeds and faster setting times mean you’ll spend more time innovating and less time waiting.” We’ll have to wait and see what comes of this elusive machine, yet to be seen in the flesh, but as the second big name to launch onto the market, and a technology that promises not just rapid prototyping but rapid manufacturing, we’re sure it will be a strong contender.

XJET Set to show its state of the art technology on one of the biggest booths at Rapid 2016 is Xjet, an Israeli 3D printing company currently developing the world’s first direct 3D metal jetting system using Nano Particle Jetting (NPJ) technology. Though you may not be familiar with the name, this isn’t just any start up coming into the industry at base level. The Xjet team is made up of veterans of Objet, pre-Stratasys merger, including Objet cofounder Hanan Gothait now founder and CEO of Xjet, Dror Danai Xjet CBO, and a team of seasoned individuals with success in other leading technology brands. Xjet uses nanotechnology to create metal liquids that are deposited layer by layer using the inkjet process. Danai told TCT: “XJET is revolutionizing metal additive manufacturing

by eliminating the need for lasers and metal powder beds. The result is that companies will be able to simply and safely produce high-strength metal parts with improvements in part quality, accuracy and surface smoothness compared to current metal AM methods.” Little has been revealed so far about the machines themselves but they are expected to be on the market in 2016. DESKTOP METAL The industrial sector might be taking leaps in the coming year but there’s a startup that’s quickly been gaining momentum on the commercial end of the market and that’s Desktop Metal. A technology dream team of MIT professors, former Solidworks engineers and the Vice President of Amazon-acquired robotics company, Kiva Systems, Desktop Metal aims to bring fast, accessible and affordable metal 3D printing to the desktop. At only 3-months old and without so much as a prototype or website to speak of, the Massachusetts startup has already announced $14 million in its first funding round and with CEO, Ric Fulop at the helm, who can check leading successful investments in both OnShape and MarkForged on his CV, Desktop Metal is sure to be big news in 2016.

That’s a lot of new tech to grapple with and alongside the likes of Carbon 3D that has companies like Ford and Legacy Effects working away behind the scenes with its super-fast CLIP technology and the 3MF Consortium, which has captured the attention of industry stalwarts like Stratasys and newbies such as HP alike, the landscape is only set to grow. Speaking with TCT, Peter Weijmarshausen, CEO of Shapeways, gave his thoughts on the impact of these newcomers: “I think this is the beginning of an acceleration in innovation in 3D printing, I wouldn’t be surprised if in a year or two we see a large flurry of companies enter the 3D printing market with new innovations that are closer to what the end user wants and that of course is good for the market in general because if you give more people what they want more people will use it.” With the volume and notable status of companies entering the market right now, 2016 is shaping up to be a very interesting year.

DECEMBER 2015 www.tctmagazine.com

021

022

DECEMBER 2015 www.tctmagazine.com

MIND

QUE

IE L BY DAN S T IO N S

o ’c o n n

Someway through this interview with Chris Krampitz, Director of Innovation and Strategy at UL, there’s a startling statistic about the skills crisis that manufacturing could face in the future. UL, the global independent safety science company, is trying to address the issue and at TCT Show + Personalize 2015 its presence could be felt not just on the show floor but also on the seminar stage. We caught up with Chris during the show to find out what UL are doing to address the issues that emerging technology like 3D printing brings to manufacturing. Q: UL have become quite a prominent force in the additive manufacturing industry already, can you quickly give us an overview of UL and what it the company is hoping to achieve? A: We’re a safety and quality company that’s been on mission since 1894 starting with electrical and fire hazards, that’s been our tradition over the last 100 years plus and we’re bringing that expertise to additive manufacturing (AM). We’ve identified the need in AM for somebody to come in to help manufacturers adopt the technology in the parts that they are hoping to produce, the equipment that’s being used and the facilities that are producing these parts. Specifically in the AM field we’re looking at developing a conformity assessment programme

to help manufacturers asses the conformance of their products and their facilities to industry standards, safety standards, any specific regulations or any customer specifications. Our training programme is part of that conformity assessment, we have a training programme and a professional certification. Q: What is the main issue that additive manufacturing raises for the broader manufacturing industry? A: The big issue is because the technology is not broadly understood, there’s a lot of variables that affect the ultimate performance of the part, you can manipulate performance of a part very easily and while that is one of the great features of additive manufacturing but it is also one of the weaknesses as you have to understand the variability. That’s the landscape at the moment, manufacturers are looking for somebody to help and assist in understanding that variability and how to reduce variability in the process to meet technical requirements. ››

DECEMBER 2015 www.tctmagazine.com

023

ACCELERATING 3D TECHNOLOGIES

P A G E H T ING

Injection molded parts in 5-10 Days. Projects starting at $1996.

Redeﬁning Manufacturing with our family of processes

Get your program started today at www.VistaTek.com

Small batch manufacturing of high quality production parts and prototypes

If your parts were 4x stronger, what else could you do with them?

Applying over 25 years of vacuum casting experience

Serving the 3D Printing Industry for more than 15 years. Electroplating 3D Printed Plastics for Strength, Stiffness, Durability, EMI Shielding, Electrical and Thermal Conductivity, Abrasion Resistance, and much more... Reach us at: 410-242-5110 • info@repliforminc.com

024

Renishaw manufacture and supply a range of vacuum casting systems, from manual to high capacity computer automated, for the economic production of short run end use parts and prototypes, in PU elastomers, waxes and cast nylon - up to 50 parts from a single mold. Find out more at www.renishaw.com/vacuum-casting

www.renishaw.com

DECEMBER 2015 www.tctmagazine.com Renishaw Vac casting ad TCT USA 1115.indd 1

09/11/2015 15:08:

Q: Why does the industry need somebody like UL? A: One of the things we saw immediately in our strategic research into this industry is that there is a lot of research being done at large corporations and at universities, the large corporations may have been using the technology in-house for themselves but none of that research was being transferred to manufacturing and so SMEs were not benefitting from all that research and they were having a hard time accessing that. We saw that as a huge gap in the adoption of the technology and that was one of the reasons we wanted to develop a training programme to educate people on how to do this well. Many have voiced happiness on us developing this programme because it is clearly something that is lacking. You see a lot of other organizations out in the industry that are putting together one off courses here and there, they’re great courses, but what is lacking is an integrated programme that you can move and develop with. A lot of the courses out there are just for educational purposes; they don’t lead to anything that is meaningful in terms of implementing the technology to manufacturing.

Q: We keep seeing requests for governments to invest in the education, do you think that the next generation will be fully versed in 3D technologies? A: The way I see it is that without any government investment kids today are experiencing 3D technology through gaming culture, many children today are much better 3D designers than most adults because of the technology they’ve been using. The market is naturally training them in those skills and they are prepared to jump right into 3D printing without any investment from the governments. I actually think that a natural way for us to think is three dimensionally and some of us who went to school 20-30 years ago were trained to think two dimensionally so we could do drafting on paper. 

ACCELERATING 3D TECHNOLOGIES

Q: Is UL focussing on one specific technology or a broader range? A: We work across all technologies; we started in metals because that’s where a lot of our customers were looking to get into AM for production parts, our focus is production parts. We are also building programmes specifically for polymer composites and ultra ceramics. We see those materials, in that order, as being the wave of development for production parts.

Q: There seems to be new machines on almost a daily basis at the minute with each one offering unmatched levels of ease-of-use but do you think there will still need to be people operating machinery in years to come? A: There is a large gap in skills in this industry, we see a lot of the people using the technology are at Master’s or PhD level because that’s were the technology has been used for the last couple of decades, but we don’t see enough manufacturing engineers or operators with knowledge enough to make parts that are compliant with regulations and technical requirements, they don’t understand those factors. One of the issues that really concerns us is that overall in manufacturing we’re seeing a shortage in skilled labour, by 2025 some studies are showing that we’re going to have about 90 million jobs that will go unfilled that are highly skilled manufacturing jobs. That’s overall in manufacturing but when you focus in on additive the problem becomes more severe because the pool of knowledgeable candidates is even smaller and other manufacturing is going to draw away people from additive. We see this as a huge problem that needs to be addressed in the market in order to continue the growth of the industry.

One of the issues that really concerns us is that overall in manufacturing we’re seeing a shortage in skilled labour, by 2025 some studies are showing that we’re going to have about 90 million jobs that will go unfilled that are highly skilled manufacturing jobs.

DECEMBER 2015 www.tctmagazine.com

025

3D Systems ACCELERATING 3D TECHNOLOGIES

What does Avi Reichental’s departure mean for consumer 3D Printing?

vi’s

W O R D S : DA N I E L O ’C O N N O R

from 3d after 12 years at the helm was announced on Thursday 29th October, both parties say the split was mutual but the fact that a replacement wasn’t lined up and that the share prices hit a four-year low the day before he left, suggests that though this parting may have been mutual it was sudden. Avi oversaw a period of unprecedented growth at 3D Systems, which saw share prices rise from under $3 when he took over in Sep ‘03 to an incredible $96 in Jan’ 14. After that peak the share price has been in steady decline and at the time of his departure sat at $10.26, the bursting of the bubble was inevitable but the rate of reinflation has been deflating. Lead 3D Printing Analyst at Canalys, Joe Kempton commented: “Avi pioneered a lot of the media hype around 3D printing and that has been to a benefit of the industry as a whole but it also raised expectations, which led to the mass fall in share prices; in a way he’s been a victim of his own evangelism.” That evangelism meant that Avi was a captivating figure to listen to, talk to and watch. His charisma drew you in and it was on a tour of the 3D Systems booth at CES 2014 that this editor was completely bowled over by the company’s offerings. Ironically, Avi’s departure may have something to do with that very event, which saw 3D Systems launch a series of machines, share prices peak and, at a later date, investors quote in a class action lawsuit for weak earnings. At CES 2014 3D Systems launched its 3D PRINTING 2.0 initiative in which the company announced in excess of 12 new products aimed at the consumer sector. A number of those products were either delayed or failed to launch, most notably the CubeJet - a sub $5,000 full-color printer based on Z Corp technology - and the CeraJet departure

systems

It was one of those ‘STOP THE PRESSES!’ moments; this issue of TCT Mag was in production as news broke of Avi Reichental’s departure as CEO and President of 3D Systems. Avi has keynoted for TCT twice and been a huge part of the industry we’re very privileged to be writing a magazine about.

a ceramics printer designed on top of the acquisition of Figulo - both those machines were pencilled in for a 2014 launch, neither has made it to market at the time of writing. It isn’t just 3D Systems that has suffered from the false dawn of consumer 3D printing, Stratasys were also hit with a class action lawsuit for weaker earnings following the $110m hit they took after the acquisition of MakerBot, who also launched a host of new products CES 2014, which initially struggled at launch with technical difficulties. “The lawsuits are a symptom of the general issues that are being seen with the major 3D printing vendors,” said Canalys’ Kempton. “3D Systems and Stratasys have had similar issues, the bigger vendors struggle in the consumer sector because they are operating at a higher price point than a lot of the smaller companies entering the market. Avi probably realised that it is time for 3D Systems to try a different management approach.” Despite the poor recent financial results, it could be argued that Avi’s charisma has done more for the profile of the industry than any other leading figure, without people like him and Bre Pettis boardroom doors may have remained closed to the idea of 3D printing and now they are firmly ajar. The pair both shared a vision for a 3D printer in every home and it seems to be this dream that has seen the pair leave their positions as industry figureheads. It wouldn’t be a huge surprise if the new management team came in and commenced a cost-cutting exercise not unlike that of Jonathan Jaglom’s cuts at MakerBot, particularly in the consumer section of the business, which begs the question what will happen to the Cubify brand? “They’re either going to have to dramatically reduce the price point or really improve the eco-system,” says Kempton. 

DECEMBER 2015 www.tctmagazine.com

027

LULZBOT

Slow and Steady Wins the Race WOR D S : DANIE L O’ C ON NOR

of the poor financial results of the consumer arms of the industry’s biggest companies, some doomsayers suggest that there just isn’t a market out there for desktop 3D printers yet, others think there might never be one. Those cynics only need to cast their eyes over the books at Colorado-based Aleph Objects with its LulzBot series of machines to see that not only does a market exist but brand loyalty is as rife in 3D printing as with other consumer electronics. LulzBot is perhaps less glamorous than some of machine manufacturers, who hog the column inches, whose CEO’s have seen movies made about them, the machines are workhorses eschewing whistles and bells in order to bring a machine that does everything that it says it does. The glamour and the hype is not the end goal, particularly not from Aleph Objects CEO Jeff Moe. “We are firmly committed to a positive user experience with our products,” Moe told TCT. “From our uch has been made

028

DECEMBER 2015 www.tctmagazine.com

thorough quality assurance processes to offering phone support seven days a week, we have found that focusing on our customers has enabled rapid growth.” Rapid growth is something of an understatement, in the past two years, a period which has seen a great deal of desktop 3D printing startups fold, CEOs leave and rather brutal staff cuts across the industry, Aleph Objects has experienced sales of over $1.6 million in the month of September 2015 and $3.9 million in Q3 2015. Overall, the company surpassed $10 million in sales year-to-date (through Q3 2015) compare this to total sales of $523,706 in the whole of 2012 and you see very clearly a company going places.

OPENING UP It was a passion for open-source that led Jeff Moe to 3D printing and this passions runs through every single aspect of how the company is run, from the people it partners with to the latest hardware and software innovations. “As a longtime advocate for Free Software and Open Source Hardware, when I first learned about the RepRap project I wanted to try to build my own as soon as I could,” the CEO said. “After building my first printer and seeing my first print come off the bed, I was inspired by the possibilities and began assembling a team to build an Open Source Hardware company informed by decades of work from the Free Software community. It is exciting to be here nearly five years later, with 93 employees at the company.” One such employee is VP of Marketing at Aleph Objects, Harris Kenny, who I recently met with on a trip to London to demo the

company’s newly launched LulzBot Flexystruder v2 Tool Head. That tool head is designed to optimize printing with one of the world’s most popular flexible filaments, NinjaFlex, LulzBot’s commitment to opening up the machine to work with as many materials as possible sets it apart from many other offerings. “Specialty materials are clearly driving interest in LulzBot 3D printers,” explained Kenny. “We have seen customers essentially start with a specific material in mind, then seek a printer that is most capable of printing with that material. The LulzBot TAZ and LulzBot Mini are so versatile, many customers are happy to learn that our 3D printers can handle that specific material, and dozens more.” This theory is propped up by fact; 25% of filament sales through Lulzbot’s online store are in specialty materials beyond ABS and PLA. “We are proud to partner with companies like CC-Products, ColorFabb, eSUN, NinjaTek, Proto-pasta andTaulman 3D,” said Kenny. “All of whom are actively working to bring new materials to the market. We are also eager to see new companies emerge with unique solutions.”

LULZBOT

SEAL OF APPROVAL

We have found that focusing on our customers has enabled rapid growth.

Department of Radiology

Collaborative 3D Printing in Medical Practice March 4-6, 2016

The Fairmont Scottsdale Princess Scottsdale, Arizona

More information

www.ce.mayo.edu/radiology 866-246-1581

LulzBot’s most recent partnership sees them team up with Micro Center and its 25 store locations throughout the US. Customers will be able to walk into the electronics department store and pick up a LulzBot Taz 5 or LulzBot Mini safe in the knowledge that not only will they be covered by LulzBot’s exceptional warranty offerings but the aforementioned seven-days-a-week support team will be on hand to help the user out with any issues. According to Lead 3D Printing Analyst at Canalys, Joe Kempton a good warranty structure should not be underestimated: “Both 3D Systems’ and Stratasys’ consumer arms have struggled because of their high price points and strange refund policies, this led to a lot dissatisfaction from prosumers and consumers in both the brand and the future of them as reliable vendors to buy into.” The thing about LulzBot is, the owners of their machines don’t complain, they don’t go elsewhere for modifications, they don’t launch internet campaigns criticising the

DECEMBER 2015 www.tctmagazine.com

029

ACCELERATING 3D TECHNOLOGIES

customer service because they work and LulzBot are constantly improving on the design in the most free and open-nature possible. CEO Jeff Moe’s dedication to a fully open approach to hardware and software has seen Aleph Objects become the first ever hardware company to receive the prestigious Respects Your Freedom certification from the Free Software Foundation, Moe thinks that you ignore this community at your peril: “The desktop 3D printing industry is undeniably built and advanced by Free/Libre/Open Source hardware and software communities. Collaboration is the standard and innovation thrives in open environments. Companies that choose to ostracize themselves and reject this philosophy put themselves on a difficult path.” 

Casting made easy with voxeljet molds and patterns Sandcasting

Investment Casting

3D printed sand cores and mold packages for a fast and inexpensive casting without tooling

3D printed patterns results in very low ash, zero pattern expansion and offering perfect burn-out characteristics

Voxeljet of America, Inc. 41430 Haggerty Circle, Canton Michigan 48188, USA 734 -Source 808 - 0025 info @ voxeljet.com www.voxeljet.com 3 TCT Ad.pdf 1 11/3/15 11:45 AM

FIND US AT CES 2016

Booth 73137 Distribution

Retail Rights

Derivative Rights

Platform

Management

CMY

the platform for large-scale licensing and distribution of 3D content SOURCE3.IO

SOLIDWORKS ACCELERATING 3D TECHNOLOGIES

WOR D S : LAURA G R IFFITH S

VISUALIZE THE Future

Dassault Systèmes 3DEXPERIENCE platform, the latest iteration of the 3D design and engineering applications portfolio features a new user interface, tools and process enhancements to help designers and engineers get their ideas from concept to The theme of final product in record time. Think going from SolidWorks 3:15 minutes to just 19 seconds to create a gasket, that’s how fast we’re talking. With 2016 is, ‘Make a global user-base spanning 80 countries, Great Design more than 90% of new features and updates Happen’ in the 2016 portfolio were fuelled by user and that is feedback and requests. New additions the being pushed include ability to flatten through new any surface, and enhanced visualize and capabilities validate design that are p e r f o r m a n c e , efficient helping a more communication community with manufacturing, of 2.7 million quick creation of strong users marketing-quality and innovate more images, more accessible efficiently and commands. owered by

get their work done faster. USER-DEFINED

The design process has been enhanced to reduce time and effort to achieve desired geometries and increase modeling flexibility. Some of these key features include a new Sweep Command to create complex shapes faster than ever before and a “breadcrumbs” tool to allow quick access to any model without viewing the Feature Tree. Peter Rucinski, Director Product Portfolio Management, Solidworks Desktop Products, explained: “According to our Solidworks 2016 Beta users, the new “breadcrumbs” tracking/selection enhancement and the redesigned user interface are at the top of their list significantly impact the way designers and engineers use Solidworks every day – making Solidworks faster, easier, and even more delightful to use. The “breadcrumbs” tracking/selection capability allows users to reduce picks, clicks and mouse travel by almost half. There is less mouse travel because the actions and commands they are trying to get to are right at the end of their pointer and context-sensitive toolbars track to where they are on the screen. And the more modern UI provides better support for larger, high-resolution monitors, thereby enhancing the entire

design experience.” Problems can be solved much more quickly with more efficient analysis to detect potential errors and verify functionality. Industrial design has also been made more efficient with powerful tools for increased productivity and reduction in steps to improve design for consumer products and soft goods. Perhaps one of the biggest changes is in visualization with Solidworks Visualize, (formerly Bunkspeed), the tool that enables users to generate and collaborate with high quality graphics. Solidworks Visualize is for users who need to create professional photo-quality images, animations, and other 3D content both quickly and easily. The tool is hardware-agnostic, which means designers, engineers and content creators who use Solidworks or other CAD creation tools for 3D design, can benefit from an enhanced 3D decision making. Of course one of the key attributes of good product design software is the ability to ensure it is manufacturable and Solidworks 2016 is pushing that forward with its 3D printing capabilities. Peter added: “In Solidworks 2015 we added the ability to print directly to 3D printers (called “Print3D”) with 3MF and AMF file format support and we enhanced Solidworks Costing to provide automated cost estimation for 3D printed parts.” Solidworks 2016 is taking the speculation out of 3D printing and allows users to run a preview, identify where supports are needed and see what their printed parts will look like. The software has the added ability to re-orient the model to fit the print volume, change the model scale and display striation lines resulting from layering, which gives users an idea of what their printed part will look like. Elsewhere, enhancements have been made across the majority of the portfolio including Electrical to enable easy collaboration between schematic and 3D design, Simulation to make automatic bonding of edges a massive 370x faster than in 2015 and powerful data management to enable more time for design. Solidworks 2016 arrives just in time for the Solidworks World 2016 event in Dallas, Texas on 31st January – 3rd February. The annual event features a host of technical demonstrations, boot camps and insight from Solidworks users.

DECEMBER 2015 www.tctmagazine.com

031

PERSONALIZE

The holidays are fast approaching and if you’ve been as busy as us at TCT you might be stuck for a gift. Here’s a selection of slightly unusual 3D printed/able gifts for the person who pretty much has everything else.

PRINTING PRESS 0 Euro The gift money can’t buy for the person who has everything… sorry that should be ‘the money gift that can’t buy you anything’. Bert De Niel’s design is unique in that it is made from i.materialise’s 19th material, Copper. Lostwax cast in the same way the consumer arm of the Belgian 3D printing giant produces its gold, silver, bronze and brass materials, copper conducts heat and electricity and even develops a green patina like that of the Statue of Liberty. 

World of Tanks The online multiplayer game, in which users design their own tanks and do battle, holds a Guinness World Record for Most Players Online Simultaneously. There are over 75 million registered users and 3D printing platform, Sandboxr acquired the license to turn your online tanks into full colour, one-off models made using 3D Systems Z-Corp technology. Tanks a plenty are now available to customise on Amazon’s 3D Printing Store. 

032

DECEMBER 2015 www.tctmagazine.com

As mentioned in the Carnivorous Coffee Cup blurb, there’s a pretty big movie event happening this Christmas. JJ Abrams Star Wars: The Force Awakens is set to smash all box office records and designer Anthony Herrera has designed a new set of Star Wars Snowflakes for you to print off and cut out for free. Here’s a quick free guide for 3D printing those designs instead of cutting out.

ACCELERATING 3D TECHNOLOGIES

DIY Star Wars Snowflake Ornaments

Carnivorous Coffee Cup Shapeways’ first ever material developed in house is Porcelain by name porcelain by nature. The world’s largest 3D printing service prints a mold using SLS printers, casts porcelain into the mold, removes the mould, and glazes each piece by hand, leaving a product that is food, dishwasher and oven safe. This Carnivorous Coffee cup by Norwegian artist Daniel Liljar might not be the most festive of gifts but it evokes memories of the big movie this Christmas, Star Wars. 

Christmas GIFT GUIDE

FreshFiber’s Flex Bands for Apple Watch

1. Download relevant jpeg from Anthony Herrera’s collection 2. Invert the black and white colours and save as jpeg 3. Convert jpeg into svg file using free online conversion software 4. Upload that svg to Tinkercad 5. Scale to required size and adjust thickness 6. Save to an STL file and hit print! 

The Apple Watch has perhaps not captured everybody’s hearts in the way the iPod and iPhone did but it is sure to be a hit this holiday season and with fashion brands like Hermes entering the strap design fray it was only a matter of time before we saw 3D printed straps. Available exclusively on Cubify.com and engineered to be unusually thin and flexible Freshfiber’s Flex Bands are Designed to look and feel “radically different” than the standard straps. 

DECEMBER 2015 www.tctmagazine.com

033

2016 Additive Manufacturing Users Group

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

2015 AMUG Innovators Showcase

The Head of Klarg (Realize, Inc.)

2015 Advanced Finishing Technical Competition Winner

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

NETWORK

WHO SHOULD ATTEND

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

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

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

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

AMUG_TCT half page US ad 2016.indd 1

> Operators

> Engineers

> Technicians

> Designers

> Managers

> Educators

2016 Diamond Sponsors

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

11/6/15 8:39 AM

THINK OUTSIDE THE

3D SAND BOX Tackling an “out of the box” design concept? HPI has the people, the technology and the expertise to meet your most challenging projects. With the S-Max™ Sand Printer, design and print geometrically complex media quickly, with true design freedom and within one of the largest printing boxes in the world. HPI. Delivering a pattern of excellence.

260.724.9430 | HOOSIERPATTERN.COM 906 N 10TH ST, DECATUR, IN 46733 034

DECEMBER 2015 www.tctmagazine.com

FORMLABS ACCELERATING 3D TECHNOLOGIES



RIGHT: The Form 2 Printer

Finding

FORM WOR DS : DA NIE L O’ C ON NOR

et’s make something

clear if you search my previous articles on tctmagazine.com you’ll find that I am something of a Formlabs fanboy. To me, it’s not that the product is shiny and the marketing is sleek, it’s the triumph over adversity that I admire most. The fallout after an incredible crowdfunding campaign in 2012 was foreboding; there was a well-documented lawsuit with 3D Systems and issues aplenty with manufacturing that led to delays in shipment of the Form 1. You don’t have to stray far from Formlabs to find a ship that has floundered under the weight of a successful Kickstarter campaign - Pirate3D. It would appear that Pirate3D is sinking, leaving hundreds, potentially thousands, of backers machine-less and out of pocket. Only 40% of machine orders have been fulfilled and co-founder, Brendan Goh, said that the company has ran out of funds because of shipment costs and spending too much money on R&D. This is in stark contrast to Formlabs, who not only fulfilled all the orders but also have gone on to launch two new products in a similar timeframe. The latest of those is the Form 2 and I was privy to a sneak preview and demo of the machine with Formlabs’ Will Walker shortly before its UK debut at TCT Show + Personalize 2015 in September. The new machine confounds assertions made about Pirate3D that a small company cannot compete in the 3D printing market. ››

DECEMBER 2015 www.tctmagazine.com

035

FORMLABS

LEFT: F2 Ecosystem

“The three things we’ve achieved with the Form 2 are; improving the reliability, building the technology from the ground up, and giving the users more freedom to print larger parts with greater detail,” explained Walker. “You get everything that you’re paying for.” SEEING IS BELIEVING The machine itself is what we’ve come to expect from Formlabs, a functional design that wouldn’t look out of place in any Bay Area hipster office. Other than a slightly increased footprint and a touchscreen display the first thing you notice is the resin cartridge system at the back. Resembling a jerrycan of sorts, the cartridge fits snugly in place and automatically fills the tray with required amounts of desired resin for your print. Anyone who has used a Formlabs machine will see this as something of a godsend; not having to handle the resin, not having to pour in an amount and come back to top up during a bigger print will save hours of messing round. The machine also has a way for keeping that resin usable for longer.

RIGHT:

Form 2 parts

036

DECEMBER 2015 www.tctmagazine.com

“The biggest change is the new wiper system, it stirs the resin after every print, what that does is it helps the resin become one continuous liquid mixture whereas before, with the Form 1, you’d have resin building up around the edges of your print that would be partially cured, if you had a very large print you might start to see bits of it floating off and causing failures in your print,” Walker continued. “The tank itself is now heated, it warms up the resin to get the temperature up to a certain level so if you’re working in a colder area the resin will still function normally. Heating the tank also reduced the force happening in the machine. “ The team have also heeded criticism that other desktop 3D printer manufacturers faced when closing the device, the cartridge

system is there for anyone who puts easeof-use ahead of the ability to tinker but the machine is also open to pouring in your own third-party, resin in the way one would with the previous Formlabs machines. WHEN BORING IS GOOD The parts on display made by Will Walker’s demo unit are varied, you have huge, hefty Tough Resin examples that showcase the machine’s 42% bigger build volume and over 30 intricate ring designs in Castable Resin printed on one build platform. “I had an interesting talk with Max (Formlabs co-founder and CEO Maxim Lobovsky) when I was a year in at Formlabs,” Walker reminisced. “He said to me: ‘the bittersweet part of what we do is that we’re going to make these machines boring.’ They’re going to go from being this sexy, most exciting thing in the room to becoming the part of our lives everyday. That will happen when using the machine is as simple as making a cup of tea, that’s our vision. ››

FORMLABS ACCELERATING 3D TECHNOLOGIES

LEFT: Form2 build platform



BELOW: Form2 parts and cartridges

“Using the machine will only become easier and as an artist it is freedom because you get your time back from diagnosing what is wrong with the machine and put that back into your designs.” At TCT Show in the UK we caught up with Max, who said of the Form 2: “The Kickstarter was a bit of an experiment, it is amazing to get to go back and build the machine we wanted to build the first time around but didn’t have the resources or all of the user feedback.” FROM PROSUMER TO PRO-USER Whereas other machine manufacturers have chased the consumer dream Formlabs quickly understood from the start that their users would be what the wider world calls the ‘prosumer’, the kind of people who buy Mac Pros or Canon DSLR cameras, the Adobe Creative Cloud users, the kind of people who are using high-end technology for professional reasons. “We have mechanical engineers, industrial product designers, jewellers using our castable resins to make final pieces of jewelry,” Max continued. “We have people in the movie and gaming industry who print out characters that they’re working on… It really is a wide range of users.” There’s a selection of superusers that Formlabs love, stories like the Sutrue device by Alex Berry that featured in a previous issue of TCT and in the main conference

the bittersweet part of what we do is that we’re going to make these machines boring.

programme at TCT Show. “I’m amazed at the number of people who are building companies around the machine,” enthused Will Walker. “Companies like Marble in Bristol (UK), they’re making high-end autonomous drones that are designed for surveying or map-making that are fixed wing, not propeller driven. If you’re crazy about aviation you’ll know that fixed wing is the best for fuel efficiency, so if you need to make an extended aerial survey you need fixed wing. They’ve been building with a Form 1+ and they’re doing things with aerospace that you can’t make in any other way, they’re using a style of structure called geodetics, which almost looks like overlapping crossed plates built into the wing but everything is hollow so everything is very low weight with very high stiffness. They use the 3D printer to build the crumple zones.” As the Form 2 takes off and other rivals sink, it is easy to see why I’ve become such a Formlabs fanboy and the offer of Will Walker to come and see its Massachusetts-based facility, where there are “teams of people whose job it is just to check that boards are working” will almost certainly be taken up by yours truly and not just because of the enticing free bar nights the company puts on for its now 100-strong team. For more information visit www.FORMLABS.com

DECEMBER 2015 www.tctmagazine.com

037

CES PREVIEW SponSOred by

Partner events come thick and fast for TCT, no sooner has formnext powered by tct closed its doors than the team are packing their bags to head off to the Nevada desert for our third year of partnership with CES for CES 2016.

HERE’S A SELECTION OF THINGS NOT TO MISS ON THE SHOW FLOOR:

Viva Las Vegas: THE CES 2016 SHOW PREVIEW

Sands Expo Level 2 will represent a home away from home from January 6th-9th as TCT, once again, presents the 3D Printing Marketplace. Over 50 exhibitors from giants like Autodesk to startups like Colibri 3D will be on hand to show the expected 180,000 visitors the latest and greatest in 3D technologies. TCT first visited CES back in 2013 when there was a mere handful of 3D printers dotted about the show floor. Roll on three years and the technologies now have their own dedicated section presented by TCT + Personalize and many exhibitors see the show as the place to launch their latest products. Taiwanese electronics manufacturer XYZprinting took the 2015 show as an opportunity to launch no fewer than eight new products, including the extremely popular, sub $400 3D printer, DaVinci Jr. he

038

DECEMBER 2015 www.tctmagazine.com

FORMLABS STAND #72318 There have been relatively few U.S.-based exhibitions since Formlabs launched the Form 2. CES will represent an opportunity for visitors from around the globe to see the new and improved machine from the company, who started its rise to global dominance on Kickstarter back in 2012.

LULZBOT STAND #72117 At CES 2015 Aleph Objects launched the acclaimed LulzBot Mini, which has seen the company go from strength to strength over the past 12 months. The recent launch of the new FlexyStruder Tool Head V2 and LulzBot v2 Hot Ends for RepRap and DIY 3D printers showcases the company’s dedication to open-source innovation

NINJATEK STAND #73112 LulzBot’s FlexyStruder Tool Head is designed to ensure the optimum printing of NinjaTek’s premium filament, NinjaFlex. NinjaTek is the newly formed subsidiary of Fenner Drives and will be on hand with a host of new innovations and case studies to showcase the incredible flexibility and durability of everyone’s favourite 3D ››

CES PREVIEW ACCELERATING 3D TECHNOLOGIES