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2017 1
FUTURE
FRAMEWORK
» By merging aerospace engineering know-how with a
passion for mountain biking, Robot Bike Company is setting
out to produce the most technically advanced bikes to
go wild on the trails, Stephen Holmes meets the team

I
n cycling – whether on the pristine boards of Based in the Bristol and Bath Science Park, HiETA The Robot Bike
Company R160
the velodrome, the Parisian cobbles of the Tour employs 25 specialist engineers to cover the full product
full suspension
De France, or the muck and gravel of the trails – design, manufacturing readiness and project management. mountain bike in
lightweight is king. Mike Adams CEO of HiETA, says: “One of the great action on the trails
This desire to shave grams off its two-wheeled aspirations of additive manufacturing has always been
creations is why the Robot Bike Company (RBC), mass customisation.
which is based near Monmouth in Wales, is “Leading this project has allowed us to see integration of
turning to optimised design and 3D printing. all the elements – a great new frame design, the use of state
The challenge the company set itself was to of the art software tools for optimisation and automation,
create a fully customisable bike frame for full production, the flexibility of the manufacturing process itself and
which could make the best of 3D printed titanium brackets effective collaboration between our partners is a great
and fixtures, connecting strong, light, carbon fibre tubes. advert for the technologies and the South West of England 
Christened the R160, nobody is under any illusion that it showcasing that the aspiration is becoming a reality.” If you are
will be a mass market product. These will be high end, built
to order and personally tailored to an individual’s weight, OPTIMISING THE DESIGN trying to
height, and riding style – but they will, in RBC’s words, be The design was split into sections, between carbon fibre produce
the ‘best bike frames possible’. framework and the connecting nodes that would be 3D
“If you are trying to produce the very best frame it makes printed in titanium.
the very
no sense to then only offer it in a small number of sizes Altair ProductDesign, simulation software specialist best frame
when the people you are selling it to come in all shapes Altair’s in-house design team, was made responsible for
and sizes,” says RBC CEO Ed Haythornthwaite, adding the optimisation of the bike’s additively manufactured
it makes
that customers should think of Robot Bike Company as the connectors. no sense to
“Savile Row of the bike world.” Using SolidThinking Inspire, the Altair team was able then only
Like the made-to-measure suits this bespoke elegance to maximise the benefit of additive manufacturing by
comes at a cost starting at over £4,000 with a production identifying where material in the connectors could be offer it in
lead time of four weeks. removed to save weight and reduce part count without a small
compromising performance.
PARTNERING UP Although the optimisation technology is more commonly number of
Founded in 2013 by a crack team of bike designers, riders, used in high-end automotive and aerospace industries to sizes
fixers and crashers, RBC has considerable experience maximise product performance, it is equally valuable to
in mountain bike design. However, despite its in-house bike manufacturers. Ed
design and engineering skills, in order to turn its ambition Altair ProductDesign’s first task was to perform the Haythorn-
into a workable business, the team realised that it would optimisation studies on each node in the frame as early in
require multiple partnerships with industry experts. So, the design process as possible. This way they could find a
thwaite,
it approached HiETA Technologies, a specialist in design material efficient design that met the required performance RBC CEO
and engineering solutions for additive manufacturing characteristics and could be sized for different riders’
technologies. specifications. 
2 SPRING 2017 [Link]
 The existing RBC node designs were taken into the
Inspire virtual environment and a variety of loading data
that the bike frame would be required to withstand during
use was applied.
The software output a new geometry layout maximising
the efficiency of the material layout while still achieving all
performance targets.

BENEFITS OF TECHNOLOGY
Throughout the process the new designs had to also be
optimised for the additive manufacturing process, which
included determining the ideal print angle and placement
of the supporting structure to avoid the component
collapsing during manufacturing. This process was
conducted in conjunction with HiETA Technologies.
In addition to designing weight efficient components,
Altair ProductDesign was also able to look for
opportunities to simplify the frame design to lower the INTO PRODUCTION
cost of production. The final parts were produced in the UK by Renishaw, with
One such example was the chain stay lug which was the company lending further expertise in 3D printing the
originally a three-piece assembly of two symmetric parts, post processing machining and metrology to deliver
titanium components and an interlinking carbon the custom titanium nodes.
fibre tube. Utilising both solidThinking’s Inspire for Renishaw’s Marc Saunders, director of the company’s
optimisation, and Evolve for final part refinement, the Global Solutions Centres, suggests that this kind of project
team was able to build in the additive manufacturing is where the benefits of additive manufacturing shine
requirements from HiETA Technologies, to redesign through.
the lug as a single component, optimised for mass, He adds: “This typifies the approach that we are taking
performance, and manufacturing cost. with our Solutions Centres, where we are working closely
“This has been a very interesting and exciting project to with our customers to create designs that maximise the
be involved with,” comments Paul Kirkham, Altair’s project production and lifetime benefits that can be gained from
team leader. using an additive manufacturing process.”
“Additive manufacturing is the perfect partner for Combining advanced software, the latest manufacturing
design optimisation techniques as it allows us to produce processes and bespoke geometry, the R160 project is at the
components and systems that are far closer to the ideal leading edge of mountain bike technology, but one open
balance of weight and performance. to anyone that wants to pelt down mountain trails for the
“Robot Bike Company now have a design that will offer its foreseeable future. The final £4,000
customers a bike that is truly innovative and unique.” [Link] build Robot bike

[Link] SPRING 2017 3

TALE 1

OF
THE
JET
AGE
» For almost two decades
the Jet Age Museum in
was relying on a set of authentic 1938 drawings of the
part and a borrowed set for a limited timeframe.
When traditional manufacturers failed to accurately
reproduce the parts, the team turned to nearby Renishaw.
Gloucester has struggled Eager to help, the global engineering company figured it
could produce the unconventional brackets for the cockpit
to bring a Hawker Typhoon using the latest metal 3D printing technology.
“The Hawker Typhoon is an incredibly important
aircraft back to the city of its part of Gloucester’s heritage,” explains Trevor Davies,

T
Typhoon sponsor coordinator of the Jet Age Museum.
birth. Stephen Holmes reports “Our workshop containing the Typhoon cockpit is
less than a mile away from where they manufactured
he Hawker Typhoon – or “Tiffy” the original aircraft in the [Link] bring an original
as it was affectionately known to Typhoon back to the city would not only be an
the Royal Air Force (RAF) – was a incredible engineering achievement, but would be
British single-seater fighter-bomber like recreating history.
manufactured almost exclusively “The unique shape of the brackets meant that
by the Gloucestershire Aircraft although we had the original drawings, CNC machining
Company. companies weren’t confident they could produce an
Designed and built during the accurate finished part. When we heard about Renishaw’s
Second World War to match the additive manufacturing capabilities and the design
performance of the formidable German Focke-Wulf Fw 190 flexibility the technology offers, we got in touch hoping
at low altitudes, its added ability to act as a ground-attack the company could help us.”
aircraft cemented the Typhoon’s place as a wartime hero. The original drawings the Jet Age Museum have for the
With only 3,317 Typhoons ever made, few have lasted, Typhoon date back to 1938 and all the measurements are in
with none currently in flying condition, so in 1998, when imperial units, while one drawing was completely missing.
an almost complete – but exceedingly corroded – cockpit “We had to estimate the dimensions from the
section was found at a scrap yard in Wiltshire, volunteers incomplete set of original drawings – using conventional
vowed to restore an aircraft with a rich national and measurement tools and equipment such as a digital
regional importance. vernier and shadowgraph we were able to obtain most of
Local to the birthplace of the Typhoon in Gloucester, the the missing critical dimensions, while estimating non
Jet Age Museum has taken on the project, pushing forward critical ones, then convert them from metric to imperial,”
with the work needed to make it display ready. describes Joshua Whitmore, a development technician
at Renishaw.
COCKPIT CONNECTION “The process was more time consuming, but we
Key to the structure was a set of brackets, for which the managed to produce prototypes after about two weeks.”
originals were missing, and replacements could not be A RAF Typhoon — or
sourced anywhere. Such was their scarcity, the museum ‘Tiffy’ — in its heyday READ THE FULL ARTICLE @ [Link]/D3D-JET3D

4 SPRING 2017 [Link]

Isn’t it Time for a
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The part on the left
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Visit us at AMUG and RAPID [Link] SPRING 2017 5

LEARNING TO
MELT METAL
» Spencer Wright on the capabilities and limitation of metals 3D printing,
what it’s like to enter the industry today and what he’s learned along the way

A
round three years ago, curious about how the highly prized. Sales cycles are relatively short, making just-in-time
next generation of aerospace parts was being production attractive, and demand in the high-end market tends to be
made, I began researching metals 3D printing. price-inelastic.
I’d moved to New York recently, and at the Just as important, though, was the fact that cycling is something
time MakerBot and Shapeways were really that engineers across industries tend to have some fondness for. As
humming. Distributed manufacturing and I began my research, I found people eager to apply their industrial
generative design were in the air, and I was knowledge to something more human-scale, and that shared
fresh with ideas from my time managing a interest gave me a leg up in understanding the capabilities and
small robotics development shop. I was intrigued. constraints of the technology.
My interest is in engineered, mechanical products. I’ve used SLS So: how could I design a product that took advantage of what
and FDM for prototypes and tools, but I wanted to find uses for 3D additive manufacturing had to offer?
printing metals that resulted in commercial products – things that
people actually go out and buy. PROCUREMENT
I also wanted to test whether 3D printing could really make Throughout my career, I’ve relied on close relationships with
distributed manufacturing possible – and how much design freedom suppliers to make sure that I’m aiming in the right direction. When
it really offered. So after a few bike rides spent thinking about I began looking at metals 3D printing in earnest, I used the same
applications that might work, I spent a weekend designing a titanium strategy that I’ve used in the past: searching out any information I
seatmast topper. could on the technology; modelling up an initial design; calling job
As potential markets for metals 3D printing go, high-end road shops to get feedback, advice and cost estimates.
cycling is an excellent candidate. Reductions in weight and wind But here arose the first problem: Unlike conventional
resistance are incredibly valuable. Custom, bespoke designs are manufacturing, metal AM has a relatively small install base. I

6 SPRING 2017 [Link]

started my work not too long after GE acquired Morris advanced design software in the world to try to create An EBM seatpost part
Technologies, leaving an immediate hole in the supply chain truly optimised designs. On the other, I’m going through (printed by Addaero
Manufacturing) as its
for 3D printed aerospace parts. The number of companies the practical exercise of optimising my manufacturing support structures
offering metal 3D printing services in the US was only a few processes to meet the needs of my customers. are removed
dozen, with many specialising in one particular industry. Throughout the process, I’ve had incredible help from Credit: Spencer Wright
But more problematic than access to parts (or even a Dustin Lindley at the University of Cincinnati Research
competitively priced market) was access to information. Institute; Dave Bartosik at DRT Medical-Morris; Martijn
Metal AM has only penetrated a few industries and, Vanloffelt and Tom DeBruyne at Layerwise; Marcus
within those industries, a few key clients dominate overall Schroeder at EFBE; and the whole team (Rich, Dave, and
production capacity. Expertise is clustered in pockets, and Cesar) at Addaero. All of these people have a genuine
remarkably little of it exists in the public domain. interest in using their knowledge and expertise to help my
The metal 3D printing machine manufacturers are old product development process while also spreading more
school. They have close relationships with big OEMs, but awareness of the technology in the wider world.
often aren’t connected to the end use customers pushing The fact of the matter is that metal AM is still a technology
the technology forward. And when they do have time to in its infancy. Despite the incredible advances that DMLS
develop application guidelines, they’re often distributed and EBM have made in the past five years – and the
privately in PowerPoints – leaving very little useful shocking pace of growth in the industry over that same
information in public. timespan – they’re still very much in the R&D stage.
On the other hand, job shops usually don’t have the And given my original curiosity in distributed
capacity to do real customer development themselves. Most manufacturing and truly innovative design, I feel strongly
of them are tied up with a handful of big clients, and it can that it’s in everyone’s interest to get metals 3D printing to
be very difficult for them to put much effort into building the point where it’s a stable, predictable process.
inroads into new industries and markets. As a result, I’ve been careful to share as much as I can
More broadly, almost nobody in the industrial 3D printing about what my manufacturing partners and I think about
industry is good about working in public. Very few end both the process and the product at hand. The more people
users, job shops, or machine manufacturers have blogs who know how the industry works, the healthier the market
or Twitter accounts, and when I started my research the for metals 3D printed products will be. Ultimately, sharing
Wikipedia entry for DMLS was only a few sentences long. my own experience will only speed up my efforts.
Talking to the job shops was frustrating early on. Some
told me flippantly that my part would be no big deal at all. FINDINGS
Others said that it really wasn’t a suitable design for additive. At this point in my own process, I’ve validated a number
Many shops only print in a handful of materials (it’s of basic points: first, that it’s possible to print functional
expensive to switch materials on powder bed fusion bike parts; second, that at least a certain set of customers
machines), and so we’d have speculative conversations about find 3D printed bike parts appealing; third, that the cost
what the cost would be once they got titanium running. structure of those parts is at least close to what it needs to
Worst of all, the design feedback I got was generally be to create a self-sustaining business.
vague. Most job shops have dedicated sales staff, many of On the manufacturing side, I’ve learned a lot about the
whom are engineers by training, but they generally aren’t limitations of DMLS and EBM, in particular with respect to
using the equipment on a regular basis and therefore building thin-walled structures with mechanical features.
aren’t really able to – or interested in – talking about the I’ve also spent a bit of time working with design
pros and cons of one design or another. optimisation (topology and shape) software, and navigating
But the more I learned about the industry – and the the convoluted software tool chain from NURBS, to
more I shared what I was learning on my blog – the more optimisation, to build prep.
engineers reached out to me, interested in what I was Many of the details I’ve learned are recounted on my blog,
doing. but suffice to say that the current workflow is disjointed,
While the corporate centres of the aerospace, medical inefficient and you don’t always get a usable design at the
and other industries working in metals 3D printing tend end of it. I’ve also learned something about what expertise
to be secretive, I’ve found application and manufacturing in metals 3D printing really means.
engineers at those same companies to be both interested Working with a nascent technology can be frustrating
and excited to share their expertise with someone on the and expensive. But with the right guidance, a collaborative
fringes. Many of them outwardly expressed frustration mindset and enough elbow grease, it’s possible to make
with the industry’s level of secrecy. meaningful progress in a matter of months.
Of course, there are significant barriers. Learning the
MANUFACTURING design for manufacturing process really requires access
Throughout my journey, I’ve tried to remain technology- to a metal 3D printing machine, and even then it’s a
agnostic. In general, I’ve focused on two processes, both of process of trial and error. And without an understanding
which fall under the umbrella of Metal Powder Bed Fusion. of how a part is being modified in order to print
Because it has a much higher install base in the US, my successfully, it’s nearly impossible to improve upon the
early experiments were all with laser-based machines. underlying design.
(You’ll often hear this referred to as ‘DMLS’, though Additionally, the industry is constantly shifting – so any
technically that’s a trade name.) More recently I’ve knowledge you acquire today may be out of date in six
experimented with Electron Beam Melting (EBM). months’ time. That said, I’m excited for the future of the
With each part that I’ve printed, my aim has been to achieve technology. And in the coming months, I’ll be working
a better understanding of a specific aspect of the technology. hard on developing my parts further – and pushing the
In the beginning, I focused on learning the constraints industry as a whole forward, too.
of building thin-walled structures (spoiler: they’re
significant). Then I worked to validate whether metals 3D This article first appeared in the October 2015 edition of
printing could indeed be used to make a functional part DEVELOP3D. Spencer Wright is a designer, operations
(spoiler: it can). Now, I’m pursuing two parallel paths. strategist, and blogger and works for nTopology inc.
On the one hand, I’m working with some of the most [Link]/feed | [Link]

[Link] SPRING 2017 7

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8 SPRING 2017 [Link]

 ON THE FUTURE OF
MANUFACTURING
» Greg Corke caught up with HP to talk about its Multi Jet
Fusion 3D printing technology and how it believes

L
it can change the way we think about manufacturing
ast May, HP finally pulled back the curtain “You can decide that maybe you don’t want
on its long awaited Multi Jet Fusion 3D to print them all in China, so all the inventory
printing technology, which will eventually or logistic savings you will have because of
be capable of producing functional that [by manufacturing smaller batches,
production parts from multiple materials locally], they’re not
in multiple colours. counted in the 55,000. If
Prototyping is an obvious key application, you count that, then
and HP plans to aggressively target this you would move that
sector from the off with the promise of low cost, high speed [breakeven point] even
production of parts. Longer term, however, it has much further,” he comments.
bigger aspirations. “The [3D printing] market has grown a Monino adds that HP
lot but it’s still in the order of a 4 to 5 billion dollar market,” will provide tools to help
says HP’s Scott Schiller, VP of market development users make decisions on
at HP 3D printing. “And there’s a $14 trillion overall the applicability of
manufacturing market so the question is ‘do you want to Multi Jet Fusion to
sit here in this little pool or do you want to take some really different manufacturing
proactive steps to start advancing the state of the art?” jobs, “They’ll be able to basically – for any given part –
For 3D printing to really take off in manufacturing, consult them and say, what will be the breakeven point
machines not only need to produce accurate, functional versus another given technology.”
parts, optimised for strength and surface finish, but quality Even when firms are committed to tooling, HP says
needs to be predictable and consistent; the whole process that additive manufacturing can be used to bridge
streamlined and, eventually, automated. production bottlenecks and help bring those first
HP is addressing this in two ways – first, through its products to market faster.
closed loop thermal control system, which helps provide “You get a tool because you’re going to make a million
full control over the mechanical properties of parts, and of something,” explains J Scott Schiller, VP market
second, by keeping its processing station separate from development at HP 3D Printing, “but you have to wait 16
its printing station, which enables production to operate weeks for the tool to be done. [With 3D printing] you can do
continuously, as the print station is not tied up waiting for your first 1,000 products [straight off].”
parts to cool down. This ability to manufacture products quickly also makes
While additive manufacturing is usually associated with 3D printing attractive to startups. It not only offers a way
very short run or custom manufacturing, HP believes to create their first physical products without big upfront
that Multi Jet Fusion can actually be relevant to larger tooling costs, but can also help them innovate in their
scale production. Here, one of its key examples is a 1.5- product development process.
inch diameter gear. “You’ve got engineers doing their capstone projects,”
2,500 of these functional parts can be produced every 6 to explains Schiller, referencing a University of Louisville
8 hours in a single build on one of its 3D printers, explains (UofL) project with FirstBuild that provides students
Alex Monino, worldwide marketing & sales strategy with access to state-of-the-art manufacturing equipment.
director, HP 3D Printers. This in itself is impressive, but “They’re supported by Indiegogo where you have crowd By keeping
the assertion that it would be cheaper to print 55,000 or funding and crowd sourcing of ideas and approval and the processing
station separate
less of these parts than it would manufacture them by interest, identifying opportunities that would never from the 3D
traditional means gives a whole different perspective on otherwise be found. printing station,
the technology. With larger parts, he admits, this number “There’s this area between making one bespoke thing production
with HP Multi
would be in the 1,000s. because you’re a bit of an inventor and getting to mass scale Jet Fusion
However, it’s not just about direct cost comparisons. production. And now I think people are starting to recognise can operate
With injection moulding, all 55,000 gears would have to the sort of recipe of what’s necessary in order to fill that gap. continuously, as
the print station
be manufactured at the same time, in the same location, I think there’s going to be an explosion of lots of new ideas.
is not tied up
explains Monino. With 3D printing you have flexibility in waiting for parts
both numbers and where the parts are manufactured. READ THE FULL ARTICLE @ [Link]/future-HP to cool down

[Link] SPRING 2017 9

FINE
» Shrinking down a 10.5 metre tall Siemens
gas turbine to just 40cm and then adapting
it for 3D printing isn’t as easy as it may
sound. Tanya Weaver finds out why

PRINT
I
n a bid to create one of the most efficient gas
turbines in the world Siemens has produced
as a high level of detail in the geometry can be preserved
and it would still be easy to transport,” says Crotty.

the SGT5-8000H, which boasts a gross power Every
output of 425MW. The Siemens Energy Sector GETTING READY FOR PRINT
team based in Görlitz, Germany, was keen Time was of the essence because the Solid Edge CAD
detail was
to showcase the capabilities of this turbine at data was provided to the 3YOURMIND modelling team individually
trade shows and customer presentations and so just five weeks prior to the first live presentation of the analysed
turned to its partner in the 3D printing arena – turbine. The team had to adapt and scale the parts before
Berlin-based 3YOURMIND – to help it produce the model could be 3D printed. And it’s not just a case of and then
a scale model of the turbine. shrinking the model down either. In fact, Crotty explains either kept,
Siemens and 3YOURMIND have worked together that a complete recreation of the model was needed.
since 2013 on various projects but for this most recent “Every detail was individually analysed and then either remodelled
one, because the SGT-8000H series turbine represented kept, remodelled or rejected. Small details such as screws or rejected.
such a large efficiency gain, Siemens wanted the model are removed to reduce ‘noise’ on the final print.
to showcase these advances. 3YOURMIND proposed “We also had to combine design components into Brian Crotty,
a motorised model to illustrate the movement of the single parts and some parts of the model had to be made 3YOURMIND’s
turbine. This would not only be eye catching but would modular such as removing the upper casing. And, of
also help representatives explain the unique flow course, the motor and bearings had to be added into the
marketing
processes within the turbine. design,” he comments. director
“Siemens wanted to make a more significant impact The turbine’s rotor is propelled by an electric motor and
with this model, so the size is larger than previous models hiding the DC stepper and driver, which is operated by a 
we’ve done, the model has been painted to increase the remote, within the 3D print proved challenging. “Since
realism and the motorisation was added in order to better this was the first motorisation, we tested three different
visualise the air-flow within the turbine,” explains Brian strengths to determine the best speed/force ratio for the
Crotty, marketing director at 3YOURMIND. model. The final model can actually alternate between
The size decided upon was 40cm – a scale of 26:1 from three different speed settings,” says Crotty.
the orginal, which stands at 10.5 metres tall. “This size
was determined to be the optimum for display purposes READ THE FULL ARTICLE @ [Link]/D3D-FINE

10 SPRING 2017 [Link]

HANDS ON REVIEWS
Markforged Mark Two
In this in-depth two part review
Al Dean looks at the basics of this
3D printer then delves deeper into its
fibre composite capabilities
READ THE FULL ARTICLE @ [Link]/D3D-markforged

Makerbot Replicator+
Since the Stratasys aquisition, the
Makerbot range has been through
some issues but latest Replicator
variant is a sophisticated, polished
desktop machine that’s great value
for money

READ THE FULL ARTICLE @ [Link]/D3D-makerbot

FormLabs Form 2
When Formlabs launched in 2014,
it brought stereolithography to
the desktop for the first time. The
Form 2 improves on the first-gen
machines to deliver a more reliable,
user-friendly experience

READ THE FULL ARTICLE @ [Link]/D3D-formlabs

[Link] SPRING 2017 11

INDUSTRIAL
STRENGTH » Stratasys’ latest concept machines show that 3D printing is readying
itself for manufacturing end parts of any size. When Stephen Holmes

D
visited its HQ he found an R&D department bristling with action
espite falling from mainstream – which Stratasys founder Scott Crump developed over 30
attention, 3D printing years ago.
technologies are still developing The first machine, Infinite Build, has flipped the
at pace as the focus towards traditional FDM 3D printing process on its side and grows
end-use parts becomes the new parts horizontally from the build platform that are, in
battleground. theory, of infinite length.
The key factors of materials, The addition of new micro pellet material canisters
repeatability, scale and speed are allows for increased automation of stock fills and material
all improving, and as a result, changeovers in what is a multi-material machine. While
3D printing has grabbed the attention of mainstream detailed realtime print feedback is already enabled, there’s
manufacturers across all industries. also scope to add other tools to the arm controlling the
Few are better placed to confirm this than Stratasys. One printhead, such as metrology inspection or even CNC
of the original ‘Big Two’ 3D printing companies, alongside machining tools.
3D Systems, it is now faced with much wider competition The second new machine, positioned behind a plexiglass
as it looks to develop technology to take manufacturing to shield, relies on the ability of a giant orange robotic arm
the next level. Stratasys’ Infinite and turntable that combine to create a 3D printer extruder
Having invited us to its headquarters in Eden Praire, Build concept adds head with 11 degrees of freedom – removing the need for
Minnesota, USA, the company unveiled its latest concept automation to build supports and allowing for continuous thread layering
the FDM process,
machines as it looks to push the boundaries of one of its to the delight of for composite materials like carbon fibre.
strongest products – Fused Deposition Modelling (FDM) manufacturers Both are developments on existing technologies, featuring

12 SPRING 2017 [Link]

 1 2

upgrades most notably to printheads and materials stock, that is in the process of rapidly expanding.
but both have captured the imagination of manufacturers “In manufacturing, the application dictates the
looking to build parts of ever more complicated shapes properties required of the material. We’ve had customers
from plastics and composites. approach us with fantastic applications, but the available
“We don’t see the development as moving away from material set couldn’t meet the needs. Earlier this year,
prototyping toward serial part manufacturing. We see 3 for example, NASA disclosed that they had installed
them as complimentary,” suggests Scott Sevcik, Stratasys’ several parts for a satellite that we had printed in a
●
1 With 11 axis of
director of manufacturing platform development. “In fact, movement, the custom-developed ESD PEKK [Electrostatic Discharge
it increases the demand. Robotic Composite resistant Polyetherketoneketone] material to meet their
3D Demonstrator
“Today, our technologies are used to prototype parts that requirements. More materials with properties targeting
adds automation
are then manufactured with another means. As a result, to composite specific applications or use cases, such as this, will be key to
we don’t fully utilise the design freedom of 3D printing in thermoplastic builds expanded adoption in manufacturing,” suggests Sevcik.
prototyping, because we must consider the limitations of — like this missile One additional change to the Infinite-Build and Robotic-
nose cone
the final production method. Composite machines is that Stratasys is exploring alternate
●
2 Automating
“When a part is being designed to utilise the design the materials feedstocks with its users, such as the micro-pellet format
freedom and will be in production as a printed part, there is changeovers adds being used in the concepts.
no other way to prototype that part than with 3D printing. speed and variability “There are a number of advantages to this approach,
to the FDM process
So as we see increased adoption in production additive and we’re using it here to demonstrate a faster, highly
manufacturing, we see prototyping growing to support.” ●
3 Stratasys has
controlled extrusion approach that is also continuously
worked hard to
increase its number re-fillable. This enables long term, lights-out, operations
MATERIALS MAGIC of certified materials as well as introducing new possibilities in combining and
for end use parts
The ability to print high performance thermoplastics functionally grading materials.”
that have direct relevance in manufacturing means there
has already been an adoption of existing technologies for AUTOMATING COMPOSITES
production parts in aerospace – such as some non-flight Stratasys’ expansion into composites comes at a time where
critical parts on current Airbus models. many industries are looking to replace metals for weight
However, the increase in part size from the Infinite Build savings, but it also comes at a cost due to the high amounts
concept machine and the certified strength of plastics such of labour involved.
as Stratasys’ Ultem material, now allow for entire passenger As high volume industries look to adopt more composite
aircraft interior panels to be produced. Customised logos parts, automation of part production is necessary, hence
can be added to each panel without the need for individual
tooling, while other parts – such as hooks and fasteners – When
‘‘ the excitement surrounding the 11-axis Robotic Composite
3D Demonstrator, which also eliminates the geometric
can be built into a single part. we can constraints imposed by the current composite lay-up
While new players to the industry have announced open processes.
source materials development by third parties, Stratasys is
combine “When we can combine the design freedom of 3D
continuing to develop its range of thermoplastics in-house. the design printing with the material advantages of composites, we
While this might seem limiting, the company cites that freedom of unlock entirely new classes of parts,” says Sevcik, a ‘CNC
materials development forms a large portion of its sizeable 3D printing machining man’ by his own description, who is clearly
R&D budget, which totalled at $90 million across all excited by the direction things are taking.
departments over the last four financial quarters.
with the “OEMs replace metal parts with composite parts to
This spans the current ‘off the shelf’ range of FDM material save weight. If we can optimise the geometry without the
materials, while customers needing more made to advantages constraints of the manufacturing method, as we are able
measure characteristics can call on Stratasys’s research and of to do with 3D printing, we can take already lightweight
development team to create a ‘development material’. composite parts and make them even lighter by only using
Stratasys had developed FDM Ultem 9085 for aircraft composites, the material necessary to carry the design load.”
interior parts, however Airbus and other aerospace we unlock An age of composites and advanced thermoplastics is
customers required material traceability and assured entirely upon us, and as more designers look to take advantage of
consistency in order to use the material in applications such materials, it will be down to the likes of Stratasys to
certified by the FAA.
new classes ensure new found design freedoms emerging from CAD
As a result of this experience Stratasys introduced its of parts and simulation tools can be built to industry standards.
‘certified material products’, a range of verified materials
’’ [Link]

[Link] SPRING 2017 13

DESKTOP SLA
TIPS & TRICKS
Over the last year or so, the DEVELOP3D Workshop has seen more than its fair
share of desktop stereolithography machines pass through its doors. Al Dean
looks at the machines, how they work and what he’s learnt from using them

T
he rise of the desktop stereolithography (SLA) many cases, a simple wallpaper scraper), but some have
machine has been unstoppable in the last year more advanced fixtures that hold the plate in place while
or two. Pretty much since Formlabs launched you lever off the part (and trust me, it’s very easy to slip
its Form 1 (though the company wasn’t the and end up, literally, with blood on your hands.)
first in this area), there’s been a lot of talk Make sure you’ve got a good working surface. We found
around the subject. that laying down microfibre cloths or non-slip matting is
SLA machines are very different beasts from more essential.
widely available FDM machines. Whereas an FDM
machine deposits filament layer by layer, an SLA machine PART RINSE
uses photo-curable resins and a light source that cures Once you’ve got a part, typically with some form of supports
those layers, to build up the 3D form. As a result, a typical on it, you’ll also find you’ve got some uncured resin to deal
FDM machine requires you to break out your part and with, so you’ll need to rinse the part before you break it out of
any supports from the build plate, either manually or, in the supports.
some higher-end systems, using water-soluble support Most machines are supplied with a rinse tub or two.
material. The SLA process, by contrast, is more complex. The idea is that you fill these with a 75/25 mix of isopropyl
alcohol and water to remove the uncured resin.
PROCESS BASICS While that’s fine, if you’re working to a deadline and
As we’ve stated, SLA is a resin-based process and, while need to get the parts ready quicker, we’ve found an
each machine differs slightly in the way that it builds, the ultrasonic parts washer really speeds things up. These
basics are roughly the same. Once a build is complete, it are relatively simple machines and can be sourced very
needs to be removed from the build chamber. inexpensively.
Even at this point, there are a few things to bear in mind. The DEVELOP3D workshop has a small unit, purchased
First and foremost, wear gloves. No ifs, no buts – wear from Ebay for around £40 and it’s perfect for the job. You
them. Photo-curable resins are not particularly pleasant and just fill up the tank with the IPA/water mix, throw in the
contact with your skin, however brief, should be avoided. part and switch the machine on. Ten minutes later, the
It’s also worth considering wearing eye protection as well. uncured resin is dissolved and you’re ready for the next step.
You’ll also need some means to lift your part off the
build plate. Most machines come with tools to assist (in READ THE FULL ARTICLE @ [Link]/desktop-SLA

WHAT’S ON DEVELOP3D’S WORKBENCH RADAR NOW?

We take a look at
the Form 2 later in
this issue, but we’ll
also be putting
Autodesk’s Ember
and XYZ Printing’s
Nobel through their
paces in early 2016

FORMLABS FORM 2 AUTODESK EMBER XYZ PRINTING NOBEL

You can read about the Form 2 on page 55 of this Autodesk acquired London-based start-up Backed by Chinese mega-manufacturer, Kinpo
issue, but the gist of our review is this: Formlabs Invention Works two years ago and it became its Group, XYZ Printing delivers very low-cost FDM
has taken the lessons learned over the last models launchpad into the 3D printing industry with the printers and 3D scanners. The Nobel is its first
and built a next-generation machine that takes Ember. This machine is small, efficient and terrific foray into SLA and at just over £1,000, it’s cheap.
desktop SLA to the next level. at building detailed parts. We intend to find out if it can perform.
[Link] [Link] [Link]

14 SPRING 2017 [Link]

Join us at AMUG and Rapid 2017.
Together, we’re about to
engineer the never-before.
Voxel by voxel.
Visit HP at AMUG Rooms 4Q & D5
Visit HP at Rapid at booth #2517

[Link]/go/3Dprint HP Jet Fusion 3D Printing

[Link] SPRING 2017 15

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16 SPRING 2017 [Link]