3D Printers

3D Systems: New Machines and Materials at EuroMold

Recently, 3D Systems cut its 2014 projections, citing an inability to get some products to market, but that hasn’t stopped the company from developing new systems and materials.  On top of co-sponsoring the TCT Bright Minds Program at this year’s EuroMold – giving 200 schoolchildren real hands-on experience with design software, scanning equipment and printing technology – 3D Systems has released a slew of new product news in conjunction with the event, including: the addition of materials for the ProJet 1200 series; as well as its new ProX 400, ProX 500 Plus, and ProX 800 3D printers; and the commercial availability of the 3DMe Photobooth.

5 New Materials:

The 1st announcement included the addition of five new materials engineered specifically for the desktop printing capabilities of the company’s micro-SLA 3D printer. These five new materials join the previously introduced VisiJet® FTX Green material, expanding the capabilities of jewelers, dental labs, manufacturers, engineers, and artists in the creation of casting patterns, small end-use parts, figurines and presentation models.

“The addition of these five materials represents our commitment to revolutionizing desktop 3D printing and bringing new capabilities to dental techs, jewelers, artists and engineers,” said Buddy Byrum, Vice President of Product and Channel Management, 3DS. “Now a jeweler, for instance, can design a ring, prototype it in FTX Gray, print a customer sample ring in FTX Gold and FTX Silver, and create a final casting pattern in FTX Cast—all from the same machine.”

The expanded VisiJet FTX material range will be available in December 2014 and will be on display at EuroMold 2014 in Frankfurt, Germany from November 25-28, 2014, at the Messe Frankfurt in booths D69 and F90 in hall 11, along with “3DS’ latest 3D printers, advanced material options, cloud-sourced custom parts and digital thread of 3D capture, creation, print and inspection tools.”

3D systems also announced that it will preview its new ProX 400 direct metal 3D printer; its fastest fab-grade Selective Laser Sintering (SLS) system yet, the ProX 500 Plus; and the ProX 800, all at EuroMold.

The ProX 400: Direct Metal Printing

The ProX 400 is capable of printing in more than a dozen alloys, including stainless steel, aluminum, cobalt chrome, titanium and maraging steel. The print volume has been increased to 500 X 500 X 500mm3. The ProX 400 also ramps up the speed of industrial-grade metal 3D printing with a two-laser system that increases throughput and a modular design that makes it easy to turnaround print jobs in as little as 15 minutes. This fast, high-volume metals manufacturing printer “offers simple, automated post-processing and material recycling features for advanced productivity.”

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“Our Direct Metal Printers and the ProX 400 are redefining metal manufacturing and the products they go into,” said CEO Avi Reichental. “Aerospace companies can make lighter weight parts that are simpler, require fewer assembly steps and offer better reliability. Manufacturers can create geometrically complex parts that could never be cast or machined. Medical device makers can print bio-compatible, patient-specific surgical implants in a manner that is scalable and cost efficient. The ProX 400 is changing the metal manufacturing paradigm from A to Z.”

ProX 500 Plus: High Resolution

The ProX 500 Plus’ new high-resolution mode prints part features down to as small as .45mm and boasts higher part density, tensile strength and modulus stiffness. In terms of print speed, the ProX 500 Plus offers 30% faster printing in high-speed mode.

“Simply put, the ProX 500 Plus delivers the highest quality end parts with a combination of speed, precision, economy and robust material choices to a level that no one has seen before,” said Buddy Byrum, Vice President, Product and Channel Management, 3DS. “This 3D printer provides the most long-lasting parts for the most challenging operating environments.

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With the elevated production capabilities and repeatable results of the ProX 500 and ProX 500 Plus, service bureaus and large manufacturing operations—in industries like aerospace, automotive, electronics, customized medical devices, consumer products and rapid tooling—can rethink entire production and supply chain strategies for advanced product performance and lower total manufacturing costs.

In addition to high material recyclability, the ProX 500 Plus allows for greater flexibility, so companies can explore localized manufacturing for step-change ability to exploit evolving marketplace opportunities and gain first-mover advantage.

ProX 800: New Laser Printhead for SLA

The ProX 800 production SLA printer features a revolutionary new laser print head, a print material management system to lower the total cost of ownership and a new industrial design that reduces the printer’s footprint by up to 50%.  This doubles the production output per unit of floor space, without sacrificing print volume or maximum part size capabilities.  “An upgraded easy-load resin module and integrated touchscreen controls make it easy to use.”

This new production SLA printer offers high-quality, high-resolution 3D printed parts and a large print volume targeted towards 3D printing service bureaus as well as “automotive, aerospace, defense, consumer products, and dental and medical device manufacturers to boost production capabilities. “

According to Buddy Byrum, Vice President of Product and Channel Management, 3DS “The ProX 800 is designed for serious volume production with the highest precision, highest accuracy and broadest array of functional plastic materials in 3D printing. Its large build volume is equally capable across both big and small parts while delivering the lowest part cost and lowest total cost of ownership available in a production grade printer. We continue to innovate SLA technology, and have made it more economical and efficient than ever before.”

3DMe Photobooth:

And finally, 3D Systems announced the commercial availability of its 3DMe® Photobooth to bring the 3DMe experience to the retail and event floor space. With its new compact size, the 3DMe Photobooth uses 3D scanning technology for instant, full-color photorealistic 3D face capture.

photobooth 3d printing 3d systemsAccording to 3D Systems, “a 3DMe scan is instantaneous and can then be used to personalize over 200 customizable 3DMe figurines using the 3D portrait on the photobooth screen. The resulting data model, which takes just 15 seconds to generate, can be ordered from the 3DMe Photobooth app for printing and fulfillment through 3DS’ consumer ecommerce and cloud platform, Cubify.”