3D Systems has announced some 24 new 3D printers in the last year and – so far – I do not think we have fully comprehended many of the new machines’ possibilities. That is because it will take some time before companies invest in them and fully exploit their potential. One such company, that is ready to put to work 3D Systems’ new multi-material Projet 5500x system, is the Connecticut Center of Advanced Technologies (CCAT), which just purchased one for its Advanced Manufacturing Center (AMC).
The Connecticut based non-profit corporation, which serves as an innovative economic development center of excellence in the state, as well as for the entire surrounding region and – by extension – the Nation, will work in partnership with ACT Group a leading local supplier of office equipment services and solutions. “We are going to provide our customers with the best-in-class technology and education in additive manufacturing,” said Bob Torrani, director of the CCAT Advanced Manufacturing Center.
“With the ProJet 5500X – he added – our customers will be able to print finely detailed, ultra high resolution parts with varying degrees of flexibility, and material transparency all from one machine,” he explained. “Parts made on the printer will have features and functionality never before possible.”
The Project 5500X is capable of printing with two different materials (which differ for transparency and flexibility) at the same time, while producing objects with up to three different materials in one single print job. It has a build volume of 21 inches x 15 inches x 12 inches, which makes it feasible for an unprecedented variety of different applications, including fixtures, over-molded parts, multi-material assemblies, rubber-like components, and prototypes.
The best way to understand what a 3D printer can do is putting it to work and we just cannot wait to find out what they will come up with.
