Due to the popularity of Mcor IRIS 3D printing at the engineering company WH Williams of Sydney, Australia, the company has spun off a new business, Williams 3D. For prototypes, Williams 3D is consistently astounded with the results and abilities the Mcor IRIS provides. The sheet metal company relies on high volume and high quality production to meet client demands, so naturally, 3DP became the logical choice.
The Mcor IRIS prints with A4 paper as the build material offering a product ideal for the engineering company. Because of this feedstock, the IRIS prints with brilliant color richness and offers over one million hues. The paper material, that prints out solid as wood, provides a literal drawing board for the development team since it can be easily marked with pencil and markers. On top of the sturdiness and drafting abilities, the paper feedstock is easily recyclable with a non-toxic, water-based adhesive, thus justifying massive amounts of prints churned out by Williams 3D.
“The Mcor IRIS has been printing nonstop since we bought it,” says Williams 3D General Manager, Wojciech Wawrzyniak. “It’s by far the most affordable machine we operate because the build material, the paper, is so ubiquitous. A model costs us three dollars to print instead of the three or four hundred it would cost on another machine. That’s why our strategy is built on using the IRIS to create first-, second- and third-draft physical prototypes. When the design is close to approval, we can, in the event it’s actually needed, produce a final prototype or the finished part on one of our more expensive machines. It would be foolish and cost-prohibitive to print in plastic from the get-go.”
Going beyond CAD into handcrafted models called for the optimal printer available, that fit the needs of WH Williams, and it appears they have found their answer with the Mcor IRIS. Virtual prototypes can be very usual and foster creative output, but a physical manifestation allows hands to adjust what sits on the table; it enables the concrete to form out of the abstract because regardless of how many renderings appear on the screen, the true product is only known when made tangible.
As Wawrzyniak states, “You can pass out iPads with 3D digital renderings on them, but they pale in comparison to a precise, colorful physical model that started life as sheets of paper. The fact that we’re generous with early drafts is a clear differentiator for us and delights our clients who like to get their hands on models early and often. The Mcor IRIS is the only machine that makes this possible. Given its affordability, color capabilities and green technology, it’s probably the best in our canon.”
Source: Mcor
