Ohio-based JuggerBot 3D, a 3D printing engineering and consulting firm, and Dutch multinational chemical company Royal DSM, have announced the launch of a trial program for industrial-grade 3D printing. The program’s purpose is to allow selected companies to evaluate engineering-grade materials from DSM in a JuggerBot 3D printer.
With the trial program, DSM and JuggerBot 3D hope manufacturers can build expertise in additive manufacturing, learning its benefits, and test the technology, without having to make an upfront capital investment in hardware.
“While adoption of additive manufacturing (AM) in production environments is increasing rapidly, many companies continue to face challenges as they work to adopt the technology,” said Jill Cohen, Global Marketing & Sales Director Additive Manufacturing at DSM.
“The two issues reported most frequently are the cost of equipment (and/or limited investment budget) and the lack of in-house expertise on various 3D printing technologies.”
Trialing industrial-grade 3D printing
The program’s initial trial customers consists of design companies and 3D printing service bureaus from the transportation, consumer appliance and medical device industries. Throughout the trial period, each business will receive support using the additive manufacturing hardware and materials from JuggerBot 3D and DSM. The companies are required to pay a deposit, and cover the costs of the materials used.
The industrial 3D printer manufactured and supplied for the program by JuggerBot 3D is a standalone system, with proprietary software integrated into the machine through a touchscreen UI. It is also compatible with a wide range of materials, including DSM’s additive manufacturing thermoplastics, and includes material profiles implemented into the software. Compatibility is enabled by JuggerBot 3D’s patented Interdependent Drive System, that uses both push and pull filament extrusion forces for ‘open material capabilities.’ Customers can decide to purchase machines of their own during the trial period and interested parties in the U.S. can apply for participation now.
“For additive manufacturing to make it into mainstream production, it requires industrial-grade printers that can process engineered materials in a reliable and consistent way,” explains Daniel Fernback, CEO of JuggerBot 3D. “JuggerBot 3D has focused the design of their systems to be uniquely capable of processing a wide variety of high performance, engineered materials – like DSM’s line of thermoplastics for additive manufacturing.”
Helping companies adopt 3D printing
Royal DSM and JuggerBot 3D’s trial program is the latest scheme developed to aid the adoption of additive manufacturing in production environments. Boston-based 3D printer manufacturer Markforged recently launched its Additive Manufacturing University. The educational service from Markforged is also focused on building expertise in 3D printing, sharing a similar goal with JuggerBot 3D and Royal DSM to accelerate the adoption of 3D printing for manufacturers.
Furthemore, New York Additive Manufacturing Workflow Software developer Link3D has also recently released its Additive Material Recommendation System (AMRS). The tool is designed to tackle challenges in additive manufacturing’s adoption throughout an organization, and to “increase overall understanding of the additive manufacturing capabilities and workflows.”
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Featured image shows the touchscreen UI on JuggerBot 3D’s system. Image via JuggerBot 3D.
