This month: Building parts that work – the engineer’s desktop
3D printing brings a whole new dimension to the world of fabrication and design. Here I’ll focus on the value of having a 3D printer in your workflow as an engineer or designer. Just like anything else, a 3D printer is only one tool among many. But using the right tool for the right job will open new possibilities, cut costs and save time.
While there’s a lot of hype in the consumer market right now – and big dreams of a 3D printer in every home – currently the technology really shines in prototype development. In particular, this is true for engineers and designers involved in new product development or the redesign of existing products. The ability to get your hands on prototype components, assemblies and complete products and review design issues, improvements and changes is quite simply, invaluable.
The speed of 3D prints
Whether you’re building a tool or fixture, designing a new product, or developing a prototype, as an engineer or designer you need to fail often and recover quickly. As we know, creating the best possible part design usually requires multiple iterations and redesigns. Previously you would have to wait weeks or even months to see a physical version of your design. But now, 3D printing gets that part created the same day or the next day. This allows creators to print the design quickly, review errors or find improvements, make the changes to the file and print again within a very short time frame. Today, you can go through ten iterations of a design in the same time it used to take to complete one design using traditional manufacturing methods. Even if that print takes hours or days to complete, you’re still cutting your production cycle down to a fraction of the time spent using traditional methods. There is immense value in turning a design into an object in a timely manner.
Complexity is free
This is a familiar phrase you’ll hear in the world of Additive Manufacturing (the technical term for 3D printing). Traditional manufacturing processes have certain limitations. If you’re using milling or using CNC (Computer Numerical Control) to create a part, you’re removing material from the outside of your block of material and working your way inward. This means that any kind of complex internal shape is usually impossible. A CNC machine cannot wrap around corners, but when you’re building from the bottom up, the 3D printer has no problem building organic, complex shapes and structures. If you’re using injection molding, you have to worry about hollow parts, drafting and maintaining wall thickness. 3D Printing doesn’t care about complexity. As long as you’re using some kind of support material system for your part – and using the right material and print method for the job – the complexity of your designs are virtually limitless. Please note that each individual printer will have it’s own limitations. However, having access to multiple printer technologies will give you a lot more freedom.
PHOTO & CUTLINE: The Mark One 3D printer
MarkForged Mark One
The Mark One 3D printer, developed and manufactured by U.S.-based MarkForged, is the only printer on the market that can print parts as strong as aluminum. It uses two printheads: One builds nylon parts and the other is a revolutionary new printhead that extrudes composite materials to reinforce the nylon to make solid, strong-as-aluminum 3D prints. The composite materials used in the machine are carbon fibre, fibreglass and Kevlar. The printer can print parts that are up to 30 times stronger and 30 times stiffer than ABS 3D-printed parts. Furthermore, the carbon fibre prints have a higher strength-to-weight ratio than 6061 aluminum. This enables you to create fully functional parts – rather than pieces prototyped simply for fit before being machined from metal.
The Mark One 3D Printer is an ideal option for those looking for more than the standard plastic-jet printers in the ‘prosumer’ price range. Even at its low price point, it has a place in the professional environment, and is an excellent addition to the engineer or designer’s desktop (and totally safe for an office environment). The printer ships with everything you need to get started, including cloud-based Eiger software, giving you full control over customizing your 3D printed composite fibre model. The Mark One printer starts at $5,499 (USD) for a standard kit. For $8,799 you can get the professional kit. If you have any questions, want to see the printers in action, or are looking to order, please don’t hesitate to contact Objex Unlimited 3D Print Studio. You can also read more about the Mark One at www.objexunlimited.com.
