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David Perry
Founder & Engineer
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this document. © 2014 Autodesk, Inc. All rights reserved.

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VIVE LA REVOLUTION?

I
06 DON’t BELIEVE THE HYPE - OR SHOULD YOU?
As 3D printing goes mainstream, many in the professional
environment are wondering where things are heading. We explore
what this heightened awareness can mean for the professional.
Also see our handy jargon buster
10 FILAMENT-based machines
12 UV resins & Stereolithography
14 laser sintering for plastics
16 3D printing with metals
18 ALTERNATIVES & SPECIAL PURPOSE
20 GETTING THE BASICS RIGHT & SOFTWARE
The old adage of rubbish in/rubbish out is never more true than
when 3D printing. We explore what tools are available in 3D design
tools and standalone apps and offer advice on best practice
24 NEW RULE BOOK: DESIGN FOR 3D PRINT
Freedom from design rules is the refrain from many quarters.
What’s the reality and what are the best practices you need to
keep in mind if you’re looking at design for 3D printing?
26 3D PRINTING in the design office?
Thinking of bringing 3D printing into the office environment? !
Here are our top three tips
28 MATERIALS - ADAPTING PROCESS & DESign
To get the most out of new materials they need to be combined
with new ways of thinking in terms of design and engineering
f there’s a word that’s overused these days, it’s “revolutionary”.
It fits in neatly alongside ‘innovation’, ‘paradigm shift’ and
all the other biz-speak we’re so accustomed to. As said in one
of my favourite books, some of us hanker after a time when
“revolutionary means the angry poor invading the presidential
palace, not a really small phone that’s also a camera”.
But if you believe the media, the magazines and the tech websites that
seem to spring up every 34 seconds on a 24 hour cycle, 3D printing is
causing a revolution. It’s the next industrial revolution no less.
In the workplace, in the hackerspace, in the home and now even, in the
kitchen. Imagine that, alongside the overly complex espresso machine,
we’ll soon all be rotting our teeth that much more quickly as Martha
Stewart sells us 3D printed sweeties... or something.
The truth is that while the industry turns itself inside out to grab the
headlines, to get Jeremy Paxman staring blankly at an Objet machine on
Newsnight or Jay Leno laser scanning a car, some of us have work to do.
And there are plenty of things afoot to assist with the process of bringing
new products to market.
So, here in this 42 page report, our aim is to bring the professional
designer and engineer up to speed. To break a few of those old
misconceptions (SLAs aren’t all that brittle anymore and FDM parts
aren’t that rough), to get you familiar with the glut of technology that’s
available; whether to use in house or to outsource to a service provider.
We’ll also explore how new design and 3D print led businesses are
being established, how rulebooks are being torn up, and perhaps, how
new ones are being written on the back of a cigarette packet as we speak.
Flip the tarot cards. Let’s go!

30 DOES COLOUR MATTER?

2014 looks to be the year of colour 3D printing. While it’s nothing
new, more vendors are bringing colour machines to market in a
drive to differentiate their offerings. We explore the potential

32 WORKING WITH BUREAUX

3D printing in house isn’t for everyone. There’s a wealth of
service providers out there with the capacity and know-how to
help. How do you work with them to the best effect?

34 BUILDING A 3D BUSINESS
3D printing lets you get up and running quickly with production
but it’s not without its problems and challenges. We talk to four
organisations on how to build a new business around 3D printing

36 The FUTURE IS INDUSTRIAL

If 3D printing is to be used in production, it will be essential to
automate, manage and plan the process.
Al Dean
38 FUTUREs: 3D printing for the pro Editor-in-Chief
In a 3D printing market that’s now exploded outside of its
industrial roots, we talk to three industry folks about what the DEVELOP3D Magazine
future holds for the professional @alistardean
41 Where DO WE GO next?
The 3D print industry is on an acceleration vector. Al Dean looks
at what’s coming next, potential stumbling blocks and ultimately,
where we’re all heading

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DON’T BELIEVE THE HYPE

OR SHOULD YOU?
It’s all over the TV, the internet and newspapers, but what does the media love-in
with 3D printing mean for the professional? Al Dean explores the hype

M
y first ever 3D printing
conversation with a
layperson was with cab
driver at the tail end of
the nineties. I’d been
to visit 3D Systems and
he asked what they do. I explained about how
SLA machines worked: lasers, resins, parts
appearing out of resins, as if my magic. I
used the example of him wanting a custom
steering wheel. I’m not entirely sure he
believed me.
Fast forward fifteen years and I find
I’m having the same conversations. The
difference is cab drivers today have now
heard about this stuff. 3D printing is
everywhere: on the TV, radio, in newspapers
and magazines.
In London recently I had much the same
chat with a driver. He’d read about 3D
printing in the newspaper that very day. Of
course, he heard about the 3D printed gun,
but wanted to know more — if he could
do it himself. He’d need to learn some 3D
modelling, I explained (no, not like in Tron),
buy a machine or send the part off to be
made. “So, I tell the machine what I want and
it pops out, yeah?”
I’m sure you’ve had that same conversation
yourself, made the same exhalation of breath
and thought “Here we go again.”
Welcome to the world of 3D printing and
the associated hype.
MYTHS VS REALITIES
In the last few years 3D printing has
broken out of the design and engineering
community and, grabbed the public, the
investment community and (seemingly) the
world, by the proverbial short and curlies.
Stock prices have rocketed up for the
established players and new entrants like. The
number of column inches and TV minutes in
all manner of media has risen sharply. And a
lot of the reporting has been inaccurate or the
truth stretched more than a little.
If you were to believe everything you read,
aerospace companies will be 3D printing
planes in the next 10 years, houses will be
extruded from concrete and we’ll all be doing
our DIY with a 3D printed hammer. I wish I
was making these things up.
But with hype comes a burden on those
that best stand to take advantage of these
technologies, to sift through the nonsense,
the ill-thought out and misconstrued, and
find areas of interest.
So let’s start by breaking down one of the
most common myths about the technology
- that of exactly how quickly these machines
work. This is the cause of much confusion.
Time to Part
Many people assume that because a 2D
printer is fast, a 3D printer must be too.
Wrong. Blame the marketing bods, blame
the term Rapid Prototyping, these machines
certainly aren’t quick, never mind rapid. A
typical build can take anywhere from an hour
to a day or more.
When you’re looking at these processes and
machines, perhaps with an eye to bringing

The 3D printing PATENTs PICKLE : Protection vs. PROGRESS

Over the years the 3D printing industry has been rife with
legal action over patents. Patents have been fought over,
argued about and various parties taken to court at the
drop of a hat. It has also been said, particularly in the last
five years, that the patent enforcement by the established
players in the industry has, in fact, held back developments
and more widespread adoption.
But change is happening. Adrian Bowyer’s RepRap project
at the University of Bath helped bring this to a head,
kickstarting a staid and tightly controlled industry into its
next evolution.
Bowyer’s RepRap saw the open source model applied to
3D printing, just at the point where the core patents for FDM
printing processes expired. Its open development processes
allows anyone to take the tools from that project and apply
them to their own work.
RepRap has been the driving force for almost every 3D
printer that’s been launched in the last five years. MakerBot,
Ultimaker - none of these would have existed without
Bowyer and his team’s work.
Strangely, the progress of MakerBot, from its roots at
the Brooklyn NYC Resistor hackerspace, to darlings of the
“next industrial revolution’ to its acquisition by Stratasys
last year, is a perfect case in point. MakerBot has done a
fine job of avoiding legal entanglements with Stratasys
(who own the majority of patents on the FDM process), but
this was holding it back somewhat. Many features such as a
temperature controlled build chamber and software controls
over how layers are constructed were off limits.
Now that MakerBot is part of Stratasys, we’ll likely
see these features and many others in future MakerBot
products. But at the same time, its parent company is now
going after some of its competition in the maker/entry level
space, namely Afinia, itself a reseller of TierTime’s Up! 3D
printers from China.
We’re starting to see the same happen in both
Stereolithography (US patent # 4575330A) and the sintering
market (US Patent # US 4863538 A), already with new
machines on the market: see the FormLabs and BluePrinter
machines respectively.
It’s fascinating to watch small, nimble companies, quite
often crowd funded through KickStarter, take a new
approach to these processes and find new ways to cut costs,
reduce complexity, the overall price and generally out gun
the established players in the market.
It’s also interesting to watch new sub-markets open up
to support these new machines. With the wealth of FDM
machines now available, there’s more material options
than you can shake a stick at. You can buy filament that’s
all manner of colours, different materials (Nylon, ABS, PLA,
even a wood filament) that would never have seen the light
of day before. Despite these big advances, there are still
many 3D printing patents in effect. Whether you see them as
a right to protect your IP or a way for large corporations to
control their technology, they are certainly going to play a
major role in how the 3D printing industry evolves.
(Right) Figures from Chuck Hull’s 1984 patent (# US
4575330 A) for Stereolithography that started it all

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things in house, you do need to know how
quickly you can turn around components.
In the prototyping phase, being able to
quickly crank out a part, try it, see if it works
has huge benefits, which are negated if it
takes a day to churn it out.
In the production cycle, when you’re
looking to produce final use components (be
those actual products or those that support
other manufacturing process - such as jigs,
fixtures, mould inserts, whatever) - time is
always a commodity closely guarded.
Most manufacturers will quote you a build
speed in terms of millimeters per hour, but
it’s an almost meaningless metric.
Build speeds differ massively depending on
the type of geometry, how you want the part
built, the settings you use, the number of
parts, the technology and the materials.
Metals are another kettle of fish entirely.
Most vendors will quote in cubic mm/
inches per hour. The Renishaw AM 250, for
example, quotes a range of between 5 and 20
cubic centimetres per hour. This is because
of the physical properties of the dramatically
different metals, their inherent heating and
cooling parameters and how dense the part is
you’re building.
But before you get to building the part,
you’ve got to prepare the data. Again, this is
an area that’s often glossed over.
MODEL preparation IS EASY
Model preparation directly affects time to
part - and it’s not a simple case of loading an
STL file and hitting print. It’s not just a case
of ensuring that your model is suitable for
printing, but also ensuring that the layout of
The HYPE VS. THE reality
#1: It’s going to get cheaper
THE HYPE: This is perhaps the biggest driving force
behind today’s growing awareness of 3D printing
technologies. Machines are cheaper so more people
can afford them.
THE REALITY: In many respects, this one is absolutely
true. Whereas an FDM machine used to cost you 20 grand
or upwards, you can now order one, online, for 500 quid.
The RepRap project rewrote the rules (and the pricebook)
and it’s now happening with stereolithography and soon
sintering technologies. But material costs? Not so much.
#4: They’re office friendly
THE HYPE: Whether it’s 3D printing in the home or in a
busy office environment, you pull out the box, you plug in
the machine and away you go.
THE REALITY: Um. No. At the entry level, filament-
based machines can be used in the office, but they stink
and the health effects of inhaling molten PLA or ABS
is unexplored. The other systems, those with soluble
supports need a wash station, sintering needs heavy duty
extraction. And hitting powdered titanium with a laser is
pretty much an explosion waiting to happen.
3D PRINTING FOR THE PROFESSIONAL
3D PRINTING FOR THE PROFESSIONAL
Gartner’s annual technology hype cycle. This differs from previous iterations as it splits out consumer printing
(top of the curve) and enterprise 3D printing (further along to the right) (Image courtesy of Gartner Research 2014)
the build platform or chamber is as optimal
as possible - bearing in mind the required
orientation of the parts to account for both
structural requirements and surface finish.
In terms of model preparation, many
3D printers will build most components,
assuming that you adhere to the design
guidelines for those specific machines and
materials.
We’ve categorised some of these on page
20, but machines vary as do materials
in use. Every vendor will have a set of
guidelines available as part of the machine
and materials documentation and it’s worth
studying these, whether you’re outsourcing
#2: Freedom of design
THE HYPE: This is one that’s been floating around for
decades — the idea that by using 3D printing you’re
somehow magically set free from the constraints of
Design for Manufacture and Assembly.
THE REALITY: By using 3D printing to build end use
parts, it’s true that you are free from traditional DFM
constraints. Draft angles, mould locked features and
inaccessibility for cutters don’t figure. What’s not widely
discussed is how there’s a new set of rules, for each
build method and for each material.
#5: It’s easy
THE HYPE: Install your machine, output your data,
hit print. It’s that easy. Just like your desktop
document printer
THE REALITY: There are very few machines where
this is a reality. At the entry level, platform leveling
and constant maintenance is common. As things move
higher up the ladder of complexity and sophistication,
processes become more complex. The “just hit print”
machine just simply doesn’t exist. Things are improving,
but it’s a long way off just yet, folks.
parts or building them in house.
Some processes have specific requirements
to handle their own particular foibles.
For example, if you’re building parts with
internal and trapped cavities (or building
parts hollow to save material), you need to
allow the powder or resin to escape where
appropriate - the route for removal of this
excess material ideally needs to be modelled
in (rather than drilled them after the fact).
If you have specific functionality built in
the parts, then this also needs to accounted
for. Most 3D print processes and their
associated materials are anisotropic,
meaning that the materials perform better
#3: It’s quick
THE HYPE: Blame whoever coined the turn rapid
prototyping. A common misconception, particularly
those outside the professional industry, is that these
things work as quickly as a standard inkjet.
THE REALITY: Building a part on a 3D printer is
anything but quick. The benchmark is still 1” per hour
of vertical build. And probably always will be. There’s
only so much time that you can squeeze out of curing
UV resin, laying down filament or sintering powders. It’s
physics and chemistry, folks.
#6: ABS is ABS is ABS
THE HYPE: 3D print vendors like to make much noise
about the materials that their machines use. ABS, PLA,
Nylon, Titanium, Aluminium.
THE REALITY: Part quality and structural strength is a
combination of the raw material, the production method
and post treatment. Yes, a 3D printed part might be
technically ABS, but it’s not been melted, injected into
steel mould at high pressure and cooled. 3D printed
parts are inherently weaker than their traditional
counterparts, often dramatically so.
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in one direction than another. discussed exactly what is needed to do it,

nightmares of 3D guns exploding in
Good, common examples are snap fits whether it’s an angle grinder to remove parts
someone’s face, over claimed benefits and
and living hinges. You need to look at the from the build plate or a furnace to harden
future revolutions? Almost certainly.
orientation of the layers and ensure that these parts for some systems. Will the hype’s lifecycle also mean that
match the requirements of the feature. If it the diverse nature of 3D print technologies
needs to flex, then you need the layers to run Hype is good available expands in ways that it could never
in that flex direction. Otherwise they’ll snap. 3D printing may be in need of a serious have done before things stepped outside of
All of these things add to the time required reality check to bring down expectations, the industrial world and into the limelight?
to get parts off your machine and back to but hype can also be a very good thing - with Absolutely.
work. professionals in design, engineering and We’re all looking forward to lower-cost,
manufacturing set to gain the most. more reliable, more capable machines in our
Post processing With greater exposure and awareness, 3D design offices that don’t require specialist
Build speed is one thing but you also need print manufacturers, old and new, get more technicians to run. We can wait for the ability
to consider post processing. This can investment, a bigger customer base and to realise parts in metal, directly, without the
add significant time between the need for wasting material and scrap
moment you hit ‘print’ and when  with CNC, casting or forging.
you have a finished part in your There is also huge potential
hands.
Many talk of the next and third to reevaluate how things are
Filament machines either require industrial revolution. And you know done, to break down traditional
manual break out of supports or who made the most of the first two? manufacturing processes and
the supports need to be dissolved Yup. Us. The designers, the engineers explore new avenues. New avenues
(that can take a good couple of for lighter weight components,
hours, even with a wash station
and the manufacturers. leading to products that achieve
tumbling them).  the same or better results more
Machines that use UV resins efficiently.
often need to be photocured post build to more potential to do interesting things we And it’s the professional designer or
harden them off. This applies to SLA, Objet, can take advantage of in the design office or engineer that stands the best chance of
Envisiontec or FormLabs machines. on the shopfloor. doing it. We have the knowledge of form,
Sintering machines need to cool down the Will we care that there are legions of of function, of performance and to use
powder cake that contains all of the parts. hobbyists spending their disposable income that knowledge, combined with new
This is in the order of hours. Then the parts on a 3D printer that, chances are, will sit technologies, to reinvent what we do,
need to be removed from the powder, cleaned unused in a box in the loft, in 12 months integrate it with traditional manufacturing
and the unused powder recycled. time? Probably not, though it will make and try new things.
The real question is often how integrated eBay’s 3D printer listing interesting reading. Many talk of the next and third industrial
these processes are and whether you need Will we read poorly researched articles in revolution. And you know who made the
additional equipment. There’s much talk the mainstream media, answer questions most of the first two? Yup. Us. The designers,
about printing with metals, but it’s not often from friends and family that give us the engineers and the manufacturers.

3D PRINTING As with any technology field, 3D printing is not adverse to its own jargon and
technospeak. For the uninitiated, this can cause confusion and, probably, mild irritation.
jargon buster So, here’s our irreverent guide to the most commonly used and abused terms

BRE: No, it’s not a mispelled French cheese, Bre Pettis is
the CEO of MakerBot and now worth a small fortune since
his company was acquired by Stratasys. He also has good
hair and owns a DeLorean.
BUILD VOLUME: This one is pretty simple. It’s the typical
maximum size of the part (or group of parts) that you can
build in one go.
FILAMENT: Plastic, extruded into a long thin wire like form.
Used in FDM machines, it comes in a variety of materials,
diameters (1.75mm and 3mm are common) and hues.
Street price is around the 30 quid for a kilogram.
Quality varies across suppliers and you’ll soon find which
you prefer for your machine.
G-CODE: FDM machines use G-Code to define how the
machine moves. RepRap based machines expose this.
Others don’t. Oh and you can’t run it on a CNC machine.
INFILL: Parts don’t have to be built using a solid
block of material. Instead you can build with different
infill methods resulting in lower material use and
improvements to build speed. However, structural
strength will weaken as the in fill becomes more sparse.
POLYAMIDE: This is a good one. Some vendors like to
give their materials fancy names. Polyamide is pretty
much nylon in powdered form. And it costs 80 Euros/Kg.
PLA: ‘Polylactic acid”. While ABS had been the most
common FDM material, PLA caught on as it runs at lower
temperatures and doesn’t suffer from part warping quite
so much.
Its eco-credentials are also often quoted because it can
be composted. It can, if you have industrial composting
facilities nearby (chances are, you don’t). Otherwise, it’s
landfill like the rest of it with a half life of decades, if not
centuries.
RECOATER BLADE: Powder-based machines use a blade to
spread the fresh layer of powder across the previously built
layer. This is the recoater blade. Technicalities differ, but
they all have one. And it can snap thin walled parts pretty
easily (See our design tips on page 24 for more info).
STACKABLE BUILD: Most 3D printers only allow you to
have one layer of parts on a build platform. Powder-
based systems differ in that you can build one part on top
of another, as the powder supports the parts.
SUPPORTS: If your part has overhangs, undercuts and
complex forms, supports are a necessary evil. Built either
in the part material or a special support material, they’ll
give support where needed to allow the geometry to be
constructed.
More advanced systems offer water soluble supports,
otherwise it’s a case of going at it with a pair of long
nosed pliers I’m afraid.
STL: Named after Stereolithography, the STL format is
the de facto standard for sending data to a 3D printer.
It’s tessellated in nature and pretty much ubiquitous in
support from 3D design systems.
SLICING: 3D printers work by building a part’s geometry
layer by layer. To do that, it takes the STL file and creates a
slice for each layer, indicating where to deposit material.
TIP SIZE: Pro-level FDM machines offer different tip sizes
to lay down different sizes of filament beads on each
layer. The bigger the tip size, the bigger the bead and
quicker the build. But resolution can also drop.
THE NEXT INDUSTRIAL REVOLUTION: This one is
popular with pundits — that 3D printing is bringing about
the third industrial revolution. Is it? Probably not.
UV OVEN: Commonly used to harden off parts out of
stereolithography or other UV curable resin based
systems. Some have them built-in, others need a
secondary unit. Search on eBay for “UV Curing Oven”.
They’re commonly used in surgery for sterilisation of
implements.
WASHSTATION: A lot of machines come with water
soluble supports these days. That means you need to
wash them out. Stratasys has a handy product but third
party units are also available.

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FILAMENT-BASED
If it’s tough, usable plastic parts you desire, then FDM has always been
the way to go. Today, the professional has more choice than ever before

» Tough durable parts and prototypes » Wide range of non-proprietary materials » Highly competitive market
» Office friendly » Low energy requirements » Large build volume machines
» Very low cost of entry » Broad range of build sizes » Growing sophistication at entry level

The basics : Fused Deposition Modelling
(FDM) or freeform layer modelling machines
use a filament of plastic to build parts. They
are arguably the most dynamic group in the
3D printing industry.
Irrespective of which machine is used, the
core concepts are the same. A heated tip is
fed with filament material. The tip heats the
material and a combination of a vertical build
platform and X and Y axis movement of the
extrusion head allows the system to build up
layer upon layer of material.
Each layer is typically outlined, then filled
in, to varying degrees of solidity — enabling
material to be saved where bulky parts are
required.
The OPtions : There’s a huge range
of FDM machines available to suit even
the most cost conscious budget. While
Stratasys’s machines offer the greatest level
of automation, more recent entrants into the
market are catching up. Material options are
increasingly broad and expanding out from
the standard ABS and PLA.
FDM has a reputation for rough, yet durable
parts, but this has changed dramatically
since the early days. Layer sizes of 0.1mm
upwards and are variable on the machine
and, combined with different infill options,
mean that parts can be knocked out fast for a
quick check, then finer resolution used when
detail is required and time permits.
The future : The FDM market is heaving
with options. Many of these are essentially
the same machine in a different package.
The key differentiators, particularly for
professionals, are automation, consistency
and reliability.
Professionals don’t have time to constantly
tinker with settings, level build platforms and
restart failed builds.
The vendors that offer auto-calibrating
print platforms, consistent build quality,
options for support removal and more
interesting materials will win out.
Developments such as the MarkForged
machine as well as Arburg’s new FreeFormer
show that fresh thinking is still out there.

3D Systems CubeX MakerBot Replicator (5th Gen) MarkForged Mark One

3D Systems’ Cube was intended for the ‘consumer’,
but its range of CubeX printers also offer much for the
professional: large build volumes, multiple print head
options (up to three) and a range of both ABS and
PLA-based materials from a wide variety of sources.
While 3D Systems’ reputation has been built on
all things SLA, it has always acquired additional
technology. While the Bits2Bytes acquisition took
some by surprise, that move brought about a range of
new products in the filament-based process.
MakerBot’s next generation Replicator takes a leap
forward from its predecessors. The new unit offers
a slightly bigger build size (10% bigger than the
Replicator 2) combined with a ‘smart’ extruder head
that detects filament running out and pauses the print
and assists with platform levelling.
Connectivity is also expanded, now with WiFi, USB
cable, ethernet as well as a USB stick, replacing the
SD card of old. There’s also a webcam built in, so you
can remotely monitor build jobs.
Most filament 3D printers use ABS or PLA (and
occasionally a high temperature variant). The
MarkForged machine does things differently. It
combines a familiar process with one key difference:
It combines the familiar process with the ability to
include single strand carbon fibre.
The machine is currently on pre-order, but it looks
interesting, particularly when you consider how the
company is expanding the material options
(Kevlar is coming soon).

Price £1,645 (single head) to £2,645 (triple head) $2,899 $4,999

Build Envelope 230 x 225 x 205 mm 252 x 199 x 150 mm 305 x 160 x 160 mm

Warranty 1 year 30 days + optional MakerCare for 1 year (US only) 30 days + optional MakerCare for 1 year (US only)

Machine Dimensions 357 x 342 x 388 mm 528 x 441 x 410 mm 490 x 320 x 530 mm

Layer Thickness 0.2 to 0.02mm 0.1 mm 0.254mm / 0.330 mm

Material Options ABS + PLA + Soluble Support (non-proprietary) PLA (spool -fed, non proprietary) Nylon, PLA, Carbon Fibre, Fibre Glass, Kevlar

Website 3dsystems.com | cdg.uk.com makerbot.com markforged.com

10 DEVELOP3D.COM 3D PRINTING FOR THE PROFESSIONAL

 Sponsored by fusion360.autodesk.com
SYSTEMS
Stratasys Dimension Elite
While there’s plenty of action at the low-cost,
entry level into FDM, if you’re looking for a more
automated, office friendly system, then the Dimension
range from Stratasys is a winner.
The Elite offers build material options combined
with water soluble support material. When used with
the included WashStation, you’re looking at a hands
off machine that performs consistently. Filament
material costs might be more costly, but you get
consistent results without too much faffing around.
£20,960
203 x 203 x 305 mm
1 year
686 x 914 x 1,041 mm
0.178mm / 0.254 mm
ABSplus (with various colour options) + soluble support
stratasys.com | laserlines.co.uk
3D PRINTING FOR THE PROFESSIONAL
ARBURG’s NEW
FREEFORMER
T
hough not a filament-based system
per se (it uses granular plastic feed),
the new Freeformer machine from
Arburg offers a new take on extrusion-
based systems already out there.
Developed by injection moulding
machine tool specialists, Arburg, the
Freeformer uses an extrusion process to
not only build in a single axis, but rather,
can build additional features at almost any
orientation (assuming the 5 axis module is
installed). It can orient the extrusion head
to build details onto a part without having
to conform to a single layer direction. This
means that undercut features can be built
into a model without the need for supports.
Another big win for this machine,
even at this early stage, is the ability to
use almost any plastic material from a
standard supplier - because the system
uses a granulated material feed. It can also
work with two materials, so these can be
combined.
■ arburg.com
Stratasys Fortus 900mc
If you’re a believer in the adage, go big or go home,
then the Fortus range from Stratasys is definitely
the one for you. While the Fortus 250 gives you a
reasonable build volume of 254 x 254 x 305mm, as
you move up the range, the envelope expands out to
reach the pinnacle of industrial-level FDM machines.
The Fortus 900mc has a build volume of nearly a
metre in X and Y and half a metre in Z. That means
that production parts using its more advanced
materials can be built in a single go.
£288,345
914 x 610 x 914 mm
1 year
2,772 x 1,683 x 2,027 mm
0.178 mm / 0.254 mm / 0.33 mm
ABS, Nylon, PC, PC/ABS, PPSF, Ultem 9085 (high temp)
stratasys.com | laserlines.co.uk
3D PRINTING FOR THE PROFESSIONAL
BEEVERYCREATIVE: THE
NEW KID ON THE BLOCK
It is thought that there are currently as many as 40 filament-
based printers on the market at the entry point. Many of these are
similar, performing much the same functions and capability, often
running almost the same software.
So, when a new product comes along that challenges the perception
that entry-level means a kit or a system that’s going to take hours to
assembly, configure, tinker with and get up and running, it garners some
serious interest.
BeeVeryCreative’s small form factor machine eschews the exposed
mechanics and plywood typical of its competition and offers a slick,
consumer product. It has a build volume on the small size at 190 x 135 x
125mm and an overall size of just 400 x 400 x 140mm — all of which lets
it build with a layer size of 0.1mm.
When you consider that the Portuguese company’s first product,
BeeTheFirst, is on the market for a list price of just €1,990, it gives you
a good indication of exactly how exciting the market that surrounds the
entry-level of 3D printing is becoming.
■ beeverycreative.com
BeeTheFirst:
challenges the
perception that
all entry-level
3D printers
come in a kit
3 Pro TIPs UP AND
RUNNING WITH A
MakerBot Replicator
Radius Creative (radiuscreative.co.uk) acquired a Replicator in
2013 to assist with its in house prototyping needs. Mike Willshaw,
managing director at Radius, gives us his run down on how to get the
best out of the desktop 3D printer.
#1 Learning your options & settings: Take time to learn about
rafts, infill levels, shells and when to use supports. Also, use the
appropriate print resolution for the job. Standard settings only get
you so far. This might sound a bit complicated at first but it’s really
not — it becomes second nature and is the key factor between a
super print and a messy blob of plastic. Learn as much as you can
from failed builds
#2 Maintenance: Keep the extruder and drive gear clean and
maintained, the print bed level, new tape on the bed and don’t skimp
on decent quality filament. Ignoring maintenance basics will waste
time and materials in the long run.
#3 Plan the orientation of builds: Thinking ahead before
pressing print means less or no support structures to clean up,
cleaner, stronger models and faster print times. You can preview
the output with supports, raft, material usage etc. layer by
layer as well as getting estimated print times in the makerware
software. This gives a good clue as to whether your build will
work out how you want.
DEVELOP3D.COM 11
3D PRINTING FOR THE PROFESSIONAL Sponsored by fusion360.autodesk.com

UV curable resins
Looking for high-resolution, intricate parts with a massive range of materials?
Then Stereolithography and other UV resin based systems are the way to go

» Typically high resolution parts » Cost of entry is lowering » Competition is growing

» Low post processing requirements » Special purpose materials available » Extensive second user machine market
» Massive array of materials » Ultra fine layer size and resolution » Costs likely to drop in coming years

The basics : Stereolithography uses laser
optics to solidify UV curable resin on a build
platform and subsequent layers, typically in a
vat of resin.
Variants exist that again use UV light, but
eschew lasers and mirrors for consumer light
projection technology (Envisiontec’s DLP-
based processes). Another variant is using
ink-jet like technology to deposit droplets of
UV curable resin (Objet machines)
The benefits are ultra fine layers from
0.01mm upwards, high resolution and
the ability to replicate the most intricate
of details. There’s also multiple material
options from the likes of Objet/Stratasys with
its Connex machines.
The OPtions : There are two main things
to consider for this type of machine. The
materials options are broad and get into
some very specialised areas — from optically
clear parts and medical grade resins, to
composites and into those suitable for
casting or plating. Pretty much anything else
you can imagine.
Post processing often centres on part
removal, UV ovens (to harden off those parts)
and an oily rag to clear up any resin spills.
The resolution of the parts often means
that no post finishing is required, but if a coat
of paint is needed, it’s not a problem.
SLAs are also perfect for patterns for
vacuum casting of series runs too.
The future : Everyone knows the SLA
process as it was probably the first many of us
experienced. And things have been moving
on apace since its launch 30 years ago.
Today, stereolithography and the other UV
resins based systems offer a wide spectrum
of build sizes and material options, from the
small scale (the ProJet 1200 is particularly
compact), through the mid-range (with the
FormLabs, Envisiontec and lower-end Objet
machines) into the mammoth.
With the gradual expiration of the patents
surrounding stereolithography, we should
see more action at the entry level that will
bring high resolution, ultra detailed part
builds to the desktop and design office.

FormLabs Form1 DWS XFAB Envisiontec Ultra 3SP HD

Patents expire. When they do, someone always come
up with a cheaper alternative to the established
players in the market. Boston-based FormLabs hit the
headlines when it massively exceeded its KickStarter
goal with the Form1 — the first totally new SLA-based
machine in 10 years.
It’s a small form factor machine that owes as much
to Envisiontec’s build process as it does 3D Systems.
Resolution is ultra fine and the company is expanding
out its material options too.
DWS (Digital Wax Systems) mastered high
resolution printing of wax for casting of jewellery
purposes years ago. Now it’s turning its attention
to a more mainstream product with the XFAB
(due in June).
This sees its stereolithography know-how applied to
a much wider market with more materials options.
It’s also a slick looking machine as you’d expect
from a company that’s grown up in the Italian
design market.
Envisiontec hit the market in the early 2000s with its
Perfactory machine. Using the UV curable resins of
SLA but eschewing laser optics for DLP chips.
Since then, the company has expanded its product
range, but also its materials options, including
all manner of castable, filled and special purpose
options. Last year the company introduced its 3SP,
which supersedes the DLP technology and brings
large build volumes and quicker build speeds. The
Ultra has a respectable build volume combined with
ever expanding material options.

Price $3,299 €5,000 $70,000

Build Envelope 125 x 125 x 165 mm Ø 180 × 180 mm 266 x 177 x 193 mm

Warranty 1 year (return to base) 1 year 1 year (on site) with extension options

Machine Dimensions 300 x 280 x 450 mm 420 x 638 x 590 mm 740 x 760 x 1,170 mm

Layer Thickness 0.025 mm 0.016 mm 0.05 - 0.1 mm

Acrylate resin, ABS, polypropylene, rigid opaque,

Material options Clear, grey and white acrylate photopolymer E-Denstone, ABS 3SP White, E-Glass 3SP (transparent)
transparent, rubber and ceramic

Website formlabs.com dwslab.com envisiontec.com

12 DEVELOP3D.COM 3D PRINTING FOR THE PROFESSIONAL

 Sponsored by fusion360.autodesk.com 3D PRINTING FOR THE PROFESSIONAL

resins & SLA Mould MAKING WITH

return on investment

CLEVELAND GOLF: USING 3D PRINT FOR

DESIGN AND VERIFICATION oF CLUBS

F
ounded as Cleveland Classics,
producing replicas of classic
golf clubs, today Cleveland Golf
is a leader in wedges using advanced
technology.
The company invested in 3D
printing during the early millennium,
and today runs an Envisiontec Ultra in
its R&D facility.
Using Siemens NX to design the
prototype, they run the file through
Magics to print. Once happy with the
model the part is sent on to a vendor
who then makes the final cast.
“We use a model mainly to verify a
lot of the designs. We try to use it to
prototype the actual part itself, too,
to make it castable,” explains Dan
Nivanh, research and development
engineer at Cleveland Golf.
Cleveland Golf chose the Ultra
for the quality of the finished parts
in addition to feeling comfortable
diagnosing any mechanical issues.
“I guess once the user
understands the function of the
printer they’re able to diagnose the
problem itself on-site, so [the Ultra]
by not having multiple moving parts
it tends not to break as often.”
“With the Ultra we’re able to verify
certain features that [the U.S. Patent
Office would check or verify]. By just
opening up an STL file, the Patent
Office can’t really understand the
functionality of the part itself.
“When they have that print, and they
are able to have it in hand, they have a
clear understanding of the benefit.”
■ envisiontec.com
Iron pipeline, cover and drainage solutions, Saint Gobain PAM
UK, uses its Objet Eden 500V supplied by SYS Systems.
“We initially bought the Eden 500V to 3D print shell patterns
and prototype patterns for the floor foundry as we were making
them from wood or aluminium previously at great cost and time,”
explains the company’s Product Development Manager, Jonathan
McGill. “However, we soon found that if we 3D printed a negative of
the pattern, called a master pattern, we could use these to produce
moulds for the DISAMATIC line – again far more quickly and cheaply
than before.”
The machine paid for itself in just a few weeks after Saint Gobain
PAM estimated it had returned £145,000 of savings in its first four
months, at just 40per cent capacity.
Saint Gobain PAM can now go from the 3D printer, typically
producing a master pattern overnight, straight to the plant within a
week where it can be set to work producing 200 moulds an hour.
The company is also currently trialling a high temperature resin
that will open up even more 3D printing opportunities.
■ saint-gobain-pam.co.uk | sys.com

Objet500 Connex3 3D Systems ProX 950

Objet’s range of machines takes a different approach
to UV resin-based machines by using print head
Launched at Euromold in Autumn 2013, the ProX 3 Pro TIPs: UP AND
technology to deposit UV curable materials and water
soluble supports.
950 is the biggest product in 3D Systems’ range
of SLA machines. With its gigantic build chamber, RUNNING WITH AN OBJET
With its Digital Materials, the company brought to
it allows parts up to 1.5 metres in width - which is
rare for a production SLA machine. CONNEX

market the first method of creating multiple materials
Of course, its specialism is very large components
in a single build. Perfect for prototyping of over No 3D printing machine is plug and play. Here, Gary Miller, head of
(such as a dashboard) or high volumes of smaller
moulded components, combined with high resolution, 3D Printing and Rapid Prototyping at IPF Rapid Prototyping
parts. 3D Systems also quotes high speed build as
it changed the game. The most recent Objet500
another benefit. (ipfl.co.uk) gives his tips for a Connex machine. He should know, he
Connex3 brings with it colour support.
runs the UK’s largest Connex facility.
#1 Cheapest isn’t always the best: Slapping your parts on the bed
Around £250,000 < $1,000,000
in the quickest build time isn’t always best. Think about how the
part is going to be used and orientate it to suit. Flexible parts with
490 × 390 × 200 mm 1,500 x 750 x 550 mm a glossy surface often perform better but sometimes mean a longer
print time.
1 year (on site) with extension options 1 year (on site) with extension options
#2 Clean your prints properly: Traces of support resin you think
you cleaned away can cause issues later if you’re vac casting or
740 x 760 x 1,170 mm 2,200 x 1,600 x 2260 mm electro-plating Objet parts. If you clean the parts thoroughly and
don’t cut corners you’ll keep clients and suppliers happy in one hit.
0.016mm 0.05 - 0.15 mm
#3 Look after your investment: When printing in multiple materials
Multiple materials via Digital Materials + engineering it’s not uncommon to find traces of the wrong material where they
Accura 25 ABS like resins + casting options available
plastics, elastomers + transparent materials shouldn’t be. Contamination isn’t the printer’s fault it’s yours for not
looking after it properly! High-end kit needs daily maintenance. All
stratasys.com 3dsystems.com three of IPF’s Connex’s printers each get 15/20 minutes of TLC a day
and in return we get hours upon hours of reliability.

3D PRINTING FOR THE PROFESSIONAL DEVELOP3D.COM 13

3D PRINTING FOR THE PROFESSIONAL Sponsored by fusion360.autodesk.com

sintering for plastics

Sintering is the build method that’s driving acceptance of 3D printing outside
of its traditional market. Now with patents expiring, it’s primed for growth

» Tough, resistant parts » High materials costs » Large build volumes

» Advanced composite + filled materials » Stackable build chambers » Materials offerings growing
» UV resistant » Machine costs starting to drop » Finishing & painting can be troublesome

The basics : Sintering has its roots in the
ceramics industry, where it is described as
the process of creating objects from powders
using heat to bind together, at the atomic level,
just below the melting point of the material.
In the context of 3D printing, a heat source
(typically a powered laser, whose movement
is controlled by optics) is used to bind
together each layer of powder in the form
required.
A fresh layer of powder is then placed on
top of the previous and the same process
repeated, fusing together the new and
preceding layers. This has the benefit of
tough parts that represent form well as well
as potential for using more exotic powders.
The OPtions : There’s been huge growth
in the adoption of sintering in recent
years. Its ability to work quickly, with large,
stackable build chambers, has seen it become
a favourite of the service provider and user
alike. More recent advances are seeing
machine sizes grow and some interesting
materials become available. While some
are special purpose, 3D Systems’ machines
offer the ability to work with more than a
single category of material. The company’s
SinterStations have, for a long time, been
able to process not only engineering plastics,
but also sand and polystyrene. 2013 also saw
a price hike in powder following a fire at one
of two factories.
The future : BluePrinter is the first
sintering device to offer an alternative to EOS
and 3D Systems’ machines (at a tenth of the
cost) and its thermal print head technology is
patented and protected.
With the fundamental patent expiring in
2013 (US patent number US5597589), many
are predicting a wealth of entrants into the
market as has happened with FDM machines,
but we think this is unlikely. Sintering is
an inherently more complex exercise with
issues surrounding the handling of powder,
the heat required to sinter materials together
and the reuse of excess material. That said,
BluePrinter has shown there’s scope to do
something new, rather than copy.

BluePrinter EOS Formiga P110 3D Systems sPro 60 SD

BluePrinter is the first in a new wave of lower cost
machines. Based on thermal print head technology
(rather than laser optics), the BluePrinter has been
developed in Denmark. Unlike most other sintering
machines it is desktop /workshop friendly as it
doesn’t need special extraction facilities or an inert
atmosphere to build parts in.
Costing almost one tenth of the price of its nearest
competitor, it should be highly attractive to those with
significant budgets for outsourcing sintering.
Electro Optical Systems (or EOS for short) has been
mastering the plastics sintering process for a good
two decades. Its machines are well respected, the
entire process (from powder loading to build to
post processing and recycling) is well thought out
and established.
The Formiga P110 is EOS’s entry level offering into its
product range and brings with it a smaller form factor
machine that will suit the smaller facility that requires
advanced level plastics sintering.
Since 3D Systems acquired SinterStation
manufacturer DTM back in the day and has always
had sintering products available. Many bureaux still
run DTM SinterStations, albeit often with upgrades.
The sPro 60 is the entry point into 3D Systems’
sintering product range. Unlike many of the other
systems available, which focus on a core set of
materials, 3D Systems’ sinterers have the ability to
work with plastics as well as other materials such as
sand and polystyrene.

Price £15,995 €146,000 (including install + training) On Application

Build Envelope 200 x 160 x 140 mm 200 x 250 x 330 mm 381 x 330 x 437 mm

Warranty 1 year on-site (with extension options) 1 year on-site (with extension options) 1 year on-site (with extension options)

Machine Dimensions 1,220 x 505 x 570 mm 1,320 x 1,067 x 2,204 mm Not available

Layer Thickness 0.1 mm 0.06 mm, 0.1 mm, 0.12 mm (Material dependent) 0.08 – 0.15 mm

Variety of nylon powders inc. heat resistant and glass +

Material options Proprietary thermoplastic Nylon materials including glass and carbon filled
carbon filled options + flexible DuraForm Flex

Website blueprinter.dk eos.info 3dsystems.com

14 DEVELOP3D.COM 3D PRINTING FOR THE PROFESSIONAL

 Sponsored by fusion360.autodesk.com
plastics
3D Systems ProX 500
In terms of build size the 3D Systems ProX 500 is
on par with other machines in the range (though
larger machines are available). However, the recently
launched machine stands out because it offers much
faster build times.
Whereas comparative systems in the company’s
range boast around 0.8 litres per hour, the ProX 500
ramps this up to twice that amount and promises
finer resolution and better surface finishes with its
DuraForm ProX material.
On Application
381 x 330 x 457 mm
1 year on-site (with extension options)
Not available
0.08 – 0.15 mm
DuraForm ProX – Extra strong and durable
engineered production plastic
3dsystems.com
3D PRINTING FOR THE PROFESSIONAL
CASE NEW HOLLAND
& SLS FLEXIBILITY
C
ase New Holland acquired its first
sintering machine in 1998 — the
Vanguard si2 (now sold as the sPro
60 SD). Since then, the company has been
using it to churn out sand casting patterns.
In addition to sand casting patterns,
CNH also uses its SLS system to produce
sturdy prototypes as well as patterns for
investment purposes.
“Our main goal was to find a system that
would help us streamline the creation of
sand casting patterns,” says Luke Nolt,
casting specialist at CNH. “We also wanted
a system that we could use for a variety of
other applications.”
Most of CNH’s sand cast parts are made
of grey and ductile cast iron; others are
made with cast steel.”
CNH also has used its SLS system to
produce DuraForm prototypes of items
such as electronic enclosures, control
handles and other simulated moulded
plastic parts.
■ 3dsystems.com
EOS EOSINT 760
If you’ve ordered a sintered part from a service
provider in the last few years, the chances are it was
built with one of the larger EOS P700 series machines.
With a huge build chamber and automated processes
for recycling of material and breakout, this is the
machine of choice for many. Material choices abound,
from the undoubtedly familiar Polyamide (Nylon
to you and me), through glass and carbon filled
variants and, more recently, into the realms of high
temperature resistant powders.
€644,000 (including install + training)
700 x 380 x 580 mm
1 year on-site (with extension options)
2,200 x 1,600 x 2260 mm
0.05 mm
ABS, Nylon, PC, PC/ABS, PPSF, Ultem 9085
(high temp and FST rated)
eos.info
3D PRINTING FOR THE PROFESSIONAL
OTICON & bLUEprinter
SINTERING IN HOUSE
Headquartered in Denmark, Oticon is one of the world’s leading
providers of hearing care solutions. During the development of
new hearing care solutions, Oticon produces many prototypes
to evaluate the design for wiring and assembly. These normally
consist of up to 10 parts per new assembly design.
The parts are often scaled up to make the process of discussion
easier with regards to routing of cables and assembly, but also to use
the prototypes for educational purposes.
Oticon previously printed these prototypes at an external service
provider using a laser-based sintering technology but has recently
acquired one of the first production sintering machines from
BluePrinter.
With Blueprinter, Oticon can now produce the prototypes in-house
keeping the design process secure and at a fraction of the price.
“We have been using Blueprinter since November 2013 and are !
very happy with the output. We have been printing both entire !
hearing care solutions as well as single components to be fitted into
bigger solutions” says Lars Lund Jørgensen, Task manager in AM
technology, Oticon.!
■ blueprinter.dk
3 Pro TIPs UP AND
RUNNING WITH AN EOS
FORMIGA P100
Having acquired an EOS Formiga P100 Nick Allen at 3DPrintUk !
(3dprint-uk.co.uk) established 3DPrint UK in 2011. The company
provides a 3D print service right out of its central London facility.
Here Nick gives us the top three tips for those looking to get into the
sintering game for the first time.
#1 Don’t think you can start with SLS: SLS is like an F1 car,
correctly set up by fully trained, experienced professionals and
you’ll get to the end of the race quickly and well. But if you buy the
kit and try to learn as you go it will be a very long process. Even
with two solid years of 3D printing experience before I bought the
SLS machine, it took two to three months before we were printing
consistently.
#2 Whatever you think it’s going to cost, double it:
You also need to buy a compressor (circa £10-20k), an explosion
proof ATEX rated hoover (circa £2k), a breakout station (circa £15k),
blast cabinet (£1-5k), proper ventilation, a separate room for the
printer, two heavy duty 3 Phase connections and specialist rigging to
get it in the room.
#3 The dust: The goddam dust. It gets everywhere. Make sure that
you have a separate room for the machine and that it has a some
serious ventilation.
DEVELOP3D.COM 15
3D PRINTING FOR THE PROFESSIONAL Sponsored by fusion360.autodesk.com

PRINTING WITH M
If you desire tough, usable plastic parts Fused Deposition Modelling (FDM) has
always been the way to go. Now the professional has more choice than ever

» It’s metals not plastics » Inert gas is often needed » New competition in market
» Powdered metal is widely available » Tough resilient components » Low waste/scrap compared to NC
» Rich and established post processing » Material costs fluctuate with market » Definitely one for the shopfloor

The basics : While we’re all familiar with
the 3D printing of plastics, metals is perhaps
where the action is. Irrespective of the
exact process, the principles are the same.
A powdered metal is hit with a heat source
(laser, electron beam, name your choice),
brought to near melting point and fused
together — layer by layer.
There’s much debate over sintering (just
before melt point) vs. melting (obviously, at
the point of melt), but most machines can
handle both by tweaking settings.
It’s a question of control vs speed vs
resolution — and will vary greatly between
the machines and materials they’re
processing to build parts.
The OPtions : While most powdered
materials represent a fire/explosion hazard,
powdered metals (in particular, titanium)
doubly so. As a result, many machines use
inert gas filled build chambers and require
heavy ancillary equipment. These range from
explosion proof material flasks, heavy duty
recycling equipment and inert gas supplies.
There’s also the process of removing the
parts from the build platform.
You’ll need three phase electricity supply
to feed those powerful lasers. And then
there’s material costs. The Mlab machine, for
example, can be fitted with a 90 x 90 x 80 mm
build chamber, but that needs 8 to 10kg of
powdered gold to fill it (at €35,000/kg).
The future : Metal printing is one to
watch for the future. The ability to create
complex forms from a wide variety of
materials, is key.
Whether it’s lattice structures for medical,
conformal cooling channels in tooling or just
plain unmachinable or uncastable shapes.
There are also reports of the 3D printing
process bringing new and interesting after
effects (similar to heat treatment) in the more
exotic alloys.
The DMG Mori Lasertec machine shows
that there’s also potential to take a different
approach, without the need for a powder bed
and to integrate it with CNC machining in a
single unit.

Mlab Cusing R SLM 280HL Renishaw AM250

The Mlab Cusing R is at the entry-level of Concept
Laser’s metals machines range. It has a small build
platform that allows you to process a range of
materials at very high resolution. This makes it ideal
for small components in the medical or jewellery
industry (especially when combined with its support
for precious metals such as gold and silver).
It has multiple sized build chambers available, runs off
single phase power, has no extraction requirements
and will fit through a standard door
The SLM (Selective Laser Melting) 280HL offers a
good sized build chamber with options to upgrade the
optics. Installing two lasers means that the system
can build fine details on the exterior of parts with one,
then fill in the internal parts of a layer with the other.
Build capability can get down to 0.2 mm in terms of
wall thickness and feature detail and can process
a wide range of materials, from steels through to
the more difficult metals such as aluminium and
titanium. There are also options available to automate
materials handling.
Renishaw is well known name in the world of
manufacturing. Its AM125 and AM250 machines
are recent entrants into the metals printing world
and offer two usable build envelopes in single,
integrated units. This means that no additional
stations are required for material recycling (unused
powder is automatically reintroduced into the
system while it’s running).
The option to extend the build envelope from 300mm
to 360mm also gives additional options for those with
larger component requirements.

Price €180,000 £350K to £400K depending on final specification On Application

Build Envelope 50 x 50 x 80 mm 90 x 90 x 80 mm 280mm x 280mm x 350mm 250 x 250 x 300 mm (Z axis extendable to 360 mm)

Warranty 1 year (on-site with extension options) 2 years (with extension options) 1 year

Machine Dimensions 705 x 1,848 x 1,220 mm 1,800 x 1,900 x 1,000 mm 1,700 x 800 x 2,025 mm

Layer Thickness 0.015 - 0.025 mm 0.2 mm 0.02 - 0.1mm

Stainless steel 316L and 17-4PH, H13 tool steel,

Golds (various colours), silver, bronze, stainless steel, Titanium and aluminium alloys and also high
Material options aluminium Al-Si-12, titanium CP, Ti-6Al-4V and Ti-6Al-
titanium and cobalt chrome temperature materials including nickel and steel alloys
7Nb, cobalt-chrome (ASTM75), inconel 718 and 625

Website concept-laser.de | estechnology.co.uk slm-solutions.com | laserlines.co.uk renishaw.com

16 DEVELOP3D.COM 3D PRINTING FOR THE PROFESSIONAL

 Sponsored by fusion360.autodesk.com
METALS
EMPIRE CYCLES BUILDS FIRST 3D
PRINTED FRAME WITH RENISHAW
EOS M SINT 400
EOS’s M Sint machines have been on the market for
a decade or more now and the M SINT 400 is the
current state of the art, large frame machine.
With its 400 x 400 x 400 mm build chamber, it
combines larger capacity with a higher-speed 1 kW
laser for building metal components from an ever
expanding set of materials. Together with EOS’
mastery of the complete process, from materials
handling, recycling and post processing, this is the
true state of the art.
On Application
400 x 400 x 400 mm
1 year
4,181 mm x 1,613 mm x 2,355 mm
0.016 mm
Aluminum, colbalt chrome, stainless steel,
titanium and nickel alloy
eos.info
3D PRINTING FOR THE PROFESSIONAL
R
enishaw has collaborated with
a British bicycle design and
manufacturing company to
create the world’s first 3D printed metal
bike frame. Empire Cycles designed
the mountain bike to take advantage
of Renishaw’s additive manufacturing
technology, allowing them to create a
titanium frame that would be both strong
and light using topological optimisation.
The new frame is some 33% lighter than
the original.
The project’s aim was to produce a
fully functioning bicycle, so the seat post
bracket was tested using the mountain bike
standard EN 14766; it withstood 50,000
cycles of 1 200 N. Testing continued to
six times the standard without failure.
Additional benefits included the ability to
integrate internal strengthening features
that couldn’t be manufactured using
traditional approaches and the ability to
optimise design right up to production
■ renishaw.com/empire
DMG LASERTEC 65 AM
DMG Mori Seiki will soon be launching this beast of
a machine, which combines metal deposition with a
3- and 5-axis CNC machining capability.
The machine uses what is essentially a CNC driven
weld bead to make the initial form. The part is then
allowed to cool and the system then machines the
exact form to the required tolerances. For those
working at the outer reaches of aerospace and
autosport, this could be very interesting indeed
(see box out top right for more info)
On Application
650/650/560 mm (CNC) | ø 500 x 350 mm (3D print)
1 year
2,200 x 1,600 x 2260 mm
Not applicable
Stainless steels, tooling steels, non-ferrous alloys,
super alloys, precious metals, alumina
dmgmori.com
3D PRINTING FOR THE PROFESSIONAL
COMBINING 3D PRINTed
metal WITH 5-axis CNC
1 2
3 4
If there is a challenge in the world of printing with metals, it’s
the need to be able to machine parts after build. While 3D print
techniques can get you close, there’s always going to be a need to
finish those components to closer tolerances.
Japanese machine tool specialist, DMG Mori Seiki has set-up a
subsidiary company, Sauer Lasertec, to explore the potential for
combining 3D deposition of metals (using laser cladding) with CNC
machining in a single unit. Due for launch later this year, the Lasertec
65 AM (Additive Manufacturing) looks to be the first result of this work.
It combines a 2Kw laser that can form materials from powdered metals
and then automatically finish the part with 5-axis CNC machining.
The machine can be used to generate near net shape forms
(figure ●1 ) or to add additional details (figures ●
2 ●
3 ) that would be
difficult to achieve using powder-bed techniques.
Once the ‘near net shape’ component is ready, the 5-axis cutting
capability of the machine takes over and can use the company’s
experience in machining to finish and post machine those ‘rougher’
forms (figure ● 4 ).
The company believes this can give up to 20x speed improvements
on existing technologies and can save 95% of material waste compared
to machining from billet. Engineering metals supported include steel,
nickel and cobalt alloys, brass and titanium.
■ dmgmori.com
3 Pro TIPs UP AND
RUNNING WITH 3D
PRINTING IN METALS
Jeremy Pullin is Rapid Manufacturing Manager at Renishaw (renishaw.
com) and runs one of the UK’s most advanced prototyping centres to
support the company’s own design, engineering and manufacturing
facilities. Here, he gives us 3 tips for printing in metals.
#1 You can’t stack parts: 3D printing in metal powder isn’t like
printing in plastic powders. Unlike plastic SLS, you can’t stack the
build, as metal powder systems need supports so once the 2D
dimensions of your table is full of parts you can fit any more on.
#2 Never underestimate the importance of supports. The need
for supports has several far reaching implications. Metal supports
need to be mechanically removed which means you have to be able
to access them with your removal tools or leave them in place. If your
supports are stronger than your part features then your part may
well be damaged when you are doing support removal.
#3 Don’t shortcut on health and safety: We all do the odd thing,
like stroking a dog that we don’t know, when the paranoid health
and safety police aren’t looking, but with metal systems you need
to do it all by the book because these dogs can bite. Wear all of the
correct gear and control access to the area when you’re working
with powders. Make sure that the environment is correctly set up for
ventilation and electrical requirements. Most importantly of all make
sure that the people using the correct kit are properly trained.
DEVELOP3D.COM 17
3D PRINTING FOR THE PROFESSIONAL Sponsored by fusion360.autodesk.com

ALTERNATIVES &
Not every 3D printer can be compartmentalised as neatly as others. Here, we
explore some of the alternatives, either for pure originality or their speciality

» Broad range of alternatives » Special purpose materials development » Novel approaches to part building
» Ability to piggie back on other industries » Lower costs of entry » Large build volume machines
» Growing range of specialisation » Greater industry process support » Growing acceptance of entry level

The basics : In terms of technology there
are many 3D printers that don’t fall into a
specific category.
Some are developed for special purposes
to support specific materials or industry
practices. Others offer an entirely different
approach to producing parts or prototypes.
Here we take a look at what other machines
are out there and what they can do. We run
the whole gamut from paper-based full
colour models to machines specifically
designed for wax models. There are also
machines that build exotic ceramics to
patterns and cores for sand casting purposes.
The OPtions : 3D printing, as an industry,
has always been adept at taking mainstream,
mass appeal (relatively speaking)
technologies and adapting them to suit the
needs of specific industries or processes.
While we’ve covered only five machines
to show the spread of options out there,
it’s worth spending time to find out what’s
available for your particular industry.
Chances are there’s something that’s a close
match and could provide an interesting edge
for new products or workflows. It’s also often
worth considering products perceived as
special purpose outside of their core focus.
The future : Specialisation is not a new
thing in 3D print but it may well represent
an interesting take on its future. As the
technology becomes more mainstream,
investment grows and more organisations
will look to take lessons learned and apply
them to solve specific problems, bottlenecks
or provide new solutions. Just as the hearing
aid and dental industries took to both metal
sintering and stereolithography and special
purpose machines came to market as a
result, so will others in the near future. As
it stands, special purpose won’t be massive
volumes of sales but, in niches, will thrive.

Mcor Technology Iris 3D Systems ProJet 1200 CeraFab 7500

Mcor’s Iris machine uses the company’s paper-based
3D printing to produce tough prototypes in full colour
(they’re layered paper).
The machine is a two stage process. Each sheet
(it uses A4 or Letter sized office paper) is printed
with the colour requirements, then loaded into the
machine. This takes each layer, positions it with
remarkably accuracy and the profile is cut, along with
scoring to assist with break out of the model. Each
layer is then bonded to the previous.
SLA is perfectly suited to the building of small
scale, high resolution waxes for investment casting.
Whether in medical or jewellery or any other field,
the combination of specialised materials and high
detail, means that it’s found a significant home
in many organisations. The release of the Form1
from Formlabs meant that 3D Systems had serious
competition at the entry level. The ProJet 1200 is its
answer and combining a small form factor machine
with a low cost, it’s a good one.
Based on long-term research at the TU Wien (Vienna
University of Technology), Lithoz developed the
patented Lithography based Ceramic Manufacturing
(LCM)-process. This uses LED technology to build
directly in a number of ceramic materials.
The high resolution combined with unique materials
(including a bone like material called LithaBone)
means that the CeraFab is pretty unique on the
market, though competition is growing

Primary Purpose Colour prints + Paper models Stereolithography for casting waxes Ceramics

Price £30,600 $4,900 €220,000

Build Envelope 275 x 265 x 240 mm 43 x 27 x 180mm 76 mm x 43 mm x 150 mm

Warranty 1 year 1 year Not available

Machine Dimensions 950 x 700 x 800 mm 228 x 228 x 358 mm 1,200 x 600 x 1,800 mm

Layer Thickness 0.075 mm 0.03 mm 0.025 - 0.1 mm

A4 + letter paper and proprietary CMYK ink +

Material options VisiJet FTX Green material Aluminiumoxide + zirconiumoxide + LithaBone
PVA adhesive

Website mcortechnologies.com 3dsystems.com lithoz.com

18 DEVELOP3D.COM 3D PRINTING FOR THE PROFESSIONAL

 Sponsored by fusion360.autodesk.com
SPECIALS
VoxelJet VX500
VoxelJet’s range of machine have a unique trick up
their sleeves — their powder-based processes can
work with both plastic and sand for both prototypes
and forms for casting/foundry work.
The VX500 sits in the middle of the product range
and offers the best price/performance/build size
for those looking to build substantial parts. Having
both capabilities is perfect for those with foundry
capability in house and the need for prototyping
components
Plastic parts + Sand cores for foundry industry
€278,000
500 x 400 x 300 mm
1 year (on site with extension options)
1,800 x 1,800 x 1,700 mm
0.08 / 0.15 mm
ABS, Nylon, PC, PC/ABS, PPSF, Ultem 9085 (high temp
and FST rated)
voxeljet.com
3D PRINTING FOR THE PROFESSIONAL
WAX CASTING FOR
GAS REGULATORS
E
lster Aeroteh is Romania’s main
producer of equipment for gas
measurement and regulation.
When it set out to produce a new, simpler
pressure regulator model especially for the
Romanian industry, it was important that it
be developed and manufactured locally.
The company initially attempted to build
CNC prototypes, but found it hard to obtain
the level of detail required to get a true
picture of the product’s performance. That’s
when they went to LogiCAD Solutions, a
Romanian CAD/CAM service provider.
LogiCAD was able to accurately cast
aluminium alloy prototypes for this
particular piece by making wax patterns on
a 3D Systems’ ProJet 3510 CPX 3D running
the RealWax material for high resolution
investment casting. In 12 days four wax
test pieces were printed, casted using
aluminium and machined.
■ 3Dsystems.com
ExOne S-PRINT
The S-Print processes industry-standard casting
sand to create complex mould cores and patterns
for the foundry industry. Featuring a massive build
chamber and a level of automation that is both
rare and perfectly suited to the high demands of
industry practices, it is finding homes in foundries
that are pushing the boundaries of what’s possible.
Production rates are high and the ancillary
equipment allows foundries to integrate it into their
more traditional processes and workflows.
Sand cores/moulds for foundry industry
On Application
800 x 500 x 400 mm
5 year limited
3,270 x 2,540 x 2,860 mm
0.254 / 0.33 mm
Furan, Phenol and Silicate materials available
exone.com
3D PRINTING FOR THE PROFESSIONAL
CASTING THE COMPLEX
WITH VOXELJET PATTERNS
The Schmolz + Bickenbach Guss Gruppe has been using voxeljet’s
3D print technology for the production of lost wax models from
small complex components to larger automotive castings for
wheels and gearboxes.
Thomas Peipp, Investment Casting Manager at Schmolz+Bickenbach
Guss GmbH in Ennepetal says: “The problem is the cumbersome
production of the necessary wax models. This requires expensive
injection molding tools and wax presses. Tool costs can become
prohibitively expensive when used for small series production, as they
result in very high unit prices.”
Using voxeljet’s Augsburg-based provider can produce plastic
models quickly, precisely and cost-effective. These PMMA models can
completely replace traditional wax models. And the most important
part: The production of the plastic models using 3D printing is very
simple. No tools are required, as the digital printing process is based
on the CAD data for the part. The 3D printer builds the model layer by
layer using the digital data.
The downstream process for digitally printed parts is the same as for
those parts produced conventionally by injecting wax into a metal tool.
“Whether prototype, individual part or small series–3D printing
technology makes it possible to produce highly complex design and
investment casting models quickly, easily and cost-effectively. That’s an
enormous advantage for investment casting specialists, and especially
our customers,” concludes Thomas Peipp
■ voxeljet.com
3 Pro TIPs: SAND CORES
WITH AN EXOne S-PRINT
Advanced automotive casting expert, Grainger and Worrall
(gwcast.com) recently acquired one of ExOne’s S-Print machines.
Here, Antony Middleton, manager for the facility, gives us a run down
of what they’ve learned.
#1 Foundries not included: Having a sand printer on site has
been a fantastic benefit to our productivity and reaction time to
customers. However, this system is an INDIRECT digital manufacture
method. Once we have produced the sand moulds, they still have to
be poured with metal (aluminium, iron, steel etc.) to achieve your
final metal part.
#2 Big parts, big space. The S-Print has an 800 x 500 x 400 mm
build area and can print this in a little over 10 hours (depending on
layer thickness). This equates to over 500kg of sand being produced
a day. Typically, we can produce 2 tonnes of moulds and cores per
week. That requires a lot of space for raw materials, cleaning, part
storage. We also split our setup into 2 areas (one for printing and one
for post processing and storage).
#3 Big parts, bigger savings: Unlike most RP technologies, the raw
materials are relatively ‘cheap’. Looking at a standard powder based
printer, the powder costs around £700 per 15kg. The S-Print sand
(powder) costs £300 per tonne and any unbound sand can be reused.
Aside from our sand moulds, we are starting to work with companies
looking at other uses such as large composite moulds (GRP and
carbon fibre), art sculptures and building applications. 3D printed
house bricks, closer than you think!
DEVELOP3D.COM 19
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GETTING the BASICS RIGHT

3D printers can only replicate the data you give them. Al Dean looks at
the tools available, some emerging trends and the best practice to get it right

T
he process of sending data to a
3D printer is often fraught with A B C
problems. The most common
mistakes are often the most
basic — after all, these are the
most easily overlooked.
Our goal here is to look at some of the best
practices for making sure the prints you get
out of the machine or back from a bureau
in a styrofoam and bubble wrap packed box
are just as your design skills and 3D design
●
A Simple sphere - described with a surface model ●
B Low-res tessellation ●
C High-res tessellation
system intended.

Format? STL... of course

While there’s much talk about direct d E F
integration between CAD systems and 3D
printers (we’ll discuss that shortly), unless
you’re running one of a very small number of
machines, the chances are your process will
be like this: get your CAD data then Save As
or Export as an STL file. Job done, right? Not
so fast, buster.
STL is a format first developed by 3D
Systems back in the 1980s as a means of
taking analytic surfaces and solids from
3D CAD tools and getting them into the
stereolithography machines of the day. That
format, due to its simple nature and relative
ease of adding support into the software, ●
D Nice clean surfaces ●
E Low-res that will require hand finishing ●
F High-res means no hand finishing

gained traction and it has been the de facto

standard ever since.
Essentially, STL is a tessellated file format
and is about as basic as it gets. It’ll take your
nice clean CAD geometry and convert it
into a mesh comprising of hundreds, if not
thousands, of triangles.
What’s interesting is how varied the
support for such a basic file format can be
in different CAD systems. And, in order to
get the best results, it is essential that, when
exporting this data, you understand the best
approach, the best settings for each. After all,
if you’re going to spend eight hours building
a part overnight, you don’t want to come
into work the following morning and find a
blocky, facetted representation of the design
work you’ve just spent four days working on.
TESSELLATION SETTINGS
The first part of the process is to get to grips
with tessellation and the controls. While we
don’t have space to detail every CAD system’s
particular settings and options, we should
be able to give you enough information to
interpret into your workhorse tool.
Resolution: Most design systems work with
presets for exporting STL files, which give
you specific values for a couple of settings.
Whether it’s referred to as chord height,
triangle edge length or something else, you
need to master these to control the triangle
size. As you can see in figures A to C above,
taking a simple sphere and creating an STL
file with different settings, gives you very
different results.
If we then do the same with a more
complex example of a part, in figures D to
F you’ll see the impact of using too low a
resolution. In figure E, the portions of the
model that are based on cylindrical forms
are facetted, the grips are the same around
the lower feature set. The end result of this
will be a model that, while the same basic
shape of your starting point, will need hand
finishing if it’s to be of real use.
As shown in figure F, using a higher
resolution tessellation setting will give you a
much cleaner result. The part will come out
of the printer without much need for sanding
or post processing. It’ll also give you a much
better fit with the components that surround
it (particularly where holes and parts that fit
into them are concerned).
It is worth noting that most CAD systems
give you access to the advanced settings
for tessellation. Take time to explore these,
particularly if you’re working with highly
complex parts: those with small features in
larger overall geometry sets. It may be that
you need to wind down the settings and up
the resolution to get the best results across a
complex part.
ASSEMBLIES
Another option available in most systems
that’s worth exploring is the ability to work
with assembly models. It’s uncommon to
be working with a single part, on its own,
and every CAD system lets you work with
multiple parts in a single file. The STL
export options in most systems allow you to
output STL data from assemblies in one of
two modes.

20 DEVELOP3D.COM 3D PRINTING FOR THE PROFESSIONAL

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3D PRINTING FOR THE PROFESSIONAL DEVELOP3D.COM 21

3D PRINTING FOR THE PROFESSIONAL

We’re starting to see
3D design tool vendors
integrating more advanced
tools than just ‘Export STL’.
Some are clear attempts
to jump on the 3D printing
hype bandwagon, others are
direct integrations

SpaceClaim has
launched a new 3D
Print Preparation
module for its 3D
direct modelling tool
One STL per part: The first ,and most useful,
is the ability to take a multi-part assembly and
have the system export a separate STL for each
part in that assembly. If you have a relatively
small assembly, this will be pretty manageable.
If you have a larger assembly with over 20
parts, for instance, you’ll find that the data
grows. It’s also worth noting that most systems
don’t retain any information about instances or
multiple copies of the same geometry.
So, if you export an assembly with five
instances of one component, you’ll end up
with five separate parts. When ordering from
a service provider this is ideal, as you’ll get
back the same number of parts you need.
If you’re building them in-house, it also
has benefits, but a more intelligent solution
might be to use just one of those STLs and
copy them in the build software (which is a
common capability).
It’s also worth noting that any fasteners
might also be exported and not necessarily
be needed or appropriate for the task unless
you’ve hard modelled threads and the like.
All parts in a single STL: I’m sure most of
us have seen demonstration pieces from
3D print vendors that show a complex
arrangement of parts, built in a single build.
Whether it’s a wrench that opens up with the
flick of a worm gear or a series of spheres
inside another sphere. These might be
fascinating examples, but the reality is that
the instances where this would be useful in a
design office, are few and far between.
As a result, the ability of most CAD systems
to give you a single STL file of all the parts in
an assembly is almost useless and best to be
avoided. It can cause problems where faces
intersect one another; it can cause problems
with the integrity of the data and importing
it into the setup software at all. And unless
you’ve accounted for fit, for expansion
and contraction in the build process, the
chances are the mechanism won’t work.
22 DEVELOP3D.COM
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Alternatives to STL? SPECIALISED TOOLS
While STL is the standard, there’s also talk Alongside the tools in our workhorse design
of a couple of other 3D formats that might systems, there’s a breed of specialised tools
be competitive. One is the AMF format, that are laser targeted on 3D printing.
that gives software the ability to retain What’s interesting is that functionality-
information about colour, material and many restricted versions of these tools are often
other things. available for free, for pure viewing or simple
The problem is that none of the software repair. Both NetFabb and Deskartes offer
companies at the data creation end of free versions of their software and include
the spectrum appear to be even vaguely a range of fix tools, from simply reversal of
interested in it. A more popular route, normals, through watertightness checks
it would seem, is to link the generating and export.
software directly to the machines themselves. As you step up the cost curve, you get
more tools and more advanced options. For
CAD to PRINT - DIRECT example, Materialise’s Magics runs from file
In the last 12 months, there’s been an repair and fixing, through preparation, pre
interesting trend of 3D CAD vendors to sit up processing for complex supports as well as
and take notice of the 3D printing industry. editing tools to assist with 3D print specific
Whether it was Microsoft’s announcement workflows. The same is true of Deskartes and
about adding 3D print support to Windows NetFabb’s paid for offerings although neither
8.1, to get on the growing hype bandwagon extend into production support.
or something else, the fact is that things are
changing. Conclusion
Autodesk was first out of the blocks with its A year ago, we asked the 3D design system
3D print utility. This connects to MakerBots vendors their intentions with regards 3D
as well as two Objet/Stratasys machines. It printing and support for some of the newer
runs through file check, repair and support file formats out there.
generation where needed then sends the data At the time, most were nonplussed and
out to the set-up software for the machine. most dismissed it out of hand. Fast forward
SolidWorks, on the other hand, twelve months and we’re starting to see
announced that it was riding off the back of 3D design tool vendors integrating more
the Windows-level integration and looking advanced tools than just ‘Export STL’.
to introduce tools into SolidWorks 2015 Some are clear attempts to jump on the 3D
that will let you print directly from the printing hype bandwagon, others are direct
software, without an intermediary export/ integrations. The problem with this approach
import step. is that unless you have those machines in
SpaceClaim has also launched a plug-in house (and from reading this guide you know
for its direct modeller that takes a different there’s far more out there than a MakerBot),
approach. It collects together some existing they’re almost useless.
tools and some basic editing tools tuned for Ironically, it’s the introduction of 3D
common 3D print workflows (such as part print support into Windows that holds the
splitting and auto-generation of features to most potential, assuming that the machine
reassemble the components after build). vendors also get on board. Otherwise, it’s
Interestingly, it works with both solid just another set of tools that are of use to a
geometry and imported mesh data. limited number of users.
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MATERIALISE MAGICS NETFABB NETFABB PRO

Developed by Belgian If you’ve done any 3D
3D printing specialist, printing you’re probably
Materialise, Magics is familiar with NetFabb.
perhaps one of the most The Finnish organisation
widely used special purpose has been developing its
systems in the 3D printing NetFabb products for a few
industry — by users and years. Starting with the
bureaux alike. Features NetFabb Basic, a free version
include file import and that includes basics STL
repair, editing, pre processing, volume layout, support design, sinter manipulation and data repair, it’s pretty widely used. What might not
chamber nesting and optimisation. It also offers direct control of a be so widely known is the Professional version.
wide range of machines for a production environment. Magics pretty Priced at €1,499, it adds in a number of features for handling more
much does it all. complex tasks. From part slicing (to get a large part into a smaller
While there’s a free Magics Mini version available for everyone (it build volume), more repair tools, part editing (with some interesting
makes a useful STL viewer), the system is modular in nature and booleans for meshes) as well as downstream tools to process slices
costs can ramp up as you add capabilities. To learn more, check out for the printer. Another benefit is that it has a wide range of data
our review of Magics 18 at tinyurl.com/D3Dmagics. support outside of STL from CAD geometry to CT scan data.
■ materialise.com/magics ■ netfabb.com

AUTODESK MESHMIXER DESKARTES 3DATA EXPERT

For some time now, Deskartes’ product range
Autodesk has been taking starts with a basic and
its professional market free file viewer with a few
knowledge and adapting it geometry fixes and basic
to the maker space. It has a export options, then ramps
range of tools under up to include all manner
the 123D banner that of repair and editing tools.
support design for laser From cutting and splitting of
cutters, mesh manipulation large parts (with automated
and remixing and now, following its link up with MakerBot (it location feature creation), through booleans (ideal for adding in
resells the Replicator devices), 3D printing. holes to allow powder/resin to escape internal voids) and into offsets,
The latest example is MeshMixer, which combines polygon shelling and other operations. Interestingly, it also includes the
modelling with a set of tools to help prepare data for 3D print and option for direct read of CAD geometry from a variety of standard
get the best results from your model and machine — from shelling and native formats, so tessellation can be performed in a single
to support generation. This won’t be the last of its efforts and many environment. The paid for versions start at around €900 and move
other vendors are playing catch up. upwards from there as you add more functionality.
■ meshmixer.com ■ deskartes.fi

ADOBE ENTERS THE 3D PRINTING FRAY with PHOTOSHOP update

If there’s one tool that’s
ubiquitous in the design
world, it’s Adobe’s
Photoshop — we all have
a license in some form or
another kicking around.
While Adobe has had
an on/off relationship
with 3D geometry over
the years, the latest
(14.5) release saw the
company introduce
some interesting tools
to support 3D printing
explicitly.
We caught up with
Adobe’s Principal Solutions
Consultant for Digital
Imaging, Richard Curtis, to
find out a little more about
what the update brings.
The goal is to make it
easier for those already on
the Photoshop bandwagon
to use the existing tools to
design, texture and output
geometry for 3D printing.
What’s interesting is that
this past year has already
seen a lot more activity on
the colour front (as you’ll
learn more about on page
30). With three machine
vendors now selling full
colour machines, the ability
to efficiently handle colour
definition is going to be
more interesting to a wider
proportion of the design
and engineering crowd.
Photoshop, as you would
expect, includes a tonne of
tools to help either build
models from scratch, use
the included integration
with Cinema4D, or import
geometry using a number
of formats (including STL,
OBJ and Collada to name a
few) and then work with it.
Texture and paint processes
can be applied with the
familiar Photoshop tools.
But what’s really
interesting is how far
the company is taking
its support for the entire
process.
Of course, you can
export an OBJ file (which
will contain colour
information), but a more
effective method is to use
the built-in pre processing
tools. These use some
newly developed processes
that allow the Photoshop
user to bring in a model,
add some edits, then
build any additional data
required. A large part of
it centres on new tools
that allow more efficient
support structures to
be built directly inside
Photoshop.
These create more
material efficient support
structures to help the build
process, but do so in a
highly efficient manner. The
machine software typically
includes these types of
tools (predominantly used
for filament machines) but
do so in a comprehensive
manner - wasting material
and build time.
Photoshop’s support
generation tools look to
be much more material
and build efficient, placing
supports that take into
account post processing
and break-out of supports.
While the full integration
is, by default, with
MakerBot machines (as well
as the Mcor Iris), an open
approach is allowing other
machine vendors to add the
build parameters of their
machines.
■ adobe.com

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Design for 3D Printing:

TIME FOR A new rulebook?
The myth that 3D printing can free you from the rules of design for
manufacture is perpetuated across the whole industry. We explore the reality

D
esign for manufacturing is
dead. If you believe the press
articles and other hyperbole,
you’d think that 3D printing
will mean an end to
designers having to worry
about how a part is designed for production.
The reality is that although the use of 3D
printing for the manufacture of end use
components does shift the focus away from
the traditional set of rules for design for
manufacturing, it brings a whole new set of
guidelines. It’s also worth bearing in mind
many of these rules are just as applicable to
producing prototypes.
While the ideal is to mimic the production
intent as close as is humanly possible,
achieving a combination of mechanical
performance, surface finish and detail
representation often isn’t possible. So you
end up having to choose a process that’s the
best trade off of all three and slightly adapt
your model to suit it.
The difference is that while traditional
design for manufacture guidelines centre
on generalised production processes and
materials, this new breed are much more
difficult to tie down and formalise. And,
at least for the foreseeable future, they are
constantly changing.
Each 3D print machine has different
boundaries in terms of what can and can’t
be achieved. Then you start to add in factors
such as materials variation.
Over the page, with the help of some kind
folks that run these machines day in, day out,
we’ve broken down some of the processes.
The aim is to give you an idea of what they are
capable of and what you need to bear in mind
when designing parts for each.
In researching this article it quickly became
clear that this information isn’t immediately
and readily accessible. There’s no single
place to pull up a reference. A good starting
point can be the guidelines provided by
machine and material vendors.
If you’re outsourcing parts for production,
a good service provider should be able to give
you the basics, if indeed, this information is
not already on its website.
If you’re looking to build in-house, the
machine vendor should have common
guidelines and point you in the right direction.
It’s also worth getting your Google on
and with a quick session you’ll get hold of
common guidelines for most processes,
from a wide variety of sources.
Then it’s a case of looking at what you’re
trying to achieve, matching the best process
to fit (in terms of mechanical and chemical
performance, surface finish and all the other
engineering inputs and outputs you need)
and working to those rules.
Then you need to break them! And this
is absolutely key to understanding the true
potential. After all, 3D printing, particularly
when you’re looking at using the processes for
end-use components, rather than prototypes,
is highly suited to experimentation.
Because there’s little in the way of set-up
and tooling, 3D printing represents an
interesting way to experiment with form that
couldn’t be possible using traditional means.
Whether that’s the combination of
multiple parts into a single, multi-functional
component, exploring new forms that
couldn’t be moulded or machined or trying
new methods. There’s plenty of potential.

REDESIGN FOR LIGHTWEIGHTING and efficiency

WITH SINTERED METALS in AEROSPACE
EADS Innovation Works (IW), the
aerospace and defence group’s research and
technology organisation, is always on the
look-out for new manufacturing methods.
A recent target for evaluation was EOS’s
DMLS (Direct Metal Laser-Sintering) additive
manufacturing process.
It is being used by EADS IW to
manufacture demonstration parts to
explore the benefits of optimised design
and production sustainability. Protection
of the environment is a key driver, while
a reduction in the costs of manufacturing
and operating its aerospace products also
underlies the group’s research.
The results from the initial joint study
were evaluated in terms of CO2 emissions,
energy and raw material efficiency
and recycling. When analysing energy
consumption, the company’s investigation
included not only the production phase,
but also the sourcing and transportation of
raw materials, argon consumption for the
atomisation of the DMLS metal powder, and
overall waste from atomisation.
An assessment by EADS IW highlighted,
amongst other things, the potential cost and
sustainability benefits of DMLS during the
operational phase in the redesign of Airbus
A320 nacelle hinge brackets. The data was
backed up by test results from EOS and, in
an additional step, by test results from a
raw material (powder) supplier.
In the first instance, cast steel nacelle
hinge brackets were compared to an
additively manufactured (AM) bracket of
optimised titanium design by measuring
the energy consumption over the whole life
cycle. The technology turned out to be a
good fit for the design optimisation, as for
this application the operational phase is
typically 100 times more important than the
static phases (e.g. manufacturing the part).
A comparison was made between
manufacturing the optimised titanium
component by rapid investment casting and
on an EOS platform. Energy consumption
for the lifecycle of the bracket, including
raw material manufacture, the production
process and the end-of-life phase, is slightly
smaller on the EOS platform compared
with rapid investment casting. The main
advantage of the EOS technology, however,
is that the additive process uses only the
amount of material for manufacture that is
in the product itself. Thus consumption of
raw material can be reduced by up to 75%.
The study focused on the comparison
between DMLS and rapid investment
casting of a single part and did not take into
account the question of scalability, which
has yet to be addressed. However, some
impressive results were documented.
The optimised design of the nacelle
hinge bracket allowed EADS and EOS to
demonstrate the potential to reduce the
weight per aircraft by approximately
10kg — a significant amount in aviation.
CO2 emissions, as a result of the
brackets, were reduced by almost
40 per cent over their life cycle by
optimising the design, despite
the fact that the EOS process
technology uses significantly
more energy during
manufacture.
■ airbus-group.com
■ eos.info

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OBJET Connex FDM based SINTERING 3D PRINTING

MACHINEs
Multi-materials: When supplying
CAD data for a multi-material print on
the Connex ensure it is saved out in the
same, positive space.
This assists with ensuring that
different material settings (using the
Connex’ Digital Materials) and colours
can be applied.
Wall thickness: For Vero materials
the minimum wall thickness is 0.6mm
but for the flexible materials it’s a
minimum of 1mm.
Flexible parts: To improve the
durability of the flexible material
always try to print the part with a
glossy surface and angle it so it’s ‘not’
parallel to the head block.
45˚
Flexible & flat: The build mechanism
includes a roller. If you hit the wall of a
flat, flexible component, it can cause
problems. Orient flat components
in flexible materials at around 45
degrees to the print head’s movement.
■ tips by IPF ltd (ipfl.co.uk)
Machines
Wall thickness: This can be as small
as 0.5mm for most materials. High
temperature materials require at
least 1mm, though this may be more
with some parts, depending on
geometry and material selection.
Part distortion: Although common
in lower-end FDM machines, pro
level FDM parts should not distort
or warp either during or post-build.
Lower temperature materials can
be removed immediately, whilst
for higher temperature materials a
cool down option on the machine is
sometimes required.
Porosity: All FDM parts have a level
of porosity. To ensure parts are
non-porous, various post finishing
methods can be applied.
Feature detail: The minimum slice
height for FDM is 0.127mm. Fine
feature detail, such as fine threads
and small lettering, can be difficult.
For smoother surfaces, curved
geometry should be orientated in the
Z-axis to avoid stair-stepping on parts.
Rapid manufacturing: The use of the
bespoke Insight software on Fortus
systems allows the user full control
of material tool-paths and editing
support structure.
■ tips by Laser Lines (laserlines.co.uk)
WITH PLASTICS
Wall thickness: The minimum wall is
1mm. What’s less known is that maximum
wall is around 10mm (can go thicker but
this is geometry dependent).
Thermal process: Sintering is a thermal
process and requires cool down after
build. Parts also shrink during this time
so have to be scaled up prior to build.
Flat panels: Large,
flat, panels can distort
due to stresses built
up during the process.
Anything larger than
150mm in either
direction has the possibility of distorting
Trapped powder: After build, un-
sintered, loose powder has to be removed
from the parts. Where parts are hollowed
they will contain loose, un-sintered
powder. They need an exit feature.
Text details: Use basic fonts. Minimum
suggested size 16pt (5mm letter height).
This can be embossed or debossed,
minimum 0.6mm.
■ tips by 3T RPD (3trpd.co.uk)
WITH METALS
Orientation: Avoid surfaces built
parallel to the recoater blade.
Large holes: Avoid holes larger than
6mm (if required, can a rain drop be
incorporated? - as above). It is best to
machine blind holes in after build.
Angle to horizontal: Avoid any
angles less than 45 degrees to the
horizontal.
Downward facing surfaces: Avoid
having key surfaces downwards, as
supports cause issues with finish
Surface finish: Surface roughness
differs between materials from 4
to 12Ra with Titanium having the
smoothest result.
Sharp edges/point: Avoid knife
edges and points and add in fillets/
rounds to as many edges on the
component as possible
Height to Wall: The height of a
cylinder should not exceed ten times
the wall thickness
■ tips by 3T RPD (3trpd.co.uk)

BUILDING lightweight STRUCTUREs WITH materialise 3-MATIC

One of the most interesting areas of
research and development in the field of
3D printing is the ability to use lattice
structures in product design. Typically, these
forms would be difficult to manufacture
using traditional means unless there was
an economic reason to do so (think of the
margins available in the jewellery industry,
where it traditionally makes sense).
3D printing technology means that
intermediary stages aren’t really required
and if the structure can be designed, it
can be built (within the parameters of the
process and material).
The lattice like structures could be
decorative but, more importantly, there’s
the potential to save material, weight and
to provide a more efficient solution to a ●A Inside 3-matic, ●B 3-matic then ●
C Once complete,
problem. There is also potential in the import (or create) creates a ‘graph’. tested (using FEA)
medical field in terms of implants. the solid geometry This is a wireframe and finalised, the
The key problem is that there’s little in for the product representation of part can be output
the way of software to support these types you’re working on, each element, to directly to Magics
of lightweight structures in the design with separate bodies which a thickness is software or to STL
process. One of the only systems out there representing the applied. The system for building. The final
is Materialise’s 3-matic system. Here’s the space envelope for has a large number of end result built in
basics of how it works. the lattice structure presets, but the user titanium can be see
■ materialise.com to be built within has complete control to the right

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BRINGING 3D PRINTING to
the design office
If you are thinking of bringing 3D printing into your design office here are
three things to consider that might not be immediately obvious

Y
ou’ve looked at the options, you’ve
looked at your budgets, you’ve
worked out that having 3D printing
in house would be beneficial to your
business and you’ve chosen your process. So
what are your next steps? Here are three of
our top tips you should think about before
signing off that purchase order.
#1 The use case
This might sound obvious, but it’s one that
needs to be properly thought through. Are
you looking to cut-back on outsourcing
and do the same work in house? Or are you
looking to have more immediate feedback
in your design process? There’s a subtle
difference between the two.
Having a 3D printer in your office,
available when you need it, is incredibly
powerful. As you have the equipment to
hand, you can experiment more and test out
ideas — without having to wait for delivery,
handle budgets and approvals.
If you’re purely looking to replace
outsourced work, some thought needs to
be given to the volume of work and how
much of an existing team member’s time
that is going to take up. All of this needs to
factored into your budget.
#2 The space and environment
Some printers are labelled ‘office friendly’
but even these have peculiarities that
need to be taken into account. Some FDM
machines require manual break out of
supports but if the supports are soluble, you
will need facilities to remove them.
Automated solutions are available, but
while these might appear office friendly,
there can be noise and smell implications.
As you get into more complex processes,
the complexity of the post processing
requirements typically increase as well. You
need to look at the whole process, rather
than just the build portion.
Most materials typically have special storage
requirements and these need to be adhered
to, otherwise you end up wasting cash on
unusable or sub-part materials and you’ll end
up with crappy builds out of your machine.
#3 Total budget
It’s easy to get carried away with the
excitement of bringing 3D printing in
house. Even with entry-level machines,
the total costs are masked quite well —
particularly when it comes to consumables.
And let’s be clear, we’re not just talking
about raw materials (whether that’s resin,
filament or powder).
Most machines have components that
need to be swapped out or maintained
regularly to keep your machine in good
working order. Whether it’s consumables
for build plates, cleaning agents, extrusion
tips for filament machines, solvents for
cleaning resin parts or a new set of pliers
every now and then.
You need to look at the total cost of these
parts, bearing in mind that, in most cases, the
more you use the machine (which is clearly a
good thing for productivity), the more you’ll
need to replace parts and maintain it.
You then have additional costs in terms of
leaving these machines running over night,
when everyone has cleared out and you need
a set of parts for the next day.
With electricity prices constantly on the
rise, energy consumption can become
an issue, particularly as you move up the
complexity ladder.

SEE 3d PRINTING IN ACTION

15 APRIL 2014
CONFERENCE & EXhiBITION
Warwick arts centre, UK

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at

All prices are excluding VAT. Our economy service offers an 8-10 day
turnaround with a minimum order of £15 and our express service offers
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MATERIALS: ADAPTING
PROCESSES & DESIGN
To get the most out of new materials they need to be combined with new
ways of thinking in terms of design and engineering, writes Al Dean

M
aterials are arguably
the biggest area of
research for 3D printing it’s ABS.
at present. While the
core build processes
have been established
for some time (UV curable resins, filaments
and sintering of both metals and
plastics), it’s the materials science
that’s going to bring us new advances
— in both the short and long term.
At the moment there’s a huge
range of materials available for
all manner of 3D print methods
and these are worth exploring and
getting up to speed with.
heat resistant materials), then you’d need to Resins and powders
look at the more costly machines. Otherwise UV resin and sintering powder processes
have always been more open. Part of this is
Now the rise of lower-cost filament-based enabled by the nature of the beast. If you’re
machines is giving greater freedom to run loading a machine with powder or resin,
the materials you want, on the machine you it’s much harder to control whose materials
want. For those capable of working without you’re using than if you’re loading a material
cartridge.
Sintering masters EOS and
 3D Systems both have a good
range of materials available, from
Only through an open approach to standard nylons through to more
materials will we truly be able to push exotic materials filled with glass,
the boundaries of what’s possible in aluminium and carbon. There are
also special purpose materials -
prototyping and manufacture whether it’s flexible components or

Filament materials
With its exponential growth in the
last few years the filament market is seeing
some serious activity and much of this has
come from the less established players.
Stratasys has always had a strong range
of materials for its printers, but these have
often been restricted to higher-end models.
If you want to build in more exotic
materials (whether that’s PC-BS, Nylon or its gain the best results.
 elastomer replication.
There are other providers as well.
Italian firm Windform (windform.eu)
non-proprietary materials, there’s now offers a range of materials focussing on glass
nylon, transparent materials, wood filled and carbon filled powders.
filaments — all manner of things. On the UV curable resins front, Objet /
Check out companies such as TaulMan3D Stratasys has been doing interesting things
(taulman3d.com) who are doing very with its Connex3 machine and users are
interesting things to not only test the reporting that the new ABS mimic material
potential but also to fine tune settings which performs very nicely as a competitor to FDM
(in terms of toughness of parts) but has the

EXPLORING NEW SINTERING MATERIALS AT PARKER Rapid

A good place to start when researching 3D print
materials is to find an organisation that’s been pushing
the boundaries of what can be achieved in a production
environment.
We caught up with 18 year veteran of 3D printing, Paul
Gray, Manager of Advanced Manufacturing Technologies at
Parker Rapid (Parker Fluidic Solutions Division) to find out
what gets him excited and to gain some insight into how
best to use some more advanced materials.
Parker runs several 3D print processes and has done so for
13 years, but its mainstay is a brace of 3D Systems sintering
machines running a variety of materials.
“Our philosophy has always been to embrace these new
materials, as a result we have a wealth of experience in
this area,” says Gray. “We have always strived for quality
over quantity and all of our materials are used in Rapid
Manufacturing within Parker.”
Two of the most interesting materials he’s finding success
with are DuraForm Flex for flexible components and a Nylon
derivative called Duraform EX — both from 3D Systems.
“Standard materials such as standard Nylon 12-based
material and its variants are well established in the
additive manufacturing world and have been for 15 years
or so,” says Gray. “New materials have come along during
that time which have proved very useful to designers. The
issue with these materials is that they have proved more
difficult to process with consistent results.”
DuraForm Flex: This is a rubber ‘mimic’ that can be run DuraForm Flex,
on a 3D Systems Sinterstation. It produces strong rubber a rubber ‘mimic’
like parts that can be used in real applications as well as material
for prototypes. Processing is difficult but Parker Rapid
has developed methodologies that enable the company to
satisfy its demanding customer base.
“When designing for this material its limitations must be
considered,” says Gray. “For instance, I would not use it in a
situation where surface porosity is critical, although it can
be made airtight, its surface will attract and retain particles.
“Over the years we have been able to get good results,
even down to 1mm thick sections, which can be useful in
certain design applications.”
DuraForm EX: This is a Nylon 11 derivative and has many
useful properties over and above standard PA. It is great
for semi ridged parts or ‘live’ hinges. Available in black
and white this is a particularly tough and durable Nylon 11
derivative that is good in thin sections. When designing live
hinges, consideration needs to be given to the alignment
of the hinge and the ‘strata’ of the build. Other design
constrictions also exist but in general it is a reliable material
when processed correctly.
Parker Rapid provides services to many of its
sister divisions, but the company’s services are also
available to anyone that’s in need of them.
■ +44 (0) 1908 561515 | paul.gray@parker.com

28 DEVELOP3D.COM 3D PRINTING FOR THE PROFESSIONAL

Sponsored by fusion360.autodesk.com
benefit of high resolution builds.
Finally there has always been a healthy
range of third party SLA materials available
from a number of sources.
Materials + Design
Materials advances and machine
improvements is one thing, but only through
new thinking in design and engineering can
these materials be put to good use.
It’s truly a case of chicken and egg. If
a new material isn’t tried out, it’s never
heard of and its application never explored.
Conversely, if a new application isn’t tried
and tested, the material requirement isn’t
necessarily identified.
Development from designers and
engineers is a given, but academics are
also at the heart of this research. After all,
when you have a technology with such a
groundswell of awareness and interest,
it’s much easier to apply for and receive
funding than if you’re experimenting with
CNC technologies or other production
methods. And the vendors like it because
new machines and materials are usually
sold near list price once the research grant
is given.
Hobbyists are also playing an increasingly
important role thanks to the lowering cost of
3D print technologies
Whether it’s a father developing an
assistive device to help his son overcome
dexterity problems with an artificial hand,
or a team developing an open source violin,
built using 3D printers, boundaries continue
to be pushed from all areas.
Open vs closed
3D printer manufacturers typically fall into
one of two camps: those that close out their
Sustainability & 3D PRINTING: MYTHS and REALITIES
In recent years there has been a lot of talk about
sustainability in 3D printing. This has ranged from claims
about the recyclability of PLA used in entry-level machines
to how by manufacturing components locally reduces the
need for transportation.
With the current emphasis in design and engineering to
create products with a lower environmental impact, close
attention should be paid to 3D printing.
The problem is that many of the claims are either
inaccurately reported, over exaggerated or simply just not
true. So let’s look at some of the most common myths and
realities surrounding sustainability and 3D printing.
Polylactic Acid or PLA is compostable: PLA, as a material,
is compostable. That doesn’t mean that it’ll break down if
you throw it in your compost bin at the end of the garden.
To break down in a couple of months, PLA needs
industrial composting facilities, which are few and far
between in most countries. You also have the issue of
getting your 3D prints and waste to those facilities. It
can take years to break down in household composting
facilities.
The upsides are two fold. Firstly, when PLA does
breakdown, it’ll break down safely into water and carbon-
dioxide. The second is that the production process to
produce PLA is less energy intensive than many other
common 3D print materials.
3D PRINTING FOR THE PROFESSIONAL
3D PRINTING FOR THE PROFESSIONAL
Prosthetic hand, built
using ExOne’s metal
printing process
machines and restrict the use of materials
and those that don’t.
By taking the ‘closed’ route manufacturers
can laser-target materials to their own 3D
print technology, helping ensure customers
get the most appropriate material for the
production method. And this is important
if you want repeatable prints and consistent
part quality.
But does that mean they should stifle
experimentation and give users the freedom
to see what else their machines can do?
Just as you wouldn’t expect an injection
mould machine tool vendor to lock you down
in terms of what plastic granules you feed
into the hopper, I believe the same should
also be true in the 3D print world.
Materials are going to be the future of
3D printing, for both prototyping and
manufacture of end use components and
only through an open approach to materials
will we truly be able to push the boundaries
of what’s possible.
3D printing uses less energy: 3D printers are, for the most
part, energy intensive beasts. Whether it’s heating a build
chamber and a hot extruder to 270 degrees for 15 hours or
running a laser and optics system to melt titanium 0.2mm
layer by layer — energy is consumed and rather heavily.
It’s also often a much slower process compared to more
traditional manufacturing processes. More active time
typically means more energy use.
Build local: Yes. Building products closer to their point of
use is good practice. The reality is that the transportation
of the product is, typically speaking, a small fraction of its
total energy consumption and environmental impact over
its lifetime.
Life time energy use: This one is massive and a reason
for much of the research being conducted in both the
automotive and aerospace fields. While the 3D print
processes used in these more demanding industries are no
doubt higher than traditional machining from billet or near-
net shape cast forms, they do have a huge benefit in terms
of geometry freedom.
What this means is that geometry of components can be
tailored to specific applications and performance criteria.
If a structure can be manufactured that uses less material,
there’s an obvious benefit.
Where it really hits the sweet spot is over the lifetime
CONFORMAL COOLING
AT ROWENTA
The Rowenta division of appliance maker SEB is
proud of the ‘Made in Germany’ branding its ironing
products carry. However manufacturing in a high-labour
cost location such as Europe means making full use of
automated production technologies — as well as novel
designs — to reduce costs and to deliver products that
consumers want to buy.
“The average buyer makes an initial choice based on
appearance. If they like something, they pick it up – so for
us the handle is a key element of the iron,” says Rowenta
project engineer Klaus Maier. “If it feels substantial in
your hand, that’s the mark of a good iron.”
Rowenta carries out its moulding in-house and uses
conformal cooling, where cooling channels follow the
form of the mould to give more even cooling properties
than drilled channels. This is used in the most critical
parts of the tools including sections with complex ribs or
where space is restricted.
The company uses 3D printed conformal cooling tool
inserts (produced using the LaserCusing technology) and
integrates these into conventionally built and tempered
moulds. The technique allows cooling channels to be
placed close to the mould surface and to follow the
surface contour — conformal.
Typically, cooling channels of around 5mm diameter are
used and are placed between 2-3mm of the surface.
“The key benefit is the lack of distortion. It accounts for
the positive assembly characteristics, that is, the excellent
dimensional accuracy of all the different mandrels and
metal tubes that have to fit perfectly,” says Maier. He also
explains that start-up is much faster, with the required
dimensional accuracy achieved very quickly.
■ rowenta.com
of the component. With the desire to reduce the fuel
consumption in the aerospace industry, lighter structures
means less fuel. Ultimately, less fuel use over an aircraft’s
20 year + lifecycle, means less impact. And with ‘in use’
impacts being the big hitter, everyone wins.
Mass customisation means better products means less
inventory: This is a slightly nebulous one. The concept is
that if you can tailor a product to a customer’s needs, then
you’re ending mass production. The problem is that most
customers don’t care about the products they use. And if
they do, they’ll typically prefer a product designed by a
professional. In the medical field, this could be a winner,
however, as patient specific implants, orthoses and other
devices, are proven to improve recovery and success rates.
Further reading
This is an area that’s going to see much more research
over the coming years (After all, sustainability + 3D
printing = academic grants).
In the meantime, I’d strongly suggest a read of the
report by Jeremy Faludi on the subject of 3D printing’s
eco-credentials on the Autodesk Sustainability Workshop
blog (sustainabilityworkshop.autodesk.com).
The team at 3D print analyst, Econolyst, have also
recently introduced an online software tool called
WillIt3DPrint (willit3dprint.com).
DEVELOP3D.COM 29
3D PRINTING FOR THE PROFESSIONAL Sponsored by fusion360.autodesk.com

DOES COLOUR MATTER?

Al Dean takes a look at the growing trend for colour-capable 3D printers,
delving into colour accuracy and the potential for the design office

C
olour has always been the they’re fed into the machine and each is cut, apply textures and labels where you need
missing link in the 3D printing glued and assembled to the one below it. The them. Adobe’s recent updates to Photoshop
industry. From the earliest days parts are solid and tough (they’re essentially introduce a range of tools for not only
to the present day, we’ve pretty laminated wood) and the colour representation painting, texturing and editing 3D models,
much been stuck with colour is excellent — just as you would expect from an but also communicating directly with a
options that are directly linked inkjet printer. growing range of 3D printers.
to the build material. Stratasys’s Objet 500 Connex3 takes the
With an FDM machine, the filament company’s polymer jetting technology that BUT WHAT USE, COLOUR?
dictates the colour, regardless of whether allows it to vary hardness of materials and adds From a technical standpoint, full colour 3D
you’re building with one, two or three heads. the ability to print with coloured materials. printing is certainly interesting, but how
With a powder-based process, colour comes Objet’s method allows the printed material useful is it really in the design office?
from the powdered nylon, unless you get to be controlled at the near-particle level, so From talking with our community the
involved in dying components. colours can be mixed and different shades general consensus is that faster, cheaper
As a result, many of us have become used acquired. The machines are not cheap though machines are more desirable than full colour
to the practice of priming, prepping and and weigh in at over a couple of hundred prototypes. However, the biggest interest in
painting a 3D print if we want to accurately grand. Meanwhile, 3D Systems is expanding full colour capable machines comes at the
represent colour in a prototype. its colour 3D print range with the CubeJet. conceptual design stage. Here, a colour print
For many years the only exception was Details are still sparse but the machine looks is ideal when a quick model is required, and
Z Corp. Its machines were the only real very interesting and is claimed to offer full time and cost constraints don’t allow for full
option if you wanted to print in more than colour printing for around $5,000. model making, post processing, primer and
a couple of colours and show items such as a paint job.
labels directly without any post processing A different WORKFLOW It can allow non-technical folks to ‘get
Now assimilated into the 3D Systems empire, With colour comes a new challenge of model the whole picture’ of a design, rather than
Z Corp’s ZPrinter is gone, but the ProJet 460, preparation. While many designers and evaluating it in, as one reader describe it,
660 and 860 reign on engineers will know how to create STL files ‘grubby white sintered nylon.’
from their workhorse 3D design system, So why aren’t we all printing in colour?
REBIRTH OF INTEREST few are familiar with exporting data that One reason is cost, but there’s also the issue
In the last year everything has changed and contains colour and texture information as of colour accuracy. Apart from the Mcor Iris,
there’s now an emerging set of machines that well as geometry. most systems struggle with this. Printing in
support colour printing in various guises and Most colour systems rely on file formats colour, with a range of materials, is always
build methods. that are capable of holding colour and texture going to be a big challenge.
Mcor’s paper-based Iris machines take a information, whether it’s OBJ, a variant of But as processes improve and costs drop
different approach to most. They’re essentially STL or, God forbid, the VRML (.WRL) format. colour-capable 3D printers are sure to gain
an offset printer (the paper is printed Then there’s a fair bit of manual tinkering traction. Anyone else remember a time when
separately from the trimming process), applied in the set-up software. Mcor’s ColorIT we printed colour documents on dot matrix
to 3D. Once the stack of colour layers are ready, system lets you take standard STL data and printers through a multi coloured ribbon?

Who’s GOT COLOUR?

MCOR TECHNOLOGIES IRIS 3D SYSTEMS PROJET & CubeJet STRATASyS oBJET 500 CONNEX 3
The Mcor Iris is a curious beast. It essentially takes the When Z Corp was acquired by 3D Systems, the company’s Stratasys/Objet has been doing interesting things with
offset printing process and applies it to 3D printing with colour-capable ZPrinters were absorbed into 3D Systems’ its PolyJet materials, resulting in mixed hardness 3D
some rather fabulous technology. ProJet family. The products have been evolving ever since. printed parts, such as over-moulded components. The
The colour is printed at full depth (1 million+ colours) 3D Systems’ ProJet 460plus, 660Pro, 860Pro and company has now added colour into the mix meaning the
onto each sheet of A4 paper. Sheets are then cut, the mammoth new ProJet 4500 use a combination of new Connex3 machine offers an extremely versatile set of
trimmed and glued to a very high degree of accuracy. powder and a coloured binding agent to make colour materials in a single build.
You end up with a precut block of paper, from which the models. They give good results for aesthetic evaluation, If there’s a downside, it relates to how the machine mixes
model is broken out. but suffer from brittleness. colours. Although quoted as being full colour, it only gives
One of the most 3D Systems is now access to specific palettes
attractive things about introducing the CubeJet. of colours and you can
the Iris is the low cost Details are scarce but only use those colours on
and wide availability of it looks like concepts in a single build. If the two
materials. The price of from the powder-based you want are on separate
standard office paper ProJet machines are being palettes, you’re out of
means it’s dramatically applied to a smaller form luck and will need to find
lower to run than almost factor machine perfect for the closest match to your
every other 3D printer. the desktop. intent.
■ 3Dsystems.com ■ stratasys.com
■ mcortechnologies.com

30 DEVELOP3D.COM 3D PRINTING FOR THE PROFESSIONAL

Sponsored by fusion360.autodesk.com 3D PRINTING FOR THE PROFESSIONAL

Orange is just one of

the million colours you
can bring to life.

’Z]eSabQ]ab
’eco-friendly
’b`cSQ]Z]c`
’Rc`OPZS^O`ba

Resolution Build Material

www.mcortechnologies.com
x, y & z axis: 12µ, 12µ, 100µ
(0.0004in, 0.0004in, 0.004in)
Colour
1 million+ colours (CYMK –
4 cartridges including black)
x, y & z axis: 5760 x 1440 x 508dpi
Build Size
A4 Paper: 256 x 169 x 150mm
Letter Paper: 9.39 x 6.89 x 5.9in
A4 Standard Office Paper 80gsm
(160gsm ply colour only)
US Letter Standard Paper 20lb
(43lb ply colour only)
Layer Thickness
0.1 mm (0.004 in) and 0.19mm
(0.007in ply colour only)
Recyclable Parts/Materials

3D PRINTING FOR THE PROFESSIONAL DEVELOP3D.COM 31

3D PRINTING FOR THE PROFESSIONAL Sponsored by fusion360.autodesk.com

WORKING WITH
SERVICE PROVIDERS
Stephen Holmes and Al Dean consider best practice for outsourcing
and give three tips on how to work best with a 3D print bureau

B
ringing the benefits of your geometry but it doesn’t allow you to fact that your resolution settings are too low.
3D printing in-house is store the units that were used to generate To share a bitter personal experience, a nice,
increasingly attractive the mesh data (the AMF format does). This cylindrical face on a casting pattern can turn
and affordable, yet many means you need to ensure you know what out to be a 9-sided polygon that’s going to
organisations will still benefit unit base is used to export the data, and then need drilling out.
from outsourcing much of communicate that to your service provider. The good news is there are a tools out
their 3D print work to service providers. If you’re using an automated delivery there to check and fix files and some of
provider, such as Shapeways, you can add that them are free. Download some and try them
Go PRO OR GO HOME information in. If dealing with real people, out. They’ll find errors and fix any issues in
The huge increase in awareness of 3D then you need to let them know. either how you’ve exported the part or how
printing has led to a slew of new service Problems arise when this is not clear inside the system has generated the data in the
providers, but you need to ensure your your 3D design system; some are explicit, but first place.
chosen partner is geared up for working with with others you need to have a dig around to
professionals. find out if it’s imperial or metric. Some even #3 - KNOW the PROCESS & materials
Look for case studies and previous projects output in centimetres (God knows why). Ten years ago, 3D print methods could be
and don’t be afraid to contact other customers Which leads nicely on to… categorised in one of two ways: strong and a
to ask what they thought of the parts and bit rough or high fidelity and brittle. Today,
service they received. #2 - DOUBLE CHECK YOUR DATA with so many options available, everything
To borrow a quote from legendary bomb Would you send a manufacturer a drawing has changed.
disposer and oil well fire fighter, Red Adair, “If without any dimensions on it and without A good service provider will be able to
you think it’s expensive to hire a professional anyone checking it? No, you wouldn’t. advise you on which build process and
to do the job, wait until you hire an amateur.” The same applies to sending 3D data. While material will give you the best result for
We’ve seen ‘service providers’ start what you want to achieve.
up in their bedroom because they’ve “It’s crucial that we try to educate
scrabbled together enough cash to  all our clients in which materials
buy a MakerBot. To borrow a quote from legendary and technologies best suit each
You need to question if these bomb disposer and oil well fire fighter, of their projects, even if it does
people are accustomed to working
under NDA and have security in
Red Adair, “If you think it’s expensive occasionally mean they place
orders elsewhere,” explains Gary
place to protect your data. Do they to hire a professional to do the job, wait Miller, head of 3D printing and
understand the tolerances you need until you hire an amateur.” rapid prototyping at IPF Rapid
and how to build your parts so you Prototyping.
get the functionality you need?  “If we help clients better
understand what IPF can provide it
A working relationship 3D CAD systems typically include a preview saves everyone time, it also means the client
Working with an established reputable firm of your resultant mesh during the export becomes part of the process and finds further
certainly minimises your risks but there are process, this shouldn’t be relied upon. uses for the technology.”
still many things to consider before you send There’s also the question of water-tightness: Don’t dismiss a particular build process or
off your model to be printed. crappy models create crappy prints. material because you had a bad experience
A good service provider will be able to advise Prime culprits are hobbyist 3D modelling in the past. With 3D print technology things
you on all aspects of the 3D printing process systems where parts are knocked together can change very quickly so it’s important to
from model preparation and materials to using multiple bodies (according to those keep up to date. Materials in particular, are
limitations and shortcuts. in the know Google SketchUp is absolutely developing at a frantic pace.
To get some expect advice we spoke to the evil in this regard — as are surface-based Keeping abreast of all the materials,
teams at three of the UK’s leading service models constructed with poor modelling machines and performance of outputs can
providers — 3T RPD, IPF and Laserlines — practices). be a tough task, so by using a bureau you
to find out what some of the most common Other common problems from professional- already have a professional that can handle
mistakes and errors customers make and how level solid modelling tools include the export all this for you.
to avoid them. Below is a summary. of multiple parts or bodies, some of which Add to this having someone to check,
were hidden during the export process. adjust and generally take the pain out of the
#1 - UNITS, UNITS, UNITS There can also be issues with how systems process and it makes the cost of third-party
Units. They’re a pain in the arse, to be frank. preview the resultant mesh. Due to their production far more palatable for those
STL is the main method for communicating graphical wizardry they can often mask the holding the purse strings.

32 DEVELOP3D.COM 3D PRINTING FOR THE PROFESSIONAL

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3D PRINTING FOR THE PROFESSIONAL DEVELOP3D.COM 33
3D PRINTING FOR THE PROFESSIONAL
BUILDING A BUSINESS
WITH 3D PRINTING
ALICE TAYLOR
CEO, MAKIELAB
M T
akieLab was established
in 2011 with the goal of
bringing the first 3D printed,
toy-safe doll to market.
The small team has mastered
mass-customisation and gamification,
offering customers the ability to
customise their own doll, experiment
with how it looks and, combined with
a number of accessory options, give
them the exact product they want.
No tooling, no lengthy supply chain battles — direct out of the
machine. Never before has a company managed to combine the world
of digital play, 3D printing and product customisation to this level.
With the likes of David Cameron, Prince William, Rob Brydon
and Jessie J bringing their own brands of organic exposure (and
their own custom dolls) to a larger market, recent retail adventures
with Selfridge’s flagship London store, the company is just in the
latter stages of launching its second iOS app.
MakieLab uses laser sintered nylon to build its products — which
are a mix of standard parts across the whole range, along with the
customised parts that each user designs. It has also mastered the
art of dying sintered nylon to provide more options to customers.
Products are then packaged and dispatched from its headquarters
in Shoreditch, London.
■ makielab.com
WHAT WOULD YOU DO DIFFERENTLY?
We launched with a 10” high doll, the same size as Barbie. That set
the benchmark for the production costs and has meant that while
we’re in alpha, profit margins are slim. A smaller doll would have
been lower cost.
WHAT DID YOU NOT FORESEE?
We knew sintering was going out of patent, so machine prices would
come down. We also thought powdered nylon costs would come down,
but, in fact, they went up. We also didn’t expect how long it would take
us to get into retail, but I suspect that’s down to our experience in
software development, rather than the traditional toy market.
WHAT DO YOU WANT FROM the FUTURE?
Cheaper machines for sintering. I’d also like the App Stores to have
a better discovery system. We have online and mobile. It’s hard to
compete. There’s 2,500 apps being uploaded to the Apple App Store
every day. How do you compete in that and get noticed?
TIPS FOR THOSE INTERESTED?
It’s messy. There’s lots of tinkering. Readers
of the report and your magazine won’t
mind, but Joe Bloggs might have second
thoughts. Also, do your spreadsheets first.
It’s expensive, and somewhat unpredictable!
Lastly, get stuck in. It’s a ton of fun.
34 DEVELOP3D.COM
Sponsored by fusion360.autodesk.com
Kota Nezu DESIGNER & CREATIVE
COMMUNICATOR, ZNUG DESIGN
okyo-based znug design, is
a creative communication
agency that providers industrial
and product design services to both
individuals and large companies.
The company is headed up by chief
design and creative communicator, Kota
Nezu, who recently launched zecOO,
a radical new electric motorcycle,
collaborating with a team of specialists
in the fields of engineering and electric
transportation.
zecOO is a mix of futurist styling, raw performance and
sustainable transportation — with a serious edge. With each
vehicle adapted to individual customer requirements, wishes and
desires, zecOO has been making use of 3D printing to validate the
custom designs.
znug has also been conducting research to laser scan customers
and to present them with a scale 3D printed replica and/or toy
before production begins.
■ znug.com | zecoomotor.com
Photo Credit: Kazunobu Yamada
WHAT ARE THE CHALLENGES IN ELECTRIC VEHICLE DESIGN?
In terms of design challenges, being able to have rapidly charging
batteries will give designers and engineers more freedom in design.
Also, having electric charging points in cities will enable these
vehicles to become more popular and see greater adoption.
WHAT DO YOU WANT FROM the FUTURE?
I’m interested in the 3D printing of metal but this is underway
already. Alongside this, I’m interested in systems that enable the
manufacture of products using multiple materials in different
combinations
TIPS FOR THOSE INTERESTED?
Do not try to force the use of 3D printing in your projects and
products. Ask yourself whether you need to use the 3D printer, then
consider what you want to do actually do. There may be another way.
3D PRINTING FOR THE PROFESSIONAL
Sponsored by fusion360.autodesk.com
We asked four 3D printing pioneers from a range of industry sectors how they use
3D printing to benefit their business, how they did it and what they’ve learned
DAVID PERRY Founder and
Engineer, OPENFAB PDX
F B
ormed in early 2013,
OpenFab PDX is exploring
useful applications of low-
cost digital design and fabrication
tools with a focus on 3D printing.
Founder, David Perry, became
infatuated with hobbyist 3D
printing at the 2012 Open Source
Hardware Summit in New York
City. Enthusiastic about the
capabilities of inexpensive 3D
printers, but a little disappointed by the common applications, David
bought a machine and got to work.
OpenFab instigates open source projects and produces products
straight off the printer — such as the Fused Filament Fiddle, or
F-F-Fiddle, an open source 3D printed electric violin that can be
printed without support material using hobbyist equipment. David is
experimenting with a variety of services and inexpensive CAD tools,
scanners, and fabrication tools allow him to offer mechanical design
services that are affordable for individuals.
He is also pursuing youth and community engagement at libraries,
schools, and 3D printing themed birthday parties..
■ openfabpdx.com
What Would You Do Differently?
When you look closely at the F-F-Fiddle, the different elements
of the instrument are very contrasting, and it lacks an underlying
intention that ties the form together. I would like to have taken
more time at the front end to establish that intention and reflect it
with the design. We’re working on that now.
What Did You Not Foresee?
I found the F-F-Fiddle project incredibly compelling, but I never
expected others to feel the same way. The reaction from the design
and 3D printing community has been extremely validating and
exciting! I hope to use the project and the experience to show
others that they can make things that are impactful.
What Do You Want From the Future?
There’s a huge wealth of innovation that remains largely
untapped. We are all users of something: instruments, toys,
books, transportation — and it’s our user knowledge that lets
us create relevant and innovative solutions. I’m very excited to
further democratise innovation by way of new business models
and tools (like 3D printing).
Tips For Those Interested?
Just get started! Find something that you think is really exciting
and do it. Whether that means printing things from thingiverse,
exploring new materials, or designing something new — try not
to worry about whether or not it’s any good or if anyone else will
like it. Do things that you feel driven to do, then do them over and
over again until they’re awesome.
3D PRINTING FOR THE PROFESSIONAL
3D PRINTING FOR THE PROFESSIONAL
michiel cornelissen
industrial DESIGNER
y his own admission, Michiel
has been a designer for a
while.“Let’s just say I remember
drawing boards,” he says. Most of the
first part of his career was about design
and creative direction of consumer
products and professional systems for a
large electronics company.
A couple of years ago, Michiel
couldn’t control the itch to strike out
on his own anymore, so he quit his job
and started his own studio. Right around that time, he bumped into
3D printing as a means to manufacture products (as opposed to
prototypes, for which he’d been using it already). It took him about
five seconds to catch the bug. Michiel says he’s been very lucky to
have created the right product at the right time, like the Happy Bird
jewellery or his Apple accessories, so he’s been able to reach quite a
few people, retailers and media with those.
■ michielcornelissen.com
WHAT WOULD YOU DO DIFFERENTLY?
I’ve been a little bit in denial about my attraction to 3D printing, so
I’ve probably only spent about 30% of time on it, up until recently. I
sometimes think I should have dropped everything 4 or
5 years ago and spent 100% of my time on 3D
printing; although I realise it’s still not an easy
area for a designer to make a living, so another
part of me is pretty happy about the industrial
design work I’ve been able to do for clients.
WHAT DID YOU NOT FORESEE?
How my view on aesthetics would evolve by seeing what’s possible
in 3D printing, and the subsequent need for different design tools
such as Rhino’s Grasshopper (which is now a passion in its own
right). How cool it is to have your own printer, given the technical
limitations of FDM printers compared to industrial printers. It’s
just very liberating to be able to manufacture your own stuff.
WHAT DO YOU WANT FROM the FUTURE?
I want the 3D print providers to realise their sales potential with
regular folks. They’re good at providing services for hobbyists and
professionals, but suck at creating a satisfying shopping experience
for ‘normal’ customers.
TIPS FOR THOSE INTERESTED?
I see a big gap between what many people create with 3D printing,
and what most people need. So if you’re coming in from the
technical 3D printing side of things: study design, marketing, study
people in general to learn how to make creations that are more
than a novelty, but truly relevant. Designers with a background in
traditional manufacturing should realise that translating their ideas
into 3D printing is a totally different game, in terms of geometric
possibilities, limitations, economics, and distribution.
DEVELOP3D.COM 35
3D PRINTING FOR THE PROFESSIONAL Sponsored by fusion360.autodesk.com

THE FUTURE IS industrial

If 3D printing is to be used in production, it will be essential to automate,
manage and plan the process. Al Dean explores what the future holds

T
here’s much talk of how
EOS’ Integrated Process
3D printing or additive
Chain Management
manufacturing is going to covers the end to end
revolutionise manufacturing. workflow, from powder
The concept of manufacturing to parts to recycling

components directly, using mass

customisation as a driver, is entirely valid —
and companies have been doing exactly this
for many years under the radar.
What is rarely discussed are the heavy
requirements for both process planning and
the sheer scale of the facilities.
Take the sintering of plastics, for example.
This is perhaps the most widely-used process
for end use parts and there are requirements
to make those machines work and deliver
consistently. There’s also a lot of ancillary
equipment required to support it — powder
load, part breakout, clean up and finishing,
powder recycling and reuse.
If you want to talk metals, then you can
add in heavyweight equipment to withstand
explosions (or at least, stop them). After all, as you’d expect from Europe’s largest service Conclusion
powdered titanium, other than being used to provider, it has nailed the process required to For an industry that’s 30 years old, 3D
print kick ass metal parts, is also a core part ramp up 3D printed part production. printing is not keeping up in terms of
of most fireworks. Compared to traditional Harnessing the software development industrialisation. Where other methods of
manufacturing techniques, this area is more experience it has from its Magics and 3-matic production are receiving greater levels of
underdeveloped than many might think. products, Materialise has built Streamics, one automation and being infused with more
One company that has been working on of the first software platforms to assist those and more intelligence, 3D print, for all its
solving this for sometime is Electro Optical looking to truly automate 3D printing in a promises to revolutionise the manufacturing
Systems (EOS). Due to the popularity of production like environment. It provides an world, is falling behind.
its sintering machines in an industrial integrated business process, from quotation to That said, there are hints that a more
setting (both within service providers and production management, rather than a series industrialised future is coming. Expect to see
engineering companies), its Integrated of explicit and disconnected steps, and covers more automated processes, more automated
Process Chain Management is perhaps the file acquisition and repair (with integration equipment (EOS and ExOne are perhaps
most well developed of all vendors. with Magics), customer and job management, the leading exponents in this at present).
Materialise also got into the automation reporting, machine control, planning as well as Only then will we really see the factory of the
and process control game very early on. And, quality control and traceability. future that the hype is promising.

LOOK FOR THE ENABLING SERVICES & future business support

Alongside the frenetic pace of
developments on the machines
and market side of 3D printing,
there’s also an interesting
trend in new organisations
bringing products, services and
technologies that enable further
experimentation.
There is a stream of online sales
channels opening up and exploiting
the growing interest in mass
customisation and 3D printing.
Founded in the Netherlands
after being spun out of a
Philips incubator, Shapeways
(shapeways.com) is building a
community and economy that
centres on two things: providing
3D build services (and a huge
range of materials) and enabling
its community to sell items
directly to customers.
Michiel Cornelissen and Joshua
Harker are two prime examples.
Both have made their names
and a healthy revenue stream
by developing products that are
handled purely by Shapeways. We
talk to them later on in this report.
Digital Forming is also doing
interesting things in the same
space (digitalforming.com).
Designers create a base product,
then customers can interact with,
manipulate and order their own
custom variants.
Another interesting movement is
the provision of components that
support the development of 3D
printed products.
A perfect example is Eyewearkit
(eyewearkit.com), recently
launched in the Netherlands.
This firm provides pre-cut lenses
that can be built into 3D printed
custom built spectacle frames. The
company’s web-site also includes
geometry templates for the various
Custom
frames from
Eyewearkit
items, design tips and such. (in particular), it’s natural that
While good examples are they will want to replicate
currently few and far between, traditionally manufactured items
we predict this area of industry and the additional components
will explode in the coming years. and specialist functionality
As people experiment more with required. Then, when ready,
production of plastic components places to sell them.

36 DEVELOP3D.COM 3D PRINTING FOR THE PROFESSIONAL

 Sponsored by fusion360.autodesk.com 3D PRINTING FOR THE PROFESSIONAL

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3D PRINTING FOR THE PROFESSIONAL DEVELOP3D.COM 37
3D PRINTING FOR THE PROFESSIONAL Sponsored by fusion360.autodesk.com

WHAT DOES THE FUTURE

HOLD FOR THE PRO?
Kevin McAlea Chief Impact
Officer, 3D Systems
resolution, full colour, robust
and lightweight materials and
condensed processes that drive
manufacturers towards new
levels of productivity.
With 3D printing, you can
quickly create end-use parts
without having to invest in the
time and expense of tooling,
or use significant short cuts to
creating tooling, should you
need it.
JEREMY PULLIN manager, rapid
mANUFACTURING, RENISHAW
on these incorrect claims and
false promises. It only takes a few
marketing executives (or CEOs)
to use phrases like ‘colouring
book simplicity’ and ‘complexity
for free’ or ‘the only limit is your
imagination’ to bring the entire
industry into disrepute. Such
claims are all too frequently
written about and preached.
As people see through these
for being the nonsense that they

E A
ngineers and 3D printing not only provides wareness of 3D printing are (and those who don’t already
manufacturers have alternatives to traditional by the masses is a will do so at some point) the
always had familiarity manufacturing methods, but double edged sword. professional service providers
with 3D printing in the forms brings with it a developing The most obvious advantage for have to bear the weight of the
of ‘Rapid Prototyping’ and paradigm shift in the way parts professional service providers industry’s damaged reputation.
‘Additive Manufacturing’ (AM). are designed and the materials is that if more people are aware Regardless of whether using 3D
Some manufacturers and early are used. of 3D printing, then more will printers for in-house use or as a
adopters have been using 3D For example, multiple parts want more things 3D printed. sub-contractor, you want to meet
printing technology to their can be more easily combined Some of these things will, of your customer’s expectations.
advantage since its inception. into a single part, enabled by the course, be things that they would The last thing you want to do
Many invested later down the printing of complex geometries previously have made by other is to keep telling your customer
line. Others tested it in the early not possible with traditional means such as CNC machining. things like “I know that you have
days and decided to wait until manufacturing. In addition, But also, in some cases, it relates been told that this can be done
the technology matured. While using new, lightweight polymers to things that they would not but it can’t so we won’t be able
the AM market was growing in place of sheet or cast metal have had made at all. to do it”. From a professional
healthily, until the mid-2000s it parts decreases weight, without The proliferation of manufacturing point of view
still remained a niche within the reducing mechanical properties. personalised items also creates the miseducation of the masses
industrial engineering world. 3D printing also allows for its own demand by creating can mean that 3D printing is
In 2009, the term 3D printing parts that were previously a mindset that says ‘I want used where it really shouldn’t
started to become more widely considered impossible, or at personalised things because I be as people choose turn to
recognised as media attention least restrictively expensive, can have personalised things’. what they are told is a panacea
focused on the potential the to become real, incorporating So, generally speaking, demand of manufacturing capabilities
technology offered and 3D complex assemblies and cavities is created through awareness rather than selecting a far more
printers for consumers became in a single build. and (sometimes) by people and suitable form of manufacturing.
available. This ignited a renewed As this paradigm shift occurs, organisations genuinely taking 3D printing does indeed bring
wave of interest in industrial 3D manufacturers are investing advantage of 3D printing’s new and amazing capabilities to
printing. Inspired by the idea heavily in on-site research, capabilities. So far then, all the manufacturing table. These
that AM might have progressed, teaching engineers new seems lovely — but then we have capabilities are being expanded
many manufacturers started to approaches to design for 3D to take a look at the downside. on all the time. If irresponsible
actively research the technology, printing and comprehensive The technology itself is full marketing and poorly researched
and started to invest in it more testing of new materials. of opportunities and increased articles can educate the masses
heavily. Those manufacturers who capabilities but unfortunately, about the true nature of 3D
Industrial 3D printing is successfully exploit new ways these can never match the printing (warts and all) then
not the ‘Rapid Prototyping to build products, in lighter inflated expectations created by the positives outlined in my
that you used to know.’ With materials, with more efficient poorly informed commentators, first paragraph can be realised
seven core technologies at (but previously impossible) journalists and questionable without the negatives outlined
3D Systems, almost any designs, will be the ones who will marketing practices. This causes in the second paragraph and this
manufacturing requirement can deliver the most exciting, cost- problems for professionals when will be good for professionals
be met, with accuracy of build, effective and innovative products. customers expect them to deliver and customers alike.

38 DEVELOP3D.COM 3D PRINTING FOR THE PROFESSIONAL

Sponsored by fusion360.autodesk.com
In terms of public awareness 3D printing is at a point of inflection,
but how is this shift changing things for the professional? We asked an industry
executive, a hardcore professional and an analyst for their opinions.
PHIL REEVES Managing
director, ECONOLYST
I
f you read the same
thing over and over again
in different respected
publications, even the most
illogical claims start to appear
factual. If we believe everything
we read, we are entering the era
of a ‘new industrial revolution’,
where, before long, disease and
disfigurement will be eradicated
by 3D printed organs and limbs.
Aircraft will be ultra-efficient;
burning almost no fuel due
to lightweight topologically
optimised fuselages and highly
optimised jet engines. What’s
more, transport and logistics
infrastructure will become
obsolete along with the classical
supply chain, as consumer goods,
clothes and even food are printed
in our homes and communities.
Worryingly, these are all claims
reported in the popular media,
and to a greater or lesser degree
form the basis of the information
now being used by senior
managers and C-suite executives
to gauge the future importance
and impact of 3D printing on
organisations around the globe.
So are we really on the cusp of
something revolutionary, or is
it now time for designers and
engineers to become the ‘gate
keepers of business reality’ and
to apply a sanity check to the
aspirations of top floor executives.
There is no doubt that there is a
3D PRINTING FOR THE PROFESSIONAL
buzz around low cost ‘consumer
3D printers’ and online printing
services – but these will, for the
foreseeable future, be limited to
low cost and low status product
manufacture. Against this back
drop of bobble-heads, mini-me’s
and avatar characters there is
without doubt a growing use of
additive technology in mainstream
manufacture. But, the pace of
industry adoption and the pace of
technology development remain
relatively slow and conservative
compared to the whirlwind of the
consumer 3D printing domain.
The industrial ‘Additive
Manufacturing’ (AM) market is
growing at a steady and healthy
30% each year, compared to a
consumer 3D printing sector
experiencing growth nearer to
150% (hence, the media frenzy).
Some might see this disparity in
growth as a failure on the part
of industrial AM machine and
materials vendors to simulate
adoption, or the lack of credible
design & simulation software
needed to enable the front end of
the AM process chain. However,
given the critical applications in
which AM makes the most sense
(aerospace, medical implants,
pharmaceuticals and defence), a
conservative approach should be
welcomed not disparaged.
So can we expect the future to be
as slow as the past?
Undoubtedly not, as estimates
put the current public & private
sector investment in AM related
R&D at some $350-million per
annum globally, a figure that
has tripled in the last 5-years.
This investment is enabling
concerted research efforts to
improve productivity, increasing
material choice and ensuring
better part quality and repeatability
– all critical factors that will
3D PRINTING FOR THE PROFESSIONAL

undoubtedly accelerate technology Don’t worry about
adoption in the future. But this will
be a gradual acceleration, based
missing the boat
on technology evolution, rather – another bigger,
than an industrial revolution faster, shinier
based solely on the world waking one will be along
up to 3D printing, after all the
technologies are largely the same shortly, with better
as they were 20-years ago! navigation aids,
In this new world order the role better life vests and
of designers and engineers will
be paramount, as they will be
less chance of hitting
the champions of realism, with an iceberg
the skills and knowledge to truly
understand the impact that AM

will have to a business along with
the technological limitations to
adoption. To make AM work,
engineers must understand the
production economics of making
parts layer by layer, the benefits of
using powders and liquids rather
than solids and the variances
encountered using lasers and
optics rather than spindles and
cutting tools. In short there is a
lot to learn, but learn we will.
In any business hierarchy
looking towards 3D Printing
and AM it is therefore critical to
put the views of engineers and
design professionals above those
of futurists, technology scouts,
marketers or the media.
Remember, if something seems
implausible, it probably is – just
ask an engineer.
So what should be the simple
take-away for the guys in the
C-suites up there on the top floor?
In the world of AM, the smart
money is on the tortoise, not the
hare. Think long term business
sustainability not short term
marketing gain. And don’t
worry about missing the boat –
another bigger, faster, shinier
one will be along shortly, with
better navigation aids, better life
vests and less chance of hitting
an iceberg.
DEVELOP3D.COM 39
Release your True Potential
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Workstation
Specialists
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SPONSORED by fusion360.autodesk.com 3D PRINTING FOR THE PROFESSIONAL

Where DO WE GO next?
The 3D print industry is on an acceleration vector. Al Dean looks at what’s
coming next, potential stumbling blocks and ultimately, where we’re all heading

A
fter you’ve cut through
The Nike Vapor Laser Talon
all the 3D printing hype, uses custom 3D printed parts
there is still plenty for the to augment traditional
professional to get excited manufacturing
about in the future. Whether
it’s further developments for
prototyping and testing or use in production
alongside more traditional manufacturing
process, things are changing quickly.
It goes without saying that the future will
bring ‘more, better, cheaper’. But it’s also
about how to use that same core technology to
do new, novel and interesting things. To qualify
that, let’s talk it through, starting with some of
the new machines coming on board soon.

hardware a-go-go
Filament machines are advancing and the
introduction of the MarkForg3D carbon fibre
3D printer is particularly interesting.
While I’m not convinced that you’ll get
parts analogous to production carbon fibre
that’s been through an autoclave, it does offer
something exciting. The first is that it should
be possible to build stiffer and stronger parts
(stiffness is definitely the greater benefit).
The second is the ability to combine a carbon
core with a nylon, ABS or PLA outer.
The machine has a eminently usable
build chamber and, for the pro, it looks
like MakerBot will have some interesting
competition at the entry level.
Next there’s the sintering and
stereolithography market. The BluePrinter
offers a more office friendly alternative to
traditional sintering machines. It’s smaller,
it’s cheaper (by 10x) and the parts look
excellent. By dropping the price barrier, those
organisations that already outsource sintered
parts might look to shift some of that budget
to an in house machine (it wouldn’t be hard to
justify if the build size suits).
Elsewhere, Stereolithography looks to be
going through a renaissance. The FormLabs
machine kicked things off again, but has
a relatively small build size. Now DWS, an
organisation already well experienced with
pro -level 3D printing for with its Digital Wax
machines, is getting in on the action. Its new
stereolithography machine has a more usable
build chamber and a broader spectrum of
material options. It promises high-res parts
in a wide range of materials, without huge
investment. This is exciting.
It also looks like the old-guard of the
industry are finally starting to take notice. 3D
Systems has a range of pro-suitable machines
at a lower cost (the ProJet 1500 is one such
example, as is the CubeX) and of course,
Stratasys side stepped the whole issue by
acquiring MakerBot last year.
What’s interesting is that two of these new
machines (the MarkForg3D and the Xfab) will
both have a list price in the region of $5,000.
The BluePrinter, at £16k, also represents a
serious drop in what the sintering market
typically expects in terms of entry-level.
Is there a WEAK LINK?
So, if we have new machines, new material
combinations and new ways of processing
them, what’s the missing link? What needs to
change to take advantage of all these tools?
If I had to make a call on what might let the
side down, it’s the CAD software industry. If
you look at how the developers of 3D design
software have reacted to the hype of 3D
printing, most have ignored it or given it lip
service at best.
Autodesk is one exception and has made a
good job of not only supporting the growing
maker community, but also designers and
engineers by building in 3D print tools to its
pro applications. SpaceClaim is also getting
in on the action and it won’t be the last.
SolidWorks is doing the same in its 2015
product release and with Microsoft adding
support for 3D printers at an OS level other
vendors should sit up and take notice.
Production integration
Ultimately, where the real excitement lies is
in the production environment - the world of
Additive Manufacturing.
However, forget the hype: we won’t be 3D
printing everything. Rather, using 3D printing
where appropriate, tested and proven. In
most cases alongside more traditional
manufacturing techniques.
A perfect example is Nike. The Oregon
giant is introducing products that feature
a 3D printed component. This combines a
specialised element of design to improve
an athlete’s performance along with Nike’s
research into production and materials. In
fact, the company was recently awarded a
couple of patents relating to its adaptation of
technology.
3D printing stands to become a greater part
of our design and engineering future — not
replacing traditional tools and processes, but
enhancing them, wherever suitable. It may not
be the future being sold by the mainstream
media but it’s already real and just as exciting.

3D PRINTING FOR THE PROFESSIONAL DEVELOP3D.COM 41