3D printing or additive manufacturing is a process of making three dimensional solid objects from a digital file. 3D Printing is taking the world by storm and is trending manufacturing terminologies in India also. In India almost all manufacturing sectors are talking about 3D printing process for accurate and quick prototyping as well as manufacturing. In result of that many companies have come up with 3D printers, software and other modules to support the technology. This article will bought to you some prominent available 3D printing equipment under the roof.
More than 30 percent of the top 300 Mlargest global brands are now using or evaluating 3D printing whether for prototyping and other innovation projects or in actual production of what they sell. Over 200 universities and colleges already offer 3D coursework in their curricula – covering aspects of not only 3D printing but also 3D scanning and design. Over the past couple of years, entrepreneurs have used it to launch no fewer than 300 3D-printer-related campaigns – and many of them have funded at levels in the millions of dollars. This must be what it felt like in the earliest days of the automobile when something like 1,800-2,800 auto “startups” were launched in the span of a few decades. And in fact, it’s also like the most recent days of the automobile era. The “Uber of 3D printers” is 3D Hubs, a platform that allows designers, once they have created 3D software files, to find 3D printer owners in their locales who can, for an agreed fee, print them out of the desired materials. Already, nearly 20,000 printers have registered with the site globally – most of them individuals who bought their machines for personal use but are not running them at anywhere near their full capacity. That network footprint, 3D Hub reports, means that one billion people on this planet already have a 3D printer within 10 miles of their homes. Thanks to more accessible technology today we are now reaching a critical mass of people who, when they think about how things are made, think in a different way or thinking in 3D. It is simply a different world when the time lapse between creating a design and having a tangible object of that design in hand is tiny. With traditional CAD tools, it takes 15-16 hours to build a new model, but with web-based tools it was cut down to only 15-20 minutes. Once you begin to assume that your iterations will be so quick, many aspects of how you think about developing and delivering products change.
The same can be said about the 3D software tools that are becoming widely available. As just one example, apps now exist to allow smart-phone users to snap some pictures of an object and get a digital 3D rendering of it. That means, of course, that you can print a scale model of something – like an action figure of yourself, for example. But more importantly, if some approximation of an object you wish to create already exists, you now have a starting point for it rather than beginning with a blank screen. Beyond being a timesaver, that might spell the difference between pursuing your novel idea or never getting around to it. 3D technology has a special ability to capture people’s imaginations. The people who work as operations management executives in large manufacturing concerns are also people with outside lives, who take interest in new trends and who have hobbies and side projects suited to their skills. Some of the people going to work in today’s big businesses are young people who were not long ago learning about 3D in classrooms and science museums.
Some aren’t so young but have kids doing that. Some are “makers” or even casual entrepreneurs, earning extra cash selling 3D printer access to their neighbors. The more people like this who arrive in a workplace, the more likely that workplace will be to undergo a change. This is how tipping points are reached: not when some key percentage of big companies has installed a technology, but when enough people see its possibilities. Expect to see global manufacturing transformed as more people see new ways to make things, because they’re thinking in 3D.
Manufacturing with 3D printing
Selective laser sintering (SLS)
Selective laser sintering (SLS) is an additive manufacturing technique that uses a high power laser (for example, a carbon dioxide laser) to fuse small particles of plastic, metal (direct metal laser sintering),ceramic or glass powders into a mass that has a desired 3-dimensional shape).
Stereo lithography (SL)
Stereo lithography is an additive manufacturing process using a vat of liquid UV-curable photopolymer ”resin” and a UV laser to build parts a layer at a time.
Fused deposition modeling (FDM)
Fused deposition modeling (FDM) is an additive manufacturing technology commonly used for modeling, prototyping, and production applications.
- 3D printing gives designers the ability to quickly turn concepts into 3D models or prototypes
- Clean process. Wastage of material is negligible.
- Complex shape can be produced.
- No skilled person needed.
- Reduce design complexity
- CHEAP Cheaper process than any other process.
- People in remote locations can fabricate objects that would otherwise be inaccessible to them.
Some professional printer available
Dimension Delta series of 3D printers from J group robotics Dimension Delta series of 3D printers from J group robotics with the slogan, “Quality or Nothing” The Dimension Delta 3D printers are meant to be for very high quality, precision 3D printing (with no post-processing) using ABS, PLA, and a vast array of other high strength materials ranging from wood to metal. The printers are easily upgraded, allowing for dual heads, as well as a multi-material 3D printing nozzle. Dimension Delta System is a delta
Style 3D Printer designed by J Group Robotics, with a build volume of 250mm X 250mm X 300mm which is much more compact, portable, and desktop friendly. The Dimension Delta System is designed for high Precision 3D printing which results into unbelievable surface finish of the 3D printed Parts where no post process required. Print size (X Y Z ): 250MM X 250MM X 300MM, The Layer Thickness: 0.05mm to 0.2mm, Layer Resolution: 50 microns to 250 microns, Filament Diameter: 1.75mm, Nozzle Diameter: 0.8mm – 0.3mm all metal.
Stratasys Mojo, Desktop Professional 3D Printer
The most affordable professional 3D Printer in the world from Stratasys, Mojo with build envelop of
125 x 125 x 125 mm. Unlike consumer-grade 3D printers that heat only the build platform, Stratasys uses a heated build chamber, to help ensure that once the part is built, its dimensional accuracy is locked in. The Mojo is built to be dependable and is reliable enough to be used daily in an industrial setting
Stratasys 450mc 3D Production System from Stratasys
The StratasysFortus 450mc is a High-Performance 3D Printer that let you build, accurate, repeatable parts faster enable you produce jigs, fixtures, factory tooling and end-use parts, as well as functional prototypes to withstand stringent testing.
This industrial 3D printer build parts as large as 355 x 400 x 355 mm (16 x 14 x 16 in.) and works with 10 different consumable material which includes ABS, PC, Nylon etc, besides FAA (Federal Aviation Administration) approved material like ULTEM 9085 and ULTEM 1010 which are certified for Aircraft usage
3D printing equipments and consumables by Imaginarium
The Company is home to over seventeen industrial 3D printers covering almost all major technologies such as SLS, SLA, DLP,MJM, PJP, and a host of other value-added services like precious metal lost-wax casting, vacuum casting, polishing, finishing, and scanning, Imaginarium serves clients across 30 different industry verticals. We have spearheaded the introduction of a broad spectrum of 3D Printing services in the subcontinent, pioneered the use of CAD-CAM in the Indian jewellery industry, and recently have had a lot of success on the medical front as well. Equipped with decades of experience, expertise, and a steadfast commitment to quality in service, Imaginarium upholds a reputation as an innovative and trustworthy partner in all product development that can harness the power of 3D Printing.
Ultimaker 2 printer from think3D
Ultimaker 2designed for the best user experience in 3D printing alongwith world class specifications. It offers premium parts and materials, large build volume and an open filament system. Technology:
FFF, Layer resolution: 20 Microns. Printing specifications are:
- Supported Filament: ABS/PLA
- Layer Resolution: 20 microns
- XY Positioning Precision: 12.5 Microns
- Z Positioning Precision: 5 Microns
- Print Technology: Fused filament fabrication
- Filament Diameter 2.85 mm • Extruders: Single
- Build Platform: Heated Bed
- Nozzle Diagram: 0.4mm
- Build Volume: 9.0 x 8.8 x 8.0 in
CADD Centre India
Let your designs speak – PLASTO 200
Today, 3D printing technologies have allowed an ever-growing number of creators, designers, engineers, physicians, researchers, academics and manufacturers to unleash and multiply the benefits of rapid in-house 3D printing across the entire creation process. Plasto 200 is an affordable, easy to use 3D printer. With a large build size and rugged construction, an ideal choice of every EMS Company offering an array of benefits. Plasto 200 from CADD Centre offers:
- Sturdy Design
- High reliability (Made in Europe)
- Large build size
- Dual color parts
- Easy to learn and use
- CADD Centre support
- Spares availability
- Filament choices
- Design hand holding for years
- Trained executives from the CADD Centre
Training Network
CADD Centre Plasto 200 features:
- Prints Plastic (ABS/PLA)
- Low running cost
- Compact and easy to use.
- Impressive build size of 230X270X200 mm
CADD Centre Envision TEC 3D Printing – Small segment 3DP functional components & guaranteed ROI
CADD Centre Envision TEC equipment can build even highly complex geometries quickly and accurately. Durable end-use parts are also possible with the additive manufacturing capabilities of 3D Printing. The printers are capable of reproducing the smallest details, allowing electronic devices to remain as accurate as the STL file and as functional as the idea. Instead of waiting for weeks for a prototype, 3D printing allows to produce iterations and test detailed design in a fraction of the time.
CADD Centre Envision TEC 3D printers in the electronic industry are useful for:
- Product development for electronics
- Precise models with reduced costs and shortening of development timelines
- Early time to market
- No waiting time for a third party to perform retooling.
- Greatly improve lead times from product concept to final product, from many months to just a few weeks.
- Faster and less expensive than traditional part making methods.
- Quicker production of prototypes for testing and verifying form, fit and function of the part.
- Ideal for producing high quality electronic components directly for manufacturing.
- Accurately produce truly innovative and intricate pieces that cannot be made with traditional techniques.
- Fully automated self-calibrating system helps in maximum productivity of the machine.
3D Printers from Visha World
o Type : Extrusion
o Technology : Fused Deposition Modeling (FDM)
o Materials: Thermoplastics viz. PLA, ABS,
Temperature Sensitive PLA, Luminous PLA, LayWoo D3, PA (Nylon), etc.
o User Category : Consumer & Industry
o Applications : Distributed Manufacturing, Mass
Customization, Rapid Prototyping, Art, Education, etc.
o I/P Data Format : G-Code generated using any popular slicing freeware / software.
o I/P Data Storage : SD Card (4GB recommended)
o Power Supply : ~230 V AC (internal SMPS regulation unit is included in the machine unit)
o Bed Heat : Max.~80°C
o Nozzle Temp. : Max.~250°C
o Nozzle Dia. : 0.3 & 0.4 mm
o Material Dia. : 1.75 mm
o Resolution : 0.05 to 0.25 mm
o Print Speed : 20 to 100 mm/s
Conclusion
May be next time you go for a factory tour and found couple of 3D printers replaced by specific applications molding and manufacturing machines. 3D print tech has make its pace in product designers and manufacturers. Building confidence in investment is the lacking factor in upgrading existing manufacturing facilities to 3D printing facilities.
