3D Printing (7) Page 7

Carbon fiber materials and carbon-reinforced polymers can replace metal for lighter, more ergonomic tooling. Add to that the power of additive manufacturing to print the part, rather than machine it, and you can significantly reduce both your part weight and tooling lead time. In this article, we are going to review the differences in printable carbon fiber materials and the machines capable of printing them to understand how the 3D printing industry has created approachable solutions for just about every level of production. 

As an Application Engineer with TriMech, my role often takes me into many manufacturing environments ranging from mom-and-pop machine shops to aerospace manufactures. As different as you may think these facilities would be, we often find a common trend – most custom fixtures, jigs, equipment, and assembly tools are made from aluminum. The biggest reason when asked about this is because “it's what we have always used,” and “it's what the toolroom prefers to work with.” When probed further we usually hear “aluminum is more than strong enough,” so it is chosen for a task that nowhere near approaches aluminum’s tensile strength benefits. There is a wide variety of materials out there other than aluminum that may fit some of these needs better. In this article we’re going to take a look at how printed polymers stack up against it.

As the industry leader in 3D printing, Stratasys is always innovating to meet the current and future demands of the additive manufacturing industry. Sometimes this can lead to so many new product announcements in such a short time that it can be hard to keep track of all the changes, even when those changes are for the better. In this article, we are going to quickly summarize the most recent Stratasys updates, specifically with regards to their growing capabilities with PolyJet technology. 

The new Stratasys J850 Pro PolyJet 3D printer is the latest machine variation in their popular and expanding J-series. What makes this entry unique is that it has been designed specifically to verify concepts quickly and cheaply through its efficient workflow with a wide range of materials (which the series is known for) but not to print realistic color. For a range of certain engineering-specific modeling applications, the resulting lower price-point and absence of "nice-to-have" color options, makes the J850 Pro a very attractive option for those looking to achieve faster product verification, increase their throughput and save valuable time.

When it comes to additive manufacturing there are many different types of technology that can be used. On the spectrum of 3D printing, voxel printing technology is probably as far away from filament strands and vats of goo as you can get. Voxel printing allows users to actually program the product material and its viscosity on a microscopic level. This results in both incredible control over color for visually stunning results and incredible control over material properties allowing for new and exciting composite materials. In this blog, we'll look at what Voxel printing is and how it is currently helping engineers who are embracing this technology.

Frequently, when producing parts to print on full-color PolyJet 3D printers (like the J55 and J850), we have the need to place logos and icons on our models. When using more traditional means of applying pixel-based graphics or decals on parts can have unpredictable outcomes when exporting for 3D printing. Often, we find it difficult to properly set the resolution of the logo to match the part, which results in logos that have blurry or pixelated edges. In this 3D Printing Video Tech Tip, we talk about how to create sharp-edged logos and icons using SOLIDWORKS.

It is a scientifically proven fact that playing with toys can improve your mood, so this holiday season I decided to play with the 3D printing “toys” I am lucky enough to have access to here at TriMech! A few years ago I was able to create some incredible Snowman Holiday Snow Globe Ornaments in full color plus clear (and they still adorn our Christmas Tree’s and desks at TriMech this time of year). Since then, Stratasys has added an incredible new machine to its lineup, as well as a wonderful new material, so I felt that this would be a great time to revisit that design and see what these advancements are capable of.

Additive manufacturing technology has opened up possibilities for product design that only a few years ago were not even possible. Similarly, the 3DEXPERIENCE platform from Dassault Systèmes has opened up possibilities for product development we didn’t have a few years ago. By leveraging the two together, we can take advantage of the collaboration, analysis, and on-demand capabilities available to make our designs and prototypes better and quicker than ever before. In this blog, we are going to explore the different tools and solutions available (at the moment) to print your 3D designs inside of the 3DEXPERIENCE platform.