AIP presentation Tasman 3D

Editor's Notes

• #6: 3D Printing is not a universal cure for all design & manufacturing problems, but it does offer opportunities that traditional manufacturing techniques cannot. 3D Printing enables the production of a physical, tangible object based on digital input. The Digital input can be produced through mathematical modelling, scanning or conventional CAD modelling and this digital input is without a doubt the most important part of the 3D Printing process.
• #8: 3D Printing like so many Technology focussed industries thrive on TLA’s (Three Letter Acronyms) so it may be worthwhile to quickly cover a few before I go any further.
• #9: There are a number of 3D Printing ‘Processes’. In many cases these processes suit different applications, and have their strengths and weaknesses.
• #10: Vat of liquid ultra-violet curable material, polymerised or cross-linked to create a solid part by the laser. Materials is liquid resin “photopolymer”
• #11: SLS involves a powder bed which is continuously re-coated with thin layers of pre-heated powder material. The material is fused using a high power pulsed laser. Materials here can be plastics such as Nylon, Direct Laser Sintering of metals, ceramics or glass powders.
• #12: FDM uses a spool of plastic filament which is melted and extruded through a fine tip. The tip is on a head that moves in the X and Y direction like a CNC milling machine. Soluble support acts as temporary scaffolding where required for overhang. Any serious 3D Printer of this type uses a water-soluble support material which is dissolved after the print has finished.
• #13: PolyJet 3D printing is similar to inkjet document printing. But instead of jetting drops of ink onto paper, PolyJet 3D printers jet layers of liquid photopolymer onto a build tray and cures them with UV light. The layers build up one at a time to create a 3D model or prototype. Fully cured models can be handled and used immediately, without additional post-curing. Along with the selected model materials, the 3D printer also jets a gel-like support material specially designed to uphold overhangs and complicated geometries. It is easily removed by hand and with water Source - Stratasys
• #14: Scanning is great for re-engineering something which is tricky to draw, such as organic shapes Drawing from scratch is a way of creating a ‘perfect’ model with no errors
• #15: ‘Slicing’ is the process of taking a CAD model and converting it into machine instructions for each ‘layer’ of the printing process. This is also where the structure of the support material or ‘scaffolding’ for a given part is worked out.
• #17: Just 2 weeks ago the 2014 Wohlers report was published. It is an annual bible of the 3D Printing industry and provides a good snap shot of the industry each year.
• #18: Improved Communication Unlike traditional modeling, 3D printed models provide a “what you see is what you get” philosophy. The ability to “proof” your model prior to build will help ensure accuracy and deadline delivery.
• #19: Nervous System is interested not in simply designing products for people to buy, but also in releasing its work online as a series of interactive applets that customers can use to craft their own personalized products. The booth shows off unique home products like Orblamps ($169 to $200) made with 3-D printing techniques.  “We started in 2-D using tools like laser cutters and water jet,” says Louis-Rosenberg, "but making forms like these were intricate and difficult using traditional methods.”
• #21: Medical Equipment, Appliances & Prosthetics
• #22: Dental modelling which is often outsourced to Asia is now cost-effectively done locally, with less invasive digital intra-oral scanning of the mouth rather than taking uncomfortable impression moulds. What was manually constructed as a stone-model, can be rapidly & accurately printed digitally, and 3D Printing can also be used for wax-ups of dental appliances & prosthetics for investment casting.
• #23: The design industry is obviously where 3D Printing is most popular and well-known. In-house 3D Printing capabilities provide designers with the ability to have a rapid and agile development path on a product. Printing several design variations in a single day and evaluating them for fit & finish, ergonomics, aesthetics etc. on the spot is invaluable. 3D Printed parts can be evaluated on their own for their form & feel, assembled as a ‘system’ or fitted together with existing ‘off-the-shelf’ products which they must be compatible with. Having a 3D Printed prototype (or several copies of a prototype) can allow the graphical designers to begin working on a physical example of the design, the design can be evaluated by the manufacturing team so that they can get a head-start on overcoming manufacturing problems, the packaging design people can begin developing and testing the packaging solutions for the product. This all results in a BETTER product with a shorter time-to-market.
• #24: Concept design drawn on paper CAD design constructed Printed accurately on Objet Connex3 machine in material that represents final part accurately Lens, elastic strap and foam cut & installed to complete the prototype
• #25: When it comes to a new design or product, there is nothing better than holding the real thing in your hand. Looking at a render on a computer screen can only translate so much information. For certain product with post-processing carried out, customers of ours are doing advanced prototyping, where the parts are post-processed to a high standard and displayed as the real product, so that orders can be confirmed before any commitments for tooling up have been made.
• #26: Better, more customised production tools Streamlined process between different stages of readiness for mass-production Replacing and Re-Engineering of components without high costs or long lead times
• #29: Blow moulding tool for short run production of PET bottles. Up to 1000 pieces possible. Injection moulding tooling for Polypropylene. Up to 250 shots possible This style of tooling allows for samples that are produced in an automated fashion - the same way as the final mass-produced piece.
• #33: Marketable model.