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FOCUS on 3D Printing
Sponsored by HP
For more information visit our website at: hp.com/go/designjet3D
James Woodcock
Printing (3DP) is the fastest growing segment of the Additive Manufacturing the current crop of 3D Printers. Whether you're looking for something to produce models
3D industry, with a spate of new developments, launches and price reductions in the
last 12 months. Significantly Hewlett-Packard is back in the arena with its 3DP Designjet 3D
with a degree of functionality, or a machine that will allow you to quickly produce a physical
model at any point in the product development cycle. The Matrix of machine suppliers
printers — although not a new technology, the fact that HP is a household name is certain gives the definitive list of the most recent offerings from each company, along with details
to have an impact on this increasingly competitive sector. As has been covered before in of the materials (and their properties) that models can be created in — one of the most
this magazine, the definition of Additive Manufacturing and the various facets within it important factors when choosing between systems.
should always, for the moment at least, be considered the starting point for discussions —
it helps if everyone is singing from the same hymn sheet. For this feature a price-based A topic that has been discussed both within this magazine and across the blogosphere is
cut-off has been chosen: €45,000. whether there will come a time that every home has a 3D printer. It’s a moot point and
impossible to tell one way or the other. The trend that one can see already, exemplified by
There are some exceptions to this, but on the whole it is infinitely easier and truer to the the case studies on the following pages, is that as 3D printers become cheaper to
ethos of 3DP to separate by price rather than technology. Even within this price limit, the purchase, run and maintain more companies are seeing the opportunity to bring some of
range of prices and abilities is astounding — from $700 to $50,000 and all points in their prototyping in-house or even their production into AM.
between, using technologies as diverse as knife-cut paper and fused deposition modelling
(FDM). There is still a distinction between what most companies are willing to take on in-house and
what must still be sub-contracted to bureaux, but the reduction in price that will continue in
The aim of this feature is to educate you as to some of the abilities and costs of some of line with greater sales will continue to blur these lines.
The above definition has been proposed, debated and ratified by the ASTM F42
Committee on Additive Manufacturing. A majority of the systems featured in
this review meet the criteria set out in this definition, but as ever there are
some exceptions. An Mcor Matrix machine, for example, should almost
certainly be considered a 3D printer in the overall spirit of the term — it
produces physical 3D models from an virtual 3D model, is relatively low-cost
and is accessible — however it doesn’t use a print head, nozzle or other
‘print-like’ technology. Likewise, a ProJet SD 3000 from 3D Systems is
currently a little over the $50k barrier, but it would be unfair to exclude it for
the purposes of this evaluation.
focus on 3D printing
things, but from total strangers to the technology. Nearly everyone that will really increase uptake.
3D printers who sees a desktop 3D printer turn out its first part is amazed, be it a
paper clip or a working mechanical model. (See the side-bar to see But this business model is likely to endure for a number of reasons.
Twitlist what people are saying.) For starters the 2D printing market works like this — a quick check of
our preferred supplier brings up the Canon PIXMA iP2702 A4 Inkjet
The Q&A-based opinion column from Janne Kyttanen on page 29 Printer for £30.95 inc VAT. Quite the bargain. If you want some ink for
Twitter can be used to judge the demonstrates what a forward looking person can achieve if they have that, and one presumes you will, that'll be £27.83 inc VAT for 1 black
levels of interest in any given the confidence to embrace new technologies while everyone else and 1 colour cartridge.
topic quite easily. For example watches nervously from the sidelines. The interview also highlights
a search for campanology some of the major problems for 3DP — the ability to create and share Now of course you can buy a generic version of the ink for a fraction
reveals just two results globally the STL files needed to produce a tangible part, and the overall cost of the price, and there is no doubt that as soon as there is a demand,
in the last 24 hours (two more of materials for most printers (some exceptions to prove the rule, as someone will be selling generic refils for 3D printers — I am neither
than I expected!), where a ever, do exist!). The ABS used in a number of 3D printers is much condoning nor condemning it, I just see it as an inevitability. I am
search for 3D printing yields more expensive in the pre-packaged filament form that the machines sure than Canon (along with any of the other companies that could be
nearer 60. The there are all the take when compared with bulk ABS prices. This isn’t surprising as used as an example here) would quickly defend their OEM cartridges
other terms related to 3D one will always pay a premium for ‘value added’ in terms of colour reproduction,
products. But whichever way you look at it, it’s still usage, environmental credentials
printing (3D printer, addtive
relatively expensive if manufacturers really do and safety etc, but the point
manufacturing, fabbing, “3D printed prototypes in our focus
eventually see a printer in every home. Unless the remains that the ink is, whichever
proprietary names etc.) that public at large suddenly start to worry a lot more groups give the company new way you look at it, expensive.
throw up hundreds of further about product miles (the distance a purchase has to
tweets.
levels of confidence in our product
travel between point of manufacture and point of In Janne's interview he states that,
use), it will be the fact that 3D printing is as cheap, lines and benchmark data for our in his opinion, the price of
Here are some of the best at the as easy and more personal than a trip to the shops business decisions. We're now materials commonly used in 3D
time of going to print: confidently backing the winners
@jDubbyah — It's decided, Case Study 2: rather than rolling the dice. We've
I'm printing my next house Z Corporation and The found a host of unanticipated
See more on this
http://bit.ly/ckEAwf applications for 3D printing and
Denby Pottery Company case study at TCT Live
myriad unanticipated benefits. In
@aviationnewsus —
Simulation & Training Industry Every so often, the return on a business fact, we have shortened product
Embraces 3D Scanning & 3D investment exceeds expectations. Among launch time from four to two years,
Printing the lucky few is The Denby Pottery concept to availability.”
http://www.aviationnews.us/arti Company Ltd., the venerable United
Kingdom tableware manufacturer. The - Gary Hawley, Designer, The Denby
cles.php?art_id=12141&start
company invested in a 3D printer intending Pottery Co. Ltd.
=1
simply to prototype its design concepts on
an “occasional” basis, but has found the
@chloe_lecool — Live 3D machine surprisingly useful for time- and prototypes. The analysis
printing, architects on site and money-saving applications in marketing, manufacturing and revealed that the service
a nice cuppa @metworks stoneware casting. bureau's cost for a typical
#openhouse. 2 more tours left model would be twice that
- come and visit us! E1 1LA Approaching its bicentennial year, the 600-employee company of printing models in-
annually produces more than five million pieces of tableware, house. Denby estimated an
@Fumon — I am still awake! coveted by newlyweds, discriminating hosts and connoisseurs in-house 3D printer from Z
3D printing robot parts. It's true! around the world. Corp would pay for itself in
four years, in part because
Before any product is sold, Denby creates several prototypes of its comparatively low
@emahlee — The Desktop
for internal review. For the better part of two centuries, the operating costs. Denby
Manufacturing Revolution by
company's designers hand-turned and hand-carved new purchased the ZPrinter 310
@cascio in @FastCompany design concepts in plaster. Despite the prodigious skills of the 3D printer, one of the
http://bit.ly/6mk3D Discusses carvers, some having more than 25 years of experience, the fastest 3D printers on the
3D printing, ideas from process was time-consuming and never produced 100% market. Initial expectations
@cshirky & @bruces 2/2 accurate models. As a result, it was hard for clients to fully were high, but realistic.
understand the concept being proposed. Additionally, the fact
@cparisi — Have become that a prototype could take as long as four weeks to create As expected, the printer
very interested in 3D printing. made the company perhaps too careful about introducing new has dramatically reduced
Saw #NYT article where some products. Denby's prototyping work.
guy creates #bespoke artificial A concept model now
limbs using it. Amazing I say. Denby Pottery needed a way to reduce the time it took to takes two hours to print
produce a physical concept prototype, increase the accuracy versus up to four weeks to
and quality of those prototypes, and put designers back into hand carve. Designers now have the time they need to work in
@NickolasMadsen — Lots of
the design studio where they could focus on generating new the studio and focus on new designs. They quickly and easily
talk about 3D printing as a final ideas. produce clear visual samples they can present to company
#manufacturing process today. directors, and it's easy to duplicate samples for additional
Cant wait to see were this goes. The designers investigated various rapid prototyping systems, audiences.
#3dPrinting #design eventually requesting a demonstration of 3D printing
technology from Z Corporation. Denby was quickly convinced Designers create prototypes in their DeskArtes 3D computer-
@engadget — MakerBot's investing in a 3D printer could save them time, improve model aided design software, then transfer designs to the ZPrinter
Automated Build Platform accuracy and free designers to concentrate on designing new 310. “We then hit print and go make a cup of tea,” said
enables handsfree, multi-part and better products. Just to make sure, Denby performed a Designer Gary Hawley. “It would take 10 full-time carvers to
3D printing http://bit.ly/dezOtR cost comparison against contracting with a service bureau for keep up with the machine.”
focus on 3D printing
3D printing and
Intellectual
Printers is the single biggest factor Property rights
stopping a greater uptake of the systems.
It’s something I’ve heard again and again My attention was recently
from current and potential users. Based drawn to an an article
on the falling prices of the original published in the journal
systems, users prayers may start to be SCRIPTed — the online
answered soon... journal associated with the
Centre for Research in
Power to the people Intellectual Property and
Technology Law, at the
Another facet of the 3D Printing world, University of Edinburgh, UK.
and one that cannot be ignored, is the
rise of the open-source and hobbyist kits Written by Simon Bradshaw,
available from the likes of Rep-Rap, Adrian Bowyer and Patrick
MakerBot, Bits from Bytes and Haufe, the article examines an
Fab@Home. These systems are often interetsing side-effect of the
virtually indistinguishable from their aforementioned
'professional' counterparts on paper, with democritisation of 3D printing
similar resolutions and build chamber and its assoaciated and
sizes. This isn't to say that the two are facilitating techologies, that of
directly comparable however. Systems intellectual property rights.
aimed at the hobby market range from
around £500 for a do-it-yourself kit to It is well known that music,
around £2000 for a pre-assembled video and images are often Case Study 3: Objet and Peltor AB
system. The open-source ethos of these subject to copyright
systems means that users are restrictions by the owner or In the world of protection and communication gear, safety and quality are what
encouraged to manipulate and improve licence holder. All images in matters. Having equipment that fits properly is essential, and as it's worn daily, nice
the systems and share their successes this magazine for example design is appreciated as well. Creating well-designed head and face protectors and
with the rest of the community. must be free from copyright communication devices requires testing with prototype materials that mimic the
restrictions, or used only with materials used in the final design. This ensures that functional testing returns accurate
The open-source environment does the express permission of the results.
however encourage a rapid development copyright holder. Using an
of equipment, highlighted by the the image without this permission With more than 50 years of experience in developing and manufacturing hearing
recent introduction of the MakerBot would be an offence under the protectors, Peltor offers a wide range of products that are at the forefront of safety,
Automated Build Platform. The Copyright, Designs and comfort and aesthetics. Its line includes
development turns the usually static Patents Act 1988. communication devices (such as headphones
build platform into an automated and mouthpieces), safety glasses, hardhats and
conveyor belt. When a build has There are four classes of IP
Timely feedback from the visors, and its clients are professionals in
finished, the belt moves along, the rights that home users of prototypes has made it manufacturing, the military, aviation, forestry,
model pops off the end into a suitable 3D printers could infringe: agriculture, motor sports and other industries.
possible to implement and
container and the next build begins 1) Copyright
automatically. See the video here 2) Design Protections confirm changes in one or two Peltor utilises the Alaris30 desktop 3D printer
(http://bit.ly/autobelt). (registered or unregistered) days, rather than one or two from Objet Geometries to create accurate
3) Patent prototypes that function realistically and give
This sort of ‘bottom up’ innovation 4) Registered Trade Mark weeks. In addition, producing designers a way to see the final product before
(where the larger corporations can learn models in-house saves the production. The Alaris30 uses FullCure
from significantly smaller outfits) is We all know that using our VeroWhite model material, which acts like ABS,
different to most other manufacturing 2D printers to recreate a considerable costs of the material Peltor uses for some of its final
industries, and is just one more thing copywritten image is outsourcing. products. This allows Peltor to perform accurate
that sets 3DP apart. It is a reflection of against the law, but how fit, form and function tests of its products
the time we live in that this should be about using a white light before production, thus raising the quality bar.
the case, but it is also a reflection on the scanner to create a 3D
technologies and the way they are virtual model of a broken part, In comparing the performance of the Objet model and the end product, Peltor found
percieved. At the AM Conference in ficing it in CAD and printing that there is little differentiation between the end product made from ABS material and
Loughborough earlier this year I was yourself a new one? Have you the prototype printed on the Alaris30.
speaking to an attendee from a large, broken an IP laws there?
Japanese motor manufacturer who asked Hence, the company needed prototypes that are both good-looking and well
me: “Who’s thinking about the first AM The article concludes that, in functioning. The Alaris30 prints high resolution models that can be painted directly
production line? How will it look? Will it the UK, there is a surprisingly after printing to look exactly like the final product, solving Peltor's issue with look and
fit strainght into an established system?” favourable environment for the feel replication.
The answer could come from the big AM use of 3D printers in
players, but is just as likely to come personal, and occasionally Originally Peltor's prototypes were produced by other companies, which made the
from a one man band with a ‘low-tech’ commericial, settings. The design iteration a slow and laborious process. With the Objet Alaris30 in-house, the
3D printing system! fact that the capabilities of evaluation time for a prototype is considerably faster. Timely feedback from the
many accessible 3D printers prototypes has made it possible to implement and confirm changes in one or two
The Matrix on the following page gives a are still relatively low in terms days, rather than one or two weeks. In addition, producing models in-house saves the
roundup of the systems available today of the look and feel of the considerable costs of outsourcing.
in the sub $50k market. As most of final products means that
these technologies are on show at TCT copies are easily Reducing the design iteration time, has in turn decreased time to market.
Live I would urge you to read Jeremy’s distinguished — when these Development costs are lower due to the lower prototype costs, and ROI is faster
Column on page 65 (remembering that systems start to become more because of a significantly reduced and more accurate design phase. According to
this is one man’s opinion!), then come capable IP stakeholders might Hansson, Peltor will not “sell any product with known quality problems so finding the
along to the show and really get to grips start to take a keener interest problems with the prototype is perfect.”
with the technologies featured here. in protecting their designs.
V-Flash Personal
660 x 690 x 790 230 x 170 x 200 FTI-GN Natural (acrylic)1 0.1 mm 9,900 Euros
3D Printer
Dimension BST 1200 es 838 x 737 x 1143 254 x 254 x 305 0.0254–
18,500 Euros
0.33mm
Dimension SST 1200 es 838 x 737 x 1143 254 x 254 x 305 0.0254– -
24,370 Euros
0.33mm
0.178–
Dimension 3D Printing Dimension Elite 838 x 737 x 1143 254 x 254 x 305 ABSplus4 22,150 Euros
www.dimensionprinting.com
0.254 mm
info@dimensionprinting.com
635 x 660 x 787
uPrint (one material bay) or 203 x 152 x 152 0.254 mm 11,900 Euros
635 x 660 x 940
(two material bays)
Matrix 300 900 x 700 x 800 277 x 190 x 150 A4 Paper 80 gsm8 0.1 mm 29,950 Euros
Mcor Technologies.
www.mcortechnologies.com
deirdre@mcortechnologies.com
19,900 Euros*
FullCure7059, *Price excludes VAT,
Alaris30 825 x 620 x 590 300 x 200 x 150 28 µm
Objet Geometries VeroWhite10 shipping duties, taxes and
otions
www.objet.com
info@objet.com
Engineered plastic in
SD 300 Pro 770 x 465 x 420 160 x 210 x 135 (XYZ) 0.17mm (Z) 9,500 Euros
Solido a variety of colours11
www.solido3d.com
ran@solido3d.com
Prices from
ZPrinter 150 740 x 790 x 1400 236 x 185 x 127 High-Performance Composite12 0.1 mm £10,900
Prices from
ZPrinter 250 740 x 790 x 1400 236 x 185 x 127 High-Performance Composite12 0.1 mm £17,900
Prices from
ZBuilder Ultra 711 x 775 x 1803 260 x 160 x 190 SI500 photopolymer13 50–100 µm
29,995 Euros
1 - ABS14
2 - PLA15
MakerBot Industries 3 - HDPE16
300 x 250 x 400 100 x 100 x 120 0.25–0.5 mm 700 Euros
Cupcake CNC 4 - Frosting17
MakerBot
5 - Peanut Butter18
http://makerbot.com
contact@makerbot.com
6 - Silicone19
Perfactory Aureus 450 x 450 x 480 60 x 45 x 100 Nanocure RC25; WIC100G; R1120 25–35 µm
HP Designjet 3D Printer 762 x 660 x 660 203 x 152 x 152 ABS28+ in Ivory 0.25 mm £11,050
HP HP Designjet Color 3D
762 x 660 x 660 203 x 152 x 152 ABS+ in 8 Colors 0.25 & 0.33 mm £14,620
www.hp.com Printer
focus on 3D printing