All posts filed under: Technology

Patent Applications for Additive in the United States

There are 6,000 patent documents in the United States regarding additive fabrication. This means the straightforward approach is over and it is almost impossible to prevent one worker from interfering with another. Cross licensing and licensing have become common and now requires a strategy for intellectual property regarding technology and business plans. Most of these patents are to gather competitive intelligence for a defensive and offensive strategy. When benefits are ignored they go to the competitors. Competitors can shut each other down and restrict freedom. The use of intellectual property must be understood to avoid trouble and compete effectively. Most companies do not pay attention to competitors. This can result in an erosion of the company’s place in the technological market. Competitive intelligence is gathering and analyzing information gained from public sources. It is easy to find a competitors brochures, new releases, trade press articles, white papers and SEC filings. The top of the list should be patents. The Importance of the Patent Patents provide information not found anywhere else and the material they contain …

Accuracy and Precision

Accuracy is the difference between the intended and actual finished dimension. There are accuracy specifications for linear dimensions, flatness and whole sizes. This issue is critical and additive technologies have improved the standards. The process is complex because additive methods are all different, the cutting tool is used as a point of reference, there are multiple operations, a complex chemistry and energy exchanges to consider. Subtractive technology is incorporated using additive technologies. This becomes an important part of the process and increases the absolute accuracy. This is because any compounded errors due to the additive process can be corrected using subtractive technology. This is the reason the method based on an inkjet has a distinctive edge. The parts produced are equal to or near CNC accuracy. The versatility of the materials and the speed are the tradeoffs for other RP methods. The majority of the other methods are within approximately a few millimeters. A qualitative idea can be established by beginning with stereolithography because the results are accurate. Powder and LOM methods have less accuracy. …

Perfect to Discover Well-Known Places from a New Perspective

If you have ever watched your favorite show and wanted to see a 3D model of the set, the only real option that was possible was that of online blueprints that were leaked online in the dead of night. My how technology has changed as these days, you can see actual 3D models of your favorite offices from hit television shows. This has taken the world of fandom to a whole new level and brought a new aspect to the whole 3D model of houses world. There is also a personal side that comes with this often as this can be useful in helping to map out a home for several purposes. 3D Television Homes This is a new era in the love of our favorite shows and as a result, it has led to many people that want to have a way to enjoy their favorite shows. Homes from these shows can be hard to recreate if you don’t have the exact layout of the house. Even floor plans will only go so far …

Protected Against Destruction

Those that ignore the decaying historic places and cities are bound to wake up one day to them being gone. This is a harsh reality that many of us are having to face as war and time have destroyed and chipped away at the historic significance that these places have. This is not just a problem in war-torn areas or places that have been abandoned. Places like Mount Rushmore are suffering from erosion and without the use of 3D scanning, they may never be saved and we will lose all records of them even existing. Unlike with scanning to fix broken pieces or to imitate a work of art, this type of scanning is used to preserve a digital version of these places. Efforts to Save War-Torn Areas There is an immense amount of effort being made to help and save a lot of the areas that have been war torn over the last several years. Before certain parts of the Middle East were attacked by ISIS, researchers went in and took 3D scans of the area to have a …

The Variety of 3D Printing Materials

The 3D printing technology has grown a lot, thanks to the global awakening to this new technology. Today when we talk about the possible materials that can be used to manufacture objects using this technology, almost all materials known to humans seems to a prospective candidate. Polyamide, aluminum, cobalt derivatives, gold, silver, bronze, materials used in Ceramics, meat and sugar everything and more can used in 3D printing technology. Metal 3D printing permits you to make practical models and mechanical parts from different metals and combinations. Mechanical metals are laser sintered from metal powder. Accessible materials incorporate aluminum, stainless steel, bronze and cobalt chromium. Let us take Aluminum Aluminum is the main metal we offer that is combined and liquefied utilizing a laser from a bed of metallic powder. The 3D printing procedure is called specific laser dissolving. Creation happens on an assemble stage with backings to grapple the part. A bed of aluminum powder sits over an assemble stage. One layer at any given moment, the powder is liquefied by a powerful laser. The softened powder is …

Development of 3D Printing Technology

When we think about the 3D printing technology, most of us think of it as a recent development. Not many are aware of the fact that seeds of the technology were sown way back in the 1980’s. Then known as Rapid Prototyping technologies it developed into the amazing world of 3D printing. Broadly speaking a process to manufacture 3D objects of any geometrical dimension by using digital model data derived from a 3D model. This process has the entire ingredient that triggered the industrial revolution. This is because the procedures were initially considered as a quick, cost effective and more practical technique for making models for developing product in industry. The fascinating side of the story is that the main patent application for RP innovation was recorded by a Dr. Kodama, in Japan, in May 1980. Dr. Kodama did not apply for the full patent specification before the one year due date after the application, which was disastrous as he himself was patent lawyer. It was in the year 1984 when Charles “Chuck” Hull came up with the process …

3D Printing Basics for Beginners

We all have been hearing about the amazing world of 3D printing and the storm in the form of revolutionizing the manufacturing sector. This very concept will turn the current manufacturing process of machining, fabrication, casting and stamping a thing of past. So, what is it? Broadly speaking a process to manufacture 3D objects of any geometrical dimension by using digital model data derived from a 3D model. There are two aspects of 3D object printing. The first, all the data of the object to be printed in digital format and second, and a machine that reads the digital data and pours in layer after layer of the manufacturing materials to create the final product. Example: you have a tube of toothpaste and you start squeezing it while drawing different shapes. But in real life scenario the deposition of materials to form the final object is controlled by a computer’s 3D images and the digital dimensional data provided by it. A New Approach The current process of manufacturing is a subtracting one and the new technology …

Medical Applications of Rapid Prototyping

There comes a time in humanity’s time-line, when a dent is created in the universe. This dent, allows us to live in excitement and curiosity of what the future will hold. In this time of our life, we can now use rapid prototyping in the medical field. There have been plenty of movies showcasing a human with robotic parts, a cyborg. With rapid prototyping coming into the medical field, we are getting closer to the day when we are half human and half robot. In this article, we will discuss the ways in which rapid prototyping is revolutionizing the medical industry. Prosthetics In the past, prosthetic and implants were provided to patients with a standard measurement scale. We know that one size does not fit all, and though some people may have a similar body-type and can wear the same length of jeans or size of shirt, it is completely different when it comes to a body part. Rapid prototyping has changed this and can now provide a very accurate measurement of a prosthetic product …

What is the difference between an RP machine and a 3D printer?

In the past decade, we’ve come across some amazing discoveries and inventions in technology, which have allowed our society to create, test, and understand new methods of production. Arguably the biggest break-through has been that of the 3D printer, which had the whole world speaking about it after it was showcased at the annual CES convention. Rapid prototyping has been around for much longer. Used as a way to quickly test a new product or process, it has allowed entrepreneurs to get their ideas out and pivot with speed. 3D printing, however, is a revolution of its own. In this article, we will discuss the differences between rapid prototyping machines (RP Machines) and 3D printing. Rapid Prototyping So what is RP, or “rapid prototyping”? Just like the name implies, it is a method of rapidly creating a prototype of an idea that may work in theory, but may not work as perfect, in reality. In order to know whether or not the idea or product will work, one must create the prototype (preliminary model). Most …

Additive Technologies in Injection Molds

Injection molds can be produced faster and at lower costs using additive technologies rather than subtractive technology. In addition, additively produced tools can be used to indicate the performance of a final hardened tool. The use of additively-fabricated molds can create plastic components by the dozens, and in some cases, the millions, to be used for prototypes or testing. Subtractive CNC or spark erosion drawbacks: Methods are slow and expensive. Skilled workers for these methods are in short supply. Product complexity is high, product cycles are short. More precise tools are needed from declining supply of toolmakers. Benefits of Additive Technology The benefits of the process of additive technology in injection molds include saving time and labor. In addition, additive technologies can provide the option of improving mold performance that supersedes subtractive technologies. It provides the ability to build conformal cooling channels which assist with increased thermal performance. It also allows for the use of multiple or gradient materials which optimizes the performance of molds. These benefits decrease cost and may be a revolutionary development …