How to Choose the Right 3D Scanner – Part 2
In part one of this “How to Choose the Right 3D Scanner” series we discussed scanning accuracy and resolution. In addition to these attributes, many scanners can also capture what we refer to as texture or color texture. Very often, when scanning a shape, color texture isn't terribly important, unless the scans will be used for 3D color printing, to display on a website, or for use in AR/VR. But in too many cases, color texture is used to hide poor resolution scans. Think of how much detail there is in a human ear. This is a scan of an ear with the texture turned on. To the casual eye, this looks like an excellent scan. The underlying mesh resolution is hidden by the color texture. But watch what happens when we simply turn off the texture. It almost doesn't look like a human ear anymore. With the triangles of the mesh turned on you get a sense as to why this is a very poor resolution mesh. If you consider the mesh file as approximating a shape with triangles, realize how much smaller the triangles would need to be in high curvature areas on the ear in order for this scan to [...]
Metal Goes Mainstream – Thoughts From the Desktop Metal Reseller Conference
Late last month I had the opportunity (along with others from Cimquest) to attend the annual Desktop Metal conference in Jacksonville Florida. Unfortunately, the sunshine state didn't live up to expectations with overcast skies, high winds, and temperatures in the low 50's. Everyone seemed to blame us northerners on dragging the arctic winds with us on our travels. However, despite the cool temperatures, we had a great time gaining a better understanding of the hot new technologies that Desktop Metal is going to and has brought to the market. Sitting through the presentations I had to reflect on the fact that this very young company (just over 4 years old) has and is revolutionizing the world of metal additive manufacturing and beyond (see Fiber below.) Ric Fulop's vision of mainstreaming metal 3D Printing and bringing about a new chapter in additive where the production of metal printed parts can reach a level of simplicity, volume, cost-effectiveness and repeatability never thought possible. In fact, it reminds me of what HP has done to make the production of additive plastic parts competitive to low volume injection molding. Since the first shipments of the office-friendly Studio printer back 2 years ago, the talented team as Desktop [...]
New Cimquest Office Opens in Florida
Cimquest officially opened their new office in Florida on January 23rd. It was well attended by local companies who had the opportunity to see the HP 5200 production system, the Desktop Metal Studio System, and take a tour of the Seaway Plastics facility. Attendees got to meet with the Cimquest expert staff and HP 3D Printing specialists while interacting with real 3D printed parts made from a range of engineering-grade materials. Rob Hassold, CEO of Cimquest attended the Grand Opening and said . . . "It was great to get to spend time with people that are interested in learning about what 3D Printing can do to help launch their business to the next level. I am excited about the next step for Cimquest, opening up a Florida facility and the opportunity to bring HP and Desktop Metal 3D Printing to Florida and the surrounding territory."
Mastercam Customer Loyalty Promotion
Attention Mastercam customers, from now until April 15th you can take advantage of the Mastercam Customer Loyalty promotion. We will be offering discounts on all of the Core Mastercam products and this includes product upgrades. Please find the specific details below. Discounts are available when purchasing any Core Mastercam product (ie, Mill, Lathe, Router, Wire, etc.) or upgrading your package to include: Blade, Port, Multiaxis, Mill-Turn, and Mastercam Mill3D. The discount amount increases according to the number of years you have been a loyal customer. For instance . . . Customers that have been on the Maintenance Program for: 1-2 years receive a 4% discount 3-4 years receive a 7% discount 5-9 years receive a 9% discount 10 + years receive a 10% discount For more information on how to take advantage of this promotion please call us at 866-277-8778.
Cimquest and Nexa3D Announce Partnership
Cimquest, Inc and Nexa3D Announce Partnership to Enter the Eastern US 3D Printing Market Cimquest, a leading provider of 3D printers, and manufacturing and design products today, announced a partnership with Nexa3D, the maker of ultrafast stereolithography production 3D printers. After an extensive vetting process, this new agreement fills a gap in our product offering to provide a true mass production photocure printer. "When we chose to revamp our 3D printing product line almost two and a half years ago to address the shift in the market from prototyping to production, we knew it was going to take time to identify and test technology that could lead Cimquest and our customers into the next decade,” said Cimquest CEO Rob Hassold. “With the growing success we are having with the HP multi-jet-fusion printers, we knew it was time for us to complement and expand our portfolio with a true mass production photocure printer,” continued Rob. We are excited that after an extensive evaluation of all available options, we concluded that Nexa3D’s new exciting technology is the right solution for our customers." Nexa3D plans to deliver a significant upgrade for tens of thousands of older legacy stereolithography printer users with their flagship printer, the NXE400. [...]
Mastercam Dynamic Motion Efficiently Removes Material
Reprint from Cutting Tool Engineering The evolution of efficiently removing material has basically unfolded like this: Traditional machining. We used the speeds and feeds recommended in catalogs from cutting tool manufacturers. We cut a 50% step-over as a rule of thumb, and while maybe it wasn’t the most efficient process in the world, we didn’t know the difference. Radial chip thinning. We still used the machining parameters from the cutting tool catalogs, yet we were also able to increase the feed rates and metal removal rates when stepping over less than 50% of the tool diameter. We began to increase productivity—when we went in a straight line, that is. Fluctuations in tool load continued to limit productivity. Dynamic Motion. This is where we have been for about 10 years. We started with the radial chip thinning principles and have been increasing feed rates, step-downs and removal rates. The cutting tool motion modifies dynamically to produce consistent, optimal chips—we call this constant chip load machining—and offers efficient cutting conditions regardless of workpiece geometry. With Dynamic Motion, cutting tool motion modifies dynamically to produce consistent, optimal chips. Image courtesy of CNC Software For several years, the Dynamic Motion application has proven itself again [...]