Cimquest Adds New Additive Manufacturing Product
We recently partnered with CoreTechnologie in order to add a new Additive Manufacturing product to our line-up. In the words of our CEO, Rob Hassold, "CoreTechnologie (a 24-year-old software development company) has amazed me with the speed of development and innovation of the 4D Additive software solution, a relatively new product in the industry. They have created a world-class product for Additive Manufacturing in just the past several years that rivals much more costly solutions. Cimquest's goal has always been to bring world-class affordable solutions to our customers, and we are excited to be partnering with such an innovative company as CoreTechnologie." CoreTechnologie provides CAX software solutions across wide-ranging industries. The company consistently optimizes its product portfolio and continues to secure technological leadership in the area of conversion software. Gamechanger for Additive Manufacturing The innovative 4D_Additive Manufacturing Software Suite sets new standards. Now for the first time 3D models from all common CAD formats can be read and prepared for additive manufacturing processes directly as an exact, intelligent and light B-Rep geometry. 4D_Additive reads CAD data from 24 different formats such as CATIA, NX, SOLIDWORKS, Creo, Inventor, STEP and JT as exact B-Rep geometry including all product manufacturing information (PMI), attributes, and design [...]
CNC Machining in the Medical Industry
The medical manufacturing industry faced a war on multiple fronts during the pandemic. Just as demand for medical supplies like masks and respirators was at its highest – and unexpectedly, too – employment dropped and supply chains were broken. Manufacturers were expected to continue to produce high-quality, high-precision medical products even as they struggled to acquire materials, staff their shops, and even ship the finished parts. Experts predict that this supply chain disruption could persist into 2024, leaving medical manufacturers struggling not only to turn a profit but to aid the health industry. CNC machining, the process by which machinists use code to automatically run a machine like a mill, router, or lathe, can help these manufacturers produce parts faster and more efficiently. In turn, hospitals, hospices, and other clinics receive the supplies they need in time. Why is CNC machining used for the medical industry? Many medical supplies, like plastic face shields, are made with injection molding. To create the best molds for consistent and repeatable injection, CNC machining is used. CNC machines are fundamentally more accurate and faster than their manual counterparts. This makes their machined products more accurate as well. For machined products with even tighter tolerances, like prosthetics and [...]
3D Printed Lattice Applications
A reprint from www.fabbaloo.com Lattice types [Source: Science Direct] A new research paper investigates the rather long list of applications for 3D printed lattices. Lattices are complex geometric structures that are sometimes referred to as “cellular”. This is because the geometry of the lattice is sometimes the space not occupied by “cells” inside of a volume. In traditional manufacturing, lattices are rarely used, except for foams. Foams are indeed a type of lattice, but the issue is that they are generally not controllable and tend to be uniform structure. With the advent of 3D printing technology, it became possible to literally control the lattice design, cell by cell. Sophisticated CAD software is now able to generate complex lattice forms, including, for example, lattice gradients, where the cells' size varies over a structure. Some industries have adopted 3D printed lattice structures as a strategic advantage. The most notable has been the footwear industry, where several players are involved in developing highly advanced midsoles. These midsoles are able to optimally transmit energy through ingenious lattice designs, making for shoes seemingly with superpowers. But what else can you use 3D printed lattices for? Some might be obvious, like lightweighting parts for aerospace, where every gram [...]
Desktop Metal Studio Sytem 2 Upgrade
Desktop Metal released a great lineup of 3D printers last year and we will recap some of those exciting new machines in weekly blog posts this month. Many of these new printers will also be showcased in our upcoming 3D Printing Online Seminar Series which will happen over the next couple of months. Please stay tuned for more details on that and in the meantime let's take a look at one of the new releases from Desktop Metal. Studio System™ Three new materials were released: 17-4PH stainless steel v.2, Ti-6Al-4V v.1, and D2 tool steel v.2! With the release of the Studio System™ 2 upgrade, you can skip the debind step and go straight from printing to sintering for the v.2 material system. To enable these new materials, we developed the High Purity Retort to improve the purity of the sintering environment as well as minimize the need for sintering getters. We didn’t just stop there. 2021 also saw the release of the PF1 Furnace, which contained many upgrades to not only increase reliability but also improve the ease of use and service. Together with updates to Fabricate® Cloud and Local, we’re excited to continue expanding the applications of the Studio System™. Keep [...]
PGV Cut Lead Times Using Desktop Metal 3D Printing
reprint from 3D Printing Industry PGV cut lead times by up to 80% using Desktop Metal 3D Printing technology PGV Industries, a Karnes City, Texas-based industrial equipment manufacturer, has begun integrating additive manufacturing technology into its day-to-day operations for the first time. Since recently installing one of Desktop Metal’s Shop System metal binder jet 3D printers, the firm has managed to remedy a number of issues it faced with traditional manufacturing techniques. As well as slashing manufacturing costs and lead times by as much as 80%, PGV has also reportedly benefitted from freed up internal production capacity and streamlined inventory management. Ramon Perales, President of PGV Oil Tools, said, “Energy itself is changing. As we’re moving forward, we want to make sure we aren’t reinvesting in legacy equipment, but in equipment that can take us to the future instead.” PGV’s Shop System 3D printer in the PGV Lab. Photo via Desktop Metal. The problem with traditional manufacturing Founded in 1983, PGV Industries has spent almost four decades manufacturing industrial parts for the oil and gas, aerospace, and medical sectors. Up until recently, the firm relied exclusively on conventional production techniques such as CNC machining. Some of the most immediate shortcomings of [...]
Metal 3D Printing is Growing Rapidly
As we enter into 2022 there is one thing we know for sure . . . Things all around us are changing extremely quickly. And if you and your machine shop are not changing at the same rate then your business can be in serious jeopardy. For our many customers who specialize in the production of metal parts and/or plastic parts; production 3D Printing (aka, Additive Manufacturing) is here and being adopted quickly. If you are not gaining knowledge and first-hand experience in Additive then you risk losing business to your competitors. According to Grand View Research, the global metal 3D printing market size was valued at USD 3.15 billion in 2020 and is expected to expand at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 22.9% from 2021 to 2028. As such, Metal 3D printing is slated to be the fastest-growing segment of Additive Manufacturing and traditional manufacturers should be paying attention to this. Those shops who understand and have expertise in both traditional fabrication processes such as (CNC / Molding) as well as Additive will have a leg up on everyone. Last year Metal 3D Printers become Cimquest’s fastest-growing segment. As we continue our journey into the adoption of production Metal and [...]