Exploring the MakerBot Method 3D Printer
Let's take a look at the Makerbot Method Series. A performance platform, the Method bridges the gap between industrial 3D printing accuracy and desktop accessibility. The Method Series offers an entry into industrial applications at an affordable price. Built on the bedrock of proven FDM technology from Stratasys, the Method series leverages 21 industrial patents. This distinguishes Method from many of the other entry-level 3D printers on the market. Let's take a look at some of the key features. It all starts with the patented circulating heating chamber. The circulating heated chamber utilizes two heat exchangers with active blowers to fully envelop each print with hot air during the entire print. The result is consistent dimensional accuracy within .2mm and optimal part strength. Method is a dual extrusion platform with thermal cores 50% longer than most desktops, allowing for more control and faster print speeds. Inside, the rigid full-body metal frame eliminates flexing that typically occurs during high-speed print movement. Less flexing means more consistent prints with better part accuracy. The flexible spring steel build plate sits on a factory-calibrated base, machined from aluminum. The plate leverages high-strength magnets for easy print removal. Once a part is complete, the plate comes off of [...]
Keep it Real – Four Applications to Increase Productivity
Working more efficiently and effectively is a goal of essentially every organization, regardless of sector or industry. Using 3D printing, many companies around the world can increase productivity in warehouses, assembly lines, and factories, enabling them to achieve results otherwise impossible. Read on for real-world applications that companies are leveraging to increase their productivity. Support Tools and Quick Fixes In a fast-moving environment, time matters. Take Heineken’s bottling plant in Seville, Spain, for instance, which produces more than 500 million liters of beer each year. Efficiency is the name of the game, which means spare parts and other tools must be quickly available should the need arise. Using 3D printing, Heineken is able to print spare parts and tools on demand, minimizing downtime and ensuring that product is continuously manufactured. Trivium, which manufactures tin packaging for products used in industries such as beauty and personal care, food and beverage, and pharmaceutical, uses a device that measures the speed of its conveyor belts. When the wheel of this device broke, however, the company was often left waiting on a replacement. By 3D printing the wheel, downtime was reduced from days – or even weeks – to hours. Assembly Tools Workers at both Ford's Cologne and [...]
Cimquest Used Demo Equipment Annual Sale
We are selling a few of our demo 3D printers. If you are in the market for a 3D printer and are looking for a good deal, please see below for the machines currently available. Fortus 900mc Gen2 (Stratasys) - $229,000 (OBO) FDM Technology 36” x 24” x 36” Build Envelope Capable of running these materials. HP Jet Fusion 5200 (20% Discount) Multijet Fusion Technology (MJF) 15” x 11.2” x15” Build Envelope Supports: PA11, PA12, PA12 Glass Bead, TPU, PP Optional Upgrade to the 5210 Desktop Metal Studio (20% Discount) Bound Metal Deposition Supports: 17-4, 316L, H13, 4140, Copper Optional Upgrade to the Studio 2 xRize Printer ($19,000) 12” x 12” x 8” Build Envelope FFF with Full Color Printing Supports: Rizium One, Rizium Carbon, Rizium ST - for full color 3D Rize One Printer ($5,000) 12” x 12” x 6” Build Envelope FFF with Blue Scale Markin Supports: Rizium One & Rizium Carbon Please contact us for more information. Contact Us
Introducing Shining 3D Freescan UE X7 and X11
Two brand new Shining 3D Freescan scanners called the UE X7 and UE X11 offer a new threshold for high precision scanning combined with a lighter design and enhanced functionality. The enhanced software can import scans into Control X with a single mouse click, completely streamlining the scan-based inspection process. Accuracy for both the UE X7 and UE X11 is an incredible +/-20 microns (+/-.00078”) with an excellent volumetric accuracy of 20 microns + 40 microns/meter while maintaining a maximum resolution of just 50 microns (.0019”). Combining precision accuracy with extremely high resolution, this scanner opens the door for precision scanning of complex parts while still paying attention to very fine detail. Both black and reflective surfaces are now supported by the UE scanner series to minimize, and in many cases eliminate, the need for any type of scanning spray to achieve high-quality scans suitable for rigid metrology applications. The main differentiator between the UE X7 and the UE X11 is scanning speed. Due to the 11 blue crosses used by the X11 as compared to the 7 used by the X7, the scanning speed is an incredible 1.2 million points per second while the X7 still scans at an extremely fast 650,000 [...]
Maximum Material Condition
Why would one want to use a Maximum Material Condition for a true positional callout for clearance holes? Maximum Material Condition or MMC in GD&T is added to the GD&T symbol. The symbol is shown below. In this example, we have a .137 diameter clearance hole that is defined as .137 Rad +/-.010”. Let’s assume the hole is manufactured (drilled) and inspected and it comes out as a .1303 radius, placing it .0067 undersize. There is a True Position callout of .020” for this clearance hole to datums A, B, and C without a Maximum Material Condition callout. By going this route, the dimension fails. The goal of any design is to provide the manufacturing engineer with as much tolerance as possible to still produce a good design that maintains the designer’s intent. If we just go by the True Position Callout for the example above with no MMC specified, the dimension fails and the part would be rejected. If we consider the nominal hole size of .137, the MMC hole based on this dimensioning scheme would be .127” (or .137” minus .010”). This number represents the MMC for this clearance hole based upon the callout. This would represent the hole with the [...]
How to Inspect a Scan Without a CAD Model
When using Control X for inspection, you are usually comparing one scan file to another scan file, or a scan file to a nominal CAD file. But sometimes you may have the need to inspect or measure a one-off part without a CAD file to compare it to. This blog post will explain how to take an isolated 3D scan in Control X and take measurements from it. In the example part above we have a connecting arm with only the mesh file. This file will come directly into the measured data node. Normally we would compare it with reference data, but in this case, there is none. When geometry is in the measure data without a reference data we can’t check for measurements. To work around this, we have to transfer it into the reference node. To do this, right-click on the scan and move it to the reference. Once it’s there the Regions functions become active. Now select the scan, select Regions, and click Auto Segment. The software now looks at the model and determines which features are lines, which features arcs, planes, and so forth. If you hover over the geometry, you will see what is a Plane, what is [...]