Metrology Minute – Free Control X Viewer
The Free Control X Viewer sets new standards for inspection report review. While Control X has always been able to produce complete inspection reports in various static formats, the Control X 2020 Viewer goes beyond a static review of inspection criteria. When the Viewer opens an inspection, each of the Model Manager inspection objects is populated by the author of the inspection program, yet no menus are available for you to add new or remove any of the inspection objects. Only the 3D Compare objects (3D Color Maps) are editable, enabling you to change nominal and critical tolerances, as well as any of the other menu settings. Below is a sample color map. For the 3D Compare tool, when you click on the 3D Compare node in the Model Manager, the menu opens, allowing you to make modifications to that portion of the inspection. In the example below, the specific tolerance was modified from +/-.003” to +/-.001” and you can see that much more of the model now falls outside of the new nominal specifications. While the Viewer doesn’t allow you to create new inspection criteria or edit most of the inspection node items, the ability to view any of the values in [...]
Nexa3D and Keystone Industries Partner to Deliver Higher Performance 3D Printing Solutions for the Dental Industry
Nexa3D and Keystone Industries recently announced a collaboration to make all Keystone KeyPrint® 3D printing dental resins available worldwide on Nexa3D’s ultrafast NXE 400 3D printers. Under this agreement, both companies will combine their extensive dental, photopolymer and 3D printing capabilities to deliver the highest productivity, precision and performance 3D printing solutions to the dental market. This powerful new combination comes with Keystone’s best-in-class, FDA-cleared night guard resin, KeySplint Soft® and KeyModel Ultra®, the go-to material for next-gen dental and orthodontic models along with the rest of Keystone’s laboratory and medical device printing materials, including KeyTray and KeyGuide. All Keystone precision dental resins are manufactured in the USA, and available immediately through Nexa3D’s expanding global channels. “We are thrilled to tailor our entire portfolio of KeyPrint resins for Nexa3D, a company that is fast emerging as an additive polymer market leader,” said Keystone Dental President Ira Rosenau. “During our extensive internal optimization and validation testing, we confirmed that the NXE 400 produces outstanding quality prints at high volumes, making it an ideal additive manufacturing partner for the dental industry. We expect Nexa3D users to have an outstanding experience with our growing line of KeyPrint resins.” Nexa3D’s ultrafast and high-resolution NXE 400 3D printer [...]
Mastercam Dynamic Thinking
6 Smart Ways to Prepare for a Surge in Orders mold and die parts machining by high precision CNC machining It can benefit most businesses to have a strategy in place to make the most of times when production slows. Using the lull in production, smart shops can prepare for a surge in orders by making a few simple adjustments. Here are six areas where your shop can take steps to optimize the jobs you take on regularly as part of a strategic effort to prepare for increased production demands in the future. 1. Cut and Stock Tolerances The default settings for creating an in-process Stock Model are set for finishing operations. They should be loosened for roughing and semi-finishing operations. This simple adjustment can save hours of processing time on large files with many toolpaths. 2. Toolpath Filtering Filtering the toolpath output can reduce part program size greatly. The default values are just a starting point, you must dial in your output to match your machines capabilities. Replace point-to-point data with circular interpolation data to suit older machines with less capability. You can also add many more points to the G-Code output for modern machines that can handle that data. [...]
3DGence FFF 3D Printing Platform
Let’s take a look at the innovative FFF 3D printing platform by 3DGence. Capable of printing high-temp & high-performance materials, this robust solution is geared to accommodate a wide range of demanding industrial applications. From concept modeling and functional prototyping, to manufacturing tooling and short-run production. With this platform, you'll experience 'best in class' value for your investment, with a low barrier to entry that's a fraction of other offerings in this category. The Industry F340 and F420 are based on the traditional FFF printing process, where the extruder heats & deposits the filament to build your geometry layer by layer. With the best volume-to-price ratio in its class, each offers swappable print modules that allow you to change materials quickly & easily. Print speeds of up to 400 mm/s can be achieved, with a minimum layer height of 40 microns. The 3DGence platform grants engineers access to an open certified materials platform with a wide range of options. This includes standard thermoplastics like ABS and ASA, as well as higher temp materials like PEEK, PEKK, and Ultem that traditionally have had higher barriers to entry. PEEK & PEKK are great for components in automotive, marine, nuclear, oil-well and more. While they have [...]
Formlabs Releases Fuse 1 Selective Laser Sintering 3D Printer
Formlabs just released the Fuse 1 selective laser sintering (SLS) 3D printer. This totally re-designed SLS 3D printer is ready to deliver industrial grade nylon parts, right on your workbench. Delivering production-ready nylon at a low cost per part, a large build chamber to accommodate various project sizes, and the ability to print 24/7, no other SLS printer offers the quality and ease of use as the Fuse 1. Formlabs has also begun to ship the Fuse Sift, an all-in-one powder recovery station for the Fuse 1. The Fuse Sift was created to flawlessly integrate into your SLS workflow and deliver a seamless, simple post-processing setup. SLS 3D printing has long been the domain of expensive, high-end industrial printers, oftentimes putting them out of reach for most business and product designers. The Fuse 1 delivers the industrial power of SLS into your workshop with an affordable, compact system for production-ready nylon parts. Affordable SLS Printing On Your Workbench The Fuse 1 offers a number of benefits typically found in industrial level SLS printers costing four times as much: Low material costs. With an expansive build chamber and the ability to reuse nylon powder, the Fuse 1 offers industrial quality SLS 3D printing for [...]
Mastercam Announces New Optimized 5-axis Post Processor for FANUC CNCs
Post processor unlocks faster and more accurate “art-to-part” FANUC CNC capabilities Mastercam and FANUC America, a leading factory automation solutions provider, introduce a new post processor designed to optimize 5-axis capabilities in FANUC CNCs. The post processor allows advanced machine tool operators to reduce their cycle times while boosting part accuracy, particularly for CAD/CAM generated 5-axis simultaneous contouring part processes. “Growing our relationship with FANUC was an opportunity that would continue to benefit our customer base and enhance our post processors. Working with the FANUC team was beneficial on the creation of the new FANUC 5-axis post to run the FANUC 30i-B and 30i-B Plus series controls. This collaboration ensured that we provided FANUC’s best methods of running their controls. Without a doubt, our new 5-axis post processor will bring the highest productivity gains to machine tools for customers,” says Mastercam Post Department Manager Pedro Sanchez, Jr. A growing number of manufacturing industries, such as aerospace, medical, and mold and die job shops, are incorporating 5-axis simultaneous processing in their operations. By optimizing FANUC CNCs with Mastercam’s new post processor, machine tools will be able to produce parts, modeled in the CAD system, more precisely. “For 5-axis simultaneous contouring, a quality CAD/CAM system [...]