New Partnership with 3DGence
Cimquest is proud to announce a partnership with 3DGence. We are adding their industrial and professional-grade 3D Printers to our 3D printer lineup. These versatile industrial 3D Printers, with high-temp & high-performance materials, offer: FFF technology (Fused Filament Fabrication) Ultra-Fast Speed, Reliability, and Unmatched Total Cost of Ownership Industrial Grade Performance and Build Volumes Enabling Rapid Prototyping to Rapid Production Widest range of Materials and Temperatures ABS, CF-Nylon, PC, PEEK, PEKK, CF-PEEK & ULTEM Up to 500C / 930F "For the past four years we have done extensive research for an FFF / FDM technology product to add to our lineup of 3D Printing solutions. This solution offers more value and performance than traditional manufacturers of FFF / FDM products," says Rob Hassold, Cimquest CEO. For details on the 3DGence product line or to request a demo or quote, please click the button below. More Info
New Mastercam 2021 Check Tool Reach
In today’s blog post we will take a look at a new utility added to Mastercam 2021 called Check Tool Reach. Check Tool Reach can be accessed through the toolpaths menu after a machine is loaded into the file. This utility is used to scan a part model and see if the selected tool has the ability to reach all the features you would want to machine. Using this utility, you can create STL geometry of the result of the scan. Let’s explore how this works. To begin, you should create a level to save your results to. Then you can launch the utility form the toolpaths tab, by selecting Check Tool Reach. Once you select a target body to scan, you can manually define a tool, or a better option would be to select a tool assembly from your tool library. In this example, we selected a ¼” tool used for finishing. Since this was a predefined assembly we checked against the defined holder. Clicking on the Preview button will display the results of the scan. In this case, all reachable areas are shown in the teal blue and areas that cannot be reached by the tool definition will be shown in [...]
Take Advantage of an HP Trade-in Promotion
For rapid prototyping, Multi Jet Fusion technology can dramatically improve the production of iterations and design changes throughout development stages. For the first time, you can prototype using the same Multi Jet Fusion technology used in final production, even in full-color, all without compromising the performance of parts. Build on your past investments in 3D printing and switch to HP’s Jet Fusion 580 printer with this limited time offer! Just click the button below to contact us today. Contact Us Today
Real-world ROI: Top Success Stories with 3D Printing
Real-world ROI: Top Success Stories with 3D Printing Do you find it challenging to understand the potential 3D printing holds for your organization? It can be easier to understand its benefits by studying real-world cases. The following companies have incorporated additive manufacturing technology into their day-to-day operations to great success, maximizing their return on investment (ROI). Volkswagen Autoeuropa Volkswagen Autoeuropa uses Ultimaker 3D printers to create tools, jigs, and fixtures for use on its assembly line. By creating these parts in-house, the vehicle manufacturer saved $175,000 in its first two years of 3D printing. Specific parts are also created at a fraction of the previous time and cost. A liftgate badge – which ensures correct positioning of a car’s emblem – costs $12 per part, with a four-day turnaround time, compared to $470 per part with a 35-day turnaround time when using an external supplier. ERIKS ERIKS, which offers technical components and related services to all sections of industry, uses 3D printing at its headquarters in Alkmaar, the Netherlands for a multitude of purposes. Most relevant to ROI, however, are tools used to increase productivity and safety – such as a fixture that allows for quick, accurate welding of pipes. These tools have so far enabled ERIKS [...]
Snow Business: 3D Printing Final Parts for High-value Snow Machines
Snow Business is the world leader in snow and winter effects. The company develops snow machines that are used in the film and TV industry as well as on Christmas fairs and other live events. They use their Ultimaker 3D printers for prototyping, functional testing, and creating final parts for the snow machines. In-house 3D printing significantly speeds up their iterative design process and yields considerable cost savings along the way. Since they work with big production companies, chances are that the snow you'll see in a movie was made by Snow Business. Productions such as 007: James Bond, Kingsmen, or Bridget Jones's Diary all feature snow made by them. Paul Denney is Head of Research at Snow Business and is responsible for designing the falling snow machines. Most of the focus of R&D goes out to the machine's nozzle, which is where the machine mixes air with fluid to create the snow effect. Iterative R&D process As Paul explains, the nozzles have a complex air and fluid flow geometry, which makes it impossible to cast them. The only way to create new nozzles is by 3D printing, he says. New nozzles are developed through an iterative process of print, try, adjust the [...]
Mastercam 2021 New 2D Dynamic Corner Pretreatment
Let’s take a look at Corner Pretreatment - a new option added to the 2D Dynamic Mill toolpath in Mastercam 2021. Corner Pretreatment is a new option that allows for the addition of depth cuts and adjusted step overs to any sharp corners on your parts. This will help in controlling tool motion to reduce the chance of tool chatter and tool overload. Once this option is turned on, you can then setup your operation to dress the corners of the part. You can define the Cut method, decide if your path will include the corner treatment, or only cut the corners. You can also define other cutting parameters such as a unique step over, depth cuts, and the radius you want to achieve on the sharp corner areas only. You also have the option to adjust the feeds and speeds for this portion of the cut. The example below has multiple step downs applied to each corner. The radius is relatively small and may not produce the most desirable tool motion. It’s possible to adjust to a much larger radius to allow for a smoother longer transition from one cutting direction to another. Using the larger radii effectively straightens out the path, [...]