Rapid Prototyping

INUS Technology, Inc. is pleased to announce that a recent U.S. Air Force funded study evaluating CAD and reverse engineering software concluded that Rapidform XOR stands alone in its ability to create parametric solid models from 3D scan data. The study was conducted by Dr. Kuang-Hua Chang of the University of Oklahoma and published in the journal CAD and Applications (www.cadanda.com).

This study offers an unbiased, expert opinion on software used to create parametric CAD models from 3D scans.

 Rapidform XOR was released in 2006.

The U.S. Air Force frequently needs to regenerate designs of decades-old parts, and so commissioned the University of Oklahoma to study both 3D scanning software and hardware to determine the best available technology. INUS Technology had no knowledge of the study or its outcome until it was published in CAD and Applications. 

Dr. Chang and his students surveyed the landscape of software available for converting 3D scans into parametric solid models usable in CAD, evaluated and then tested the front runners using practical examples. “We used five different examples in two rounds of testing,” said Dr. Chang. “The first round was surface modeling, and in the second round, we focused on parametric solid building. We found that Rapidform was the only viable option that supported support parametric modeling and transferring the solid model to CAD systems. When we say ‘viable option,’ it’s based on two things. One is the time and effort, the other is the accuracy.”

According to Chang, other software “was able to generate a parametric solid model, but it took a long time and the solid model created was not very accurate.”

“It’s very rewarding to see an unbiased study recognizing the value of Rapidform XOR compared to other 3D scanning software,” noted Calvin Hur, INUS Technology’s CEO. “We encourage anyone considering 3D scanning technology to read this paper to make a decision on their reverse engineering software solution.”
 
The entire paper, including technical details of each tested software, is available for free download at http://www.rapidform.com/reverse-engineering-study.

INUS Technology Inc.

www.rapidform.com


 

Source: :: Make Parts Fast ::

New web site helps you ‘breed’ 3-D printable objects

Even though it is still computer-aided design, it’s not CAD in the way most of us think of CAD today. And it’s changing the job of CAD engineers. Instead of designing objects that will eventually be made and sold, the function of CAD engineers is shifting to developing programs that automate design tasks so that anyone, not just engineers, can create. CAD programs are increasingly being viewed as inhibitors to product development precisely because they require some skill to use.

Blame the 3D printing industry for the change. Said Hod Lipson, Cornell associate professor of mechanical and aerospace engineering and computing and information science, “Now that 3-D printing is taking off, the goal is to unshackle the design process, …” Lipson likens the 3-D printing industry to iPods with no music – the printers exist, but the availability of content is bottlenecked by the old methods like CAD that few people know how to use and that stifle creativity.

Cornell University is the latest organization to tackle the current design challenge; Lipson and his students just announced a website that lets anyone point, click, collaborate, and create online in the evolution of printable, three-dimensional objects. They aim to transform the design of art, architecture and artificial intelligence.

Their new interactive website, EndlessForms.com, eliminates the need for skilled engineers to draw in CAD programs, which can be complicated and non-intuitive. The site lets users design their own things without any technical knowledge and using the same principles that guide evolutionary biology. These new design tools free people to focus creativity, instead of being mired in technical details, Lipson said.

The Web site was developed by Jeff Clune, Cornell postdoctoral fellow; Jason Yosinski, Cornell graduate student in engineering; and Eugene Doan, Cornell undergraduate student in the Creative Machines lab of Lipson.

On EndlessForms.com, objects are evolved in the same way that plants and animals are bred. You pick the ones you like and they become the parents of the next generation of objects. As in biological evolution, the offspring look similar, but not identical, to their parents, allowing you to explore different designs. This grounding in developmental biology enables the evolution of complex, natural looking forms.

Users can further evolve, share, and rate these objects, creating a collaborative exploration of designs that, according to Lipson, represents an entirely new way of thinking about design. Users can then have their objects made by 3-D printing companies in a range of materials, such as silver, steel, ceramic or sandstone.

Cornell Creative Machines lab
http://creativemachines.cornell.edu

EndlessForms
http://EndlessForms.com

 

Source: :: Make Parts Fast ::

The trend to put Additive Manufacturing (AM) technology into schools continues. Stratasys (NASDAQ: SSYS) announced that it has been chosen by the Georgia Institute of Technology to provide its Dimension 3D Printers to select high schools across the U.S. as part of The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) Manufacturing Experimentation and Outreach (MENTOR) program.

The DARPA MENTOR program should boost engineering skills for high school students, as well as spark an interest in engineering, design, manufacturing, math and science-related university programs. The four-year program is focused on engaging high school-age students in a series of collaborative design and distributed manufacturing experiments, including using additive manufacturing machines (or 3D printers).

“This program will provide students with skills they need to solve future design and engineering challenges, which will aid U.S. industry,” says Dr. David Rosen, Professor in Mechanical Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology. “3D printers play an important role in the hands-on and “minds-on” learning, which the MENTOR program facilitates. Stratasys FDM technology is instrumental to this program.”

Starting in 2012, Stratasys Dimension and other brand 3D printers will be installed in more than 20 high schools selected by the DARPA program as part of the first phase roll-out. Currently, one system is already in place for a pilot institution so that educators can start to develop curriculum for the program. Additional 3D printers will be placed in subsequent phases over a four year period. “We estimate this program will generate orders for about 50 Dimension 3D printers over the course of the four year term,” says Stratasys Vice President of Direct Digital Manufacturing, Jeff DeGrange. “And we think that serious interest in 3D printing from an organization like DARPA is evidence of a solid future for additive manufacturing.”

Stratasys, Inc.
www.Stratasys.com

Dimension
www.DimensionPrinting.com

 

Source: :: Make Parts Fast ::

Independent university study evaluates material properties over time for PC and ABS plastic parts produced via Stratasys FDM process

Stratasys Inc., (NASDAQ: SSYS) announces findings from an independent and extensive performance study characterizing the effects of time, temperature and environment on the mechanical properties of PC (polycarbonate) and ABS plastic parts made through the Fused Deposition Modeling (FDM) process.

The first of its kind, this study provides critical data for manufacturers considering additive manufacturing for production parts or functional prototypes. This information is needed as additive manufacturing moves from its roots in prototyping to production of finished goods. “The finished product or prototype can be in service for extended periods of time and in varying conditions, so it is imperative to qualify the properties beyond published specifications,” the study stated.

The independent study was conducted over a 52-week period by Loughborough University, UK. The study evaluated the mechanical properties over time of polycarbonate and ABS plastic parts made with the Stratasys Fused Deposition Modeling process and how the parts stand up in the extreme environments of heat, cold, moisture, and dryness.

“Stratasys has migrated into manufacturing and other high-requirement applications,” says Fred Fischer, Director of Materials Business Development for Stratasys. “And manufacturers are hungry for data on mechanical performance of additive processes. The Loughborough study offers statistically sound, comprehensive data, which will help engineers make decisions about additive manufacturing.”

For survey overview, specifications and detailed findings:

Additive Mfg FDM Mat’ls Study / ABS

Additive Mfg FDM Mat’ls Study / PC

Stratasys, Inc.
www.Stratasys.com

 

Source: :: Make Parts Fast ::

EngineeringZONE introduces New England high school students to the wonder of making things

A great way to expand the use of Additive Manufacturing (AM) technology, intrigue students into engineering fields, and start to tackle the issues involving jobs and manufacturing in this country is for AM vendors to work with teachers and schools.

Rapidtech.org is a group that sponsors workshops on rapid prototyping and additive manufacturing for anyone to attend. This educational entity is part of the Saddleback College and is partially funded by the National Science Foundation. It assists businesses, educational institutions, entrepreneurs and community-based organizations in developing new products and designs using innovative rapid prototyping technologies, additive manufacturing, and reverse engineering. Recently, the organization held a workshop for teachers to inform them of this technology and help them communicate this information to students. Z Corporation, Stratasys, NextEngine, Rapidform, and SolidWorks were among the participants in the workshop.

On August 30, 2011, Z Corporation announced the launch of “EngineeringZONE™,” an initiative that invites high school classes to visit the company monthly for an afternoon to experience some of the latest 3D printing and 3D laser scanning technology.

Students in the EngineeringZONE program will try their hand at some introductory computer-aided design (CAD) software and will make their own 3D printed models. Interested high schools should contact Z Corporation for more details.

At the press event announcing this action, Congressman Tierney, New England Member on the House Education and Workforce Committee, applauded Z Corporation’s efforts.

Said, Scott Harmon, vice president of business development, Z Corporation, “We’re thrilled to open our doors to curious students because this is where the magic happens, where you can see a design on a computer screen turn into a physical object before your eyes. In addition to the sizzle, 3D printing brings together all of the disciplines – science, technology, engineering and mathematics – that our students so desperately need to master now and in the future. We’re honored that Congressman Tierney, was able join us on this important initiative.”

Z Corporation

www.zcorp.com

 

Source: :: Make Parts Fast ::

Do you need an in-house 3D printer? You may think your prototyping volume does not justify one. But there are a number of good reasons to consider buying a desktop 3D printer, besides the fact that prices for many of these units are $20,000 or less. Plus, these units deliver good accuracy and tolerance for form and fit, and sometimes function.

One key benefit to consider is how an in-house printer can help you get your designs to market faster. Depending on the service bureau, turnaround time for outsourcing prototypes can take as few as 2 to 3 days. While fast, this time does not include the time involved in design; and in-house 3D printers can help shrink that design time.*

Even though the other tasks involved in design (internal review meetings, approvals, and so on) can be done in parallel, you still must wait for a model to return from an outsource provider. With an in‐house 3D printer, however, you can have your prototype model within hours. Not to mention additional time saved by printing during the night or over the weekend when no one is at the office. This can effectively save weeks off the entire development cycle – and dramatically accelerate time to market of new products and new features for existing products.

Development tends to continue while a design is at the service bureau. Features often change, which can put you in a development time lag. But with the ability to quickly print 3D models in just hours, decisions can be based on accurate prototypes and data.

When prototyping is readily available and can be done inexpensively in multiple iterations, the potential for errors is significantly reduced. You can test out different ideas to find the optimal design. Small variations can be modeled and checked for function. Details can be fine-tuned and potential manufacturing errors can be caught before molds and die casts are made.

While you may spend $20,000 up front for a 3D printer, the return on investment is often quick. An outsourced prototype can cost anywhere from several hundred dollars for a simple design, up to thousands of dollars for a more complex model. Even if printing only two models per month on average, an onsite 3D printer can produce major cost savings. In addition, you will find that you use an in-house printer more often because of its convenience, which will shorten payback time even more.

Another advantage of in‐house 3D printing—it can help ensure intellectual property confidentiality. Whenever detailed designs are sent beyond the company network and outside the company’s physical premises, a potential risk is involved.

Keeping rapid prototyping in‐house with a 3D printer eliminates the need to transmit design files to any external network. It ensures that designs never leave the company premises, and intellectual property is better safeguarded.

Today’s desktop 3D printers can print ultra‐thin layers that deliver functional and visual accuracy that match and even outperform other prototyping technologies. They can print the smallest features and finest details, smooth surfaces, and even moving parts, in a single build process. And, with a choice of model materials and varied post‐processing options, it’s possible to create models with a look and feel that closely resemble the end product.

Objet Geometries Ltd.
www.objet.com

*In a survey of over 1000 Objet 3D printer owners, for example, almost one‐third reported experiencing a 25% or more improvement in product launch times, with more than half of respondents reporting a product launch time improvement of at least 10% or more.

Material for this article is courtesy of Objet Geometries Ltd.

 

Source: :: Make Parts Fast ::

New web site helps you ‘breed’ 3-D printable objects

Even though it is still computer-aided design, it’s not CAD in the way most of us think of CAD today. And it’s changing the job of CAD engineers. Instead of designing objects that will eventually be made and sold, the function of CAD engineers is shifting to developing programs that automate design tasks so that anyone, not just engineers, can create. CAD programs are increasingly being viewed as inhibitors to product development precisely because they require some skill to use.

Blame the 3D printing industry for the change. Said Hod Lipson, Cornell associate professor of mechanical and aerospace engineering and computing and information science, “Now that 3-D printing is taking off, the goal is to unshackle the design process, …” Lipson likens the 3-D printing industry to iPods with no music – the printers exist, but the availability of content is bottlenecked by the old methods like CAD that few people know how to use and that stifle creativity.

Cornell University is the latest organization to tackle the current design challenge; Lipson and his students just announced a website that lets anyone point, click, collaborate, and create online in the evolution of printable, three-dimensional objects. They aim to transform the design of art, architecture and artificial intelligence.

Their new interactive website, EndlessForms.com, eliminates the need for skilled engineers to draw in CAD programs, which can be complicated and non-intuitive. The site lets users design their own things without any technical knowledge and using the same principles that guide evolutionary biology. These new design tools free people to focus creativity, instead of being mired in technical details, Lipson said.

The Web site was developed by Jeff Clune, Cornell postdoctoral fellow; Jason Yosinski, Cornell graduate student in engineering; and Eugene Doan, Cornell undergraduate student in the Creative Machines lab of Lipson.

On EndlessForms.com, objects are evolved in the same way that plants and animals are bred. You pick the ones you like and they become the parents of the next generation of objects. As in biological evolution, the offspring look similar, but not identical, to their parents, allowing you to explore different designs. This grounding in developmental biology enables the evolution of complex, natural looking forms.

Users can further evolve, share, and rate these objects, creating a collaborative exploration of designs that, according to Lipson, represents an entirely new way of thinking about design. Users can then have their objects made by 3-D printing companies in a range of materials, such as silver, steel, ceramic or sandstone.

Cornell Creative Machines lab
http://creativemachines.cornell.edu

EndlessForms
http://EndlessForms.com

 

Source: :: Make Parts Fast ::

The iconic crash-test dummy is anything but dumb. It’s a high-tech testing device with innumerable physical and electronic permutations to satisfy the unique needs of each customer, whether auto maker, airline, space agency or military branch.

This persistent demand for sophisticated new products and features explains why Humanetics Innovative Solutions of Huron, Ohio, a leader in the design, development and manufacturing of anthropomorphic test devices (ATDs), uses 3D printing technology from Z Corporation.

“ZPrinting lets us make new parts for the client in a day and a half instead of the week or more it takes when we need to machine new steel or aluminum molds,” said Humanetics Project Engineer Kris Sullenberger. “It’s also probably a 10-to-one cost savings in materials and machine work, meaning we save hundreds of dollars each time.”

A 3D printer produces physical models from computer-aided designs much as document printers print business letters from word-processing files.

Sullenberger’s team purchased its ZPrinter four years ago to execute an urgent project for the US Department of Defense during the second Iraq war. The client needed a sophisticated head model to test a new generation of goggles and face shields. The head model consisted of a dozen segments representing facial bones, each having impact data collection sensors.

“ZPrinting was the only way we could do the job,” Sullenberger said. “Time was of the essence, and ZPrinting’s speed, accuracy and resolution was best suited to the government’s needs.”

Sullenberger’s team ZPrinted patterns and mold boxes, quickly created silicon molds, and then heat-poured the urethane parts. “From start to finish, the whole product – design, building, testing and shipping – took six months. It would have taken three months of machine time alone to make aluminum molds. And revisions would have been a nightmare. Instead, we just reprinted and repoured anytime we needed a change.”

Today, Humanetics is printing about 200 parts a year, often multiple parts per build. At peak, Sullenberger’s team runs the ZPrinter around the clock for three weeks on end.

Although most of Humanetics’ ZPrinting is for mold and pattern production, the company also prints samples for marketing and sales, often helping explain concepts better than words or CAD images.

“We’ll send complete scaled-down dummies to clients, including senior executives and other non-technical professionals, or we’ll send detailed models that help explain new designs,” Sullenberger said. “People often don’t know what they’re looking at in a picture. But it drives the information home when you print a part, split it in half and let the person pick up the pieces, examine the internals, and put them together themselves.”

Z Corporation

www.zcorp.com

 

Source: :: Make Parts Fast ::

Now this development is very cool. So 3D Systems Corp. (NYSE: DDD) announced that its BfB™ 3000 3D printer successfully completed two zero-gravity test flights in partnership with MADE IN SPACE, a start-up dedicated to providing solutions for manufacturing in outer space.

MADE IN SPACE believes that the advantages of 3D printing make it the perfect system for use in outer space. “3D printing and in-space manufacturing will dramatically change the way we look at space exploration, commercialization, and mission design today,” said Aaron Kemmer, CEO and Co-Founder of MADE IN SPACE. “The possibilities range from building on-demand parts for human missions to building large space habitats that are optimized for space.”

“We are pleased that our Bits From Bytes 3D Printer performed well in zero gravity conditions,” said Cathy Lewis, Vice President of Marketing for 3D Systems.

MADE IN SPACE plans additional zero gravity and suborbital testing over the next twelve months.

3D Systems Corporation
www.3DSystems.com

 

Source: :: Make Parts Fast ::

The good news about a healthy additive manufacturing industry continues. 3D Systems Corporation (NYSE: DDD) reported that it earned 26 cents per share diluted, for the second quarter of 2011 on a 57% revenue increase and a 58% gross profit improvement compared to the second quarter of 2010. The company’s quarterly and annual earnings benefitted by 12 cents per share from releasing a portion of its valuation allowance on deferred tax assets.

Net income included $0.4 million of restructuring expenses, $2.2 million of legal expenses and $3.4 million of non-cash expenses related to depreciation, amortization and share-based compensation expense for the 2011 quarter compared to $2.4 million of non-cash expenses and $1.2 million of legal expenses for the 2010 period.

“We are pleased with our organic growth, record printer units sold and the continued strong revenue expansion from all our products and services,” said Abe Reichental, 3D Systems’ President and Chief Executive Officer.

For the second quarter 2011 the company delivered record revenue growth from all its revenue categories. 3D printer units sold tripled over the comparable period and accounted for a $5.5 million revenue increase.

Print materials grew by $2.4 million on strong user demand and an expanded installed base. Services, including custom parts, increased by $12.0 million compared to the second quarter of 2010. Healthcare solutions grew 32% over the prior year and organic growth accounted for 25% of the company’s total revenue increase.

“We remain focused on democratizing access to affordable and viable 3D content-to-print solutions for professionals and consumers alike. We believe that the marketplace for our products and services is largely underpenetrated and that our diversified portfolio makes us more attractive to broader audiences. While the rapid growth rate of our custom parts and printers revenue outpaced our margin expansion rate for the quarter, we remain optimistic about our future and believe that we are on track to achieve our long-term target operating model,” concluded Reichental.

3D Systems Corp.
www.3dsystems.com

 

Source: :: Make Parts Fast ::