Civil, Architectural and Mechanical Models Come to Life with the ProJet 4500 3D Printer

3D System’s ProJet 4500 claims to be the only “continuous tone, full-color plastic 3D printer” on the market. It is capable of printing models with nearly one million colors. The ProJet 4500 accomplishes this through the use of a proprietary plastic powder called VisiJet C4 Spectrum.

Every part of a 4500 model can be imbued with color thanks to the ProJet 4500’s 0.1mm axis resolution. Furthermore, the machine’s color printing technology allows its models to showcase either seamless color gradients or abrupt color switches depending on a user’s input.

While the features of the ProJet 4500 might sound a lot like the ProJet 660, the 4500 is actually a much more versatile machine. The main point of difference between the 660 and the 4500 centers on the materials that each printer uses. While the 600 uses a gypsum-based powder the 4500 uses a polymer stock. Leveraging the strength inherent in plastics, the 4500 is capable of producing parts that can withstand conditions that would cause a 660 model to break.

Because of its added strength the ProJet 4500 has a greater application portfolio than the 660. Functional models as well as high-quality display prototypes can be created using the 4500.

Because of its added strength the ProJet 4500 has a greater application portfolio than the 660. Functional models as well as high-quality display prototypes can be created using the 4500.

According to Steve Cory of Objex Unlimited, the ProJet 4500 is a perfect complement to his company’s ProJet 660. “With the 4500 we’re able to build any models that we think would be too delicate to build on the 660”. Aside from being more robust Cory was also quick to point out that the 4500 excels at printing thin-walled, complex parts for both mechanical and architectural applications.

Diving into the mechanics of the ProJet 4500, Steve also complimented the system’s Piezo-style printhead technology: “With the 4500 we don’t see any costly, time consuming printhead changes. For that reason we can run the 4500 with little to no downtime.”

Read more at ENGINEERING.com

by ENGINEERING.com via Fabbaloo

New Composite Resins Could Lead to Larger, Stronger 3D Printed Structures

In wind farms across North America and Europe, sleek turbines equipped with state-of-the-art technology convert wind energy into electric power. But tucked inside the blades of these feats of modern engineering is a decidedly low-tech core material: balsa wood.

Like other manufactured products that use sandwich panel construction to achieve a combination of light weight and strength, turbine blades contain carefully arrayed strips of balsa wood from Ecuador, which provides 95 percent of the world’s supply.

For centuries, the fast-growing balsa tree has been prized for its light weight and stiffness relative to density. But balsa wood is expensive and natural variations in the grain can be an impediment to achieving the increasingly precise performance requirements of turbine blades and other sophisticated applications.

As turbine makers produce ever-larger blades—the longest now measure 75 meters, almost matching the wingspan of an Airbus A380 jetliner—they must be engineered to operate virtually maintenance-free for decades. In order to meet more demanding specifications for precision, weight, and quality consistency, manufacturers are searching for new sandwich construction material options.

Now, using a cocktail of fiber-reinforced epoxy-based thermosetting resins and 3D extrusion printing techniques, materials scientists at the Harvard School of Engineering and Applied Sciences (SEAS) and the Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering have developed cellular composite materials of unprecedented light weight and stiffness. Because of their mechanical properties and the fine-scale control of fabrication (see video), the researchers say these new materials mimic and improve on balsa, and even the best commercial 3D-printed polymers and polymer composites available.

Read more at ENGINEERING.com

by General Fabb via Fabbaloo

3D Printed UAV will Auto-Follow; Film Sports Exploits

Extreme sports enthusiasts will never miss a flip, turn or jump again with the new AirDog and AirLeash products from Latvia-based Helico Aerospace Industries.

Via the AirLeash wrist-worn tracking device, created using PolyJet-based 3D printing from Stratasys, users can capture live aerial video footage of themselves

The AirDog is a programmable “quadcopter” drone that works with the AirLeash (a remote tracker worn on the wrist) to follow you while you are surfing, snowboarding or biking. A camera mounted on the AirDog captures the action, wherever it goes, from above.

AirDog – the world’s first automated drone designed to track and video outdoor sports and activities – has been entirely 3D printed using Stratasys FDM 3D printing technology

Read more at ENGINEERING.com

by General Fabb via Fabbaloo

Construction Steelwork Makes its 3D Printing Premiere

Using the latest 3D printing techniques, or more accurately, ‘additive manufacturing’ – the Arup team has produced a design method for critical structural steel elements for use in complex projects.

The work signals a whole new direction for the use of additive manufacturing in the field of construction and engineering. The research also shows that additive manufacturing has the potential to reduce costs, cut waste and slash the carbon footprint of the construction sector.

We created a redesign of a steel node for a light weight structure using additive manufacturing. Arup has a lot of experience with these kind of structures, for example the tensegrity structure of the Kurilpa Bridge in Australia. The complex geometry of these kind of nodes are an ideal showcase of the possibilities of this new technique.

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by Site Admin via Fabbaloo

Walmart CEO Says Retail Giant May Buy 3D Printer Company

At an event during the re/Code Conference Walmart’s CEO Doug McMillon hinted that his company might be in the market to acquire a 3D printing company.

According to McMillon, “Three-D printing is interesting to me, [Walmart] can use 3D printing over time for replacement parts.”

When pressed on whether Walmart would be interested in buying 3D printing companies, McMillon stated that the idea might be the best solution “in some cases.” Though the company has been on the lookout for valuable acquisitions recently, owning a 3D printing company of their own could benefit a company already known for excellent logistics.

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by Site Admin via Fabbaloo

BetAbram To Release House Printing Machine

Over the course of its nearly 30-year lifetime, additive manufacturing has been used to create a massive array of objects. Though while the technology has had a number of different applications, its ability to produce objects on a massive scale has only just begun.

In an effort to push the envelope of 3D printing’s scale, Slovenian startup BetAbram claims it will be ready to ship three scaffolding-based printer models by the end of this summer, each capable of building houses.

Starting with a 3x4-meter model, Abram’s printers grow to a medium 6x12-meter frame and an enormous 9x16-meter frame in the largest incarnation. Though each model begins with a 2-meter height limit, the designers say the printer can be configured to build much larger structures.

In order to build their structures BetAbram’s machines use what appears to be a liquid concrete material. As in all other deposition AM processes, a structure emerges as successive layers of concrete are built one atop another. Although the process for building concrete AM structures seems fairly straightforward, BetAbram has yet to detail the curing time required before successive layers can be built and whether their machines can build geometries beyond rectangles.

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by Site Admin via Fabbaloo

Windform Used to Build Generative Orthotics

In conjunction with MHOX Design, CRP Group has created bespoke orthosis to correct misaligned limbs.

Developed over a year-long period, MHOX Design used generative design methods to create objects that can integrate appropriately with the human body.

Unlike traditional design methods that create a shape based on the designers wants, generative design uses a set of inputs and algorithms to determine a products final form.

To build their new orthosis, MHOX engineers began by gathering a 3D scan of their patient’s limb. With an accurate model of their patient’s limb, designers merged that information with a unique algorithm to complete a digital model of the custom prosthetic.

Read more at ENGINEERING.com

by Site Admin via Fabbaloo