Rhodia has announced the upcoming launch of polyamide (PA) powders for rapid prototyping and small series manufacturing by selective laser sintering (SLS). This is the first time that PA 6 powders are offered for direct part fabrication by SLS, claimed the company. The range will be extended to include PA 66 powders in the coming months. Using SLS, designers and processors can produce complete families of fully functional prototype parts, said Rhodia, before they cut any metal for tooling. Once the design is validated, they can even use SLS for limited series commercial production. “With processing properties perfectly adapted to SLS laser sintering – as well as other fabrication techniques based on addition of layers of powder – this new product range makes these innovative technologies much more accessible than before, opening the way to new applications and new markets,” said Jean-Pierre Marchand, director of marketing and innovation for Rhodia’s Engineering Plastics activities. The part of the rapid prototyping/manufacturing sector using these additive technologies has a current turnover of around €800m, with a potential estimated to reach €3bn in 2015. “In this context, the potential for SLS powders is forecast to rise to between €100m and €200m by 2020,” explains Pierre-Emmanuel Lucas, director of the PA powder project at Rhodia. “With this new range of materials, Rhodia expects to play an important part in this market.” By Anthony Clark via http://www.prw.com/ POLYAMIDE Rhodia Polyamide supplies customers around the world with a wide range of industrial and consumer goods based mainly on its core product, Polyamide 6.6. The world’s second largest producer of Polyamide 6.6, and with a fully integrated Polyamide manufacturing chain, the enterprise producesintermediates and polymers (for downstream polyamide and non-polyamide products, such as polyurethanes and food additives), oxygenated solvents (for the industrial paints, leather, automotive, packaging and inks markets), engineering plastics (for the automotive, electrical and electronics markets), fibers (used in the automotive, tire, filtration, print, rope, carpet, furniture and textile markets) and textile and industrial yarns (for lingerie, clothing and sportswear). In 2007, for the fourth consecutive year, Rhodia Polyamide generated growth on the engineering plastics market twice that of market growth worldwide, a result of its expansion in the rapidly developing markets of Asia and South America. The enterprise has launched more than 20 new product lines during the past five years, with its flagship brand Technyl® regularly enhanced by innovations, including, in 2007, the launch of Technyl Star™ AFX, a polyamide 6.6 with exceptional fluidity to fill the gap between standard polyamides and higher-cost metals or engineering plastics. Rhodia Polyamide offers as well the industry’s largest PA 66 Polymer brand,STABAMID®, by combining the Polyamide 66 intermediates through a top class process of polymerization. N°2 in the world in polyamide 6.6 markets N°2 in the world for polyamide-based engineering plasticsLeading brands & innovation
Our Polyamide 66 STABAMID® polymers offer exceptional performances for high quality products and a full range of products for engineering plastics, industrial yarns, textile or fibers market.Total sales 2009: €1,476 million
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Monday, December 13, 2010
Rhodia launches polyamide powders for rapid prototyping
Saturday, August 21, 2010
Automotive Rapid Prototyping
Source : saintstephen.info New product development and innovation is much more difficult and time consuming than most other business activities. Automotive rapid prototyping greatly enhances learning speed and reduces the risk of new automotive parts development. Historically, the automotive industry has been using rapid prototyping as an important tool in the automotive parts design process. The extremely fast-paced automotive design cycles require an extremely fast prototyping system which can produce car parts fast and inexpensively. The main objective of automotive prototyping is to learn quickly: how a new automotive productbehaves in its natural working environment, before transferring the prototype to the production line. Many times, mistakes are learned only after a new automotive part is launched. This is the main explanation for poor automotive parts design, from product mismatch, poor engineering and function or finish, and overpriced production. In order to accelerate the learning curve, before these costly automotive prototyping mistakes are made, one must accelerate and facilitate feedback loops from tests in the lab and market trials. Automotive Manufacturing Technologies Working with an assortment of rapid prototyping equipment, automotive prototyping engineersutilize the most advanced 3D printers, in their quest for perfect form, function and utility. Working in advanced manufacturing centers, the automotive engineers use the technology to verify what they are doing, and, equally important, to save tremendous amounts of time, and money. Automotive Rapid Prototyping Compresses Development Time The advantages of using 3D rapid prototyping model creation versus viewing a cad/cam model on a computer screen are palpable. Automotive parts engineers get together discuss the pros and cons of a rapidly produced automotive parts model and discuss the pros and cons of the design, as they pass it around, twisting and viewing the prototype, and decide if that is what they had in mind. This way, problems get solved up front, before going to the assembly line! Once determined that the automotive prototype design is a go, the model can then be sent to a die maker. Automotive Prototyping and the Die Maker Process The die maker cannot use model to make the die, but because they have it in their hand and can look at it and feel it, they can determine where the parting lines will be and exactly how much steel they will need to produce it. The timing of the die process is greatly compressed. Examples of Automotive Rapid Prototype Parts · Car Engine parts · Engine castings and parts · Auto Body Components · Auto Mechanical parts · Car Dashboards · Car Handles and Knobs · Car Trim parts Fail first Paradox in Automotive Rapid Prototyping The automotive rapid prototyping paradox is to fail earlier rather than later. By failing earlier, the design engineers surprisingly succeed in accelerating the project; this greatly reduces development cost risk. By considering all automotive prototype failures as learning experiments, the engineer has much less stress, knowing that they are practicing the old adage, that success comes from ninety-nine percent failure and introspection. Dan P. is a writer for Objet Geometries Ltd, an automotive prototyping 3D printer manufacturer.Automotive Rapid Prototyping & Automotive Prototype Services
Monday, May 10, 2010
Iron Man 2's Secret Sauce: 3D Printing
Iron Man 2 opens Are you excited? Really? Huh. Well, keep reading anyway. You know someone's gonna drag you into a showing.
On screen, with all those suits whirling into place, you'd probably assume that the "costumes" are merely virtual. Actually, they're not: Maybe the most cutting-edge facet ofIron Man 2's production was the real-life fabrication of the suits. Using 3-D printers, the film's production company, Legacy Effects, was able to have artists draw an art concept--and then physically make that concept in just four hours.
Each layer is just microns thick, and the product gets printed from the bottom up.
The product emerges completely finished. All you need is some paint. Basically, if Tony Stark was real, he wouldn't be sitting around in a tool shop. He'd be clicking on a CAD program, and then kicking his feet up as his suit was printed.
In addition to speed, the benefit is that you can print out costumes custom fitted to the actors, down to the millimeter. And with custom-fitted suits, Robert Downey, Jr. and Mickey Rourke can put a lot more action into their fight scenes, without the wonky effect of layering on too much CGI. (Downey complained that the original Iron Man suits, which were made more traditionally, were too clunky to act in, and extremely uncomfortable.)
Maybe the best example are the gloves that Downey wore--which were no thicker than a dime, and could be worn for hours without getting so hot that the dude needed some Colombian Marching Powder to take the edge off:
BY CLIFF KUANG
Thursday, March 25, 2010
Rapid prototyping allows designers to create things ranging from biomedical devices to multi-purpose household objects
Joint replacements, like artificial knees and hips, are increasingly common. They're a boon for people with failing joints, but the replacement parts aren't as durable as the originals. Usually made of metal and plastic and often cemented to the bone, they can deteriorate and come loose, and usually need replacing after 20 to 25 years.
But what if implants were made from materials that would actually allow bone and cartilage to grow into them and eventually replace them? A University of Waterloo research lab, with Toronto's Mount Sinai hospital and University of Toronto, is working on it. It's one example of the innovative things Canadian researchers are doing with rapid prototyping, also sometimes referred to as three-dimensional printing. Printers work by depositing toner or ink on the surface of paper. Three-dimensional printing doesn't stop at one layer. These machines lay down layer after layer of material — it may be in liquid or solid form — to build up an object. As the name rapid prototyping implies, 3D printing has mostly been thought of as a relatively quick way to make models of products in the design stage. But 3D printing is good for more than prototyping, says Dr. Ehsan Toyserkani, a Waterloo associate professor of mechanical and mechatronics engineering, director of Waterloo's Rapid Prototyping Laboratory and one of the researchers in the artificial implant project. For an artificial implant to really become part of the body, it must be made of material that the body can absorb without harm and be porous enough that tissue can grow slowly into tiny cavities in the artificial part. It's one thing to machine the outer shape of a part out of suitable material, says Mr. Toyserkani, but "we cannot actually control internal structures." That's where 3D printing comes in. Because it builds up the part in layers rather than carving it out of a block of material, this process can easily leave openings, or pores, throughout the part. Implants produced this way have been tested in animals, Mr. Toyserkani says, and the researchers hope to move on to human trials soon, with clinical use possible in three to five years. Researchers in Montreal have put 3D printing to an entirely different use. Philippe Lalande and Martin Racine are associated with Hexagram, the Institute for Research/Creation in Media Arts and Technologies, which is supported by Concordia, Université du Quebec à Montreal, Université de Montreal, McGill and commercial sponsors. Mr. Lalande says he was interested in rapid prototyping, while Mr. Racine was exploring sustainable design. So they embarked together on a series of projects linking rapid prototyping and sustainable design. The first was PRéco, which explored the idea of making consumer products last longer by using 3D printers to make replacement parts on demand. Too many household gadgets are thrown away because replacement parts are hard to find, Mr. Lalande explains. If there were 3D printing machines in hardware stores and parts carried code numbers allowing a store employee to download the design for a part, people could get replacement parts at local stores much as they get keys copied today. "We found that basically it was a practical scenario," Mr. Lalande says, "but to be really effective, products would have to be designed from the outset with the idea of their being replaced with rapid prototyping." So In their Metamorphose project the researchers moved on to designing products that could easily be repaired and adapted to other purposes. Using rapid prototyping, they created a series of light fixtures able to be altered to fit different locations and lighting needs, or even turned into other objects — a lamp shade becoming a fruit bowl, for example. After seeing how difficult these adaptable designs were, Mr. Lalande and Mr. Racine decided to launch an adaptable design contest. Their year-old Metacycle contest has brought more than 130 entries, some produced using rapid prototyping. Rapid prototyping plays a role in other research work. At University of Calgary, Dr. Simon Park of the Mechanical and Manufacturing Engineering department uses it to create larger-scale models of nano-scale designs such as tiny pumps. Carleton University set up a rapid prototyping lab several years ago with machines available for student and researcher use. The Waterloo lab is also exploring the use of 3D printing to manufacture tools with embedded sensors that can measure factors like heat and impact. Today such sensors are usually placed on the surface of the tool, Dr. Toyserkani says. Readings would be more accurate with the sensor built in, but that's hard to do with traditional manufacturing methods. Three-dimensional printing could be the answer. Grant Buckler March 08, 2010 02:12 PM EDT Special to The Globe and Mail
Wednesday, March 3, 2010
Rapid prototyping
*** 3 Dimension Printing *** So Many Applications, So Many Advantages Lead time: Normally 1-3 business days depending on the capacity of the printers when we receive payment. Local customers are welcomed to pick up models from our facility DDM Layer thickness: Horizontal build layers can be built in three options fine (.007"), standard (.010"), and rough draft (.013") Minimum Wall Thickness: .020" Dimensional Tolerances: ABS models maintain tolerances of +/- .005" for the first inch, and +/- 0.002" for each additional inch. In the z height (vertical), standard tolerances of +/- 0.010" for the first inch, +/- 0.002” on every inch thereafter. Build size: for a single piece is 8" x 8" x 12". Models that are larger than the build envelope can be divided, printed as separate pieces, & assembled. = Fused Deposition Modeling (FDM) is a solid-based rapid prototyping method that extrudes material, layer-by-layer.
Sunday, January 31, 2010
Mold the rapid prototyping business to fit your company
When you use rapid prototyping and manufacturing in your product development, you speed up overall development to get your products through final production and into the market place.
Today's prototype manufacturing allows you to turn out replicas that are much closer to final product than ever before.
There's something about holding a model that moves a product beyond the abstraction of a CAD screen, both for you and your customers.When you incorporate rapid prototyping into your development process, you can make adjustments more accurately, since you can fit the model into the rest of the project.
You can determine which variations to an existing product work best by quickly generating multiple versions that look or work very much like the final product. And, you can strengthen the feedback loop between you and your customers, by showing them the prototypes rather then just drawings or rough mock ups.The business of rapid prototyping allows a lot of flexibility in establishing your production process, from using only engineering consultation to full-scale outsourcing of the entire process, up to and including rapid manufacturing. Determine how much you would need rapid manufacturing service providers by answering these questions:1. How much of your corporate resources can you allocate to rapid prototyping and manufacturing?2. How centralized is your process - are you under one roof or do you have multiple sites, and spread apart how far?3. How much control or security do you need around the process - are you in a highly 'sensitive' industry, or produce high-precision products that require considerable fine tuning before final production?
Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it doneTake your rapid prototyping business to a pro
Partner with a company that specializes in the prototyping business, especially if the prototype manufacturer is located close to the facility where final manufacture will occur.Take your prototype manufacturing in-house
To gain more control over your product lifecycles, handle the prototype manufacturing internally by purchasing rapid prototype builder machinery.I recommend: Stratasys, Inc. has developed a system called Fused Deposition Modeling that manufactures prototype parts in three steps with thermoplastics used in regular production, and requires no special ventilation. Solidscape, Inc. offers equipment that literally fits on your desktop, like a large laser printer, for high-precision products.Take a turn-key approach to rapid prototyping and manufacturing
If you want to concentrate on in-house design and product marketing, use rapid manufacturing service providers that can handle the whole process, from prototype to final production.Tips & Tactics
Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide
• Like any business, the business of rapid prototyping continually adapts and adopts technologies, from raw materials development to higher-resolution digital equipment and Internet convergence. As rapid prototyping matures, the industry will grow further into rapid tooling and rapid manufacturing. Partner with companies that have prepared for this expansion.By John Williams, Business Writing and Research
http://www.business.com/
Thursday, January 28, 2010
Rapid prototyping (RP)
Rapid prototyping (RP), is the automatic construction of physical objects using 3D printing technologies.
The first techniques for rapid prototyping became available in the 1980s. Back then, a prototype served as a basis for discussion but could not be used for anything “serious”, i.e. in a real production environment. Today, the range of RP technologies has extended and they are used for a much wider number of applications. RP technologies are also increasingly being used to manufacture production quality parts in relatively small numbers.
For those unfamiliar with rapid prototyping technologies, it is easy to depict this technology by comparing it with familiar inkjet printing. Instead of building up text, this technology actually constructs a 3D object starting from a computer file by adding one slice on top of another using (semi-)liquid or powdered material. You will find a more detailed explanation in the specific technology sections on our website.
The past decades have witnessed a need for new manufacturing technologies that build parts on a layer-by-layer basis. These RP techniques reduce manufacturing time for parts – even the most complex ones – from days, weeks or months to hours. We don’t call it RAPID for no reason.
An example of real object replication by means of 3D scanning and 3D printing: the gargoyle model on the left was digitally acquired by using a 3D scanner and the produced 3D data was processed using MeshLab. The resulting digital 3D model, shown on the laptop's screen, was used by a rapid prototyping machine to create a real resin replica of the original object.Standard applications include design visualization, prototyping/CAD, metal casting, architecture, education, geospatial, healthcare, entertainment/retail, etc. Other applications would include reconstructing fossils in paleontology, replicating ancient and priceless artifacts in archaeology, reconstructing bones and body parts in forensic pathology and reconstructing heavily damaged evidence acquired from crime scene investigations.More recently, the use of 3D printing technology for artistic expression has been suggested. Artists like Bathsheba Grossman or Carlo H. Sequin use various rapid prototyping processes in many of their works.
3D printing technology is currently being studied by biotechnology firms and academia for possible use in tissue engineering applications where organs and body parts are built using inkjet techniques. Layers of living cells are deposited onto a gel medium and slowly built up to form three dimensional structures. Several terms have been used to refer to this field of research: Organ printing, bio-printing, and computer-aided tissue engineering among others.The use of 3D scanning technologies allow the replication of real objects without the use of molding techniques, that in many cases can be more expensive, more difficult, or too invasive to be performed; particularly with precious or delicate cultural heritage artifacts.
For Rapid Prototyping feel free to contact me:
Saturday, January 23, 2010
Wednesday, January 20, 2010
Rapid Prototyping
Today's prototype manufacturing allows you to turn out replicas that are much closer to final product than ever before. There's something about holding a model that moves a product beyond the abstraction of a CAD screen, both for you and your customers.
When you incorporate rapid prototyping into your development process, you can make adjustments more accurately, since you can fit the model into the rest of the project.
You can determine which variations to an existing product work best by quickly generating multiple versions that look or work very much like the final product. And, you can strengthen the feedback loop between you and your customers, by showing them the prototypes rather then just drawings or rough mock ups.
The business of rapid prototyping allows a lot of flexibility in establishing your production process, from using only engineering consultation to full-scale outsourcing of the entire process, up to and including rapid manufacturing. Determine how much you would need rapid manufacturing service providers by answering these questions:
1. How much of your corporate resources can you allocate to rapid prototyping and manufacturing?
2. How centralized is your process - are you under one roof or do you have multiple sites, and spread apart how far?
3. How much control or security do you need around the process - are you in a highly 'sensitive' industry, or produce high-precision products that require considerable fine tuning before final production?
Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done
Take your rapid prototyping business to a pro
Partner with a company that specializes in the prototyping business, especially if the prototype manufacturer is located close to the facility where final manufacture will occur.
Take your prototype manufacturing in-house
To gain more control over your product lifecycles, handle the prototype manufacturing internally by purchasing rapid prototype builder machinery.
I recommend: Stratasys, Inc. has developed a system called Fused Deposition Modeling that manufactures prototype parts in three steps with thermoplastics used in regular production, and requires no special ventilation. Solidscape, Inc. offers equipment that literally fits on your desktop, like a large laser printer, for high-precision products.
Take a turn-key approach to rapid prototyping and manufacturing
If you want to concentrate on in-house design and product marketing, use rapid manufacturing service providers that can handle the whole process, from prototype to final production.
Tips & Tactics
Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide
• Like any business, the business of rapid prototyping continually adapts and adopts technologies, from raw materials development to higher-resolution digital equipment and Internet convergence. As rapid prototyping matures, the industry will grow further into rapid tooling and rapid manufacturing. Partner with companies that have prepared for this expansion.
By John Williams, Business Writing and Research
http://www.business.com/
FDM(Fused Deposit Modeling)
Fused Deposition Modeling (FDM) is a solid-based rapid prototyping method that extrudes material, layer-by-layer, to build a model. The system consists of a build platform, extrusion nozzle, and control system.
-The build material, production quality thermoplastics, is melted and then extruded through a specially designed head onto a platform to create a two-dimensional cross section of the model.