3D Systems Talks High Speed 3D Printing

“3D printing is great, but it’ll never beat injection molding for speed.” That line has almost become a mantra for industry analysts to chant when talking about additive manufacturing (AM). Never is a very long time, and can arrive sooner than you might think. In reality, AM has been continually increasing in speed since its invention, and particularly in the last decade.

3D Systems (3DS) is one company that is apparently tired of hearing the mantra. As part of its deal with Google to develop Project Ara, 3DS has been at work on a high speed AM system that can compete with, and beat, injection molding for both speed and accuracy.

An example of fab-grade parts. These mini lamp shades took about 30 seconds each to make.

“Our unwavering commitment to customer success through innovation has literally broken the mold this time – challenging the myth that 3D printing can’t match the productivity of injection molding,” said Cathy Lewis, 3DS’ CMO. “This is just the beginning. We are working on additional applications that defy traditional manufacturing constraints, allowing our customers to go from idea to product in hours, instead of months - to truly manufacture the future.”

3DS is calling these new AM systems fab-grade and is rolling out the coverage to spread the word. Fab-grade systems change the paradigm of 3D printers by altering the build method. Instead of a print head moving over a fixed build plate, an assembly line moves build plates past print heads. This not only increases the speed of a build, but allows 3DS to manufacture parts incorporating both stereolithography and selective laser sintering.

Parts zip around the assembly line with new layers added each time one passes a print head until the product is finished and moves to a collection area. From overhead, the line looks a bit like a race track with the collection area forming a smaller pit stop.

Obviously this isn’t the sort of system a hobbyist is going to mock up in his garage, but it is a giant step forward for AM in general. If the industry can break people from thinking 3D printing is only good for custom pieces, one-off jobs, or prototypes, we’re bound to see increases in the speed of all AM systems. Money talks, after all.

Below are a couple of videos from 3DS about fab-grade AM. The first is a general explanation of what has been accomplished, while the second attempts to make its points using humor.

Source: 3DS