3D PRINTING | INNOVATION
Partnerships expand uses for additive manufacturing
Multiple collaborative ventures coupling materials producers with additive manufacturing specialists are moving the 3D printing revolution beyond the desktop. Mark Holmes looks at recent developments
Additive manufacturing, or 3D printing, continues to make significant inroads into the manufacturing landscape and injection moulding is no exception. The 3D printing process excels in producing functional prototypes, manufacturing tools and moulds, as well as short-run end-use parts. In addition, developers of 3D printing machinery are extending the parameters of their systems to manufacture parts of greater complexity and made of increasingly more highly specified engineering polymers. The introduction of extruders in 3D printing processes is also allowing a much wider range of third-party materials to be used on these production platforms. Across the board, leading materials companies are collaborating with a wide variety of established 3D printing systems develop- ers and a host of specialist start-ups to expand the opportunities for this new technology. MakerBot, a subsidiary of Stratasys, has
introduced the MakerBot Labs Experimental Extruder for Method, an open materials platform that enables users to print with a wide variety of third-party materials on an industrial 3D printing platform. The Method Materials Development Program, announced in November 2019, allows leading filament
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companies to qualify their materials for the MakerBot Labs extruder. Leading materials suppliers, such as BASF 3D Printing Solutions and Lehvoss Group, have been added to its growing list of partners, which also includes Jabil, Polymak- er, Kimya, and Mitsubishi Chemical. “By transforming Method into an open materials
platform, we provide our users with an incredibly powerful tool to realise their ideas,” says Johan-Till Broer, VP of Product Develop- ment. “Engineers can now print a growing number of advanced third-party materials on an industrial 3D printing platform, which was designed to produce stronger and more accurate parts than competing desktop 3D printers.” The new MakerBot Labs extruder
encourages engineers to experiment with new 3D printing materials. Method’s industrial capabilities are claimed to be ideal for printing parts with advanced materials that allow engineers to unlock new 3D printing applications. With a 100°C heated chamber, Method can produce parts that are stronger and more accurate than those printed on a desktop 3D printer with a heated build plate. Soluble SR-30 supports from Stratasys and water soluble PVA enable the user to print complex geometries with
Main image: Evonik has developed a PEEK filament in implant- grade quality for 3D printing
Left: The new MakerBot Labs extruder encourages engineers to experiment with new 3D printing materials
June 2020 | INJECTION WORLD 25
IMAGE: MAKERBOT
IMAGE: EVONIK
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