HP eyes next step in printing; EnvisionTEC goes big; PostProcess cleans up
HP Inc., is taking aim at 3-D printing with a printer that can produce many of the parts in its own design.
The Palo Alto, Calif., company has its sights set on the evolution of 3-D printing, as the technology moves from prototyping to full-scale production of functional parts.
Last month, it did a grand reveal of its Jet Fusion technology series with a stage show for the media that began as soon as the show opened at Rapid, the Society of Manufacturing Engineers' annual event dedicated to 3-D printing. Other exhibitors included the manufacturer of a post-processing cleaning unit, and a 3-D printer for very large parts.
HP introduced two models of its Fusion Jet 3D printer: the 4200 and the 3200. The primary differences between the two models are speed and layer thickness. The 3200 has a build speed of 215 cubic inches per hour and is geared more toward prototyping; the 4200 model has a speed of 275 cubic inches per hour and is geared toward both prototyping and short-run production. The 3200 produces layer thicknesses of 0.003 to 0.004 inch, and the 4200 produces layer thicknesses of 0.0025 to 0.005 inch.
The technology encompasses several modular units that perform specific tasks within the printing process. It works with engineering-grade thermoplastics, including, for example, HP's 3D High Reusability PA12, a polyamide.
To perform a print, users must first load the materials, which are pre-packaged in cartridges into a processing station, where they are unpacked and mixed. The mixing incorporates the virgin materials, as well as selected materials that might have been left over from a previous print job.
Once the processing station has prepared the materials, an operator can load them into the Jet Fusion build unit. The user can then place the build unit, which stores the materials, into the printer, which acts on them to create a part.
During printing, HP uses what it calls a multi-agent printing process. Once the build unit is put into the printer, the material is treated with a fusing agent, then a detailing agent. The machine has two sets of fusion lamps. A thermal camera measures 900 points on the part that is in production. The machine controls the material flow end to end to ensure the right part quality.
Once the part is printed, the build unit is moved back to the processing station for cooling by HP's 3D Fast Cooling Module.
HP said both printers can lay down 30 million drops per second across each inch of working area. The machines come at an economical price, too, said Ramon Pastor, VP and GM for 3-D printing. The printers start at about $130,000. With the processing station, the price goes up to $155,000; however, multiple printers can be used with each processing station.
"We are setting a new standard in the industry," Pastor said. With about 65 components that have been 3-D printed making up each machine, this is also a printer that prints itself. "It's not because we can," Pastor said of 3-D printing the machines' own components and the economics of it. "It's because we should."
The machines include HP SmartStream 3D Build Manager and the HP SmartStream 3D Command Center software. In addition, operators of the machines can choose from two third-party software packages — Autodesk Netfabb for HP and Materialise Magics with Materialise Build Processor for HP Multi Jet Fusion.
Building by voxel and with partners
The basic building block of products printed with the Jet Fusion technology is known as a voxel. The way to think of a voxel is to think of a block. Then picture a grid: One voxel can be placed into a square space on the grid. This is the way in which the grid is filled in a 3-D space, essentially, a pixel that has volume, like the colored squares of Rubik's Cube. Each voxel can be laid down with distinctive characteristics separate from its neighbors.
HP is using materials technology to customize properties on the level of the voxel.
The voxels enable thermal and color control. "Let's make this part more intelligent," said Saschade Peña, a 3-D printing technologist for HP, in explaining the company's philosophy. "Let's make this a smart part." That can include embedded, integrated circuits.
"We are changing the way that the world designs and manufactures parts," said Scott Schiller, VP, market development, for HP's 3D printing business.
HP has worked with multiple partners to bring this technology to market. They include materials firm BASF Corp., Florham Park, N.J.; engineering firm Siemens Corp., Washington, D.C.; and contract manufacturer Jabil Circuit Inc., St. Petersburg, Fla.
John Dulchinos, VP of strategic capabilities with Jabil, said that this type of push in technology is necessary to make 3-D printing scalable. In selling these types of machines, Schiller said, HP is essentially supplying its customers with stand-alone factories, so providing access to service is important, and the machines have to be reliable.
HP currently is taking reservations for the Jet Fusion technology and expects to start shipping the machines at the end of the year.
New process yields big results
Also at Rapid, EnvisionTEC Inc., Dearborn, Mich., pulled the curtain away from its mammoth SLCOM1 machine, which is engineered for Selective Lamination Composites Object Manufacturing, a process in which layers are built using roll-fed thermoplastic composite fabric sheets. The SLCOM process is patent pending, officials said.
The footprint of the machine is massive by 3-D printing standards: about 10.4 feet high, 13 feet wide and nearly 8 feet deep. It has a build envelope of 2.5 feet by 2 feet by 24 feet. The parts that come out of the machine are geared toward the aerospace, automotive, consumer products and sporting goods markets. The medical sector also presents possible applications.
Common polymer matrices that can be combined with fiber reinforcements to run on the system include PEEK, polyetherimide, polyphenylene sulfide, PP, PE, PC, and PET. In addition, EnvisionTEC has tested a number of fiber reinforcements, including carbon fiber, fiberglass and aramid fiber. These composite materials can be tailored for exceptional toughness, environmental resistance, vibration dampening, low flammability characteristics, high wear resistance and X-ray transparency.
Officials have not decided on a price. The machines will begin shipping late this year or early next year.
Unit makes cleaning easier
PostProcess Technologies, Buffalo, N.Y., introduced the first machine in its hybrid 3-D post-printing system, which automates support material removal and offers surface finishing, all in one system.
During Rapid, officials unveiled the DECI Duo, a cleaning chamber for parts removal. The machine automates the arduous task of removing support material from 3-D printed products. This previously has been done manually, said CEO Jeff Mize. The technology, using ultrasonics, heat and detergents that are created by PostProcess Technologies, is proprietary and patent-pending, but it has been in beta testing with clients in the aerospace and automotive markets.
The machine on display had a footprint about 3 feet by 3 feet.
Mize said the DECI Duo is intended to address bottlenecks in the post-processing stage of 3-D printing. As 3-D printing moves into higher-volume production, it is important to remove these logjams.
"There was no readily made hardware available," Mize said. "We spend the vast majority of our time on support removal and surface finish, which are the two areas that create the bottlenecks.
"We can work with plastics like Ultem where it's pretty difficult to get the support off. We see printers getting faster and faster. Post-processing is going to need to keep up with that," he said.
Angie DeRosa, managing editor
Contact:
EnvisionTEC Inc., 313-436-4300, www.envisiontec.com
HP Inc., [email protected],Hp.com/go/JetFusion3Dsolutions
PostProcess Technologies, 866-430-5354, www.postprocess.com
