FDM - 3D Printing by 3D Prototyperz

FDM - Fused deposition modelling is commonly used for prototyping of new designs, figurines, decors, etc. FDM is fairly easy to use and maintain. Also a large variety of materials and color options are available. FDM is one of the best method when one needs a fast single part to test the design. The figurines in the cover page shows the color options and design accuracy in the 3D printed momentos of Indian politicians.

The most compelling reasons that companies use FDM are durability and very good finishing, also it is very affordable to bring the technology in house compared to other additive manufacturing processes like SLA, SLS. FDM 3D printers are most suitable for home and office use, because of the potentially explosive nature of powdered-filaments used in other types of 3D printers.

Protomould using FDM

A few weeks ago we (3D Prototyperz) had a customer who wanted to check the design of the metal mould required for injection moulding. The cost of tooling and machining for metal mould is very high to have any errors. As a manufacturer and service provider of 3D printers we thought to make a 3D printed pattern and eventually a mould just to check the mould design.

Industrial Prototyping

The industrial 3D printing which is used here is best for prototypes, complex designs and for small batch production of cast products (50 - 200 units) using injection moulding. Product quality is the most important objective that we maintain.
Almost any thing that can be designed on a CAD application can be manufactured by FDM. The figure below shows a 3D printed engine cover prototype using FDM.

Medical Preoperative Model

FDM also offers manufacturing a product of complex 3D objects with fine details in shorter time-frame. We were approached by orthopaedic surgeons from a reputed hospital; St. Philomena's Hospital in Bangalore, regarding patient from Uganda who was unable to walk since birth due to pelvis joint dislocation.

She was also anemic hence the operation was to be conducted in tight time limit. The doctors wanted to have a look of her defected pelvic joint. Hence, we printed a pelvic joint model using the CT scanned image. The doctors were very happy because we reduced operation time substantially. They studied the model in order execute to the operation as quickly as possible with perfect tools required for it.

Total NPD (New Product Development)

3D Prototyperz commits to the customer for the total product development. We provide high quality new product process by fostering innovation and making necessary resources available to the customer.
Figure below shows a GPS enclosure. A customer needs detailing in the design and creating engineering drawings and documents of the design for his products.

Architectural Models

With a 3D printer one can save hours of work that creep into creating a scale model. Once a job is placed in an order for a 3D print, one can work simultaneously on other important tasks – the 3D printer will do the job autonomously. The architectural model below is one of the many examples.

Although we have made advancements, and will continue to make advancements in this area, FDM - 3D Printing has some drawbacks.

1) The layering on FDM parts is one of FDM’s largest flaws. When the parts are printed, the layering has the potential to cause a weak bond in the Z axis. Sometimes one might notice that the filament is extruded in a way that leaves lines between the printed layers.

2) Carefully removing the support material is one of the most delicate of 3D printing operations. There is no 100% guarantee you remove the support material without scratching the object.

Please find our product catalog HERE.

We are always delighted to share with you our experience and are always enthusiastic to help you out in your business. For any questions please feel free to contact.

Please at our other blogs on http://3dprototyperz.blogspot.de/2018/03/3d-printing-creating-job-market.html

3D Printing - creating a job market

Recently one of my friends and I were discussing about unemployment in India. The main point was, will all current technological advancement bring unemployment? Since we are working in the field of Additive Manufacturing (AM), we laid down some points about employment in the field of AM or 3D Printing.

According to the market research report AM market will see a compound annual growth rate of 25.76% between 2017 and 2023 and market worth will be 32.78 billion USD. With growth follows money and demand for talent.

Let us go deep into the matter and few studies like Delphi survey. In one of the arguments in the Delphi survey, experts said, till 2030 a significant number of consumers will use online database to purchase product design for additive manufacturing printing purposes. The major support for the argument was that it is already emerging and people are doing it. AM will be taught to children and it has already been started.

AM is still finding its roots within the fields of tech, design, manufacturing and many more. Let's start with job opportunities in this field. Some of the branches where one can work are:

1. 3D design and CAD modeling:

AM depends on designers who can bring an idea to life. This industry has potential to create jobs for 3D designers in companies as part of creative teams and also as freelancers.

AM exists is only because of CAD (computer aided design) experts who convert product designs into digital blueprints that 3D printers need. Also, the demand for 3D CAD modelers is increasing. AM business performs research and development on 3D printing
hardware and new materials generating more demand for CAD and 3D modeling jobs.

2. Research and development (R&D)

After agriculture the most employment generation industry in India is textile industry. It offers direct employment to over 35 million people. Fashion is all the buzz - 3D printing is the fashion of the future. Overproduction and deadstock are the biggest problems in textile industry, this can be minimized or elimated over time.

Reebok has recently released 3D printed floatride run sneakers. The possibilities seems to have no limits. In addition many other aritistic and consumer products industries such as fashion design and jewelry design will need people to push the boundaries of 3D printing.

3. Biological and scientific modeling

Last year I lost a person very close to me. She was suffering from Multi-drug-resistant tuberculosis. Already working in the field of Additive Manufacturing, I started looking for answers to save her and I came across an article, where a woman was saved by 3D printed vertebra. Though it was late and we couldn't save my little sister, I made a decision of spreading this technology through out India, so that we don't lose our loved ones just because of the lack of technological advancement.

3D printing industry needs more engineers, designers and modelers who can bring further advancement and innovation with their biomedical or scientific background.

4. Architecture/construction modeling

A 650 square feet and consists of a living room, kitchen, bedroom, bathroom, and shaded porch can be constructed in countries like India under $4000 (2.5 lakhs - 3 lakhs INR). A model has already been made by ICON and New Story in Texas.

The construction industry will get a boost with the use of 3D printers. 3D printers can produce true-to-life models which can replace 2D CAD modeling on paper.

New Story is in the process of raising $600,000 to fund a planned 100-home community in El Salvador. It will be the first-ever community of 3D printed homes. Donors can fund a full house with just $4,000.

5. Operations and administrative positions

Additive Manufacturing companies don't run on engineers and technical people alone and require operations and administrative staff, analysts, finance and sales professionals, and retail employees, among others.

AM is generating new business models and will continue to do that. The need for jobs like marketing, shipping will increase tremedously. All types of AM companies need vendors, manufacturers and retail stores.

SKILLS AND TRAINING FROM 3D PROTOTYPERZ

To stay competitive, a candidate should gain hands-on experience in 3D printing and stay up to date on how companies are using the technology. What good are these jobs if no one has the qualifications to fill them? As mentioned in Delphi survey, to fill the skills gap, schools are developing (and some have already launched) 3D printing programs at all grade levels.

Currently, we the team at 3D Prototyperz have started providing training programmes for schools, engineering graduates and professionals. We also manufacture our own 3D printers. One of the goals of 3D Prototyperz is to build AM labs for everyone who wants to print their design.
We are happy to make you the member of our FUN WITH LAYERS 3D printing club and training module.

Click to here to Enroll.

For more information about the training and enrollment please see the file below.
 https://www.slideshare.net/niketshah754/fun-with-layers3dprintingtraining

3D Printing for academics: Part 2

In the last article, we discussed about an inspiring story of a 10-year-old who created a prototype to prevent deaths when children or pets are accidentally left in vehicles on hot days. In this article you will find few more interesting case studies of students from different age groups.

Data analysis: Sixth graders 

In a research by Huleihil, a test was performed with students of sixth grade. These students were divided into two groups in order to know the effect of 3D printer on math achievements. One group was a reference group who studied the normal curriculum and another was an intervention group who studied math from new curriculum, which include the use of 3D printer. Both group gave the exam three times:

Let’s see how did both the groups perform:

It is evident that the intervention group who studied new curriculum did much better compared to the group who studied old curriculum.

Hence, Huleihil concluded that it is important to teach 3D basic concepts in the sixth grade and the students should learn to calculate volumes and surface areas. Using CAD systems, students get the opportunity to perform the calculations both on paper and by using the program.

In one of the case studies from Chico High School, IT teacher Mike Bruggeman's Dimension 3D Printer now also serves as a design tool for local businesses. His students operate the printer and he says, “this arrangement has been such a success for his students and local businesses that Bruggeman and a fellow Chico High School instructor have hosted informational sessions for teachers where they share the value 3D printing has added to their curriculum … we believe in using 21st century technology in the classroom to best prepare students for success in the field of engineering.”

 Students in grades 10-12 solving an engineering problems

3D Printers a boon to entrepreneurship: 

If we look at the results of recent international studies on educational achievement in science and mathematics, we can see that the best results were achieved by countries which respect teachers and learning the most, and which have a high quality public teaching service.

Every year around 1.5 million engineers graduate in India and in between 60-80% but very few are hired due to infinite number of reasons. Nevertheless, there is a way to tackle it. India needs more job creators than job seekers.

The above example from Chico High School can be a good answer to the question how can we be job creators. We can start building our own supply chain for a particular niche.

3D Printing in engineering:

 In January 2017, Abidur Chowdhury, the winner of the Product Design category in grant contest – 14 designed an asthama management system. The project titled as Aer and was designed in SOLIDWORKS and 3D printed in PA 2200 (Nylon). With this system, a patient can stay compliant with his medication and not skip any doses. The 3D printed components were built with high accuracy for multi part assemblies.

I hope these examples and case studies give you a feel about where the world is going. There is huge need to change the scenerio in India by embracing the change in the world of technology.

Are you motivated to make the changes in the education, to lift the Indian educational system one-step ahead? Do you want to use 3D printers in your institute?

This is the way to move ahead

Please feel free to contact us anytime by mail or message. The team of 3D Prototyperz is always at your service.

girish.murthy@3dprototyperz.in | niket@3dprototyperz.in

Let us look at some of the projects which we undertook at 3D Prototyperz:

3D Printing for academics - Part 1

Education is strongest in those societies which value and support their teachers and public education systems, and in which the morale of teachers is high.  

 The industrial revolution and automation of production processes are the foundation of our current educational system. Since, we live in a knowledge-based society; it is the time to upgrade our educational system and to lift it to the next level.

Knowledge based society refers to societies that are well educated, and who therefore rely on the knowledge of their citizens to drive the innovation, entrepreneurship and dynamism of that society's economy.

If we look at the results of recent international studies on educational achievement in science and mathematics, we can see that the best results were achieved by countries which respect teachers and learning the most, and which have a high quality public teaching service.

3D Printing for academics:

It is important to distinguish between good and poor educational softwares and to learn how to use the new technology to get the best result from it. The current educational system will run smoothly if it is balanced by having good teachers and good educational softwares.

Today I am going to discuss about 3D printing in education. This article is a combination of various examples in innovation and entrepreneurship in the field of academics. We at 3D Prototyperz are actively promoting reflection on how best to use 3D printing technology to reach the unreached.

Let us see how 3D printers can support the teaching process: 

In a study by Szulżyk-Cieplak it was found that, 3D printers give a boost to the teaching process. Computer aided designed (CAD) and printed physical models enhance student’s involvement and motivation in the class by enabling students to transfer their ideas into reality.

Printed models can let students understand a project’s strengths and weaknesses easily. Using 3D printers from early ages, students can to translate physical objects into CAD design and vice versa, which develops their creativity and imagination.

Revolutionizing the classroom:

Below are few examples of 3D printing applications in academics.

Are you intrigued and want to know more? I've got a collection of some cool case studies which we'll look at in the next blog. So please will stay tuned.

Please click here to know more about us 

Fused Filament Fabrication Printers (FFF)

Fused Filament Fabrication Printers (FFF)

Are you planning to purchase a 3D Printer and trying to figure out where should you start? Do you own a retail business or want start one? Are you looking for medical devices, mold making, interiors, prototypes for construction? If the answer is to any of the questions is yes we the team at 3D Prototyperz will always be happy to help you out.

Our vision is to see 3D printing as a cottage industry and empower mainly the women entrepreneurs setting up focal points in every region , we already have setups in Pune, Bangalore and Indore, India.

The Start

Let's discuss the simplest 3D Printing method to start with: Fused Filament Fabrication (FFF) printers, also known as Fused Deposition Modelling (FDM) printers or Molten Polymer Deposition (MPD) Printers.

This article is focused only on FFF Printers and other 3D printing technologies like Stereolithography or Selective Laser Sintering will not be discussed. Fused Filament Fabrication is the most common and widely used method. We at 3D Prototyperz manufacture FFF Printers and provide 3D printing services.

What is Fused Filament Fabrication (FFF)?

FFF is a process in which a filament (something like a small string) is fed to the printhead assembly (to heat the filament or to melt it) and then the molten material (thermoplastics) is deposited with the help of a nozzle on top or next to the same material. Thermoplastics are plastics, which become semi-liquid above a specific temperature and return to a solid state when cooling down.

The molten thermoplastic is stacked layer upon layer in a three-dimensional model. The printhead assembly typically moves with the extrusion nozzle within the horizontal plane, while the build platform is moved vertically.

3D Prototyperz Axes 500 Specs

Build Volume	500x500x500
Display	Digital
Input Format	G Code, STL
Operation Mode	Semi-Automatic
Size	670x670x670
Nozzle Diameter	0.4/0.6mm Swappable
Speed	150 mm/sec
Voltage(V)	12
Temperature	210 °C- 400 °C
Material	PLA,ABS,PETG,HIPS,PA12

 

A few applications:

In the next article we will be discussing about the filaments and materials used for FFF and also about how 3D Printing is affecting academics.

Please feel free to contact at anytime for queries and or for product information by mail or message.
girish.murthy@3dprototyperz.in | niket@3dprototyperz.in