Objet Geometries indulged visitors to its ‘À vitesse grand V’ event at Le Mans last week with a demonstration of its latest 3D printer, the Connex350. The event was designed to give attendees a taste of the unique benefits of the PolyJet Matrix technology for rapid prototyping. The Connex350 allows two polymers to be printed as separate entities or mixed during printing, increasing the reality and scope of the models that can be created in a single build.
“The technology suits many different applications perfectly, as illustrated by the diverse range of industries represented at the event,” states Amos Libermann, Objet Geometries Regional Manager for France, “Visitors from the automotive, medical, architecture, education, footwear, aviation and design industries and of course, prototyping bureaux were all there, to see the unique benefits of multi material printing.”
The Connex350, introduced to the market in 2009, is the second 3D printer in the Connex range, which has the unique ability to simultaneously print multiple materials with different mechanical and physical properties. The resultant Digital Materials can simulate overmoulding or create different material characteristics such as variable shore hardness. The Connex350 offers these capabilities at a lower investment, through its build volume of 350 mm x 350 mm x 200 mm, while delivering the same performance as its larger counterpart.
Objet customers from product development company Société CAD indus and rapid prototyping bureau SD3D spoke of the benefits Objet technology has brought to their businesses. “The precision and surface finish of models produced on the Connex500 press is exceptional, that combined with the ability to produce Digital Materials™, allows our customers to test functions such as aerodynamics, joints, overmoulded parts and different shore hardness with reliability,” commented Thierry Schneider from CAD’indus.
According to Stéphane Daniel, the founder of SD3D and an Objet Eden250 user, other benefits in addition to the extreme precision provided by Objet technology, include the excellent surface finish and minimum finishing requirements, “The Eden250 allows me to provide customers with a turnkey solution, so that they can progress from prototype to production in the smoothest possible manner.”
Another highlight for attendees was a sneak preview in the form of a model produced on a Connex500 for the Jaguar's sponsored GT in Schools Design Challenge. The model is based on the Jaguar RSR GT2 that will take the grid this year at the legendary 24 Heures du Mans event.
