For 3D Systems, the last year has been one of expansion, investing, divesting, and applying its technologies to markets where it counts. Walking around the 3D printing pioneer’s booth at Formnext, you could see the culmination of that with a busy, yet focused, set of applications and new products.
“We're taking a new approach now,” says Shell Haffner, 3D Systems’ Vice President, Product Management as he takes TCT on a guided tour of what’s new. “It's no longer about products. It's about delivering a full solution.”
There are, however, plenty of new products to get to grips with (“We're going to be moving around a lot,” Haffner informs me as we make our first stop at metals), each with specific industries in-mind, and paired with software and materials, bolstering the “application-focused strategy” 3D Systems’ CEO Jeff Graves shared in an interview with TCT towards the end of last year.
Perhaps the best example is the launch of what the company is calling a “next-generation” workflow for selective laser sintering (SLS). This includes the new SLS 380 3D printer, accompanying DuraForm resins, 3D Sprint tools, and a partnership with post-processing specialist AMT (which also launched a new generation of products at the event), promising to deliver “more effective, efficient digital manufacturing.”
Haffner explains how the company has packed several new features into the SLS 380 to ensure consistency for large part quantities, adding that the machine is "geared for production.” The first is an integrated IR camera, capable of capturing over 100,000 thermal data samples per second, which Haffner says will help combat the “number one” factor for part variation: temperature control. The camera works in tandem with eight separately calibrated heaters, allowing users to tightly control thermal uniformity within the build chamber. There’s also a new material handling system, the MQC 600, which can serve up to four machines simultaneously to ensure the optimum ratio of fresh to recycled powder.
The parts on display are incredibly smooth, to the point where, if it wasn’t for their intricate geometries, you wouldn’t know they were 3D printed. That’s thanks, in part, to AMT’s PostPro system which provides automated de-powdering and chemical vapor smoothing for polymer laser sintered parts.
“You can't stop at the printer,” Haffner said, emphasising the need to incorporate finishing into the AM workflow, which 3D Systems will do via a reseller partnership with AMT. “You have to look at the rest of the workflow and the thing about [AMT’s] equipment is it really reduces labour, reduces cost per part and keeps the theme of consistency.”
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Exhibit at the UK's definitive and most influential 3D printing and additive manufacturing event, TCT 3Sixty.
The booth is split into two distinct areas: healthcare and industrial, mirroring the structure of the business itself, amplified by the hiring of Dr. David Leigh as Chief Technology Officer for Additive Manufacturing, and positioning of founder Chuck Hull as Chief Technology Officer for Regenerative Medicine earlier this year. Over on the medical side, Haffner presents one of three new metal machines, the DMP Flex 200, designed to address the needs of the dental market with increased build capacity (140 x 140 x 115 mm) and laser power (500W) for applications such as crowns, bridges, removable partial dentures, and implant bars.
“We've taken our industrial design of the [DMP Flex] 100 and the lasers from the [DMP] 350 and married them together,” Haffner explained.
Ease of use is at the forefront and Haffner says the machine comes packaged with 3D Sprint so that dentists “don’t have to learn all of the CAD side,” while its compact size, build plate clamping system, and simple material changeover (starting with titanium and cobalt chrome) has also piqued the interest of research institutes who are set to deploy the machine for materials development.
Nearby, I spot a number of metal 3D printed hip cups and spinal implants. Both well-established applications in the AM industry but 3D Systems hopes to bring a new level of productivity to that with the launch of another two machines, the DMP Flex 350 Dual and DMP Factory 350 Dual. These two-laser systems are targeted towards small parts which can be stacked next to each other to benefit from their increased laser power “so you can double up your productivity” for not only medical, but aerospace, turbomachinery, semiconductor, and automotive applications too. Enhancements to its 3DExpert 17 software, also announced at the event, are said to further accelerate this with higher yield and faster print times for both of these DMP systems.
3D Systems DMP Flex 200
Sticking with healthcare, while not necessarily new to 3D Systems, but no doubt debut to many visitors, was bioprinting. Since announcing its intention to invest in bioprinting and regenerative medicine back in January, 3D Systems has been working on applications in tissue engineering, human organs, and new drug therapies in partnership with United Therapeutics and CollPlant, and through the acquisition of Philadelphia-based developer of bioprinting solutions Allevi. Speaking about his excitement for this emerging application area, that has long felt like a world away from reality, Haffner said: “It helps humanity. Without a doubt, that's number one.”
Back on the industrial side, another part sparks a similar sense of enthusiasm as Haffner asks me to pick up a large metal bracket. The part, a topologically optimised orbital class RF chassis developed with Thales, is shockingly light and took 71 hours and 36 mins to manufacture on the DMP Factory 350. It’s an example of the kinds of customers 3D Systems is working with within its Application Innovation Group, which seeks help companies ideate and scale their AM applications by developing solutions in-house and providing technology transfer.
“[Customers are] thinking about parts,” Haffner said, further emphasising the demand for end-to-end applications. “They don't want to think about machines, and we have to do all of it. We just can't stop at just printing.”
Orbital class RF chassis 3D printed in Scalmalloy
The chassis’ weightlessness is down to the material, Scalmalloy, a high-strength aluminium alloy which 3D Systems added to its certified materials portfolio following development with APWORKS back in September. Ideal for aerospace and automotive applications due to its attractive strength-to-weight ratio, Scalmalloy’s properties are geared towards load-bearing components, structural and fluid management applications, and thermal management structures for the semiconductor space. Such features underscore a message that’s repeated throughout our conversation: materials are key.
“Customers want parts […] and it all starts with materials,” Haffner said. “If you're an engineer and you're thinking about a 3D printed material, it's all about properties but more importantly, it's about things like long term stability. This is crucial for an engineer to make up their mind about the parts to use. We're starting an effort, we're going through all of our data sheets, and we're laying out all the information. Not everybody does that but it's very important for engineers and they love it.”
That also applies to polymers, including a new DLP resin, Figure 4 Rigid 140C Black. This two-part epoxy/acrylate hybrid material is designed to deliver production-grade parts with long-term mechanical stability and considerably reduced cure cycles. With a 124°C @ 1.82MPa HDT and a toughness similar to injection moulded polybutylene glass fibre, the resin is said to be ideal for under-the-hood and internal cabin automotive applications.
“It's an important material. When you go into consumer goods, a lot of times you need that fire retardancy when you go into some certified applications like transportation and aerospace. The other thing about it is, it'll be first introduced on the Figure 4 but as we saw with the AMX Rigid Black, we move materials from Figure 4 to our SLA machine when we want to get bigger [and] go to larger production. We'll be doing that over time. It's just a standard procedure for us now.”
Underhood sensor housing 3D printed in Figure 4 Rigid 140C Black
While materials remain at the core, there is another factor which Haffner is keen to highlight: people. He describes a culture of collaboration, sharing how, while on paper 3D Systems' industrial and medical departments are separate, “internally you'd never know,” and there’s said to be a lot of knowledge sharing between teams.
“I'm proud of our people. You need those people in place, you need the material. Otherwise, the application just doesn't happen. That's why I maintain we have an edge because we have the knowledge, a lot of years in business, and again, I'm biased but we have some of the best material scientists in the world.”
It’s all very positive and with each of these new machines set to be made available in the first quarter of next year, points to a busy 2022 for the company, which will hopefully also bring updates to its High Speed Fusion collaboration with Jabil, unveiled back in February. However, with this solution-focused ethos in mind, Haffner maintains materials are the area he’s most excited about heading into the new year, not just for this new line of products, but hinting at some “new things” on the horizon too.
“[Materials] opens up new applications, new customers, people that don't even think about 3D printing right now, that's exciting to me. […] That gets the hardware people excited. When you have a new material, they want their equipment to perform as best as it can. So, it kind of is like the leading charge.”
