3D PRINTING
Often people ask themselves: what exactly is 3D printing? What are the areas of applications? Why are we utilizing this technology and what are the benefits?
3D-printing actually is an additive layer manufacturing process. This means, an object is created by adding a material layer by layer. In contrast to this, an object can be milled by reducing material from a given block of material.
3D printing instead allows to produce highly complex forms including hollow and undercut elements in just one single piece!
This innovative manufacturing process thus even allows artists and graphic designers to make their digital model tangible without even being equipped with the respective technical know how of the manufacturing technology.
For companies, 3D printing allows to speed up the prototyping process within the product develop phase in order to test and detect mistakes at an early stage of the product development process.
RICHTIG DRUCK is applying two major technologies depending on the product and the field of application. The coloured 3D printing and the laser-sinter technology (SLS).
Coloured 3D printing:
Preparing the data for a coloured 3D print
In order to apply the coloured 3D printing process, the virtual model needs to not only provide the right form and format, but needs to deploy the right colour code application for the entire object. A couple of optimization processes are necessary in roder to ensure a successful 3D printing result.
390.000 colours to deliver the best results
The “ProJet 660” 3D printer is building the object based on two key components, one being a polymerplaster powder, the other one being a liquid binder, which acts as glue at the specified areas. The liquid binder is enriched with the colours cyan, yellow, magenta and black in order to give the right colour to the model while being printed.
3D printing layer by layer
The model is taking shape via 0,1 mm thin layers. As a first steps the printer is placing a thin layer of plaster powder on the printer construction floor. This thin layer then gets infused by the combination of the liquid binder and the respective colour, thus being glued at the pre-defined areas. Next, the printer construction floor gets lower a little bit and the process of applying the powder starts again.
Infiltration to apply rich colours
Once all layers have been printed, the object can be extracted from the powder bed and be cleaned from any remaining powder. Once completed, the model will be infiltrated in order to increase the stability of the model and the richness of the colours.
3D printing applying the laser-sinter technology (SLS)
Robust prototypes and thin wall thickness
RICHTIG DRUCK is offering functional models and prototypes made out of high-performance polymers. These prototypes can take almost any shape based on CAD data and delivered via the laser sinter technology (SLS).
This process is particularly suited for 3D prototypes or producing a mini-series. With CAD data being available, your 3D printed prototype is delivered within a very short time frame.
The laser sinter technology allows to produce highly flexible objects as well as objects with very thin wall thickness, thanks to the type of SLS materials, its robustness and clearly the manufacturing process itself.
Realizing complex forms
This high-tech approach is thus not limited to the constraints of conventional production methods. The SLS 3D-printing method thus allows for highly complex geometries including the realisation of undercut elements. In addition a bionic optimization process is applied in order to further improve both weight reduction and aesthetics. Ensuring the right planning, this technology actually allows to produce a multitude of related assembly components in one peace!
Selective powder sintern
Selective laser-sintern constitutes a 3D printing process whereby a functional model is created layer by layer out of high-solid polymer. The powder is applied in a very thin layer on the construction floor of the printer and then selectively melted by the laser at the appropriate positions. Next the printer construction grid platform is slightly lowered and the process of applying the next thin layer of powder is repeated until the entire model is ready.
Finetuning oft he models
When finishing the actual printing process, the models are extracted from the 3D printer and the remaining powder gets removed. The model can then be coloured, polished and finished.
Materials for the laser-sinter technology (SLS)
Three key materials for the laser-sinter technology
Utilizing the selective laser-sinter technology three key materials can be applied. Polyamid has proven itself due to its robustness and flexibility. For heavy mechanical applications and forces, glas-reinforced polyamide or aluminium-reinforced polyamide can be offered to be applied.
When finishing the actual printing process, the models are extracted from the 3D printer and the remaining powder gets removed. The model can then be coloured, polished and finished.
PA – Polyamid
The white polyamid powder is delivering a multitude of product characteristics and thus can be applied to a wide range of applications. It is comparable to the PA12 – injection moulding application characteristics.
Characteristics
– Multipurpose material
– Balanced materialcharacteristics
– Offering a multitude of finishing touches (coloured, infiltrated, finetunied, polished)
Applications:
– functional construction objects
– realization of moving / flexible objects and joints
– alternative to current injection moulding
PA-GF – Glas-reinforced Polyamid
PA-GF is based on white polyamid -12 poweder, which has been reinforced by small glas-bowls in ordert o achieve a higher stiffness and improve the braking strain when applying the laser sinter technology.
Characteristics
– High stiffness
– high robustness
– temperature resistance
Applications
– thin wallthickness
– application for high use elements
– application for high temperature elements
Alumides – aluminiumparticle-reinforced polyamid
Alumide is a grey-metallic powder. It is based on the polyamide-12 powder, which has been enriched by aluminium particles in order to improve its stiffness. It furthermore provides a more metallic appearance as well as allows for machine-based finetuning.
Characteristics:
– well suited for machine-based finetuning
– extremely high stiffness
– very high dimensional accurancy
Applications
– metallic looking objects
– jig construction
– objects which need machine-based finetuning