Until recently, printing glass with 3d printers was equated with fiction, but over the past few years the situation has changed dramatically. Those times when plastic and metal were the only materials have already passed and now we can easily work with ceramics, sand, food and even biological materials. Like other forms of 3d printing, working with glass has several advantages, one of which is the possibility of creating products of unique shape and great variability during post-processing. 3d technologies allow to facilitate both the work of artists and mass production.

For the first time, the use of glass as a filler for 3d printing began talking back in 2009, and news of the promotion of the material periodically appeared around the world. A revolutionary breakthrough was made by the Israeli company Micron3Dp, which presented to the eyes of the public complex products printed at a temperature of 1640 degrees Celsius. The technology itself was similar in many respects to FDM-printing, but only with the use of other materials and higher temperatures. A lot of money and effort was spent on developing the equipment. In the same year, Micron3DP installed alpha versions of 3d printers for its own facilities, and the results were demonstrated at the Formnext exhibition, which was held in November.

Soon after Micron3DP announced a revolutionary technology, MIT went on its steps, namely the Mediated Matter unit and the MIT Glass Lab. These groups were combined by a project with the name G3DP (Glass 3D Printing), and the result was a 3d printer with a camera temperature of 1037 degrees. The glass passed through the nozzle, after which it was cooled and solidified.

MIT also worked on a second project, which allowed to work on large-scale products. The technology included a digital system of thermal monitoring and support at various stages of glass formation, and also received new guides that controlled the flow along 4 axes. The capabilities of the new 3d GLASS 2 printer were demonstrated only in 2017, as part of the Milan Design Week.

But if the previous researchers started from the principle of FDM-printers, the representatives of the Karlsruhe Institute took as a basis the SLA technology. It is worth noting that this group did not create something fundamentally new – they took a commercial SLA 3d printer and used it to work with glass. Even such a seemingly crude approach was able to show fairly good results, which were several times better than when creating products by classical methods. As a filler, glass powder was used, and the main advantage was the complete absence of chemicals in the air. The main products are polymer resins, which are burned in a special furnace at the end of printing.

Another method of 3d glass printing was developed at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, where special ink was used. Unlike FDM-technology, this form does not need high temperatures, and products can be created completely in any room. Inks are created from concentrated suspensions of silica particles, which are also used to make lenses. The only drawback of this method is that some composites are not available in the market or in retail.

The technology of 3d glass printing over a short period of time has come a long way. Just a few years ago, only talked about it, and now some companies use different ways to produce the most unimaginable products. 3d glass printing is used in both the artistic and technological areas. Most likely, this technology can never replace the classical methods of production, but its application in some areas is more than valuable.

Image Credit: Micron3DP

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The purpose:

This is the first and foremost thing that needs to be cleared out upfront inside your head. The set up is completely different, let’s just say, for concept models and verification models.

When dealing with a specific object or product, concept models allow a company to finalize a design. The machine provides them with a 3D object that can be looked at, evaluated and accessed before proceeding to the next step. This helps the company in saving a great amount of money that previously used to be wasted in creating the actual product and then discover the flaws. Concept models derived from 3D printing also simplified the process of making developmental changes. Many different models can be produced with the help of 3D printing before taking the final call. This can be of immense help at the time of presenting a product in front of the stakeholders and getting the required fund to carry on with the project or business.

Another output of 3D printing is the verification model. It allows designers to evaluate different design elements and see whether they appear or/ and function as intended. 3D drawings or schematics will only make you guess, whereas 3D printing can be used in creating life- like models. This helps in putting aside any kind of question related to the said project and whether it truly requires any further revisions. Probably, this is the simplest way of putting the approval stamp on the project with maximum confidence.

Make sure that you check our posts next week for we will be delving deeper into this topic and equip you in the best possible manner before you buy a 3D printer or scanner. Those posts will be filled with some great deal of information as well that is sure not to be missed at any cost.

Author: Tony Rolland provides marketing service for EMS USA (http://www.ems-usa.com/), Florida based company offers 3D printing and 3D scanning services and also product development products such as 3D Systems 3D Printers and 3D Scanners.

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The driving force behind this invention was the requirement for material that can be utilised to produce objects with greater strength and durability. VisiJet is by far the toughest Project material ever produced. It really means a lot towards the expansion and further innovation in 3D printing method.

Strength of the objects made from 3D printers has been a concern ever since the invention of 3D printers. It was a clear hindrance in the course of development and commercialisation of this technology. The objects made until now could be great models and prototypes but could never be used as their building material was often plastic.

The invention of M3 Black has really lifted the hope of creating consumer-products with the help of 3D printing method. The newly found material is tough enough to provide considerable strength to the objects made out of it as well as is flexible enough to balance the rigidity of the products. In short, it seems the right material to produce goods for end-users.

The material has varied and numerous potential application. It can be easily used for manufacturing replaceable parts for different kind of equipment. Production of decorative, show-pieces, etc. is an undeniable utility of this invention. Moreover, small ware of daily use can be made out of it as those articles do not have to be too sturdy to withstand some kind of blows.

The process of injection moulding involves injecting any material into moulds for the creation of the required object. There are several kinds of materials such as metals, glass, elastomers, thermoplastic, etc. that can be used for the requirement. The M3 Black is a kind of thermoplastic. It is injected into moulds in its heated form. In 3D printing, instead of injection, the material is laid down in layers according pre-defined design with the help of a computer. It is very productive technique as it does not involve the construction of moulds for making any object.

Author Bio: This article is written by Tony Rollan on behalf of EMS USA, Inc, a leading engineering and manufacturing company that sells rapid product development products and services including 3D Systems 3D Printers and 3D Scanners. Tony has worked for several years as a marketing consultant for various manufacturing industries. Blogging is one of his best relaxing activities.

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The entire thing started during an integrated class on Product Development held in the University around 2 years ago in 2011. All the first expectations have been scored past by Detroit Treads since then. The start-up is designed by Neil Zemba. The fact that it is based on 3D design of a regular human foot makes this entire thing even more interesting and as one expect, 3D scanning was used to get perfect model for the shoes.

Let us get into some technical specifications of this entire project. A Kinect was first used by Zemba to scan feet and obtain 3D images of it. The laser scanner HandyScan was then switched into the place of Kinect. The decision is obviously understandable as the HandyScan is a product developed for such professional functions. The pressure graphs used by some renowned footwear manufacturers like Nike and Jordan were used to study the mechanism of human foot pressing against the floor and making the lift – the process that causes running or walking. This helped the designer understand what kind of support is required and where.

With all the prerequisites in place, Zemba designed moulds for the outsole and the insole. A rapid prototyping device was used to create the moulds in a 3Dlaboratory. One mould forms the tread that touches the ground while the other forms the foot-bed; a design that is quite unusual. Still, the utilisation of 3D scanning technology is the unique-factor of the shoes. Though it appears like a regular sandal, it contains real tyre-rubber, which makes it one of the best from Detroit. In fact, third party services providers that are involved in roadside spare collection and recycling work in association with Detroit Treads.

The moulds are filled with mixture of polyurethane and tyre and equipped with seatbelt strap. These shoes really exemplify the scope of 3D scanning in the consumer market.

Author: Tony Rolland provides review services for EMS USA (http://www.ems-usa.com/), Florida based company offers 3D printing and 3D scanning services and also product development products such as 3D Systems 3D Printers and 3D Scanners.

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Repairing a thirty year old aircraft is no doubt a daunting task. This is mainly because of the facts that, apart from the technology being outdated, original plans are hard to get hold of. In order to fight this situation and come up with effective repairs, the company which is based in Texas decided to make use of 3D scanning for completing the job.

However, the task was not easy and faced with different problems. Scanning methods that are traditional generally involve the placing of objects on tripods or jigs. After that, the device is used circling the object for capturing the details. This proves as a limitation regarding the objects which can be properly scanned. The aircraft is a huge object and definitely not suitable for scanning through traditional procedures. But, 3D scanning handheld device certainly makes it possible. The ZScanner was used by the company for capturing the details of the aircraft. The use of the device made it possible to capture even the minute of details without the need for complicated setups. It was possible to scan all the crannies and nooks without much of an effort and the results obtained were highly professional.

The inclusion of the software known as AICON photogrammetric within the device helped in increasing the accuracy for every scan performed. This feature combined with the device’s portability certainly made a huge difference. Earlier, 3D scanning faced serious problems with large surfaces however the inception of such a device no longer poses problems with such surfaces.

Reverse engineering can benefit a lot from this technology. Within three days the entire scan was completed with the help of the M7. The wingspan of the aircraft is fifty seven foot and can accommodate 19 people.

After the completion of the scan, the imported data from CAD software was used for the creation of modifications and to make sure that the parts and repairs met exact model specifications. Thus, it is quite clear that 3D scanning helps in compilation of data in a much easier way about some large object which eases the overall repairing process.

Author Bio: This article is written by Tony Rollan on behalf of EMS, Inc, a leading engineering and manufacturing company that sells rapid product development products and services including 3D Systems 3D Printers and 3D Scanners. Tony has worked for several years as a marketing consultant for various manufacturing industries. Blogging is one of his best relaxing activities.

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The concept of 3D prints is becoming largely popular all over, to the extent of reaching the unexpected locales. The Hollywood Studios of Disney will offer the Florida Park visitors an opportunity to remain immortalized as stormtrooper. Any big fan of Star Wars should definitely go through the experience. The service of 3D printing that was available at the park during Star Wars Weekend has made this all possible. It lasted from mid May to June 9. Last year had carbonite offering available.

The concept of Stormtrooper figurine, is, however, new for the year. The present technology may be said to be a little sophisticated. It, in fact, makes use of a higher resolutions than those that were available on consumer market previously, offering a clear and detailed scanning of the head being printed in Star Wars figure. The process is begun by the visitors on undergoing 3D scan.
The obtained file is then sent to the 3D printing service for being processed. The print out is taken which is then shipped to you. The intervening time between the scanning and the print reaching your home is eight weeks. The duration can be a little longer for the stromtrooper figure because of its use of colorized elements. The most important news is that the Research Labs of Disney are quite delighted and proud of this endeavor. This is because it makes use of single shot 3 dimensional face scanner which the imagineers had created in-house. This scanned file is then sent to the printing studio where the figure is created after being printed out.

There is the availability of international shipping. However, it should take longer for being shipped abroad, than being shipped inside the United States. So, what is this service of 3 dimensional printing going to offer you? A visit to the Hollywood Studios of Disney in Star Wars Weekend could expect to spend $99.95 either for the miniature carbonite or for miniature stormtrooper figurines. Whether or not you call yourself a diehard fan of Star Wars, you would definitely love what this new technology offers as this service would surely be something worth experience. It is not that every single day you need to get the head scanned. And it certainly is not every single day when you get the opportunity to get your head 3D scanned to have a figure resembling you with Star Wars regal symbol.

This article has been brought you by EMS, Inc, with offices located inTampa, Atlanta and Detroit.  Learn more at http://www.ems-usa.com

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This project has been initiated in Scotland and the project aims at capturing all such sites that are of heritage with the aim of preserving them. All such sites shall be screened thoroughly and following this 3D scanning procedure will capture them. The scanning would be done both on the outer side and on the inner side so as to make sure that the entire monument is captured. Among all such sites, Opera House remains the only one which was built during twentieth century.

The purpose that called for three dimensional scanning of Opera House is that the building is of significance to the complete world other than to Australia where it is situated. Other buildings that acre historically important and need preservation have also been included into the project, like Mount Rushmore , Queen Stepwell, and Eastern Qing Tombs in America, India and China respectively. There are other sites in Scotland too that are proposed to be 3D scanned.

Picture credit: Wikipedia

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3D scanner has become the best equipments for dental professionals. The reason for this is that sophisticated technology-based equipments are helpful in designing of retainers, teeth guards or mouth guards and even dental braces. After this, we know that burned skins or faces of the burned victims if kept open can cause further infections and even spread various kinds of infections and diseases. Therefore, in order to prevent such undesirable effects, doctors refer for 3D devices for making the facemasks and treating of burned victims. The significant benefits of using 3D scanning system are it can easily capture only one scan in hardly two to three seconds. Furthermore, white light 3D scanning systems are the safest options for scanning of the faces. Last, but not the least, 3D scanning devices is capable of doing X-rays in direct way without making physical contacts with any of the patients.

Picture credit: pcmag.com

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Responsibility was provided to an organisation for designing the implant with some special substance known by the name polyetherketoneketone thermoplastic. This is a bone like material and is biocompatible where interference with x-ray is completely avoided. After carrying out the required task of scanning, tailor made implant was brought into existence with some 3D printer. Layer after layer it was generated so that the exact details can be maintained and cell growth and bone attachment happened with ease.

After the scan submission, the turnaround time is more or less two weeks. CEO of the organisation which was responsible for this entire operation commented on the advantages of this technology. According to him, this is a disruptive and transformative technology platform which has the capability to bring a lot of changes to orthopaedic industry. More and more patients are expected to begin their lives on a new note thanks to 3D printing.

The use of this technology proves efficient as the cost involved is quite low as compared to other procedures. Along with that comes the benefit of customized implants developed as per the specific measurements of a patient. This technology has come a long way since its inception quite a few years ago. It is achieving new feats on a constant basis and expected to come up with more innovation in future.

Picture credit: http://www.oxfordpm.com/biomedical_parts.html Oxford Performance Materials

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