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July 16, 2013 | Volume 09 Issue 27 |
Manufacturing Center
Product Spotlight
Modern Applications News
Metalworking Ideas For
Today's Job Shops
Tooling and Production
Strategies for large
metalworking plants
Built on Formlabs' next-generation Low Force Display print engine, the new Form 4L SLA 3D printer delivers unmatched reliability with a 99% print success rate compared to other SLA 3D printers. These benefits, combined with a build volume nearly 5x the size of Form 4, allow Form 4L users to solve big problems and print smaller parts at high volume. Large-scale prints finished in under six hours.
Learn more.
Take a deep dive into the second revision of the macro keypad developed for Autodesk University's Factory Experience 2024 in this exclusive, on-demand webinar hosted by Xometry's Greg Paulsen and Autodesk Fusion's Jonathan Odom. This presentation features a live teardown of the keypad, showcasing how the design team addressed challenges and elevated the product. No registration required.
Watch this Xometry webinar at your convenience.
Xometry's no-cost tube design guide offers design tips and tricks for laser-cut tube parts, including: minimums, tolerances, and sizes. The guide also covers important rules for mandrel tube bending, such as tolerancing, distance between bends, bend center line radius, types of bends to avoid, and more. Incredibly handy. If you need parts, Xometry can help with that too. It's easy to get a quote.
Learn more.
Australian manufacturer SPEE3D has developed two grades of an ultra-corrosion-resistant Nickel Aluminum Bronze alloy that are compatible with its Cold Spray Additive Manufacturing technology. The powder material is a game-changer for maritime OEMs and the U.S. Navy, as it will help with supply chain delays and keep critical maritime systems operational.
Read the full article.
igus has developed a new polymer bearing material called iglide JPF that is free of both per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) and polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE). This innovation marks an important step in the company's efforts to create sustainable alternatives to conventional plain bearings. JPF is a dry-running, wear-resistant polymer that offers comparable friction and wear performance to iglide J. It delivers high wear resistance and durability.
Learn more.
The all-new PSLA 270 projector-based polymer 3D-printing platform and associated new materials from 3D Systems enable faster production times for a wide range of applications. This machine's high throughput and accuracy make it ideal for industries like healthcare, aerospace, automotive, and manufacturing, where precise and durable components are critical. Complementary Wash and Cure systems streamline post-processing and ensure high-quality finished parts.
Learn more including materials and build sizes.
3D-printing materials just keep getting better -- and now there are more choices than ever. Watch as Walter Voit, SVP Polymer Materials, Desktop Metal, describes the 3D printing of DuraChain Elastic ToughRubber photopolymers, which produce tough and resilient end-use parts while eliminating the need for a two-part resin. DuraChain photopolymers also demonstrate a long pot life of roughly one year, depending on environmental conditions, making them more suitable for volume production and reducing waste from spoiled, unused material. These materials are offered exclusively on the ETEC Xtreme 8K top-down DLP systems. ETEC is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Desktop Metal.
Learn about this exciting material.
Learn about the ETEC Xtreme 8K DLP systems -- and what makes them so much better.
Copper foam from Goodfellow combines the outstanding thermal conductivity of copper with the structural benefits of a metal foam. These features are of particular interest to design engineers working in the fields of medical products and devices, defense systems and manned flight, power generation, and the manufacture of semiconductor devices. This product has a true skeletal structure with no voids, inclusions, or entrapments. A perennial favorite of Designfax readers.
Learn more.
A new additive manufacturing material from Stratasys and BASF is aimed at driving greater part quality, versatility, and cost efficiency. SAF™ PP is recognized for its exceptional chemical resistance and airtight capabilities, making it the ultimate choice for complex applications across various industries. It can also be welded to other polypropylene components.
Read the full article.
Emerson's new Branson GLX-1 Laser Welder offers users flexibility to meet the growing demand for joining small, complex, or delicate plastic components and assemblies. Its compact footprint and modular design make it compatible for use in ISO-8 cleanroom environments, while an integral automation controller simplifies installation and interfaces with production robotics. The precise, servo-based actuation controls allow for greater freedom to design and join components with three-dimensional contours in small-part applications for the medical, electronics, automotive, and appliance industries.
Learn more.
Need steel products with a special edge? NIPPON KINZOKU CO. of Japan offers its Fine Profile cold-rolled technology that produces metal pieces with irregularly shaped cross-sections of different thicknesses. By rolling the uneven pattern on the roll surface, it is possible to process various designs and functions such as unique designs, oil grooves, gloss prevention, identification grooves, etc. Final products can be delivered in a variety of forms such as record rolls, oscillate rolls, fixed-length products, and secondary processing. An interesting alternative to machining processes such as cutting and grinding.
Learn more.
Achieve precise cuts with the SaberTech TiTAN FX from Laser Photonics. This expansive flatbed laser cutting system is engineered with state-of-the-art laser piercing technology to provide a high-power solution for large-scale industrial cutting applications. Featuring a work envelope with an area of up to 6 x 12 ft, this system can function independently or get integrated into production lines. It processes a wide range of materials, including plastics, metals, reflective metals, and alloys. Other than power, the SaberTech TiTAN requires no consumables and no routine part replacements, delivering long-term consistency and reliability.
Learn more.
Copper foam from Goodfellow combines the outstanding thermal conductivity of copper with the structural benefits of a metal foam. These features are of particular interest to design engineers working in the fields of medical products and devices, defense systems and manned flight, power generation, and the manufacture of semiconductor devices. This product has a true skeletal structure with no voids, inclusions, or entrapments. A perennial favorite of Designfax readers.
Learn more.
Crafted from a lunar regolith simulant, Basalt Moon Dust Filamet™ (not a typo) available from The Virtual Foundry closely mirrors the makeup of lunar regolith found in mare regions of the Moon. It enables users with standard fused filament fabrication (FFF) 3D printers to print with unparalleled realism. Try out your ideas before you go for that big space contract, or help your kid get an A on that special science project.
Learn more.
The new SLS 300 from 3D Systems is an affordable, turnkey, closed-loop 3D-printing system designed to operate in a smaller-footprint environment. SLS 300 makes selective laser sintering available to a broader range of customers with a high-reliability, affordable solution to produce end-use parts. Users can produce tough, durable parts from a range of production-grade nylon materials. Amazing fill, finishing, and clean-up systems.
Learn more.
Scientists at Zhejiang University in China have developed a new kind of ultra-light material called carbon aerogel. This solid material has a density of only 0.16 mg/cm3, one-sixth that of the air. It is now recognized as the new world's lightest material.
[Image: Zhejiang University]
The basic principle of developing aerogel is to remove solvent in the gel and retain the integrity. In the past, scientists usually used a sol-gel method and a template-oriented method. The former can synthesize aerogel on a large scale, but with poor controllability. The latter can generate ordered structures, but due to its reliance on the fine structure and dimensions of templates, mass production is not feasible.
Prof. Gao Chao's team explored a new method: freeze-drying. They freeze-dried solutions of carbon nanotubes and graphene to get a carbon sponge that can be arbitrarily adjusted in any shape. "With no need for templates, its size only depends on that of the container," he said. A bigger container can help produce the aerogel in a bigger size, even to thousands of cubic centimeters or larger."
The previous world record holder was graphite aerogel produced by German scientists in 2012 with a density of 0.18 mg/cm3.
Despite its fragile appearance, carbon aerogel is excellent in elasticity and can bounce back when compressed. Interestingly, it is also one of the materials with the largest oil absorption capacity. Current oil-absorbing products can usually absorb organic solvent of about 10 times their own weight. The newly developed carbon aerogel can absorb up to 900 times its own weight.
A related paper was published online in Advanced Materials on February 18, and was published in the "Research Highlights" column in Nature.
"Carbon aerogel is expected to play an important role in pollution control, such as oil-spill control, water purification, and even air purification," said Prof. Chao, who also added that the traditional production method of aerogels could not meet the needs of mass production. However, his freeze-drying approach makes the aerogel production process more convenient and makes it possible for mass production and application.
Chao's team is conducting further research on the absorption performance and application of the aerogel. In addition to pollution control, carbon aerogel is expected to become an ideal material for energy storage insulation, sound absorption, and as a catalytic carrier.
Source: Zhejiang University
Published July 2013