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Protolabs offers 'Terminator 2' 3D-printing tech

Protolabs has added an impressive new platform to its portfolio of production-grade additive manufacturing technologies. The new machines by a company called Carbon use the digital light synthesis (DLS) technology (originally called Continuous Liquid Interface Production or CLIP) to grow plastic parts from a pool of heated resin -- which was inspired, in part, by a scene in "Terminator 2."

The tunable photochemical process, which really does look like some kind of movie magic, eliminates some of the shortcomings of conventional layer-by-layer 3D-printing technology to rapidly transform 3D models into physical objects.

VIDEO: An early version and easy explanation of the Carbon CLIP technology. [Source: Vox]

Protolabs is one of largest suppliers of custom 3D-printing services in the world, producing more than 100,000 printed components every month across six different additive manufacturing technologies.

"We're very excited about the manufacturing options the Carbon technology offers to our customers," said Vicki Holt, president and CEO at Protolabs. "It provides a cost-effective production solution for geometric complexities that cannot be molded or otherwise fabricated. We are committed to maintaining our market leadership in being a single-source supplier for on-demand services across a multitude of manufacturing methods, and Carbon will help us do that."

VIDEO: A more technical look at how Carbon's Digital Light Synthesis technology works.

Carbon DLS is frequently used for intricate designs that are challenging to mold, creating durable 3D-printed components for end-use applications. Protolabs is offering materials comparable to ABS rigid polyurethane (Carbon RPU 70) and a PP-like polyurethane (Carbon FPU 50) that is ideal for applications requiring flexibility and durability. These materials have consistent mechanical properties akin to injection molding.

Protolabs is now offering parts made on Carbon machines. Here we show the machine and some samples.

 

 

Designfax asked Protolabs to use an example for the Carbon tech, such as a small run of specialized skateboard wheels, and also provide some per-piece pricing.

Andrew Rogers, Sr. Manufacturing Engineer, said, "The machines build about 1 in. (25 mm) per hour of build height. In your skateboard wheel example, that part down on its side would probably take about an hour and a half or so to build. Also, a platform full of them would take the same amount of time due to the DLP imaging process."

"With regard to pricing, I actually downloaded a model of a skateboard wheel and did some ballpark pricing," Rogers continued. "If you were to hollow that wheel out to the recommended wall thickness, it ends up being in the $40-ish range per part for a run of 100. Again, this is for an actual skateboard wheel that was hollowed out. Every part is going to vary on price depending on volume/surface area/etc."

"The big advantage of Carbon is going to be if you have something you cannot mold," Rogers added. "Carbon gives you the design freedom to make parts you cannot make through traditional molding, so please keep that in mind as well."

Of course, not having to make a mold also contributes to the final overall cost savings -- especially for short runs.

It is important to note that unfinished parts using the Carbon DLS machine often sport dots, or standing "nibs," on their bottoms (the parts are "grown" upside down) from the support structure remnants. As part of the standard finishing, supported surfaces are sanded down to eliminate the support nibs. Additional finishing processes to aid in assembly and meet exact specifications are available from Protolabs, including taps and threaded inserts.

View the Protolabs Design Guidelines for Carbon DLS parts here.

VIDEO: Crafted By Carbon products fuse data and design to create products with unmatched performance.

Ford Motor Co. was a very early adopter of the Carbon CLIP technology. You can read a Designfax August 2015 article about that here.

If you are interested in the origins of the Carbon technology, there is an interesting CNBC interview with the company's founder here.

Learn more about Carbon DLS used at Protolabs here.

Sources: Protolabs, Carbon, Vox, CNBC

Published October 2019

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