Additive Manufacturing

3D PRINTING

Also know as additive manufacturing, is the process of building an object one layer at a time. There are 7 categories of AM, each have their own advantage and disadvantage. FDM or FFF, also known as material extrusion, is the most widely used category and leverages thermoplastics and composites to build strong, durable, and dimensionally stable parts with accuracy and repeatability.

Our team is exceptional at using industrial-grade high speed extrusion platforms and 3D printing composites and ultraperformance polymers for a variety of industries and applications.

AM technology removes many traditional manufacturing limitations, allowing for continuous improvements and design modifications, giving you the flexibility to expand product lines to serve markets with customized solutions.

VISUAL AIDES

3D printing is great for building physical representations that can be used during presentations, as training tools, and teaching aids. These may not be fully functioning parts but can be much cheaper to produce and ideal for educators.

PROTOTYPING

Rapid prototyping is the fast fabrication of a physical part, model, or assembly to help test and evaluate fit, form and function. This is ideal for anyone wanting to reduce the cost and time required to develop a product and quickly move through the iterative design process.

Additive manufacturing was invented and used mostly for this application until recent machine and material advancements. Using AM as secondary process can also save time and money to produce prototypes from rapid tools that are 3D printed.

END-USE PARTS

An end-use part is a manufactured good that is either ready for market, part of an assembly of products or ready to be used in internal operations of a company. Fused filament fabrication (FFF) in early phases of product release can be used to make parts for pilot production runs.

Once the product as been validated and all component designs are frozen, AM can be used as a bridge to mass production: end-use parts or tooling is 3D printed while waiting for other equipment or processes.

Manufacturers and industry partners like ourselves are assisting with the development of standards, best practices, inspection methods, material qualification guidelines, advanced software solutions, and more to provide better quality end-use parts that are repeatable and cost effective.

MATERIAL DIVERSITY

Choose from over 60 different thermoplastics and elastomers.

Our machines are open materials platforms so if the filament you desire is 1.75mm in diameter, we can print it at scale and with speed, strength, and agility. Not sure where to begin? Here is a list of materials we commonly use and a link to a selection guide.