A godsend for designers, engineers, and architects, the Designjet 3D takes printing to the next dimension by layering melted ABS Plastic over and over again in order to render monotone solid objects in sizes up to 8-inches wide, 6-inches deep, and 6-inches high.

The printer comes in two varieties; the Designjet 3D that prints only ivory colored objects and the Designjet 3D Color that can print monotone prototypes in up to eight different colors. Both printers are fully network capable, which means many workers can share the printer and create solid prototypes on-the-fly, which is a definite time saver and a potential cost cutter for companies that rely on prototypes for projects.

Unfortunately, to own one of these bad boys, you had better have a large wallet or a large spending account in your organization. Starting costs for the Designjet 3D printer begin at around $17,500 and right now they are only available in Europe.
Via: geek.com

“The technology suits many different applications perfectly, as illustrated by the diverse range of industries represented at the event,” states Amos Libermann, Objet Geometries Regional Manager for France, “Visitors from the automotive, medical, architecture, education, footwear, aviation and design industries and of course, prototyping bureaux were all there, to see the unique benefits of multi material printing.”

The Connex350, introduced to the market in 2009, is the second 3D printer in the Connex range, which has the unique ability to simultaneously print multiple materials with different mechanical and physical properties. The resultant Digital Materials can simulate overmoulding or create different material characteristics such as variable shore hardness. The Connex350 offers these capabilities at a lower investment, through its build volume of 350 mm x 350 mm x 200 mm, while delivering the same performance as its larger counterpart.

Objet customers from product development company Société CAD indus and rapid prototyping bureau SD3D spoke of the benefits Objet technology has brought to their businesses. “The precision and surface finish of models produced on the Connex500 press is exceptional, that combined with the ability to produce Digital Materials™, allows our customers to test functions such as aerodynamics, joints, overmoulded parts and different shore hardness with reliability,” commented Thierry Schneider from CAD’indus.

According to Stéphane Daniel, the founder of SD3D and an Objet Eden250 user, other benefits in addition to the extreme precision provided by Objet technology, include the excellent surface finish and minimum finishing requirements, “The Eden250 allows me to provide customers with a turnkey solution, so that they can progress from prototype to production in the smoothest possible manner.”

Another highlight for attendees was a sneak preview in the form of a model produced on a Connex500 for the Jaguar’s sponsored GT in Schools Design Challenge. The model is based on the Jaguar RSR GT2 that will take the grid this year at the legendary 24 Heures du Mans event.

Via: tctmagazine.com

Launched in 2007, the Connex500 represents the first-ever system to allow 3D printing of several materials with different mechanical and physical properties simultaneously. Its patented PolyJet Matrix™ Technology jets materials in ultra-thin layers, immediately curing each layer with UV light – a process which yields models that closely emulate the look, feel and function of an exceptionally wide variety of end products. In addition, the system allows users to create composite materials that have pre-set combinations of mechanical properties, also a first for the industry. Today, the only other 3D printer offering these capabilities is Objet’s Connex350™, unveiled in June 2009.

About Instituto Tecnologico Y De Estudios Superiores De Monterrey (ITESM) Tecnológico de Monterrey was founded in 1943 thanks to the vision of Eugenio Garza Sada and a group of businessmen who established a non-profit association called Enseñanza e Investigación Superior, A. C. Tecnológico de Monterrey is a private, non-profit institution independent of and not related to any political party or religious group.

The work of the Tecnológico de Monterrey and of all of its campuses is supported by civil associations made up of a large group of outstanding leaders from all parts of the country, who are committed to quality in higher education. Each year, the trustees of these civil associations meet to establish the goals which will guide the important decisions needed for the Tecnológico de Monterrey to achieve its mission of becoming an engine for the development of local communities and the country.

Tecnológico de Monterrey enjoys the support of the national community, which participates in the lotteries the institution organizes to expand the scholarship program and the investment in infrastructure. To function as an educational institution, the Tecnológico de Monterrey operates under the statute of a Free University.

Via: objet.com

Advantages of 3d printing process

On the fly model creation allow the formation of prototypes that intimately imitate the perfunctory properties of the target design. Some technologies allow the mixture of black and white rigid resources in organize to develops a choice of grayscales suitable for end user electronics also other applications.
Save time and fee by removing the necessitate to design, print and ‘stick together’ divided model parts completed with diverse materials in arrange to build a complete model.

A large quantity of competing techniques are available in the market. As all are rapid methods, their major differences are established in the way layers are built to produce parts. Some technologies use melting or softening material to make the layers (SLS, FDM) where others lay liquid materials thermodynamics sets that are cured with different techniques.

Source: informationguerrilla.org

A 3D printer used to take a long time to build an object, but with recent developments, printers are starting to craft objects which are being completed in only a fraction of the time.  Their output is only sure to increase.  The depth of these objects is also starting to improve, as you will get a fully three-dimensional object which will have working parts that you can use.  A variety of materials can all be used to put one single object together, helping you to expand the function of this item.  You can now also get objects of varying size, helping you to put together a prototype order that fully meets all of your needs.

The size of the printer itself is going to be another important factor to consider.  The size of the unit will determine how large of a prototype it will be able to make, but it will also determine if you can fit the printer itself into the space that you have available.  If the model is too large, you will have to pass on purchasing that one.

Another factor to consider will be the materials that the printer can work with.  Some 3D printer can use different materials to construct the prototypes and if you are going to put together various types of objects, you will want to have this handy.  All in all, there are a lot of factors you need to consider when buying a 3D printer, as you’ll want to make sure that you get the right one for your needs.

3D printers allow a company to produce a 3D model based on a design which they have completed on their own. They simply load this design into a 3D printer and it will immediately begin fashioning a 3D representation based on the design you have programmed.

If you were to attempt to use a third-party company to execute these types of model designs you could have to wait days or even weeks to receive your finished product.  But with 3D printers you can now limit this wait time to hours!   This will allow you to produce the 3D models that you need in the time that you dictate.
Additionally, this will also save you the expense of hiring a third-party model building team.  In fact, a 3D printer will generally pay for itself within the very first year of use!  That is why many companies are now investing in 3D printers in order to save themselves time and money.