What You Need to Know About 3D Printing

What is 3D Printing?

3D printing or additive manufacturing is a process of making 3D solid objects from a computer-aided-design (CAD) model. A process known as slicing, breaks down the model into thinly sliced horizontal cross-sections. The 3D printed object is then formed by building successive horizontal layers of materials until the object is created.

Why 3D Printing?

Given the shorter lifecycle of products, growing number of product variance and increasing customization demands, 3D printing comes in handy. 3D printing offers several advantages over traditional manufacturing techniques such as:

Speed

Complex designs can be created digitally and the product can be printed within a few hours. This allows rapid prototyping, product verification and small volume on-demand parts production. The ability to produce parts faster than traditional manufacturing gives 3D printing a huge time saving advantage.

Cost

Traditional manufacturing techniques like injection moulding requires an initial investment for the mould which is both time consuming and costly while 3D printing does not.

WHAT CHEM ON CAN OFFER: ARBURG FREEFORMER

Tap into the world of industrial 3D printing with Arburg Freeformer. An open system 3D printer that combines injection moulding technology and a patented droplet system, the Freeformer gives you the freedom of material choices and freely programmable slice & processing parameters. This allow you to print part qualities that are individually optimised to suit your needs.

You can select between the 200-3X or 300-3X model depending on your requirement. The differences between these two models are the number of discharge nozzles, installation area, high temperature option capability, and chamber build space.

With an additional discharge unit, the 300-3X allows combination of up to three materials in a single print compared to two materials in the 200-3X. The high temperature option allows use of a wider variety of material with higher melting point. Larger build chamber space also allows printing of larger products.

Application

Given the versatility of an open system like the Arburg Freeformer, there are countless applications of 3D printing in the manufacturing, medical equipment, pharmaceutical, automotive, construction, aerospace, maritime industries.

With the Freeformer, materials with unique properties such as flameproof material, conducting material, medical polylactides and bio-polymers can be printed. Objects with moving parts and multi-components can also be achieved in a single print. The Freeformer is also capable of printing objects with high flexibility and is clean-room compatible.

                                   Ball Bearing                                                     Medical Implants                            Moving Component

Click to learn more about 3D Printer processes such as additive or subtractive manufacturing! Or Contact us now to enquire more about the Freeformer!

Posted by Winn Chin

Winn Chin is a life and beauty enthusiast who majors in Chemistry, and love synthesizing information to share content about products in their daily lives.