Design Thinking

Design Thinking

Design thinking is a scientific approach for new product development, strategy development and for ‘truly’ meeting customers’ needs. It’s used to provide a framework which helps engineers, designers, or product development teams to identify a problem and to find appropriate solutions. It’s extremely useful in tackling complex problems that are ill-defined or unknown by
a. Understanding the human needs involved
b. Reframing the problem in human-centric ways
c. Creating many ideas in brainstorming sessions, and
d. Adopting a hands-on approach in prototyping and testing.

Prototype to Empathize, Define, Ideate, Prototype and Test:
We should use prototyping as part of various stages of Design Thinking.
1. Empathize:
It is the first step in the design thinking process. This step focuses on keeping the human at the center of the problem-solving process. It literally means empathizing with the customers to understand their desired and unmet needs and to identify what they really want from the solution to their problem.
2. Define:
After understanding the problem the next step is to define it.
3. Ideate:
The third step is to ideate and to generate a stream of ideas to solve those identified problems. The objective here is to generate a wider range of ideas.
4. Prototype:
The next step of the design thinking process is very important from a product manufacturing point of view. This step encourages the engineers to experiment with the ideas created in the earlier step. Experimentation and prototyping is extremely important for understanding the customer’s reactions and feedback on the generated ideas and do modification if needed.
5. Test:
Testing is the final process of design thinking. It helps us to evaluate whether the designed solution meets the desired requirement or not.

Four Important Considerations of Design Thinking:
A more profound approach to design thinking incorporates four important considerations: human considerations, business considerations, technical considerations, and environmental considerations.

A. Human Consideration:
It directly relates to empathizing with the customer to understand their needs and wants.

B. Business Considerations:
There should have a viable business sense in manufacturing and selling those products. The products should generate enough value for all stakeholders involved.

C. Technical Considerations:
This relates to the technical aspects of the product like: manufacturability, durability, economics and other such considerations that can hamper the product overall value.

D. Environmental Considerations:
Environmental consideration is an important aspect to design a product. This relates to the considerations regarding environment-friendly materials, processes, and saving resources.

Why design thinking is the key to 3D Printing success?
Designing prototypes with conventional manufacturing technologies is a costly affair and time consuming process. By implementing the design thinking approach, manufacturers can take advantage of the capabilities of 3D printing to create products that revolve around the customer’s requirements.

3D printing technology has the capability to rapidly iterate, as 3D models can be rapidly manufactured using a 3D printer. The prototype can then be tested for any functional or design discrepancies. If found any, the model can be modified and again 3D printed rapidly as the first time and again tested for any errors.

The number of ideas thus generated in can be rapidly manufactured and experimented with, to shortlist the best products which will be introduced in the market. This reduce time and cost.

3D Printing Jwellery Designing

3D Printing Jwellery Designing

The jewelry industry has traditionally been craft-based, with automation mainly restricted to various individual stages of jewelry manufacturing. Jewelry design and model making are very time-consuming tasks, which require unique skills difficult to master.

Rapid Prototyping (RP) technology in jewelry design and manufacture offers a significant breakthrough for the industry. It allows designers to simplify the iterative design and to easily modify the details of the sketches to facilitate sketching of jewelry products in any shape and sizes, thus shortening the time require to make final models.

Professional jewelry designers who are specialized in RP technology are making accurate hard copies of created CAD models. These technologies are facilitating every details of the jewelry model highly visible from every angle.

Furthermore, RP is used to assure the quality of the production by manufacturing the jewelry models in small amount. That is an excellent way to control and improve quality as well as to create more complex jewelry models.

Advantages:
Some of the advantages of using RP technology for jewellery design are as follows:

1. It allows seeing and feeling the product before the launch of expensive jewelry models.
2. It allows designers to simplify the iterative design, to modify the details of the sketches, to facilitate sketching of jewelry products in any shapes and sizes, and to shorten the required time for go to making models.
3. It is giving us possibility of early presentation of jewelry models to the customer at initial stage of buying process.
4. It allows start-ups to exclude engineering and design errors, which are sometimes difficult to see on a computer screen. Modern technology allows producing prototypes of products from different materials.
5. High print accuracy and excellent quality of the printed jewellery.
6. Another advantage is that the prototype can be made from virtually any material with all of its properties. The most popular is considered 3D prototyping of ABS (ABS) plastic.

Use of Rapid Prototyping in Medical

Use of Rapid Prototyping in Medical

The advent of Rapid Prototyping (RP) and 3D printing technology has transformed the landscape of medical industry and has opened many new applications areas.

RP technologies have introduced a new approach for surgical planning and simulation. The technologies enable one to create anatomical objects in a three-dimensional view giving the surgeon a realistic representation of the target organ in the human body.

Some of the other important applications of rapid prototyping in medical industry are as follows:

Developments of Medical Devices and Instrumentations:
Medical instruments that have been upgraded using the 3D printing technology include surgical fasteners, scalpels, retractors, display systems, among many others.
Besides designing these medical devices, the prototyping technology is also used in manufacturing devices that need to be specifically customized for a particular patient.
Most hearing aid devices are designed using the stereolithography or the selective laser sintering.
Other area that is adapting the rapid prototyping technology is the replacement of teeth.

Application in the Manufacture of Prostheses and Implants:
Rapid prototyping plays a crucial role when it comes to implantations and use of prostheses. With the help of this technology, prostheses that have been specifically designed for a particular patient are now available. Patients whose requirement is outside the standard size or those who require special treatments can now get some customized prostheses that fit them at an affordable cost.

Rapid prototyping and computed tomography technologies utilize techniques, such as X-rays and NMRI, and enable the transfer of data generated to be used as the input data for the rapid prototyping process.

CT scan used in the hip replacement surgical procedure. Data received from the CT scan is combined with engineering data to join to the bone. The data thus obtained is then turned into a plastic model to be applied as an implant for the patient.
Other medical application of the prototyping technologies is in the replacement of the external missing organs. In such instances, the remaining organ is scanned into a three-dimensional image, and the mirror-image of the data acquired is used to build data for the missing organ.

Planning for Surgical Procedures and Other Related Applications:
Models of complex organs in the body are being developed by using the rapid prototyping techniques. The models are used by surgeons to get the real impression of the structures before a surgical intervention is performed.

Complex procedures, especially those ones involving the craniofacial and the maxillofacial surgeries utilize the scientific application. The models are always placed in the surgical rooms where the procedure is being done by the surgeon.

The most commonly used technology for this application is the stereolithography. The model has some of the most interesting features, such as the transparency and developments in the color resins, enable a clear differentiation of tumors and any other foreign growth in the bodies.
Rapid prototyping technology is also used in the manufacture of biologically active implants and also in tissue engineering. The application involves the use of selective laser sintering of ceramics.

Improved quality – of existing medical products, devices, parts, equipment, etc. can be improved in quality for example, being stronger, lighter versions etc.

Patient specific models – the development of patient specific parts, e.g. prosthetics, dental products, etc.

Reduced time to market – is extensively used to reduce the time taken for products to reach the market.

Training aids – prototypes/models can be developed to:
practice complex operations on models, rather than “test” on live patients (realistic effects such as blood type substances for specific cuts can be added)
aid the training of new medical staff
for educating patients as to treatment they will be undertaking

Alternative doses – rather than offer one size fits all, specific dose size (for tablets) could be produced, which slightly vary to a patient’s needs (this is especially applicable to children, where their size differs greatly)

User trials – conduct user trials through offering different versions of medical products, which are quickly 3D printed and see which ones perform best.

Tyres

Tyres

Additive manufacturing is taking more and more space in the transportation sector and many people are even talking about fully 3D printed cars coming out in near future. We are well aware that how automotive industry is capitalizing 3D printing technology to manufacture various car components.
There is a recent development in the industry to develop tyres by using additive manufacturing and rapid prototyping technology. It is going to revolutionize the whole transportation sector.

Here are some of the main benefits of 3D printing for car tires:

Optimizing the Products:
3D printing is offering new possibilities regarding the designs and it is really useful to develop new concepts of tires. A designer gets lots of freedom when it comes to manufacturing using the 3D printing technology. Digital manufacturing is a great way to rethink the design of tires, in order to improve their capacities, and also their impact on the planet.

Mass-Customization:
3D printing enables mass-customization, as it is really easy to make many iterations on the same product and to adapt it to individual customer needs.

Reducing Material Waste:
Additive manufacturing is an eco-friendly process and reduces material waste substantially compared to conventional processes. As while 3D printing a product, you only have to use the precise amount of material that you need to create it.

Saves Money:
3D printing is a cost saving method to prototype which reduces your product development budget. As to create your different iterations, you will just have to modify your 3D model software design and print it again. You can further save money by using less costly material to print your prototype.

Some Innovative 3D Printing Tyre Projects:
Michelin, 3D Printed Biodegradable Airless Tires:

French multinational tyre manufacturer Michelin has recently unveil its new tire concept, the Vision, an airless, spongelike 3D-printed dream that Michelin claimed is “within reach.”

Said to be inspired by nature, the Vision blends wheel and tire functions into one unit. It looks like a combination of fire coral, a sand dollar, neurons, and a Scotch-Brite scrubber, but that look is not just a look. It all feeds into the concept’s multi-functionality.

The project started with the aim to eliminate one of the biggest consumer tire issues: the need to maintain proper air pressure. Without air, it is avoiding some traditional tire problems that we know, like low pressure, deflation or blowouts, and also safety problems.

3DPrinted Airless Bicycle Tyres:
BigRep 3D printed airless tire replaces ‘air’ as a necessity in the tire by customizing the pattern to be one of a three-layered honeycomb design. Based on the same principle, the design can be altered to fit the requirements of specific types of biking, such as mountain biking and road racing, or for different weather and speed conditions.

The main advantage of airless tires as opposed to our average run-of-the-mill tires is that they simply never go flat. Since the release of the airless bicycle tire video, it has received coverage from around the globe, such as on online news sites Inhabitat and CNET.

Once a luxury, airless tires are now looking to become standard practice in the transportation world.

Goodyear’s 3D Printed Tyres:

First presented at the 2018 Geneva International Motor Show, the Goodyear’s Oxygene tire is devised to stimulate conversations about how the automotive industry can provide cleaner solutions for people and the environment.

In Goodyear’s proposal document, Oxygene is made from a rubber powder, recycled from disused tires. It is printed by a conceptual selective laser sintering (SLS) process, and assembled by robotic arms. Inlets in the tire are designed to contain moss that absorbs moisture from the road through the tread, and releases fresh oxygen through photosynthesis.

Goodyear explains the potential impact the tires could have; “In a city similar in size to greater Paris with about 2.5 million vehicles, this would mean generating nearly 3,000 tons of oxygen and absorbing more than 4,000 tons of carbon dioxide per year.”

Rapid Prototyping

Rapid Prototyping

The manufacturing realm is unique in that there are many viable routes from an idea to a market-worthy product. The fabrication techniques that get innovators from point A to point B vary widely.

Rapid prototyping refers to a number of independent strategies that dramatically reduce the fabrication time needed to create full-scale, three-dimensional shapes. Starting with CAD, or computer-aided design, files, rapid prototype hardware automates fabrication to bypass the traditional manual labour associated with building mock-ups and figures. This saves lots of time, efforts and money. Rapid prototyping is the most used application among all 3D printing applications.

Rapid Prototyping Advantages:
Rapid prototyping provides engineer, design & development teams with many distinct advantage such as:

• The ability to explore and realize concepts more quickly. This efficiency in time and cost allows teams to move beyond the mere visualization of a product, making it easier to grasp the properties and design of a product.
• Apply repeated designs and incorporate changes that allow for the evaluation and testing of the products. This iterative process provides a roadmap to develop and refine the final product.
• Being able to communicate concepts precisely and effectively. Rapid prototyping takes ideas, images and concepts from flat and two dimensional visuals to hands-on products that clients, colleagues and collaborators can see in action.
• The ability to thoroughly test and refine a concept. Being able to minimize design flaws with rapid prototype helps eliminate costly design flaws that otherwise might not be evident during an early assessment.
• Save time, effort and money since setup and tooling aren’t necessary. Because the same equipment can be used to produce prototypes with different properties and materials, the costs and time outlay are kept to a minimum.

Rapid Prototyping Applications:
Product designers use this process for rapid manufacturing of prototype parts. This can aid visualization, design and development of the manufacturing process ahead of mass production.

Originally, rapid prototyping was used to create parts and scale models for the automotive industry although it has since been taken up by a wide range of applications, across multiple industries such as medical and aerospace.

Online Class on Rapid Prototyping:
Our online course on Rapid Prototyping covers the following major aspects:
a. Principles of rapid prototyping
b. Different methods of Rapid Prototyping
c. Rapid prototyping tools
d. Issues and Troubleshooting
e. Industrial Based Projects Designing
f. Finding design issues & troubleshooting
g. Iterative approaches for prototyping.
h. Rapid-Prototyping Futuristic Application

Our 3D Printing Services

Our 3D Printing Services

Speed up your innovation and improve your business strategy by using our 3D printing service.
1. Buy 3D Printers:
Create your product and build your business. Design, make and sell your creative creation by using our 3D printers. We have a wide range of 3D printers available to choose from according to your requirement and budget. If you have any query, please get in touch. Our team of experts would be happy to help.

2. Rent 3D Printers:
Renting 3D printer has several benefits as mentioned below:
a. Access to technology at fraction of prices
b. You can test a printer before making buying decision
c. Suitable for short term project or work

3. Learn CAD with 3D Printer:
Our “Learn 3D with CAD” program is a holistic and innovation-oriented platform, which covers various aspects of 3D Printing Technology like:
a. Computer Aided Design (CAD)
b. Software Interface-Fusion 360
c. Fusion Interface and Navigation
d. Mirror and Pattern
e. Process of Printing
f. Slicing Software-Cura
g. Application of Tools etc.
There are four levels- Beginner, Intermediate, Advanced and Experts, especially designed for all categories of learners.
4. Live Classes:
Gain in-depth knowledge about various aspects of 3-D printing technology with our live classes.
a. Explore different types of 3D printers and related technologies
b. Designing 3D models with various CAD software
c. Explore industrial projects with rapid-prototyping
d. Developing entrepreneurship skills with our internship program

5. Internship Program:
Make yourself industry ready with our Internship program. Our internship program enables learners to develop design mind set and professional skills with the guidance of industrial experts through Project based Learning. Our Professional Course covers various aspects of 3D printing technology like:
a. Introduction to Modern Additive Manufacturing (AM) process
b. Improve your CAD software proficiency
c. Ignite imagination to develop Design Thinking Mindset
d. Explore application of 3D Printing Technology in various fields like- Education; Arts; Engineering; Medical; Geology etc.
e. Developing Entrepreneurial Skills
f. Get Certification and Experience letter

6. Rapid Prototyping:
Prototyping plays a vital role in the process of creating successful products because it speeds up the new product development process. Rapid prototyping is the most used application among all 3D printing applications.
Our online course on Rapid Prototyping covers the following major aspects:
a. Principles of rapid prototyping
b. Different methods of Rapid Prototyping
c. Rapid prototyping tools
d. Issues and Troubleshooting
e. Industrial Based Projects Designing
f. Finding design issues & troubleshooting
g. Iterative approaches for prototyping.
h. Rapid-Prototyping Futuristic Application

7. STEM Kits:
Find a range of 3D Printed STEM kits at highly reasonable prices. A lot of these educational models are available for less than Rs. 100 in India.
The products available under this category are divided into subcategories:
i. Downloadable STL Files: If you already have a 3D Printer, you can get choose 3D print STEM experiments for free from this category. Just select the model of your choice, and follow the subsequent steps. All the options with the price shown as ₹0.00 under the DOWNLOADABLE category are FREE STL files.
ii. 3D Printed Kits: The products under the PRINTED category are 3D printed that we will deliver to your doorstep.
Some of the important areas covered in this section are: Physics, Chemistry, Biology, Math, Electronics, Robotics, Artificial Intelligence (AI), Material Study etc.

8. Free Downloadable .STL Files:
We have a wide range of free downloadable ready to print .stl file in our library. You can choose and start printing them.

9. Gifting:
Gifting has become more personalized and economical with the advancement in 3D printing technology. Find an impressive range of gifts under different categories, namely Festivals, Special Occasions, Trophies and Corporate Gifts.
Every gift is designed using the finest material to ensure it lasts for a long time. The users can customize the gift by providing the size and color of their size. Or, you can submit the design of your choice, and we will 3D print the same for you.

10. Academies:
Professionals associated with 3D printing can make career in the fields like:
a. Robotics
b. 3D Designing
c. Education
d. Industrial Prototyping
e. Intellectual Property Rights (IPR)
f. Biological and scientific modeling
g. Research & Development (R&D)
h. 3D Computer Aided Design (CAD) Modeling

Material Study

Material Study

There are plenty of options available in terms of what materials you can use when it comes to 3D printing and Researchers across the globe are constantly innovating new materials 3D printable every day.
There are some main material types used in 3D printing. Most common of them are plastics, which can range from engineering grade like Polyetheretherketone (PEEK), or very easy to use like Polylactic Acid (PLA). Resin is another common material and it’s used with Stereolithograph (SLA) printers.
Composites are another category and, as the name implies, they’re created by combining two materials to get the best properties of each one. The last big group of materials is metals. These are only printable using industrial machines.

Which material is best for my use?
It entirely depends on your requirement. Thanks to the recent advancement in 3D printing technology, you have multiple options available to choose from.
PLA:
PLA is the most commonly used material due to its low coat, ease of use and dimensional accuracy.
Polylactic Acid, commonly known as PLA, is the default filament of choice for most extrusion-based 3D printers, as it can be printed at a low temperature and does not require a heated bed. It is also environmentally friendly. Derived from crops such as corn and sugarcane, PLA is renewable and biodegradable. Additionally, this also allows the plastic to give off a sweet aroma during printing.
PLA is available in a broad range of colors and also comes in a variety of composites, which can give it the appearance of wood or metal.
Pros:
Low cost.
Stiff and have good strength.
Good dimensional accuracy.
Good self life.
Cons:
Low heat resistance.
Not suitable for outdoors (sunlight exposure)
Filament can get brittle and may break

Technologies: FDM, SLA, SLS
Properties: Biodegradable, Food safe
Applications: Concept models, DIY projects, Functional models, Manufacturing etc.

ABS:
Have you ever used Lego bricks? Then you can easily relate to why ABS plastic is one the most popular 3D printing materials available today.
ABS, which is acronym of Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene, has a long history in the 3D printing world. This material was one of the first materials to be used with industrial 3D printers. ABS is known for its toughness and impact resistance, allowing you to print durable parts that will hold up to any wear and tear.
ABS also has a higher glass transition temperature, which means that the material can withstand much higher temperatures before it begins to deform. It makes ABS a great choice for outdoor and high temperature applications.
Pros:
Low Cost.
Good impact and wear resistance
Good heat resistance
Smoother finish
Cons:
Needs heated bed or heated chamber
Heavy warping
Parts tend to shrink while being printed leading to dimensional inaccuracy
Produces a pungent odor while printing
Technologies: FDM, Binder Jetting, SLA, PolyJetting
Properties: Strong, light, high resolution, somewhat flexible
Applications: Architectural models, Concept models, DIY projects, Manufacturing etc.

Flexible:
Flexible filaments, commonly referred as TPE or TPU, are known for their elasticity allowing the material to easily stretch and bend.
Flexible filaments are made of Thermoplastic Elastomers (TPE) which are a blend of hard plastic and rubber. As the name suggests, this material is elastic in nature allowing the plastic to be stretched easily. There are several types of TPE, with Thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU) being the most commonly used among 3D printing filaments. In many cases, these terms are used interchangeably.
The degree of elasticity in the plastic depends on the type of TPE and the chemical formulation used by the manufacturer. For example, some filaments may be partially flexible like a car tire but others may be elastic and fully flexible like a rubber band.
Pros:
Soft and flexible
Long shelf life
Good impact resistance
Long shelf life
Cons:
Difficult to print

Applications: Vibration dampening, Grip Sleeves, Phone cases etc.

HIPS:
HIPS or High Impact Polystyrene is a lightweight material most commonly used as a dissolvable support structure for ABS models.
HIPS has two applications. It is often used as a support material in FDM and SLA printing because it dissolves in the chemical Limonene. Since the two share similar properties, HIPS works best when used in conjunction with ABS. But, as the name High-Impact Polystyrene suggests, HIPS is also an extremely durable material that is suitable for shipping containers or other applications that require high impact resistance.
Pros:
Low cost
Dissolvable by Limonene
Impact and water resistant
Lightweight
Cons:
Heated bed required
High printing temperature
Ventilation required
Heated chamber recommended

Technologies: FDM, SLA
Properties: Soluble, highly durable
Applications: DIY projects, Support material, Shipping containers etc.

PETG:
PET and PETG filaments are well known for their ease of printability, smooth surface finish, and water resistance.

PETG is a Glycol Modified version of Polyethylene Terephthalate (PET), which is widely used to manufacture water bottles. There are several variations of this material available in the market including PETG, PETE, and PETT.

PETG components are weather-resistant and are thus often used for garden appliances. Another selling point is its use as a food-safe 3D printing material.

Pros:
Glossy and smooth surface finish
Adheres well to the bed with negligible warping
Mostly odorless while printing
Cons:
Poor bridging characteristics
May produce thin hairs on the surface from stringing

Technologies: FDM
Properties: Strong, food-safe, weather-resistant, hardly inflammable
Applications: Concept models, DIY projects, Functional models, Manufacturing etc.

PET:
This is the material water bottles are made of.

This material is the second alternative to ABS. Unlike ABS, PET does not emit odorous fumes when melted but it is just as strong and flexible. More importantly, PET does not require a heated bed. This material has a glossy finish and is food safe which makes it a popular choice for many consumer products. Store PET 3D printing materials in vacuum bags or containers to protect against humidity.

Technologies: FDM
Properties: Strong, food safe, flexible, smooth surface
Applications: DIY projects, Manufacturing, Functional models etc.

Nylon (Polyamide):
Nylon is a tough and semi-flexible material which offers high impact and abrasion resistance. It is an ideal choice for 3D printing durable parts.

Nylon (a.k.a. Polyamide) is a popular material in the plastics industry, known for its toughness and flexibility. Nylon filaments typically require extruder temperatures about 250 ºC, however, some brands allow printing at temperatures as low as 220 ºC due to their chemical composition. Many printers do not include a hotend that can safely reach 250 ºC, so these lower-temperature versions can be useful and potentially save you from needing to upgrade your hotend.

Given its flexibility and strength, Nylon which is also referred to as “white plastic” ,is the premier choice for a wide range of applications from engineering to arts. Nylon prints have a rough surface that can be polished smooth. Among FDM filaments, the layer bonding of nylon is stronger than all others, making it the ideal 3D printing material for parts that require good tensile and mechanical strength.

One big challenge with Nylon filaments is that they are hygroscopic, which means they readily absorb moisture from their surroundings. Printing Nylon after it has absorbed moisture will lead to several print quality issues, thus filament storage becomes very important and requires special attention.

Pros:
Tough and partially flexible
High impact resistance
Good abrasion resistance
No unpleasant odor while printing
Cons:
Prone to Warping
Not suitable for moist and humid environments
Air-tight storage required to prevent water absorption
Improperly dried filaments can cause printing defects

Technologies: FDM, SLS
Properties: Strong, smooth surface (polished), somewhat flexible, chemically resistant
Applications: Functional models, Concept models, Medical applications, Tooling, Visual arts etc.

Carbon Fiber Filled:
Carbon fiber filaments contain short fibers that are infused into a PLA or ABS base material to increase strength and stiffness.

Carbon fiber filaments use tiny fibers that are infused into a base material to improve the properties of that material. Several filaments can be bought with carbon fiber fill including PLA, PETG, Nylon, ABS, and Polycarbonate. These fibers are extremely strong and cause the filament to increase in strength and stiffness.

This also means that the 3D printed parts will be much lighter and more dimensionally stable, as the fibers will help prevent shrinking of the part as it cools. Printing setting will be normal, however, due to the added fibers, these specialty materials are more likely to clog and can require special hardware to avoid damaging the printer.

Pros:
Increased strength and stiffness
Very good dimensional stability
Lightweight
Cons:
Abrasive and requires hardened steel nozzle
Increased brittleness of filament
Higher tendency to clog
Increased oozing while printing
Applications: Functional prototypes, R/C Vehicles, Decorative pieces, Lightweight props etc.

ASA:
ASA is a common alternative to ABS and is great for outdoor applications due to its high UV, temperature as well as impact resistance.

Also known as Acrylic Styrene Acrylonitrile, ASA is a 3D printable plastic with properties similar to ABS. It was originally developed as an alternative to ABS that would be more UV resistant by changing the type of rubber that’s used in its formulation.

ASA is known for its high impact & temperature resistance, and increased printing difficulty. It’s commonly used in outdoor applications in place of ABS due to its superior resistance to UV and harsh weather conditions.

Pros:
Strong UV resistance
High impact and wear resistance
High glass transition temperature
Cons:
Expensive
Requires higher extruder temperatures
Requires ventilation due to potentially dangerous fumes
Applications: Automotive exterior parts, Exterior signage, Outdoor electronics housings etc.

Polycarbonate:
Polycarbonate is known for its strength and durability. It has very high heat and impact resistance, making it an ideal choice for tough environment applications.

Polycarbonate (PC) is a high strength material intended for tough environments and engineering applications. It has extremely high heat deflection, impact resistance and also has a high glass transition temperature of 150 °C which means it will maintain its structural integrity up to that temperature, making it suitable to use in high-temperature applications. It can also be bent without breaking and is often used in applications where some minor flexibility is required.

Polycarbonate is extremely hygroscopic, meaning it will absorb moisture from the air, which will affect its printing performance and strength. It should be stored in air-tight, moisture-free containers after opening. It also requires very high temperatures for printing and will exhibit layer separation if printed at too low of a temperature or with excessive cooling enabled. Polycarbonate is frequently best printed on a machine that has an enclosed build volume and is capable of handling high bed and extruder temperatures.

Pros:
Impact resistant
High heat resistance
Bendable without breaking
Naturally transparent
Cons:
Requires very high print temperatures
Prone to warping
Absorbs moisture from the air which can cause print defects
High tendency to ooze while printing

Polypropylene:
Polypropylene is great for high-cycle, low strength applications due to its various characteristics like: fatigue resistance, semi-flexible, and lightweight.

Polypropylene is a semi-rigid and lightweight material that is commonly used in storage and packaging applications. Polypropylene is tough and has a good fatigue resistance making it ideal for low strength applications like living hinges, straps, leashes, etc.

Pros:
Good impact and fatigue resistance
Smooth surface finish
Good heat resistance
Cons:
Low strength
Difficult to adhere to bed and other adhesives
Heavy warping
Expensive

Applications: Storage containers, Living hinges, Watch straps etc.

Metal:
Metal filled filaments are made by mixing fine metal powder into a base material, providing a unique metallic finish.

These filaments contain very fine metal powder such as Copper, Bronze, Brass, and Stainless Steel. These filaments are heavy and also tend to be very abrasive as they are extruded through the hotend.

Be aware that your 3D printed parts will require post-processing to get the desired metal appearance. Also, be sure your printer nozzle can handle the material.

Pros:
Metallic finish is aesthetically appealing
Does not need high-temperature extruder
Heavier than standard filaments
Cons:
Printed parts are very brittle
Requires a wear-resistant nozzle
Very poor bridging and overhangs
Can cause partial clogs over time
Expensive
Technologies: FDM
Properties: Metallic finish
Applications: Visual arts.

Wood:
Wood filaments combine a PLA base material with cork, wood dust, or other derivatives, thus giving the models a real wooden look and feel.

The filament typically consists of around 30% wood particles. This filament is less abrasive compared to other composite filaments such as carbon-fiber filled and metal filled, since wood particles are much softer.

Pros:
Wood-textured finish is aesthetically appealing
Does not require any expensive wear resistant nozzles
Aromatic and pleasant smelling
Cons:
Smaller nozzles can end up with partial clogs over time
May require a larger size nozzle
Prone to stringing
Technologies: FDM
Properties: Fragile
Applications: Conceptual models, Visual arts etc.

PVA:
PVA is commonly known for its ability to be dissolved in water and is often used as a support material for complex prints.

PVA, or Polyvinyl Alcohol, is a soft and biodegradable polymer that is highly sensitive to moisture. When exposed to water, PVA dissolves, which makes it a very useful support structure material for 3D printing.

While printing extremely complex shapes or ones with partially enclosed cavities, PVA supports can be used and easily removed by dissolving in warm water. Standard supports may have been difficult to print or remove in these situations. PVA can also be used as a material if there is a need to make quick prototypes.

Pros:
Water dissolvable support material
No special solvents required
No additional hardware required

Cons:
Moisture sensitive
Airtight storage containers required
Greater chances of clogging if the nozzle is left hot when not extruding
Expensive

Applications: Removable supports, Dissolvable/Disintegratable applications, Decorative parts etc.

PEEK :
PEEK (Polyetheretherketone ) is one of the 3D printing materials designed for high-performance parts.

Plastics of this family are highly resistant to chemicals, stress and temperature. Parts made from PEEK can be exposed to X-ray and gamma radiation. The problem here is, you have to fire up to 400°C in order to extrude this kind of material. Thus this kind of material is mostly used by professionals.

Despite being costly, these materials are used in the most demanding applications the automotive, aerospace, chemical and medical industries can muster, owing to their exceptional properties.

Technologies: FDM, SLS

Properties: Bio-compatible, highly durable, heat resistant, hard wearing

Applications: Manufacturing (automotive, aerospace, chemical, and medical industries etc.)

ULTEM:
ULTEM is one of the amazing 3D printing materials that is often found in high-performance applications.

Plastics of this family are highly resistant to stress, temperature, and chemicals, and also excel by their ease of machining and fabrication. Here again your 3D printer has to fire up to 400°C in order to extrude these 3D printing materials.

Due to their robustness, ULTEM 3D printing materials are used in some of the most demanding applications in the automotive, aerospace, chemical and medical industries. You can find the material in electrical connectors, medical instruments, and chip test sockets

Technologies: FDM, SLS

Properties: Bio-compatible, highly durable, heat resistant, hard wearing

Applications: Manufacturing (automotive, aerospace, chemical, and medical industries etc.)

Conductive:
A relatively new addition to the filament market, conductive 3D printing materials enable many exciting new design opportunities for the maker community.

This amazing material can be used to create touch sensors in applications that require human interface devices like gaming pads and MIDI machines. Other maker projects include conductive traces in wearable electronic devices and creating interfaces between computers, Arduino boards, and other components to build elaborate DIY projects.

Conductive 3D printer filament is usually based in either PLA or ABS plastics. Each of which brings the benefits and problems of the original material to the table. Conductive ABS is stronger and more heat resistant than the PLA variant, but it comes with the same fume problems as normal ABS.

Technologies: FDM

Properties: Conductive

Applications: DIY projects.

Alumide:
Alumide is a variation of nylon that has been combined with aluminum particles.

In terms of durability and physical properties, this material is very similar to nylon. The difference is found in the shiny, durable and porous surface finish.

Components printed with alumide have an excellent size accuracy, are tough and suitable for long term use. Alumide and similar 3D printing materials are highly suitable for various post-processing techniques like polishing or coating.

Technologies: SLS

Properties: Strong, heat resistant, high resolution

Applications: DIY projects, Functional prototypes, Manufacturing etc.

Aluminum:
Because of its lightness and versatility, aluminum is now one of the most popular 3D printing materials found in a wide range of applications.

It is used primarily as different aluminum-based alloys. Components made from aluminum can feature thin walls and complex geometries. They are highly resistant to mechanical stress and high temperatures. This makes them suitable for low-cost prototypes, functional models such as motors, in the automotive and aerospace industries.

Technologies: Direct Metal Deposition, Binder Jetting

Properties: Light, strong, heat resistant, corrosion resistant

Applications: Functional models, Manufacturing (automotive & aerospace industries) etc.

Cobalt Chromium:
Cobalt chromium is sometimes called a “super alloy”.

This material is mostly used in medical applications and the components for the aerospace industry, like turbines or jet engines. It stands out for excellent properties such as strength, but also its temperature and corrosion resistance, yet still suitable for components with fine features.

Technologies: Direct Metal Laser Sintering, SLM

Properties: Bio-compatible, strong, corrosion resistant, heat resistant, hard wearing, low conductivity

Applications: Manufacturing (medical & aerospace industries).

Copper and Bronze:
Copper and bronze are mostly used for lost wax casting processes and less often in powder bed fusion processes.

These 3D printing materials are found in electrical engineering because of their conductivity. They also draw a large following in the arts and crafts community.

Technologies: Lost Wax Casting, Powder Bed Fusion, Direct Metal Deposition

Properties: Conductive, hard wearing

Applications: Manufacturing (electrical engineering), Visual arts etc.

Inconel:
Inconel is a superalloy produced to withstand the most extreme environments.

It is composed primarily of nickel and chrome and it has high temperature resistance. In combination with its resilience to extreme pressure, it is the perfect material to manufacture airplane black boxes or even parts of rocket engines.

More commonly, these properties are also employed for numerous applications in the oil, and chemical industries. Due to its strength, it is hard to machine this material. Therefore, Direct Metal Laser Sintering is one of the preferred methods to shape it.

Technologies: Direct Metal Laser Sintering

Properties: Heat resistant, hard wearing

Applications: Oil, Chemical and Aerospace industries etc.

Nickel:
Nickel alloys are popular 3D printing materials for technical applications.

Nickel alloy components made using 3D printing are stronger and more durable when compared to nickel alloy parts made using traditional techniques such as casting. This, in turn, allows engineers to make the components thinner, resulting in, for example, more fuel-efficient airplanes.

Technologies: Powder Bed Fusion, Direct Metal Deposition

Properties: Strong, lightweight

Applications: Manufacturing (automotive and aerospace industries).

Precious Metals (Gold, Silver, Platinum):
Most powder bed fusion companies can 3D print with precious metals such as gold, silver, and platinum.

The challenge here, along with maintaining the materials aesthetic properties, is to make sure that none of the precious powder is lost. Precious metals are used for 3D printing materials for jewelry, medical and electronics applications.

Technologies: Powder Bed Fusion, Lost Wax Casting, Binder Jetting
Properties: High resolution, smooth surface

Applications: Jewelry, Dentistry, Functional models etc.

Stainless Steel:
Stainless Steel is one of the most affordable 3D printing metals.

This type of steel alloy, which also contains cobalt and nickel, is particularly hard to break, while also boasting excellent elastic and magnetic properties. In case you prefer another color, you can plate it to give it the appearance of, say, gold. This material is used mostly for industrial applications.

Technologies: Direct Metal Deposition, Binder Jetting

Properties: High resolution, corrosion resistant, somewhat flexible, strong

Applications: Tooling, Functional models, Manufacturing

Titanium:
Titanium is one of the most versatile 3 D printing materials, as it is both strong and light.

You will mostly find it in high-performance medical applications, for example, to make personalized prostheses. Other applications for this material include parts and prototypes for the aerospace, automotive, and tooling industries. Apart from the cost, there is another catch: It belongs to a family of highly reactive 3D printing materials, which means it can easily explode when it is in powder form. For this reason, it needs to be 3D printed in a vacuum or in an argon gas atmosphere.

Technologies: Powder Bed Fusion, Binder Jetting, Direct Metal Deposition

Properties: Bio-compatible, high resolution, heat resistant, highly durable

Applications: Tooling, Functional models, Manufacturing (automotive, aerospace, medical industries) etc.

WAX:
Wax 3D prints are usually not the end product, but an essential stage in the production process.

They are used to produce molds with stunningly high resolution (0.025 mm) for the lost wax casting technique of metal components. It is often employed to create customizable jewelry at a comparatively low price. The second industry that uses this kind of 3D printing materials is the dental medicine industry. You can 3D print complex structures that require supports by using waxes of different melting points and melting the supports off at low temperatures.

Technologies: SLA, PolyJet

Properties: High resolution, smooth surface

Applications: Manufacturing (jewelry, dentistry).

Sandstone:
Also referred as “gypsum” you can create spectacular full-color parts in one process with sandstone.

Considering the finicky nature of sandstone, it is mostly used for architectural models, conceptual prototypes and art projects.

Technologies: FDM, Binder Jetting, Powder Bed Jetting

Properties: Fragile, full-color

Applications: Conceptual models, Visual arts etc.

PolyJet Resins:
Like SLA resins, PolyJet materials simulate different properties of “traditional” 3D printing materials.

Most of the materials available have quite descriptive names. Rigur, for instance, is a material designed for strength. It is also dubbed “simulated propylene” for its similar surface finish and functionality. A range of 3D printing materials is marketed as “Digital ABS” because they are both heat-resistant and tough. “Rubber-like” materials are designed for non-slip surfaces and vibration dampening over molding.

PolyJet Resins are an excellent choice for color prototypes of consumer products, for testing with consumer groups.

Technologies: PolyJet
Properties: High resolution, smooth surface, flexible, heat resistant, transparent
Applications: Conceptual models, Visual arts, Jewelry, Medical manufacturing, Tooling (prototypes) etc.

Type of 3D Printers

Type of 3D Printers

There are mainly 11 types of 3D printing technology available as explained:
Stereolithography (SLA):
SLA is among world’s first 3D printing technology. It was invented by Chuck Hull in 1986, who later founded the company 3D Systems to commercialize the technology.

An SLA printer uses mirrors, known as galvanometers, with one positioned at the x-axis and another at the y-axis. These galvanometers rapidly aim a laser beam across a vat of resin, selectively curing and solidifying a cross-section of the object inside this building area, building it up layer by layer.

SLA printers are mainly used in producing parts with high levels of details, smooth surface finish, and tight tolerances. It’s widely used in the medical industry. The common applications include anatomical models and microfluidics.

Most SLA printers use a solid-state laser to cure parts. The disadvantage of these types of 3D printing technology using a point laser is that it can take longer to trace the cross-section of an object when compared to DLP.

Selective Laser Sintering (SLS):
Creating an object with Powder Bed Fusion (PBF) technology and polymer powder is generally known as Selective Laser Sintering (SLS). The SLS process was developed in the 1980s by Carl Deckard. After expiration of industrial patents, these types of 3D printing technology are becoming increasingly common with lower cost.

During Selective Laser Sintering, tiny particles of plastic, ceramic or glass are fused together by heat from a high-power laser to form a solid, three-dimensional object.

Objects printed with SLS technology are made with powder materials, most commonly plastics, such as nylon, which are dispersed in a thin layer on top of the build platform inside an SLS machine. A laser, which is controlled by a computer program tells it what object to “print,” pulses down on the platform, tracing a cross-section of the object onto the powder.

The laser heats up the powder either to just below its boiling point (sintering) or above its boiling point (melting), which then fuses the particles in the powder together to a solid form. Once the initial layer is constructed, the platform of the SLS machine drops down, usually by less than 0.1mm, thus exposing a new layer of powder for the laser to trace and fuse them together. This process continues till the entire object is printed.

Unlike other methods of 3D printing, SLS requires very little additional tooling once an object is printed, meaning that objects don’t usually have to be sanded or otherwise altered once they come out of the SLS machine. SLS doesn’t require the use of additional supports to hold an object together while it is being printed. Such supports are often necessary with other 3D printing methods, such as stereolithography or fused deposition modeling, making these methods more time-consuming compared to SLS.

SLS is particularly useful for industries that need only a small quantity of objects printed with high quality materials. One such example of this is the aerospace industry, in which SLS is used to build prototypes for airplane parts.

Material Jetting (MJ):
Also referred as PolyJet, Material Jetting stands out among other 3D printing technologies for its ability to produce highly accurate parts with a smooth surface finish. Since its emergence in the late 1990s, Material Jetting is an ideal 3D printing technology for producing full-colour, visual prototypes, injection moulds and casting patterns.

Material Jetting is an inkjet printing process in which printheads are used to deposit a liquid photoreactive material onto a build platform layer upon layer. Similar to Stereolithography (SLA), Material Jetting uses a UV light to solidify the material. The methods of material deposition may vary from printer to printer and can involve either a Continuous or Drop-on-Demand (DOD) jetting approach.

Objects made with Material Jetting require support, which is printed simultaneously during the build from a dissolvable material that’s removed during the post-processing stage. Material Jetting is one of the only types of 3D printing technology to offer objects made from multi-material printing and full-color.

Digital Light Processing (DLP):
Digital light processing is similar to SLA in the respect that it cures liquid resin using light. Though, the main difference between the two technologies is that DLP uses a digital light projector screen whereas SLA uses a UV laser. This means DLP 3D printers can image an entire layer of the build all at once, which result in faster build speeds. While commonly used for rapid prototyping, the higher throughput of DLP printing makes it suitable for low-volume production runs of plastic parts.

Fused Deposition Modeling (FDM):
Fused deposition modeling (FDM) is one of the most common 3D printing technologies for plastic parts. An FDM printer works by extruding a plastic filament layer-by-layer onto the build platform. It’s a cost-effective and quick method for building physical models. There are few instances where FDM can be used for functional testing but the technology is limited as the parts having relatively rough surface finishes and lacking strength.

Depending on the geometry of the object, it is sometimes necessary to add support structures, for example, if a model has steep overhanging parts. Sometimes, they are also referred to as Fused Filament Fabrication or FFF.

Masked Stereolithography (MSLA):
Masked Stereolithography utilizes an LED array as its light source, shining UV light through an LCD screen displaying a single layer slice as a mask — hence the name.

MSLA takes this DLP technology one step further, by removing the projector and mirror and replaces them with an LCD and a bright LED light. A vat of resin sits above the LCD, separated by a very thin layer of Fluorinated Ethylene Propylene (FEP) plastic. The LCD displays the desired shape by turning off individual pixels where the resin needs to be cured, while all of the other pixels are illuminated.

One of the most obvious points of differences between FDM and Masked SLA is the significantly higher resolutions that a masked SLA machine can replicate. This means, not only a masked SLA printer is capable of printing models with significantly higher resolution, but it is also far more capable of printing extremely high detail that FDM printing simply isn’t able to recreate.

Drop on Demand (DOD):
Drop on Demand is a 3D printing process where droplets of material are selectively deposited and cured on a build plate. Using photopolymers or wax droplets that cure when exposed to light, the objects are built up one layer at a time. The nature of the Material Jetting process allows different materials to be printed in the same object.

One application for this technology is to fabricate support structures from a different material to the model being produced.

Common Applications: full color product prototypes; injection mold-like prototypes; low run injection molds; medical models etc.

Weaknesses: brittle, not suitable for mechanical parts printing; higher cost than SLA/DLP for visual purposes.

Sand Binder Jetting (SBJ):
Binder Jetting is an additive manufacturing process in which a binding agent is deposited to join powder particles. Layers of material are then bonded to form the object. In Sand Binder Jetting (SBJ) the powder is bound using a polymer binding agent. Sand Binder Jetting is often used in modeling and in the creation of sand cast molds for manufacturing.

Advantages:
1. Binder Jetting produces full-color prototypes and metal parts at a fraction of the cost compared to DMLS/SLM and Material Jetting respectively.
2. Binder Jetting can manufacture very large parts and complex metal geometries, as it is not limited by any thermal effects (e.g. warping).
3. The manufacturing capabilities of SBJ are excellent for low to medium batch production.
Disadvantages:
1. Only rough details can be printed with SBJ, as the parts are very brittle in their green state and may fracture during post processing.
2. Compared to other 3D printing processes, Binder Jetting offers a limited material selection.

Metal Binder Jetting:
Binder Jetting can be used for the fabrication of metal objects as well. Here metal powder is bound using a polymer binding agent. Producing metal objects using Binder Jetting allows the production of complex structures that is well beyond the capabilities of conventional manufacturing techniques.

Direct Metal Laser Sintering (DMLS)/ Selective Laser Melting (SLM):
Both Direct Metal Laser Sintering (DMLS) and Selective Laser Melting (SLM) produce objects in a similar manner to SLS. The main difference is that these types of 3D printing technology are applied to the production of metal parts.

It’s often used to reduce metal quantity, multi-part assemblies into a single component or lightweight parts with internal channels or hollowed out features. DMLS is viable for both prototyping and production requirement since parts are as dense as those produced with traditional metal manufacturing methods like machining or casting. Creating metal components with complex structures also makes it suitable for medical applications where a part design must mimic an organic structure.

Unlike SLS, the DMLS and SLM processes require structural support, to limit the possibility of any distortion that may occur (despite the fact that the surrounding powder provides physical support). Furthermore, DMLS/SLM parts are at risk of warping due to the residual stresses produced during printing, because of the high temperatures. Parts are also typically treated with after printing, while still attached to the build plate, to relieve any stresses in the parts after printing.

Electron Beam Melting (EBM):
Electron beam melting is another metal 3D printing technology that uses an electron beam which is controlled by electromagnetic coils to melt the metal powder. Distinct from other Powder Bed Fusion techniques, Electron Beam Melting (EBM) uses a high energy beam or electrons, to induce fusion in the particles of metal powder.

A focused electron beam scans across a thin layer of powder, causing localized melting and solidification over a specific cross-sectional area. These areas are built up to create a solid object.

Compared to SLM and DMLS types of 3D printing technology, EBM generally has a superior build speed due to its higher energy density. Though, things like minimum feature size, powder particle size, layer thickness, and surface finish are typically larger. Also important to note is that EBM parts are fabricated in a vacuum, and the process can only be used with conductive materials.

Industrial Utility

Industrial Utility

Rapid Prototyping (RP) is a constantly evolving technology. RP models are becoming widely used in many industrial sectors and applications. Initially conceived for design approval and part verification, RP now meets the need for a wide range of applications from building test prototypes with material properties close to those of production parts to fabricating models for art, jewelry and medical applications.

Nearly every manufacturing industry has benefited from advancement in rapid prototyping technology. However, a few specific market segments have come to rely on rapid manufacturing as a regular part of their design and production process.

Manufacturing and Construction: The ability to design custom parts on an on-demand basis has been a great boon for engineers in all industries. Rapid prototyping can be used to build unique parts that fit perfectly and which can be ordered in small batches with quick delivery times.

Automobile: The advantages of rapid prototyping have clearly seen on the automotive industry. In addition to testing new designs, many engineers use 3D printing to create highly detailed parts that would not be viable with traditional manufacturing methods.

Healthcare: The healthcare industry continues to dominate the industrial rapid prototyping market. 3D printing services are commonly used to create surgical models, medical devices, and custom implants.

Aerospace and Defense: The aerospace and defense industries have greatly benefited from the unique properties of 3D printing and other on-demand manufacturing methods. In particular, the focus on durable yet flexible materials has resulted in the creation of innovative designs that are suited for a variety of extreme applications.

Consumer Goods and Electronics: From toys to tools to cases, the rapid prototyping industry has become one of the primary sources of consumer-ready products. This manufacturing method allows companies to achieve identical products across multiple print runs and has drastically reduced the cost of wholesale production.

Jewelry: The ability to rapidly produce a jewelry prototype or a pattern for casting is enabling jewelry designers to focus more of their time on the design phase—coming up with new and creative designs and tweaking them until they are just right. Moreover, rapid prototyping is opening up the possibilities for creating custom jewelry, as jewelry designers can quickly modify the size, form or details of a piece in CAD software and then rapidly iterate a physical model.

Apart from the above mentioned industries, everyday many new industries are finding ways to use RP to increase creativity and efficiency while reducing time and cost.

Covid-19 PPE

Covid-19 PPE

One of the most important things that countries need to be doing to help understand and stop the spread of COVID-19 is testing! Healthcare workers around the world are working 24*7 to test patients that might be carrying the coronavirus. These workers are in need of face shields during this time of intense testing in India. Face shields are personal protective equipment devices that are used by many workers (e.g., medical, dental, veterinary) for protection of the facial area and associated mucous membranes (eyes, nose, mouth) from splashes, sprays, and spatter of body fluids.

    

To reduce this Gap, Keegan Duarte and his team from Robotech Pvt Ltd Goa have taken up the initiative of 3D printing face shields and for Health-workers across the state of Goa. Having donated a total of 300+ face shields through the course of the pandemic to health workers on the front lines at Goa Medical college and ESI hospital, He has also donated these personal protective equipments ( PPE) to Manipal hospital, victor hospital, Rebeiro Hospital, Kamat hospital, Yashodhan nursing home, Radiance diagnostic group and various other government and private essential workers and organisations. Robotech Goa Has been striving to Help out the community at this time of need, using innovative technology and creative problem solving techniques, may it be an automated sanitizer dispenser to a 3d printed non-contact temperature gun.