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Additive Manufacturing

Specialists in:

Additive Manufacturing / 3D Printing
CNC Machining
Prototype and Production Parts
Appearance Models

At the leading edge of additive manufacturing and 3D printing for prototyping and short-run part production.

Our additive manufacturing experts have been in business for over 20 years. During this time prototyping and short-run production have seen an enormous amount of changes and advancements, in particular the rise of 3D printing. The team has focused on keeping up with all the latest technology and are at the forefront of the industry.

prototype of a plastic molded roller skate

Equipment, hardware and software are key to staying on top. The Ohio-based facilities are state of the art. However, human know-how and skill are needed to use the technology to turn complex concepts and designs into working prototypes and finished parts. A dedicated team is there to help you bring your products to life.

Continue reading below to learn more about the technology and the wide range of related services on offer.

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Benefits additive and 3D technologies offer product manufacturers, designers and engineers:

Speed

Product development, prototyping, verification and lead time to market are much quicker with additive manufacturing. CAD models, even complex designs, can be uploaded and produced often within days compared to what used to take weeks or months.

Once a prototype is verified, low to medium volume production can also be done quickly.

Simplified Process

Traditional molding processes involve multiple stages, tool design and mold making is one of the most costly and time consuming steps. Tooling is eliminated with plastic parts or prototypes that are 3D printed.

Reduced Risk

3D printing eliminates risk for the design team. With traditional prototyping, even the smallest changes to the design can be costly. Changes are quickly and easily implemented with additive manufacturing technology.

Expanded Design Possibilities

There are limitations as to what is possible with traditional tooling and plastic molding such as draft angles and undercuts. With additive manufacturing, parts and components are built one layer at a time making very complex geometries achievable.

Cost Savings

As in many fields, digital technology is reducing costs for businesses. Along with all the items mentioned above, additive manufacturing saves on the time, material and labor costs associated with conventional plastic molding.

Machines, Processes & Capabilities

HP Multi-Jet Fusion 3D Printing

A complete end-to-end solution for prototyping and production of functional parts.

This is the very latest in 3D plastics printing technology. HP has leveraged decades of research and expertise in precision digital mechanics, microfluidics, and material sciences to develop a system that can control part properties voxel by voxel (the 3D equivalent of a pixel).

This unparalleled level of precision produces prototypes and low to medium volume part runs that are extremely strong, highly accurate and with surface finishes that rival injection molded plastic parts.

Advanced Material Selections

A wide range of engineered materials make the HP system suitable for many different applications and part requirements. The selection of thermoplastic materials offer a range of properties of stiffness, impact resistance, flexibility, chemical resistance and more.

Materials selections include:

HP 3D High Reusability PA 12 Glass Beads

Produces stiff, dimensionally stable, high quality parts. Ideal for applications such as enclosures and housings, fixtures and tooling.

HP 3D High Reusability PA 11

This thermoplastic material is made from renewable sources and produces functional parts with impact resistance and ductility.

HP 3D Reusability PP enabled by BASF

Produces genuine, functional polypropylene parts with excellent chemical resistance, low moisture absorption and outstanding welding capabilities. It is ideal for a wide range of automotive, industrial and consumer product applications.

HP 3D High Reusability PA 12

A robust thermoplastic that produces strong, functional, detailed complex parts.

Carbon CLIP

Continuous Liquid Interface Production

Carbon CLIP is a groundbreaking technology and process that powers Carbon Digital Light Synthesis to produce high-resolution parts with engineering-grade mechanical properties.

Taking design possibilities to a new level.

Digital manufacturing is bringing a world of new opportunities to product designers and engineers. Concepts and designs that are not possible with conventional molding and tooling can be realized with Carbon CLIP technology.

Produces parts with excellent mechanical properties, resolution and surface finish.
Use for prototypes or production of functional parts.
Engineer and produce isotropic parts with ease.
Attractive surface with glossy, matte or textured finishes.
Design and produce very fine and precise features on your parts.
A selection of high-performance materials to meet your needs.

CLIP is a photochemical process that cures liquid plastic resin into solid parts using ultraviolet light. UV light is projected through an oxygen-permeable window into a reservoir of UV-curable resin. A sequence of UV images are projected. The material below the projection remain liquid while the part solidify and builds above the projection area.

See this video for a brief explanation of how the Carbon technology works.

Parts being produced with Carbon CLIP — Carbon CLIP technology

SLA Stereolithography

3D printed prototypes for evaluation, form-fit-function and presentation

The SLA ® process uses an ultraviolet laser to photo-cure a variety of epoxy-based resins to “grow” 3D objects layer-by-layer from 3D electronic data (STL files). It is an additive process capable of producing objects with highly complex geometries.

Part being produced using the SLA process

Uses:

Prototypes for evaluation
Form, fit & function testing
Quick concept and presentation models
Master Part for RTV tooling and urethane part production
Short-run part prototypes

Advantages:

SLA can rapidly produce highly detailed models with exceptional aesthetic qualities.

Support structures can be incorporated to aid the building process. These structures can then be easily removed with no adverse effect.

Fine detail and smooth surface finish
Accuracy within thousandths of an inch
Variety of resins ranging in rigidity, detail, color, clarity, and temperature tolerance
Capable of light-duty functional and short-run low-temp tooling
Can be painted and finished for presentation, demonstration, and photo reproduction
Delivery of most parts usually in just a few working days

Our additive technology experts operate 3 machines to meet your schedule and specifications.

A variety of resins are available from crystal clear with ABS-like properties, to flexible plastics, very strong and durable materials, resins for highly-details parts, and more.

Clear plastic part produced with SLA process.

Other Capabilities & Specialties

CNC Machining

Prototypes to low-volume production.

Expert CNC machining from milling to lathe work using a variety of materials. CNC services are used for prototypes and low-volume production.

A wide variety of materials can be machined with production-quality tolerances. The most common materials used are ABS, nylon, polycarbonate, delrin, aluminum, steel and zinc. Our team is open to working with other materials as well so call us to discuss your requirements.

4th Axis machining is offered.

Applications:

Functional models, patterns, metal and plastic parts.
Cost effective for producing 1- 100 parts in production materials.
High quality and accurate parts with great detail.

RTV Molding / Urethane Casting

Room Temperature Vulcanized Tooling and Urethane Castings

These processes and services deliver premium plastic prototypes and low volume production.

Room Temperature Vulcanized tooling is the beginning of this multi-stage process. First, a precise master pattern of the outside of the part being made is created. Liquid silicone rubber is then poured around a master pattern. It is then cured and pulled from the pattern creating a mold that is used to cast urethane parts.

The key advantage of this process is that multiple quantities of a prototype can be produced at a relatively low cost.

Once the mold has be made It is filled with the plastic material. The filled mold is then rotated on two axes and the desired wall thickness is achieved.

There is a variety of materials that can be used. Materials can simulate HDPE, ACS, Nylon, PC, Styrene and TPE Shore A materials. Hardness ranges from 20 Shore A to 90 Shore D materials.