Additive Manufacturing Systems
IPF Amazes Customers with High-quality, Multi-material Prototypes Printed on Objet 3D Printers
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REHOVOT, Israel, January 10, 2012 - UK-based service bureau highlights weekend-long unattended printing, versatile choice of materials, and simultaneous multi-part printing
In the first four years after Industrial Plastic Fabrications (IPF) bought its first Objet 3D printer, IPF's rapid prototyping business sky-rocketed from 0 customers to 360. Now, another four years on, the UK-based service bureau continues to rely on Objet 3D printers, and its rapid prototyping business has continued to grow at a very healthy pace.
Today, IPF offers a broad range of machining and fabricating services using varied technologies, but all its rapid prototyping work is produced by its two Objet 3D printers - an Objet Connex500 multi-material 3D Printer for printing parts and assemblies made of multiple different materials on the same print job and for simultaneously printing of multiple different, multi-material parts; and an Objet Eden350V Professional 3D Printer.
Watch the video [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WXHmJmmE-U4&feature=player_embedded ] to see how IPF amazes customers with multi-material and moving-part prototypes printed in a single print run.
"With Objet, we can turn models around quickly, efficiently and with consistency," says Gary Miller, Head of 3D Printing and Rapid Prototyping at IPF. "And our clients like it that they can get a very clear idea of their final product, due to the high accuracy and the model quality and the combination of different materials in a single model."
According to Miller, the results are nothing short of amazing. When Miller showed a customer a bicycle chain with interlocking, moveable pieces that had been printed in a single run on the Objet Connex multi-material 3D printer, the customer immediately asked how long it took to assemble. Miller told him: "There's no assembly. It's printed in one go; you clean it and then you can move it."
Being able to simultaneously print numerous multi-material parts made of different material properties is highly valuable to IPF. Miller says: "We can print parts that are 40 Shore, 50 Shore, 95 Shore, rigid and flexible parts - all in one go. Four or five customers can want models with different materials and we can print them on the bed at the same time, thanks to Objet's unique multi-material Connex technology."
Much of the 3D printing work at IPF takes place overnight or over the weekend, completely unattended. Before leaving the office in the evening, the operator simply sets the Objet 3D printers to start printing; the next morning, he comes into work, cleans the finished parts, and the parts are ready to be shipped out to customers by the end of day. And it happens day after day, week after week.
"We can't afford for our printers to be down at all," says Miller. "Objet 3D printers are very reliable machines and the only reason we've reinvested in Objet is because the service and support when it's been needed has been phenomenal."
About IPF
Industrial Plastic Fabrications Ltd., located in Essex, UK, offers high-quality machined, formed and fabricated plastic components, plus rapid prototyped parts and 3D printing to the very best standard in the industry. Established in 1969, IPF has over 40 years worth of experience to draw from and its expertise is renowned within the industry. The company's precision machined, fabricated or formed components provide crucial parts for equipment used within the pharmaceutical, medical, aerospace, automobile, security, audio and broadcasting industries. For more information, see ipfl.co.uk.
About Objet
Objet Ltd. is a leading provider of high quality, cost effective inkjet-based 3D printing systems and materials. A global company, Objet has offices in North America, Europe, Japan, China, Hong Kong, and India.
Objet's 3D printing systems and 3D printing materials are ideal for any company involved in the manufacture or design of physical products using 3D software or other 3D content. Companies using Objet's solutions can be typically found in sectors such as consumer goods & electronics, aerospace & defense, automotive, education, dental, medical and medical devices, architecture, industrial machinery, footwear, sporting goods, toys and service bureaus.
Founded in 1998, the company has thousands of customers worldwide including a substantial share of the relevant Fortune 100 and Fortune 500. Its award-winning technology (12 awards in 5 years) is based upon over 110 patents and patent pending inventions.
Objet's advanced 3D printing systems and range of over 60 materials enable professionals to build prototypes that accurately simulate the true look, feel and function of an end-product, even complex, assembled goods. The Objet Connex(TM) line of multi-material 3D printers features the world's only technology to simultaneously jet 2 materials. With this, users can print many different materials into a single part and print various mixed parts on the same build tray. Users can also create advanced composite materials, or Digital Materials(TM) featuring unique mechanical and thermal properties. Objet's range of over 60 3D printing materials simulate properties ranging from rigid to rubber-like, transparent to opaque and standard to ABS-grade engineering plastics, with a large number of in-between shore grades and shades.
Objet's 3D printers are available in a range of form-factors, from cost-effective desktop 3D printers ideal for entry-level professionals all the way to industrial-scale multi-material machines for front-line designers and top manufacturers. Objet's 3D printers feature the industry's highest-resolution 3D printing quality, based on 16-micron (0.0006 in.) super-thin layering, wide material versatility, office friendliness and ease of operation.
For more information, visit us at www.objet.com, and for more about 3D printing industry-related news, business issues and trends, read the Objet blog [http://blog.objet.com ].
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Source: Objet Ltd.
