Free form 3d printer

Freeform Emerges from Stealth with a Revolutionary 3D Printing Factory « Fabbaloo

By Kerry Stevenson on February 6th, 2023 in news, printer

Tags: freeform, large, lpbf, manufacturing, metal, scalable, stealth

A fascinating new 3D print startup has emerged from stealth mode: Freeform.

The Los Angeles-based company was founded by folks from SpaceX, who had been using metal AM equipment to produce rocket engine components. During their experience at the rocket company they learned a great deal about what works — and what doesn’t — about metal 3D printing using today’s technology.

Ex-SpaceX engineers are developing a new 3D print process [Source: Freeform]

Their new company, Freeform, is hoping to change the equation.

In a story on Bloomberg, they explain that one of the biggest issues in metal additive manufacturing systems is heat. While it’s possible to print faster by using more lasers and upping the energy of each, that simply makes the machines too hot and they have to cool down. It’s stated that some metal systems operate only about 60% of the time due to cooldown requirements.

Freeform seems to have found a way around that problem by using a unique conveyor belt system that carries plates of material around through the machine, where large numbers of lasers can work on the print job.

The other major problem with metal 3D printing today is the lack of reliability. It typically takes a squad of expensive engineers to navigate the print setup and quality control for each job, as thermal issues usually mess up the geometry or cause faults in the solid portions of the print.

Freeform hopes to eliminate that issue as well by using an array of complex sensors, vision systems, machine learning and more. Apparently the camera array on their system can capture 70,000 frames per second, which is used to perform real-time control on the lasers. This could dramatically reduce problems and ensure part quality.

Freeform’s slogan: think, make, scale [Source: Freeform]

There’s something else: scalability.

The Freeform machine design is apparently quite scalable, and while their first machine employs a stunning 18 lasers, that’s just the beginning. They have visions of expanding the approach to building-sized 3D printers that would essentially become additive factories, able to produce high quality metal parts on demand.

Inside the Freeform metal 3D printer [Source: Bloomberg]

Evidently the current machine can 3D print up to five kilograms of metal powder per hour (120kg/day), but they expect to dramatically raise this amount in future implementations.

If this all sounds ambitious, it is. Creating a company that successfully manufacture building-sized metal 3D printers seems outrageous, and yet their initial efforts seem to prove the possibility of success.

However, this project will no doubt require an enormous amount of money to execute. According to Crunchbase, the company has currently raised US%45M. That’s a lot of money, but I suspect they’ll need a lot more to proceed.

Freeform is clearly a company to watch, and I’d like to learn more about their process.

Via Freeform and Bloomberg

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Kerry Stevenson, aka "General Fabb" has written over 8,000 stories on 3D printing at Fabbaloo since he launched the venture in 2007, with an intention to promote and grow the incredible technology of 3D printing across the world. So far, it seems to be working!

View all of Kerry Stevenson's posts.

3D Design & Sculpting Software

Why Geomagic Freeform

Create sculpted shapes, especially products that precisely fit the human body.
Add aesthetic and functional details that are difficult or impossible in CAD.
Ensure designs are ready for additive, subtractive, or formative manufacturing.
Transition from handcrafting to digital design with an intuitive haptic interface.

What is Geomagic Freeform?

The industry’s most comprehensive, organic, hybrid design software on the market, Geomagic Freeform enables you to solve complex, precision design and manufacturing challenges and easily address challenging tasks within existing scan-to-print or CAD-to manufacturing workflows.

For the ultimate in expressive freedom and faster modeling, Geomagic Freeform works with haptic devices to add the sense of touch to your digital world—delivering freedom of motion and the physical sensation of sculpting in a virtual environment. This intuitive way of interacting with your 3D design reduces learning curves, speeds design, and allows you to deliver top-notch 3D data.

In addition, Geomagic Freeform supports the primary mesh file formats for scan data import and live scanning for select scanners.

What Can You Do with Geomagic Freeform??

Customers are using Geomagic Freeform for a wide range of applications—from large-scale, customized products to highly-detailed, ornate, and artisanal products—across a variety of industries.

Creating fast design and reiterations of intricate models in minutes.
Designing manufacturing-ready models from multiple file formats combining solids and surfaces.
Defining complex parting lines, removing undercuts and overhangs, and adding finishing details.
Repairing complex geometry no matter the origin design software.

Transforming traditional hand fabrication of orthoses and prostheses (O&P) to a digital workflow.
Designing custom orthotics and prosthetics that are highly-personalized, better-fitting, lighter, and stronger.
Innovating and personalizing their artisanship with precise, multi-material, engineering-grade manufacturing processes.
Creating functional cages for applications such as custom medical implants.

*Geomagic Freeform is not a medical device and Oqton makes no claims that it is intended to treat, plan, or diagnose. However, there is evidence and publicly-available research that indicates many customers are successful using Geomagic Freeform in their own patient-specific solution workflows and are following all local regulatory requirements.

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Measure mass properties such as surface areas, volumes, and piece density.

Mass custom design workflow

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Clay construction

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3D curve, plane, and sketch

Easily draw, repair, and edit curves; project from a sketch to a plane; and intersect sketches and offset curves.

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Import mesh models, convert to clay, and then edit the data using a range of tools to stitch, deform, and tug to desired shapes.

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Commercial and education/academic license options include:

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Compare features across the Geomagic Freeform editions and discover what’s new in the latest release.

Discover how leading product designers and healthcare organizations use Geomagic Freeform.

“This project provides a typical example of the seamless digital workflow that we use on a regular basis to bring our clients’ projects to life. ”

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3D printing technologies. What to choose 3D printing with metal or 3D printing with plastic? 3D printer technologies FDM VS SLA VS SLM

Hello everyone, Friends! 3DTool is with you!

3D printing or additive manufacturing is a general term covering several kinds of processes. Each type of 3D printing has its own advantages and disadvantages. And each of them is designed for specific purposes.

In this article, we provide some simple tips to help you choose the right type of 3D printing for your needs. The graphs and tables provided in this article are intended as a quick reference to determine which type of 3D printing best suits your requirements.

Type selection 3 D printing by supply

Materials for 3D printing usually come in the form of filament, powder, or resin (liquid photopolymer). Polymers (plastics) and metals are the two main groups of materials for 3D printing. Other materials (e.g. ceramics or composites) are also available. Polymers can be broken down into thermoplastics and thermosets.

3D printers FDM/FFF for plastic printing
3D printers for 3D printing with liquid photopolymers
3D printers for metal

If the required material is already known, the choice of 3D printing technology is relatively simple, since only a few additive technologies produce parts from the same materials. In these cases, the selection process is usually reduced to a comparison of costs and physical properties.

3 D plastic printing (thermoplastics)

Thermoplastics are best suited for functional applications, including the production of end-use parts and functional prototypes.

They have good mechanical properties, high impact resistance, wear resistance. They may also be filled with carbon, glass, or other additives to improve their physical properties. 3D printed thermoplastics (such as ePA, Nylon, Formax) are widely used to produce parts for functional industrial use.

SLS parts have better mechanical and physical properties, as well as higher dimensional accuracy. FDM is more economical, and with this type of 3D printing, the speed of order fulfillment is increased.

The diagram below shows the most common thermoplastic materials for 3D printing.

Explanation of diagram : The higher the material is in the pyramid, the stronger its mechanical properties and the more difficult and expensive it is to print:

3 D printing with liquid photopolymer resins

Liquid photopolymers (resins) are better suited for applications where detail and precision are important, as parts made using this technology will have smooth surfaces. Details up to 5cm will be printed with higher quality than 3D printing with plastics like in FDM or SLS.

Generally, photopolymer resins have high stiffness, but are more brittle than thermoplastics, so they are not suitable for functional applications. Special resins are available for engineering applications (simulating the properties of ABS plastic or Nylon). For example, a wide range of resins with various properties is in the arsenal of the American company FormLabs.

Metal 3D printing

Metal 3D printed parts have excellent mechanical properties and can withstand high temperatures and loads. Free-form 3D printing capabilities make them ideal for industrial applications.

Parts printed using DMLS or SLM technology have excellent mechanical properties and precision.

Use of other materials in 3D printing:

Other materials can also be used in 3D printing, but they are not widely used due to their limited specificity. These materials include ceramics and sand.

Note:

Due to the nature of additive manufacturing, 3D printed parts will have anisotropic mechanical properties, meaning that they will be weaker in the z-direction. For functional machine parts, this characteristic should be taken into account when designing the model.

Early on, it is important to determine whether a part needs to be functional, or if it just needs to have good visual characteristics. This will greatly help in choosing the most suitable 3D printing process.

Generally, parts made from thermoplastic polymers (FDM technology) are best suited for functional parts, while thermosetting materials (liquid resins) SLA or DLP technology are best suited for 3D printing small and complex geometric parts, such as jewelry or for dentists. .

Functionality 3 D printed parts:

The diagram below defines the most appropriate type of 3D printing for functional requirements.

Additive Manufacturing Essentials :

When developing a prototype, it is important to determine what accuracy is required for the product. Generally, choosing an additive technology with higher precision increases the cost of 3D printing.

The overall strength of the part depends on various mechanical and physical properties. When high strength and rigidity are required, metal 3D printing or FDM printing reinforced with continuous carbon fibers are the best solutions. An example of FDM 3D printing with reinforcing fiber is Anisoprint Composer A4

Do not forget that there are engineering materials for 3D printing with special. properties such as heat resistance, flame retardance, chemical resistance, or which are certified biocompatible (e.g. for dental applications).

Appearance 3 D printed parts.

If the appearance is the main task of your prototypes, then the choice of additive technology is subject to the scheme below:

Here is some more information:

SLA or DLP 3D printing produces parts with a smooth, cast-like surface. Details will be as from the store.

SLA/DLP parts print translucent, but can be post-processed to be nearly 100% optically transparent.

Selection of 3D printing technology according to production possibilities.

It is important to have an understanding of the main types of 3D printing in order to fully understand their key advantages and disadvantages. .

Here are some handy rules to help you:

The platform size determines the maximum dimensions of a part that the 3D printer can produce. For parts that are larger than the printer bed, consider switching to an alternative 3D printing technology or cutting the part into multiple pieces that can be glued together after printing into a single model.

The need for supports determines the level of design freedom. Processes that do not require supports, such as SLS, or when using dissolvable materials (as in FDM printing with 2 extruders), have fewer disadvantages and can create free-form structures more easily.

To summarize:

First of all, determine what task you set for 3D printing. Functionality or appearance of a part.
If more than one type of 3D printing is suitable for the task, then the selection process is reduced to a comparison of financial costs.
For functional details, choose FDM technology over printing with SLA or DLP liquid photopolymers.
For appearance and aesthetics, SLA or DLP technologies are the best option.
For functional metal parts, CNC milling can also be considered. As an alternative to 3D metal printing.

And that's all we have! See you soon!

You can purchase a 3D printer or a CNC machine from our company. You can contact us in one of the following ways:

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Steel 3D printing - a quick guide

Any metal 3D printing technology can print with steel. This is the most popular material. But which steel grades and which technology is best for your application? Will printed steel parts really be as strong and durable as traditionally made parts?

Let's see how a 3D printed steel part revolutionizes manufacturing and opens the door to new applications in aerospace, medical equipment, automotive, tool making, heavy industry, architecture and more. In addition, more affordable desktop printers are expanding the scope and scope of real steel 3D printed parts.

Strength of steel printed parts.

Cast steel part (left), 3D printed version (center). On the right, a fully 3D printed hinge requires no assembly. (Source: Desktop Metal)

The most common question when it comes to a 3D printed metal model is "Will it be as strong as a forged or cast part?" ?". The short answer is yes... and no.

3D printed steel parts can be just as strong, and sometimes even stronger, than those made in the traditional way. It depends on many factors such as: end use, type of steel, choice of 3D printing method, post-processing and shape of the part. Also, the comparison depends on which of the strength characteristics you focus on: tensile strength, static load strength, fatigue strength, etc.

Parts printed from steel are used in the aerospace industry, for the military, as well as, for example, for the manufacture of a footbridge, shown below. Therefore, the strength of printed products is beyond doubt, but let's take a closer look.

Queen Maxima of the Netherlands officially opens a 3D printed metal bridge. Photo by Adriaande Groot (Source: MX3D)

A 3D printed or laser powder sintered (LPBF) steel part has a finer grain structure than cast metal products. This provides better tensile strength characteristics, but in other respects the cast parts are currently still stronger. Most often, LPBF 3D printing is used to replace cast components, but in some cases, 3D printed components can replace forged parts.

One study showed that, under certain conditions, stainless steel parts made using LPBF 3D printers were three times stronger than parts made from the same steel using the traditional method.

In experiments comparing 3D printed steel parts to traditionally made steel parts, researchers create identical parts using two methods and compare their performance. However, head-to-head comparison of details is only part of the big picture.

The main advantage of printing with steel is not only its strength, but also the unique ability to create internal channels and lattice fillings in parts, which is impossible with traditional manufacturing methods. Metal 3D printing makes it possible to produce parts faster than traditional production, since this method does not require the use of special equipment and tools, it allows you to create assemblies as a whole, eliminating the need for subsequent assembly and welding. Designing a printed part usually means that less metal is needed to make it, and therefore less weight, for the same strength.

MX3D Wire Arc Additive Manufacturing (WAAM) printed steel architectural support (Source: MX3D)

Steel 3D printing is also more stable and cost effective as it reduces waste. When using subtractive manufacturing methods, such as CNC machining, you make a part by cutting it out of a large one, with a lot of waste. With additive manufacturing, you only use the material you need to make the finished product.

Steel 3D printing is not intended to replace traditional methods in all areas, but it may be a better choice for a wide range of applications. Particularly when the required parts are unique and designed for specific applications, such as rocket engines, racing cars or the oil and gas industry. 3D printing is the fastest and most flexible technology for mass production and prototype production. For military and industrial applications, steel 3D printing is a faster and more efficient way to create individual parts for vehicles and machines. Stainless steel 3D printing is rapidly finding applications in medicine to create unique surgical instruments and implants.

If you know what characteristics your final product should have (tensile strength, compressive strength, hardness, density, etc.), then all these parameters can be incorporated into the product at the production stage.

Types of steel for 3D printing

Metal powder is the most used metal material for 3D printing (Source: GKN Additive)

There are thousands of different grades of steels and alloys with different mechanical properties, used in traditional manufacturing but in 3D printing there are only a few dozen of them, and some of them are unique, created specifically for this technology. Among the steel options, the following can be distinguished:

Stainless steel (316L, 304L , 17-4PH, 15-5PH, 420, 254, Ph2, GP1, 630, 410).
Tool steel (D2, M2, h23, h21, MS1, 1.2709).
Low alloy steel (4140).
Structural alloyed (20MnCr5).

Recently, unique alloys have been developed specifically for 3D printing, designed to solve the problems that occur with classical production methods.

For example, 3D printer manufacturer Desktop Metal released a patented stainless steel in 2022 that the company says combines the tensile strength, ductility, and corrosion resistance of 13-8 PH stainless steel, combined with the hardness low alloy steel like 4140. The company says customers can go to market with this material and skip the galvanizing step to protect products from corrosion.

ExOne offers two special blends of steel and bronze that the company says allows 3D printed steel parts to achieve increased corrosion resistance while being easy to machine and polish.

While most of the metal powders used in 3D printing are similar to those used for other manufacturing methods, their numbers are on the rise as more companies adopt the technology. Some metal powder manufacturers, such as GKN, also make custom powders for specific 3D printing applications.

How to print with steel

The strength, properties and applications of 3D printed steel products largely depend on which 3D printing technology you use. Some methods produce stronger parts, other methods provide better hardness or abrasion resistance, and some technologies are simply very fast.

Below are the main metal 3D printing methods, their properties and some of the most common application examples.

Fused Deposition Printing (FDM)

BCN3D's Epsilon printer extrudes metal filament from stainless steel. as more printer manufacturers certify metallic filaments for use on their printers, such as Ultimaker, BCN3D, Makerbot, Raise3D. Raise3D has recently released a complete metal printing suite - Metalfuse (3D printer, debinding oven and sintering oven). This method is still much more popular for printing plastics, but with new plastic filaments filled with stainless steel powder, strong metal parts can be produced.

FDM media was once limited to thermoplastics. Companies like BASF Forward AM and The Virtual Foundry now offer metal filaments that can be used on almost any FDM printer as long as it has a hardened steel nozzle for abrasive media.

These materials are approximately 80% metal and 20% plastic. After printing, the post-processing process removes the plastic, resulting in 100% metal parts.

Due to the removal of the bonding plastic, FDM metal parts shrink during post-processing. The amount of shrinkage is constant and can be taken into account in CAD systems, which allows to obtain relatively accurate finished parts.

Forward AM's 316L Stainless Steel Ultrafuse filament produces finished parts with material properties that the company claims are comparable to injection molded metal parts.

(Source: BCN3D)

While 3D printing with metallic materials may not be suitable for high strength applications such as aerospace, the economics of producing simple metal components without critical loads on an affordable FDM printer can outweigh the impossibility of applying them in some areas.

Ideal use cases for this technology are metal prototype parts and finished parts that will not be subjected to extreme stress.

Bound Metal Deposition (BMD)

Desktop Metal's Studio System 3D printer used bonded metal bars that were extruded layer by layer to form a metal part (Source: Desktop Metal)

Similar to FDM, Metal mesh deposition method (BMD) or bonded powder extrusion (BPE) is a 3D printing process based on extrusion. This method uses bonded metal rods or bonded powdered metal filaments, which consist of a much higher percentage of metal powder than the filaments used in FDM. As with FDM, post-treatment to remove the binder and heat treatment in a final sintering oven are required.

There are only a few 3D printers using this method such as Desktop Metal, Markforged and more recently 3DGence, but more companies are entering this market, so stay tuned. These printers are valued as a convenient solution for office 3D metal printing, they are more expensive than most FDM printers, but cheaper than the powder-based metal 3D printing technologies described below.

These printers use their own proprietary filament. Desktop Metal and Markforged offer four types of steel.

Ideal niches for this technology are metal prototype parts, where it is necessary to test the functionality of a part before mass production using traditional methods. Popular applications are molds, punching dies, nozzles, impellers, fasteners and heat exchangers.

For example, Shukla Medical uses Markforged's Metal X printer to print steel prototypes of its orthopedic implant removal instruments.

Laser powder sintering.

Laser powder sintering technology uses one or more lasers to melt powdered metal layer by layer into a desired shape. (Source: GE Additive) metal printing. This technology is used by 80% of all metal 3D printers on the market.

This method uses powerful lasers to selectively sinter metal powder layer by layer.

LPBF 3D printers are available in a wide range of sizes, prices and laser powers. These and other characteristics affect the properties of the finished part, print speed and other parameters of the finished products.

Steel and steel alloys are the most popular material for LPBF equipment and, unlike FDM and BMD, metal powders are commercially available as they are most commonly used in traditional production methods.

LPBF is a technology that maximizes the quality of a 3D printed part. Applications include aerospace components such as monolithic thrust chambers, rocket engine components and heat exchangers, molds, tools and other applications, as well as high wear parts and surgical instruments.

Binder Jetting

Binder 3D printing technology uses powdered metal and a binder to form metal parts (Sorrce: ExOne) binder, and not with a laser. During post-processing, the binder is removed.

Binder application stands out for its high printing speed compared to other 3D printing methods or traditional manufacturing, and metal parts made with this technology have material properties equivalent to those made by metal injection molding.

The number of manufacturers producing metal-bonded inkjet 3D printers is much smaller than that of LPBF machines. Leading manufacturers include ExOne, Desktop Metal, Digital Metal, GE Additive and HP.

Binder blasting is ideal for medium to high volume production of metal tools and spare parts.

In fact, HP claims that its Metal Jet 3D printer was designed specifically for mass production of 316L stainless steel products. HP has partnered with Parmatech to produce metal parts for the medical industry. Pennsylvania-based ExOne uses this technology to manufacture hard metal cutting tools and tool steels.

Electron Beam Melting (EBM)

(Source: GE Additive)

Electron Beam Melting (EBM) is another powder cladding technology. It works in a similar way to selective laser melting (SLM), but instead of using a laser as the energy source, it uses a much more powerful beam of charged particles.

The recoater moves the powder onto the printing plate and an electron beam selectively melts each layer of powder. After each layer is printed, the plate is lowered and another one is applied on top of the previous layer.

EBM can be much faster than SLM, but SLM produces smoother and more accurate pieces. The electron beam is wider than the laser beam, so EBM cannot produce the same precise parts as SLM. Another difference is that the manufacturing process takes place in a vacuum chamber, which reduces the amount of impurities in the material that can lead to defects. That is why EBM is often chosen for printing components for the aerospace, automotive, defense, petrochemical and medical implant industries.

Titanium is the most popular metal for most EBM applications, however steel can be used.

Cold Spray

(Source: Impact Innovations)

Cold spray 3D printing is done by injecting metal powders through a jet nozzle into a supersonic stream of pressurized gases such as air, nitrogen or helium. The process is called "cold" because the metal particles do not melt, but hit the metal substrate and adhere to its surface during the so-called plastic deformation.

Cold spray printed products are not prone to porosity, thermal cracking and other defects associated with melt-based technologies. This method has several advantages over other production methods. The technology is used in the military and aerospace industries around the world. For example, the US Army uses cold spray to repair the mounts of a worn Bradley 25mm steel turret gun.

In the automotive industry, cold spray steel is used for crash repairs because the high strength steel substrates in cars can be susceptible to thermal repair methods such as welding.

Direct Energy Deposition (DED) and Wire Arc Additive Manufacturing (WAAM)

WAAM Steel Parts from MX3D (Source: MX3D)

Direct Energy Deposition (DED) uses welding powder or wire that enters through a nozzle and is fed into the power source to melt the metal. A melt region is created and applied to the substrate. DED is a new process, reminiscent of an old building technology known as "cladding", in which a coating is applied to a substrate, often for thermal insulation or weather resistance. DED is useful for fabricating large objects as a whole, as well as complex geometries that require extensive machining. DED can get such parts much closer to finished than traditional CNC machining.

Because DED uses a coating process, it can be used to add complex geometries to existing steel parts, thus combining complexity with cost reduction. For example, the French company AddUp advertises a rocket nozzle that uses a preformed large 304 stainless steel hopper cone printed with an isogrid structure, usually made from a larger piece by traditional methods.

A technology related to DED is wire-arc additive manufacturing (WAAM). Instead of powder, WAAM uses a metal wire that is melted by an electric arc. The process is controlled by robotic arms. WAAM is also capable of producing large-sized metal parts, as demonstrated by the Dutch company MX3D and its nine thousand-pound 41-foot stainless steel bridge in Amsterdam, as well as an oil and gas equipment repair part, proving that parts can be made in the field.

Micro 3D printing

Micro parts printed from steel (Source: 3D MicroPrint)

Micro scale additive manufacturing, or micro 3D printing, can produce products with a resolution of a few microns (or less).