Objective3D | BLOG

With fast production and broadened design possibilities, 3D printing has become a go to for rapid prototyping. Engineers and designers looking to take advantage of 3D printing for prototyping should consider these key considerations before getting started. 1. The End Product At the forefront of the decisions made for rapid prototyping should be your product’s application. If your prototype needs to replicate the final product’s cosmetic looks, you may turn to a technology and material that provides a finer resolution, or you may need the prototype to be post-processed for aesthetics. If you need your prototype to simply function exactly as the end-product will; that is where technologies that offer robust materials and ideal tolerances come into play. 2. 3D Printing Technology At Objective3D Direct Manufacturing we offer four 3D printing processes, each with their own unique build styles, design limitations and material properties. Depending on which method you use wil...

Maintaining inventories of spare parts has historically been a burden for suppliers and customers. Costly to store and rarely ordered, some suppliers are hesitant to even manufacture and offer spare parts to customers. In the midst of these difficulties arises the new manufacturing solution – digital inventories of designs printed on-demand with 3D printing. 3D printing, aka additive manufacturing (AM), offers fast production, unrestrained by the lead times associated with injection molding or other traditional manufacturing methods. A variety of technologies and materials serve many applications and are capable of handling complex geometries. Part suppliers can simply send digital files to an additive manufacturing service bureau like Objective3D Direct Manufacturing , and access large manufacturing capacities and a wide-range of post-processing offerings. The Spare Parts Solution Supplying spare parts for products can be challenging. They are generally composed of nume...

Making a quality 3D printed part takes more than just a machine. It takes a responsive team behind the technology, running tests and working tirelessly to validate materials and processes. For machine owners, that is generally an internal team who champions 3D printing engineering and operations. Service bureaus like Objective3D Direct Manufacturing can do the same and also offer expertise across multiple additive and conventional technologies, manufacturing controls adhering to international standards and finishing services that deliver pristine, cosmetic parts. At Objective3D Direct Manufacturing, our services are backed by more than the largest fleet of machines in Australia and New Zealand; we have nearly forty years of combined experience in the industry and our professional services department are ready to assist you with every step of your project. Outlined below are key ways these services could impact your business. Professional Services The time to wait is over; s...

Today, a majority of consumer products and production parts are made from thermoplastics. Thermoplastics are typically used in manufacturing techniques like injection moulding, compression molding and machining, but with the invention of 3D printing, they became available for additive extrusion and sintering processes. A new door to advanced manufacturing has opened with 3D printing materials similar to the conventional thermoplastics familiar to engineers and designers. Thermoplastics are plastic materials, or polymers, that become pliable when heated to a specific temperature and solidify upon cooling. Types of thermoplastics include acrylic, ABS, Nylon, PLA, polycarbonate (PC), polyethylene and other specialty, high performance materials. If your part requires strength, rigidity or high temperature tolerance, then thermoplastics are a great option to fabricate your production component or prototype. Using 3D printing, engineers can make parts with the most commonly used the...

Dutch company - Marinebedrijf Koninklijke Marine responsible for the maintenance of all naval vessels and submarines of the Dutch Royal Navy, as well as M-class frigates of the Belgian Navy. The company also creates new parts for those ships and makes modifications of everything from the hull to weapon systems and engines. “The use of the 3D scan technique is becoming more and more important because all ships of the Navy are coming to us for maintenance on a regular basis,” says Ben Jansen, CNC coordinator at Marinebedrijf Koninklijke Marine. “A lot of times we don’t have drawings or 3D CAD files of the things that need to be repaired or where we need to make new parts for existing systems.” When they have no 3D data or drawings of the part, Marinebedrijf Koninklijke Marine uses the Artec Eva and Artec Spider 3D scanners to create a 3D image of the object, and the scan is used to reverse engineer the object. The part is then replicated using 3D printing techniques, 3-5 ...

Due to a shift in corporate understand of 3D printing’s business value, more and more industries have embraced the technology. From a recently expanded understanding of the benefits of additive manufacturing (AM), industry 4.0 smart, connected manufacturing has emerged. AM is understood as a powerful technology capable of being used throughout the value chain and as a compliment to traditional manufacturing. Operations and logistics see significant improvement from AM adoption in subtle, yet powerful ways. Reduced Inventory & On-Demand Manufacturing Transitioning to on-demand manufacturing leads to cost savings by eliminating or significantly reducing inventory requirements. The benefits of digital files also provide the ability to quickly produce new iterations quickly at little to no additional cost. Supplier Consolidation With a single source for a variety of parts, businesses that use 3D printing contract manufacturers deal with less risk, more control and ad...

EQUIPMENT USED: Plastic plate Soft Paint brush Clean water Methylated spirits Soft, clean cloth Hair dryer or fan. PRODUCTS USED: Poly-clean Plastic Cleaner Proto-fill Liquid Plastic (Jet black Ultra-matte finish) 3D Printed Part - Before Post-Processing METHOD: First clean your object’s surface with Poly-clean Plastic Cleaner. Before using Proto-fill, be sure to stir the contents thoroughly before you start, as the ingredients tend to settle on the bottom. The product may be sprayed if you have the equipment. Use a disposable plastic plate to place your model on, which are made from a type of plastic, that Proto-fill won’t stick to. Some take-away containers and lids are also suitable. Brush the first coat of Proto-fill, in a horizontal direction, or in the direction of the grooves. The product goes on like a liquid plastic and is shiny when it’s wet and dries to a matte finish. Because of the rich nature of the resin-system, allow the product tim...

Who can tell how much heritage has been destroyed by time, man and nature? Countless monuments and artefacts have been lost forever, leaving traces only in manuscripts, books, photos and memories of the lucky ones to have seen them. But things have changed with the advent of 3D scanning as more and more institutes and museums have started to embrace the technology to save precious and fragile legacy in 3D. Artec 3D scanners have been used extensively to digitize museum collections and historical sites, from scanning Assyrian reliefs at the British Museum to 3D capturing excavation sites with fossilized bones of prehistoric animals and hominids in Kenya. The extent of heritage preservation is not confined to antiques and fossils, though. Artefacts of more recent history also need to be conserved. One of the examples of such artefacts is this Biber mini-submarine that has been 3D scanned by Artec’s Dutch partner Erwin Kanters, the head of the 3D tech company Miniyours. T...

Those in the know are switching from sanding and dangerous acetone smoothing, to a much smarter solution for smoothing 3d printed striations or "print lines" and visible part joins. 3D formulations Proto-fill easily and safely makes, print lines and joints, disappear. Let's face it. Sanding and vapour smoothing are "subtractive" methods which are in contrast to the very principle of "additive" manufacturing. Once you begin sanding, the dimensions and integrity of your print is compromised. Sand too much, and there is no going back. Sanding your plastic parts, may also alter the colour and appearance of the surface, for instance, giving a black plastic a dark grey (scratched) appearance. Apart from the obviously extremely dangerous practice of vapour smoothing with acetone, the procedure is difficult to control and results are permanent. Proto-fill is a safer, water-based, non- hazardous and non-flammable product. You no longer need a dedicat...

In the decades since its invention, 3D printing, has proved to have long-term benefits for businesses that incorporated the technology into their business models and operations. More companies are looking to save the time and money 3D printing offers them. However, it’s not always easy to make this transition and many businesses need help identifying how to fully leverage the benefits of 3D Printing. Objective3D Direct Manufacturing Professional Services e xists to provide guidance for these businesses. They offer truly customised manufacturing solutions for your company by evaluating your operations, identifying opportunities for 3D Printing, assessing its impact, and offering training services on how to use this remarkable technology. Objective3D are hosting a Professional 3D Printing and 3D Scanning  W orkshops  where you can learn the details and advantages of different 3D Printing solutions, engage in-depth about new applications and participate in hands-on dem...