There are a lot of technologies with the help of which this natural principle is realized, each one has its own advantages and optimal areas of application. The main difference between the technologies is the material used in the model, as well as how it is applied. 3D prototyping machines have been in operation for several decades and are successfully used in various fields.
A prototype is made during the design of any product: with its help, a team of designers, designers and technologists determines the possibilities of producing a given model. It is very important to know how the part will look after making a decision. The model can go through twenty or more iterations before the design and manufacturing technology of the final product are approved, and only after that it will be sent to production. The big obstacle to prototyping has always been cost - typically never low - but with 3D prototyping machines, it has become possible to dramatically reduce costs.
3D prototyping is used in many manufacturing industries today. If we turn to the automotive and aviation industries, then it is in them that 3D prototyping is very important. The most important challenge for these industries is to reduce the time to develop a new product. As a rule, auto and airlines need at least three to seven years to bring a new model to market. The tool to achieve this goal is the use of industrial CAD systems for virtualization and rapid 3D prototyping. Virtualizing a 3D model on a computer can lead to more efficient designs, but making the final decision without a physical 3D model can be extremely difficult.
For the first time, the need to create 3D models (3D prototypes) directly from CAD files arose in industrial CAD systems. But for other areas, such as GIS, medicine and others, it is very important that the use of 3D prototypes opens up new and unlimited possibilities. Today's 3D prototyping technologies provide a more cost-effective approach that significantly reduces both time and money.
Z Corporation and 3D printing
Among the most innovative companies in 3D rapid prototyping is Z Corporation, which has been producing commercial inkjet 3D printers since 1997 to help speed up industrial design and improve work efficiency. Whether it is researching a new tire tread or the multi-layer outsole of professional sneakers, an architectural project or modeling the human heart, it all requires the creation of physical models.
The Z Corporation's 3D prototyping method is based on layer-by-layer bonding of the powder and reduces the time and cost of manufacturing one model (for a detailed description, see the article "Three-dimensional prototyping").
Usually, the cost of equipment for rapid 3D prototyping is more than one million rubles, and at least another million is spent on training specialists to work on this equipment. Unlike other machines, Z Corporation 3D printers will cost you a little over half a million rubles, and the cost of training a specialist is the cost of his training in one day, since these printers are so easy to operate that anyone can use it.
Speed, low cost, versatility, and the ability to get color 3D models - all these are unique opportunities that will be even more important in the future for industries where more efficient ways of bringing products and services to market are important.
The line of 3D printers can be roughly divided into two main types.
Universal 3D printers (Z310 +; Z510)
Printers that allow a wide variety of media to be used in applications ranging from simple modeling to industrial molding. These printers support the continuous improvement of the workflow, as well as the development of 3D printing materials to meet new market requirements.
Office 3D printers (Z150; Z250; Z350; Z450; Z650)
A distinctive feature of this category of 3D printers is the convenience and ease of use:
• minimum skills and training required;
• most operations are performed automatically;
• automatic configuration and diagnostics;
• automated system for loading and reusing powder;
• intuitive control panel.
Printers only work with high quality composite material to create durable and highly accurate 3D models.
New models
In June 2010, Z Corporation introduced entry-level office 3D printers starting at just $ 19,920 (less than RUB 600,000), re-offering solutions to make 3D prototyping available to most designers, engineers, architects and students.
The ZPrinter 150 (monochrome) and ZPrinter 250 (color) 3D printers are the most compact, which is very convenient in various situations, for example, in classrooms or in a small office. Unlike other commercial grade 3D printers, the ZPrinter 150 and ZPrinter 250 are extremely easy to use and have the lowest production cost per cm3 of the grown model, which is probably the determining factor when choosing a 3D prototyping machine.
Currently, it is about 7 rubles per 1 cm3, which is the lowest cost price in the field of 3D prototyping. This parameter is achieved by the very layer-by-layer synthesis technology used in 3D printers by Z Corporation, since there are no supporting structures, and unused powder is reused to build subsequent models, which achieves an almost waste-free use of materials.
The process of post-processing of grown 3D models is also as accessible as possible, since in the simplest case it is the usual impregnation of the model with salt water, which in turn makes it possible to use Zcorp 3D printers in educational institutions where there are high environmental requirements and any use of chemical substances harmful to human health.
New models of 3D printers are made in a new standard size and take up very little space, almost approaching the size of office copiers.
What is very important and convenient for operation - the processes of loading the plotter are fully automated, starting from the installation of cartridges with a binder to loading the powder, which
fully automated and does not allow a single gram of powder to wake up, thereby depriving the cleaning staff of the work.
Naturally, the new models also provide for automatic removal and reuse of powder, until it is all used up or for the next model you do not need to add powder, simply by connecting a new container with it. Of course, the printers have built-in diagnostics for the amount of consumables and the state of the layer-by-layer synthesis process.
Simplicity and intuitive operation, as well as the absence of the need for special training, is another big plus, which allows an engineer or student to get to work immediately after unpacking the 3D printer and easily translate his idea into reality.
During the construction of the model, the printer does not require the presence of an operator; human intervention is required only at the stage of starting the printer and is limited to a few minutes. It is also possible to remotely control the printer, which allows you to control all the parameters of the 3D printing of the model: even if you do not have the physical ability to control the current state of the printer displayed on its LCD display, this can be done without getting up from your seat - using the capabilities of the Zprint software.
But, probably, the main advantage of Z Corporation 3D printers is speed! The ZPrinter series prints five to ten times faster than other three-dimensional layer-by-layer synthesis technologies allow, and the ability to simultaneously grow an unlimited number of models that fit into the working volume of the chamber gives an undeniable advantage in the speed of model production and significantly increases productivity, allowing the series printers ZPrinter fully meet the needs of users.
Very often I hear from potential ZPrinter users: what accuracy do Z Corporation 3D printers provide? We ourselves were very interested in getting the answer to this question, and we did a simple test: we printed a cube with a side of 100 mm. As it is easy to understand from the principle of operation of 3D printers Z Corporation, the main error will be observed along the Z axis, or, more simply, in height, since the process of gluing a model from a mass of powder layer by layer implies drying of the adhesive (binder), as a result of which vertical shrinkage will appear. Our measurements gave the following result: at a height of 100 mm, the shrinkage was 0.15 mm, which is quite comparable with the accuracy obtained on injection molding machines. About the accuracy in the X-Y plane, we can say that it is provided by the mechanics of the 3D printer itself and does not depend as much on the shrinkage of the powder as in height.
The ZPrinter 250 has a new unique color reproducibility system. The range of available colors for the ZPrinter 450 and 650 has also been changed (now showing true color counts) to 180,000 unique colors for the ZPrinter 450 and 390,000 unique colors for the ZPrinter 650, respectively.
Probably many will ask: why only 64 colors? The answer is simple enough: since this 3D printer is an entry-level model and is mainly intended for creating concept and presentation models, the limited color space is even a boon for such models.
The main characteristics of office-type 3D printers from Z Corporation are shown in the table.
Normal 0 false false false RU X-NONE X-NONE MicrosoftInternetExplorer4
Characteristics |
ZPrinter 150 |
ZPrinter 250 |
ZPrinter 350 |
ZPrinter 450 |
ZPrinter 650 |
| Resolution, dots / inch | 300x450 | 300x450 | 300x450 | 300x450 | 600x540 |
| The minimum size of the topological element, mm | 0,4 | 0,4 | 0,15 | 0,15 | 0,1 |
| Color (number of unique colors per part) | Material color | 64 colors (base combination color) | Material color | 180,000 colors (wide color gamut) | 390,000 colors (maximum number of colors) |
| Vertical speed of building an object, mm / h | 20 | 20 | 20 | 23 | 28 |
| Working chamber volume, mm | 236x185x127 | 236x185x127 | 203x254x203 | 203x254x203 | 254x381x203 |
Based on materials from Z Corporation and our own experience
Dmitry Oshkin
E-mail: [email protected]
