We’re increasing our SLS and Multicolor production capacity

Posted By Arthur Cassaignau on May 12, 2015 | 0 comments

Speed is a key factor when one is willing to 3D print a prototype or start production with 3D printing. That’s why we’re working hard on two fronts: improving our internal processes to gain efficiency from the moment you pass an order to the moment it’s being delivered and adding new machines to our production capacity. Recently, we’ve brought in new 3D printers to reduce the time you’ll need to wait until your order is being printed. This is what changes.

We’ve always been on top to offer you the widest offer on plastic 3D prints. There is no reason why it should change. Recently, we’ve made some changes both during the production and the post-production of our 3D prints to (i) give you more control on the layer thickness, (ii) the possibility to have a wider range of finishes and (iii) the chance to choose for slower production mode (and save money) if you’re not in a hurry. Still in the plastic family, we’re setting up brand new (and freshly delivered) EOS P396 3D printers to allow for more speed and production flexibility. Compared to its previous version, the EOS P395 (that we’re still using), the P396 is a machine designed to be faster. It plays on three different factors:

• The laser is more powerful to allow for a faster sintering of the raw polyamide powder
• The management of the temperature inside the printer is more efficient, in particular the sensors that are reading the temperature on the surface of the building volume are more accurate
• The recoater is A LOT faster, which means less time between each new layer

This might seem like a small improvement, but keeping the building chamber to the same temperature all the time is key during the printing process. A better management of this temperature and a better laser allows for a more homogeneity between each layer.

What does it mean for you ? It simply means you’ll received your object faster. For instance, small white plastic objects (a few cubic centimeters) are now ship in 3 business days. Adding polishing or color will increase the post-production time we need to finish the part.

Since one good news never comes alone, plastic is not the only material that’s getting new machines. We’re also adding some brand new 3D Systems Projet 660 to our machine mix to bring you more printing capacity (and speed) in our multicolor material. For those you are not very familiar with this material, it’s mostly used for objects that are produced as visual mockups or for decoration purposes (figurines). You’ll find more info about the process here. For inspiration on what you can do with it, it’s here.

Quality, as always, stays on top. If you have any issue regarding an order you’ve received, feel free to shoot a mail to our customer service. We’ll answer you promptly.