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Explainers

SLS vs SLA and FFF

SLS Additive Manufacturing: Is It Right for You? A 3D Technology Comparison

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Selective Laser Sintering (SLS) printers like the Formlabs Fuse 1+ 30w use a high-powered laser to selectively ‘sinter’ powder in layers to create 3D objects. While FFF melts thermoplastic and extrudes it through a nozzle onto a build plate, and SLA uses a laser to cure liquid resin onto the build platform, SLS additive manufacturing uses a recoat …

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Carbon fibre 3D printing

Carbon Fibre 3D Printing with Continuous Fibre Reinforcement – CFR

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Continuous Fibre Reinforcement (CFR) can revolutionise engineering workflows by enabling the substitution of machined components with carbon fibre 3D printing.  CFR offers advantages over traditional FFF, such as increased stiffness, impact resistance, improved heat resistance, and extended durability. CFR harnesses FFF technology but introduces a secondary nozzle that feeds in a continuous strand of composite …

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Industrial 3d printer

Industrial 3D Printers: Your Cost and Efficiency Guide

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Industrial 3D printers are the workhorses of the 3D printing world, with the potential to print larger, faster, higher volumes of parts in various performance and engineering materials. A 3D printer’s ability to prototype, iterate, and produce intricate and complex models quickly can save resources that might be spent on tooling the production line and …

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3dgence

Quick 3D Prints: Choosing the Most Efficient 3D Printer

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Print speed is a manufacturer battleground, but a faster 3D printer to get quick 3D prints on paper won’t necessarily be the quickest for you in the real world due to material requirements and build specifications. 3D print speed refers to the rate at which a 3D printer extrudes plastic or the rate it completes …

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Silicone 3d printing

3D Silicone Printing: How It Works & Ideal Applications

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3D silicone printing opens new opportunities for production alongside traditional techniques like injection moulding, compression moulding, and casting. Despite the potential, silicone’s use in additive manufacturing is relatively limited because very high viscosity makes it difficult to control out of the nozzle. This introduces flow rate problems in standard 3D printers built to extrude plastic. …

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Flexible filament

Flexible Filament: When to Use it and Which You Should Choose?

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Flexible filament mimics the performance of various rubber types, letting you manufacture flexible and elastic components with a 3D printer. 3D printing’s unique ability to produce complex forms and geometries opens the door to countless possibilities with flexible materials, from soft contacts for machine tools to gaskets and inner grippers for robot arms. This article …

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Metal X in action

What Is Metal 3D Printing and How Does It Work?

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While CNC machining and casting are traditional manufacturing methods for metal parts, metal 3D printing offers an alternative way by extruding high content metal filament or solidifying metal powder on a build plate. As an additive process, 3D printing requires no part-specific tools or moulds other than supports printed during production. 3D printing is a …

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biomed amber resin

How To Choose the Best 3D Printing Resin for Your Projects?

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Rather than extruding thermoplastic in layers, stereolithography (SLA) 3D printers cure layers of liquid resin with a laser on the build platform to create solid models. Resins are liquid polymers that mimic the performance of thermoplastics or have a one-use purpose, like jewellery casting. The significant advantage of SLA is the laser is not restricted …

How To Choose the Best 3D Printing Resin for Your Projects? Read More »

Meshmixer

The Best Sculpting Software for 3D Modelling in 2023

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Just as sculptors take clay and manipulate it, digital sculptors work with a computer, mouse, and software to produce 3D models.  3D sculpting software bridges the gap between physical sculpting and 3D modelling, letting artists sculpt 3D objects by pushing, pulling, smoothing, grabbing, and pinching digitised clay to produce real-life models in software. While 3D …

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Layer shifting

How To Overcome The Most Common 3D Printing Failures

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Failures are part and parcel of 3D printing, especially early on as you hone your skills. However, design challenges and spontaneous hardware hiccups and catch professional out too.  While there’s no way to guarantee zero failures, you can reduce them by knowing the common causes and acting on them. For example, bed adhesion is the …

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