3D printing is fast-becoming a key tool in engineering circles, and we’ve recently seen some really great parts be printed using the Zortrax M200 3D printer by Dean Ryde of Metmachex Engineering.
Metmachex Engineering are metal work experts. The company was founded in 1978 and it’s a brand synonymous with the design, development and manufacture of high quality bespoke metal parts for motorcycles, in particular their swingarms, which are known worldwide (for those of you who don’t know, swingarms or swinging arms are the main component of most modern motorcycle’s rear suspension). The company also specialises in the machining and fabrication of mild steel, stainless steel, aluminium and titanium parts, together with welding for a complete fabrication solution.
Here’s a scaled-down swinging arm printed by their M200. The end-use part is manufactured from billet aluminium:
As you can see from the image, this prototype captures the detail of larger, end-use parts perfectly. For comparison, here’s a picture of an end-use swinging arm as taken from this forum post from a very happy customer:
The company chose the Zortrax M200 3D printer for their workshop. This is a FDM printer with a closed filament system, capable of printing with Z-Glass, a filament resistant to acids and alkalis for the production of mechanical parts exposed to chemicals, and Z-PETG, a filament that’s excellent for creating mechanical parts thanks to its durability and strength. These filaments are ideal for engineering environments, however, the Z-ABS filament is also a good choice for creating low-cost prototypes! Here, we can see a billet part printed using the M200 (the white ABS plastic part on top of the aluminium part):
And from a different angle:
Although a recent purchase, as you can see Metmachex Engineering are already getting good use out of their 3D printer by creating scaled-down versions of parts, and we have no doubt they’ll be scaling up their 3D printing operations in the near future, and we wish them the best of luck! If you have a need for the ability to create low-cost prototypes yourself, call our team on 01765 540 115 or Talk To Us at web@goprint3d.co.uk for help choosing the right 3D printer.
