Rapid prototyping techniques enable both large and small companies to simulate complex parts and finished assemblies straight from the printer – quickly and accurately. Where once it might have taken days or weeks to produce prototypes, Objet’s 3D printing systems produce the same work in hours, streamlining efficiency and improving productivity with fast turnaround times from initial design to final production.
‘Objet’s Connex polyjet matrix technology is the first of its kind in Africa,’ comments Jacques. ‘It provides dynamic, accurate samples. As time is of the essence in product design, Objet impresses with its quick turnaround, multi-material process,’ he adds.
With advanced printing systems and over 60 composite materials, developed on proprietary acrylic-based photopolymer technology, Objet produces realistic and functional prototypes using various material grades from rubber and ABS-like material to transparent, clear finishes, providing tough solutions with high-temperature resistance and accurate, finely-detailed parts.
Fully-cured models can be handled immediately after processing, are compatible with acrylic-based paints and can be machined, drilled, chrome-plated or glued.
Engineering plastics can also be closely simulated, allowing realistic function testing.
Multi-material solutions
The family includes the Objet Desktop range, an affordable desktop printing solution, the Eden professional line, and the Connex range, said to be the world’s only multi-material 3D printing system, able to fabricate up to 51 different digital materials. Standard plastics simulation can be achieved using transparent, rigid PP or rubber-like material across the range of Objet 3D systems.
Objet’s VeroClear, a rigid, transparent material, features dimensional stability for fine detail model building and visual simulation of clear thermoplastics.
For customers who require applications with the flexibility, strength and appearance of PP, Objet DurusWhite is ideal for products with living hinges and snap fits.
Rubber-like standard plastic prototype models can be achieved using Objet’s Tango that offers elastomer characteristics such as Shore scale A hardness, elongation at break, tear resistance and tensile strength.
Objet’s new ABS-like material (RGD5160-DM) has a temperature resistance of 65°C out of the printer and 90°C post-thermal treatment. This tough and light photopolymer material is a composite ‘digital material’, created by jetting two different materials simultaneously.
‘The value of an Objet 3D printed sample is enormous, and cost-savings are unsurpassed,’ states Grant Ravenscroft, DemaPlasTech’s national sales and marketing manager. ‘Used in the packaging industry, flaws in design can be identified early in the development phase and certainly prior to tooling up and laying down moulds. Prototypes can be tried and tested on filling and capping lines and can assist in secondary packaging design, too,’ Grant continues..
‘The value that one little prototype can add to the supply chain is huge. Quick turnaround on project testing is critical for companies launching seasonal campaigns and developing new moulds to meet market demands.’
With Objet’s 3D technology at their fingertips, both Jacques and Grant believe designers and engineers can make light work of time-consuming prototyping cycles. The result is a more efficient prototyping process and a better end product, delivered speedily to market.
