A Quick Look @ Rapid 2009

Taking place from May 11 to May 14 in Schaumburg, IL, and co-located with the 3D IMAGING Conference, RAPID brings together instructive sessions, workshops and knowledgeable speakers focused on design, prototyping, tooling, and direct manufacturing.

The conference’s 8 a.m. May 12 opening keynote will feature Mike North, an engineer and host of the Discovery Channel show Prototype This, a program in which project managers design, develop and test experimental new technologies using rapid manufacturing techniques in just a few days. North, a material scientist, will discuss how home inventors with access to a range of manufacturing tools are changing the do-it-yourself culture.

In addition to traditional technical meetings on 3D imaging and rapid manufacturing, this year’s conference includes new technical sessions on medical implant manufacturing, metal casting applications, and architectural modeling.

Attendees are also encouraged to check out the latest materials and machinery, compare processes, talk to industry experts and make contacts on the show floor.

Complete information about the Expo can be found at: www.sme.org

Below is a complete list of exhibitors and what they'll be showcasing at the expo.

ACTech North America Inc.—Booth #307
ACTech North America Inc. (www.actech.de) is a worldwide manufacturer worldwide of sand and investment casting prototypes. ACTech focuses minimal turn-around times and increased flexibility, achieved through deploying the latest rapid prototyping technologies for mold making. Producing prototypes and small batches quickly, ACTech cuts time-to-market with its casting and machining services.

Arcam AB—Booth #422
Arcam AB (www.arcam.com; Sweden) utilizes an electron beam melting (EBM) process to produce fully dense metal parts with strong material properties. The company will be exhibiting parts and components made in various alloys including Ti6Al4V, Ti6Al4V ELI, Titanium Grade 2, and ASTM F75 CoCr (Cobalt-Chrome). Additional demonstration parts include custom implants, approved standard implants currently in production, and functional parts for aerospace applications.

EOS—Booth #415
EOS GmbH Electro Optical Systems (www.eos.info; Novi, MI) a global manufacturer of laser-sintering systems, will display parts made from newly introduced plastics and metals, as well as demonstrate production on the EOSINT M 270 for direct metal laser-sintering (DMLS), and the Formiga P 100 for plastics. It also will discuss EOS NickelAlloy IN718, a nickel alloy that is frequently used in high-temperature applications and other components subject to high stress levels; and EOS PEEK HP3, a high-temperature polyaryl ether ketone polymer for laser-sintering.

envisionTEC—Booth #119
envisionTEC (www.envisiontec.com; Ferndale, MI) will feature its new, larger PerfactoryXede rapid prototyping and manufacturing system with a build envelope of 20 x 16 x 20 in. and a resolution of 100 microns. This system produces very large 3D parts at fast build speeds, without sacrificing surface quality and part accuracy. Using Digital Light Processing technology from Texas Instruments, a voxel data set is projected that cures the photopolymer into a solid object where the image is projected on a voxel-by-voxel basis, producing a highly crisp, detailed, and accurate part. envisionTEC will also introduces its new Perfactory Economy with a 254 x 190 x 200-mm build envelope.

Exact Metrology—Booth #235
Full services measurement company Exact Metrology Inc. (www.exactmetrology.com; Cincinnati, OH) will showcase Breuckmann’s (www.breuckmann.com) new smartSCAN 3D-HE White Light Scanner. Combining high performance and precise detail resolution with a broad choice of available measurement fields, the smartSCAN 3D-HE enables 3D product development and quality control. Applications include inspection of sheet metal components for the automotive industry, mold making, tooling and, quality control in product design, as well as measuring and digitizing projects in reverse engineering. The firm provides on-site inspection, reverse engineering, non-contact laser scanning, and 2D/3D digitizing services as well as contract programming, software training, part programming, and measurement equipment implementation.

Dimension 3D—Booth #315
The Dimension 3D Printing Group (www.dimensionprinting.com; Minneapolis, MN), a business unit of Stratasys Inc., will display the uPrint Personal 3D desktop printer, its newest and smallest model. Priced at $14,900 and using Dimension’s fused deposition modeling (FDM) technology, the uPrint has a 25 x 26-in. footprint and includes an 8 x 6 x 6-in. build envelope. It requires a 4.5-ft2 desktop space and stands 2.5-ft high. The machine weighs 168 lb. and runs on 120-volt power. The uPrint constructs models with Stratasys ABSplus, a material that is on average 40% stronger than the company’s standard ABS material.

FARO—Booth #101
FARO (www.faro.com; Lake Mary, FL) shows its seven-axis FARO Laser ScanArm, a contact/non-contact measurement system, for inspection, point cloud-to-CAD comparison, rapid prototyping, reverse engineering, and 3D modeling. It features both a hard probe to collect simple points and a laser scanner to handle sections requiring larger volumes of data. For reverse engineering, the Laser ScanArm allows users to quickly digitize an object to create a fully-surfaced CAD model. For non-contact inspection, 3D point clouds can be acquired and easily be aligned to the nominal data to compare virtual to reality.

Geomagic—Booth #109
Geomagic (www.geomagic.com; Research Triangle Park, NC) demonstrates the latest versions of Geomagic Studio 3D modeling and Geomagic Qualify computer-aided inspection software. Geomagic Studio 11 features Parametric Exchange, which provides an intelligent connection between Geomagic Studio and CAD to enable automatic native reconstruction of geometry from scan data. Parametric Exchange offers reduced development time by capturing design intent and automatically producing truly parametric models; faster, better and cheaper reverse engineering of complex designs; and improved work efficiency from eliminating barriers between scan data and CAD. Geomagic Qualify 11 features a new “automation designer” that uses drag-and-drop functionality to reduce the time needed to create new inspections from existing ones.

Huntsman Advanced Materials—Booth #123
Huntsman Advanced Materials (www.huntsman.com/advanced_materials; Woodlands, TX) displays its Araldite Digitalis, a new polymeric additive fabrication system capable of manufacturing highly accurate and large quantities of parts at high speeds. With advanced micro-electro mechanical systems (MEMS) technology at its core, the system uses a new exposure system known as the MLS MicroLightSwitch. Operated via a computer-controlled micro-mechanical shutter system, it enables a large surface area of radiation-curable resin to be selectively exposed in a single step, resulting in a fast uniform exposure with high accuracy. The machine has a build envelope of 650 x 370 x 600 mm. 

Innovative Polymers—Booth #400
Innovative Polymers (www.innovative-polymers.com; Saint Johns, MI), which manufactures advanced mercury-free, RoHS-compliant polyurethanes for casting models, prototypes and short-run parts will feature a new, rigid material for rapid-cast parts. Its RC-255 polyurethane has a 70-second work life, attains rapid strength and can be de-molded in less than 30 minutes. The cured material has a high heat-deflection temperature and a polypropylene-like flexural modulus, or bending resistance. The company also will showcase its TP-4000 family of polyurethanes for tough, long-lasting parts, including the TP-4014 polyurethane, a low-viscosity, amber-colored material with a 2:1 mix ratio by weight, a gel time of 12.5 to 15 minutes and demold time of one hour at 150ºF.

InnovMetric Software Inc.—Booth #208
3D metrology software company InnovMetric Software Inc. (www.innovmetric.com; Quebec) unveils the new PolyWorks V11 software. PolyWorks V11 offers a new set of probing-related tools, such as multiple coordinate system and alignment history management, teaching and offline programming of feature probing tasks, multiple device position handling, and manual CMM support. It handles both millions of points measured by high-density point cloud digitizers and datasets produced by contact-based probing devices. PolyWorks V11 also offers a major upgrade for reverse engineering applications.

NetFabb Studio-Both 406                                                                                                               NetFabb (www.netfabb.com) makes STL file repair software designed to fix CAD data errors, such as holes, double edges, or self-intersections within seconds.  The processing software is tailored to triangulated CAD data and slice-based files created in a variety of formats.  NetFabb is set up much like an image viewer, allowing users to browse through STL repositories and slice folders.  In addition to STL fixing and part analysis, the software also provides advanced model browsing, packing and machine preparation for aligning parts in a particular machine platform, slice editing, measurement and quality management for tasks like defining tolerances.

MTT Technologies Group—Booth #509
MTT Technologies Group (www.mtt-group.com), formerly known as MCP, will showcase its MTT 5/04 vacuum casting machine, which accommodates a maximum mould size of 750 x 900 x 750 mm. As with all of MTT’s vacuum casting machines, the 5/04 can be configured to produce parts in a wide range of polyurethane resins, soft-feel materials such as silicone rubber, or investment casting wax. Nylon-Plus is the newest of MTT’s vacuum casting modules and has been designed color-matched, glass-filled nylon parts, usually in 30 minutes. MTT also will display high-quality parts made non-ferrous metals produced through MTT’s MPC 300, one of a range of metal part casting systems.

Morris Technologies—Booth #508
Morris Technologies Inc. (www.morristech.com; Cincinnati, OH) is a rapid prototyping company that turns designs into production-quality metal parts in hours via a wide range of technologies, including direct metal laser sintering (DMLS). Using DMLS, which eliminates the need for tooling, MTI is capable of producing aerospace parts with complex internal and external geometries in a single operation. In addition to showcasing DMLS objects, Morris will also display parts created through its expanded 3D printing capability, including items produced with its newly acquired Objet Connex500

Rapidform Inc.—Booth #114
Rapidform Inc. (www.rapidform.com; Sunyvale, CA) will exhibit its full line of Rapidform 3D scanning software, which creates complete parametric solid models from 3D scan data. The software allows users to open the models natively inside SolidWorks, Pro/E and Siemens NX. Additionally, the company will demonstrate its Rapidform XOV, a parametric, history-based inspection software platform. With XOV, users can scan any part and compare it to a CAD design in just a few minutes. XOV also automatically generates inspection reports, complete with color maps, dimensions and tolerances.

RedEye On Demand—Booth #327
Global digital manufacturing services provider RedEye On Demand (www.RedEyeOn
Demand.com; Eden Prairie, MN) will feature its newest material, ULTEM, a high-performance thermoplastic from SABIC Innovative Plastics. It is strong, lightweight and flame-retardant. Additional features of the material include heat deflection temperature of 320° F, a high strength to weight ratio and durable enough for some flexing. Popular applications include end-use parts; form, fit and function testing, jigs a fixtures. Typical parts created with the material include aircraft apparatus, automotive and military components.

Solid Concepts—Booth #201
Solid Concepts Inc. (www.solidconcepts.com; Valencia, CA) a supplier of rapid prototyping and direct digital manufacturing services, will display Fiberglass Reinforced Plastic (FRP) capability now offered from the company’s new Troy, MI facility. FRP is used to produce accurate, rigid, large panels with high impact strength. The process involves cutting sheets of fiberglass and laminating them with proprietary epoxies to offer a variety of properties. Panels are created from a one-sided layup tool where the A side geometry is accurately reproduced. The back, or B side, of the geometry often requires brackets, hinges, boss clusters and/or other hardware.

Stratasys—Booth #315
Stratasys (www.stratasys.com; Minneapolis, MN) will show its premium brand Fortus 400mc direct digital manufacturing and prototyping system, which has been upgraded with several improvements including improved part quality, better accuracy, and repeatability and material properties. Enhancements in design and manufacturing of the extrusion head gantry makes it straighter and stiffer, and holds the extrusion head to a tighter positional accuracy higher-tolerance parts. The Fortus 400mc includes a new material, ABS-M30, which is 67% stronger than standard Stratasys ABS and has additional benefits of higher tensile strength, impact strength and flexural strength. Standard build-envelope size is 14 x 10 x 10 in.; optional build-envelope size is 16 x 14 x 16 in.

Tebis—Booth #115
Tebis (www.tebis.com; Troy, MI) develops CAD/CAM systems for tool and die, mold, automotive, aircraft and consumer product manufacturing, supplying both the software and support services. The company offers a number of different CAD options, starting from quick clean-up and part preparation functions to highly efficient tools for sheet metal-working, injection-molding and die design. Reverse engineering modules can be used to create controlled design quality surfaces, up to class-A quality, and scan data processing complete the CAD product lineup. Tebis also offers various CAM modules starting with 2.5D full feature-based multi-axis drilling and milling all the way through continuous 5-axis machining functions.

Verisurf Software Inc.—Booth #108
Verisurf Software Inc. (www.verisurf.com; Anaheim, CA) will debut its latest reverse-engineering solution, Version X with Autosurface, as well as a complete suite of integrated reverse engineering and inspection tools. Autosurface can import points, point clouds, or STL file meshes to obtain the surface model. It is compatible with multiple CAD systems,and can also be used for manufacturing or inspection purposes. Autosurface can create a collection of surfaces which automatically adjust according to the complexity of the mesh and the specific level of surface detail. Verisurf software tools allow users complete scanning, meshing, auto-surfacing, solids generation, machining and inspection within a single application and using a single file.