Fused Deposition Modeling for Direct Digital Manufacturing
The Benefits of Fused
Deposition Modeling for
Direct Digital
Manufacturing--
Many RP technologies are well suited to perform
manufacturing functions. However, FDM has a key
advantage over other technologies—repeatability.
Whether you are a large, Fortune 500 company or a small,
privately owned business, you are always looking for ways
to save money, but still get your products to market faster.
As the technology continues to evolve, traditional rapid
prototyping (RP) methods will transition into progressive, cost-effective
manufacturing processes. Many RP technologies are well suited to
perform manufacturing functions. However, FDM has a key advantage
over other technologies, such as SLA and SLS—repeatability.SLA and SLS
Most of you already know that technologies like SLA and SLS use
resins to build your models and parts. The resin is dumped into a vat and
heated with a laser to construct your application. When the resin runs
low, more is added, but the ratio is rarely the same from one add to the
next. In order to ensure part repeatability, operators must refill the vat
with the same resin—not old resin from a previous project—at a
consistent ratio. In addition to that, the lasers used in SLA and SLS
deteriorate over time, so an application built with a new laser will
generate a better quality part. The submission of the same application a
few months later could result in a part of lesser quality due to the depreciation
of the laser.
FDM
FDM technology uses raw thermoplastic
materials, which are used in most injection
molded applications. The thermoplastic
material is fed into the system through a spool,
which eliminates mixing materials, and heated
to the glass transition—or Tg—point (at which
plastic transforms from a solid to a liquid). As
the material is extruded, it cools and fuses to
the layers below it. Since FDM produces parts
with real thermoplastic materials, they are
much less susceptible to dimensional changes
in comparison to parts built with other additive
fabrication technologies.
The repeatability combined with enhanced features, such as a part smoothing process,* is helping FDM quickly move toward an enduse manufacturing technology. Whether you need your part for design verification, formfit testing or end-use, the ability to start your production with a few thousand pieces, while waiting for tooling, provides a real competitive advantage. The part smoothing process drastically reduces the need for sanding and prepares parts for post-finishing processes, such as priming, plating and painting. That means designers and engineers can save time and resources previously dedicated to those processes.
Manufacturers need to quickly get quality parts to market. With every technology enhancement and every milestone in the FDM technology, companies are quickly moving toward serving one-stop-shops for manufacturing.Jeff Hanson is the business development manager for RedEye RPM (Eden Prairie, MN), a business unit of Stratasys, Inc. In his role, Jeff is responsible for developing new business in assigned markets worldwide. He works with internal RedEye teams to develop products and services to apply RedEye technology to varying markets. Jeff holds a key stake in the growth of RedEye by researching potential markets, negotiating agreements and planning for future customer needs. In addition , he establishes and manages all RedEye partnerships and oversees the sales team. *Ready Part is a part-smoothing process developed specifically for RedEye RPM by Stratasys, Inc. The patent-pending, two step process results in parts with a smooth surface finish—near injection mold quality—and is currently only available using FDM technology and the ABS family of materials.
