Faster Complex Metal Parts
3D Systems Corp. is getting into the aluminum and stainless steel parts business—not by launching a new machine to churn them out—but by acquiring a new technology to produce on-demand complex geometry metal parts via an online portal.
3D Systems Corp. is getting into the aluminum and stainless steel parts business—not by launching a new machine to churn them out—but by acquiring a new technology to produce on-demand complex geometry metal parts via an online portal.
3D Systems and metallurgy parts service provider Scicon Technologies have formed a joint venture called “MQast”. Working with customer-submitted STL and CAD files, metal parts are produced and shipped in a matter of days.
The two companies are mum on the precise nature of the technology, except to say it aims to replace investment cast or die cast techniques and doesn’t require extensive tooling. The technology makes parts within a 10 in.-build envelope with resolution under 0.005 in., enabling such things as complex manifolds and fluid flow paths. The parts produced are said to be capable of functional testing, design verification and short-run production.
While 3D Systems does plan to develop a new rapid manufacturing machine around the technology, Abe N. Reichental, its president and CEO, says it made more economic sense for both the company and its customers to establish the service first and bring the technology, which may be years from commercialization, second.
“We wanted to leap frog the traditional business model, and offer it to the global marketplace now,” says Reichental. “The customer focus is ‘how to get my product to market fast.’ And MQast will make that possible.”
Holding up a small tool made through the metallurgy process (see photo), Scott Turner, president of Scicon, says MQast could produce it for less than $100, while a traditional diecast version of the same design would cost $500 or more. —SEA
