3D Printing Innovation

Did you notice this exciting update we shared on LinkedIn earlier in the year ? If you spotted it, then we’re sure it piqued your interest and, if you didn’t, then we’d hate you to miss out on it. While it doesn’t give too much away, it does highlight how we’re continuously moving with the times to provide our new and existing customers with the most cutting-edge 3D printing services around. If you’re an existing customer, then you’ll know we’re regularly reviewing and refining our processes and the tech we use to consistently deliver ground-breaking results that set us apart from the competition. And if you’re not, welcome to the world of 3D printing at its very best. We say this with confidence, as we’ve significantly invested in two of our key pieces of 3D printing equipment, namely our Prusa 3D printer and Stratasys J750 printer. Here Tom Mertens, our 3D modelling and printing lead, talks us through the changes. What improvements have we made? We’ve just fitted the Multi Material upgrade to the Prusa, which means we can now use it to print in multiple colours and materials in the same print. And we’re now running the whole set of Vivid resins on our J750 printer, an investment that will enable us to print in Pantone accurate colours. A bit more about these printers The Prusa 3D printer It can print with a volume of 250mm x 210mm x 200mm (X, Y and Z), using a range of open source thermoplastics. It can also be used for low cost production runs of finished parts and prototypes. What’s it best for? This printer’s best for cost effective short production runs and general prototyping in a range of thermoplastics, it uses standard materials, but we can print using five at once. J750 3D printer This printer can print in a range of resins with extreme accuracy. It can also print details as small as 0.5mm in around 360,000 different colours. Different opacities and shore hardnesses can also be printed, providing the right combination of resins is loaded into the machine. What’s it best for? The J750 is best for visual prototyping and projects that require high detail – it has been used successfully in the animation industry to save modellers hours when creating stop motion animation. The J750 is perfect for medical applications including pre-op planning. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P2yR_bhCop0 What do these improvements mean for our customers? It means lots of great things for our customers. First and foremost, businesses with a smaller budget, who may not have been able to use multi-colour printing before, can now do so, using our Prusa MMV 3D printer, which is a more cost-effective option. And secondly, we can now print in any Pantone colour with the highest accuracy, meaning no more manufacturer colour restrictions and uncertainty about which colours to choose. What’s more, the finished product looks just as vivid, as if it has been printed in one material, so there’s no sacrifice in part strength. The future is undoubtedly 3D and the future is undoubtedly colour. Fortunately for our customers, we’re excelling in – and redefining – both areas. To find out more about our colour 3D printing capabilities or to discuss your requirements with us, contact us on 01527 558282 or email us at info@central-scanning.co.uk.

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