Paper Mache Goes High Tech... Paper-Based 3D Printing

Paper-printed orange (Image Credit:  Mcor and Inside3DP.com

I once spent weeks in middle school art class attempting to paper mache a Christmas tree.. I wish I had had a cleaner, life-like outcome.  Now imagine paper mache without the mess and fuss -  a less known additive manufacturing technology, selective deposition lamination, involves gluing together colored office paper sheets to produce an object.  Mcor Technologies sells its version, the IRIS paper-based 3D printer which is seen as an eco-friendly alternative to other materials.  And more colorful.  Inside3DP.com reported, "Because the printer’s ‘ink’ is paper, it can be printed in every color imaginable using Mcor’s International Colour Consortium of over 1 million color shades. This gives the IRIS a major lead over standard desktop 3D printers that print in plastic filament which usually comes in a very limited selection of colors."

And as the above image shows, the results are pretty realistic.  In fact, one Mcor sales manager was reportedly ordered by airport security to check his paper-printed hammer prototype because it was too close for comfort.

Unfortunately for me, not only did the technology come too late, I suspect my art teacher would have failed me for "copying."

RapidMade Helps CreatID Produce Bud Light Living Line Now Featured in Ads

Bud Light Living Line in Action (Image Credit Dennis Veatch)

Some of our favorite projects involve printing models or prototypes for advertising campaigns.  Recently, we worked with Dennis Veatch, principal industrial designer at CreatID, who approached RapidMade about a unique – and challenging – assignment.  He had been commissioned to design and manufacture an exotic and complex phone system, the Bud Light Living Line, which needed to be fully functional – when the phone rings, its enclosure lights up and buzzes as a platform raises the phone so it can be answered.  Words cannot adequately describe it; you have to watch the videos to appreciate it.

Like many products we make, the BLLL (as we fondly call it) was produced using rapid prototyping and a hybrid approach of traditional and additive manufacturing.  One weekend, we printed a full-color model using CAD files and Solidworks, so Dennis could get Proof of Concept approval from his client.  Once the design was finalized, the prototype components were printed or machined and finished in just ten days.  Afterward, tooling for and production of parts for 22 units was completed less than three weeks later, allowing CreatID sufficient time to do wiring and assembly.

David Shapiro, Engineering Manager, played a key role in the project and observed, "This really showcased our ability to move smoothly from concept development to manufacturing. We were able to combine the strengths of additive manufacturing with those of traditional manufacturing to great effect. The grueling schedule originally worried us, but we actually delivered significant portions of the project early, much to the delight of everyone involved."

Bud Light Canada’s campaign began airing this month.  In the YouTube videos, some lucky individuals literally get the call – and then the fun begins.  In one, Steve Aoki hosts a house party for the winner; in others, groups are whisked off to NYC, Las Vegas or Whistler – where an all-expense paid vacation awaits.  The buzz the videos generate has online viewers speculating where the Bud Light Living Line will show up next and how one can get the BLLL call.

Back here in Portland, we’re just stoked we got a call that allowed us to play a part in this cool ad campaign.

Save Thousands and Make a Splash at Tradeshows!

Monitor produced for close to half the cost of and in far less time than traditional manufacturing

Exhibiting at tradeshows, while rewarding, can be very expensive and stressful:  transporting and staging large equipment can consume a large portion of a company’s marketing budget.  But it doesn’t have to.  Using 3D printing techniques, firms can get to-scale, full-color prototypes and models of their equipment that can easily be carried and displayed on site. 

The Client:

FlatHED, Inc. is an industrial design company which specializes in designing appealing and sleek consumer goods that are also cost effective to manufacture.

The Need: 

Not all cost-effective designs for manufacture are cost-effective in small quantities for tests and tradeshows.  FlatHED designed an all-in-one computer that would house electronics that their customer wanted to show off at a trade show.  To CNC machine the design out of aluminum would have cost over $10,000 for just one unit and then they  would have been left with an unfinished, heavy part covered in tool marks.  They needed two working devices and had only $8,000 to budget for both, so they turned to RapidMade™.  

 The Solution: 

Working with FlatHED to modify the design for a special mix of manufacturing methods, RapidMade™ was able to create a finished product out of ABS plastic, ceramic, and sheet metal.  The final part was indistinguishable from the metal design and finished with high quality automotive gloss and matte finish paint, contained all the electronic components, held the weight of a heavy computer monitor, and (most importantly) cost slightly over half the original $8,000 budget. 

To-scale, full-color model shows internal components of large equipment

The Client:

Cornell Pump Company produces some of the best pumps in the business and attends over a dozen trade shows every year for food processing, mining, agriculture, and other industries that require pumping. 

The Need:

Cornell has had great success shipping and displaying their actual pumps for view at these shows, but they wanted a way to show potential customers the inner mechanics of the pumps in an attention-getting way.

 The Solution:

Cornell asked RapidMade™ to produce tabletop models of their large pumps with color coding and cutaways.  Customers can see the inner components and compare the colors with a labeled legend near the pump.  Having a tool that helps to explain the mechanics of the pumps is a valuable sales tool; it helps customers connect the dots for application.  Seeing the 3D printed colored replica also draws the attention of browsing show attendees.  On top of all of that, the ceramic model can be easily carried under the arm of a tradeshow representative, eliminating the need for expensive shipping.

RapidMade to Print 3D Prosthetic Hand

The Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council's Hi Tech Hand (http://phys.org/news/2013-10-future-d.html#nRlv)

In the field of 3D printing, medical advances have arguably received the most press, with good reason - 3D printed prosthesis are changing lives.  The London Science Museum is now featuring an exhibition that highlights one great example, a 3D prosthetic arm designed and manufactured by the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council's Centre for Innovative Manufacturing in Additive Manufacturing.  This prototype features "customised prosthetics with electronic moving parts and nerve endings, created by the research group at the University of Nottingham."

Unfortunately, the cost of high tech prosthesis like this is a serious drawback , especially when children are involved.  Kids need a medical device that won't cost an ar - well you know  the expression - their changing bodies require a less expensive alternative that can be replaced as needed to accommodate growth.

Version of McCarthy's Robo Hand RapidMade is Evaluating (http://laughingsquid.com/dad-makes-a-low-cost-3d-printed-prosthetic-hand-for-his-son/)

RapidMade is very excited to be partnering with a 13-year-old Oregonian who has a congenital amputation to customize, print and fit an inexpensive hand for him to evaluate.  Alex and his mom, Lori, visited us earlier in April to discuss the project and provide his measurements. 3D printing will allow us to size the prosthetic to match his hand instead of a "one size fits all" device. David, our engineer, has already begun printing parts and assessing design features. RapidMade hopes to make plastic prosthetic hands out of ABS plastic using fused deposition modelling (FDM) and Nylon using Selective Laser sintering (SLS) in order to better meet patients' specific needs for price and quality.   

We are grateful to Paul McCarthy who designed and shared the original version we are evaluating.  He and other designers have made their work available for free through open sourcing to drive down costs.  As 3D users already know, it is often the product design phase that is the most costly and time consuming, so to have a ready-to-print CAD file is an enormous benefit.

If this trial is successful, we hope to become part of a network that provides low-cost prosthesis to others who are similarly challenged.  Stay tuned for updates on our progress...

6 Axis Extrusion Printing

Be warned, for this is only a prototype, although a cool one at that. Unlike your home Makrbot, or even industrial level Fused Deposition Modelling machines made by Stratasys, this 6 Axis(!) extrusion printer prototype can extrude far more than layers. Capable of printing directly on a curved object or making multi-directional print lines, this literally adds a new dimension to extrusion printing.

There are two typical weaknesses of extrusion based printing that a 6 axis printer fixes. First is that between layer lines, the strength of an object can be up to 75% weaker than along the planes of the layers. 

Additionally, machines require disolvable support material to make complicated geometries with undercuts, a technology on which Stratasys machines have an exclusive patent. The 6 Axis machine creates these geometries without violating patent law.

Cheers to novel ideas.