Newsletter July 2010

In this issue:

• How to Pick the Winning Technology for Low-Volume Production Webinar

• FDM Cuts Metal Castings to Shreds

• Breaking the Rules: Designing for FDM

• Ultem 9085: Lightweight, Heat-resistant Plastic Parts

How to Pick the Winning Technology for Low-Volume Production Webinar

WEBINAR
Injection Molding vs. Direct Digital Manufacturing: How to Pick the Winning Technology for Low-Volume Production

Low-volume manufacturing can mean producing anything from 1 part to 5,000 parts. In some cases, it's possible to reduce low-volume production costs by 50%, 75%, and even more by replacing traditional tooling with direct digital manufacturing (DDM).

But DDM isn't for every application. Attend this webinar to determine whether this alternate process makes sense for your organization. If it’s right, you'll learn how to become a hero to your CFO by showing how to reduce ongoing production costs.

Who should attend:

• Manufacturing Engineers

• Production Managers

• Operations Directors

• C-Level Manufacturing Management

• Procurement Professionals
  

What you will learn:

• When direct digital manufacturing makes sense, and when it doesn't

• The 7-step decision-making process

• Whether or not you can eliminate tooling

• The benefits of direct digital manufacturing

• Determine if you can reap big gains in cost reduction & time

Register Now >

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FDM Cuts Metal Castings to Shreds

Are you prototyping with metal castings? Over the years, Monitor Sensors has used several rapid prototyping technologies to design and test new products. They used to use metal castings. Not any more. Find out how FDM helped them increase accuracy, shave time to market and cut costs.

Download entire story

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Breaking the Rules: Designing for FDM

If you are using traditional manufacturing methods like machining, you may be out-designed by your competition. Following the traditional protocol means adhering to the design rules of the manufacturing process. Breaking the rules could drive up production costs, diminish quality, or degrade performance. It’s easy to see how design for manufacturability (DFM) and design for assembly (DFA) could stifle an organization’s innovation, right?

Now you don’t have to limit your designs to the capabilities of the process used to make it. FDM gives you more design freedom because DFM & DFA (DFMA) do not apply to this additive manufacturing process. It opens the door to unlimited creativity while giving you the ability to create products that truly suit your customer’s needs.

With FDM, undercuts, variable wall thickness and deep channels can be part of the design with no affect on manufacturing cost or manufacturability. And unlike conventional methods, FDM parts can be loaded with features and not cost more in dollars or time.

For example: A part with a thousand 0.05 inch holes can be produced as inexpensively and quickly as the same part without holes.

You can also design products in unthinkable forms. They can flow, twist and contort like organic forms found in nature. Allowing almost limitless complexity, FDM parts can be designed with extraordinary strength-to-weight ratios too. This is achieved by designing an internal lattice that is covered by solid outer surfaces. And, because FDM technology uses real industrial-grade thermoplastics, the same plastic used in injection molding (not thermoplastic-like materials) you know they’ll be strong and functional.

So now you can make products exactly how you envisioned them. Or, even better, exactly how your customers envision them. For more on this subject, download our Direct Digital Manufacturing White Paper.

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Ultem 9085 for Lightweight, Heat-resistant Plastic Parts

If you're in the automotive, aerospace, or military industries you've probably heard of Ultem 9085. At a tensile strength of 10,390 psi¹ and flexural stress of 16,700 psi, it's the strongest FDM thermoplastic available today. It is also inherently flame-retardant, offering full flame/smoke/toxicity (FST) compliance including OSU heat release of less than 55/55. Click here to get more information about Ultem 9085 applications. Download Ultem Spec Sheet.

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