Newsletter January 2008

In this issue:

• RedEye now offering rapid prototypes and direct digital manufacturing services in Europe
• Did you know…Thermoforming
• Repairing broken parts
• Customer Application of the Month

RedEye now offering rapid prototypes and direct digital manufacturing services in Europe

RedEye™ announced the opening of its new European rapid prototyping and direct digital manufacturing center in Leuven, Belgium at the Euromold show in December.

"We are excited about the opportunity to internationally expand our technology," said Jeff Hanson, manager of business development for RedEye. "Many of our US customers are realizing the true competitive benefits we can provide. We look forward to helping our European customers reap the same successes."

RedEye is a business unit of Stratasys – a leader in rapid prototyping technology that developed Fused Deposition Modeling (FDM®), an additive fabrication process that uses production-grade thermoplastic materials. RedEye shipped a total of 12 FDM systems to date, to its European location hosted by Materialise, a European leader for rapid prototyping and manufacturing services.

"Since 2004, Materialise has been offering FDM to the European market. In this time, we have produced over 20,000 components, to the great satisfaction of our customers," says Bart Van der Schueren, director of Materialise' Industrial Services division. "We are looking forward to expand this success to a larger group of European customers."

From its Belgium digital manufacturing center, RedEye will process orders for countries throughout Europe. RedEye can build thermoplastic models and parts in virtually any size. The maximum build dimensions of the systems are 600x500x600 mm, but the capacity allows customers to build bigger prototypes using multiple systems and then assemble the parts to construct larger prototypes, such as a full scale commercial aircraft landing gear, ATM enclosures and automobile panels.
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Did you know…

That you can use thermoforming for short-run and prototype applications?

Thermoforming is a relatively simple manufacturing process that is inexpensive when compared to other plastic molding and forming methods. Although thermoforming is often associated with manufacturing of packaging items such as blister packs and disposable coffee cup lids, the cost and time advantages are realized in a broad spectrum of products in an equally broad range of industries. When using FDM® (fused deposition modeling) to construct thermoforming tooling, the process becomes simpler, more efficient and increasingly cost-effective. Learn more about thermoforming…

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A note from Kevin Galbraith on...
Repairing broken parts

Kevin Galbraith RedEye

Suppose you received your latest shipment of parts from us and you accidentally drop the box, breaking a piece of the part inside. Or, maybe you are taking your part out of the box and grab it by a thin wall and a piece chips or breaks. Sometimes, despite the strength and durability of thermoplastics, parts get damaged and broken, leaving you with little or no time to send it back to us for repair or rebuild. Through the years, we have tried a number of things to repair customer parts and we thought it was time to share what we’ve learned with you.

If you do, in fact, break a part or receive a broken part, there are several ways you can repair it. First, refit the part before using a bonding agent to ensure that it fits and will correctly fit when you secure it. We use a professional plastic welder that does a great job of bonding the joints without decreasing the mechanical properties or the strength of the part. In fact, in some applications, bonding the part actually strengthens it. If you are using the clear plastic adhesive on an application with PPSF/PPSU material for a high heat application, you will notice that the solvent bubbles at 100 degrees Celsius. We’ve found that your part will maintain its functionality, but may lose some of its cosmetic appeal. However, you can use a super-strength glue, such as a cyanoacrylate adhesive, and baking soda to repair the appearance.

We use instant glue as another bonding agent to repair parts, mostly to fill in gaps and holes. The baking soda acts as an accelerator for the glue, leaving the color of the part unchanged. In addition, we sometimes use instant glue to reapply pieces of a part because the accelerator (baking soda) immediately cures it.

System owners are probably the only customers able to use the third method of restoration. By applying a piece of the thermoplastic material to the damaged part and heating it with the hot air gun, you can weld the two joints back together and maintain the properties of the original part.

All of these methods will help you easily repair your parts, but you will have to perform some cosmetic corrections if appearance is a concern. For example, the professional plastic welder will leave a shine on the part and the instant glue and baking soda method may leave a rough edge. By using a 220 or 330 grit sandpaper, you can gently smooth the surface finish of your part without scratching it. However, make sure to wait an ample amount of time – at least 45 minutes – for the adhesive to dry before sanding it. In addition, mineral oil on a clean rag helps the appearance of your part. However, immediately wipe off the mineral oil to ensure the part abstains from absorbing the oil.

We are always trying new things to repair and mend broken and damaged parts. If you have tried a method we failed to list, please send it to us. We would love to try it here in our finishing shop and share it with other RedEye customers. Send your tips to Ruth Jacques in our marketing department at Ruth.Jacques@redeyeondemand.com.

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Customer Application of the Month - Underwater Vehicle

Underwater Vehicle - ABS Green

When the students from Flower Mound High School, in Flower Mound, Tex. decided to enter the Marine Advance Technology Education (MATE) ROV Competition for the second year in a row, they chose RedEye to build the design for their underwater vehicle. "We saw your technology used by a college at a different competition in San Diego, last year," said Luke Cragin, team captain for the four-member high school team. "We were impressed with their design and decided to explore the potential with our design for this year’s competition.”

The Flower Mound High School team consists of four team members, Luke Cragin, Collin Cragin, Sung Ho Park and Rachel Glockenmeier. These students range in grade from sophomore to senior. They have two mentors – Trent Cragin, who serves as the design and building mentor and Harry Lewis, who serves as the electrical mentor. ranging in grade from sophomore to senior. They have two parent mentors – Cragin, who serves as the design mentor and another parent who serves as the electrical engineering mentor.

RedEye is building the team's design with ABS green and it will take approximately seven days to build due to the size and geometries of the design. Once completed, RedEye will ship the part to the team for assembly into their vehicle.

Flower Mound will compete in the Explorer Class division this coming June. Last year, Flower Mound secured the first place slot in their regional competition and brought home third place at the international competition in the Ranger Class.

According to the Web site, the MATE Center coordinates an international student ROV competition and a network of 17 regional ROV contests that take place across U.S. and in Canada, Hong Kong, and Scotland. Student teams from middle schools, high schools, home schools, community colleges, and universities participate in the events, which consists of two different "classes" that vary depending on the sophistication of the ROVs and the mission requirements.
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