Newsletter October 2009

In this issue:

 

• Digital Manufacturing is eco-friendly

• Choose your own surface finish

• Jay Leno uses the same technology as RedEye

• Make-A-Wish Boy gets dream

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Direct Digital Manufacturing
Your Green Alternative to Traditional Manufacturing Methods

Designing for sustainability is a hot topic in today’s engineering world. Design software companies are adding tools to help engineers compare manufacturing methods and materials so they can evaluate their design's carbon footprint, executives are insisting that their operations teams adopt just-in-time (JIT) manufacturing techniques and customers are demanding new products that are eco-friendly.

RedEye On Demand's commitment reaches beyond supplying environmentally friendly parts. It extends throughout our offices, manufacturing facilities and distribution systems.

Direct Digital Manufacturing "Green" Attributes

• JIT Manufacturing

• Less Hazardous Materials Used

• Low Material Waste

Just-In-Time (JIT) Manufacturing
DDM is a manufacturing process which creates physical parts directly from 3D CAD files using additive fabrication technology. All DDM parts are intended to be used as the final product itself with minimal post-processing, making it a viable choice for engineers looking to implement JIT manufacturing techniques.

Manufacturers can create parts in as little as 3 days using RedEye's DDM services, so there's no need to carry large quantities of inventory or dispose of discontinued product. At RedEye, product design files are stored digitally so users can manufacture any quantity without any cost penalty - on demand.

Less Hazardous Materials Used
Unlike some rapid manufacturing processes, the DDM process uses no hazardous or dangerous materials and produces no harmful gasses.

Low Material Waste
DDM is an eco-friendly process because there is little waste in creating the product. With traditional manufacturing methods like CNC Milling, parts are created from a block of either plastic or metal shaving off tons of material that goes to waste every year. With conventional machining of metal parts, energy is used to smelt metal into ingots, which become billet materials. These billet materials are then machined, removing a great deal of the material to produce the final part.

In contrast, DDM parts are built in layers melting plastic and applying it through very small outlets not much wider than a human hair. This layer-by-layer application uses only the amount of plastic required to make the part, so there is only an insignificant amount of wasted building material in the process.

A sparse fill option is also available to manufacturers who want to further reduce the amount of plastic being used to create their parts. Parts can be built to a variety of fill levels.

Finally, limited waste enhances energy efficiency because energy is not used to transport or dispose of wasted materials. When manufacturers eliminate machining, they also discard the use of petroleum-based cooling fluids not used in DDM.

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ReadyPart™ Offers More Surface Finishes & Colors

ReadyPart™, our patented smoothing process, gives your parts a finished look while maintaining feature detail, strength and accuracy.

It’s ideal for applications where an even surface is required:

Immediate Use Painting Electroplating

Vacuum Metallization Master for RTV Molding Water-tight Applications under Atmospheric Pressure

Now Choose from a Variety of Colors and Finishes:

• ABS: White, Yellow, Gray: Matte & Gloss

• ABS-M30: White, Natural: Matte & Gloss

• ABS-M30: Black, Dark Gray, Blue: Gloss only

More of a Do-it-Yourselfer?
Find out how to paint show quality models, prepare your part for electroplating, create clear plastic models, or dye your PolyJet parts virtually any color.

Learn How to Finish Your Prototypes >

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Jay Leno has a lot of old cars with a lot of obsolete parts

For car enthusiasts there can be no greater satisfaction than restoring a car to all its former glory.

Many classic, antique and specialty cars are left to collect dust primarily because parts become too difficult to find or make. Parts are difficult to find because of the rarity of vehicles to begin with, automotive manufacturers discontinuing product lines or even going out of business. Parts are difficult to make because the most common manufacturing method is giving the old part to a machinist to create. A machinist takes 2-3 days to design the new part at $200 an hour and in the end, it's not always an exact fit. It’s an expensive, long, iterative process.

The technology used at RedEye On Demand changes all that. Using RedEye's digital manufacturing services allows you to get replacement parts in just days. Simply upload your CAD file (a file derived from common engineering software) or upload your 3D scanned part file and RedEye prints and ships your part.

If you're not an Engineer by trade, using a 3D scanner to create the file is the easiest method. 3D scanners can measure 1 million points on an object in just a few minutes. Combining CAD files or 3D scanned part files allows you to get a real thermoplastic part real time. Once you receive your part you can make sure everything functions and fits appropriately so you can take it to tooling. In some cases, thermoplastic parts can even be used as the actual end-use part.

Jay Leno uses this technology to keep his 1907 White Steam car going. The White Steamer was the Whitehouse’s first car. In fact, the Army bought more White's than all other vehicles combined because there were very dependable. The problem is the last White Steam dealer went out of business in 1910. When Jay got the car it had been collecting dust for nearly 7 years.

"With something like this you can literally keep old cars on the road forever and ever 'cause you can make everything. That's the really cool thing about it. There's no mold or casting you can't duplicate." says Leno.

Watch this video and you'll see Jay Leno recreate a D valve using the same additive manufacturing technology offered at RedEye.

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Boy Gets his Make-A-Wish with a Model of the Burj Dubai Tower

A captivating sculpture of a woman created using PolyJet 3D printing.

I think you’ll agree there is something captivating about Chance Mitchell.

This first grader is an architecture buff who is enamored with scale models of historical towers. Most days he enjoys building his own masterpieces out of Lego blocks and cardboard.

He also has to wear a pacemaker for the rest of his life. Nevertheless, it hasn't disparaged his ambitions to become an architect.

Of course there is one special building that he just had to have: United Arab Emirates' (UAE) Burj Dubai Tower. After an internet search with his mother one day for the largest tower in the world, Chance became awestruck by its more than 160 stories.

When world renowned architect, Adrian Smith, contacted RedEye ARC to create the tower, we were happy to help. "It's a great feeling to have used our technology to make a child’s dream come true," says Jeff Hanson, RedEye ARC's Business Development Manager.

To learn more about the technology used to create models like Chance's, simply visit our website.

Peruse our Gallery of art, entertainment and architecture models.

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