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Groundbreaking unveilings at RAPID + TCT 2017

RAPID + TCT – the most influential Additive Manufacturing Conference in North America is in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania this week for their 2017 conference. For over 25 years, RAPID has defined the role of additive manufacturing and brought the community together. The 2017 Pittsburgh Conference is no exception. Over 200 experts will speak on the latest processes, applications, materials and research in 3D printing, additive manufacturing, 3D scanning, CAD/CAE, metrology, inspection technologies and more.

Allegheny Educational Systems is in attendance along with our partners Stratasys, Roland DGA, Dassault, and others – including our newest partner Desktop Metal. Both Stratasys and Desktop Metal have unveiled exciting news at RAPID + TCT 2017.

Seconds until the reveal of Stratasys’ newest innovation in 3D printing.

Stratasys announces the Continuous Build 3D Demonstrator – an innovative multi-cell additive manufacturing platform designed for continuous production.

This new additive manufacturing approach is designed for low volume production and mass customization. It boasts scalable cloud-based architecture created to achieve new economies of scale with easy addition of 3D print cells to meet production demand. The Demonstrator has a reliable and smart multi-cell platform that enables continuous, automated 3D printing with only minor operator intervention.

Stratasys founder Scott Crump stands in front of the Stratasys Continuous Build 3D Demonstrator

The ideal use cases for the Stratasys Continuous Build 3D Demonstrator are Education RP labs and model shops that need high throughput, and manufacturers and service providers of short-run production (quantities of 1 to 1000s) or mass customization of plastic parts.

Target applications include education RP labs and environments that can benefit from zero tooling production and from a zero inventory supply chain.

While no new product, system or systems are being launched at RAPID, this Technology Demonstration represents a development path for Stratasys which will yield new manufacturing-focused technology and products. The Stratasys Continuous Build 3D Demonstrator, along with their previous 3D demonstrators, presents Stratasys’ commitment and advancements in the manufacturing segment. As with concept cars at auto shows, the technology demonstrators that Stratasys has unveiled, are not commercially available for purchase.

Our newest partner Desktop Metal launched its metal 3D printing systems at RAPID + TCT. These systems offer the latest in metal 3D printing solutions, from prototyping to mass production. Two systems are available – the Studio system, which offers affordable, office-friendly metal 3D printing, and the Production system which is a high-resolution, high throughput printer that is 100x faster than DMLS.

Desktop Metal Studio and Production systems

The Studio system was designed as an end-to-end solution and as a way to print complex metal parts in-house. This cost-effective metal 3D printing system is office friendly, has hand-removal of supports, fast material changes, and web-based software. It was designed for simple installation and use.

Sample parts printed in place at RAPID + TCT 2017

The Production system is the first metal 3D printing system for mass production. Arriving in 2018, the Production system delivers the speed, quality, and cost-per-part needed to compete with traditional manufacturing processes.

Based on a new approach to metal 3D printing – Single Pass Jetting (SPJ) builds metal parts in a matter of minutes instead of hours. Parts created by the Production system are surrounded by loose powder, enabling the full use of the build envelope and higher productivity per build.

Both Desktop Metal systems are designed to use the same MIM (Metal Injection Molding) materials, which opens up an ecosystem of low-cost, high-quality alloys with a mature supply chain and well-studied controls. By enabling the use of metal powders from the MIM industry, Desktop Metal systems have access to a wide range of existing materials – from steels and aluminum to superalloys and titanium. Over 30 materials are available for printing.

Desktop Metal Stainless Steel Material

Allegheny Educational Systems is proud to partner with Stratasys and Desktop Metal and look forward to bringing these exciting new additive manufacturing technologies announced at RAPID + TCT 2017 to our customers.

For information on Stratasys 3D Printers or to learn more about Desktop Metal 3D printing systems, please contact us.

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