Category: Blog

When considering Additive for its speed, flexibility, and efficiency, examine how to extend these benefits through the final step of the process.

Mitigating risk within supply chains is a goal that most manufacturers work toward improving incrementally. For this issue to be brought to the top of the priority list, it usually takes a major, often crisis-inducing event. While we’re probably most accustomed to supply chain issues caused by hazardous weather events or trade disruptions caused by diplomacy, this time around, the global COVID-19 pandemic is the source of economic disruption. The volatile state of the stock market is enough to put many companies on edge right now, not to mention the innate fear that they may not be able to meet contracted deadlines. While this pandemic is inhibiting a variety of industries from operating normally, it is especially impacting supply chains as we know them across sectors like consumer goods, automotive, food and beverage, transportation, and more.

COVID-19 has already impacted hundreds of thousands of people across the globe – and numbers only continue to rise. Considering the pandemic initially broke out in the province of Wuhan in China, many western-based companies who rely on Tier 1 and Tier 2 shipments from China were immediately impacted. As a result, we can expect to keep seeing the cost of shipments from China increase on account of premiums, as well as overtime and expedited freight costs. As demands for certain products spike in the short term, stockpiling will also surely force some businesses into vulnerable positions as they struggle to retain inventory. Now that the virus has given rise to quarantines across Europe and the United States, it is beginning to even impact companies who domestically source their raw goods and labor, as well.

As the situation progresses in the west while some eastern manufacturers begin to bounce back, it is in the best interest of companies to actively analyze the implications COVID-19 is placing on their supply chains. To gain an accurate understanding of their situation and best prepare for the coming months, it is recommended that businesses perform operational risk assessments, round up data across all supply chain tiers, and create a temporary inventory recovery process. While this pandemic makes once-sound supply chains increasingly high risk and unreliable, those who utilize Additive Manufacturing within their supply chain have a little less to worry about.

Where Additive Comes In

Thanks to its on-demand nature, Additive Manufacturing provides a myriad of production benefits while lessening the commercial impact of supply chain disruptions. The ability to produce parts in-house allows for total process control and dynamic flexibility. Having a stockpile of digital designs enables on-demand production, cutting the costs of setting up and managing an initial inventory. As Supply Chain Digital reports, “The cost-benefit [of additive] goes beyond the transportation in that we eliminate the need to get rid of obsolete parts. Only parts that are demanded are produced – no obsolete parts! This is a huge win for the environment and a clear cost saving to the brand.”

Additionally, in-house additive production allows for simple customization of parts, without having to go through a variety of channels. Because 3D printing has virtually no limitations when it comes to developing complex geometries, custom parts can easily be produced en masse, in much less time than more traditional methods would allow. This ability resolves common bottlenecks that arise around more complex assemblies of specialized parts.

While in-house additive production is renowned for low costs and quick turnaround times, its ability to lessen reliance on outside suppliers is especially critical during this period of pandemic and uncertainty. So as more U.S. manufacturers proceed with swapping out overseas labor for domestic 3D printing solutions, they can expect to see faster speed-to-market of new products, quicker order fulfillment, and an increased ability to rapidly adapt their business processes in this volatile market.

Post-Printing: A Help or Hindrance Your New Additive Operation

Those new to additive will need to understand the post-printing step’s notorious reputation for slowing down workflows. As the final leg of the three-step “design, print, post-print” cycle, conventional support removal and surface finishing processes tend to require copious amounts of manual labor or utilize out-dated equipment not designed for additive. For manufacturers turning on an additive operation utilizing finite in-house resources, it is not ideal to start the endeavor using valuable engineer or technician time on laborious finishing of 3D printed parts with inconsistent final part outcomes.

To avoid these sorts of bottlenecks while maintaining supply chain efficiency, an approach that employs an automated solution is key. Letting software take the wheel in the post-printing step can help additive manufacturing reach its full promise of a digital workflow – improved efficiencies, productivity, and consistency with minimal manual labor – ultimately allowing for increased throughput for the entire operation. To truly make the most out of a switch in your supply chain to incorporate 3D printing, scalable and automated post-printing should be a critical factor in your transition plan.

Learn more here about the effects of COVID-19 on the additive manufacturing realm from Gardner Intelligence chief economist Michael Guckes and Additive Manufacturing senior editor Stephanie Hendrixson.

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In just the past couple of years, there has been a tremendous trend towards sustainability throughout the world, and within the business sector. The findings within the UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC)’s Fifth Assessment Report back in 2013 are what initially brought the global warming crisis to light for many. The data in this report, which clarified just how heavily climate change was associated with human activities, would go on to inspire the 2016 Paris Agreement.

While there are many factors to keep in mind when it comes to environmentalism and responsible consumption, the main focus of the Paris Agreement is to keep temperature rise well below a 2°C increase in the 21st century. Actions to reach this goal involve significantly reducing carbon emissions and the consumption of fossil fuels. As climate change continues to be a hot button topic, an increasing number of global initiatives are arising to turn the tide on how humanity is managing its resources.

Fast forward just a few years following the Paris Agreement, and sustainability has become a fundamental factor in today’s consumption and purchasing landscape. Customers now value sustainability so much that more than 90% of today’s CEOs acknowledge that it is fundamental for a successful business. As the pioneers of the automated 3D post-printing industry, we are aware of the responsibility we carry to build a sector that is eager to act upon sustainability initiatives.

The good news is, we’re off to a great start considering that our products are inherently sustainable. Compared to traditional support removal methods, our software-driven technology improves workflow efficiencies while reducing energy and chemical usage. But to us, the most significant value in our solutions is a human-centric one – the reduction of time spent on manual labor. Without our automated solutions, post-printing typically requires tedious hands-on labor to complete support removal or surface finishing. While these inefficiencies can negatively impact a company’s overhead, the energy that technicians and engineers are wasting on post-printing is an even more significant issue. These individuals should instead be able to use their full potential to work on more fruitful projects. Additionally, it’s no surprise that excessive manual labor can have a negative impact on overall health and wellbeing.

Our sustainability initiatives do not end with our products, though. Sustainability is at the heart of our company, and we are continually striving to incorporate more of it into our day-to-day operations. Much like we focus on integrative 3D printing based on the three steps of design, print, and post-print, our efforts towards sustainability trickle down into three concerted initiatives: People. Planet. Profits.

For each of these areas of focus, we’ve drawn inspiration from the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals. While we strive to incorporate all 17 goals into the foundation of PostProcess Technologies, we have pulled three out to focus our initiatives around:

Goal 3
Good Health & Wellbeing: Ensure healthy lives and promote wellbeing for all at all ages.

Goal 8
Decent Work & Economic Growth: Promote sustained, inclusive, and sustainable economic growth, full and productive employment, and decent work for all.

Goal 12
Responsible Consumption & Production: Ensure sustainable consumption and production patterns.

For more insight, take a look at our new Dedication to Sustainability webpage, where we delve into the variety of actions that we are taking to ensure we’re meeting these initiatives. We’re excited to be building a company that will remain sustainable, in many senses of the word, for years to come.

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If you’ve been in the 3D printing industry for any significant amount of time, you’re probably aware of the market dominance that polymers have established in the realm of 3D printing materials. The popularity of this material only appears to have increased in recent years, as the 2019 Wohler’s Report* cites that over 77% of service providers deliver polymer parts. Compared to statistics from the previous year, this actually indicates a recent increase in polymer part-building services.

Much like the way that polymers serve as the industry standard material for 3D printing, fused deposition modeling (FDM™) acts as the “poster child” for 3D printers. In other words, if you brought up 3D printing to the average person, an FDM printer is what would likely come to their mind. What makes FDM printing so popular is that it is not only cost-effective but extremely versatile in its applications. Individuals enthusiastic about 3D printing for sport can easily acquire an FDM printer for personal projects, while the printer type also supports large-scale manufacturing facilities.

From automotive production to tooling, those in the manufacturing field value FDM for its ability to rapidly prototype, and to test the fit, form, and function of parts. While FDM excels in cost-effectiveness for design and printing (the first two steps of the integrative 3-step additive workflow) it’s all too common for bottlenecks to arise during the final step; post-printing. Without the use of automated post-printing technology, most support removal is left up to tedious industry-accepted methods like submersion tanks, which have notoriously long cycle times (4 or more hours is typical). This often results in the need for overnight processing, making it a challenge for servicers to deliver end-use parts in a timely manner.

Traditional support removal methods also run a high risk of producing inconsistent results, especially after evaporation has occurred. Because temperature control is often limited, and human error can cause issues when determining chemistry ratios, post-printing by means of a submersion tank often leads to varied results, creating the need for excessive maintenance activity on parts.

If your operation has used submersion tanks for post-printing, you’ve probably dealt with the inefficiencies that arise when additional support removal is required. Not only does manual post-printing waste valuable technician time, but it further slows down this already sluggish third step of the additive workflow. This technician time devoted to post-processing could be otherwise spent working on more significant projects.

Our latest white paper discusses a revolutionary software-driven method that utilizes Volumetric Velocity Dispersion (VVD) technology to streamline the FDM workflow. In the paper, we discuss how this solution uses configurable agitation and concentrated flex nozzles to dissolve support material quickly, ensuring constant support removal action.

By combining unique mechanical and chemical rates of removal with software intelligence, we’ve created an entirely unique and efficient opportunity for FDM users. With this technology, users can benefit from some of the fastest cycle times in the industry, consistent results, and higher throughputs. We’re pleased to present 3D printing users with an opportunity to cut down on costs while wasting less time, and fewer resources.

Specifically, this paper discusses the benefits of streamlining your workflow with VVD technology, and speaks to:

• This automated solution’s significant (73%) decrease in cycle time compared to the common submersion tank solution.
• The ability to process very complex parts featuring multiple internal channels filled with support material at comparable rates to basic parts.
• Alleviating the post-print bottleneck and expediting iterative designs to ramp up production volumes with this software-controlled approach.

Download this resource to learn about the software-driven automation, unique VVD technology, and patent-pending chemicals that make this automated technology so impactful to the FDM additive workflow.

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*Wohlers, Terry, Robert Ian Campbell, Ray Huff, Olaf Diegel, and Joseph Kowen. Wohlers Report 2019 3D Printing and Additive Manufacturing State of the Industry. Fort Collins, CO: Wohlers Associates, 2019.

It’s no surprise that the additive manufacturing (AM) industry is continuing to expand at a rapid pace. In fact, it’s projected that 3D printing will grow to a whopping $49.1 billion industry by 2025. Particularly, MJF 3D printing technology is being utilized more and more as a means of developing complex functional parts with low unit pricing. If you’re considering 3D printing options, keep in mind that powder-based MJF print technology has a significant number of advantages over other 3D printing methods.

For example, MJF allows for faster overall cycle times and is capable of notably broader design flexibility compared to other popular 3D printing techniques like FDM or the powder-based SLS. As far as sustainability and eco-friendliness are concerned, MJF printing is a vetted sustainable option, as it allows a high percentage of the powdered material it employs to be recycled. This longer material purchasing cycle not only helps to reduce costs, but makes the MJF a sustainable choice for both your budget and the environment.

That being said, there is an aspect of the MJF printing process that is less than ideal – its surface finishing options. These current techniques hold the ability to cause a variety of issues in the additive workflow, as most require a significant amount of tedious manual labor. These processes tend to involve arcane tools like sandpaper, sanding blocks, or even small dremel tools. Plus, as anyone who has had to hire technical workers knows; manual labor can be quite costly, and at times, hard to come by.

If your business decides not to hire technicians to execute surface finishing, there is a good chance that instead, engineers will be spending precious working hours sanding away at printed parts. This engineering time devoted to post-processing could be otherwise spent working on more significant projects. These various inefficiencies tend to culminate as post-print bottlenecks, preventing production volumes from being achieved, and disrupting streamlined workflows.

Alternatively, traditional vibratory surface finishing systems are also frequently used to post-process MJF printed parts. The issue with this approach is that it lacks significant control as a subtractive manufacturing process. Vibratory systems run a high risk of damage, or at the very least, wearing down the intricate geometry of the parts. This technique has a tendency of resulting in wide inconsistencies and breakage. Our most recent white paper discusses a new, automated approach that mitigates these challenges with a software-driven solution designed specifically for additive manufacturing.

This paper covers:

• The benefits of a novel automated post-printing method for surface finishing.
• Opportunities to achieve surface finish values of less than 2-microns across a variety of MJF printer platforms.
• Key considerations like part density and hardness.
• Manufacturing factors including the impact of print technology and print orientation on the surface profile.

This aforementioned surface finishing technology prevents bottlenecks, frees up labor costs, and provides rapid, consistent results that preserve complex details.

Read through our white paper to learn about the software-driven automation, suspended rotational force, and patent-pending chemicals that make this automated technology so revolutionary to the MJF surface finishing process.

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As Automotive continues to be one of Additive Manufacturing’s top growth markets in both the number of applications and volume of printed parts, the importance of increased productivity, consistency, and quality is also ramping. Automotive applications are heavily weighted towards the use of FDM in rapid prototyping to help cut timelines and allow companies to iterate more effectively. But with this advancement of significantly improved design and build processes, the post-processing step is often overlooked as an opportunity to further optimize overall production times.

To date, many companies printing for Automotive applications have leaned on subtractive equipment from their factory floor and tried to adapt them for Additive, including hand tools, submersible tanks, and traditional tumblers. While this can work in some cases, as volumes ramp issues are arising. Even with assistance from these machines, there is a high component of labor, or what we call attended technician time. It is not uncommon for the attended technician time to last the entire cycle with a tumbler or submersible tank due to the frequent monitoring of the systems that are required.

Even with the best technicians, there can be inconsistent results. Variations in the level of precision and issues of rework are common. With traditional machines not optimized for Additive Manufactured parts, breakage levels can also be especially problematic. As print materials and labor are expensive, re-printing could be significantly affecting the ROI of your Additive operation overall.

Consider how automating the FDM support removal step of post-processing, such as with the PostProcess BASE™, can address these common issues in terms of productivity, consistency, quality, and of course, overall cycle time:

• Improves overall cycle times to enable rapid prototyping with over twice as many prototypes able to be produced every week
• Reduces processing time by over 50% and drying time by over 60%when compared to submersible tank systems.
• Minimizes part warpage and breakage without changes to dimensional accuracy due to lower temperatures and less liquid exposure. These challenges are almost inevitable in a submersible tank.
• Reduces attended technician time up to 90% from traditional solutions due to the system’s AUTOMAT3D™ software.

Maintaining a competitive edge will continue to propel prototype volumes in Automotive and other markets from thousands per year to hundreds of thousands per year, particularly in companies that rely on fast innovation to drive growth. Here at PostProcess, our mission is to help the industry move beyond brute-forcing post-printing with manual labor and traditional mechanical solutions towards software-based automated solutions to ensure throughput and consistency in line with the market’s expectations.

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2019 was an exciting year for Additive Manufacturing…a impressive array of announcements and collaborations, record-breaking trade show and conference attendance, and a myriad of exciting applications of 3D printing technology.

Here at PostProcess, we also have some pretty exciting accomplishments and milestones to celebrate. Let’s take a look back at our biggest stories and publications from 2019 as we continue our journey to unleash the transformative power of additive manufacturing with the world’s only data-driven post-printing solution.

• November – PostProcess Announces $20M Series B Round and European Strategy Expansion. We shared the news of our Series B funding, led by Grand Oaks Capital, the appointment of new EU Channel Partners, and EU facility expansion supported by a grant from regional authorities. Read more here.
• September – Annual Additive Post-Printing Survey: Trends Report 2019. PostProcess launched the first-of-its-kind annual survey report on Additive Manufacturing Post-Printing! We collaborated with the Society of Manufacturing Engineers (SME) to query end users on the state of post-processing, a critical but often under-reported final step of 3D printing. Read more here
• September – Toro Selects PostProcess to Implement Automated 3D Post-Printing. In an effort to reduce operator labor, The Toro Company implemented automated post-printing into its additive manufacturing workflow with the BASE support removal solution for their 3D printed FDM parts. Read more here.
• June – Considerations for Surface Finishing of 3D Printed Inconel 718. 3D printing with metal was one of the hottest topics of the year. We tackled challenge of surface finishing additively manufactured metals and alloys, with focus on the widely-used nickel super-alloy Inconel 718 printed with DMLS technology, in this white paper. Read more here.
• March – PostProcess Announces Fastest Processing Times in the Industry with new Resin Removal Solution. Our groundbreaking new solution for SLA, CLIP, and DLP resin removal provides dramatically improved processing times of 5-10 minutes, lower operator attendance time with reduced environmental hazards, preservation of fine feature details, and overall improved resin removal from SLA printed parts. Read more here.

Be sure to follow us on Twitter and LinkedIn to keep up with all of the exciting announcements that are yet to come in 2020!

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It is no secret in our industry that PolyJet support removal is considered by many to be an art rather than a science. This is especially true when it comes to cleaning support off of anatomical models. In this blog post, we’re going to discuss the three main challenges associated with traditional methods for support removal on anatomical parts, which is an increasingly popular application. These three challenges are high manual labor, breakage, and the cost associated with reprinting damaged parts.

Manual Labor

Most PolyJet users turn to manual removal of supports based on the assumption it’s their only option. In alternative applications, a waterjet can be used to speed up the process a bit. However, especially with anatomical models, water jetting significantly increases the risk of damage. Users are left to use picks, brushes, and other handheld tools to pick away at the support slowly. This is an extremely time-consuming process, as we hear stories of users spending over an hour on just one part. This loss of time makes the user less productive and prevents them from performing more value-added activities. The final issue with manual labor is breakage. Because of human error involved, many anatomical models get damaged during support removal.

Breakage

The challenge of breakage is so prevalent when it comes to anatomical models for two reasons; the materials used and the geometries printed. Often for anatomical applications, soft-durometer materials are utilized for a more realistic feel. These materials can have a low shear modulus, making them much easier to damage during handling, especially when picking or scraping off support. The second component attributing to these high breakage rates is how fragile the geometries typically are. Anatomical models are often comprised of thin walls, complex internal geometries, and fine-featured details. These features, combined with the delicate nature of the material itself, are what lead to parts breaking at a costly rate. This leads to the final challenge, costly reprinting of damaged parts.

Reprint Cost

Breaking an additively manufactured part creates a ripple effect when it comes to cost. Think of the time the user has already spent attempting to perform support removal before the part broke. You are spending twice as much of your own time for each part that is damaged. That time spent costs money. And if you plan on any design iteration, your plan has just been set back. Additionally, you are spending twice as much on both build and support materials for each part you have to reprint. It is easy to see how quickly a high breakage rate slows down your process while wasting your time and money.

In order to scale the anatomical modeling industry, these issues must be resolved. If you are interested in learning about our software-driven technology approach to tackle these issues, contact us today.

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PostProcess is excited to launch the first Annual Additive Post-Printing Survey: Trends 2019, conducted with support from the Society of Manufacturing Engineers (SME). Our aim is to deliver insightful data and perspective on this segment of the booming Additive Manufacturing market that has never been captured before.

As a pioneer of the automated 3D Post-Printing space, or Post-Processing as it is also known, it makes perfect sense for us also to pioneer analysis of this market segment – one that is poised to become increasingly critical to the scaling of the industry as printing moves in greater volumes to the factory floor. The early identification of the trends and challenges in Post-Printing is instrumental to continued innovations and advancements to support the overall market’s forecasted growth.

In the years to come, this annual survey will generate thought leadership with insightful year over year trends on the Post-Printing market. We thank all who participated this year for their time and insight.

DOWNLOAD THE RESULTS NOW

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Welcome to the final post of our four-part series breaking down PostProcess’ core technologies. Our goal has been to help you understand how our integrated approach of software, hardware, and chemistry delivers the most transformative 3D post-printing results in the industry. In this last piece, we explain the building blocks of our patented Submersed Vortex Cavitation (SVC) technology, utilized in our popular DEMI 400, DEMI 800, and DEMI 4000 support and resin removal solutions. The key components to SVC are our:

• Proprietary detergents
• Vortex pumping scheme
• Variable ultrasonics
• AUTOMAT3D® software

Now let’s unpack the role each one of these components plays in our soluble support and resin removal solutions.

Proprietary Detergents:
A key contributor to the effectiveness of the SVC technology is our proprietary chemistry. The three primary detergents we currently offer for use in our SVC line were all developed by our PhD chemists specifically for additive materials, an approach unlike any other in the market. We provide a detergent specific for each of the main polymer-based print technologies – material extrusion (i.e., FDM), material jetting (i.e., PolyJet), vat polymerization (i.e., SLA). For each one of these technologies, PostProcess’ detergent will dissolve soluble support material or uncured resin without compromising the build material. The chemistry is optimized for the materials used by each technology, and then further optimized through multiple fine-tuned mechanical energy sources which we will cover in the next section. The parts processed while submerged in our detergent covers the Submersed portion of SVC technology.

Vortex pumping scheme:
Our SVC solutions utilize a strategic pumping scheme that creates a proprietary rotating motion of the part while submerged in the detergent. Here at PostProcess, we like to say this motion ensures that “parts that float sink, parts that sink float.” What that really means is that regardless of density or geometry and how that affects a parts buoyancy, the Vortex component of SVC technology will ensure that the part is uniformly exposed to the detergent and cavitation from the ultrasonics.

Variable Ultrasonics:
To optimize the chemistry, PostProcess uses ultrasonic generated cavitation as another form of mechanical energy. The ultrasonics emit soundwaves at varying frequency and amplitude creating waves of compression and expansion in the detergent. This agitation of the liquid causes microscopic bubbles, cavitation, to form on the surface of the part. These bubbles agitate the support material as it is weakened by the chemistry, accelerating the processing time. What sets us apart from other machines in the industry? It’s the level of control we have from our AUTOMAT3D software and the fact that our ultrasonics are mounted on the side of the machine as opposed to the bottom. In a conventional system, the support material breaks down and settles on the bottom of the machine. This settled material would then impact the effectiveness of the wave emitted from the transducer. PostProcess’s SVC machines have mitigated this issue by mounting them on the side of the machine, ensuring maximum efficacy throughout the cycle.

AUTOMAT3D Software:
At this point, we have covered the hardware and chemistry portion of PostProcess’ SVC technology. However, being that we pride ourselves on being a comprehensive solution provider, there is one last vital piece to the puzzle, and that is our AUTOMAT3D software. What is essential to all of our technologies is the acute control of the system’s energy sources. AUTOMAT3D acts as the conductor of the whole process, configuring all of the energy output sources in response to sensor input data. The software manages temperature, ultrasonics output, and pump flow, all in concert with cycle time. Not only does the software provide the solution with the highest degree of energy management but also simplifies machine operation for the user. With recipe storage, process parameters can easily be saved for easy recall, requiring minimal operator time and promoting consistency with each cycle. Lastly, preventative maintenance and warnings allow users to plan for maintenance, further minimizing any downtime.

Now that you have a better understanding of our Submersed Vortex Cavitation technology,  is right for your application? Contact us today to discuss your specific needs and get the benchmark process started.

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Welcome to the third in our series of four blog posts highlighting each of PostProcess’ proprietary technology approaches. Here, we will take a deep dive into Suspended Rotational Force (SRF), utilized in our Surface Finish family of solutions.

The building blocks that drive the performance of our SRF technology are the following:

• Our proprietary detergent
• Our proprietary abrasive media
• Our AUTOMAT3D® software

Now let’s dig into what’s so special about each one of these components:

Proprietary Detergent:
First off, I want you to understand that we are not leveraging any chemical energy in this technology. This detergent was explicitly designed by our chemists to optimize the mechanical, abrasive energy that is provided by the media. The detergent ensures the additive manufactured part being processed can circulate through the media as well as wash away any broken down media or part material that accumulates during processing. When you’re thinking SRF detergent, you’re thinking media optimization. By optimizing the media, we are ensuring consistency throughout the batch. Using one detergent that is safe for all materials gives you the freedom to process a variety of materials in one batch.

Proprietary Abrasive Media:
Now onto the real work-horse of our SRF technology – media. Our development engineers performed extensive testing on a variety of different materials, shapes, and sizes of abrasive media to determine the most effective combination specific to additive manufactured materials. Depending on your application, our engineers will help you choose the right media based on your finishing requirements. With the range of offerings we provide, you can address multiple materials in one batch for a more one-size-fits-all approach. Alternatively, we can choose a specific material, density, shape, and size tailored to your part material and geometry.

Now that you know the role of the detergent and media, you now understand the Suspended aspect of SRF. With the 3D printed part suspended in the media/detergent mixture, these two components alone have provided you with the most advanced and additive-specific abrasive technology. But in real PostProcess nature, we take it to another level and give it a brain.

AUTOMAT3D Software:
By introducing software, we are providing our customers with an unprecedented level of process insight and control. In our SRF technology, our AUTOMAT3D software is controlling the friction force that a part is experiencing to provide process flexibility. The software comes pre-loaded with four different customizable agitation settings. These settings allow you to alter your process specific to how much friction force is applied to each batch of parts to adjust to different materials and geometries effortlessly. Additionally, AUTOMAT3D keeps you in the loop with what is happening with your machine with process monitoring. By keeping you up to date with tank levels and respective smart cycle times, we allow you to plan ahead for maintenance and minimize downtime.

With a better understanding of the software, you now know the Force aspect in SRF. Where does Rotational fit? That part is simple. When the motor in our machines kick on, a vibratory motion is initiated, moving whatever media/part mixture is sitting within the part envelope in a circular motion along the Y (vertical) axis. While the parts are suspended, the media/detergent mixture will rotate as a result of the circulating motion. This motion will ensure uniform exposure of the part to the media/detergent mixture and provide the consistent results that we promise. This summarizes the Rotational component of our SRF technology.

Suspended Rotational Force should make a lot more sense now, but how can you know if it is right for your application? Contact us today to discuss your specific needs and get the benchmark process started.

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