FDM creates iphone bridge prototype pre-production

Inventor and Dimension 3D Printer user Jason Hilbourne has yanked a tangled mess of white cord out of his bag for the last time. He and his colleagues at 3D Product Engineering in Portland, Oregon, have developed Twig, a short, sturdy, flexible accessory for syncing and charging handheld Apple devices. The Twig improves threefold upon the idea of a shorter cord: It doubles as a tripod and, resting against a wall, triples as a charging base. Watch this video to see the household objects Hilbourne sacrificed to splice together his early prototypes, eventually graduating to attractive black ABS models built on a Fused Deposition Modeling system. Hilbourne describes his creative process as involving “lots of prototyping,” and says he and his colleagues use 3D printing all the time. If you want one of these clever accessories for yourself, preorder one now; the Twig is a Kickstarter project that seems fast on its way to final production. But only sustained interest will put it in backpacks and briefcases.

FDM creates prototypes for the Smithsonian

The possibilities are endless with rapid prototyping technologies. Aside from functional tools, injection moulds, blow moulds and highly accurate parts, FDM is also suitable for building lifesize replicas, like the model of Thomas Jefferson recently created for the Smithsonian. The possibilities are endless with rapid prototyping technologies. Aside from functional tools, injection moulds, blow moulds and highly accurate parts, FDM is also suitable for building lifesize replicas, like the model of Thomas Jefferson recently created for the Smithsonian.

The Smithsonian was putting together an exhibition for the National Museum of African American History called Slavery at Jefferson’s Monticello: Paradox of Liberty. They would obvioulsy have loved to use the statue on permanent display at Monticello, the Thomas Jefferson Museum in Virginia, but that was not practical or possible.

Instead of using traditional modelling techniques, such as rubber molding and casting, the statue was instead scanned and built in three sections (four parts) using FDM technology and materials. The full scale replica was then finished and painted to look like the original bronze statue.

Not only is this an excellent example of rapid prototyping technology and the possibilities of this growing industry, it also opens up a whole new way for people to experience some amazing objects in a museum or gallery which they may otherwise never have the opportunity to see.

FDM parts and prototypes are durable and accurate, minimising the risk of damage during transport.

Already popular with medical models, architectural models and teaching aids, a new era of model making has arrived, and with it, new opportunities!

Well Done Redeye On Demand and the Smithsonian.

Streamlining Aerospace Tooling with FDM

Advanced Composite Structures (ACS) repairs components for planes and helicopters, and manufactures low-volume composite parts for the aerospace industry. A typical job might include repairing a helicopter blade or building an aircraft camera fairing. Tooling is often a big portion of a job's cost, including layup tools to create composite parts and fixtures for drilling.
In the past, CNC machining weighed down ACS with heavy costs and lead times. The typical tool cost around $2,000 to make and required eight to 10 weeks. If the tool wasn’t perfect the first time around, the process began again.
So ACS streamlined by moving all of its tooling production to a Fortus 3D Production System, as available through Redeye on Demand Australasia, which creates durable, lightweight plastic jigs and fixtures directly from a CAD file through Fused Deposition Modeling (FDM). It now takes about two days and $400 to produce a typical tool, meaning ACS trimmed one of its biggest expenses by 80 percent. Plus, reworking a component is less of a setback.
“FDM has helped us substantially improve our competitive position,” said owner Bruce Anning.
To read the whole story of ACS’s low-volume manufacturing success, click here.