3D printing insight

juliette_delaunay

Hi,

We would like to propose a 3D printing service and to develop a 3D printing apps on Onshape... For that, I'd like to get some inputs & insights from the community:
- what would be your needs?
- what is really important / the priority?
- what is missing in the 3D printing world?

If you'd like to be a beta user, please let me know in private mail!
I can't wait to be part of such a project ...

alexander_potochkin

Hello Juliette

I designed a 3D model in onShape to 3d print it and made a silicone mold from it.
This was my first modelling experiment ever, so here is what I learned:

3D printers use different material to print and most of them require post processing.
I printed the model with polyamide which allows me to test it in real life,
but it was very difficult to polish it properly.

So when you use a 3D printed object as a mold model,
you likely to need to polish it to make a good mold and this may be not trivial.

I don't have the vacuum pump so I chose the silicone and plastic
that don't require degassing.

When I made my first molds it turned out that I didn't think about air vents in the mold
and it caused the air bubbles in the casting.

Eventually I updated my model and added the air vents as well as the fill port as the part of my 3d model.
I know that some people attach toothpicks to the model as the air vents but I wanted to make it more solid.

It took me a lot of time to find the right silicone to make a good mold
and the pouring plastic which mimics polyamide model.

So in the ideal world I need a magic button which I can press and have my model printed out
as well as the detailed instructions on how to make a silicone mold and plastic castings at home.

With all the details on how to better place the model in the silicone to minimize the air bubbles in the casting
and where to make the air vents if it is needed.

I even imagine a service that skips the 3D printing step and provides a correctly made silicone mold right away.

Thanks
alexp

chris_8

juliette_delaunay said:

Hi,

We would like to propose a 3D printing service and to develop a 3D printing apps on Onshape... For that, I'd like to get some inputs & insights from the community:
- what would be your needs?
- what is really important / the priority?
- what is missing in the 3D printing world?

If you'd like to be a beta user, please let me know in private mail!
I can't wait to be part of such a project ...

Juliette,

That is such a broad question because the world of 3DP is big and expanding.  I haven't really considered linking the two functions of Modeling and Printing.   Maybe 5 years ago, before quality printers were affordable and reliable, then it would have made sense to merge the two, but now people can have their own parts printed at home right now.    Machining on the other hand still requires pricey equipment.  What about going for instant quotes direct from OnShape to machine parts in a variety of materials?   And laser cutting?

kevin_quigley

I bought my first additive manufactured (sorry 3D printed in hype parlance) part in 1991/2. It was FDM. Since then we have purchased tens of thousands of 3D printed FDM, SLA, SLS, DLP, zCorp, Objet etc parts, not to mention CNC, vac castings, rim, etc.

I have seen print services come and go. What I have learned is 3D printing is now a commodity. We have an in house U print but still buy in maybe 10-15 parts a month (mainly SLS). 

Top tips for buyers. Printing is a commodity but bureaux are interested in filling build platforms. With FDM, Objet, SLA that can be limiting as you cannot stack builds, but with SLS and other powder systems you can nest parts. The big suppliers like Materialise, Shapeways etc have a lot of SLS machines that run to capacity most times. Their online pricing can be considered the datum from which pricing is negociated. The smaller suppliers often have just one SLS machine and if that is not running full they hold back on builds.

What we do is work with a few trusted suppliers. we get a job, we log onto Materialise Onsite and get a price. We then say to our suppliers, if you can do this for this price, in this turnaround you get the job. Most of the time, turnaround is more critical than price. So, often, the big players get the jobs because they have good prices and turnaround. But sometimes we can say to suppliers, we need this job in 2 weeks, and price is sensitive, so best price wins. This lets suppliers hold the parts and fill in other builds to ensure the build is full. Win win for all. We get cheaper parts, they fill the build.

So, onto a print service. Having a native file format service is a gimmick to pros. Sorry. We dont use native file systems. We always convert to STL, and check the file in Magics or our Stratasys Catalyst system.

For us, beyond internal printing, 90% of our bought in is SLS. The rest is Objet, because we have a local company who runs an Objet Eden500 and get fantastic service...same or next day. Not cheap but for this time is the critical element.

We are considering buying a Form2. Maybe. 

answering questions asked.

Building native apps onto Onshape (or SolidWorks, Creo etc) is irrelevant for most.

Priority is getting a price immediately and fast turnaround (if we dont get a price back within 2 hrs we dont use the supplier). Turnaround we expect 2days for SLA or Objet, 2-5 days for SLS (but you need to be reasonable as part size and complexity has a huge influence on turnaround). 

To be frank, the 3D printing industry is oversubscribed. If you are only supplying prints, unless you offer lower price and faster turnaround you are dead in the water. The way to add value is to offer added services. Cnc, laser cutting, low volume injection moulding (using either cnc or 3d printed inserts), sheet metal, tube bending etc. Very few companies offer this except the long established prototype suppliers. New starts tend to take the business model of create a flashy app, lease a 3D printer, rent a garage and set up shop. To me, this is non starter in 2016. That ship sailed in 2012.

but then, what do I know?