Newsletter November 2008

In this issue:

• Redefining Product Development – Part 2

• Creating an "Alien" Bike Rack with FDM Technology

• RedEye: A Clear Choice for Clear Plastic Parts

• Stratasys is International Traffic in Arms (ITAR) Registered

Redefining Product Development – Part 2

In the quest for innovative, competitive products, many companies are differentiating their product portfolios by redefining the product development process itself. Instead of responding to customer requests for redesign, companies are planning for possible changes in their products from the beginning.

As an example, a major ID card manufacturer produced a card printer that accommodated 250 cards in its card hopper. Because of the many uses for ID cards in today’s security-conscious world, more and more companies require greater capacity from a card printer. The 250 limit is often not enough. The question for the manufacturer became how to design more custom applications and build more variability into the process, not only in terms of the card hopper size, but also in terms of the lifespan of the printer ribbon.

What did this company do? Like many manufacturers today, this company used traditional manufacturing processes that included injection molded components requiring tooling. High cost and time to create tooling doesn’t allow for changes once a product goes to market. Traditional manufacturing processes of this type restrict the ability to delight customers with alternate or custom solutions.

So how could this company have been more responsive to customer needs? They could have used Direct Digital Manufacturing (DDM) from RedEye. With DDM you can easily create one-off custom designs without worrying about the expense of tooling. And with DDM from RedEye, you have the capability of low volume production runs, on-demand. Which means no inventory; you only build the custom part as the customers order it. With DDM, this company could have been much more effective instead of reworking the card hopper design at the end of the process.

Eventually companies may show that there is a market for their new design. At that point the manufacturer would want to lock in their design and create tooling for this product.

Producing custom designs based on customer requirements during the early stages of product development gives manufactures the flexibility to make changes. Changes caught at the beginning of the product development process can allow you to deliver a substantially more differentiated product. It allows you to build products customers not only want, but can’t get from anyone else. Not only does this add value for the customer, but it also decreases cost and time for the manufacturer.

How can you plan flexibility into the design of your products? Take advantage of RedEye's 100 systems and leverage its DDM on demand – the factory of the future.

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Creating an "Alien" Bike Rack with FDM Technology

It began with a competition. The New York City Department of Transportation and the Cooper-Hewitt National Design Museum, along with Google™, wanted to encourage cycling as a convenient method of transportation. After a study revealed that lack of access to secure bike parking was the main deterrent, the two organizations created a contest to develop an innovative bike rack that would raise the profile of cycling in the city. Francis Bitonti, principal with FADarchitecture, jumped at the opportunity to participate.

"Entering the contest seemed like good opportunity," said Bitonti, whose firm is a young, full-service design firm, with a commitment to innovation. He created a bike rack that uses modular pieces and unique geometries. He says it looks "alien."

"A lot of what I do comes out of writing small computer programs that generate forms," he said. "This form is disconnected but continuous at the same time, operating as a modular system that produces many variations. It is about finding beauty in the unfamiliar." While this was a benefit in terms of design, it could have been challenging to create without the help of RedEye ARC. (Affiliated with RedEye On Demand, RedEye ARC is a leading provider of architectural models using patented 3D printing technology.)

Bitonti designed the rack using animation software "to develop the forms and create an aesthetic sensibility for the project," he said. He then transferred his work to software typically used for scientific computing to produce complex patterns that would be very time-consuming and difficult to produce any other way.

The complexity was no problem for the team at RedEye ARC. "RedEye is used to creating unusual shapes and forms," said Ryan Sybrant, RedEye ARC Architectural Development Manager. "We extracted data from Frank's CAD file, which directed one of our 100 fused deposition modeling (FDM) systems to put down layers of material, similar to the way an ink jet printer puts down ink."

Bitonti originally planned to mill the rack, but the complicated design would have required 200 parts. "Because the design had so many curves," Bitonti said, "every time it went in a different direction, we would have had to cut one of the pipes. It would have been nearly impossible to fabricate with traditional milling procedures. 3D printing was the most cost-efficient and precise way to manufacture these parts. With RedEye ARC's FDM technology, only 18 parts were needed. That's a tremendous difference."

Even the size of the 18 large bike rack components was not a problem for RedEye ARC. "With our 'large build envelope,' we could nest pieces together," said Sybrant. "Large pieces are not a problem for us." Assembly was much easier, too. It only took two people, compared to a very large crew that would have been required to assemble the 200 parts created with traditional milling."

Security is an issue for bikes, especially in a city the size of New York. Through RedEye ARC's process, Bitonti was able to reinforce the plastic bike rack with steel cabling. "We wouldn't have been able to achieve this within our budget had it not been for RedEye," he said.

A honeycomb interior reduced both production time and cost, an important factor given the city’s limited budget, said Bitonti. "The sparse honeycomb filling still provided rigidity, but at half the cost."

Bitonti redesigned the rack many times along the way to reduce the number of modular connections, making it easier for bikers to use. Even so, by altering the rotation, position and number of units, one can produce 63 drastically different variations of the design. Bitonti believes the design of his new rack will enable a maximum number of bikes to be stored in limited sidewalk space, keeping the sidewalk more open for pedestrians. Two prototypes of the bike rack were created. One is actually in use on the streets of New York. The other is on display at the Cooper-Hewitt National Design Museum.

Choosing a glossy ABS plastic material from one of RedEye ARC's 15 choices, Bitonti painted the parts an automotive deep red-orange. "The automotive paint became an excellent way for me to create a kind of living surface that is always changing with the light and relationship of the observer to the object," he said.

Perhaps the greatest compliment of all came from a potential user who said, "The bike rack is so unique that (thieves) will steal the rack before they steal my bike."

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RedEye: A Clear Choice for Clear Plastic Parts

Are you a producer of clear plastic parts? Manufacturers who are producing lenses, containers and covers (just to name a few) can appreciate prototyping with PolyJet™. Prototyping with PolyJet provides the needed translucency through a simple, inexpensive process.

RedEye's clear models are as easy as 1-2-3. Some competitive clear models can be difficult and time-consuming to make, but the smooth surfaces of PolyJet models and the translucency of FullCure™ 720 make RedEye's clear models quick and easy.

At RedEye, we orient the models so the critical surfaces are face up and built in glossy mode. We avoid using support materials on clear surfaces, as they will be more difficult to make clear. RedEye uses the WaterJet™ to remove support material completely, paying special attention to corners, channels and pockets.

How can you polish your clear plastic parts? Follow the simple steps below to create an even clearer finish:

1. Sand surfaces with 220-grit and then 320-grit sandpaper to begin the polishing process.

2. After that, lightly wet-sand the model, using 400, 600 and then 1000-grit sandpaper to reduce scratches from previous sanding.

3. Then, rinse the model between sanding to remove grit and debris.

4. For an exceptional finish, polish the model with micro-mesh sandpaper, using soapy water, mineral oil or vegetable oil to lubricate the surface while sanding.

5. Finally, buff and polish the surfaces using a buffing wheel or a rotary tool with a buffing drum, frequently applying a polishing compound such as 3M® Plastic Polish.

6. Then buff off the compound, and your PolyJet model is ready to be used.

For more details on this finishing process >

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Stratasys is International Traffic in Arms (ITAR) Registered

At the request of our valued RedEye customers, Stratasys has received ITAR registration effective through December of 2009.

The Military, Defense and Government segments constitute an important part of our business. With ITAR registration, we are pleased to provide our unsurpassed rapid prototyping and DDM technologies that help defense companies develop and commercialize their products.

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