All posts tagged: 3d images

The Realize Q&A with Steve Griffiths

Steve Griffiths – Sales Manager, Materialise

Realize, Inc is communicating with 3D Printing experts from around the globe to discuss the future of our industry. We talked with Steve Griffiths the Sales Manager at Materialise to get his take on where things are headed in the additive manufacturing world. Steve manages a team of professionals at Materialise who are selling and supporting leading software technology in the 3D Printing Industry.

“3D printing is an amazing industry with great potential. It’s a great combination of the machines, materials, software and the people. I’m excited to see where it goes!”

Why has 3D Printing become the buzz word for the entire industry and do you think that is a good or bad thing?

At first I resisted the move away from Additive Manufacturing and Rapid Prototyping. But as the term 3D Printing is allowing for a more consistent conversation about the technology through the mainstream press, and as it has been embraced by the public, catching their attention in a way that the other terms didn’t, I’ve decided to get on board and go with it as well.

There has been a ‘new generation’ of users exposed to AM/RP/3DP over the past few years, along with a huge media buzz. How do you see this camp and the ‘old school’ camp coming together?
I think at first there will be lots of differences and levels of knowledge about the capabilities of 3D Printing. But as time goes on, the new generation will learn from the experienced users and in turn, the new generation will bring some fresh approaches that can inspire the ‘old guard’. What will be especially interesting is when students who are now being exposed to 3D Printing in their classrooms graduate and start putting the technology to use in ways that we can’t even dream of right now.

What challenges/opportunities do you feel service providers, like Realize, face today?

Service providers are facing lots of challenges in the industry today – with consolidations, pressure to reduce costs, and limited availability of materials probably topping the list. However, as a new generation of 3D printers are revealed, new materials are introduced to the market, and the software, such as the solutions developed here at Materialise, evolves to better answer the growing needs of the markets, we are also in an exciting time where people throughout the industry and constantly pushing the limits of what can be achieved. There are always challenges associated with emerging technologies, but it is the opportunities that make this such a great industry to be involved in.

What are some misconceptions about the capabilities of the technologies?

3D Printing is so mind-blowing to so many people that it is perfectly natural that there are misconceptions about what it can achieve – with people both underestimating as well as overestimating what is possible. For people who have only just discovered the technology and who have only seen the desktop printers now entering stores and schools, they think that it will still take years for the machines to reach a point where they can manufacture end-use parts, which has in fact already been possible for years using professional machines. On the other end of the spectrum, a common overestimation is that we are already at the point where 3D printed organs are possible and will soon be implanted in patients, which is still many years away. Instead, we should be celebrating the reality that we are already producing 3D Printed implants and have long been enabling a new level of personalized healthcare with printed medical models, virtual planning and printed surgical guides.

What are your thoughts on 3D food and clothing and all the headline grabbing stories about our Industry that are posted daily online?

Well I haven’t tasted any 3D printed food yet and I’m not sure I’m on board with that, but know that many of my colleagues are excited about the possibility. However, when it comes to fashion, I am proud to be working for a company that has been working with the designers who first brought this application of 3D printing to the public’s attention. In collaboration with Iris van Herpen, we have brought 3D Printed fashion to the Paris runways, have worked with designers for New York fashion week as well as bringing our own 3d Printed fashions shows to audiences all over the world – and of course, together with Studio XO, we saw Lady Gaga wearing a 3D printed dress for the first time with her most recent album launch.

Are there any new applications for Rapid Prototyping you feel will emerge over the next few years?

As 3D printing continues to grow, I think more and more industries will see the benefit to applying it to their processes. For example, we have already seen the realization of 3D printed insoles, surgical guides, mass customization and the production of hearing aids and as the machines, materials and software continue to improve, even more applications will start to emerge.

If you could make a prototype of anything with no care given to time or cost, what would you create?

Well I love to boat so I would love to create a customized 3D printed bimini for my boat or even to print some accessories or replacement parts for it. But I am also fascinated by all the 3D printing in the medical field, which Materialise also plays a large part in. All these advances make me optimistic that if I were ever to need a knee replacement or brain surgery or anything else, 3D printing would play a pivotal role in it.

What trends should AM business owners be looking to follow over the next century in your opinion?

I think more people will look to 3D printing for mass customization. There are definitely industries where this makes a lot of sense and also some where it doesn’t. So finding the right niche is key. Also applying 3D printing to more person specific parts or goods – like a customized steering wheel to your hands or headphones that are made for your head like a company in New York is doing.

Where do you think 3D Printing will be 50 years from now? (This is just a fun guess, futuristic question)

Wow! That seems so far off. So many things could be possible by then – organs and tissue – more cars and houses. Also I see it being more integrated and utilized with traditional manufacturing.

September 18, 2014 Blog

Realize Launches New Sales Force

Realize, Inc. is launching a new proactive sales force that will enhance and grow our business into the future. The plan has been in place since late 2012. The goal was to create and build a strong sales force and we are ready to embark on this exciting new venture. The enhanced sales and client services at Realize also coincides with the release of our state of the art quoting software, RealFastQuotes!, which was put in place to make it easy for our clients to get the fastest and most accurate quotes possible. We talked with Realize president Todd Reese and Sales Manager Alan Conlu about the launch.

Todd Reese, President, Realize:

In late 2012, it dawned on us that we had been in a reactive mode for a long time, in regard to sales. We made a decision at that time to lay out a road map which would turn our organization into a proactive force. We turned to an outside consultant for help developing this map. As months passed, we began learning better techniques and processes. It took time to implement those techniques and processes, but we began to see good things happen. After a bit of reorganization of our Sales personnel, we felt it necessary to seek out seasoned salespeople to add into the mix. We’ve recently added two new people to serve in this role, and they are moving smoothly through our on-boarding process. At this point, I see the tires smoking, and it’s just a matter of time before they grab the road and we’re off and running in the direction we set out to go.

Alan Conlu, Sales Manager, Realize:

We have seen the market change over the past few years and we realized what was working in past wasn’t going to take us where we wanted to go. The first part of that change started with launching the Real Fast Quotes system which is a new online quoting service to automate our ordering process. Then we revamped our sales staff by hiring a support person and two new sales representatives. The sales people that we hired went through a stringent screening and hiring process and are currently in our on boarding program which is designed to get them up to speed quickly.

How will the new quoting software and new sales staff make doing business with Realize easier?

Todd: Regarding our RealFastQuotes Instant Online Quoting System, this enhancement to our services allows clients, both new and current, to obtain quotations instantly for SLA parts. They can login any time of day, on their schedule, to manage quotations and place orders. We encourage everyone to utilize this system. RealFastQuotes combined with our beefed up sales staff, allows us more quality time to build relationships with clients, answer questions and educate, rather than simply taking orders.

How does the addition of sales representatives change the dynamics around Realize?

Alan: The addition of the sale staff has created a new culture of ideas and of trying new things that will help push the company forward. We wanted to ensure that the people we hired not only fit the position but they also fit the team we wanted to build. Not only is the team experienced but they have diverse backgrounds so each member brings a unique set of skills and energy. There is progress to be made and we are very encouraged by the positive efforts and activities that we already see during our on boarding process.

There is a new electricity in the air around the shop, and everyone is excited to see Realize grow.

July 16, 2014 Blog

Realize Featured Project: The Kupp

Realize, Inc. recently partnered with Impulse Product Development on a new and exciting project. Impulse was in need of RTV Castings made of silicone for a client that wanted prototypes of their new product The Kupp‘. Here is the story of how Realize and Impulse helped create the first prototype of The Kupp’!

The Kupp’ is a six ounce European glass outfitted with a colorful silicone sleeve. It’s designed for children three and older. Produced in Europe and the US, the glass and the sleeve adhere to the strictest quality standards for both the US and Europe. The Kupp’ glass is certified lead and cadmium free, is made from a pure soda-lime formula and is completely dishwasher safe. The grip-friendly silicon sleeve is BPA/BPS free, medical food grade silicon and comes in a range of colors. The colorful, child-themed sleeves, designed as a smile, easily attract children of all ages. The Kupp’ is the perfect serving size, helping to avoid wasting costly milk and juice while encouraging kids to become more aware as consumers. Children instantly feel drawn to the color and love to take care of their own glasses. Created by Katesplace founder Kate Oliver, the Kupp’ helps parents step away from the ongoing task of organizing their children’s daily routine; why not let the kids set the table. The firm grip and protective sleeve, insures a low probability of breakage while still offering a safe, toxic free vessel in which to drink.

We asked Kate Oliver, the woman behind The Kupp’, a few questions about the creation and vision of her product.

Kate: The Kupp’ gives children the gift of color and the benefits of glass. By offering a color connection to their glassware, young children begin the early lessons of locating, using, cleaning and storing their belongings, or in this case, their Kupp’. By bringing the fun and wonderfully designed Kupp’ into the house, parents can step away from the ongoing task of organizing their child’s daily routine.

Realize: What types of things were you looking for when designing the product?
Kate: Functionality, this is a product that will be used with the modern family and its aim is to help simplify and organize the kitchen routine. It had to come in one part, and the silicone could not come apart. It had to be dishwasher safe and be a product that brought harmony into what is otherwise a chaotic scene (the family kitchen)

Realize: What new products might you develop moving forward?
Kate: Anything that will help the modern family teach their growing children domestic responsibility. It is hard to take the time to teach these skills so Katesplace is working to product products that children of all ages want to use and enjoy using.

Troy Mason, President and CEO of Impulse Product Development provided some insight into how the project came about and how Realize and additive manufacturing played a role.

“The client contacted us wanting help in getting her product designed and manufactured. She had an idea, but she didn’t know what the steps were to get the product developed. We worked with her to complete the industrial design, engineering / CAD design, prototyping, and in finding vendors to manufacture the silicone and glass. One of the big challenges with this project was we needed a low cost way to test a silicone sleeve on the glass shape. Building an injection mold tool would have been too costly and time consuming, so we contacted realize to see if we could get RTV castings made from silicone. The result was so good that the client actually wanted to do a second round to evaluate a second design iteration. Creating the prototypes really helped the client make the decision when it was time to order injection mold tooling.”

Brian Cazzell, General Manager at Realize, Inc. explains how the project came together at Realize.

“The Kupp’ project was a collaborative effort with Troy Mason at Impulse Product Development. Their team worked on the design with their client and provided us with the 3D drawings for the prototyping stage. Initially we built a complete prototype of the clear cup using Somos Watershed XC11122 resin with a highly polished surface. To create the soft outer silicone sleeve for The Kupp’, our RTV team made several colorized silicone castings from an SLA master. The end result was a prototype of The Kupp’ that perfectly resembled their production version in both look and feel.”

We are thrilled to be working with great partners on new and exciting products like The Kupp’.

June 27, 2014 Blog

Realize partners to educate students about 3D Printing

Science and Engineering made exciting through 3D Printing Technology!

Realize Inc. is very proud of our industry and we are always looking for new ways to help create excitement and deliver knowledge about additive manufacturing. The process of informing a new generation of students and creating better awareness about the technology, and how it can be utilized moving forward, is important to us. Recently we partnered with Brad Lowell, a Science teacher at Fall Creek Intermediate School in Fishers, Indiana to help him reach the goal on the project: Science and Engineering Made Exciting Through 3D Technology! We interviewed Mr. Lowell about the project and how he thinks 3D Printing technology might be applied in classrooms around the country.

Realize: Why is the addition of a 3D Printer important for students and the school?

Mr. Lowell: As our school is moving into our One 2 One initiative this next year where every student has an iPad, the 3D printer is another tool that will better prepare them for their futures. We have researched printers in the field of medicine that can print cell after cell to create sheets of skin and in the future maybe even replacement organs. 3D metal printers are being used to create car parts. We have seen printers that can produces incredible chocolate sculptures and another that builds 3D pancake creations. Like student imagination, the possibilities of the printer are limitless.

How did Realize help you reach your goal?

Through a sizable donation, Realize was an amazing partner in making our 3D dreams a reality. Realize also sent some great video examples that excited students and really illustrated how incredible the industry is.

What do you love about 3D Printing?

I love that with 3D printing really anything is possible. It will allow them to take their 2 dimensional ideas and create real 3 dimensional working prototypes.

How can you see 3D Printing helping students in the future?

I see a future where when something breaks around the house or in their classroom, students could merely go to their computer and print a replacement part.

How have the kids reacted and what projects have you worked on?

Students were so excited to see the MakerBot box show up at school! Unfortunately, with the arrival so late in the year we were not able to do much in the way of our own designs but did really explore what the printer was capable of. We successfully created a working prosthetic hand and some parts for our water rockets engineering lab activity. Some students also came in and worked during lunch with me and created their own cell phone cases.

Looking into next year and beyond, how will you use additive manufacturing in the classroom?

This next year I am hoping to spend a great deal of time at the beginning of the year teaching the kids 3D CAD designing on their ipads so that all of our engineering activities can be built on the printer. We will build prototype gravity racers, plastic boats to test Archimedes’s principle of buoyancy, bio engineer surgical tools to assist us in our Frankenstein-style ‘open heart’ surgery lab, design rocket fins and parts for our rocketry labs, and countless other activities. We’re hoping this next year to look into the possibility of the MakerBot 3D scanner where students can scan and replicate parts.

What do you think students need more information on regarding the additive manufacturing industry?

We are still really learning about the additive manufacturing industry and would welcome any additional information that could be provided on the industry. We’d love to have future communication with Realize.

If you could 3D Print anything, what would that be?

The kid in me would love to create, print, and build a working R2D2 droid. My son, however, absolutely fell in love with your outdoor ukulele and was trying to convince me to try to make one of those.

June 10, 2014 Blog

Heat Deflection Properties

SLA & 3D Printing Heat Deflection Properties
Many of our clients contact us with questions about our materials and their heat properties. We decided to create a video experiment to help show how our different resins hold up at elevated temperatures. Join us for some hot 3D Printing fun!

[youtube watch?v=FVJnxc9MBVE&list=UUWsghvjy-It5eJrfjJStI-w&feature=share nolink]

May 16, 2014 Blog

Itar Registered

Science and Engineering made exciting through 3D Printing Technology!