All posts tagged: global

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 Client Profile: Indesign

Realize works extensively with Indesign on a wide variety of projects. We are excited and proud of the long relationship we have established with this fantastic company. We talked with Jerry Gotway, CEO of Indesign, to find out how their business uses Additive Manufacturing and where they are headed in the future.

Tell me about your business…

We are an electronic product design engineering company. We develop a wide variety of electronic products for our customers. We do full turn key product development. That means we do the mechanical design, the electrical design, and embedded software design. We create all the design information for a product then send it to a factory for manufacturing.

How is Rapid Prototyping used by your company?

In our product development process we go through several steps. In the front end of the process we are working on the development of requirements and concepts with the client, then we move on to the detailed mechanical design. As soon as that is completed we need to take that design which exists in our CAD systems and turn it into a working prototype. It’s absolutely critical that we get working prototypes of the designs for us to validate the design. Those working prototypes include the kinds of things that Realize can provide. The Stereolithography models, the cast models and sometimes the rubber parts are needed for the physical elements of our prototype. The critical need that we have is to get those rapid prototype parts. We need to very quickly get a physical embodiment of what we have designed so we can run that through our testing process.

What types of projects do you partner with Realize on?

We have worked with Realize on a wide variety of projects- from medical to consumer electronics, industrial, and they have provided us with parts to support our clients in many different markets.

How has your experience working with Realize been?

Our experience has been very positive. Everything that we do here has to be done very quickly. We have very rapid product realization intervals. Realize has been extremely good to Indesign in delivering parts very quickly. Speed isn’t everything, the other thing that is very important to us is quality. We have received high quality parts using the prototyping capabilities of Realize. Speed and quality are the two things that are most important to us and we get both of those from Realize.

Where is your business headed in the future?

Our company has been in business for 16 years and it’s been on an evolutionary path. We started exclusively in the telecommunications area and now we are into many different industries. The technologies have changed dramatically over time. When we started we were almost all wired types of products, now half of our business is wireless. We are going to follow where technology leads.

Indesign is an engineering design services firm with a proven track record of helping companies develop new electronic devices. Engineering disciplines consist of electrical/circuit design, RF/wireless design, software/firmware design, mechanical design, human factors design, and testing/validation with a strong emphasis on products utilizing embedded microprocessors and DSPs.

November 15, 2013 Blog

Realize Client Profile: Auto Research Center

Realize is fortunate to have a solid working relationship with Auto Research Center. They are an excellent organization that relies on additive manufacturing to deliver results for their clients.

Auto Research Center is a specialized research facility, which sells time in its various test rigs (such as wind tunnel and seven post rig) and provides design and consultancy services to government/military, commercial vehicle, automotive and racing clientele. ARC prides itself on remaining a competent tier one supplier to multiple OEMs throughout these industries. They also offer scale model development, vehicle aerodynamics and vehicle dynamics capabilities and expertise, computer aided engineering software, vehicle dynamics software and computer modeling programs for the purpose of trackside simulation. ARC is a worldwide company that is committed to developing innovative solutions in the ever-changing field of transportation.

We talked with Design Engineer Matthew Gardner about their business and how they use Rapid Prototyping.

Matthew Gardner-Design Engineer, Auto Research Center

Tell me about ARC?

We do wind tunnel testing for semi-trucking and consumer car industries and some race car testing as well. We also do suspension testing for race cars mostly.

What is wind tunnel testing?

We get a bunch of test parts and we’ll build the model as accurate as possible. With an engine and a working suspension. The customer will send us a bunch of data on what they want to test. We have to make the model first and then all of these test parts have to be easily put on and off for each run in the tunnel. What the customer is paying for is the time in the tunnel, so it’s really important to get these parts in and move them on and off to find out what works and what does not.

In what ways does ARC use Additive Manufacturing?

It’s really key for us because we need parts fast, because the customer has to take all the test parts they made and send them to us as data. When they have that set test date they their own last minute changes and then goes through their line of bureaucracy, CFD and production. So by the time it gets to us we have to make it in time and get it to them before the test. Realize is key because they can get it to us real quick because you are local. There have been many times when it’s last minute and the customer says, “Hey I know we sent you this data but we really need this, can you make these changes?” And Realize has come through for us many times. It’s really important because they are paying for that time in the tunnel and that deadline can’t change because we have other days booked. So it’s important we get things turned around really quickly and that’s where we rely on Rapid Prototyping and Realize.

How does Realize help to meet your needs in addition to timely deliveries?

It’s the customer service. When I have worked with other vendors they are late and we can’t afford that. So far no other company has been as reliable and dependable as Realize.

October 9, 2013 Blog

Realize Client Profile: Delta Faucets

Realize has a long working relationship with Delta Faucet Company and we could not be prouder of the parts we have created together over the years. We talked with Michael Connell, Prototype Manager, about the industry and how they use prototypes in their business.

About Delta® Products
There is a philosophy at the heart of every Delta® product: there is a better way to live with water. It goes beyond excellent design to incorporate smart thinking that anticipates people’s needs. From proprietary Touch2O® touch faucet Technology that turns faucets on and off with just a touch to H2Okinetic™ shower technology that sculpts water into a unique wave pattern – giving you the feeling of more water without using more water, Delta products incorporate thoughtful features that delight. Paired with beautiful, inspirational design, it’s another way that the Delta® brand is more than just a faucet. Delta products are offered by Delta Faucet Company a WaterSense® manufacturing partner of the Environmental Protection Agency. Delta Faucet Company is a worldwide leader in kitchen faucets, bath faucets, shower heads, shower systems, Toilets and related accessories and sells products in more than 53 countries. For more information, visit www.deltafaucet.com

Michael Connell- Delta Prototype Manager

How long has Delta been working with Realize?

I’ve had a relationship with Realize for 14 years, that’s the longest vendor relationship since I’ve been here.

In what ways does Delta use Rapid Prototyping?

Fit and function, industrial design and market research. We have gone as far chrome plating and finishing and used them in kitchen and bath shows. We test them here in our lab. We run water through them to look at flow.

You have been working with prototypes and additive manufacturing for many years, what are the biggest changes you have experienced in the industry?

The increase in cycle times. A part that I can get in 24 hours from Realize used to take me a week get. Today with the desired speed for getting things out to the market you can’t take that long to get prototypes. Keep in mind we may make the part 15 times until we get the right part we want to build. The technology has improved and it’s really sped up the process.

You have machines in house, how does Realize come into play?

Workload. I’m so busy on my printers. I built three thousand parts last year on one printer. Delta Faucet as a company builds upwards of ten thousand rapid prototypes a year. I build in house, and use Realize and Delta has another in house facility that we send work to. Realize is also helpful when you are limited in materials. My guys may be building snap details with a 3D Printer and the parts will just snap off on them and we want a more durable material. At Realize I can get get a wide variety of materials.

How challenging is managing and maintaining your own Additive Manufacturing machines?

It works three days a week, and the other two days its down! It is a headache. We bought a second machine this year. Not to increase volume, but as a backup. If one is down we need the other to keep up pace and have it available. If I need a part in a hurry most of the time it goes to Realize.

What are your thoughts about the future of Additive Manufacturing and how 3D Printing has become the blanket buzz term used for the entire industry?

Technology hasn’t stopped. Now we are going to be getting direct metal parts off of the machines. I think it’s moving forward quick. There are 3D Printers in stores for less than $1200, but at the same time, it’s not as simple as you think. It’s just not that easy.

September 20, 2013 Blog

The Realize Q&A with Todd Grimm

The Realize Q&A with…Todd Grimm, President of T.A. Grimm & Associates.

Realize is communicating with Additive Manufacturing experts from around the globe to discuss the future of our industry. We talked with Todd Grimm to get his take on the subject.

Todd Grimm is the founder and president of T. A. Grimm & Associates, Inc. and is its principal marketing specialist and technology consultant. His experience includes 17 years in the product development industry. In that time, he has held positions in sales, sales management, business management and marketing. Prior to starting the company, he was the marketing manager for what became one of the leading rapid prototyping service bureaus.

Where do you see the industry going in the next 5 years?

Still evolutionary. I don’t see any major inflection points happening contrary to popular opinion. We have evolved at a relatively slow pace and I don’t see that changing. I see baby steps over the next 5 years. More people will adopt because the media has drawn attention to it. At the core I really don’t think there will be a disruptive revolution in manufacturing.

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?

When the new breed starts to be more honest about the capabilities, at that point it will be a natural coming together. When they say, “you know what, there are imperfections.” Instead of trying to position a $1,000 3D printer you bought online as the same quality product as a machine in the $50,000 range. When they are ready to admit it’s a decent tool, and it works in a certain setting, but it has some limitations. Then the sides will come together. Right now, the gap between the two sides is that one group, the experienced veterans, are looking at it from a realistic perspective. The new breed is looking at it with rose colored glasses. Right now there are too many messages out there that you can do anything you want for $1000-but it’s just not true.

Do you feel the “3D Printing” term will become the umbrella term for the entire additive manufacturing industry moving forward?

That horse has left the barn. It’s out and running free! No matter hard we work at making terms. Whether you want to say Rapid Prototyping, Additive Manufacturing, Digital Manufacturing, whatever- is doesn’t matter because the media and the masses will decide, and they have selected 3D Printing. So that is the term that’s going to stick.

You’ve been in the industry a long time. Is there any moment or event that stands out above all others during that time?

Two technology developments stand out for me. One is in 2000 when we had the birth of photopolymer jetting. That was signifcant. It opened the door to a new way to do the technology. That and the birth of the direct metals technologies.

How would you describe AM/RP/3DP to someone who has never been exposed to it?

Are those people still around? (Laughs) A few years ago when I was traveling and people would ask, “What do you do?” I would just say, “Engineering Services,” and leave it at that. But now I say, “3D printing,” and they are like, “oh yeah! I just read an article on that.” I fall back on technical definitions. So I would say, technology that transforms digital data into physical objects by constructing them on a layer by layer basis.

For more information about Todd Grimm, visit www.tagrimm.com

August 28, 2013 Blog

Itar Registered

The Realize Q&A with…Todd Grimm, President of T.A. Grimm & Associates.