3D Printed parts can go through many different phases before a prototype would be considered finished. After we create the parts in the machines we have other places they may go here at headquarters. Here is an image of a Realize team member working on our bead blaster machine which we have named “The Blastinator.”
Realize will be making our way to AMUG 2016 this week. We are looking for the three-peat! Our team won both times we entered into the Advanced Finishing contest. Klarg took home the prize in 2015 and this year we are entering something super galactic hoping for the victory. Good luck Realize team!
QuickCast at Realize, Inc.
Using Stereolithography 3D Printing technology, more commonly referred to as SLA, Realize has the ability and expertise to create investment casting patterns for foundries.
Utilizing a highly specialized build-style known as QuickCast, foundries have access to an alternative solution to traditional wax patterns, which can be expensive and time consuming to produce. A Quickcast pattern is an SLA model, but differs in that it has a thin skin that surrounds a matrixed internal structure. Not only does this give the pattern rigidity, but it also allows the structure to collapse upon itself during the burnout process, minimizing the risk of a cracked shell.
QuickCast can provide a smooth and accurate pattern that can be ready for you in days. Time and cost savings can be significant as compared to traditional wax patterns, especially for complex geometries. QuickCast may be the alternative solution for you, and Realize stands ready and eager to help you with your next investment casting project.
Please visit us at www.realizeinc.com or contact a member of our expert team at 317-915-0295 to discuss your investment casting needs!
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.
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.
3D Printing/Rapid Prototyping & Manufacturing