All posts tagged: Prototyping

Volvo Truck 3D Model

Volvo VN670 Scale Model

The Realize Featured Project: Volvo Truck 3D Model

 

Realize, Inc. worked with Auto Research Center to create a 3D Printed model of a Volvo truck.

 

“When Steve (ARC) came to us for help we were very happy to be a part of it. This SLA project is especially unique because it is going to be on display in our customers lobby. These are fun projects for the whole team and when it all comes together like this- it is always exciting to see the finished model.”

 

-Alan Conlu, Sales Manager at Realize, Inc.

 


We asked ARC’s Engineering Manager, Steve Roskowski, a few questions about the project.

 

Realize: How did this project come about?

Steve: The Volvo truck model came about to fill a void in our OEM tractor inventory. We do quite a bit of testing for both aftermarket aero device manufacturers, fleets and regulatory agencies. Several had requested the 670 VNL for their testing, so we completed it to satisfy customer requests.

 

What do you plan to do with this prototype?

The model is now available for any customer to use to advance their knowledge of tractor trailer aerodynamics.

 

What makes this design different then what’s out there now?

So far as we know, this is the only publicly available wind tunnel model of the Volvo 670 VNL for rent.

 

Tell us about the design process and how much time is involved for a project like this.

We started the design by renting a full sized truck, bringing to ARC and laser scanning it. From there it was converted to surface files and the model designed from there. The overall design process took about two months. Before we release the files to you, we have the whole model built in the CAD world to check for interferences and fits.

 

The hardest part in the process of creating this prototype 3D model was?

The most difficult part is scanning such a large object. The physical size simply creates unique problems that we need to work around. Since we have scanned many other vehicles for the same purpose we have a good handle on it and can get to the solution fairly quickly.

 

Volvo VN670 Scale Model

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Realize the first in US to install Somos PerFORM

somosperform

At Realize we are always looking for the latest new products and technologies to provide our clients with the best and most effective tools for their projects. So it’s no surprise we are the first company in the US to use the new Somos PerForm material.

 

Somos PerFORM offers heat resistance and stiffness unlike anything currently in our portfolio. It’s the first composite material we’ve installed and we’re looking forward to seeing the applications our diverse clients find for it.

– Todd Reese, President- Realize, Inc.

 

For more information about Somos PerForm CLICK HERE

 

When your project calls for parts that require thermal stability, extreme accuracy and a quick turnaround, turn to our latest composite material — Somos® PerFORM. Available for both 355 and 365 nm photopolymer-based machines, parts made with this material exhibit superior sidewall quality, along with excellent detail resolution. In addition, Somos® PerFORM is exceptional for parts that are designed for wind tunnel testing and unique applications in rapid tooling.

Excellent detail resolution, Faster, easier processing & finishing Superior high heat tolerance Expanded applications, Ideal for a variety of applications.

With its excellent high heat tolerance, outstanding detail resolution and stiffness, Somos® PerFORM is the ideal material for applications including:

• Tooling • Electrical Casings
• Wind Tunnel Testing • Automotive Housings
• High Temperature Testing


Somos PerForm image

mereedRealize the first in US to install Somos PerFORM
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Realize Sponsors High School Robotics Team

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Realize, Inc. is proud to support local science and technology students in the Indianapolis area. Recently we sponsored the Hamilton Southeastern High School Robotics Team. We talked with HSE Physics/Pre-Engineering Teacher Jeff Wilkins about the program.

 

 Tell me about the HSE Robotics Team, What does your team do?

HSE Robotics, aka Royal Robotics, started back in 2005. That year, my Principles of Engineering (POE) classes participated in BEST Robotics (www.bestinc.org) and the Digital Electronics (DE) class participated in Botball (www.botball.org). The robotics club at HSE now participates in the VEX Robotics Competition (www.vexrobotics.com) and has been competing since 2010. BEST Robotics requires students to make a robot out of common materials from scratch. Plywood, PVC and some sheet metal are the main materials used to create these robots. My Engineering Design and Development (EDD) class still participates in this competition to this day. Botball is a completely autonomous robotics competition that requires the team to build a robot out of a lego platform and an iCreate (from the company that brought us the Roomba, iRobot). Students have 8 weeks to design, build and program a robot to complete the task for the year. VEX Robotics is where our after school Robotics Club will compete. This competition uses materials that are used in the PLTW program and the parts and pieces are premade, so designing and assembling a robot is very quick and easy.

Why is this team important for students and the school?

We have over 50 students participating in Robotics Club this year, as well as, 22 students in EDD that are participating in the BEST Robotics Competition.

How did the Realize Sponsorship help your team?

Your generous donation allowed us to purchase a GCC Laserpro Spirit GX laser cutter which is used for fundraisers for robotics club and to cut the main chassis of our robots for the BEST Competition.
Team Picture

What do you love about Robotics?
Robotics is sports for geeks. It has all of the excitement, hard work, and practice of athletic sports and allows students to excel on a different playfield.

How can you see Robotics and 3D Printing working together in the future?
Yes, we will be using our 3D printer to create parts and pieces for an R2D2 that we will be building next semester. It allows someone to design the robot in a 3D modeling software and get a prototype very quickly without expensive and time consuming machining.

What do you think students need more information on regarding the additive manufacturing industry?
All of the different types that are available. Most just think of FDM because that is what we have at HSE, but there are so many other options out there.

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

Well, since I own one, I can print about anything I want, but 3D printing a house out of concrete would be really cool. My favorite item to 3D print so far were a bunch of digital sculpts that the Tech Art Club at Fall Creek Intermediate students designed. They were very excited to get a physical model of what they had designed on their iPad’s using 123D Creature App.

 

*If you have any questions or are interested in sponsoring  you can contact Jeff.  [email protected]  317-594-4190 ext. 11521.

 

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Realize Featured Project: 3D Toilet

3D Toilet

3D Printed Toilet by Realize, Inc.

Realize Featured Project: The 3D Toilet

 

Here is a summary of this recent project from Realize, Inc. General Manager Brian Cazzell:

 

“The client needed a working SLA model of their toilet design to use at a trade show. The primary requirement was that it needed to be clear in order to demonstrate water flowing through the internal channels. Due to the platform size restraints of the SLA5000 machine, we needed to build the model in sections and create an inter-locking structure that when bonded together would maintain a water-tight seal for the duration of the trade show. The model also needed to be completely free of support material not only for aesthetic purposes but also to allow the water to flow freely through the channels. In the end, the client was very happy with the functionality and the overall fit and finish of this model.”

mereedRealize Featured Project: 3D Toilet
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The Realize Q&A with Steve Griffiths

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Steve Griffiths – Sales Manager, Materialise

Materialise_IYCCO 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.

 

mereedThe Realize Q&A with Steve Griffiths
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