All posts tagged: rapid prototyping

Realize Employee Profile – Charlie Guernsey

Charlie Guernsey

What is your role at Realize?

Master Painter and detail specialist.

I work on projects that require a little more attention and detail. Lots of painting and clear coat techniques. It takes some thought and creativity to bring some of these prototypes to life.

Which item you have worked on was the most fascinating?

The naughty librarian of course….a client asked for a desktop model of one of his products…it’s 25 pieces and hardest part of creating it was blending skin tones and making the stockings look real.

What do you think are the attributes required to do your job?

Multitasking and staying efficient are a must. You need to constantly think outside of the box.

Name some of your favorite things in the world.

Good dry English humor…if you can’t have fun you might as well be dead…so I try to have fun. I like to paint miniatures, play war games, war hammer table top war game is my current favorite. I like to read and consider myself a military history junkie. My favorite war is WWII.

How does Realize do things differently than the competition?

Realize allows for independent thought and creativity. This allows employees to flourish and ultimately that benefits the customer and makes a huge difference.

Favorite meal?

Taco bar at any restaurant….I love tacos.

What music are you listening to right now?

Rush…it’s all Rush all the time…favorite song is Time Stand Still.

You can take two movies with you on a trip out to space…which do you bring?

Star Wars original and Lord of the Rings.

One word that describes you?

Fun.

One thing you would like to Rapid Prototype for yourself?

A Sherman Tank….its a big M4 WWII tank.

 

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Realize Employee Profiles – Dana Andrews

 

What do you do at Realize?

 

Finishing. I get the machines cleaned up sanded, painted, whatever needs to be done. Take prototypes out of the SLA machines and soak them in a solution and release the excess resin. We use a two bath alcohol rinse, depending on the material we will clean it up and blow dry it…we use syringes, toothbrushes, and other large brushes.

 

What is the strangest item you have used to finish a part?

 

We will use a guitar string…they are small and can penetrate tiny openings and get the resin out. During the curing process we sometimes insert the string into tiny holes that may look like they have excess resin in them…don’t want the hole to close up….if it does we may need to re-do the part.

 

Most difficult part of your job?

 

Actually getting it off the platform or grid from the SLA machine…removing parts without breaking them is the toughest part…it can be 5 seconds or 50 minutes…every prototype is different.

 

What attributes are needed to be a finisher?

 

Detailed oriented, patient, and you can’t be afraid to get a little dirty! Not the cleanest job…we don’t wear anything too expensive in our department.

 

Name some of your favorite things in the world.

 

Panning for gold. The Travel Channel gold-rush fascinates me….geology….gem or jewelry side of things…my favorite gem is the sapphire. I’ve been out mining for them in Montana…and learned how to cut gems….
ATV 4 wheeling….outdoors….hiking…golf…I’m somewhere around a 20 handicap.

 

How does Realize do things differently than the competition?

 

I think that if someone is unhappy we go out of our way to resolve the issue….we go that extra step that other companies tend not to bother with.

 

Favorite meal?

 

Anything barbecued…pulled bbq pork, scalloped potatoes, and a good salad with Italian dressing..and cheesecake for dessert.

 

What music are you listening to right now?

 

I listen to the rock of the 70’s and 80’s and light jazz….one of my favs is Tom Petty.

 

You can take two movies with you to space…which do you bring?

 

James Bond with Ursala Andress…Dr. No and the Godfather.

 

One word that describes you?

 

Diversified.

 

One personal thing you would like to Rapid Prototype?

 

I would like to have a 3D prototype of my family….my sister and parents.

 

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mereedRealize Employee Profiles – Dana Andrews
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The Realize Process

One thing that’s exciting about visiting Realize is the tour of our facility.

Rapid Prototyping not only sounds like something cool, it’s an interesting process.

Watching the team take on new projects is something special…so I snuck in one day and bothered them to give you this report.

I give you…the Realize process…or at the very least my version of it:)  Enjoy  – Ray

 

Step 1 – contact

Our friendly client success managers will answer and ask questions to find out the scope of your project to find the best solutions for you, in between group sing a longs and youtube viewing parties of course.

Friendly CSM!

Step 2 – Quoting

We will then work on getting your quote. It’s a formula driven estimate that combines equipment and a human element. And other technical stuff too I’m sure…but could not find pictures of that.

Some serious staged pointing going on here.

 Step 3- Stereolithography process

Once we agree on a direction for your project then we execute the stereolithography process. This is science and art driven. Our expertise will provide the best part in the end. I misspelled Stereolithography several times in this post btw.

NEVER stare directly into the lasers…

 Step 4 – The Machines!

Our machines not only are state of the art, we also have named each of them after supermodels. It’s where science and fun come together in a truly magical way.

Rapid Prototyping has never looked better!

Step 5 – Clean up

The clean up process involves several steps. Removing Support, liquid resin stripped away and a curing process. There are many secrets we can’t reveal that occur during this phase…I could tell you but then I would have to…well you know.

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Step 6-Delivery

You will get the finest prototype part that can be created combining technology and the human element…and some candy too!

What is a part, or anything really without some candy?

 

mereedThe Realize Process
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Realize Employee Profiles – Brian Cazzell

Brian Cazzell


What do you do at Realize?


I’m a Client Success Manager – manage and oversee projects and quotes for clients. Finding solutions for prototyping challenges, helping them pick out material. Finding a different way to make parts. It’s a collaborative effort with the client.


What separates Realize from the competition?


Personalized service and we have an expert level of knowledge. We deliver project management, not just at sale but we are with you through the entire project. Most places seem to be behind the scenes, we are hands on. We assist in picking out production materials. For example a client calls in with an order that will be a polyethylene based plastic at a production level and they are looking for something in the Rapid Prototyping world that will mimic that…we consult and discuss all the resin choices. We try to educate them upfront about price vs quality.


Name some of your favorite things in the world.


Music, electric guitar (Ibanez RG old beater put together pieces parts) and my fav amp is a PV JSX half stack can’t turn up past one..it shakes the house. If you asked me to play something for you it would be Crushing Day  by Joe Satriani. I love motor sports of all kinds. Enjoy watching my son take off  in sports like football and track. I have two boys 14 and 17…one is in culinary arts at high school


Favorite meal?


Good country fried steak mashed potatoes and gravy – it’s best in Texas… really at any  restaurant..


What music are you listening to right now?


Foo Fighters on Spotify was the most recent thing…


You can take two movies with you to space…which do you bring?


Vacation – the original, and Nacho Libre


One word that describes you?


Consistent.


One item from your life that you would like to Rapid Prototype?


My 72 Gran Torino Ford….I went to car shows with my family and bought the car at one so it meant a lot to me….

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mereedRealize Employee Profiles – Brian Cazzell
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Realize and the Materialise AM Forum

Realize traveled to the Materialise AM Forum in Leuven, Belgium to learn and be a part of something special.

AM stands for Additive Manufacturing which describes technologies that can be used anywhere throughout the product life cycle from pre-production (i.e. rapid prototyping) to full scale production and even for tooling applications or post production customization.

The Materialise AM Forum is for high level owners and decision makers for Internal and External Services Bureaus.  It’s a chance to see the latest in software development for AM and to mingle with experts in AM. Many of the participants learn from each other and really remain in close contact after. The event took place October 21–23. This was the 3rd time the event was offered.

Jamie Milas, the marketing manager for Materialise enjoys the inspirational tone, “I love hosting the AM Forum’s at our Headquarters in Belgium. It’s very rewarding to see everyone talking and sharing ideas. There’s a strong sense of excitement and inspiration in the air.”

Materialise 2012

Abbey Delaney, a marketing manager from Materialise, talks about the scope and experience of the event, “18 companies from all over the globe attended, including 9 from North America, 8 from Europe, and 1 from Asia.  We also asked Realize and others to present on their real life experiences with e-Stage and Streamics.  These testimonials got the audience excited at the potential that both e-Stage and Streamics could bring their business. Prior to the conclusion of the event, each company had the opportunity to sit down in a one-on-one meeting with top management and other key people of RP&M. These meetings were key for creating momentum toward future sales.”

The team at Materialise interacted with Realize, Inc President Todd Reese at the event.

“We are very grateful to Todd and Realize for being an instrumental part of our event.  His presentation talking about their hands on experience with e-Stage helped show other customers how truly beneficial the solution can be. We value our relationship with Realize and look forward to working together more.”

Todd had an amazing experience at Materialise and enjoyed making new connections.

“Realize has been using Materialise software solutions since early 2010, and we’ve become a big fan.  It was an honor and a pleasure to speak about e-Stage, a software solution that has really made an impact in our SLA operation.”

Group photo at Materialise AM Forum 2012.

 

mereedRealize and the Materialise AM Forum
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