| Recently, the Dutch company VormVrij, the founder of the clay 3D printer, printed 1,200 identical cups for the 3D workshop of the Unfold studio in Antwerp, Belgium. It took only six weeks to print and glaze.  Orders for more than 1,000 units are also a piece of cake for manufacturers in the traditional foundry and molding business. However, for people in the 3D printing industry, such a high volume needs attention. 3D printing is usually more than traditional The manufacturing technology is slower. For small quantities, it is very difficult to make large quantities. The Dutch 3D printing expert VormVrij certainly knows the limitations of 3D printing technology, but he is pleased to accept the formidable challenge of 400 3D printing ceramic cups ordered by the Unfold studio. So where does the 3D printing company start when it comes to processing so much? For VormVrij, the initial prospects are not ideal: The project's time constraints mean that fast print speeds are required, but Dutch printing experts know that the fastest Printing setup will create problems around the sharp corners of the cup. But it must be achieved. According to VormVrij CEO Yao van den Heerik, balancing speed and accuracy require optimization of the company's LUTUM ceramic 3D printer setup, instead of processing the G code directly through the printer slicing software's toolbar. Van den Heerik says that VormVrij uses 'dynamic acceleration and deceleration at the start and end of the cup' to reduce the 3D printing time to an 'acceptable level' and uses 'variable print speeds throughout the cup to optimize the surface quality while keeping the minimum The vibrations '. The printer was also programmed to remind the team when each cup was nearly completed, allowing the staff to check the progress before starting the next one. Of course, more than one cup can be printed at a time. The average layer height is 1mm, the wall thickness is 3mm, the printing speed is between 10 and 40mm/s, 3D printing can print five cups within one hour. In addition, four 3D printers are also used at the same time, which means that about 20 cups can be opened within one hour, and at the same time, a printer's plaster printing station can be quickly replaced with a new one. This process takes only one minute. about. But in addition to the strict time limit, there are other factors related to VormVrij. Since the project was carried out during a particularly cold November period, the crockery does not dry as usual. This means that the team must speed up The drying process keeps the kiln permanently warm. VormVrij worked day and night, hoping to be able to complete the first batch of 400 cups before the deadline. Actually spend most of the time on post-processing, glazing, launching and cooling. Finally, all 3D printed cups are ready for delivery. Later, Unfold's Dries and Claire confirmed the quality and confirmed 800 cup orders. In the end, 3D printing completed 1200 ceramic cups and was ready for shipment in just six weeks. It was a gratifying event for VormVrij. |
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