Newsletter June 2011

In this issue:

 

• NASA Rockets FDM Robot Into Space

• Streamline Manufacturing with FDM

• Get the Freedom to Redesign

• Thermoplastics: A Solid Choice for Additive Mfg.

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NASA Gets a Helping Hand from FDM

As a leading provider of high-tech aerospace engineering services to the federal government, Wyle has been gearing up Robonaut 2 (R2), a dexterous humanoid robot for launch to the International Space Station (ISS).

The exterior of the prototype had to duplicate the geometry and appearance of the actual R2. If they had used conventional machining of the prototype parts it would have taken eight months at a cost of $180,000. Instead, it took only two weeks and cost $36,000 for Redeye to make all of the functional prototype parts.

See how the Wyle team used Fused Deposition Modeling (FDM) to build a one-to-one scale high-fidelity mockup of R2 for use by National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA).

Read the entire story.

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Streamline Manufacturing with Fused Deposition Modeling (FDM)

All traditional manufacturing processes involve substantial investment of labor, time and money for toolpath creation, fixtures, tooling, molds and machinery. For example, a single injection mold can cost $75,000 or more and take anywhere from 8 to 16 weeks to manufacture. FDM has no tooling costs and the waiting period for the first production parts may amount to only a few hours.

This not only minimizes new-product startup investment, but can translate to better cash flow, improved profit and decreased debt for a company. Lowering the initial investment also opens the door to more product introductions.

To learn more, download the entire white paper.

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Get the Freedom to Redesign

Direct digital manufacturing (DDM) can benefit nearly every discipline within a manufacturing organization, and sometimes changes fundamental business processes. In this series of white papers, the unrecognized benefits of DDM will be disclosed to reveal the huge potential that the process offers.

In Part 1: Freedom to Redesign, you'll learn how you can redesign or alter products while in production.

Download the entire white paper here.

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ON DEMAND WEBINAR
Thermoplastics: A Solid Choice For Additive Manufacturing

When designing a new product, engineers can best predict its end performance by prototyping with a material as similar to it as possible. Fused Deposition Modeling (FDM) thermoplastics use the same types of raw materials found in injection molding - and that's why 3D printing is a wise choice. You'll learn the unique properties of each thermoplastic and find out how these aspects can help you choose the right material.

Watch Now

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