PolyJet 3D printer Applications

Metal Coating
The metal coating application is based on primary metallizing of the 3D model and covering any non-conductive spots. Models are then sanded and coated with copper and nickel.

Advantages of Electroless Nickel coating:

• High Hardness.
• Low Friction.
• Excellent Corrosion Resistance.
• Applicable For Non-Metal Models.
• Vary coating thickness.
• Uniform Coating Thickness.
• Good Wear Resistance.
• Low temperature Process.

Typical Applications for Electroless Nickel™

• mechanical components.
• plastic molds, dies, screws and fittings.
• household equipment.
• automotive components.
• medical components.
• aerospace components.

Dyeing
To add color and preserve the translucency to PolyJet 3D models, apply a penetrating, aniline dye. Within a short time and non-expensive process, one can finish 3D models with vibrant, translucent color.

Color brings life to many models and applications and there is no simpler way to add color than using aniline dye.  Smooth surfaces and fine resolution eliminate the time and effort of sanding the model prior to coloring.  The unique solution is made possible by the translucency of the FullCure720 PolyJet 3D Printer material.

In comparison, applying dye is much easier and faster than painting the 3D models.
No skill is needed for this one-step process. Additionally, the aniline dye does not add any material to the surface of the parts, so the model's dimensional accuracy is not changed.

Aniline dye comes in a wide range of colors and cost. Sold as a stain for leather or wood, the dyes are readily available from most leather working, shoe repair, and woodworking supply stores.

Vacuum Forming
Vacuum forming or thermoforming is one of the most common methods for processing plastic materials. Vacuum formed products are all around us and play a major part in our daily lives.

The process involves heating a plastic sheet until soft and then draping it over a 3D mold shape. A vacuum is applied sucking the sheet on to the mold. The sheet is then ejected from the mold and contains the feature of the master pattern.

Vacuum forming offers several processing advantages over other forming processes. Low forming pressures are used thus enabling comparatively low cost tooling. Since the process uses low pressures, the molds can be made of PolyJet rapid prototype materials and mold fabrication time can be reasonably short. Prototype and low quantity requirements of large parts, as well as medium size runs therefore become economical.

Silicone & Urethane Molds

The #1 use of PolyJet 3D printer models is their use as Silicone & Urethane mold masters. Silicone molding is a fast, inexpensive technology that provides excellent detail 3D model reproduction. It also bridges the cost gap between rapid prototyping and hard tooling by meeting in between for low numbers of final product parts:

• Option of using multiple materials.
• Good material properties, close to that of thermoplastics.
• Undercuts.
• Good for normally 50 - 100 parts.

The PolyJet 3D models are ideal for all silicone & urethane mold applications. The main advantages are:

• Excellent accuracy.
• Crisp details.
• Thin walls and smooth surfaces.
• Fast overall build to get master.
• Excellent downward facing surfaces.
• No tooling marks.

Medical Applications
Why PolyJet 3D printing for Medical applications?

• Outstanding detail and fine features that will withstand support removal.
• Clear amber color allows viewing parts such as facial sinuses.
• Durable resin which preserves delicate structures such as the floor of the orbit and the nasal concha.
• Fast overall build time to final model enables use for trauma or tumors.
• Ability to cut and fix plates that will screw onto the 3D model.

PolyJet 3D printing advantages in Medical Applications:

• Surgery simulation.
• Production of surgical guides over bones.
• Reduction of surgical risks.
• Reduction of time and hospital costs.
• Production of personal prosthesis.
• Communication to patient.
• Planning without patient presence.

Regulatory Approval Update:

PolyJet FullCure720 now comprises a set of medical regulatory approvals, having passed a number of tests including:

• Irritation
• Sensitization
• Cytotoxicity
• USP Class VI

Rapid Tooling with PolyJet 3D Printing

3D Models produced on the PolyJet 3D printer rapid prototype technology produce durable parts with outstanding feature detail and excellent surface characteristics.

How does it work?

Convert 3D model drawing into a Mold using a tooling function, a standard feature in solid modeling software. Four alignment pins and holes are then added to ensure that the two halves of the mold line up perfectly. Some CAD Modeling software programs give automatic parting lines while in others, these parting lines must be chosen. In this particular application, no other special features needed to be added such as draft angles.
The two 3D models are then manually fit one onto the other (no vacuum chamber, due to the press fit, no air bubbles are created).
This technique can also be used for more sophisticated 3D models with undercuts by adding space for overflow resins and additional inserts.

Aluminum Epoxy Molds

Use of Aluminum Epoxy molds allow the use of the PolyJet rapid prototype 3D model as master for high production. This technique provides inexpensive and relatively fast way to produce up to a few hundred copies. One can produce copies with thermoplastic engineering materials where it is ideal for low to medium complexity 3D models. Note that high complexity 3D models require many metal inserts.