heidi, Author at ABCorp 3D

3D Printing = Cost-Effective Manufacturing

3D prototypes are essential for product production and testing, and cost-effective manufacturing is critical for business success. 3D printing is used across many different industries for all sorts of projects including sports, aerospace engineering, architecture, industrial machinery, prosthetics, consumer goods, and many more. These 3D prints can serve many different purposes within their respective industries, and these industries typically need a high volume of manufactured parts in short periods of time made of quality and cost-effective materials. These demands can be met more efficiently through 3D printing rather than traditional manufacturing.

Traditional manufacturing is simply not a cost-effective manufacturing method for many reasons. Just the material costs for tooling changes alone can add up to more than $100,000. Traditional manufacturing has elements to it like mold casting, tooling amortization, tooling changes, and minimum order quantities that are typically used to hide tooling fees. The National Institute of Standards and Technology reported that over $537 billion was tied up in inventory in 2011 and this statistic has only increased since then. Additionally, traditional manufacturing timelines can range anywhere from 3-6 months based on the specific item being produced, type of mold being used, and the number of units needed to fill the order.

3D printing eliminates many of the downsides of traditional manufacturing. One of 3D printing’s biggest benefits is that it allows manufacturers to produce one or multiple prints without charging for each individual part. This cuts out the cost of the tooling step and does away with those minimum order quantities that so often end up stretching the budget.

3D printing also cuts down on operational costs. Most of the “heavy lifting” in the 3D printing process is done autonomously by the machine itself. Traditional manufacturing requires a lot of hands-on attention from people, which inevitably costs money. 3D printing cuts down on the amount of time needed to produce parts, and companies only pay for the percentage of time the machine is operating versus the amount of personpower and time combined.

Another big chunk of savings comes from material costs. Far less material is used to produce parts 3D printed parts than traditional manufacturing. A heavily used printer (40-168 hours per week) uses about 20 kilograms of fresh material a week, not including recycling the unused powder back into the next build, meaing that the 20 kilograms of powder can be reused for up to 10 times after the initial use. Cutting down on costs and consumption.

Another benefit that cannot be overstated is that 3D printing is more eco-conscious than traditional manufacturing techniques. 3D printing cuts down on carbon emissions as well as reduces waste by only printing what is necessary. 3D printing achieves a smaller carbon footprint by cutting down on supply chain and delivery carbon-producing transportation steps. As an example, parts produced by traditional manufacturing create about 14 tons of CO2 emissions whereas the same parts 3D printed clock in at only 0.8 tons of emissions. Shipping products and finished goods via plane accounts for about 10 tons of traditional manufacturing CO2 emissions. 3D printing also operates on lower power systems than the machinery of traditional manufacturing.

At ABCorp we keep all of these costs in mind when we provide services to our customers. There are a few things we continue to do to make sure we can keep satisfying any request that comes our way. Having technology like SolutionIX that automates inspection and the Girbau DY130 to apply consistent color helps streamline the manufacturing process and cut down on mistakes during production. Adding materials like durable Nylon 11 (PA11) that is made from renewable castor beans to our full roster of great materials allows us to offer more to our customers than we could before. Expanding our catalog of materials and expanding our additive manufacturing practices makes it easier for us to assist customers with their manufacturing needs as well as keep the costs of production to a minimum.

17-4PH Steel for 3D Printing

ABCorp 3D creates quality 3D printed metal parts using 17-4PH stainless steel, state-of-the-art equipment, and the highest quality materials.

17-4PH Steel

This is a cutting-edge, multipurpose steel used for industrial applications. Heat-treatable to 36 HRC and possessing 95% wrought strength, this cutting-edge steel enables you to print high-strength, robust metal parts for a wide variety of applications.

High Resolution Parts

Our superior HP Multi Jet Fusion 3D printing also offers fine feature detail and superior surface finish, with an impressive 1600 x 1600 native DPI for most applications.

Prototype to Production

We are able to qualify on the same equipment, providing superior cost-effectiveness and time savings.

ABCorp 3D Expands Capabilities with HP JF5200 3D Printers

ABCorp 3D has announced the expansion of their Boston-based Center of Excellence capabilities by adding additional HP JF5200 3D Printers to their existing lineup of cutting-edge technology at the Additive Manufacturing Center (AMC).

“ABCorp has a history dating backer 225 years, providing essential critical goods and services to world-class companies as well as federal, state, and local government agencies in over 120 countries worldwide,” commented Neil Glazebrook, VP of 3D Solutions at ABCorp. “The need for functional end-use 3D printed parts is growing rapidly, and adding additional units of the JF5200 machines to our highly secure facility in Boston will complement the expanding business capacity to meet our current and future needs.”

The AMC is located in ABCorp’s secure 125,000 sq. ft. state-of-the-art facility powered by multiple HP Jet Fusion 5210 industrial systems, Jet Fusion 580 full-color, HP JF5200 3D printers, and Desktop Metal production metal printers. The AMC provides printing materials of HP 3D High Reusability PA 11, HP 3D High Reusability PA 12, BASF Ultrasint® TPU01, HP 3D High Reusability PP enabled by BASF, full-color HP 3D High Reusability CB PA 12, and stainless steels of 174PH. In addition, ABCorp 3D offers finishing with AMT’s PostPro3D smoothing system and the Girbau HP Approved Dye Station.

How 3D Printing Supports “Buy American”

Recently I came across a website encouraging consumers and businesses to “Buy American” products. The website is a group of retailers, trade organizations, and service providers dedicated to sharing the message of bringing jobs and manufacturing back to American soil.

It reminded me of my early years in construction material sales. Back then the requirement was called the “Buy America Act” and it required all (with some exemptions) construction products used in public buildings to be made in the United States. The Act caused manufacturers, suppliers and architects to source domestically made products for their customers and projects. As with all market forces, things change, costs go up, higher inventory levels are required, and a tighter workforce requires the outsourcing of domestically made products — better known as offshoring.

A more recent market force was the COVID-19 pandemic, which exposed weaknesses in our supply chain for manufactured goods as well as raw materials. When the supply chain finally did start to open, it was in slow motion with lengthy leads times being the norm, causing trickle down effects to numerous industries. As examples, we witnessed a single out-of-stock part cause delivery delays of fleets of automobiles, and limited supplies of RFID chips put a stranglehold on the tech industry.

Additive Manufacturing, or 3D Printing, can reverse offshoring and bring manufacturing back to America. Additionally, it has the power to energize smaller local businesses as the Additive Manufacturing market grows and develops. Start-up business can afford to run limited quantities of products as they develop the market or make changes to parts as their market changes. At the recent AMUG 2023 event in Chicago, I noticed a broader scope of interest in 3D Printing of those in attendance, such as smaller businesses that specialize in tool path optimization or stronger finishes for unique applications.

Printing processes and materials are becoming more niched to a segment or product type. Gone are the thoughts of replacing traditional manufacturing with all things 3D Printed, replaced with a working “with it” attitude to help transform and grow in the new Industry 4.0 marketplace.

What is Industry 4.0? It can be defined as the integration of intelligent digital technologies into manufacturing and industrial processes. One of the first steps in this process is automation. Evaluating and creating a digital inventory of parts in your supply chain will help identify what parts are best for 3D Printing, while having a digital file of a needed part gives flexibility to choose the best material and printing process. All printing processes are not the same, as part geometry or end use requirements may dictate a specific printing process or material.

A good example is Fused Deposition Modeling (FDM) vs Multi Jet Fusion (MJF). With FDM, geometry of the part dictates the length of print time due to support generation during the print. Alternately, MJF is a system that uses powder to support the model during the printing process which results in a set printing time per build. Additionally, multiple parts can be nested in a full print build to further bring down the printing cost per part. Note that not all printers are efficient at printing quality end use parts and very few can do it at scale.

Print processes like MJF work well for the large manufacture for complex assemblies as well as the creation of prototypes for small businesses as they introduce new parts. The HP MJF system has been designed to print multiple part runs with support equipment to automate the process.

ABCorp has been a secure contract manufacture since 1795, creating the first anti-counterfeit currency for the United States. As markets change, we now create and manufacture a good portion of the world’s plastic credit cards, government passports, and gift cards. When COVID hit, our punch presses transitioned to face masks and we ventured into Additive Manufacturing to help address the tightening supply chain concerns.

In a short time, ABCorp-3D has grown to house multiple HP MJF 580 and 5210 series printers in our secure Boston facility. Our current material offerings are Nylon PA-11, PA-12, Polypropylene, and BASF Ultrasint TPU. The HP 580 creates colors parts in Nylon PA-12CB material.

If you’re in a position to review your parts for a digital inventory or would like us to print a few parts, please reach out to us. A CAD file with an .stl or 3MF file along with design specifications is enough to start the conversation. Samples available upon request.

For additional information, please feel free to email us at 3d@abcorp.com.

Vic Little
Business Development
ABCorp-3D

The Benefits of 3D Printed Prosthetics

At ABCorp 3D, technology is at the core of what we do. For over two centuries, we have been a top provider in essential critical goods and services in industries ranging from aerospace and consumer goods to prosthetics and automotive, spanning across over 120 countries. With our expertise in three-dimensional additive printing, we are able to create completely customizable and ergonomic prostheses offering patients with limb differences an affordable and accessible prosthetic option.

Limb differences are a lot more common than one would think. In the United States alone, there are 2.7 million people living with limb differences, with that number expected to double by 2050. A 2017 study by the International Society for Prosthetics and Orthotics found that there are approximately 57.7 million people worldwide living with limb amputation due to traumatic causes. Traumatic causes, meaning falls, transportation injuries, mechanical forces, etc., make up only a percentage of all limb differences. Other causes are congenital disorders, a structural or functional anomaly that occurs during intrauterine life, or for surgical reasons, meaning a treatment route for infection or disease, tissue destruction, vascular disease, etc.

Due to the intricacy of limb differences, there is no “one-size fits all” case, let alone solution. With limb differences, both in intrauterine and extrauterine life, come many physical impacts, but it’s important to note that there can be severe mental impacts just as well, which is why prostheses are so vitally important to a patient’s full recovery. Sadly, 36% of people with limb loss struggle with depression. While the experiences can differ greatly between those with limb loss and those born with limb differences, the constant is that a prosthesis can allow patients to gain or regain mobility and use of their limbs, granting them freedom, independence, and empowerment.

Unfortunately, due to the rising costs of healthcare in the United States and abroad, it can be extremely difficult to afford treatment and prostheses, let alone afford the routine upgrades and replacements necessary throughout a patient’s lifetime. In 2021 alone, Americans spent $4.1 trillion on healthcare, which averages out to approximately $12,900 per person, nearly double the cost for other countries. Healthcare costs already put immense pressure on a person’s fiscal situation, with over 100 million Americans affected by medical debt. As it turns out, medical debt is now twice as common for people under the age of 30 as it is for people aged 65 and older.

The three-dimensional printing of prosthetics offers people with limb differences an accessible, affordable, and adaptable way to meet their biochemical needs. In areas with higher populations of people with limb differences, such as East and South Asia, 3D printed prosthetics are a much more affordable option and, due to their light weight, are easily transportable to more remote areas where medical attention is inaccessible.

Three-dimensional prosthetic printing is fully customizable, unlike making prosthetics the traditional route; with 3D printing, patients can select different designs, forms, sizes, and colors, allowing for each socket to fit each of their biochemical and personal needs. It’s important to note that 3D printed prosthetics are incredibly functional as they weigh less, making transportation and shipment easier, are more breathable, and allow for more flexibility while in use. With limb differences, changes to the size and shape of residual limbs are very common and can change due to aging, weather, and activity levels. Even if a prosthetic is specifically designed around a residual limb, it can become loose or tight over time, and can shift uncomfortably over remaining scar tissue, causing the patient immense pain and varying skin conditions.

The scalability of 3D printed prosthetics is also vital to this conversation. As a patient ages and changes occur to residual limbs, they will need to upgrade or update their prostheses. With 3D printed prosthetics, it’s easy to reprint them to grow with patients. Medical providers can take a 3D scan of their patients’ residual limbs and easily have a newly fitted and printed socket. Not to mention, 3D printed prosthetics require minimal leftover scrap material and require far less energy to manufacture as machining and milling is not necessary.

Why ABCorp Prosthetics?

At ABCorp, our 3D printed prosthetics have been used for robotic parts and attachments, animal prosthetics, and human prosthetics. Our prosthetics are made up of Nylon PA11, BASF Ultrasint01 TPU, and Nylon PA12.

Nylon PA11

Nylon PA11 is a bioplastic polyamide powder that is 100% biocompatible and plant-based, made from renewable resources consisting of vegetable and castor oil. PA11 is chemical resistant to hydrocarbons, ketones, alcohols, oils, fats, and other mineral bases and salts. It is impact resistant, high heat deflected, and is much more forgiving than other materials, making it a key component not only in orthotics, but in ABCorp prostheses.

BASF Ultrasint01 TPU

BASF Ultrasint01 TPU has an 80% recycling rate and is often used in sports protection equipment, footwear, and car interior components. The material is ideal for shock absorption and flexibility, and resistant to fatigue, which is exactly what patients need when looking for a prosthesis.

Nylon PA12

Nylon PA12 is similar to Nylon PA11: it’s chemical resistant to oils, fuels, hydraulic fluids, salts, and water, and is high abrasion and crack resistant. While it’s not plant-based, Nylon PA12 plays a pivotal role in prostheses since it can withstand major changes in temperature and can hold up against below freezing temperatures.

By combining these materials and our expertise in three-dimensional additive printing, ABCorp is able to deliver life-changing, affordable, accessible, and adaptable prostheses to patients across the globe. For a real life case study, read how we recently partnered with robotic prosthetic manufacturer Unlimited Tomorrow to create 3D printed prosthetic components to help fulfill their mission in providing patients the necessary tools to meet their biochemical needs.