Speed is one of the qualities that made 3D printing for rapid prototyping services such a success to begin with. By having a 3D printer a company were able to get accurate prototypes and models in hours rather than using traditional rapid prototyping services techniques that often took days and which often gave models that were fragile and not entirely accurate, being rarely accurate in looks and even less likely to be accurate in weight and feel.
3D systems though understanding that speed in 3D printing for rapid prototyping services as well as short run and bespoke manufacturing is still important have developed a new offering to make their printers faster than ever and in so doing given themselves a massive advantage against competitors.
3D systems’ 3D printers include a number of techniques including injection and sintering. With their Projet 1500 line of 3D printers injection printing is used, Zoom is 3D systems new material offering though for use with the line, which allows far quicker printing.
The introduction of Zoom came earlier this year but initially with only 5 colors, 3D systems have now though added a transparent material to the range giving users far more flexibility with their prints. Transparent material also particularly lends itself to painting or vinyl wrapping after printing though in order to add more detail as there is no bright color to show through as with the other options.
Projet 1500 printers using Zoom can print 50{ed34752d3d9237811f2899a265685e36705e4e86722207f201c96dd1cfc4a167} faster than with standard material, in rapid prototyping services this is useful: it can cut development time where pieces are regularly being printed, tested, redesigned and then re printed. Waiting for parts can waste time and resources, in extreme circumstances an entire team may have to wait while a part is printed, this means that the slightly higher price for Zoom material easily pays for itself. Consider also the advantage of getting a product to market before a competitor and speeding up rapid prototyping services in any way is a massive boon.
For those with a Projet 1500 printer they are in a position to take advantage straight away but 3D systems hope those in the market for a 3D printer will be tempted by the potential speed of a Projet 1500. For many in rapid prototyping services speed is the first metric they look at when comparing printers, of course there are other considerations though.
Although 3D systems have a massive range of 3D printers large and small and able to print in different materials there are, as far as we are aware, no plans to make Zoom compatible with any other printers or to create high speed materials for other printer types. Other printer types include laser sintering that uses a powdered resin that is then hardened, already itself a competitor for the Projet with a great speed and full color printing capabilities. These laser sintering printers though are made by Z Corp, previously a major competitor and now a division of 3D systems following take over; if it was Z Corp that Zoom was developed to compete with 3D systems now find themselves competing internally with themselves