May 30, engineering.com reported on Day 1 of the dynamic RAPID + TCT event, which took place from May 17-19 at Huntington Place in Detroit. The trade show featured the latest and greatest in 3D printing from over 400 exhibitors. Read on to explore Day 2 of RAPID + TCT’s show floor highlights.

HP

HP’s booth showcased industrial-grade applications of its Multi Jet Fusion (MJF) technology for automotive, healthcare and consumer segments. Interesting exhibits included a backpack with soft, lightweight lattice structures for improving ventilation and enhancing comfort for hikers.

nother interesting consumer item was a pair of Athos shoes that were 3D printed in thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU) based on a scan of the owner’s feet. Other examples of personalization included 3D-printed ski goggles for each skier’s face, and steering handles for racing simulations. A one-part 3D-printed Syng speaker featured optimal design for an enhanced listening experience. A 3D-printed device created a multisensory experience in conjunction with VR goggles.

The Jet Fusion 5200 printer was also on display, operating alongside HP’s new Automatic Unpacking Station, which made its North American debut at RAPID + TCT. The closed-loop system served to reduce the labor associated with cleaning parts by minimizing the amount of powder that would be stuck to prints—ultimately resulting in less powder waste.

SPEE3D

Elsewhere on the show floor, Australia-based SPEE3D was manufacturing copper batter terminals live using its cold-spray LightSPEE3D system for the supersonic 3D printing of large metal objects at record-breaking speeds. SPEE3D’s patented technology involves the high-speed deposition of fine metal particles from a nozzle towards a target. These particles are coordinated using a robot, which is maneuvered to capture the particles in exactly the right spot. The molecules bond together upon impact to create a solid, full-density part.

“Australia is not a heavy industrial country,” said Byron Kennedy, SPEE3D CEO. “We do mining, oil and gas, defense—and that to us is perfect because they’re the kind of technologies which we are targeting. Those heavy remote applications that the rest of the market really isn’t servicing. No one wants to put a 3D printer in the field at the front line except us.”

According to Kennedy, while SPEE3D’s hardware is robust and easily deployable, the sophistication is actually in the company’s software.

“We’re the only ones that actually manufacture parts with the cold spray process versus coating or repair, because the software is very sophisticated and difficult,” said Kennedy. “So, we’re the only ones that cracked the software, and our core IP is actually our software. Looking at the company, you would assume we are a hardware company, but we’re essentially a software company that sells a box.”

The SPEE3D CEO believes that the company’s speedy technology is best for the just-in-time manufacturing of medium-to-large metal parts, so that dependence on brittle supply chains can be eliminated.

Nexa3D

Continuing the ultrafast trend was Nexa3D, who exhibited their new XiP and QLS 820 systems for the first time in North America, along with their flagship NXE 400 and recently introduced NXE 200 3D printers. Nexa3D’s RAPID + TCT booth was teeming with activity, including live demonstrations of the XiP—the industrial resin 3D printer manufacturer’s first desktop 3D printer.

According to the company, the XiP (pronounced “zip”) combines the speed of Nexa3D’s Lubricant Sublayer Photo-curing (LSPc) technology with industrial-grade capabilities in a smaller, more accessible package.

“Our closest competitor would be a desktop SLA machine, and we know that we have roughly a 5-10x speed advantage there,” said Michael Currie, VP and General Manager of Desktop Business at Nexa3D. “If a client is struggling with time and wants more throughput, this is pretty much a clear answer for that.”

Another advantage of the XiP system is that it has been designed with an open material platform, allowing it to print with not only Nexa3D’s resins but also third-party materials. The desktop 3D printer features a smart resin cartridge and tool-less vat system for simplified resin loading/unloading.

In other firsts, Nexa3D took to the trade show floor to unveil the QLS 820, the company’s first selective laser sintering (SLS) 3D printer.

“It’s the only quad laser printer out there for polymers,” said Kristin Mulherin, General Manager of Powder Bed Solutions at Nexa3D. “With eight liters an hour and an average of 20 percent packing density, it’s designed specifically from the ground up with production printing in mind. It’s about three to four times the part throughput of MJF technology.”

The QLS 820 is still in development, with the first placement expected around fall this year. One feature that differentiates the system is its automation-ready architecture.

“Essentially what’ll happen is the build unit at the end of the printer will undock, drive out, move to the side and a new build unit will move in, re-dock and start automatically,” shared Mulherin. “You get to eliminate that one shift change in the middle of the night and ultimately have less people involved in the printing process. You could have one operator running a fleet of 10 printers, 24/7. In another year or so, we expect that the build unit will be completely autonomously guided. At the end of the day, our target is complete lights-out manufacturing.”

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