Just over a year ago, PADT, like most every other engineering company, shifted rapidly into minimal on-site-operations mode. As the PADT 3D Printing Application Engineer, I worked from home while requesting support from our manufacturing group for running benchmark parts on our Stratasys fused deposition modeling (FDM) filament and PolyJet resin printers. Whether those parts were created on the F370, F450, F900 or J55 printers, they spanned a wide range of part size, function and material. It was an interesting time, but software tools like GrabCAD Print made remote part set-up possible, and the on-site team kept everything running under some often-challenging conditions.
I’ve been back in the office for about a month, so I’m tending to tasks that were, out of necessity, put on a backburner while our company did high-importance projects such as printing a ton of PPE visor frames. Now it’s time to do some printer maintenance that got a little delayed beyond the recommended run-time schedule.
For our Stratasys J55 full-color PolyJet printer, while all the standard components were cleaned and checked after every print, we stretched the recommendation period for replacing the wiper blade, the roller-waste collector, and both filters in the compact ProAero Air Extractor that contributes to making this printer truly office-friendly. Now I’ve checked those off as done.
Bring in the Printer Maintenance Experts
Other steps should only be done by a professional from the Service Department at your reseller or from Stratasys. When they come on-site to perform Preventive Maintenance for your printer, do you know what goes into this, and the kind of tasks that keep your system humming along?
It’s similar to practicing good automotive ownership: checking the air in your tires, changing the oil every 5,000 miles or so, replacing brake pads before they’re so thin that you have to turn the rotors, etc. Some jobs you do monthly, some yearly and some on general principles to avoid future trouble which inevitably occurs during the critical stage of a project.
Here are some of the tasks our PADT service technician performs from the 12-month Preventive Maintenance Checklist for a Stratasys F450 industrial FDM printer:
With the printer powered off, clean the canister drives, gantry fans and electronics bay ventilation fans (kind of like cleaning out the ventilation area under the front of your refrigerator – which we all do regularly, right?) Also, inspect the head cable and heat shields, verify X-Y belt tensions, and replace the vacuum filter.
With the printer powered on, verify voltage levels, fan speeds and Z-Zero calibration, inspect the flicker brush assemblies and clean and lubricate the Z-axis leadscrew.
When the two-year point rolls around, these tasks are repeated plus another set is added, such as:
With the printer off: Replace the filament guide tubes, Kapton seals, X and Y bellows seals, oven lamps, air-pressure regulator diaphragm and all compressed-air system filter elements.
With the printer on: Adjust the air pressure and airflow, verify the oven blower operation and perform filament load-time tests.
And at the four-year mark, all of the above are completed plus such tasks as “replace the X and Y belts.” At every service appointment, too, the technician verifies that the current version of the printer control software has been installed, and that the user has the latest application software, whether Insight or GrabCAD Print. All in all, we’re talking more than 50 check points and tasks that keep the printer running smoothly.
High Expectations from Good Maintenance
I have to admit that when I get into my car, I expect the engine to idle smoothly, the air-conditioning to generate chilled-air, and my driveway to be free of oil spots. However, that expectation is only realistic if I or my mechanic has done due diligence with regular inspections and taken action when certain conditions show up. Checking for dirty spark plugs or a cracked distributor cap will maintain engine performance. If the serpentine belt is showing signs of wear, I’d better replace it rather than risk losing both power steering and air-conditioning on some far-off road in the desert on a beastly summer day. And worn rings, pistons or gaskets could all contribute to that oil leak.
And so it goes with 3D printers. First, the importance of avoiding down-time is huge for most manufacturers and factors into both production planning and a smooth workflow for printing prototypes. Second, if you’ve paid for a Stratasys-authorized Service Plan, you get guaranteed response time when something does go wrong (say you accidently melted filament into the print-head because you didn’t mount the tip correctly – life happens). Third, with a PM contract, a trained technician steps you through every aspect of the printer’s operation, inspection and cleaning whether done daily/weekly/monthly by a program engineer or by the system operator.
Stratasys offers three levels of contract service for almost all of its 3D printers, now covering the gamut from FDM and PolyJet to SLA, DLP and the new Selective Absorptive Fusion (SAF, a polymer powder-bed fusion technology). Those levels are Sapphire, Emerald and Diamond which can each be purchased for multi-year coverage.
Generally speaking, service offerings include:
On-site technical service
Spare parts
Priority service scheduling
Discounted user-training
Discounts on printer heads
Customers also win with hardware updates, optional backup printing services, predictable maintenance expenditures for easier budgeting, and more.
It’s not in my budget to buy a new car every year or even every couple of years, so regular, professional automotive inspection and maintenance is critical to me. It is to customers in the additive manufacturing world, too. So, to paraphrase that diamond-jewelry advertisement, “Now you have a friend in the 3D printer business: Stratasys.” Find out more about service contracts and the details of preventive maintenance by contacting 3DPSAL@PADTinc.com.
PADT Inc. is a globally recognized provider of Numerical Simulation, Product Development and 3D Printing products and services. For more information on Stratasys printers and materials, contact us at info@padtinc.com.
The new combined offerings are being called #HandsOnMetrology. Someone must of let an engineer into the branding meeting because the new name is a perfect description of what the product line offers. Right now we are reselling three scanners and the outstanding software package that enables the unique advantages of each system:
When ZEISS and GOM joined forces, it was hard on our sales team here at PADT. We wanted to let our customers know about the significant advantages of the merger. After selling ZEISS Optical systems for many years, we knew that more and more customers wanted the flexibility of more handheld solutions along with laser scanning for larger objects. With the addition of the GOM line, we can now meet those needs.
You can learn more about these tools on our new #HandsOnMetrology page or by contacting PADT today. Remember, we are more than a reseller, we use these same tools in our consulting business, so we have real-world experience on how to apply and leverage this technology. You might say that PADT even has “hands on” experience with these tools.
Access the offical press release here or as a PDF here, or you can read it below.
Press Release:
Innovative GOM and ZEISS 3D Scanning Solutions Added to PADT Portfolio as it Joins the #HandsOnMetrology Digital Platform Global Network
PADT is Now Selling the Three Leading GOM and ZEISS Optical and Laser Scanning Systems Throughout the Mountain and Southwest States
“The HandsOnMetrology systems are the most precise and flexible scanners on the market,” said Ward Rand, co-founder and principal, PADT. “We are pleased to be expanding our product offerings, as well as providing scanning services to our customers. Specifically, the systems enhance our simulation services by allowing us to scan existing parts that can be simulated, or scan parts after testing for verification of simulation. It also supports our additive manufacturing activities by providing a simple-to-use and cost-effective way to reverse engineer older parts and inspect 3D Printed parts.”
The portfolio of HandsOnMetrology systems focuses on new to market hand-held measuring systems. The scanners are characterized by their precise measuring results and allow for mobile and flexible use around the shop floor. The industry-standard software GOM Inspect Suite is pre-installed on all three systems and supports users during inspections and analyses. It also walks users through the entire workflow from 3D scanning to the evaluation, including the inspection report.
PADT is selling the scanners and accompanying software across Arizona, California, Colorado, Idaho, Kansas, Nebraska, Nevada, New Mexico, Montana, Oklahoma, Texas, Utah, and Wyoming. The systems allow PADT and its customers to address a variety of 3D scanning processes including reverse engineering, art, architecture, inspection, quality, and control. The company is also providing support and training to help customers get real work done quickly and accurately.
“In addition to our ability to sell this innovative lineup of scanners, PADT and our customers will gain access to a network of resources through HandsOnMetrology,” said Jim Sanford, vice president, Sales and Support, PADT. “By teaming with these industry leaders, PADT can support our community of designers, technicians, engineers, scientists, and specialists with valuable knowledge to increase product quality, optimize processes and expand possibilities. It is the perfect complement to our long-term position as Ansys Elite, Stratasys Platinum and EOS Channel Partners.”
To learn more about PADT and its new lineup of #HandsOnMetrology 3D scanning systems and software, please visit www.padtinc.com.
About PADT
PADT is an engineering product and services company that focuses on helping customers who develop physical products by providing Numerical Simulation, Product Development, and 3D Printing solutions. PADT’s worldwide reputation for technical excellence and experienced staff is based on its proven record of building long-term win-win partnerships with vendors and customers. Since its establishment in 1994, companies have relied on PADT because “We Make Innovation Work.” With over 90 employees, PADT services customers from its headquarters at the Arizona State University Research Park in Tempe, Arizona, and from offices in Torrance, California, Littleton, Colorado, Albuquerque, New Mexico, Austin, Texas, and Murray, Utah, as well as through staff members located around the country. More information on PADT can be found at www.PADTINC.com.
About #HandsOnMetrology
#HandsOnMetrology is a new global 3D scanning network and provides a digital go-to for everything you always wanted to know about 3D scanning on the platform HandsOnMetrology.com. The platform is operated by GOM, a ZEISS company, that sets new standards in optical 3D metrology. From step-by-step setup instructions to more advanced tutorials and expert hacks: the platform is made for learning and for getting inspired. It gives users all the information they need to deliver 3D scanning excellence. HandsOnMetrology.com supports the community of designers, technicians, engineers, scientists and specialists with valuable knowledge to increase product quality, optimize processes and expand possibilities.
About GOM GmbH
GOM, a company of the ZEISS Group, specializes in industrial 3D coordinate measuring technology, 3D computed tomography and 3D testing. From product development to production and worldwide distribution, GOM offers machines and systems for manual and automated 3D digitizing, evaluation software, training and professional support from a single source. In industries such as automotive, aerospace, energy and consumer goods, more than 17,000 GOM system installations are in use internationally. At more than 60 locations and with more than 1,200 metrology specialists, GOM guarantees profound advice and first-class service. Since mid-2019, GOM has been a part of the ZEISS Group and has formed the Center of Excellence for optical metrology. With more than 31,000 employees in 50 countries and annual revenue totaling more than 6.4 billion euros, ZEISS is an internationally leading technology enterprise operating in the fields of optics and optoelectronics. (Status: September 30, 2019)
PADT’s model for over 27 years has been to become experts on the leading tool that engineers use, then become a reseller. We continue that model with our new partnership with EOS, the leader in Metal 3D Printing. We have been a user of several metal Additive Manufacturing solutions for some time, settling on EOS’ DMLS technology last year. We are now pleased to announce that that technical relationship has grown to include PADT as an EOS Distribution Partner for the Southwestern United States.
More details can be found in the press release below. You can see the official press release in PDF and HTML as well.
What does it mean for our customers? The same technology-driven win-win relationship you have come to count on for Ansys, Stratasys, and Flownex are now available if you need to add metal 3D Printing. And after your purchase, when you call for assistance you will talk to people that run the same machines you are.
Have questions? Why EOS or what machine would be best for you? More details on the metal systems can be found on our website. But the best way to learn more is to contact us at info@padtinc.com or 480.813.4884
If metal 3D Printing is part of how you make innovation work, PADT is ready to help.
PADT Named EOS Metal 3D Printing Distribution Partner Across the Southwest, Expanding its Established Additive Manufacturing Products Offering
Building on its Expertise in Metal 3D Printing Services and R&D, PADT Adds Metal Laser Powder Bed Fusion Systems to its Sales Portfolio
TEMPE, Ariz., April 13, 2021 ─ PADT, a globally recognized provider of numerical simulation, product development, and 3D printing products and services, today announced it has been named Distribution Partner for EOS’s full lineup of industrial metal 3D printing systems. Founded in 1989, EOS is a leading technology provider for industrial additive manufacturing of metals and plastics. PADT will represent the company’s Direct Metal Laser Fusion (DMLS®) powder bed fusion systems across Arizona, California, Colorado, Idaho, New Mexico, Nevada, Texas, and Utah.
“PADT is experiencing explosive growth,” said Jim Sanford, Vice President, Sales & Support, PADT. “Our new partnership with EOS helps us serve our customers and expand their 3D printing options with this impressive lineup of systems. Metal materials are the next major frontier in 3D printing innovation and PADT is an early adopter. We continue to explore new ways to apply the technology to meet our customer’s evolving needs.”
EOS’ metal 3D printing platforms use proprietary DMLS technology that meters and deposits ultra-fine layers of metal powders and then melts each layer – as defined by a 3D CAD model – using high-powered lasers. The applications produced with DMLS are highly accurate, highly dense, and allow for incredible functionality at a cost that can be less than traditional manufacturing. DMLS printers are considered the industry standard for oil and gas components, consolidated and lighter-weight aerospace applications, and custom medical solutions such as guides and implants that improve patient outcomes.
PADT will sell EOS’ metal 3D printing systems, including the company’s small and medium systems, EOS M 100 and EOS M 290; and its large production platforms, EOS M 300 Series, EOS M 400, and EOS M 400-4. PADT has installed an EOS M 290 machine onsite to develop high-quality end-use metal products for customers and expand its ongoing research and development of metal 3D printing.
“As 3D printing technology has advanced, PADT has seen an increase primarily in the aerospace and defense industry’s use of 3D printing for end-use parts,” said Rey Chu, co-founder and principal, PADT. “Metal 3D printing provides many benefits over traditional manufacturing, including lighter, cost-effective parts made much faster and with greater design freedom. The EOS machines provide PADT’s entire range of customers with a wide variety of options to produce metal parts quickly and effectively. Those same advantages will benefit any industry that has a need for low volume production of complex metal parts.”
“PADT is a long-time leader in 3D printing systems and services since the early 1990s with a proven track record of identifying advanced manufacturing trends and helping customers integrate 3D printing innovation into their manufacturing operations,” said Andrew Snow, senior vice president at EOS North America. “We look forward to deepening our reach across the Southwest, a leading hub for aerospace and defense customers, through our partnership with PADT.”
To learn more about PADT and its new lineup of EOS metal 3D printing products and accessories, please visit www.padtinc.com.
About PADT
PADT is an engineering product and services company that focuses on helping customers who develop physical products by providing Numerical Simulation, Product Development, and 3D Printing solutions. PADT’s worldwide reputation for technical excellence and experienced staff is based on its proven record of building long-term win-win partnerships with vendors and customers. Since its establishment in 1994, companies have relied on PADT because “We Make Innovation Work.” With over 90 employees, PADT services customers from its headquarters at the Arizona State University Research Park in Tempe, Arizona, and from offices in Torrance, California, Littleton, Colorado, Albuquerque, New Mexico, Austin, Texas, and Murray, Utah, as well as through staff members located around the country. More information on PADT can be found at www.PADTINC.com.
About EOS
EOS is the world’s leading technology supplier in the field of industrial 3D printing of metals and polymers. Formed in 1989, the independent company is pioneer and innovator for comprehensive solutions in additive manufacturing. Its product portfolio of EOS systems, materials, and process parameters gives customers crucial competitive advantages in terms of product quality and the long-term economic sustainability of their manufacturing processes. Furthermore, customers benefit from deep technical expertise in global service, applications engineering and consultancy.
PADT’s long-standing relationship with Stratasys, the world leader in 3D Printing systems, continues to grow. The latest facet is our recent naming as a Stratasys Diamond Partner. We started this mutual journey as one of the first 3D Printing service providers to add Stratasys’ Fused Deposition Modeling. With that start as a customer we grew to become a reseller, then a supplier for support removal equipment, We also recently expanded our sales territory to include the state of Texas.
And now we are proud to be identified as a Diamond Partner, the top level for Stratasys channel partners. Please read the press release below to learn more about the details. You can also read the official HTML and PDF versions.
We could not have achieved this honor without two groups of people – our customers and our staff. PADT has the most amazing relationship with our 3D Printing users, who let us into their business to help them realize their additive manufacturing goals. And what those customers tell us is that our staff is amazing. From salespeople who have become trusted advisors, to our expert application engineers, to our service engineers who keep their machines running.
We can’t wait to see where the Stratasys + PADT journey takes us next.
The Southwest’s Leading Provider of 3D Printing Systems, Materials and Services, PADT, Named a Stratasys Diamond Partner
PADT has Served More Than 500 Customers With More Than 800 3D Printers Throughout Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico, Texas and Utah
TEMPE, Ariz., March 9, 2021 ─ PADT, a globally recognized provider of numerical simulation, product development, and 3D printing products and services, today announced it has been named a Stratasys Diamond partner for its continued success selling the 3D printing manufacturer’s complete line of products and providing stellar support service. PADT becomes one of the few elite Stratasys resellers in the country to have achieved Diamond partner status.
“For more than 25 years, PADT has provided the highest level of 3D printing products, services and support to our customers across the Southwest,” said Jim Sanford, vice president, Sales & Support, PADT. “Earning the Stratasys Diamond partner designation is a result of the hard work of our team, and the continued respect of our customers.”
PADT became one of the first service providers in the country to offer fused deposition modeling (FDM) printing on Stratasys equipment in the late 1990s and has continued to expand its 3D printing capabilities as a service provider and reseller. The company built its customer base by providing outstanding 3D printing services and technical support across a wide variety of industries and organizations, from schools to startups, including some of the world’s largest aerospace organizations. To date, PADT has sold 883 printers to 506 customers across the Southwest.
PADT currently offers Stratasys’ complete portfolio of top-rated systems, accessories and materials, including full-color printing with PolyJet multi-material systems, robust and proven FDM manufacturing systems from desktop to those supporting advanced materials, and stereolithography for precision and finish.
“3D printing is a fast-growing industry that continues to expand its capabilities and quality year-over-year,” said Ward Rand, co-founder and principal, PADT. “We’re thankful for the strong partnership we’ve enjoyed with Stratasys, and with new technologies coming, we look forward to offering our customers even more choices to make 3D printing part of their everyday process to drive efficiency and cost-savings. This is especially true as we help our customers move from prototyping to creating tooling and production parts with Stratasys additive manufacturing solutions. 3D printing solutions from Stratasys are helping the world’s leading companies gain business agility and competitive advantage and PADT is proud to be a Diamond Partner.”
PADT now represents Stratasys in Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico, Texas, and Utah as an Elite Channel Partner at the Diamond level. To learn more about PADT and its 3D printing products and services, please visit www.padtinc.com.
About PADT
PADT is an engineering product and services company that focuses on helping customers who develop physical products by providing Numerical Simulation, Product Development, and 3D Printing solutions. PADT’s worldwide reputation for technical excellence and experienced staff is based on its proven record of building long-term win-win partnerships with vendors and customers. Since its establishment in 1994, companies have relied on PADT because “We Make Innovation Work.” With over 90 employees, PADT services customers from its headquarters at the Arizona State University Research Park in Tempe, Arizona, and from offices in Torrance, California, Littleton, Colorado, Albuquerque, New Mexico, Austin, Texas, and Murray, Utah, as well as through staff members located around the country. More information on PADT can be found at www.PADTINC.com.
The Sales and Support team at PADT is the group that most of PADT’s customers interface with. They sell world-leading products from Ansys, Stratasys, and Flownex and then provide award-winning support long after the initial purpose. The team has grown over the years and has plans for even more growth. To help make that happen, we are honored to have Jim Sanford join the PADT family as the Vice President of our Sales & Support team.
Many of our customers and partners know Jim from his time with industry leaders Siemens, MSC, Dassault Systems, and NextLabs, Inc. He brings that experience and his background as a mechanical engineer before he entered sales, to focus PADT on our next phase of growth. He also fit well in PADT’s culture of customer focused, technical driven sales and support.
Our customers have a choice of who they purchase their Ansys multiphysics simulation, Stratasys 3D Printers, and Flownex system simulation software from, and who delivers their frontline support. We know with Jim leading the team, even more companies will make the choice to be part of the PADT family.
The official press release has more details, and can be found at these links or in the test below.
Want to have a conversation about your Simulation or 3D Printing situation? Contact PADT now and one of our profesionals will be happy to help.
Ansys Elite Channel Partner and Stratasys DiamondChannel Partner, PADT Announces Jim Sanford as Vice President of Sales & Support
Sanford Brings a Wide Range of High-Profile Leadership Experience Across Technology and Aerospace and Defense Sectors to his New Position
TEMPE, Ariz., February 11, 2021 ─ PADT, a globally recognized provider of numerical simulation, product development, and 3D printing products and services, today announced the addition of Jim Sanford as vice president of the company’s Sales & Support department. In his new position, Sanford is responsible for leading the increase of sales and customer support for a range of best-in-class simulation and additive manufacturing solutions. Sanford reports to Ward Rand, co-founder and principal, PADT.
“In the last few years, PADT has expanded across the Southwest, adding new expertise and technologies to our product and service offerings,” said Rand. “Jim is a valuable addition to the team and will be instrumental in sustaining PADT’s growth across the region. His leadership, experience, and knowledge of the industry will allow us to increase the pace of expansion and bring our solutions to serve new and existing customers in deeper and more impactful ways to their businesses.”
After a comprehensive search, Sanford proved to be the most experienced and capable leader to take on the vice president role. He will focus on providing visionary guidance, strategy, and tactical direction to the department. His responsibilities include refining the company’s sales team structure, recruiting, hiring, training, managing for profitable growth, and leading the support team to ensure an optimal customer experience for their use of Ansys, Stratasys, and Flownex products.
Prior to joining PADT, Sanford held business development and engineering positions in a diverse range of aerospace and defense, modeling and simulation, and software companies. His 30-year career span includes executive leadership roles at Siemens, MSC, and Dassault. Most recently he served as the VP for NextLabs Inc., a leading provider of policy-driven information risk management software for large enterprises, and the VP of Business Development for Long Range Services, where he was engaged in the development and testing of various classified items for the U.S. Department of Defense. He holds a bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Arizona, with emphasis in materials science and physics.
“PADT is a well-respected brand well-known for its product knowledge, customer-centric approach, and expertise,” said Sanford. “My career has been defined by my ability to take technology-focused companies to the next level of success, and I’m thrilled to join PADT and help continue its expansion by supporting highly innovative customers.”
PADT currently sells and supports the entire Ansys product line in Arizona, California, Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico, Texas, and Utah as an Ansys Elite Channel Partner. They also represent all Stratasys products in Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico, Texas, and Utah as a Diamond Channel Partner and are the North American distributor for Flownex.
PADT is an engineering product and services company that focuses on helping customers who develop physical products by providing Numerical Simulation, Product Development, and 3D Printing solutions. PADT’s worldwide reputation for technical excellence and experienced staff is based on its proven record of building long-term win-win partnerships with vendors and customers. Since its establishment in 1994, companies have relied on PADT because “We Make Innovation Work.” With over 90 employees, PADT services customers from its headquarters at the Arizona State University Research Park in Tempe, Arizona, and from offices in Torrance, California, Littleton, Colorado, Albuquerque, New Mexico, Austin, Texas, and Murray, Utah, as well as through staff members located around the country. More information on PADT can be found at www.PADTINC.com.
For decades in the medical world, surgeons and their professional support teams have relied on X-rays, computed tomography (CT) scans and magnetic resonant imaging (MRI) data when performing their pre-surgical planning approach. These diagnostic tools have been literal lifesavers, yet the resolution and 2D perspective of these images can make it difficult to determine the full details of anatomical geometry. Subtle, critical abnormalities or hidden geometries can go unnoticed when viewing flat films and digital displays.
3D printed heart model produced by Phoenix Children’s Hospital. (Image courtesy Phoenix Children’s Hospital)
With the advent of 3D printing, many surgeons are now using 3D models for both surgical planning and patient communication. While cost is the primary hold-back, such models are seeing increased use. In addition, efforts are underway to quantify the benefits of reduced operating room time/expense and improved patient outcome; see Medical 3D Printing Registry (ACR/RSNA). Supporting this concept are the high-resolution, multi-material PolyJet 3D printers from Stratasys.
But how does the patient’s CT and MRI data become a unique 3D printed model you can hold in your hand? How do you segment out the areas of interest for a particular analysis or surgical model? This blog post describes the necessary steps in the workflow, who typically performs them, and the challenges being addressed to improve the process every step of the way.
Data Acquisition of Patient Anatomy
When we think of imaging throughout the decades, X-ray technology comes to mind. However, classic single 2D images on film cannot be used to drive 3D models because they are qualitative not quantitative. The main options that do work include the series of x-rays known as CT scans, MRI data, and to a lesser extent computed tomography angiography (CTA) and magnetic resonant angiography (MRA). Each approach has pros and cons and therefore must be matched to the proper anatomy and end use.
CT scans comprise a series of x-rays evenly spaced laterally across a particular body section, typically generating several hundred image files. These can be quickly acquired and offer high resolution, however, they do not do well displaying different types of soft tissue, and the process relies on extended exposure to a radiation source.
Sample multiple digital images generated as a CT scan is performed (Image courtesy nymphoenix/Shutterstock.com.)
Typical CT resolution is 500 microns in X and Y directions, and 1mm in Z. This is readily handled by Stratasys printers; for example, the print resolution of the J750 Digital Anatomy Printer is 42 microns in X, 84 microns in Y, and 14 to 27 microns layering in Z, which more than captures all possible scanned features.
Computed Tomography Angiography (CTA) involves the same equipment but uses a contrast agent. With this approach, brighter regions highlight areas with blood flow. This process is superior for showing blood vessels but does not differentiate tissue or bones well.
MRI data is based on a different technology where a strong magnetic field interacts with water in the body. This approach differentiates soft tissue and shows small blood vessels but is more expensive and not effective for capturing bone. Similarly, Magnetic Resonant Angiography (MRA) uses a contrast agent that can track small blood vessels which are important for identifying a stroke but cannot register tissue. MRI scans may also include distracting artifacts and offer poor regional contrast.
A final source of digital imaging data is Positron Emission Tomography (PET). Here, radioactive material is attached to a biologically active area such as cancer; the data obtained with sensors is useful but very local – it does not show surrounding tissue.
Segmentation: Conversion from DICOM to STL format
Whether generated by CT or MRI equipment, anatomic image data is stored in digital files in accordance with the Digital Imaging and Communications in Medicine (DICOM) standard. Two aspects of this standard are relevant to 3D printing medical models: DICOM files include patient-specific, HIPPA-protected information, and the data in the individual images must be merged and converted into a solid model, with the areas of interest defined and partitioned.
Various software packages and services are available that will convert DICOM data into an STL model file (standard format for 3D printer input) while stripping out the personal identifying information. (The latter must be done to comply with HIPPA regulations: never send a DICOM file directly to any service bureau.)
Segmentation involves partitioning a digital image into distinct sets of pixels, defining regions as organ, bone, blood vessel, tumor, etc., then grouping and combining those sub-sections into a 3D model saved as an STL file. Not only does this format offer more meaningful information than a stack of separate images, but it can then be exported for 3D printing.
Example of processed CT scans, combined into a multiple-view 3D visualization and saved as an STL file. (Image courtesy PADT Inc.)
The standard unit of measure for identifying and segmenting the different regions within the combined 3D series of CT scans is a Hounsfield unit. This is a dimensionless value, defined as tissue density/x-ray absorption; for reference, water = zero, a kidney =+40 and bone = +1000.
Human guidance is needed to set threshold Hounsfield levels and draw a perimeter to the area of interest. You can define groups with the same threshold level, cut out certain areas that are not needed (e.g., “mask” the lungs to focus on the spine), and use preset values that exist for common model types. Typically, a radiologist or trained biomedical engineer performs this task, since correctly identifying boundaries is a non-trivial judgement task.
A particularly challenging task is the workflow for printing blood vessels, as opposed to bones or organs. The output from CTA/MRA imaging is the blood pool, not the enclosing vessel. In this case, users need third-party software to create a shell of X thickness around the blood pool shape, then keep both model files (pool and vessel) to guide printing the vessel walls and their internal support structure (which, on the Stratasys J750 Digital Anatomy Printer, is soluble and dissolves out.)
So far, just a few medical segmentation software packages exist:
Materialise Mimics Innovation Suite is internationally known for its excellence in image analysis and allows you to write scripted routines for automating repeated aspects of the segmentation tasks. There are also tools for interpreting images with metal artifacts, designing support connections between parts, measuring specified features, and rendering a view of the resulting 3D model.
Synopsys Simpleware ScanIP is a 3D image segmentation, processing, and meshing platform that processes data from MRI, CT, and non-medical imaging systems. Simpleware ScanIP removes or reduces unwanted noise in the greyscale images, allows cropping to the area of interest, supports both automated and user-guided segmentation and measuring and includes API scripting. Modules are available for Cardio, Ortho, and Custom solutions.
Invesalius 3 is open-source software that can reconstruct CT and MRI data, producing 3D visualizations, image segmentation, and image measurements in both manual and semi-automated modes.
Embodi3D/Democratiz3D is an online service that lets you upload a series of CT scans, select a basic anatomy type (bone, detailed bone, dental, muscle, etc.), choose the free medium-to-low resolution or paid high resolution conversion service, and receive the link to an automatically generated STL file. (Users do not interact with the file to choose any masking, measuring, or cropping.) The website also offers downloadable 3D printable models and 3D printing services.
Note that these packages may or may not have some level of 510K FDA clearance for how the results of their processing can be used. Users would have to contact the vendors to learn the current status.
Setting up the STL file for printing
Most of the segmentation software packages give you options for selected resolution of the final model. As with all STL files, the greater the number of triangles, the finer the detail that is featured, but the model size may get too large for reasonable set-up in the printer’s software. You may also find that you still want to edit the model, either to do some hole repairs or smoothing, slice away a section to expose an interior view, or add mechanical struts/supports for delicate and/or heavy anatomy sections. Materialise Magics software will do all of this readily, otherwise, adding a package that can edit STL files or create/merge geometry onto an STL file will be useful.
Medical Modeling software workflow from CT scan to print, for typical Stratasys 3D printed model.
Whoever is setting the file up for printing needs to make a number of decisions based on experience. For Stratasys Connex3, J55, J8-series or J750 Digital Anatomy Printers, the process begins by bringing the file into GrabCAD Print and deciding on an optimized build orientation. Next, colors and materials are assigned, including transparent sections, percentages of transparent colors, and flexible/variable durometer materials, which can be for a single part or a multi-body model.
For the J750 Digital Anatomy Printer in particular, users can assign musculoskeletal, heart, vascular, and general anatomies to each model, then choose detailed, pre-assigned materials and properties to print models whose tactile response mimics actual biomechanical behavior, such as “osteoporotic bone.” (see Sidebar).
I tested out the free online Democratiz3D segmentation service offered by Embodi3D. Following their tutorial, I was able to convert my very own DICOM file folder of 267 CT images into files without patient ID information, generating a single STL output file. I chose the Bone/Detailed/Medium resolution option which ignored all the other visible anatomy then brought the resulting model into the free software Meshmixer to edit (crop) the STL. That let me zero in on a three-vertebrae section of my lower spine model and save it in the 3MF format.
Lastly, I opened the new 3MF file in GrabCAD Print, the versatile Stratasys printer set-up software that works with both FDM (filament) and PolyJet (UV-cured resin) printers. For the former case, I printed the model in ivory ASA on an F370 FDM printer, and for the latter, I was able to assign a creamy-grey color (Red248/Green248/Blue232) to give a bone-like appearance, printing the model on a J55 PolyJet office-environment printer.
GradCAD Print software set-up of 3MF vertebrae model, ready for printing in a user-defined bone color on a Stratasys J55 PolyJet full-color 3D printer. (Image courtesy PADT Inc.)
3D printed vertebrae parts created from CT scans: on left, ABS part from a Stratasys F370 FDM printer; on right, Vero rigid resin material from a Stratasys J55 PolyJet printer. (Image courtesy PADT Inc.)
Experience helps in producing accurately segmented parts, but more features, such as AI-enabled selections, and more online tutorials are helping grow the field of skilled image-processing health professionals. Clarkson College (Omaha, NE) also recently announced the first Medical 3D Printing Specialist Certificate program.
Reach out to PADT to learn more about medical modeling and Stratasys 3D printers.
PADT Inc. is a globally recognized provider of Numerical Simulation, Product Development and 3D Printing products and services. For more information on Stratasys printers and materials, contact us at info@padtinc.com.
—————————
Sidebar: J750 Digital Anatomy Printer
The Stratasys J750 Digital Anatomy Printer uses PolyJet resin 3D printing technology to create parts that mimic the look and biomechanical response of human tissue, organs and bones. Users select from a series of pre-programmed anatomies then the material composition is automatically generated along with accurate internal structures. Pliable heart regions allow practice with cutting, suturing and patching, while hollow vascular models support training with guide wires and catheters. General anatomy models can replicate encapsulated and non-encapsulated tumors, while bone structures can be created that are osteoporotic and/or include regions that support tapping, reaming and screw insertion.
Currently the Digital Anatomy Printer models present in the range of 80 to 110 Hounsfield Units. Higher value materials are under development which would help hospitals create phantoms for calibrating their CT systems.
Currently available Digital Anatomy Printer Model/Section Assignments:
In this episode your host and Co-Founder of PADT, Eric Miller is joined by Brent Stucker, the Director of Additive Manufacturing at Ansys to discuss the innovative capabilities of the Ansys additive suite of tools and it’s impact on the effectiveness of 3D printing for manufacturing and design.
If you have any questions, comments, or would like to suggest a topic for the next episode, shoot us an email at podcast@padtinc.com we would love to hear from you!
PADT is currently partnering with Arizona State University’s 3DXResearch group on exploring bio-inspired geometries for 3D Printing. As part of that effort, one of our engineers involved in the project, Alex Grishin, PhD, was a co-author on several papers that have been published during this project.
Below is a brief summary from Alex of each article, along with links.
An Examination of the Low Strain Rate Sensitivity of Additively Manufactured Polymer, Composite and Metallic Honeycomb Structures
PADT participated in the research with the above title recently published in the open-access online journal MDPI ( https://www.mdpi.com/1996-1944/12/20/3455/htm ). This work was funded by the America Makes Program under a project titled “A Non-Empirical Predictive Model for Additively Manufactured Lattice Structures” and is based on research sponsored by the Air Force Research Laboratory under agreement number FA8650-12-2-7230.
Current ASU professor and former PADT employee Dhruv Bhate was the Lead Investigator and wrote the original proposal. Dhruv’s research interests involve bio-inspired design (the study of structures found in nature to help inform human design efforts) and additive manufacturing. Dhruv is particularly interested in the bulk properties of various lattice arrangements. While investigating the highly nonlinear force-deflection response of various additively manufactured honeycomb specimens under compression, Dhruv discovered that polymer and composite honeycombs showed extreme sensitivity to strain rates –showing peak responses substantially higher than theory predicts at various (low) strain rates. This paper explores and quantifies this behavior.
The paper investigates hexagonal honeycomb structures manufactured with four different additive manufacturing processes: one polymer (fused deposition modeling, or material extrusion with ABS), one composite (nylon and continuous carbon fiber extrusion) and two metallic (laser powder bed fusion of Inconel 718 and electron beam melting of Ti6Al4V). The strain rate sensitivities of the effective elastic moduli, and the peak loads for all four processes were compared. Results show significant sensitivity to strain rate in the polymer and composite process for both these metrics, and mild sensitivity for the metallic honeycombs for the peak load.
PADT contributed to this research by providing ANSYS simulations of these structures assuming viscoplastic material properties derived from solid dog-bone test specimens. PADT’s simulations helped provide Dhruv with a proposed mechanism to explain why INSTRON compression tests of the honeycomb structures showed higher peak responses (corresponding to classical ultimate stress) for these specimens than the solid specimens.
Bioinspired Honeycomb Core Design: An Experimental Study of the Role of Corner Radius, Coping and Interface
PADT participated in the NASA-funded research with the above title recently published in the open-access online journal MDPI (https://www.mdpi.com/2313-7673/5/4/59/htm ). This work was guided by former PADT engineer and current ASU Associate Professor Dhruv Bhate. Professor Bhate’s primary research interests are Bio-Inspired Design and Additive Manufacturing. It was only natural that he would secure a grant for this research from NASA’s Periodic Table of Life ( PeTaL) project. To quote from the website, “the primary objective…is to expand the domain of inquiry for human processes that seek to model those that are, were or could be found in nature…”
This paper focuses on the morphology of bee honeycombs found in nature –the goal being to identify key characteristics of their structure, which might inform structural performance in man-made designs incorporating similar lattice structures. To this end, the paper identifies three such characteristics: The honeycomb cell corner radius, the cell wall “coping” (a localized thickening of the cell wall at the mouth of each cell seen in a lateral cross-section), and the cell array “interface” (a zigzag pattern seen at the interface of two opposing, or “stacked” arrays).
Most of this work involved material testing and measuring dozens of natural honeycombs (most coming from various museums of natural history found in the United States) at ASU’s state-of-the-art facilities. PADT contributed substantially by verifying and guiding tests with simulation using the ANSYS suite of software.
A Comparison of Modeling Methods for Predicting the Elastic-Plastic Response of Additively Manufactured Honeycomb Structures
PADT participated in this research found in the reviewed article published in Proceedings of the 29th Annual International Solid Freeform Fabrication Symposium – An Additive Manufacturing Conference.
The lead investigator was current ASU professor and former PADT employee Dhruv Bhate, whose research interests involve Bio-Inspired Design (the study of natural structures to help inform human design processes) and Additive Manufacturing. In this research, Dhruv investigates discrepancies between published (bulk) material properties for the Fused Deposition Modeling (FDM) of ABS honeycomb structures. The discrepancies arise as substantial differences between published material properties, such as Young’s Modulus and yield stress, and those determined experimentally from FDM dog-bone specimens of the same material (which he refers to as “member” properties).
PADT’s role in this research was crucial for demonstrating that the differences in base material characterization are greatly exacerbated in nonlinear compression simulations of the ABS honeycomb structures. PADT used both the manufacturer’s published properties, and the dog-bone data to show substantial differences in peak stress under the two assumptions.
I am so lucky in a zillion ways to be able to work from home while functioning in my position as a 3D Printing Application Engineer for PADT Inc., a Stratasys 3D printer reseller and engineering consulting/manufacturing company in Tempe Arizona.
Three things are making this possible:
1 – Awesome management and co-workers
2 – Great high-speed internet connection
3 – GrabCAD Print software, and more specifically, the GrabCAD Print phone app.
Of all the apps on my phone, next to my gmail account, this is the app I check most often, because it is so handy!
First off, I can instantly see the status of the nine PADT printers we have on our Tempe network; I can also check other networks and accounts in other locations for which I have permission. That means I know the status of printers I’m running or want to run, and can tell how long someone else’s job is going to take – a very useful bit of information when it comes to telling a customer or our sales group what printer is open for running a part. Follow Butterfly Releases for more updates.
– one print just finished on our Fused Deposition Modeling (FDM) Fortus400,
– my job is 43 percent complete on one of our FDM F370s, and
– another of my jobs has just begun on the second F370 system.
I can even see that a print got cancelled on our older F250; in this case, I was expecting that, but it’s good information in case I wasn’t. But there is so much more…
Say I want to confirm the file name of what’s running on that first F370, and get some data about its status. I click on that printer’s name and the app shows me this screen:
Now I see that the print has just gotten to layer 2 of 123 slices total, it started at 1:58pm and it will finish at 6:12pm this evening. It also displays the file name of the part and shows that I’m the owner.
If I slide the image of the printer to the left, I then get the camera view, since an F370 has a build-chamber camera that updates about every ten seconds. Because this print had just started, you can’t really see much beside the build plate (brightly lit at the top), but I can come back to that as often as I like to monitor a particularly challenging geometry – say, perhaps a tall thin part where I added some extra support structure.
At this point I can access several more windows. If I click Job Material Usage, I see
This information is useful if I need a reminder of how much model and support material this print will consume.
The next line offers the bigger picture: clicking through, I see how much material remains in each canister, for both the model and support; it also shows what, if any, material is loaded in the second set of bays. Stratasys printers with double bays will do an automatic hot-swap as needed – a nice feature over the weekend or in the middle of the night.
Here’s another possible status screen: a paused build, where I had planned ahead, inserting a Pause Build instruction in the GrabCAD job set-up. In this case, I wanted to stop the part and remove it, to create a sample piece that exposes the hexagram infill I chose for lightweighting. Another reason to pause and resume an FDM print is to add hardware such as a flat washer to reinforce a deep hole.
The GrabCAD Print App also sends me email alerts (with a chime on the phone) when the status of a print job changes, such as the message below telling me the job has indeed paused as planned:
(I don’t get notifications for other people’s jobs, so I don’t get inundated with messages.)
This real-time information lets me keep track of all my print jobs from my 3D Printing Command Center deep in the heart of suburban Phoenix. I can do 98% of what I need to remotely.
Of course, I depend on the engineers in PADT’s Manufacturing group – essential workers who’ve been in the office non-stop throughout this crazy 2020 work-year. They change filament, load clean trays, run calibrations, remove parts, and put finished prints in our Support Cleaning Apparatus tanks (a PADT-developed system spun off to Oryx and OEM’d to Stratasys since 2009.) That step dissolves the soluble support. (For several of the engineering filaments I run, the support is break-away, and my team takes care of that, too.)
The GrabCAD Print App is available as a free download from the Apple app store. And all of this is in addition to how you can view and interact with GrabCAD Print itself from any computer, setting up a part to print as you sit in one city then uploading the print-ready file to a system across the state or across the country.
Got any questions about the app? We’d love to answer them.
PADT Inc. is a globally recognized provider of Numerical Simulation, Product Development and 3D Printing products and services. For more information on Stratasys printers and materials, contact us at info@padtinc.com.
The world of Additive Manufacturing continues to evolve, and PADT’s offerings grow with those changes. Our latest advance is in the addition of a new system and an experienced engineer – an EOS M 290 and Keng Hsu, former ASU and Univeristy of Lousville professor. Read below to learn more.
We also have a PDF and HTML version of the release.
As always, if you have any questions, please contact us.
With New Capabilities in Metal 3D Printing, PADT Expands its Presence in the AM Value Chain
To Deepen its Investments in Metal Additive Manufacturing Research and Development, PADT Also Brought Onboard Veteran Engineer Keng Hsu as Principal AM R&D Engineer
TEMPE, Ariz., November 17, 2020 ─ PADT, a globally recognized provider of numerical simulation, product development, and 3D printing products and services, today announced it has installed an advanced metal 3D printer from EOS, a global leader in the industrial metal 3D printing technologies, at its headquarters facility in Tempe, Arizona. With this increase in AM process and material capability, PADT can not only develop the highest quality end-use metal products, but also is well-positioned to address some of the current research and development challenges in additive manufacturing. PADT’s wide range of customers in highly demanding industries, most notably aerospace and defense, will see direct benefits of this new capability.
To lead metal additive manufacturing research and development (R&D), PADT also announced it has brought onboard Keng Hsu, engineer, researcher and associate professor at University of Louisville and formerly Arizona State University. Hsu brings more than 20 years of experience in equipment and facility operations, engineering R&D, engineering project execution and management in areas of advanced manufacturing of polymers, metals, and semiconductors. He has performed in-depth R&D contracts on 3D printing process and material development for some of the world’s largest technology organizations including Intel, Northrup Grumman, Salt River Project, the Department of Defense, and NASA.
“Metal 3D printing has reached a level of maturity that enables the production of end-use components and is now one of the fastest-growing manufacturing sectors in the world,” said Rey Chu, co-founder and principal, PADT. “The addition of the powerful EOS M290 printer to our portfolio expands the already extensive list of 3D printing capabilities and services we offer our customers. Our investments in technology and the addition of additive manufacturing veteran Keng Hsu also improves our ability to perform in-depth R&D on the potential of metal 3D printing.” You can follow oceannenvironment for more updates.
Dr. Keng Hsu
The EOS M 290 is a highly productive, and well-established mid-size AM system with a broad portfolio of metals for production of high-quality components, and for material and process R&D. PADT will initially run two of the machines most popular and versatile metals – stainless steel and nickel super alloy. The system also features a host of software tools, including its comprehensive monitoring suite, which enables quality assurance of all production- and quality-relevant data in real-time. Hsu will lead PADT’s R&D involved with the EOS machine and all other aspects of the company’s work in 3D printing R&D and consulting.
“The innovation made possible by metal 3D printing and in the technology itself is yet to be fully realized across many industries, namely aerospace,” said Hsu. “I’m grateful for the opportunity to join a leader in the industry and further my research on the subject to advance PADT’s presence in the field and services for our customers.”
PADT has been the Southwest’s premier additive manufacturing expert since it was founded in 1994 and continues to invest in innovative metal and polymer 3D printing systems, as well as talent, to better serve its customers. The company is ITAR registered and its quality system is also AS9100D (2016) and ISO9001:2015 certified to better serve the aerospace and defense industry. As an Ansys Elite Channel partner, PADT can also bring their extensive simulation experience to better design parts to take advantage of laser powder bed fusion and to optimize the build processes itself.
As 3D printing technology has advanced, PADT has seen an increase in the industry’s use of 3D scanning and printing for end-use parts. Metal 3D printing provides many benefits to aerospace and defense companies, including lighter, cheaper parts made much faster and with fewer constraints than with traditional manufacturing methods.
A full list of the EOS M 290’s specifications can be found on PADT’s website here . For more information on PADT and its capabilities in metal and plastic 3D printing, please visit www.padtinc.com.
About PADT
PADT is an engineering product and services company that focuses on helping customers who develop physical products by providing Numerical Simulation, Product Development, and 3D Printing solutions. PADT’s worldwide reputation for technical excellence and experienced staff is based on its proven record of building long-term win-win partnerships with vendors and customers. Since its establishment in 1994, companies have relied on PADT because “We Make Innovation Work.” With over 90 employees, PADT services customers from its headquarters at the Arizona State University Research Park in Tempe, Arizona, and from offices in Torrance, California, Littleton, Colorado, Albuquerque, New Mexico, Austin, Texas, and Murray, Utah, as well as through staff members located around the country. More information on PADT can be found at www.PADTINC.com.
New 3D Printing Field Service Engineer Brings Exceptional 3D Printing Tooling and End-Part Production Skills and Knowledge to the Region
We are very pleased to announce that one of our 3D Printer experts is relocating to our New Mexico facility. Art Newcomer has moved to Albuquerque and will continue to support our Colorado and New Mexico cusotmers from there instead of our Littleton Office.
Read more in the press release below or as a PDF or HTML.
As always, if you have any questions, please contact us.
PADT Expands its Operations in New Mexico With the Addition of 3D Printing Talent and Services
New 3D Printing Field Service Engineer Brings Exceptional 3D Printing Tooling and End-Part Production Skills and Knowledge to the Region
TEMPE, Ariz., October XX, 2020 ─ PADT, the Southwest’s leading provider of numerical simulation, product development, and 3D printing products and services, today announced 3D printing expert Art Newcomer is relocating from the company’s Colorado office to its long-standing New Mexico facility, located in Sandia Science & Technology Park (SS&TP). The move comes on the heels of PADT’s expanded capabilities and services in 3D printing and numerical simulation in California and Texas. Combined, these recent moves bolster the company’s ability to serve the growing region.
“Art has done a fantastic job supporting our Colorado customers and has been a significant contributor to our growth in the state,” said Ward Rand, co-founder and principal, PADT. “As a member of the PADT support team, he will continue to serve Colorado customers. Art’s move to New Mexico simply expands his impact on a region that has seen a significant acceleration of 3D printing adoption, making his extensive knowledge and talents a real asset there moving forward.”
Newcomer has been serving PADT’s 3D printing customers for five years, and has nearly 20 years of experience as a field service engineer across different technologies and sectors. In his role at PADT, he applied his talents to help customers install, maintain, and repair their Stratasys additive manufacturing systems across a wide variety of industries including aerospace, defense, medical, and industrial.
PADT’s growing customer base in New Mexico has expanded the application of proven Stratasys 3D printing technologies to include more tooling and end-part production. The National Labs in New Mexico were pioneers in the application of 3D Printing and PADT has been proud to work with them over the years as they increase their efforts and find new applications for the technology.
“I’m looking forward to taking on a new challenge in New Mexico where PADT has served for many years,” said Newcomer. “The growth of 3D printing investments in the region provides us with a great opportunity to use our hard-earned expertise to educate customers on how to best implement the technology and to keep their systems operating at peak performance”
To learn more about PADT’s services in New Mexico as well as its continued expansion throughout the Southwest, please visit www.padtinc.com.
About PADT
PADT is an engineering product and services company that focuses on helping customers who develop physical products by providing Numerical Simulation, Product Development, and 3D Printing solutions. PADT’s worldwide reputation for technical excellence and experienced staff is based on its proven record of building long-term win-win partnerships with vendors and customers. Since its establishment in 1994, companies have relied on PADT because “We Make Innovation Work.” With over 90 employees, PADT services customers from its headquarters at the Arizona State University Research Park in Tempe, Arizona, and from offices in Torrance, California, Littleton, Colorado, Albuquerque, New Mexico, Austin, Texas, and Murray, Utah, as well as through staff members located around the country. More information on PADT can be found at www.PADTINC.com.
Demand for 3D Printing Equipment and Services in Texas’ Key Technology Industries Including Aerospace, Electronics, and Medical Has Drastically Increased
As a Platinum Channel Partner with Stratasys, PADT is excited to announce that we are now able to offer these services in Texas. We have been working with this technology in Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico, and Utah for more than 15 years, and are eager to finally bring our expertise to customer in the great state of Texas.
This expansion is reflective of PADT’s consistent growth and the increased demand for additive manufacturing systems across many of Texas’ largest technology industries. Today, the aerospace industry is using thousands of 3D printed parts on aircraft and even spacecraft.
With PADT’s knowledge and expertise, we are well-positioned to be a valuable partner to the growing tech community in Texas.
Please find our official press release below, or here as a PDF or in HTML.
Stratasys
Platinum Channel Partner PADT Expands 3D Printing System Sales Into Texas to
Meet the Growing Demand for Prototyping and End-Use Products
Demand for 3D Printing Equipment and Services in Texas’ Key Technology Industries Including Aerospace, Electronics, and Medical Has Drastically Increased
TEMPE, Ariz., August 12, 2020 ─ PADT, a globally recognized provider of numerical simulation, product development, and 3D printing products and services, today announced its Stratasys sales territory is expanding to include Texas. PADT is a Stratasys Platinum Channel Partner that has sold additive manufacturing systems as a certified reseller in Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico, and Utah for more than 15 years. In 2018, PADT also expanded its presence to Austin, Texas as a reseller of Ansys simulation software.
“Additive manufacturing technology that was
once exclusive to low-volume prototyping has evolved rapidly for both
prototyping and end-use product development alongside innovation in Stratasys’
3D production systems and printing materials,” said Ward Rand, co-founder and
principal, PADT. “We’ve made deep investments in Texas and have many years of
experience working with organizations in the state’s technology industry. We’re
now eager to bring our outstanding support and expertise in 3D printing to
Texas and build on our success with Stratasys and Ansys across the Southwest.”
The expansion is reflective of PADT’s consistent growth and the increased demand for additive manufacturing systems across many of Texas’ largest technology industries. Today, the aerospace industry is using thousands of 3D printed parts on aircraft and even spacecraft. In the medical industry, 3D printing is being used to prototype biological structures to improve surgery and enhance our knowledge of the human body. Stratasys has been a driving force behind this innovation and relies on industry experts like PADT to help organizations integrate the technology into their engineering and manufacturing processes.
“PADT has been an outstanding partner to Stratasys for nearly 20 years,” said Brent Noonan, Vice president of Channel Sales – Americas. “They were one of the first engineering firms in the country to embrace 3D printing for complex product design and development. As a result, they’ve built an impressive team with a wealth of knowledge and expertise as it relates to 3D printing use and integration across industry sectors. PADT is well-positioned to be a valuable partner to Texas’ growing technology community.”
For more information on PADT and its 3D
printing offering, please visit www.padtinc.com.
About
PADT
PADT
is an engineering product and services company that focuses on helping
customers who develop physical products by providing Numerical Simulation,
Product Development, and 3D Printing solutions. PADT’s worldwide reputation for
technical excellence and experienced staff is based on its proven record of
building long-term win-win partnerships with vendors and customers. Since its
establishment in 1994, companies have relied on PADT because “We Make
Innovation Work.” With over 90 employees, PADT services customers from its
headquarters at the Arizona State University Research Park in Tempe, Arizona,
and from offices in Torrance, California, Littleton, Colorado, Albuquerque, New
Mexico, Austin, Texas, and Murray, Utah, as well as through staff members located
around the country. More information on PADT can be found at www.PADTINC.com.
While many examples exist of impressive texturing done on 3D
printed StratasysPolyJet printed parts (some
wild examples are here), I
have to admit it took me a while to learn that true texturing can also be added
to Stratasys Fused Deposition Modeling (FDM) parts. This blog post
will walk you through adding texture to all faces or some faces of a solid
model, ready for FDM printing. You, too, may be surprised by the results.
I know that complex texturing is possible in a graphics
sense with such software packages as Rhino,
PhotoShop, Blender and more, but I’m going to show you
what you can achieve simply by working with SolidWorks, from Rev. 2019
onwards, as an easy starting point. From there, you can follow the same basic
steps but import your own texture files.
Example of Stratasys FDM part set up to print with a checkerboard surface texture. (Image courtesy PADT Inc.)
SolidWorks Texture Options
First off, let’s clarify some terms. Texture mapping has
existed for years and strictly speaking creates a 2D “texture” or pattern. If I
were to wrap that imagery around a 3D CAD model and print it on, say, a PolyJet
multi-color 3D printer, I’d get a 3D part with a flat or perhaps curved surface
decorated with a multi-color “picture” such as a map or a photo of leather. It
could conform, but it’s still basically a decal.
A 3D texture instead is more properly referred to as Bump
Mapping (not to be confused with …..too late….bit mapping). Bump mapping interprets
the color/contrast information of a 2D image such that it renders light and
shadow to give the illusion of a 3D part, while remaining in 2D. Taking this
concept one step further, 3D CAD software such as SolidWorks can apply rules
that convert white, black and grey shades into physical displacements,
producing a kind of tessellated topology mapping. This new information can be
saved as an STL
file and generate a 3D printed part that has physical, tactile variations in
material height across its surface. (For a detailed explanation and examples of
texture versus bump-mapping, see the GrabCAD Tutorial “Adding
Texture to 3D Models.”)
For FDM parts, you’ll get physical changes on the outer
surface of the part that appear as your choice of say, a checkerboard, an
arrangement of stars, a pebbly look or a series of waves. In the CAD software,
you have a number of options for editing that bump map to produce bigger or
smaller, higher or lower, finer or coarser variations of the original pattern,
prior to saving the model file as an STL file.
Stepping through SolidWorks 3D Texturing
The key to making this option work in SolidWorks 3D CAD
software (I’m using SolidWorks 2020), is in the Appearances tab. Here are the
steps I’ve taken, highlighting the variety of choices you can make. My example
is the Post-It Note holder I described in my PADT blog post about advanced
infill options in GrabCAD Print.
Open Post-It note CAD file, select Solid Bodies
(left menu) and select Appearances (in the right toolbar).
Expand Appearances and go all the way down to Miscellaneous, then click to open the 3D Textures folder.
Scroll down to choose one of the more than 50 (currently) available patterns. Here, I’ve chosen a 5-pointed star pattern.
I dragged and dropped that pattern onto the part body. A window opens up with several choices: the default is to apply the pattern to all faces:
However, you can mouse over within that pop-window to select
only a single face, like this:
When you’ve applied the pattern to either all faces or just one or two, you’ll see a new entry in the left window, Appearances, with the subheading: 5-pointed Star. Right-click on those words, and choose Edit Appearance:
Then the Appearances window expands as follows, opening by
default to the Color/Image tab:
In this pane, if desired, you could even Browse to switch to
a different pattern you have imported in a separate file.
Click on Mapping, and you’ll see a number of “thumb wheel” sliders for resizing the pattern either via the wheel, clicking the up/down arrows, or just entering a value.
Mapping: this moves the pattern – you can
see it march left or right, up or down. I used it to center the stars so there
aren’t any half-stars cut off at the edge.
Size/Orientation: You can also try “Fit width to selection” or “Fit height to selection,” or experiment with height and width yourself, and even tilt the pattern at an angle. (If you don’t like the results, click on Reset Scale.) Here, I’ve worked with it to have two rows of five stars.
Remember I said that you can also make the pattern higher or lower, like a change in elevation, so that it stands out a little or a lot. To make those choices, go to the Solid Bodies line in the Feature Manager tree, expand it, and click on the part name (mine is Champfer2).
In the fly-out window that appears,
click on the third icon in the top row, “3D Texture.” This opens up an expanded
window where you can refine the number of triangular facets that make up the
shape of the selected texture pattern. In case you are working with more than
one face and/or different patterns on each face, you would check the box under
Texture Settings for each face when you want to edit it.
Here is where you can flip the
pattern to extend outwards, or be recessed inwards, or, if you brought in a
black/white 2D pattern in the first place, you can use this to convert it to a
true 3D texture.
I’ll show you some variations of
offset distance, refinement and element size, with exaggerated results, so you
can see some of the possible effects:
In this first example, the only
change I made from the default was to increase the Texture Offset Distance from
0.010 to 0.200. The stars are extending out quite visibly.
Next, I changed Texture Refinement
from 0% to 66.7%, and now you can see the stars more distinctly, with better
defined edges:
Finally, I am going to change the
Element size from 0.128 to 0.180in. It made the star edges only slightly sharper,
though at the expense of increasing the number of facets from about 24,000 to
26,000; for large parts and highly detailed texturing, the increased file size
could slow down slicing time.
To make sure these textured areas print, you have to do one more special step: Convert to Mesh Body. Do this in the Feature Manager by right-clicking on the body, and selecting the second icon in the top row, “Convert to Mesh Body.” You can adjust some of these parameters, too, but I accepted the defaults.
Lastly, Save the file in STL format, as usual.
At my company, PADT, my favorite FDM printer is our F370, so I’m going to set this up in GrabCAD Print software, to print there in ABS, at 0.005in layers:
You can definitely see the stars popping out on the front
face; too bad you can also see two weird spikes part-way up, that are small
bits of a partial row of stars. That means I should have split the face before
I applied the texture, so that the upper portion was left plain. Well, next
time.
Here’s the finished part, with its little spikes:
And here’s another example I did when I was first trying out a checkerboard pattern; I applied the texture to all faces, so it came out a bit interesting with the checkerboard on the top and bottom, too. Again, next time, I would be more selective to split up the model.
NOTE: It’s clear that texturing works much better on
vertical faces than horizontal, due to the nature of the FDM layering process –
just be sure to orient your parts to allow for this.
Commercial aircraft companies are already adding a pebble
texture to flight-approved cosmetic FDM parts, such as covers for brackets and
switches that keep them from being bumped. If you try this out, let us know
what texture you chose and send us a photo of your part.
PADT Inc. is a globally recognized provider of Numerical
Simulation, Product Development and 3D Printing products and services, and is
an authorized reseller of Stratasys products. For more information on Stratasys
printers and materials, contact us at info@padtinc.com.
UV sensor section of the Mini-EUSO (Extreme Universe Space Observatory) telescope, now flying in the International Space Station on the Russian Zvezda module.The bracket to mount photo-multiplier detectors above the flat focal plane was 3D printed on a Stratasys F450 system from space-qualified Ultem 9085 filament. (Image courtesy Italian National Institute for Nuclear Physics (INFN))
What a cool time to be involved in space-based projects,
from the recent, stunningly successful manned Space
X launch that linked up with the International Space Station (ISS), to the
phase 1, unmanned Northrop Grumman/Lockheed MartinArtemis OmegA launch planned
for a Spring 2021 debut. In between these big-splash projects are the launches
of hundreds of small satellites, whether a 227 kg Starlink or a 1 kg CubeSat. (According to the Space
Surveillance Network of the United States
Space Force, there are more than 3,000 active satellites currently in
orbit.)
One common thread that runs through many of these technology
achievements is the use of 3D printed polymer parts, not just as manufacturing
tools and fixtures but as flight-certified, end-use components. Applications
already in use include:
– Enclosures, casings and covers for bus structures,
avionics and electrical systems
– Mounting/routing brackets and clips for wire harnesses
– Barrier structures that separate different on-board
experiments
If ever an industry needed light-weight parts, it’s the
space industry. Every kilogram loaded onto a rocket demands a physics-determined,
expensive amount of fuel to create the thrust that will push it against Earth’s
gravity. In addition, most components are one-of-a-kind or low volume. No
wonder engineers have worked for decades to replace dense metals with effective,
lighter weight polymers.
Those polymers must meet stringent requirement for
mechanical behavior:
High strength-to-weight ratio
Heat resistant up to 320F/167C
Chemically resistant to various alcohols,
solvents and oils
Flame-retardant
Non-outgassing
Add to this the need to work in a form that is compatible
with additive manufacturing, and the number of material options goes down.
However, there are two filaments that have made the grade.
Ultem 9085 is a polyetherimide (PEI) thermoplastic developed
and marketed in raw form by SABIC.
Stratasys uses strict quality control to convert it into filament that runs on
its largest industrial printers and also offers a certified grade that includes
detailed production test-data and traceable lot numbers.
Stratasys Ultem 9085 parts have been certified and flown on
aircraft since 2011 and have been key components in spacecraft beginning in
2013, such as onboard the Northrop Grumman Antares vehicles typically used for
resupplying the ISS. An unusual
project that has used Ultem 9085 parts is MIT/NASA Ames Research Center’s Synchronized
Position Hold, Engage, Reorient, Experimental Satellites (SPHERES).
Various iterations of these colorful nano-satellites (looking like volley-ball-sized
dice) have floated inside the ISS since 2006, with an initial goal of testing
the algorithms and sensors required to remotely control the rendezvous and
docking in weightlessness of two or more satellite-type structures.
Since then many different versions have been built and
delivered to the astronauts of the ISS; both high school and college students
have been heavily involved in designing experiments that test physical and
mechanical properties of materials in microgravity, such as wireless power
transfer. In 2014, the “Slosh”
project used Ultem 9085 parts to help connect the units to investigate the
behavior of fluids such as fuel sloshing between containers.
More recently, in May 2020, Italian researchers at the National Institute for Nuclear Physics
(INFN) relied on Ultem 9085 to build several final parts in its ultraviolet
telescope that is now operating onboard the ISS. Called the Mini-EUSO (Extreme
Universe Space Observatory), this piece of equipment is one element of a
multi-component/multi-year study of terrestrial and cosmic UV emissions, and is
now mounted in an earth-facing window of the ISS Russian Zvezda module.
Scientists involved in the Mini-EUSO noted that 3D printing saved them a lot of time in the development and manufacturing process of custom brackets that attach photo-multiplier detectors to the top and bottom of the focal surface, permitting modifications even “late” in the design process. Their use also saved several kilograms of upload mass.
The Mini-EUSO (Extreme Universe Space Observatory), now flying in the International Space Station on the Russian Zvezda module. Upper photo: Close-up of the 3D printed Ultem 9085 brackets (in red) used to mount detector units to the top and bottom edges of the focal plane (blue/purple squares). Lower left: 3D printed face-plate added to bracket. Lower right: Final unit with electronics included, installed in the complete Mini-EUSO instrument housing. (Images courtesy Italian National Institute for Nuclear Physics (INFN))
Electrostatic Dissipative PEKK: Antero ESD
Although Ultem 9085 has proven extremely useful for many
space-based applications, for certain applications even more capability is
needed. The search was on for an electrostatic dissipative filament that also
displayed great chemical, mechanical and flame/smoke/toxicity properties. NASA Goddard Spaceflight Center became the
driving force behind Stratasys’ subsequent development of Antero ESD (Antero
840CN03), a filament based on the already successful Antero 800NA.
Both Antero products are based on polyetherketoneketone
(PEKK), a high-strength, chemically resistant material; in addition, the ESD
version is loaded with carbon-nanotube chopped fibers providing a
moderately conductive “exit path” that naturally dissipates any charge build-up
during normal operations. It also prevents powders, dust or fine particles from
sticking to the surface.
NASA first flew Antero ESD parts in 2018 in the form of
brackets holding fiber optic cables smoothly in place. This was inside the
climate-change monitoring satellite called Ice, Cloud and land Elevation Satellite-2 (ICESat-2). The satellite was built
and tested by then Northrop Grumman Innovation Systems, now part of Northrop
Grumman Space Systems; the
instrument itself is called the Advanced Topographic Laser Altimeter System (ATLAS),
a space-based LIDAR unit. Built and managed by NASA Goddard Space Flight Center,
this satellite monitors such data as changes in polar ice-sheet thickness.
A Stratasys Antero ESD (Antero 840CN03) 3D printed part (the black curved bracket holding fiber-optic cables) is shown toward the back of NASA’s Advanced Topographic Laser Altimeter System (ATLAS) instrument. This device was launched in 2018 and operates onboard the Ice, Cloud and land Elevation Satellite-2 (ICESat-2) satellite. (Image courtesy NASA)
Counting Down for Launch
An even bigger Antero ESD application – bigger in multiple
ways – is waiting in the wings for its debut, comprising sections of the Orion
module designed and built by Lockheed
Martin Space Systems. This spacecraft will eventually carry astronauts to
the Moon and beyond as part of NASA’s Artemis program, with the first
un-crewed, lunar-orbit launch scheduled for Spring 2021.
The Orion craft’s docking hatch cover is made entirely from
sections printed in Antero ESD. Six pie-shaped sub-sections with intricate
curves and cut-outs fit together forming a one-meter diameter ring with a
central hole. (If Ultem 9085 had been used, the parts would have needed a secondary
coating or nickel-plating to deflect static charge, making the Antero ESD
option very attractive.)
Ready, set, print, launch!
Overall view and close-up of Orion spacecraft six-piece hatch cover, 3D printed in Stratasys Antero 840CN03, a carbon-nanotube-fiber filled PEKK thermoplastic with ESD properties. The complete cover diameter is approximately one meter. (Image courtesy Lockheed Martin Space Systems)
PADT Inc. is a globally recognized provider of Numerical Simulation, Product Development and 3D Printing products and services, and is an authorized reseller of Stratasys products. For more information on Stratasys printers and materials, contact us at info@padtinc.com.
The world of additive manufacturing, or 3D printing, is constantly evolving. The technology was invented less than 35 years ago yet has come a long way. What began as a unique, though limited, way to develop low-end prototypes, has exploded into a critical component of the product development and manufacturing process with the ability to produce end-use parts for critical applications in markets such as industrial and aerospace and defense.
To help our customers and the larger technology community stay abreast of the changing world of additive manufacturing, we launched a glossary of the most important terms in the industry that you can bookmark here for easy access. To make it easier to digest, we’re also starting a blog series outlining ten terms to know in different sub-categories.
For our first post in the series, here are the top ten terms
for Additive Manufacturing Processes that our experts think everyone
should know:
Any additive manufacturing process that uses a binder to
chemically bond powder where the binder is placed on the top layer of powder
through small jets, usually using inkjet technology. One of the seven standard
categories defined by ASTM International (www.ASTM.org) for additive
manufacturing processes.
A type of vat photopolymerization additive
manufacturing process where a projector under a transparent build
plate shines ultraviolet light onto the build layer, which
is against the transparent build plate. The part is then pulled
upward so that a new layer of liquid fills between the build
plate and the part, and the process is repeated. Digital light
synthesis is a continuous build process that does not create distinct layers.
A type of powder bed fusion additive manufacturing
process where a laser beam is used to melt powder material. The
beam is directed across the top layer of powder. The liquid material
solidifies to create the desired part. A new layer of powder is
placed on top, and the process is repeated. Also called laser powder bed
fusion, metal powder bed fusion, or direct metal laser sintering.
An additive manufacturing process where metal
powder is jetted, or wire is extruded from a CNC controlled three or
five-axis nozzle. The solid material is then melted by an energy source,
usually a laser or electron beam, such that the liquid metal
deposits onto the previous layers (or build plate) and then cools to a
solid. One of the ASTM defined standard categories for additive
manufacturing processes.
A type of material extrusion additive manufacturing process
where a continuous filament of thermoplastic material is fed into a heated
extruder and deposited on the current build layer. It is the trademarked name
used for systems manufactured by the process inventor, Stratasys. Fused
filament fabrication is the generic term.
A type of powder bed fusion additive
manufacturing process where a laser is used to melt material on
the top layer of a powder bed. Also called metal powder bed
fusion or direct laser melting. Most often used to melt metal powder
but is used with plastics as with selective laser sintering.
A type of direct energy deposition additive
manufacturing process where a powder is directed into a
high-energy laser beam and melted before it is deposited on
the build layer. Also called laser powder forming.
Any additive manufacturing process where build
or support material is jetted through multiple small nozzles whose
position is computer controlled to lay down material to create a layer.
One of the ASTM defined standard categories for additive
manufacturing processes.
A type of vat photopolymerization additive
manufacturing where a laser is used to draw a path on the
current layer, converting the liquid polymer into a solid. Stereolithography
was the first commercially available additive manufacturing process.
A class of additive manufacturing processes that utilizes
the hardening of a photopolymer with ultraviolet light. A vat of liquid is
filled with liquid photopolymer resin, and ultraviolet light is either traced
on the build surface or projected on it. Stereolithography is the most common
form of vat photopolymerization. The build layer can be on the top of the vat
of liquid or the bottom. One of the ASTM defined standard categories for
additive manufacturing processes.
We hope this new blog series will help to firm up your
knowledge of the ever-evolving world of additive manufacturing. For a list of
all of the key terms and definitions in the additive manufacturing world,
please visit our new glossary page at https://www.3dprinting-glossary.com/.
The glossary allows you to search by terms or download a PDF of the glossary in
its entirety to use as a reference guide.
Subscribe to the
PADT blog or check back soon for the next installment in our series of “Top Ten
Terms to Know in Additive Manufacturing.” We also welcome your feedback or
questions. Just drop us a line at here.
