Copper Provides Unique Properties

Copper is an essential natural resource. Unlike bronze and brass, which are copper alloys, Shapeways offers a 100% copper material known for malleability and high ductility. Copper does not require much processing for use in today’s applications–and in fact, this material’s history dates back as far as 8,000 BC. 

Copper offers excellent thermal and electrical conductivity. Because of its ability to heat quickly with a uniform heating profile, Copper is commonly used in applications for manufacturing parts like heat exchangers.  

Featuring an initial appearance that takes on an orange-red metallic color, Copper eventually darkens by turning green in color through oxidation. This chemical reaction forms a protective layer on its surface making Copper highly resistant to corrosion and biofouling. While oxidation creates an antiqued appearance often desired for ornamental and unique jewelry, Copper is suitable for use in harsh environments, including aerospace and marine applications. Copper also has antiseptic properties which protect marine organisms, making it an environmentally friendly material for undersea mechanisms like desalination devices and offshore drilling mechanisms. 

Combining 3D printing and Wax Casting technology, our Copper 3D printing manufacturing process is capable of producing new geometries that take advantage of the material properties for inventive industrial applications and unique decorative pieces. 

Wax Casting Technology for 3D Printing Copper

For designers and engineers eager to try a variation on metal 3D printing technology–but with a fast and more economical edge–Wax Casting is a great option. Also referred to as Investment Casting, Precision Casting, or even cire perdue (french), this unique technology has historically been recognized as a strong suit for foundries. Created around 5,000 years ago to make metal products and ammunition, Lost Wax Casting is performed by pouring liquid metal into molds to create structures. 

Paired with high-quality 3D print Lost Wax Casting materials and precious metals like Copper, many Shapeways customers prefer this technique, with 3D printing coming into play during the mold-making process. Shapeways uses a variety of 3D printing materials to create molds to act as vehicles for molten metal which then solidifies. Molds can be 3D printed with thermoplastics like Nylon 12 [Versatile Plastic], Sandstone, or metals like Steel.

After a customer uploads a 3D design and chooses Copper, Shapeways transforms the model into a Copper object through Wax Casting. The solid Copper part is cleaned and polished to remove any sharp residue, leaving a natural buffed, shiny surface. Additional hand polishing is offered for a mirror-like shine.

Read about Copper and explore specific design guidelines here.

The Lineup of Wax Casting Materials

Learn more about all the other materials Shapeways offers via Wax Casting too, including the following:

• Brass – An alloy made up of 15% zinc, 5% tin, and 80% copper, Brass is available with a natural matte finish or a shiny polish, and is offered with Gold Plating or Rhodium Plating.
• Bronze – A copper-tin alloy made up of 10% tin and 90% copper, Bronze is often used for jewelry with a vintage appearance, featuring a deep red color, marbling, and silver highlights. Bronze materials are available in natural matte or polished finishes.

• Gold – Both 14-carat and 18-carat gold are available in yellow, white, and rose. Intricate designs can be made for valuable parts or fine jewelry with this precious metal.  
• Platinum – One of the highest quality metal materials available, Platinum is a white metal used for luxury products. This material is available in a professional finish.
• Silver – A high-quality alloy, Silver is malleable, and popular in the jewelry industry. Silver is offered with the following finishes: natural, polished, fine-detail polished, and antique.

About Shapeways

Enjoy the benefits of this advanced technology and a wide range of materials from Shapeways for 3D printing your creations with accuracy, complex detail, and no minimum or limits in terms of mass customization or single part orders. Shapeways has worked with over 1 million customers in 160 countries to 3D print over 21 million parts! Read about case studies, find out more about Shapeways additive manufacturing solutions, and get instant quotes here.

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3D Printing Steel with Binder Jetting

As metal 3D printing matures, Binder Jetting is a popular technology for manufacturing high-performance parts—and is predominantly used by Shapeways manufacturing partner, ExOne. In line with the Shapeways ongoing dedication to sourcing other third-party materials too, it is important to note that ExOne, founded in 1995, also has extensive experience in 3D printing with materials like ceramic and even sand.

“Around the same time we started working with Shapeways, we also transitioned into using stainless steel,” said Brandon Cary, Technical Sales Manager at ExOne. “There’s a lot of focus on automotive, and we touch a lot on the industrial markets like aerospace, and defense too. We are transitioning heavily into medical as well today, and have always been very successful in architecture, as well as consumer-based lines, along with areas like jewelry too.”

“The direct metal business is aggressively growing as additive manufacturing grows in the world.”

ExOne Metal 3D Printers

For metal 3D printed parts from Shapeways, binder jetting is performed with the M-Flex and X1 25Pro, both of which are capable of printing with metal powder. An adhesive, or binding agent, re-coats and saturates the build plate of the printer, layer by layer, building the solid 3D printed structure.

Metal 3D printed parts are cured, and then de-powdered in post-processing. Afterward, parts are put through a thermal, sintering operation. Variables are present dependent on the material; for example, in using Steel, there is less shrinkage due to the combination with bronze. Support materials are not required during printing with either of the metal 3D printers, because surrounding powder acts as a stabilizing force. Supports may be needed during the sintering process though, with materials like aluminum grit.  

Sustainability and Efficiency in Production

A large percentage of the metal powder is recycled, adding considerable sustainability to the process. The 3D printed metal parts only make up seven to ten percent of each build, meaning that all the remaining powder can be sifted and reintroduced with virgin powder. Binders are recycled during 3D printing with metal in binder jetting too.

Both the M-Flex and X1 25Pro are used to 3D print metal powders, but the M-Flex is equipped with an ACT system for advanced compaction in printing fine powders down to 15 micron powders, while the X1 25Pro prints down to 5 microns and is also part of a beta program for Stainless Steel 316L—currently being 3D printed mainly on the M-Flex.

“Detail on a component is driven by the powder size itself and layer thickness,” said Cary. “The finer the layer, the finer the powder, the finer the end resolution can be. The powder is responsible for your end density, material properties, resolution, and everything.”

Benefits of binder jetting include:

• High-volume printing at high speeds
• Design freedom due to fewer limitation in production
• Substantially reduced material waste
• Flexibility in 3D printing with different types of materials

Steel offers high resolution, high wear resistance, increased longevity for products, and over seven finishes are available. With the single alloy, very dense, strong parts with complex geometries can be printed—along with extremely fine, strong features.

Popular applications for 3D printing with steel include:

• Medical devices
• Branding irons and burners
• Automobile parts for restoration of older vehicles
• Tooling
• Fixtures
• Jewelry

One of the critical issues in metal 3D printing that drives design considerations is wall thickness. Minimum wall thicknesses should be adhered to because thin walls have a good chance of causing distortion on the back end of the manufacturing process.

Font and detail are another consideration for designers too. Text, numbers, and details need to have a minimum wall thickness of 0.8 mm to make sure that all of the text appears on the part and isn’t washed out during 3D printing. Considerations must be made for depowdering too, in terms of interior holes and cavities. Inside corners and sharp intersections should have ‘filleted edges,’ along with sharp edges—rounding the insides of the corners.

“We love seeing new designs brought on by customers, and we encourage them to keep pushing and keep thinking outside the box every day,” said Cary.

Metal materials available from Shapeways

Stainless Steel 316L – A single alloy made of 100% stainless steel, this material is an industrial metal that can be used for 3D printing products like mechanical machinery or surgical tooling. Resistant to both extremes in low and high temperatures, Stainless Steel 316L is also highly corrosion resistant. Read more about the design guidelines here.

Steel – This material is combined with bronze to create a material that is 60% steel and 40% bronze. Color ranges from silver gray to reddish bronze. Read more about the design guidelines here.

Other types of metal with 3D printing from Shapeways include:

Aluminum – 3D printed with Selective Laser Melting, Aluminum is recommended for outdoor applications due to its corrosion resistance and high electrical and thermal conductivity. This material is designated for end-use parts that must be strong, highly accurate, and low in weight.

Gold, Silver, Platinum, Copper and other precious metals – 3D printed molds are created for metal casting with high quality materials for applications like jewelry, and the Groen and Boothman case study serves as a great example, highlighting their Elements sterling silver bracelet series. Materials like Copper are even more versatile in wax casting, used to make marine accessories, mechanical devices like heat exchanges, home decor, and prototypes.

Read further about all the materials and technology available from Shapeways here. 

Contact Shapeways Now

Speak with our Sales Department to find out more about which metal material best suits your needs, and then move forward to enjoy the benefits of 3D printing without having to spend precious business capital on machines and inventories of material. Ready to print? Upload a model now.

Shapeways has worked with over 1 million customers in 160 countries to make over 20 million parts! Read about case studies, find out more about Shapeways solutions, and get instant quotes here.

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At Shapeways we offer a whole variety of 3D printing-enabled cast metals for you to choose from. The 3D printing cast metal process is simply an expedited and super-powered version of the traditional metal casting process, allowing for more intricate, interlocking, and complicated designs. Check out the five creative possibilities below for a boost of motivation to create your own masterpiece!

1. Interlocking Puzzle Ring

Indeed, what you’re looking at is one ring, designed by Oskar Puzzles. These interlocking parts all fit, stacked and snug, as one ring, and they were printed together as one piece. Certain cast metals, such as brass, are fantastic for printing interlocking parts. Which means you can print moving parts of a machine — or puzzle rings!

2. Bottle Openers

Why have a normal, plain bottle opener when you could have a 3D printed cast metal bottle Voronoi Pocket Bottle Opener by designer Shapespeare that also lifts can tabs for you? While cast metals are not as strong as our stainless steel option, they are metal, and can open your beer bottles, no problem. Fun fact: The pattern that you see so often on 3D printed objects is called the Voronoi pattern, and while I could not explain the mathematical concept to you, 3D modeling programs such as Autodesk Fusion 360 have made it simple for you to apply it to your own designs.

3. Caged Heart Pendant

If you’d prefer something a little more romantic, check out this Caged Heart Pendant from XIX84. 3D printing-enabled cast metals are able to capture incredible detail, so you can simulate a multitude of textures. The process of casting metals limits size possibilities, so practically speaking, they are definitely more suited for printing smaller objects like jewelry.

4. Electronic Pipe

Alternatively, if you’re looking for more hands-on projects, ceci est une DIY e-pipe. Specifically, the DNA Pipe by Mortimer. You must acquire and assemble all parts before you can enjoy this magnificent pipe. Cast metals are fantastic for printing mechanical parts for any DIY project.

5. Trilobite Shell

The ability to recreate ancient extinct creatures is just one crazy advantage of 3D printing. And this metal model of a trilobite shell by Elytra designer Dr. Allan Drummond is a perfectly gorgeous example of just that. Paleontologist Glenn Brock was ecstatic about this model when Drummond unveiled it, telling Nerdist that “I’m very happy with how it turned out. When you hold [the model] in your hand, it practically squirms. You can imagine her exploring her world, questing with her antennae, seeking prey and potential mates.” We can imagine this incredible 3D printed cast metal model shimmering on our shelves.

Today we discovered an extraordinary range of items you can 3D print with cast metals. So what are you waiting for? Go ahead and explore any one of these five designs, or head to your favorite 3D modeling app and create your own 3D print. Be sure to show us the results in the comments below!

The post 5 Things You Didn’t Know You Could 3D Print in Cast Metals appeared first on Shapeways Blog.

Kasia’s Sword Fern Bracelet

In each of her designs, Kasia emulates and celebrates elements of the natural world. And with Mother Nature providing the templates for her creations, it’s fitting that she describes Collected Edition, her artful line of personal accessories, as “unabashedly feminine.” Working from her Brooklyn, New York, studio, Kasia captures the ephemeral delicacy of flowers, leaves, and insects. Of course, recreating the intricacies of nature would present a challenge for any designer. But Kasia brings to bear deep experience as a master craftsperson. A diverse background in patternmaking, papercraft, 3D printing, and laser cutting has led to a uniquely organic, digitally enabled collection.

As is the case for many designers, necessity drove the genesis of her creations. Collected Edition was born in 2013 when the designer was looking to create a custom piece for her own wedding. That experience sparked a desire to create beautiful heirloom wedding pieces and eye-catching jewelry. Now, her floral collection has encouraged designers and hobbyists alike to create jewelry of their own. As a founding member of Shapeways Collective, she’s inspiring others by sharing her love of design and knowledge of 3D printing.

We recently sat down with Kasia in her studio to explore her creative process (check out the full interview below). Aside from the interesting origin story of her brand, we learned that in order to create one of her intricate floral headpieces, she goes through a journey of exploration with the flower she’s replicating, studying images of the buds and physically creating the pieces in paper. These paper prototypes help her to develop the composition and form, while assuring that each piece fits comfortably on the body. Kasia then develops the design digitally, using Fusion 360 and Meshmixer.

Take a deeper dive into how Kasia is pushing the boundaries of 3D printed jewelry:

The post In the Studio: Kasia Wisniewski’s Collected Edition appeared first on Shapeways Blog.

print in metal

Here’s a rundown of some recent developments in metal 3D printing:

Most state-of-the-art racing bikes are crafted almost entirely from carbon fiber, which is light and strong. However, Chris Froome’s Tour de France-winning bicycle features 3D printed titanium handlebars. The Engineer reports that 3D printing reduced production time for the handlebars by up to 75% compared with a carbon fiber process. No molds were needed, and the custom fit eliminated any need for adjustability, saving up to 17% of the weight of a traditional handlebar assembly while reducing drag.

Ship Technology reports that the Port of Rotterdam’s Additive Manufacturing Fieldlab (RAMLAB) teamed with Autodesk to develop a 3D printed nautical propeller. Their hybrid manufacturing process combined wire and arc additive manufacturing with industrial robot arms, subtractive machining (CNC), and grinding. The new process will help the port provide quick replacement propellers for ships.

[Credit: Michael A. Parker]

Spaceships are also increasingly relying on metal 3D printing. NASA has 3D printed entire rocket engines. Scientists at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) created a 3D printed metal fabric to protect both astronauts and spacecraft from micrometeors. As 3DPrint.com reports, the chainmail-like textile, which is printed in one piece, reflects sunlight, provides thermal insulation, is foldable, and has high tensile strength.

Facial reconstructive surgery has benefitted from 3D metal printing. According to Additive Manufacturing, 3D printed titanium can be customized to the individual patient and aid in bone regrowth and stability. 3D Printing Industry reports that British manufacturing company Renishaw partnered with Western University to create a $5 million Additive Design in Surgical Solutions (ADEISS) center in Ontario, Canada, to produce metal additive manufactured medical tools and implants.

[Credit: NASA]

The Vader Systems MK1 Experimental desktop metal 3D printer, meanwhile, uses their MagnetoJet technology to propel liquified aluminum from an electromagnetic-field-encased 1,200° C chamber through inkjet-like print nozzles. Using wire feedstock instead of powders, it reduces costs and dramatically speeds up printing. The production model launches in 2018.

Shapeways’ interlocking precious metals are perfect for creating unique jewelry. Lead times for 3D printed steel were reduced by two days so you can create functional parts quickly. With the benefits of strength, durability, beautiful finishes, and a myriad of material choices, isn’t it time you took a dip into the white-hot 3D printed metal space?

try it yourself

The post From Aerospace to Jewelry, Metal 3D Printing Is Hot appeared first on Shapeways Blog.

Hair Story

The day is finally here where we can 3D print hair! Sort of. As Gizmodo reported, everyone’s favorite 3D Printing Nerd has figured out an ingenious way to create a hairy lion. It’s not the first time someone’s figured out a hack to create hair on a 3D printed sculpture. But, this application is particularly cool because it could provide a template for future wig-printing techniques. Don’t worry though — by then we won’t have to melt the hair around your face.

Difficult styling client Hairy Lion

Print It for the Kids

This one is so amazing, no jokes will be cracked. Because kids! Getting new blood vessels! Thanks to 3D printing! As we learned from Futurism, a pair of bioengineers from Northeastern University and the University of Texas at Arlington is working on a set of new 3D printing materials (bioinks) that can be mixed with human cells to create blood vessels unique to every patient. And, these blood vessels will GROW with young patients as they age, eliminating the need for a series of invasive, costly surgeries. Slow clap.

OMG Shoes

Even though not everyone around here is convinced, 3D printed shoes are the new big thing. And, as TechCrunch reported, adidas and Carbon are doing 3D printed shoes in a way that could actually pave the way to true mass customization. That means that instead of being a cool-sounding gimmick, custom 3D printed footwear could become the new normal. Good looking out, adidas!

Carbon tech, adidas hype

It’s a bird, it’s a plane… It’s a plane.

It’s really expensive to build planes. So expensive, in fact, that companies like Boeing have to lose many tens of millions on projects like the 787 Dreamliner before they’ll see a return on investment. Why does that matter? Well, what could possibly make planes cheaper? Three million bucks cheaper? I think you know the answer. 3D printing! Norsk 3D printed titanium, to be exact, and lots of it. The process by which titanium is 3D printed literally involves melting the metal with argon gas, so this is cool on many levels. Fly away, 3D printed titanium, fly away.

3D printed titanium coolness courtesy Norsk Titanium

We were so already on this tip

Like the cutting-edge toy-lovers that we are, we’ve been building RC race cars using 3D printing and the mad skills of competitive RC drifter and Shapie Tijs Lochbaum. But enough about us — the full-sized race car people, AKA McLaren Racing Limited, are doing it too. McLaren is using Stratasys 3D printers to rapidly replace worn parts for Formula 1 race cars. Two can play at this game! As long as only one of us is working on real cars.

Photo credit: oseillo via Visual Hunt / CC BY

The post The Week in 3D Printing appeared first on Shapeways Blog.

3D printed metal has gotten a lot of attention lately, but because the process of 3D printing in metals can take many forms, it’s largely misunderstood. In future Materials Explainers, we’ll talk about how we use 3D printing for cast metals and 3D printed aluminum. Today, we’ll tackle steel.

So, how does Shapeways create your 3D prints in steel? Shapeways works with ExOne, our partner in Pittsburgh, which was once the heart of the American steel industry. Their metal 3D printing process involves several phases. First, powdered 420 Stainless Steel gets sintered together with glue, layer by layer, in the shape of your 3D design. At this stage, the material is fragile, similar to wet sand.

Then, that sand-like steel-and-glue amalgam goes into a furnace, where bronze infuses the steel, replacing the glue, hardening the steel and creating a lasting bond. (Your products will contain about 60% stainless steel and 40% bronze.) Finally, our partners at ExOne polish your product. Beyond the Stainless finish, there are seven other options, from a matte look to polished nickel or gold.

If you want to see their 3D printers in action, watch this video:

Steel has proven to be a popular for 3D printed jewelry, sculptures, and functional parts, but it’s not right for everything. People associate stainless steel with kitchenware, but our 3D printed steel products are not foodsafe. And this process cannot create objects with interlocking parts.

Chuck Stover says he was “amazed by the heft and the fidelity to my model“ when he ordered his first steel 3D print from Shapeways, back in 2010. Stover’s Shapeways store, Made by Wombat, specializes in dice, and he recommends using sans serif fonts on smaller prints.

Other advice from Stover based on seven years of experience 3D printing steel with Shapeways:

• Be prepared to order several iterations of your model before you perfect it. If you have embossed or raised details, you may be surprised at how the polishing process affects them.
• Always order a prototype of anything you are planning to sell in steel. Then you will know it prints correctly and you can photograph it for your product page. If a prototype is too expensive for you, it might be for your customers too. Try printing smaller or with thinner walls.
• Be prepared for color variations in the finished product, especially in the Stainless finish. Sometimes the bronze used to infuse the steel will be more apparent.
• If you are designing a ring or jewelry that touches skin, give steel a pass. Steel can react to sweat, affecting both the product and person wearing it. A product designed for brass can be printed in a variety of metals.

What have you made in steel? Share your projects in the comments below for a chance to be featured on the blog.

The post Materials Explainer: 3D Printing in Steel appeared first on Shapeways Blog.

“Exploration” by Ashley Zelinskie

Nowhere does the line between art and science blur more readily than when we look to the stars. NASA has long been known to recognize the artistic power of space exploration, famously releasing a series of Space Tourism Posters to eager space- and art-lovers last year. Now, the agency has tapped into the imaginations of a range of multimedia artists to celebrate the James Webb Space Telescope, the observatory that will let us glimpse the ancient origins of our universe.

Twenty-five artists were selected to preview the telescope (which launches in 2018), and create works inspired by it. With its sail-like, 21-foot, gold-plated mirror – and mission to peer back in time – inspiration came easily (see the full collection of works here). One of the chosen artists, Shapeways community member Ashley Zelinskie, conceived of a work, “Exploration,” that represents the symbolic and literal achievements of the telescope.

To create the piece, which was 3D printed with Shapeways, the artist 3D scanned the arms of John Cromwell Mather, astrophysicist, cosmologist and Nobel Prize in Physics laureate and Amber Straughn, astrophysicist and Deputy Project Scientist for JWST Science Communications. Then, Zelinskie added a scan of her own arm. She combined the three limbs with a representation of the telescope’s mirror, with its 18 golden, hexagonal segments.

The arms stretch from the surface of the mirror, reaching into the unknown in a symbolic representation of the search for knowledge. “Art asks people every day to think about abstract ideas and opens a doorway for creative thinking,” the artist explained. “My hope is to apply this open-mindedness to science and, in this way, be better equipped to take in the universe in all its vastness and mystery.”

The surfaces of Mather, Straughn, and Zeleskie’s outstretched arms are made up of a lace-like lattice of symbols. They represent the Friedmann-Lemaître-Robertson-Walker metric – the solution to Einstein’s field equations of general relativity. This metric, which describes the universe, is joined by the formula that describes a parabolic mirror. Dr. Mather summed up the symbolism of the pairing with, “One might say we build one (the telescope primary mirror) to test the other (Einstein’s equations).”

Dr. Amber Straughn framed “Exploration” in appropriately poetic terms: “Astronomy by its very nature drives us toward the unknown…there’s something uniquely human about wanting to find out about our surroundings, to explore our world, to discover new things. That’s what astronomy is all about.”

“Exploration” and the other works inspired by the JWST will be on display at the Goddard Visitor Center in Greenbelt, MD, from March 3 to April 16, 2017.

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