Flexing the 3D Imagination The genesis of NinjaFlex 3D flexible filament for desktop printing

Transcription

1 Flexing the 3D Imagination The genesis of NinjaFlex 3D flexible filament for desktop printing April 25, 2014 Presented by: Stephen Heston and Stan K. Kulikowski

2 Company Overview Name Fenner Drives, Inc. Address 311 W. Stiegel Street, Manheim, PA Phone (717) Primary Website Project Name Industries Flexible 3D Printer Filament Power Transmission, Motion Transfer, Conveying Applications and Fused Deposition Modeling Number of Employees 200 Contact Names, Titles Direct Dial Phones Addresses Stephen Heston, Product Development Engineer, Fenner Drives, Inc. Stan K. Kulikowski, Applications Engineer, Fenner Drives, Inc. Heston: (717) Kulikowski: (717) Heston: Kulikowski: Introduction With the explosive growth of 3D desktop printers, everyone from home hobbyists to industrial designers has pushed the additive manufacturing industry to go farther, and create new materials from which to produce more realistic, affordable and flexible designs. According to analysts at Gartner i, worldwide shipments of 3D printers costing less than $100,000 will grow 49 percent in 2013, bringing the total number to 56,507 units. Additionally, in 2013, Gartner predicts combined end-user spending on 3D printers will climb to $412 million, up 43 percent from spending of $288 million in More than three quarters of spending will come from the enterprise (industrial) market, while the consumer segment will reach nearly $87 million. 2

3 A growing number of innovative companies are experimenting with 3D printers, propelling the technology closer to the mainstream market, notes TechRepublic.com in a recent post. ii So if industry users and consumers alike are fueling substantial growth of 3D desktop printed designs, what could possibly limit this burgeoning market? Well, one limitation being addressed by Fenner Drives is the need for more pliable, elastic-like filament to generate more flexible designs. Industry Background The process of additive manufacturing, or creating an object through sequential layering of material was first invented in late 1980s and early 1990s. According to the National Science Foundation [NSF], 3D printing was developed by a Massachusetts Institute of Technology team led by Emanuel Sachs (patent filed in 1989, awarded in 1993). iii Essentially, it was first used to allow manufacturers to create, test and model an object before producing a finished item. "Additive manufacturing--with its versatility, efficiency and ability to quickly link geometric design to distributed production--can really accelerate product deployment," said Steve McKnight, director of the NSF Division of Civil, Mechanical, and Manufacturing Innovation. McKnight continued, "To realize the full promise of additive manufacturing, researchers will need to discover new ways to increase speed, lower costs, improve consistency and develop and qualify novel materials for all kinds of applications." We see evidence of 3D printing already becoming mainstream, with announcements by companies like Staples, the office supplies chain, offering a consumer 3D printer by 3D Systems, (the Cube), and ebay launching a 3D printing service. In recent months even online giant Amazon.com has introduced a dedicated storefront for 3D printers and supplies, such as filaments. iv According to Forbes, As 3D printers evolve with new inputs, features and lower prices, they ll change the consumer landscape much like MP3 players transformed the music industry at the turn of this century. v The Challenge Petroleum-based Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene (ABS), and plant starch-based Polylactic Acid (PLA) filament materials have been the standard for fused deposition modeling (FDM), used by most 3D 3

4 desktop printers. ABS and PLA have properties that work well in the FDM process, but the materials tend to be rigid, resulting in printed parts that are brittle at room temperature. On the other hand, materials such as polyurethanes, silicones, and certain nylon compositions generally provide a broader range of mechanical properties, such as reduced modulus, higher elasticity and reduced brittleness; however, in many cases the elasticity and reduced stiffness of these materials cause difficulties in FDM machines. Prior to the introduction of NinjaFlex TPE filament, options for prototyping elastomeric parts were limited. The prototyping process would go something like this: Build a prototype part in ABS or other rigid filament, Make a mold in silicone or urethane by casting the mold material around the printed positive part, Separate the mold material away from the printed part, and Mold prototype parts from the elastomeric material using the mold constructed. When considering the time to print the part and construct the mold, this process could take up to a week; it certainly is not very "rapid." Molds made from silicone can be easily damaged when removing the cast part, making their life expectancy very short. Additionally, this process poses problems for prototyping parts that will be molded from a TPE in production; engineers have to construct the prototype from a cast elastomer, then hope they can predict the final properties in the molded TPE. This prototyping process would benefit greatly from a printable TPE for FDM processes. Until recently, prototyping flexible components was a time-consuming and cumbersome process, notes Stephen Heston, product development engineer for Fenner Drives, and 3D printing enthusiast. Heston continues, It was a big gap in the market, because so many engineered products utilize elastomeric parts. Without materials that closely approximate the properties of the end product, it is impossible to create truly functional prototypes. With NinjaFlex and FDM printing technology, the effective durometer of parts can be varied by simply changing infill density. The Solution Thermoplastic Elastomer (TPE) is the newest type of fused deposition modeling filament, although the larger category has been around for over 40 years. TPEs were first popularized in 1970s to create lower-cost manufacturing components that could not only be molded, but also extruded, blow molded or thermoformed. 4

5 In early 2013, a small team led by Heston started experimenting with Fenner Drives urethanes for a linkbelt project at the company. They needed a fast way to prototype flexible components. According to Heston, he had heard of other 3D enthusiasts using existing Fenner Drives belting material as feed stock in 3D printers; however, the results were not great. Heston was not to be deterred; he needed the prototypes. After all, necessity is the mother of all invention, and Fenner Drives is a belt manufacturing leader; who better to innovate a flexible material for FDM? Early on in this iterative process, the Fenner Drives belting expertise was heavily leveraged. Heston collaborated with Jeremy Bigler, a product manager at Fenner Drives to identify existing materials with suitable chemistry for 3D printing. The team began testing polyurethane formulations on an in-house 3D printer, but there were issues with the initial filaments. Next, Heston teamed up with Product Development Engineer, Anna Totaro, and went to work improving feed and print quality by adjusting the durometers (hardness), printer settings and the filament surface characteristics. Through multiple production trials, the Fenner Drives team was able to identify the specific dimensions, tolerances and unique surface finish that would prove to be key strengths of what would become a marketable filament. Heston indeed created his flexible prototypes, but he and Totaro continued their trial runs, refining the filament, and ultimately creating the first production spool of NinjaFlex, a specially formulated 3D printer TPE filament that yields flexible prints with elastic properties. It is through engineering and a true team effort that this belting company from Manheim, Pennsylvania, is changing the face of 3D filaments, notes Totaro. In October 2013, Fenner Drives launched NinjaFlex TPE printer filament, initially available in four dynamic colors: Snow, Fire, Midnight and Sapphire. Within months, the NinjaFlex line has been expanded, extending the product s possibilities with five additional colors: Lava, Flamingo, Grass, Sun and Water. In six months, NinjaFlex has become one of the most heavily buzzed about 3D printer materials. We fill a market space that is not currently occupied by any other filament manufacturer, states Stan Kulikowski, applications engineer for Fenner Drives. He adds, Most filaments currently in the market are in the 45D-75D (Shore D) hardness range; we are playing in the 85A (Shore A) range -- think polycarbonate sheets versus shoe soles, respectively. 5

6 NinjaFlex is a patent-pending innovation, with Heston and Totaro cited as the developers. Conclusions While NinjaFlex is successfully used on many 3D printers, including MakerBot Replicator 1, Replicator 2 and Replicator 2x, as well as MendelMax, RepRap, Ordbot, Airwolf 3D and Lulzbot models, it has not been tested on every model. However, NinjaFlex performs best in printers with direct-drive extruders using settings similar to standard ABS filament. While each printer may have unique settings, in most printers, a heated build plate is not required in order to successfully print with NinjaFlex. NinjaFlex also bonds well to most surfaces, including aluminum, glass and blue painter s tape, so coating the build platform is not necessary. NinjaFlex is colorfast, and color will not leach from the component. As with all 3D printers, when switching from another filament such as ABS or PLA, purge the feed thoroughly before starting a print. There is substantial online conversation about the various types of 3D filaments, challenges using them and the final prints; however the clear choice for reliable, flexible filament is NinjaFlex. And, it does make a difference from whom you source your filaments. This blogger sums up the sentiment well: Spend a few extra bucks to eliminate possible filament issues. I ve tried several suppliers of 3D printing filaments last year, from the cheapest ones to the premium quality spools as well. The moral of my story is: you get what you pay for, buy materials from a trusted and verified supplier where you know who makes it. vi About Fenner Drives Fenner Drives is a worldwide leader in the design and manufacture of added-value, problem solving products for power transmission, motion transfer and conveying applications. In October 2013, Fenner Drives entered the 3D printing industry with the launch of NinjaFlex flexible filament, using patentpending technology providing low tack, easy-to-feed material for use on most 3D desktop printers. For more information regarding NinjaFlex, visit With ISO 9001 certified production facilities in Manheim, Pa., and Wilmington, N.C., Fenner has a wealth of manufacturing, technical and commercial expertise. 6

7 Fenner Drives is a division of Fenner PLC. With over 5,200 employees worldwide, Fenner PLC is a leading global provider of local, engineered solutions for performance critical applications. i ii iii iv v vi Fenner Drives NFCASE01 7