The RAPID 2013 Conference & Exposition Directory - Society of ...

ConferenCe Details
Additive Manufacturing Applications I
10 am–Noon
Presentations detailing case studies and research and
development activities that continue to advance the applications
of additive manufacturing and 3D printing.
10–10:25 am
IT Enabled Technologies Disrupt Manufacturing
Irene J. Petrick, PhD, Professor, Penn State University
In the past several decades, manufacturers have seen
disruptions coming from competing production technologies
and from low cost global competitors. Today and into the future,
the disruptions are coming from sources many don’t even see
coming. Specifically, the future manufacturing landscape will
be enabled by developments in information technology. Access
to high performance computing at a cost competitive rate will
level the playing field for advanced modeling, analytics and
simulation. When combined with developments in 3D printing/
additive manufacturing, one-off, highly customized production
will compete with mass production. Current manufacturers will
need to learn how these 3D printing/additive manufacturing
technologies can coexist alongside their more traditional
processes. As these tools become simpler to use, Internetsavvy
hobbyists and do-it-yourselfers will effectively be able
to challenge very established firms. Cloud supported services
will be a viable replacement for extensive enterprise resource
planning and customer relationship management systems, and
will provide the real-time visibility into the supply chain and
production environment that customers will demand. In the
coming decade, the installed base that has been a barrier to
entry for new firms will become a barrier to change for many
established manufacturers.
ceramic part, both before and after firing the material. Small
quantity orders are often extremely expensive and accompanied
by long lead times which can delay projects relying on the
properties of ceramic components.
3D printing not only allows for faster time to market, but also
allows for more iterations during the design process, resulting
in a better end product. Materials used in rapid ceramics range
from less-hard alumina ceramics (aluminum oxide filler) to very
hard and abrasion-resistant zirconia ceramics (zirconium silicate
filler). These ceramics can withstand between 2800ºF (1538ºC)
and 3200ºF (1760ºC) working temperatures, and have a dielectric
strength of 150 volts per mil. The alumina ceramic material
is extremely abrasion-resistant, corrosion-resistant, and has
excellent mechanical performance.
11–11:25 am
Unisource Engineering Solutions Uses Mcor
3D Printing to Make More Realistic Packaging
Prototypes
Gary Fudge, Director, Americas, Mcor Technologies Ltd
Unisource Engineered Solutions (UES) combines science and art
to create high-impact product-packaging solutions.
Challenge: Generating more sales and satisfaction with more
realistic packaging prototypes. A staple in modern packaging
design is thin-walled molded pulp. UES makes similar packaging
from bamboo pulp and sugar cane residue called bagasse.
Biopulp packaging elements include a hollow for each packaged
part. Until recently, it’s been nearly impossible to provide the
customer with a prototype whose texture better resembles the
final product.
10:30–10:55 am
Breaking The Mold—3D Printing Engineering
Grade Ceramic Materials
Benjamin Becker, BS, Managing Director, HotEnd Works, LLC
UES had instead been settling for plastic prototypes which
are fine for form and fit, but the look and feel is nothing like
thin-walled molded pulp, which has greatly impeded sales and
negatively impacted customer satisfaction.
Expensive post processing of the ceramics is often required
either to create intended geometries that could not be created in
the initial machining state, or to bring the part within the design’s
tolerance. Investment in carbide or diamond tooling and fixturing
is often necessary in order to create certain features on the
Strategy: 3D printing prototypes with paper.
38 sme.org/rapid