machine building & automation - Industrial Technology Magazine

DAVE BROWN’SCAD ROUNDUPComputer aided design, engineering and manufacturingRapid prototyping hasnow got even fasterWant a part made from one of the Iglidurrange of materials from Igus? Well, chooseyour material and you could have mouldedparts within 24 hours. And the same processcan also provide the essential bridge toolingyou need to take you through to productionof up to a few thousand partsPolymer specialist Igus hasdeveloped a new toolingmethod for injectionmoulding which can getcustom designed parts delivered inless than 24 hours. As there are nominimum order quantities, Speedigusis suitable for one offs, prototyping,low volumes and bridge tooling.“Standard tool manufacture cantake 4-8 weeks and is normally onlyavailable for minimum orders ofaround 5,000 pieces,” says MattAldridge of Igus UK. “But, withSpeedigus you can get a single partin just one day. All we need is therequired quantity and a 3D CAD fileof the part.”Igus currently manufacturesSpeedigus parts in eight commonIglidur materials (Iglidur G, J, W300,X, M250, P, A180 and H2) as well asStandard tool manufacture can take4-8 weeks with minimum orders ofaround 5,000 parts. But with Speedigus“you can get a single part in 24 hours”Igumid G, the Igus E-Chain material;the designer selects the material bestsuited to the application, using thesimple online selection tool:www.igus.co.uk/speedigusAs Iglidur materials aremaintenance- and lubricant-free, longlasting and have a low coefficient offriction, the majority of Speedigusparts manufactured to date arecustom design components that havea bearing function.“Because Speedigus usesstandard Igus materials, the Igususeful service life calculationprogram is still valid,” addsAldridge. However, engineers canalso draw upon other featuresand benefits of Iglidur materials,such as the combination of lightweight with electrical conductivity,chemical resistance or hightemperatures. The Igumid E-Chainmaterial additionally offers designpossibilities for structural parts, suchas brackets, side plate or covers.Ideal for orders up to a fewthousand parts, prototypes or one-offsSpeedigus can accommodate partsthat fit into an envelope up to 475 x750 x 200mm, with wall thicknessesdown to 0.5mm. All that is requiredfor a quotation is a 3D CAD file,preferably a STEP file, and therequired quantity.Standard Speedigus tooling leadtime is fifteen days from placement oforder, but parts can be produced in aslittle as 24 hours. Every Speedigusquotation comes with full technicalcomponent information including leadtime options. Tooling charges for thespeedigus systems start from £1000and unit costs are from just 10 pence.As part of this service Speediguscustom tooling is kept for repeat ordersas and when required. If productionshould move to high volumes, thenigus manufacture a standardproduction tool, and unit costs thenreduce considerably.www.igus.co.uk/speedigusVacuum casting formedical lightingBrandon Medical has teamed upwith Laser Prototypes to producethe latest in its range ofinnovative medical lighting. TheHD LED Quasar lighting systemhas been designed by BrandonMedical with production of finalproduct parts facilitated throughthe partnership between thesetwo companies. To overcome thechallenge of producing these highvalue lights in low volumes,Brandon Medical turned to rapidprototyping bureau LaserPrototypes for assistance.Laser Prototypes suggestedvacuum casting as the idealsolution to reducing productioncosts without compromising onlead times or part quality.Through the use of VacuumCasting, Laser Prototypes wereable to ship high qualityproduction parts in days, allowingBrandon Medical to meet clientlead times while eliminating theneed to hold large volumes of lowvalue stock.www.laserproto.com3D technologies fordesign and printingA1 Technologies has been busydemonstrating the advantages ofits complete portfolio of low-cost3D digital technologies for everystage of the design, engineeringand production life-cycle. Withthe advent of the Chameleon, 3Ddesign, and therefore 3D printing,are now available to, and usableby, everyone. The Chameleon 3D‘haptic’ modelling applicationfrom delivers a high quality,immersive 3D design experienceto its users for only £495.Chameleon combines 3Dmodelling software, with a touchenabling(haptic) device and issuitable for modeling andconstructing 3D objects.Completed models can be directlyprinted on the RapMan and BfB3000 3D printers.www.a1-tech.co.uk12INDUSTRIAL TECHNOLOGY • November 2010