by Industrial Print Magazine Staff
Service bureaus play an important role in additive manufacturing (AM). While Industrial Print magazine first and foremost focuses on manufacturers utilizing or planning to utilize digital technologies, service bureaus are an excellent stepping stone for manufacturers considering implementing AM.
According to Ken Burns, VP commercial, GKN Additive (Forecast 3D), part of the reason service bureaus are at the forefront of additive parts is because “it is typically difficult to make the investments in house to purchase the printers, so service bureaus provide access to not only the latest technology, but also hundreds of materials on the market.”
Outsourcing three-dimensional (3D) printing is advantageous for a number of reasons. “The biggest benefit is the amount of options you get. It is impossible for a company to have access to all the technologies and materials in house that you can get from a service bureau. The other benefits are widely known—technical support, no labor overhead, and access to the latest technology,” shares Burns.
A Quick Taste
A number of service bureaus serve the parts manufacturing space. We provide you with a brief synopsis of some here.
3DEO is a design, engineering, and manufacturing vendor specializing in small, complex metal 3D printed components. This end-to-end service interfaces with customers at any and all stages of the development lifecycle to ensure seamless transitions into production at scale without having to use multiple suppliers for the same part. In 2022, 3DEO unveiled its next-generation printing platform, Saffron. In 2023, it launched 316L austenitic stainless steel. A fully austenitic, non-magnetic stainless steel, 316L maintains excellent performance at room and moderately elevated temperatures, as well as excellent ductility and performance.
GKN Additive (Forecast 3D) is focused on three key areas—prototyping at scale, high-volume production of plastics, and manufacturing of metals. For prototyping at scale, Burns believes its solutions are at a level beyond most service bureaus because it can support projects at post lead times, regardless of the current level of demand. In regards to high-volume production of plastics, the company scaled its engineering teams to support the process control required with high-volume production. In addition, it offers full assembly for some products. As experts in metallurgy, GKN Additive (Forecast 3D) is capable of ensuring part one is the same as part one million, it achieves this thanks to metal binder jet as well as metal laser sintering. Part of its hardware portfolio includes a fleet of HP MultiJet Fusion devices.
Parmatech, an ATW Company, is a leading supplier of custom manufactured metal injection molding (MIM) components since 1973. MIM is a low-cost, high-volume manufacturing process that produces metal parts to near-net shape, reducing or eliminating the need for secondary and machining operations. Parmatech strives to offer the best solution package to customers as defined by exceeding their expectations. Solutions include identifying prototyping needs, rapid prototyping, alloy development, and metrology assistance.
Founded in 1999, Protolabs began with a mission to accelerate innovation through manufacturing—something it still does to this day. In 2014 it added 3D printing services to its portfolio, realizing the potential of AM. Its online 3D printing service enables 3D printing of custom parts on demand. It offers six 3D printing technologies—direct laser metal sintering, stereolithography, selective laser sintering, MultiJet Fusion, PolyJet, and Carbon DLS—to transform 3D files into plastic, metal, and elastomeric parts. With more than 120 3D printers, Protolabs reliably delivers parts within days. In addition to a broad material selection, it offers several post-processing options to improve cosmetics or enhance mechanical properties.
Stratasys Direct is known for helping to identify, design, and develop process specifications for parts. It offers custom prototype and full production part manufacturing, eight manufacturing technologies, over 50 materials, three facilities across the U.S., is ISO9001 and AS9100 certified, and International Traffic in Arms Regulations registered.
Xometry is a partner from prototyping to production and beyond. It offers a range of solutions to help develop effective prototypes and scale up to production parts thanks to over 70 materials and 15 processes. At the company’s core is its artificial intelligence-powered Xometry Instant Quoting Engine, which leverages data to quickly and effectively analyze complex parts in real time, match buyers with the right suppliers globally, and provide accurate pricing and lead times.
Real Life Example
In 2022, GKN Additive (Forecast 3D) partnered with Schneider Electric, which was looking for a way to manufacture special filters for use in its circuit breakers. More specifically, Schneider Electric wanted to deploy its ComPacT circuit breakers into large-scale plants and marine applications. These filters needed to withstand extreme temperatures and high pressure. Using traditional manufacturing processes, Schneider Electric was finding it difficult to achieve the desired performance. It met with GKN Additive (Forecast 3D) and after some research, decided that binder jetting technology for 3D metal printing was the ideal solution.
GKN Additive (Forecast 3D) and Schneider Electric created a new organically shaped filter mesh that could be easily de-powdered after 3D printing to meet all of the utility company’s functional requirements. The filter mesh, grid, and frame were manufactured as one piece thanks to 3D printing.
In eight weeks, GKN Additive (Forecast 3D) provided functional sample parts for validation testing. In nine months, after the initial contact with Schneider Electric, it began series production of the filters. Production was carried out in a three-shift operation with three binder jetting printers—three curing stations and a sintering furnace. This configuration allows for up to 1,300 parts per month and more than 5,000 parts delivered for the pilot series.
“The joint project completely convinced us of the sinter additive process,” shares Thomas Rivoire, industrialization leader, Schneider Electric. “Thanks to GKN Additive (Forecast 3D)’s know-how, we benefit from a highly innovative and flexible process with clear cost advantages in volume production.”
Dr. Guillaume Fribourg, AM expert, Schneider Electric, adds, “the redesigned filters feature significant improvements—increased stiffness, which results in higher efficiency and easier integration. However, the key benefit is for our customers—it allows us to reduce the size of the cabinets by 20 to 30 percent, thus reducing the global electrical switchgear footprint and, as a consequence, the related material consumption, including copper busbars.”
Consider It
3D service bureaus are much more than printing, offering scanning, finishing, assembly, and even consulting. Many have proprietary technology, from hardware and software to materials. Outsourcing AM—if it is right for you—is a great way to gain a partner in the industry.
Dec2023, Industrial Print Magazine
