As essentially everyone familiar with additive manufacturing (AM) knows, one of the greatest advantages of 3D printing technologies is the potential to produce parts with complex geometries that are unachievable with conventional manufacturing processes. Of course, realizing that potential is still quite difficult in practice, as a number of factors come into play to prevent designs from becoming realities.
Even for a seasoned service bureau like Dinsmore, part of the ADDMAN Group of companies, certain applications are out of reach without the right machines. In a recently released case study, Dinsmore details how the company was only able to 3D print models of medical stent cores once the company acquired Axtra3D’s Lumia.X1 printer.
Thanks to Axtra3D’s hybrid photosynthesis (HPS) technology, which combines both digital light processing (DLP) and stereolithography (SLA), Dinsmore was able to reduce the resolution of the stents it printed from 300 to 140 µm. In practical terms, this means the service bureau went from being able to produce models for visualization purposes to achieving the ability to produce fully-functional stents.
According to Dinsmore, one of the Lumia.X1’s key features that enabled achievement of the precise geometries at a smaller scale was automation of switching between single and double polymerization methods for different cross sections. This eliminated the need for manual scripting in the design process, significantly reducing the potential for human error.
Image courtesy of Axtra3D
In the case study, Dinsmore employee Kirill Tulinov notes, “As someone who likes to break machines to find their true limits and capabilities, I was genuinely surprised by Lumia’s performance. It has been a true plug-and-play experience out of the box. I didn’t know over an inch of an unsupported bridge was possible. The Lumia presents the best combination of print area, accuracy, surface finish, resolution, print throughput and ease of use among all SLA, DLP and LCD systems available. I would rate this technology at a 9 out of 10 for applications ranging from very delicate, accurate medical stents to large, bulky mold inserts.”
With Axtra3D only having launched at Formnext 2022, mastering such a high-value application with a respected partner like Dinsmore is a big win for such a young company. The medical space is obviously one of the areas where 3D printed companies succeed most consistently, and 3D printed stents are a particularly compelling growth opportunity at the moment.
Working together with a service bureau for one specific industry isn’t a bad path for a young company either, as long as it’s the right industry. 3D Systems and Oerlikon, for instance, have partnered rather successfully to deliver critical parts for the semiconductor equipment market.
This is precisely what AM industry professionals mean when they say that the business case for the industry as a whole is built up “application by application”. For Axtra3D and Dinsmore, getting to that first stent was the hardest part. Now that they know they can do it, the companies have purchased a joint ticket to a market with the potential to grow by over 30 percent per year through 2030. Learn more about the case study here.