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SprintRay Printers Used for Special Procedure at NYU Dental School

SprintRay Printers Used for Special Procedure at NYU Dental School

by Supriyadi
written by Supriyadi

When doctors Elena Chachik DDS, Farhad Vahidi DMD, MSD, FACP, and Paul Zhivago DDS were faced with the rare patient presentation of a 15-year-old girl with amelogenesis imperfecta, they turned to CAD/CAM for an innovative treatment solution. Drawing on many years of experience, they tackled this case at the NYU Jonathan and Maxine Ferencz Advanced Education Program in Prosthodontics.

Using advanced 3D design software and a SprintRay 3D printer, they were able to design, model, and print a custom surgical guide for a precise crown lengthening procedure. Provisional restorations show substantial success of their creativity and ingenuity, enabled in part by the use of a dental 3D printer and biocompatible materials.

In this poster:

  • Details about initial amelogenesis imperfecta patient presentation
  • Considerations and decisions about treatment and guide design
  • Details about the fabrication technique, including software and 3D printer hardware
Read the Digital Poster
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Infographic: Dental 3D Printing Workflow Tips

Infographic: Dental 3D Printing Workflow Tips

by Supriyadi
written by Supriyadi

Top 5
Dental 3D Printing
Workflow Tips

Some basic rules, processes, and activities to help you
improve your 3D printing workflow, increase efficiency.
asd improve success rates.

Keep a clean workspace  

  • Create a system for printing that makes good use of your space
  • Build good habits - once you start a process, stick with a
  • Limit access to the print space to only those using the printer

Clean your printer thoroughly

  • Filter resin and clean your tank with IPA after + misprints
  • Clean the tank thoroughly when switching between resins
  • Stir resin in the tank before each prist to ensure thorough mixing

Post—process efficiently

  • Minimize the number of steps and space required for post-processing
  • Use two-stage IPA wash: rinse parts in one vessel then wash fortes minutes in a separate vessel
  • Use Pro Cure to rapidly post-cure, maximizing the mechanical properties of your parts

Check prints in RayWare

  • Closely examine prints to ensure suff icient build surface contact
  • When printing with supports, orient parts at a 30- to 60-degree angle from the built plate
  • Double-check resin type, layer height, and printer before hitting ‘print’

Fine—tune your printer

(Bonus for experts)

  • Calibrate your printer for each resin type that you use
  • To ensure good part fitment, perform ‘Tolerance’ fine tuning until your printer scores a ‘3’
  • Perform ‘Dimensional Accuracy’ fine tuning to calibrate for your post-curing setup

Our top 5 dental 3D printing workflow tips to increase efficiency and simplify your in-office manufacturing processes.

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Dental 3D Printing Success Handbook

Dental 3D Printing Success Handbook

by Supriyadi
written by Supriyadi

It’s a fantastic feeling when you open the lid of your SprintRay Pro to see a full platform of perfectly-formed parts. But finding that your models are malformed or have fallen into the resin tank can be confusing and frustrating. Recent advances in 3D printing technology have made it easier than ever to achieve success with this powerful tool. But while SprintRay goes to great lengths to ensure you reach your production goals, there are a few external factors that can affect the final success of any print job.

SprintRay’s mission is to help dental clinics and labs grow to meet their production goals. To help you on your way, we put our heads together to help you identify and help avoid 3D printing problems. Whether this is your first 3D printing experience or you’re a veteran of the first affordable desktop FDM models, we hope that this guide helps you unlock the incredible potential of in-office dental 3D printing.

Follow Best Practices for Preparation and Design

The preparation and design phase encompasses three major activities: capturing patient data, using that data to design an appliance, and importing that file into RayWare for print nesting. Mistakes made during this first phase can have wide-reaching effects. Inconsistencies in scan data, CAD design problems, and improper print setup can all lead to problems if not corrected.

1. Ensure Consistent Scanned Data

Intraoral scanners are a fantastic piece of technology, enabling dental professionals to digitally capture patient data without the problems associated with traditional impressions. But even small imperfections or gaps in scan data can have adverse consequences on the quality of your final print, as the scanned data is the blueprint for every part of the process going forward, including 3D printing. 

Incomplete scans will present black surfaces in RayWare and are not printable.

When scanning, ensure that all data is complete and there are no visible holes. Pay close attention to the rendering of the patient’s dentition to ensure that the digital scan matches up with reality. Once the scan is complete, take a detailed look at the 3D file. Rescan any areas that appear to be missing data to maximize success downstream in the process.

2. Ace the Model Design

If you’re using dental CAD software such as 3Shape or Exocad, ensure that your models are fully closed and watertight before exporting them to your printer. RayWare uses machine learning to check your models for holes and non-manifold surfaces. If you receive a warning from RayWare, double-check your model before printing to verify that there are no issues. Additionally, ensure that you are designing your appliances correctly for your printer – different printers can have different requirements for settings such as offset, retention, and tolerance. Proceed with these desired settings in mind.

Whether you design appliances in-house or you outsource to a lab, this step is crucial to a good final result. Photo credit: Exocad

If you outsource the design of your appliance to a lab or other 3rd party, make sure to communicate to them which printer you’ll be using for fabrication. Despite their expertise, labs and design services may occasionally provide you with models that have printability issues. If you receive errors in RayWare or notice any black holes on the surface of your model, ask them to double-check their work. For help verifying if your 3D model has printability problems, reach out to SprintRay Support.

3. Nail the Nesting Phase

There are two major, related considerations when orienting your models for printing: support structures and orientation. If you are printing models that have a large, perfectly flat base, such as models for clear aligners or waxups, then printing the models flat against the platform is the most rapid way to proceed. This method will provide the highest print speeds and require the least post-processing, as there are no support structures to contend with. However, printing flat against the platform is only possible when your model has a perfectly flat base and is free of major overhangs. 

Many print jobs will not feature perfectly flat models. Supports will be required in order to successfully print.

For models that do not have a flush base, such as surgical guides, nightguards, and denture bases, support structures will be required. Because most desktop 3D printers fabricate upside-down, support structures are necessary to achieve good adhesion with the build surface. RayWare can automatically generate supports with the click of a single button. When printing with supports, we recommend that you orient your models between 30- and 60-degrees from the platform. 

Not all nesting jobs are perfectly straightforward. When faced with ambiguity, opt for the outcome that will require the least post-processing.

Care for and Store Resin Properly

Resin and SprintRay Pro function together as a team. If there’s a problem with your printing materials, your printer may not be able to produce consistent, desirable results. Resin care isn’t difficult, but certain rules and processes can help you avoid common mistakes that can lead to print failure. Resin management can be broken down into two core handling phases: resin when it is in the bottle and when it is in the printer’s resin tank.

1. Resin in the Bottle

With the cap secured tightly and when stored at room temperature, resin can be kept in the bottle until its expiration date. The expiration date for SprintRay resin is listed on the back of the bottle. If using a resin that has been on the shelf for a while, make sure to check this date, as the photoinitiators lose efficacy after their expiration date, increasing the likelihood of failure. 

SprintRay resins are packaged in bottles designed to limit contamination.

Before pouring resin from the bottle into SprintRay Pro’s resin tank, always shake the bottle for a few moments. Note that particularly viscous resins must be shaken longer to ensure proper mixing. Resin that sits for an extended period is subject to phase separation, which can cause print problems. If pouring a new type of resin into your resin tank, ensure the tank was thoroughly cleaned with isopropyl alcohol and a soft cloth. 

When pouring resin back into the bottle from the resin tank, we recommend that you filter it through a fine-mesh strainer. Chunks of partially-cured resin that may have formed in your tank can contaminate the resin in your bottle, leading to print issues down the road. This is an especially important practice when replacing resin into the bottle after a print failure, as there is an increased likelihood of cured particles in the resin tank.

2. Resin in the Tank

Resin exposure most commonly happens when resin sits in your printer’s tank. Because the lid is frequently lifted during the printing process, resin is exposed to light, heat, and air each time the print bed area is accessed. Resins compatible with SprintRay Pro use photoinitiators with peak absorption at 405nm, which is present in most forms of artificial lighting and certainly in direct sunlight. 

Even when the print bed is not being accessed, resin should not be left uncovered in SprintRay Pro’s resin tank for more than three days. If left in the tank for more than three days, resin should be strained through a filter before use to remove cured bits. If you’d like to store resin in the tank for longer than 3 days, simply use the provided black tank cover to minimize the risk of contamination.

When significant time elapses between print jobs, make sure to use the resin wiper to thoroughly mix the resin in the tank. The resin should have a consistent, homogenous appearance. Just as resin must be shaken in the bottle, so too must it be mixed in the tank after it has been left to sit.

Optimize Your Printing Workspace

Contamination of your printing environment can lead to problems with your final, finished appliances. While potential environmental contaminants are myriad, the rule of thumb is twofold: choose the appropriate environment in which to operate your printer, and keep the environment clean and organized. 

1. Choose the Right Environment

While the leading cause of resin contamination is light, there are a host of other factors that can cause print problems if left unchecked. Ensure that your printer is placed away from windows or other sources of bright natural light. If exposed to direct sunlight for even a very short time per day, the chances of resin contamination are greatly increased.

Additionally, high levels of humidity and extreme temperatures can negatively affect your prints. Make sure your printer is in a dry, temperature-controlled room so that proper curing and adhesion can take place. Persistent airflow, such as from a duct or door that is frequently opened, can also cause problems. Place your printer out of the way and keep its environment at a steady temperature, even overnight, between 20-30 degrees Celsius (68-86 Fahrenheit). 

Dust and air particles can easily get trapped in liquid resin, so make sure the room you keep your printer in is kept as clean as possible. Small smudges and dust that land on the projector mirror or on the glass below the tank can obscure the light’s optical path, decreasing the likelihood of print success. 

2. Keep it Clean and Organized

Because SprintRay printers rely on specifically-metered light, even something as minor as a smudge on the bottom of the resin tank can interrupt the optical path. Just as small amounts of cured composite or adhesive on a curing light can interfere with intraoral curing, contamination anywhere along the optical path of the printer can affect print quality and accuracy. Regularly inspect your tank and the glass below for fingerprints, smudges, or bits of partially-cured resin. 

The cleanliness of your post-processing environment is paramount for accurate final parts that have the proper fit and finish. One often overlooked but frequently troublesome sore spot is the wash process. Make sure to use a two-stage IPA system: first rinse your printed parts in a vat of IPA, then let them soak for 10-15 minutes in an agitated concentration of IPA 91% or higher. When the IPA in your wash station begins to appear cloudy, replace it with fresh IPA immediately. If you fail to frequently change out your wash station IPA, your parts can come out tacky and sticky. 

A clean, organized environment is the best way to produce

A general rule that can drastically reduce misprints is to keep everything as clean and organized as possible. Routinely inspect your printer for anything out of the ordinary, and wipe up any resin spills immediately to prevent them from curing to your Pro. Create specific areas used for performing particular sets of tasks: print prep, washing, post-curing, etc. These help limit contamination, reduce mess, and eliminate mistakes. If you do need to clean your printer, use IPA with a soft cloth and gently wipe out your tank or the glass beneath. IPA helps break down partially-cured resin that has hardened to the printer’s surface, so it may take a few moments for the cleaning agent to take effect.

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UP mini 2 Review – Best 3D Printer for Beginners in 2018

by Supriyadi
written by Supriyadi

The Tiertime UP mini 2 is our fall 2018 pick for the "Best 3D Printer for Beginners". Check out our review to find out why it is the ideal starter machine.

he first time we tried using the UP mini 2 3D printer, a fused deposition modeling (FDM) machine, things did not go according to plan.

We followed the touch-screen controls and ran through the initialization stages, then we auto-leveled the bed and initiated printing a test model. What happened next? The hot-end ripped into the print bed.
Fortunately, things did improve considerably after this initial setback. We’ll explain why further in this review.

And it’s true to say, broadly speaking, that our expectations were met. The UP mini 2 3D printer is indeed very easy to use. It’s got a budget price tag, but can still produce decent printed objects. And the safety features are highly desirable, especially if you need to print with ABS filament.

Pros

  • Simple Operation
  • HEPA Filter
  • Separate Filament Caddy
  • Swappable Print Beds
  • Blackout Recovery
  • Great Price
  • Touchscreen Controls
  • Auto-Bed Leveling
  • Optimal Setup for ABS
  • Printing
  • Quiet Operation

Cons

  • Spotty Build Quality
  • Wifi Connectivity Didn’t Work
  • Inadequate Documentation
  • Basic Slicing Software
  • Limited Build Volume
  • No SD Card Slot
  • Filament Caddy is NonExpandable

Verdict

The UP mini 2 3D printer most certainly has its fair share of quirks, but we would give it a strong recommendation. Why? Because it has a unique set of advantages that stand over and above any other printer at this price point.
Firstly, the HEPA filter is an integral part of the design, and it’s absolutely superb. Nasty toxic fumes and particles are dramatically reduced, to the point where it’s comfortable to use this printer at your desk.

In addition to the filter, the UP mini 2 3D printer goes some way to redeeming ABS as a material for daily use. After dealing with the issue of odors, the enclosed build chamber and perforated print bed gives you consistent and reliable results when printing.

Thirdly, the separate filament caddy is a very nice addition. Without being exposed to the air, your precious filament is preserved and protected from prematurely spoiling. This is also a factor for consistent results.

The problems we encountered were chiefly to do with confusing documentation and software. And some users will feel constrained by the tiny build volume and the closed hardware and software.

But in the broader picture, the UP mini 2 3D printer is a great little machine with an innovative approach to health and safety, which in turn leads to better end results.

We would hope that more hardware manufacturers took note of the UP mini 2 3D printer; make these safety technologies more widely available, please!

The Looooong Read

As the name implies, the UP mini 2 3D printer is the successor to another product called the UP Mini. The new and improved unit is manufactured by Beijing Tiertime Technology, one of the biggest players in the 3D printing industry in Asia.

It’s worth noting that Tiertime has many fingers in many pies, so to speak. In addition to a growing range of desktop 3D printers (the UP family), they also manufacture industrial 3D printers (the INSPIRE range), develop dedicated software for both lines, and produce ABS and PLA filament for the consumer range.

Effectively, the company has developed a complete end-to-end ecosystem. This is something of a closed loop, but there are a few concessions to open accessibility; the UP mini 2 3D printer accepts third-party filaments, can print with the STL file format, and it accepts a handful of spare components which can be digitally fabricated.

Design

The UP mini 2 3D printer is a compact desktop device that sits in the fused filament fabrication category. It pushes molten thermoplastic filament through a heated nozzle, and builds a solid object by depositing one thin layer of plastic after the other.

The design is a Cartesian frame, with black powder-coated metal inside a plastic enclosure, with 3D printed components and linear rails. The tool head moves on the Y axis and the print bed moves on the Z and X axis.

For the print head, this is a direct drive design. The filament extrusion and hot end is handled within a single unit, and the filament is fed into the back via a standalone filament caddy. The UP mini 2 3D printer is a single extrusion machine, which means it can print with only one spool of filament at a time.

Located beneath the bed is the signature asset of the printer, a High Efficiency Particulate Air (HEPA) filter. Filters meeting the HEPA standard have many applications, including use in hospitals, automobiles, aircraft and homes. What it does is remove (from the air that passes through the filter) 99.97% of particles that have a size of 0.3 µm.

To learn more about particle emissions from FDM 3D printing, check out the independent research of the Built Environment Research Group. They’ve tested a range of machines — but not yet the UP mini 2 3D printer — and are continually updating their list.

One question mark about the design of the UP mini 2 3D printer concerns access to parts. While there are magnetic doors on the front and back, and removable panels from the top, we’re wondering how easy it will be to change the HEPA filter at a later stage. Or even do something as simple as clean out waste filament from the base of the machine.

Another question is build quality. The doors are a bit loose on their hinges, and have a tendency to bump against the frame when closing. Also, raising the handle on the roof of the unit reveals a pair of openings for odors to escape through, potentially impacting the efficiency of the HEPA filter.

Features

The UP mini 2 3D printer has a touchscreen control panel on the front, where you can access most of the features of the unit. These include configuration settings, initialization, calibration, and (of course) printing.

Those specs in full:

Heated build plates, with interchangeable perforated build plate or UP Flex print board.
Print area of 120 x 120 x 120mm (4.7 x 4.7 x 4.7 in)
Layer thickness of 0.15/0.20/0.25/0.30/0.35mm
Standard usable filament sizes of 1.75mm
Platform leveling with automatic nozzle height detection
Blackout recovery, to stop and resume printing in the event of a power failure.
Intriguingly, while the marketing material says otherwise, we wouldn’t classify the UP mini 2 3D printer as being capable of standalone operation.

There’s no SD card slot, for starters, so direct uploading of STL files is not possible. Instead, you’re encouraged to connect the unit to your WiFi network, or directly tether it to your PC via USB. From there, the printer is managed using Tiertime’s dedicated UP Studio software.

Setup

To set up the UP mini 2 3D printer, the first thing you need to is attach the print head and power ribbon. This is actually pretty simple, where the head is held in place using magnets. There’s a slight irritation in that the carry handle is positioned directly above the head and obstructs access.

Second stage is to switch it on, initialize the unit, then install and auto-level the print bed. Once that’s ready, you load the filament caddy, feed the strand through to the print head, and follow the instructions on the touch-screen interface.

The third setup stage is to connect the UP mini 2 3D printer to your local network. We should mention that for this review, whether it was a software or hardware failure, the machine simply wouldn’t connect to our WiFi network. We had to resort to direct PC tethering instead.

So what happened to us when we fired up the UP mini 2 3D printer for the first time? Near as we can make out, the problem came down to the interchangeable print beds.

The printer comes with a set of four beds; two for printing with normal filaments, two for printing with flexible materials. They slide in and out with relative ease. The setup documentation, meanwhile, doesn’t specify *which* bed to insert for the first time.

When we fired up the test model for printing, which is optimized for a cube in ABS, we didn’t have the appropriate bed in place. In effect, the flexible bed got trashed.

Fair warning, folks. Be sure to check which print bed you’re using before you print anything on this machine.

Filament

The dedicated filament caddy is not as innovative a feature as the HEPA filter, but it’s certainly worth calling attention to.

Usually when FDM printing, the filament spool is mounted on a holder above or behind the machine. It’s highly unlikely that you will use an entire spool of filament in a single printing job. The standard weight of a spool is 500g, but can also go up to 1kg. With daily use, a single spool can last for weeks or months.

A problem arises when filament is exposed to the open air for long periods. It will naturally spoil by absorbing moisture, and in turn this will impact on the quality and consistency of your final prints. That’s why a spool is typically sold in airtight bags with little packets of silica gel.

The caddy that comes with the UP mini 2 3D printer is a welcome solution for keeping your filament fresher for longer. It’s entirely enclosed, with a little bowden tube feeding the filament into the back of the machine. It’s simple but effective, and the caddy even has a little toolbox drawer in the base. We like!

Unfortunately, spools bigger than 500g are not going to fit in this enclosure. But for most people, it should be more than adequate.

Software

The software interface for the UP Studio, with which we managed the UP mini 2 3D printer, is basic but functional.

The first thing you’ll have to do is create an account and register the printer. Then when it’s “binded” to your PC, you can commence loading up models and printing.

One immediate frustration is that, as a catchall software suite to manage all of Tiertime’s desktop machines, the UP Studio has features that do not apply to the UP mini 2 3D printer. Activating Auto-Calibration of the print bed, for example (a separate process from Auto-Leveling).

Looking past this, however, it’s relatively painless to upload a model, tweak the desired settings, then slice and upload it via USB. It’s not as rich or as intuitive as, say, Cura software, but you can click around for things like scaling and placement without going too far wrong.

The default settings will always want you to print with a raft and supports. Since we’re using ABS filament for this review, and working with a perforated print bed, those really are the optimal settings to work with. But you do have the option to switch them off if you prefer to live dangerously.

There’s also a mystery feature in here for converting a photographic image to an STL file for printing. It’s not really much use for a typical family photo, but might be a fun novelty for topographical maps.

Printing

Don’t Miss:

Ah yes, let’s talk about printing. It’s truly impressive how the UP mini 2 3D printer is optimized for working with ABS filament.

Why is that so important? Because while ABS material has superior mechanical properties to PLA material — it’s stronger and more flexible — it’s notoriously more difficult to print with, and it gives off a toxic stink that’s deeply unpleasant.

By way of comparison, the only other desktop 3D printer on the market that we’d really recommend for working with ABS would be the Zortrax M200. And that’s three times the price (albeit three times the build volume).

But the staggering thing is that Zortrax doesn’t offer the HEPA filter, or the filament caddy, or the emergency power backup. So in the end, you’re offered a choice that’s just as much about clean air and filament storage as it is about cost and build volume.

Since the build volume on the UP mini 2 3D printer is rather stingy, we had to get creative with our selection of test models. We set out to demonstrate that you could still print something useful at this size, and not just trinkets and toys.

In addition to the standard 3DBenchy, we made a V29 Survival Whistle, a Super Best Bottle Opener, a Stronger Carabiner Frame, a Side Release Buckle, and a Mounting System for Bike Lights. All these STL files are available to download from Thingiverse.

The quality of the printed objects was highly satisfactory. A benefit of printing items at this size is that each job is completed very quickly. Thereafter, you swap out the bed for a clean one, and initiate printing a new job while prying the printed item off the other bed.

Also, the operation of the machine is pretty quiet, so that’s a bonus.

More Printing

Fabricating a 3DBenchy at the highest available resolution of 150 microns and 20% infill resulted in a very clean print with only minor flaws to the prow of the boat.

Printing everything else at 200 microns and 99% infill; the survival whistle couldn’t be printed with support material, since the hollow chamber needs to be clear of obstruction to work. So that was a test of bridging and overhangs which the UP mini 2 3D printer managed pretty well.

The other items were printed flat or sideways on the bed with rafts and supports, and turned out pretty well. The Side Release Buckle was scaled up 150%, and if anything it improved the model by making it stronger and more robust.

One issue we noticed is that overhangs at the earliest layers tended to look a bit scrappy, as though the filament hadn’t bonded properly, so you have to consider the orientation of the object being printed to compensate.

Another issue is those surfaces attached to a raft or support material will not look as polished as surfaces printed without. They can be cleaned up a bit with post-processing, but again, consider the orientation of the object being printed to compensate.

After one test model and five useful things, we’d consider the fabrication capabilities of the UP mini 2 3D printer to be a solid success, but with room for improvement.

A build volume of 150 x 150 x 150mm would really hit the sweet spot, for example. And heating the inside of the enclosure would benefit the quality of the 3D printed objects even further.

Wrapping Up

We do like the UP mini 2 3D printer, but with a set of caveats.

The supporting documentation is pretty lousy. Having things broken out of the box like the much vaunted WiFi connectivity is annoying. And there are features in the software which are just plain baffling.

That, and the build volume is smaller than we would like.

But we can forgive all this because of that amazing little HEPA filter. And the quiet, efficient way it goes about printing things. And having a dedicated filament caddy is a tidy bonus.

All of which means the UP mini 2 3D printer is incredible value for just under $600 dollars. In the current market you can certainly buy a cheaper 3D printer; but you won’t find one that makes health and safety such a key aspect of the value proposition.

TIERTIME UP MINI 2
The Tiertime Up Mini 2 is our pick for the “Best 3D Printer for Beginners of Summer 2018”. Though compact, it offers a number of sophisticated features, like a HEPA air filter and an enclosed build chamber.

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Students and teachers and Bungara Alternative School have found the UP BOX+ and UP Mini 2 an excellent gateway to be introduced to 3D printing.

Students and teachers and Bungara Alternative School have found the UP BOX+ and UP Mini 2 an excellent gateway to be introduced to 3D printing.

by Supriyadi
written by Supriyadi

The students at Bungara Alternative School were tasked with creating and printing something from the Star Wars Expanded Universe, including Luke Skywalker’s lightsaber and an Imperial Shuttle. After printing the models, they were given a paint job to give it an authentic, worn and battered look.
The supervising teacher notes that the auto-pause function of the UP BOX+ was an effective feature and very useful in ensuring printing runs smoothly.
We would like to let you know that we are very impressed with the performance
of our new UP Box+ and UP mini 2 printers.
performance and ease of operation of these printers is unbelievable. We literally
took them out of the box, turned them on and started printing with stunning
results!
The ability of these printers to resume printing after they run out of filament is a
fantastic feature which I was initially a bit skeptical about, but now that we have
seen how it works so well, without leaving any visible trace that this has
occurred gives me a great amount of confidence in leaving these printers to work
knowing that I can quickly and easily work around either of them running out of
filament.
We are doing a unit this term on the Star Wars extended universe and asking
students to create and print something from the Star Wars world. These printers
are allowing us to create some really excellent models that we can then use as
movie props, animation, for display and they have generated an intense amount
of interest in our students (who want to take them home).

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From Fabricator To Digital Artist

From Fabricator To Digital Artist

by Supriyadi
written by Supriyadi

Jared Fragd of Houston, Texas, always loved building and fixing things. He grew up working on vehicles, repairing, upgrading, and restoring them. What he couldn’t learn from friends, he learned on his own.

As a young man, he found himself employed in the automotive industry, restoring classic cars and building television and film replica automobiles. He performed body work, mechanical, and upholstery duties.  He fabricated, welded, turned wrenches, shaped metal, and stretched fabric for three years before moving on to his next profession.

As have so many in Houston, he eventually landed in the oil and gas business. Working in quality control, he inspected parts, ensuring the viability and performance of various components used in drilling, both offshore and on land. If something wasn’t up to specifications, he would write a report and send it back.

For all his time spent in the mechanical world, Fragd’s inner child lingered. He never forgot the passions of his youth – cartoons, superheroes, villains – the fantasy worlds associated with what is today known as the Comic-Con culture. So, when he decided he wanted a scale model of the ThunderCats ThunderTank, but larger than the toys available, he chose to apply his fabrication expertise and build it himself. He succeeded, using various materials and methods one might use to repair or build a car, but he wasn’t satisfied. He wanted it to be more realistic, higher quality, and he definitely wanted it to weigh less.

He was researching enterprises that could possibly produce the projects he wanted to do and came across a web page about 3D printing. He jumped in with both feet, deciding to purchase a Tiertime UP BOX Plus. There were ideas he wanted to prototype, but he also wanted another shot at the tank.

He selected Tiertime because he wanted a printer ready to work right out of the box. He was interested in making things with a 3D printer, not buying a kit full of parts and making the 3D printer. He also wanted to use ABS, the same plastic most toys are made of, and he knew enclosed printers are superior to open-air printers for ABS printing.

“Some of my new friends in the 3D printing community use open source, RepRap-style machines,” said Fragd. “While they seem to like them, I prefer the functionality and ease-of-use I get from my UP BOX. I was lucky in choosing it and couldn’t imagine what my life would be like if I didn’t buy it.”

Fragd had to deal with an issue some might see as a giant stop sign. He had plenty of project ideas, but he was not a 3D modeling expert. He acquired tools such as Fusion360, Meshmixer, and LimitState, and he began learning, using the internet and its communities as his teacher. He also had friends willing to help.

One such friend happened to be a gaming modeler with a version of the ThunderTank appropriate for video gaming, which is to say, very inappropriate for 3D printing. Given permission to use it as a starting point, Fragd began modifying it to match his own vision. He wanted the final product to be large, like his traditionally fabricated design, but he planned to 3D print it in parts. During this time, he developed an assembly method he would later use for all his projects. He came up with the idea of finding natural locations for cutting the 3D model into printable pieces and once printed, using the ABS model supports mixed with acetone as glue to assemble the final product.

After completing it, he proudly posted pictures of his ThunderTank on the internet. It was airbrush-painted, fully articulated with moving parts, and could be remote controlled. He was unexpectedly deluged by ThunderCats fans offering to purchase it. It was at this time Fragd realized he had become a custom toy maker.

Next, he wanted to get into large figurines, 3D printed sculptures of some of the world’s most iconic superheroes. That meant he was going to have to learn organic modeling and inevitably, ZBrush, the software used by Hollywood CGI artists to create creatures like the Hulk for the big screen. He went back to the internet, studied tutorials and sought advice. He traveled to visit professionals for tips on their techniques. In less than two years, he was producing 3D printed characters like Superman, Spiderman, Transformers, Thundercats, and Supergirl, and again, receiving offers.

People often ask Fragd how his prints turn out so well. They assume he spends a lot of time post-processing.

“To be honest, my printer is amazing. It does most of the work,” said Fragd. “I let a part remain in the heat of the printer’s build chamber for about two hours after it is done to smooth it a little. Afterward, it’s just a case of mixing my ABS paste and assembling the pieces.”

More information about Fragd’s work can be found on the internet under the name, Fragmintz. He is frequently sought as a specialist in creating printable character models. In the future, he plans to develop and release his own original characters.

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Award-Winning California STEM Teacher Relies On Tiertime

Award-Winning California STEM Teacher Relies On Tiertime

by Supriyadi
written by Supriyadi

Chris Van Meter is enjoying a distinguished career at Ceres High School in Ceres, California. A military veteran with a physics degree, he is certified to teach math, chemistry, physics, and manufacturing. He is also the driving force behind the school’s Manufacturing, Production and Green Technology (MPGT) Academy.

The Academy is one of 409 California Partnership Academies, a program funded by the state to create cooperation between businesses and schools. Most partnership academies concentrate on other professions like criminal justice, education, agriculture, and health. The MPGT Academy focuses on manufacturing.

In 2016, the CHS MPGT Academy was named one of the seven best academies and it is the only manufacturing academy bearing the recognition. It is also one of just 19 academies designated as a Lighthouse, an example for other academies to follow. In 2017, it was recognized nationally as a co-winner of the Career Pathways Partnership Excellence Award presented by the NCPN (National Career Pathways Network).

Like the school, Van Meter is no stranger to distinction. While serving his country, he was presented with a Purple Heart and two Meritorious Service Medals. As an educator, he was honored as the 2016-2017 Teacher of the Year by California State Senator Anthony Cannella. His classroom has hosted members of the US Congress, state legislators, and state school board officials, all visiting to gain a better understanding of why the Academy is so successful.

In 2010, the CHS MPGT Academy was founded as a result of school administrators acknowledging that high school curriculum had been tailored to prepare students for college, but only one of every three students were continuing their education after graduation. A better way of transitioning students from high

school to the next phase of life was required. The school sought to develop a new approach to teaching based on the needs and advice of local businesses. The Wood Shop class was closed and the roots of a STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) curriculum were born.

Chris Van Meter Receives Teacher of the Year

Many consider the Academy’s methods to be the future of teaching. Non-STEM subjects are still taught, but the school finds ways to tie the subjects together. Students might study an ancient engineering design by someone like Leonardo da Vinci in History class, then write a paper about it in English class. They then take the knowledge to a Manufacturing class where they can attempt to improve the design, create prototypes and eventually produce it. The MPGT Academy has 79 Tiertime 3D printers which play an important role in those final steps.

“I met a gentleman at the San Francisco Palace of Fine Arts demonstrating the Up Mini printer several years ago. I had been looking for a great low-budget printer that was compact and could be put on a classroom table next to a computer,” said Van Meter. “Later, we were introduced to the UP Mini 2 by Octave Systems, a local dealer. The printers were fully enclosed, had a HEPA filter, were Wi-Fi connectable, and had simple-to-use software that students would gravitate to immediately. As far as I am concerned, one of these printers should be in every classroom in America.”

The Tiertime printers are used in grades 9 through 12 for classroom projects, personal projects, design and prototyping concepts, and large-scale efforts such as a drive train for a Solar Regatta Boat.

There is no 3D printing field of study at the MPGT Academy. Rather, SolidWorks CAD software, 3D printers and other CNC machines are the tools employed in teaching modern design and manufacturing techniques. The focus is not on the tools. It is on what the tools enable, which is the preparation of students for life after high school, whether at a university, vocational college or business.

When a 3D printer is not being used for a class assignment, the students are allowed to use them for their own purposes. Van Meter believes this is a critical factor in unleashing creativity.

“This is the brilliant part. After a two-week safety and usage course, students utilize the machines non-stop for various personal projects, other classroom projects – History, Science, English, etc. – and for gifts for other students. This leads to the creativity, imagination, lifetime playfulness, and intrigue that every engineer needs in order to be successful,” said Van Meter. “There are projects all students must accomplish to demonstrate competence. Once completed, I expect the students to freely use any machine they want for a project or just for fun.”

His philosophy is to keep it student-centric, student-led, and student-understandable. Tiertime’s UP mini 2 perfectly fits his doctrine.

“It’s easy to use, simple to set up, and runs flawlessly with few errors. Students can run it non-stop with very little instruction and it is economical for classrooms. It also uses both PLA and ABS which is another big bonus for small classrooms. And honestly, it looks great too,” said Van Meter.

Tiertime UP BOX 3D printers are used for larger projects by 11th and 12th graders delving into robotics, green energy and other designs requiring a bigger build volume. These more advanced studies combine electronics and CNC-machined parts with 3D-printed parts, emulating professional prototyping and manufacturing techniques. From beginning to end, the MPGT curriculum takes a student from not knowing CAD to soldering circuits and programming microcontrollers, while including the perspective of traditional subjects such as Math, Biology, Physics, History, Economics and English.

It doesn’t stop there. Students are taught how to handle a job interview. Most are offered well-paid internships with partnered businesses after graduation. Others go on to study engineering, manufacturing or another science at college.

Perhaps the most important aspect of the CHS MPGT academy is not what is being taught, but instead the way it is being taught. “When I apply hands-on learning techniques in my classes, students explore the boundaries of 3D printing, find the most complex and ingenious solutions, and apply their skills flawlessly in a way I never imagined,” said Van Meter.

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Printed Endodontic Guides with Dr. David Kelliny

Printed Endodontic Guides with Dr. David Kelliny

by Supriyadi
written by Supriyadi

Dr. David Kelliny has been performing endodontic surgery for a long time. As a Clinical Assistant Professor of endodontics at USC, he’s seen it all. But when he heard found out about SprintRay 3D printers, things changed. Now, printed endodontic guides allowed him to provide guided root canal surgery without waiting for a lab to fabricate and ship him a guide.

Guided surgery has many benefits: it decreases surgery time and increases the rate of success. After some trial and error, Dr. Kelliny has found that he often doesn’t even have to double check his work. This is an incredible feat, considering that his endodontic guides allow him to perform root canals in 10 minutes when they used to take 90 minutes and sometimes required multiple appointments. The accuracy of his SprintRay 3D printer means that he knows it’ll print right every time, and the speed means that he can design, fabricate, print, and post-process his guides in a single day.

Digitally Designed, In-House Printed Surgical Guides

Printed surgical guides have a significantly lower materials cost than those ordered from a lab. With SprintRay’s biocompatible Surgical Guide Resin our MoonRay 3D printer, you can start printing right away. Make use of one of our trusted software partners to design them. Utilizing surgical guides in your practice can help ensure clinic growth by offering guided surgery at a fraction of the traditional price per case.

Lab Designed, Office Printed

Not comfortable using dental CAD/CAM software? No problem! This is the beauty of printed surgical guides compared to conventional fabrication methods. By sending a scan of your patient’s anatomy to your favorite lab, you can save on shipping time. Upload or email your file, let the laboratory design the final appliance, and then receive a 3D printable file. Once you’ve received your digital appliance, import into SprintRay Software and then print!

With SprintRay 3D printers, you can start making your own printed surgical guides in a matter of days.

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Artforge Studio Uses FabPro to Expand Capabilities with 3D Printed Jewelry Patterns

Artforge Studio Uses FabPro to Expand Capabilities with 3D Printed Jewelry Patterns

by Supriyadi
written by Supriyadi

Jeweler uses FabPro 1000 3D printer as cost-effective new tool to unlock design creativity for unique, high quality casting patterns.

Artforge Studio is the workshop of an artisan based in the United Kingdom specializing in innovative and imaginative designs. With more than 30 years’ experience in fine jewelry, owner and founder Simon Walker is a goldsmith trained in classic jewelry-making skills, including diamond mounting, silversmithing, wax carving, and enameling. To enhance his creative opportunities, Walker augments his traditional background with an active interest and use of emerging technologies.

The FabPro 1000 3D printer helps Artforge Studio deliver jewelry designs in a time- and cost-effective way.

Intrigued by the competitive and creative value of 3D printing with castable and tool making  materials, Walker has been using 3D Systems’ entry-level industrial 3D printer, the FabPro™ 1000, with FabPro JewelCast GRN material and  FabPro Tough BLK. Citing the printer’s accuracy, ease-of-use, and cost-effectiveness as well as the quality and resilience of the material, Walker believes the FabPro 1000 is a useful tool for expanding creative ambitions: “This technology allows creative people to make and play with ideas ranging from engineering style work to whimsical pieces in a short time frame.”

Artforge Studio specializes in innovative and imaginative designs.

3D printer offers a new tool to create accurate and imaginative designs

Many Artforge Studio customers approach the company with the hopes of restoring or recreating heirloom pieces that have been damaged or lost over the years, or to recreate something new using inherited gold and gemstones. Walker believes he is able to offer even more with the creative use of the FabPro 1000, including iterations of suggested designs for customers to hold or putting 3D printed rings 

on fingers without fear of them breaking as ordinary wax pieces would. Another useful realization Walker had was the ability to adjust 3D printed designs using the bench techniques of filing and drilling to moderately adjust designs for his customers.

For Artforge Studio, the growth in design capability enabled by the FabPro 1000 3D printer makes it a valuable and competitive opportunity.

The FabPro 1000 is an entry-level industrial-grade 3D printer that combines smooth surface quality, accelerated throughput, repeatability and a straightforward user interface with intuitive 3D Sprint® software and high quality materials. Powerful yet compact, it is optimized for producing high quality plastic part prototypes as well as casting patterns for jewelry at print speeds up to three times faster than competitively priced systems.

3D Systems’ FabPro 1000 3D printer uses projector-based imaging and delivers SLA-like edge detail, accuracy and surface finish with consistent, repeatable parts and runtimes.

Artforge Studio’s Simon Walker says 3D printing with 3D Sprint software is “almost foolproof.”

With a build size of 125 mm x 70 mm x 120 mm (4.92 in x 2.76 in x 4.72 in), the FabPro 1000 printer can print one part that fills the platform or build several smaller parts at once to generate multiple iterations simultaneously for high throughput printing.

Walker noted that with the larger build plate he can print bangle sized objects in one piece rather than  printing them in several pieces and putting them back together as he has done using smaller machines. In his work creating sculptural pieces, he finds the build volume of the FabPro1000 to be very beneficial.

The ability to adjust 3D printed designs using bench techniques helps Artforge Studio accommodate changes requested by its customers.

Casting with 3D resin

Walker occasionally does his own casting, and his experience with the FabPro JewelCast GRN material has yielded pleasing results. He approaches casting as both a science and an art and uses both gypsum and dental investment powders depending on the metal being used or the piece to be cast.

From using the FabPro resin he notes: “The 3D printed JewelCast GRN patterns are quite tough. If you drop a wax pattern, it could break, but these JewelCast patterns are resilient, which is really useful.”

In his experience, the Jewelcast GRN material when cured can be used to make molds, and the ability to carve or file into it opens up other possibilities that allow the jeweler to add hand-crafted individuality to items as they choose. “It’s nice to be able to adjust things at the bench,” he says.

Digital design accelerates production, expands creativity

Using a digital workflow, Walker can design and print new designs quickly and cost-effectively. After designing a file, 3D Sprint makes printing “almost foolproof.” Beyond enabling quick and easy print parameter adjustments, 3D Sprint allows users to automatically apply Smart Supports to ensure a quality build. “The automatic supports are brilliant,

The build volume of the FabPro 1000 has been beneficial to Artforge Studio’s sculptural work.

” Walker says, and he is pleased with the ability of 3D Sprint software to identify and resolve common file issues that may impact print success along with a user-friendly experience for scaling designs, creating mirror images, copying models, modifying supports to match preferences, and sending files to print.

“I have to admit: I believe you get a lot for your money with the FabPro 1000. As an entry-level industrial 3D printing solution, it’s easy to use, intuitive and quiet, which is great,” Walker says.

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2019 Peel 3D Scanner

2019 Peel 3D Scanner

by Supriyadi
written by Supriyadi

The Peel 3D Scanner by Peel 3D is a professional-grade handheld 3D scanning system that is incredibly cost-effective and has a quirky design

One of the primary factors that have historically prevented 3D scanners from having a stronger presence on the high-tech market is the extravagant price point. In the recent past, most professional-grade systems would cost a pretty penny, from upwards of $10,000. Thus, 3D scanning technology was primarily reserved for niche applications like industrial engineering, higher education, art and heritage projects, and so on.

But as of late, more affordable options are entering the fray, providing both consumers and prosumers with a practical pathway into the world of 3D scanning technology. The Candian 3D scanning company Peel 3D is helping to lead this frugal fight with an inexpensive and accessible handheld 3D scanner of its own. The device is powered by 3D scanning expertise of Creaform, a unit of AMETEK, and is intended to offer professional-grade scanning quality at an entry-level price.

As you can probably infer from the name of the device, ‘peel’ came to the team while they were at the breakfast table eating bananas. “The peel is what you end up with if you scan a banana: it’s a hollow shell that has the exact shape of the object you are interested in,” the company explains on its website.

The Peel 3D Scanner is a reasonably priced 3D scanner that is surprisingly capable of capturing high-quality 3D models, making it the perfect entry-level tool for projects that must comply with a strict budget. It’s cheap, compact, and seems to be quite functional.

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