Eco-Friendly Bio-Resin for Optical 3D Printing (O3DP)
Environmental protection and ecology are among the most pressing and important topics of our time. Significant scientific and creative resources are being devoted to reducing pollution. 3D printing is closely tied to this issue as well. As is well known, 3D printing uses large quantities of various plastics, which, like all plastics, take centuries to break down in the environment.
Despite additive manufacturing being considered one of the most efficient production methods due to its minimal waste, we still cannot ignore the climate change phenomena occurring around the world. This is what motivated us to develop a new, eco-friendly product.
Today, we're happy to share the results of that work. In collaboration with scientists from Vilnius University and Kaunas University of Technology, we've developed a bio-resin. It's designed for 3D printers that use the optical 3D printing (O3DP) principle.
This resin was made using soybeans. The resin is environmentally friendly and recyclable. Unlike other O3DP printer resins, this soy-based resin contains no petroleum products. Testing confirmed that the product meets all technological, functional, and durability requirements. We hope that widespread use of this bio-resin will follow soon.
Read more about this project:
https://3dprint.com/269282/lithuania-bio-based-resins-instead-of-petroleum-based-materials-optical-3d-printing-o3dp/
From Printer to the Track | Part 1: Scanning
We've been waiting to finally share this — the first installment of "From Printer to the Track," our joint project with racing team Dream 2 Drive, is here! To improve the car's aerodynamic properties, we cleverly put 3D technologies to work. The whole process began with 3D scanning the car — the fastest way to capture the car's geometry with extreme precision (accurate to as little as 0.1 mm). But to learn more about this stage of the process, and the project as a whole, watch the video below, and follow us on social media.
Carlo Gavazzi — On Applying 3D Printers in Business
"Carlo Gavazzi Industri Kaunas" is an international group involved in the design, manufacturing, and sale of electronic devices. Automation components are Carlo Gavazzi's core business. Almost a year and a half ago, the company expanded its operations with a Zortrax M200, the most advanced desktop-class 3D printer of 2017. After this machine proved itself, the company decided to also acquire a Zortrax M300 Plus and a Zortrax Inkspire 3D printer. Seeing this company's success story with 3D printing, we spoke with their engineer, Lukas Salasevičius, and are sharing his impressions.
"The main things we use our Zortrax 3D printers for are 3D prototypes of new electronic component holders, clips, housings, and other parts, used in our R&D department," Lukas explains. The engineer mentions that they are already introducing 3D printing into production step by step. "The speed and quality of 3D printing lets us apply it not just to prototyping, but also to manufacturing final products."
"3D printing is our company's everyday companion. The printers are working day in, day out." Lukas also noted that their first Zortrax M200 FDM printer has already logged 2,949 hours of operation, and that's just the beginning! Not far behind are the younger Zortrax M300 Plus and the SLA printer Inkspire.
L. Salasevičius says that 3D printers have significantly changed their working habits. "Production of the holders used in our manufacturing operations has sped up considerably. Some of these parts are difficult to manufacture using other methods, even by milling. For this reason, 3D printing has taken over the production of those parts almost entirely. Our staff are happy that they're no longer limited by the technical constraints they used to face with CNC machining. Corners and rounded edges no longer limit the design, allowing us to create a single, integral part rather than an assembled, complex-structure one."
The company calculates that their first printer paid for itself within the first six months of use and significantly boosted productivity. Lukas emphasizes: "We certainly don't regret this innovation, and the company is already thinking about expanding its 3D printer fleet even further." According to Lukas, the most important advantage is time. "Once you've created a 3D model, all that's left is to print it, and printing requires very little human time. With CNC milling, you constantly need a person at the machine, which requires more human resources — and those, as we know, are expensive. Also, before we got our 3D printers, the lead time for a new part was a week or even longer. Now, 3D printing lets us cut that time down to two days, or even just one!"
Speed, quality, freedom — that's what today's 3D printing capabilities in business are all about!
We've Equipped Lithuanian Libraries with the Most Advanced 3D Printers!
December — the season for good deeds! It's a wonderful feeling when the doors are opened to us by Lithuania's city libraries, which 3D Creative supplies with cutting-edge Zortrax printers. This year, as many as 58 libraries across Lithuanian cities added the Zortrax M200 — recognized as the world's best desktop-class 3D printer of 2017 — to their shelves. We're delighted that libraries are taking a step forward and embracing innovation, giving more and more people the opportunity to get to know 3D technologies.
New Markets from the Alihankinta Engineering Industry Trade Fair
From September 26–28, we took part, at a joint stand with LINPRA members, in Alihankinta, an industrial trade fair held at the Tampere Exhibition and Sports Centre in Finland. During the fair, we presented our areas of activity and product samples to visitors, built collaborative relationships, and shared experience with representatives of the engineering industry.
We're pleased that at the largest industrial trade event in the Nordic countries, we saw strong interest in 3D technologies and printing. We're proud to be taking confident steps not only into the Lithuanian market but into foreign markets as well, and to be able to offer our clients solutions that meet even the highest expectations, holding our own against competitors from abroad.
We also invite you to visit us at the Elmia Subcontractor trade fair in Sweden, taking place November 13–16.