Tech-savvy Startups are more daring than other companies to convert emerging technologies into new, marketable products. So has too Fabmaker developed a 3D printer for the school and training sector. However, when selecting the functional elements and components that they install in their “educational printer”, the employees around managing director Dean Ćirić rely on industry-proven components Igus.

Contents

• 3D printers are no longer just for prototypes
  • Educational printer for young people
• High-performance plastics for maintenance-free linear guides
• An entire modular system for a wide variety of requirements
  • Free consultation included
    
    

3D printers are no longer just for prototypes

In principle, 3D printing is the continuation of stereolithography, which has been known for 30 years, and the resourceful software developer created the shield in the mid-1990s Rapid Prototyping have hung around. But 3D printers no longer just provide prototypes that developers can use to discuss the functions, design and feel of their creations.

Chinese companies are now 3D printing large-format construction segments are created that can be assembled into complete single-family homes using the Lego principle. A roof over your head for around 7000 euros - but in China.

“About three years ago, 3D printing experienced a real hype,” explains Daniel Kerlin, who is responsible for marketing and sales at Fabmaker GmbH, Braunschweig. “At that time we found the technology to be ready for the market. Now you have to introduce people to them. Pupils at primary and secondary schools, trainees in companies, students at universities and technical colleges should learn what is possible with this technology.”

The goal was to develop a 3D printer with two print heads that is easy to use, safe, works reliably and delivers professional results thanks to its technical features and software. In order to process filaments in two colors or from two different materials, the 3D printer had to have two print heads.

Educational printer for young people

This not only defined the business activities and the unique selling points of the new product, but also the declared target market of the young company initial and continuing education. It is a huge but largely ignored market. On the one hand, the education sector lacks a lobby. On the other hand, most companies address industrial applications with their newly developed and further developed products, which generally ultimately results in cut-throat competition.

However, before the educational printer project was started, Daniel Kerlin and Stefan Silder, responsible for technical development at Fabmaker, examined many of the 3D printers available on the market at the time. “There were some notable differences,” says Daniel Kerlin. But these would have shown them which details they should pay attention to in the construction.

robotic arm | also as a kit

One of the main criteria was the precise, vibration-free positioning of the two printheads, through whose nozzles the filaments heated on 250 ° C flow, which create the desired contours in the melt-layer process. Although it was the claim "not as accurate as possible but as accurate as necessary to manufacture", but what that means shows the achieved positioning accuracy of the nozzles of 0,0125 mm.

A prerequisite for this is, of course, a highly precise one linear guide, on which the print heads are moved in the X, Y and Z directions. This guidance should not only be precise, but also free of lubricants and, if possible, maintenance-free. “Freedom from lubricants was a must,” emphasizes Stefan Silder. “It would be very fatal if lubricants such as oil or grease escaped at temperatures above two hundred degrees Celsius and contaminated the object to be printed or the work area.”

The desired one freedom from maintenance The result is that the educational printer is, in principle, a teaching tool that must always be available and function fail-safe for many years. In addition, the people who are to be introduced to 3D printing technology have very different technical backgrounds. The printer must therefore be able to forgive incorrect operation. Last but not least, the price for such a linear guide should remain within reasonable limits.

High-performance plastics for maintenance-free linear guides

Based on these specifications, Daniel Kerlin and Stefan Silder looked for one on the market linear guide um, compared different products from different providers, tested them, rejected them and finally became part of them Igus found what you were looking for in Cologne. Not without reason, because for hers 3D printer They also needed energy chains.

Maik Röttger, then a newly qualified technical sales consultant for warehouse technology in the Igus office in Hanover, recommended the young entrepreneurs from Braunschweig a pre-assembled linear guide from the “Drylin W” modular system. He gives another argument for not using lubricants: “Lubricants attract dirt and dust. Neither can be used in the work area of ​​a 3D printer, nor in a clean room, for example, where linear guides from the Drylin W series are also used in many different applications.”

An entire modular system for a wide variety of requirements

Sliding films made from various lubricant-free iglidur-High-performance polymers ensure that Drylin W guides move whisper-quietly compared to recirculating ball-guided carriages. They can be clipped into the bearing housings, which are available in aluminum, stainless steel or die-cast zinc, without much assembly work. The bearing play can optionally be adjusted individually. The linear guides, which are available as single or double rail systems, have a modular structure.

Your profile rails are made of hard anodized Aluminium, which stands for optimal friction properties, low wear and lightweight construction. Alternatively, the guides are also available made of stainless steel or (ultralight) made of carbon and GRP. There are also square rails with a floating bearing function for corner installation. All of them are easy to assemble.

3D Printer Material | from plastic to metal

And then there was the question of which one Energy supply chains to be used in educational printers. “When it comes to energy chains, you can’t ignore Igus,” emphasizes Stefan Silder. “As is well known, the Cologne-based company has been developing high-performance plastics for over forty years and has the most comprehensive range of plastic chains in the world. Given this diversity, we first and foremost needed sound technical advice on which type of chain would best meet our requirements.”

Free consultation included

The advice was given promptly Frank Klingemann, technical sales consultant for e-chain systems based in Salzgitter. He remembers: “Fabmaker needs two e-chains for their 3D printer. One that runs upright in the vertical Z-axis and safely guides the control and supply lines for the print bed and a cantilevered one for the control and supply lines for the print heads in the horizontal X/Y axis.

The chains should of course be maintenance-free and also have the smallest possible bending radius so that they do not extend too far into the work area. In addition, the energy chain running horizontally should not sag.”

Based on these requirements, a light and cost-effective chain from the series was recommended for both applications E2 Micro. But after a few tests it became apparent that the printheads were sagging a bit. Frank Klingemann suggested a more stable type of chain: an E2.1 Micro series chain. He also recommended running the chain in the opposite direction to the print heads. He was right, as the subsequent tests would show.

This type of chain is suitable for self-supporting applications up to 0,75 m. It is robust, quiet running and offers inside widths up to 50 mm, whereby the smooth contours guarantee the greatest possible care for the cable.

3D printing process | manufacturing of the future

Still looks perfectionist Daniel Kerlin There is still a need for optimization and at the same time praises the good cooperation with the two consultants from the plastics specialist: “We are not in constant contact with each other, but if we have any questions, we can contact Igus at any time. Maik Röttger or Frank Klingemann also come to our technology park if we want to test a different energy chain or if we would like to discuss technical questions in more detail.”

The young company's customers are with the 3D printers obviously satisfied. At least no device has ever been returned due to a technical defect.

When asked whether Fabmaker already has a 3D printer with even more print heads Stefan Silder answers with a meaningful smile: "That's not planned at the moment, but if we do go ahead with it, we'll definitely talk to Igus again first."

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