Page 52 - Plastics News December 2017

PRODUCT NEWS

New 3D printer claims 10X speed than conventional ones

IT engineers have developed a new desktop 3D printer “We’re interested in applying this technique to more
Mthat can perform up to 10 times faster that the advanced materials, like high strength polymers,
conventional counterparts. While most of the common composite materials. We are also working on larger-scale
printers may fabricate a few Lego-sized bricks in one hour, 3-D printing, not just printing desktop-scale objects but
bigger structures for tooling, or even furniture,” Hart says.

Convergent Energy builds first-
of-its kind energy storage system

onvergent Energy + Power has built a first-of-its
Ckind energy storage system — to reduce peak
demand charges — at Husky Injection Molding Systems
the new model can print it just few minutes. The key to Ltd. in Bolton, Ontario. Convergent officials said
the nimble design lies in the printer’s compact printhead, the charges, known as Global Adjustment Demand
which consists of two new speed-enhancing components: charges, account for up to 70 percent of electricity
a screw mechanism that feeds polymer material through a bills for some customers in Ontario. They anticipate
nozzle at high force; and a laser, built into the printhead, the storage system can reduce electricity costs on the
that rapidly heats and melts the material, making it to load by 15-30 percent per year, starting in 2018.“We
flow faster through the nozzle. deploy energy storage to reduce electricity costs for
our customers under a shared savings agreement,”
The team also displayed the new designed by printing said Convergent CEO Johannes Rittershausen. “That
several detailed, handheld 3D objects, including small means we handle all the cost and risks of building and
eyeglass frames, a bevel gear, and a miniature replica of managing the project, and the customer shares in
the MIT dome each, built from scratch within few minutes.
Anastasios John Hart, associate professor of mechanical
engineering at MIT, believes the new printer demonstrate
the potential for 3D printing to become a more viable
production technique.“If I can get a prototype part, maybe
a bracket or a gear, in five to 10 minutes rather than an
hour, or a bigger part over my lunch break rather than
the next day, I can engineer, build, and test faster,” says
Hart. The researchers initially printed several complex
parts using the new printer, each produced within five
to 10 minutes, compared with an hour for conventional
printers. However, they had to face some glitches in their
speedier design. The extruded plastic is fed through the
nozzle at such high forces and temperatures that a printed the savings created.”The system at Husky is designed
layer can still be slightly molten by the time the printer is specifically for the maker of injection molding
extruding a second layer. Researchers are currently taking machinery.Convergent installed Lockheed Martin’s
GridStar lithium-ion battery systems. Robert Meek,
on the same design challenge, in combination with the Husky’s director of global facilities said “This battery
mathematics by which the path of the printhead can be system is a crucial part of our innovative, forward-
optimised. The team will also explore new materials to looking strategy to decrease both operating costs and
feed through the nozzle.
our overall environmental impact.”

Plastics News December 2017 52