Carl Dekker is at the Art Institute this morning for the 3D Scanning of a Chicago Lion by Exact Metrology. We’ll use the data captured from the scan to print approximately 300 small-scale replicas of the lion used as giveaways at FABTECH.
We’re thrilled to participate in such an exciting undertaking.
To find out more, check out the full details in the IMD Post
Enter our Rafflecopter giveaway to win one of three great prizes courtesy of the talented designers on Thingiverse.com.
Winners will be selected on 9/15/15 and notified by email.
Participants must be 18 years old, and reside in the continental US.
Enter our Rafflecopter Giveaway!
You can find the files to build your own at:
T-800 Redux: http://www.thingiverse.com/make:154824
Mythical Cat: http://www.thingiverse.com/thing:408435
Devils Skull: http://www.thingiverse.com/thing:58592
We had some room on the SLS platform so we added a few fun Valentine’s Day themed parts found on Thingiverse.
Then I found another design…
They still need some clean up, and a little color, but they will make fun key-chains.
Download the Geared Heart File Here!
Download the Celtic Clover File Here!
Hours could be spent scrolling through all the wonderful designs offered on Thingiverse. Ahem, not that I’d know that first hand or anything. 🙂
1. What are the roots of Valentine’s Day?
a. French
b. Roman
c. German
d. Native American
2. Which Pope declared Valentine’s Day a holiday?
a. Pope Francis
b. Pope Peter
c. Pope Gelasius
d. Pope Benedict IV
3. Physicians of the 1800’s commonly prescribed _________ for a broken heart.
a. Chocolate
b. Sweethearts
c. Strawberries
d. Ice cream
4. Who is Cupid’s mother?
a. Serena
b. Venus
c. Aphrodite
d. Ceres
5. Who is Cupid’s wife?
a. Psyche
b. Aurora
c. Vesta
d. Helen
6. Cupid is the God of ________?
a. Lust
b. Love
c. Hate
d. Desire
7. Who invented the first box of chocolates for Valentine’s Day?
a. Fannie May
b. Milton Hersey
c. Pete Daffin
d. Richard Cadbury
8. St. Valentine was known as a martyr for doing what?
a. Wearing his heart on his sleeve
b. Passing out scriptures, later became Valentine’s Day cards.
c. Marrying couples during times of war.
d. Being a spy for the Catholic Church.
Please send your guesses/requests for the correct matches to:
newsletter@met-l-flo.com
If you’ve got an idea for a great trivia teaser, please submit it to the email above for possible inclusion in a future addition.
Brian McNamara’s son recently had a science project due – this is what “he” turned in!
How often do you see a 4th grader bring in a to scale model of NASA’s Mars Rover?
This part was produced on our SLS (Selective Laser Sintering) machine. SLS is a 3D printing process using powder based nylon material. One of the biggest benefits to SLS is the ability to build fully assembled complex parts such as The Rover.
We recently had the pleasure of hosting Boy Scouts Pack 331.
It was a fun evening, the boys had lots of questions, as did the parents. Everyone was able to see many different processes and appreciate some of the artistry of our production team.
Have you ever had a project where an SLA part wouldn’t fit the bill, but you weren’t sure which direction to turn next? There are many prototyping options available beyond plastic SLAs. If you need more than one of the same part, the casting process can be an excellent alternative. Met-L-Flo casts prototype pieces in urethane, rubber and silicone. This option is offered if you need a short run for testing parts, mock fit up, marketing strategies, product development, tradeshow pieces for exploration at your booth, or even as giveaways. This process is particularly beneficial for larger quantities, typically resulting in a per part cost savings.
Example: The management team will be reviewing a new design, and you want each of the ten team members to have a prototype in their hands.
This process begins with printing the 3D data, typically in an SLA to produce a master pattern. That pattern is then molded in silicone to produce a tool that will be used to cast the desired number of parts. There are a wide variety of casting materials available to fit your project needs. The material can be run in soft durometers, or harder durometers to simulate ABS, HIPS, or Rubber. We can also create a plastic tool to produce silicone parts. These parts have options after they are cast as well. We can texturize them or paint them to give them a production look. They can be made paint ready for you to paint. If inserts are required, we can install the inserts or make sure everything is cleaned up for you to install them. Imagine, a finished part to give to your management team that they can touch, feel, and evaluate hands on.
One of our customers graciously gave us the green light to share photos of their casting project with you. This client needed something flexible to fit over their phone. After reviewing the geometry we recommended a rubber urethane. We were given the order to proceed. We made several in a soft rubber then sent them out for evaluation. After reviewing, the customer wanted something that was a bit more rigid. One of the benefits of using this process is the mold can be used with several different materials. Therefore we were able to change material durometers and meet their new expectation without needing new tooling.
Give us a call to hear about casting options that will work for you!
As one would expect—day in and day out—use of equipment takes its toll. Preventative maintenance programs are a must, but at the end of the day… sometimes things just break.
Recently, our liquid honing machine, started acting up. A honing machine looks a lot like a sand blast cabinet, but works through a combination of air pressure and water solution pressure. Great for plastics, this action is gentle and works well to clean up rough edges and leaves a nice consistent finish surface appearance.
Unfortunately, our honer was not functioning properly. At first we believed the air pressure was the culprit. However, after disassembly of the inbound air line, it was determined that the foot activated electrical solenoid which allows air passage was bad. The rubber diaphragm inside the solenoid had deteriorated from age. We got on the horn with the honer’s manufacturer in search of the solenoid. They located a solenoid for us and overnighted the piece. We received and immediately installed the part. The results were better, but still not 100%.
We moved to the water pressure side of the equation. The inbound water is supplied via a regular hook-up similar to that on your washing machine. However, that water is constantly regurgitated in the bottom hopper to ensure water and cutting media are mixed. The process is driven by an electric motor and a mechanical water pump. The inconsistent “surface appearance” of our parts lead us to believe the water pump was not performing its job. After disconnecting the water, air and electric, we began to disassemble the water pump. In short order, we identified the pump impeller had broken off the main shaft. Back on the horn with the manufacturer. The new complication became a 2 to 3 month wait for the new impeller—not an option. The honer is used several hours daily. One of the things I believe we do well at Met-L-Flo is find internal solutions. We decided to build our own impeller! Why not… it’s made out of plastic. With some estimated measurements and a little CAD magic, we were able to reverse engineer the part. Once we had the CAD, we were ready to build. We decided to build the part in our FDM (Fused Deposition Modeling) machine for strength and durability.
While the part was being built, we cleaned up the pump body and chased all threads to insure an easy re-assembly with all new stainless steel hardware. Reassembly is now done and it’s time to test….
The results are excellent!
We can once again provide our customers with the quality parts that we are committed to deliver…
Carl Dekker recently gave a presentation at IMTS 2014 – When and How to Work With a Service Provider
Part 8 – Quality Requirements
Carl Dekker recently gave a presentation at IMTS 2014 – When and How to Work With a Service Provider
Part 6 – Communication
Carl Dekker recently gave a presentation at IMTS 2014 – When and How to Work With a Service Provider
Part 6 – Factors to Consider
Met-L-Flo, Inc. 