ADDITIVE MANUFACTURING is the magazine devoted to industrial applications of 3D printing and digital layering technology. We cover the promise and the challenges of this technology for making functional tooling and end-use production parts.
Issue link: https://am.epubxp.com/i/894355
NOVEMBER 2017 Additive Manufacturing FEATURE / Production 60 By Stephanie Hendrixson From Master Patterns to Mass Production When Corey and Donovan Weber founded Forecast 3D in 1994, stereolithography 3D printing was a newer, faster option for producing master patterns for silicone molds. The two broth- ers, CEO and COO of the service bureau respectively, initially saw 3D printing as a better way of meeting their customers' needs for this type of one-off work. Now, though silicone molding is still a part of the Forecast 3D business, the company is preparing for a different future, one in which the bulk of its business may be 3D printing end-use parts in quantities that could reach the millions. A primary driver behind this shift is that 3D printing tech- nology is getting faster and polymer 3D-printed part quality is getting closer to that of injection molding. With a new fleet of Multi Jet Fusion (MJF) 3D printers and auxiliary equipment from HP Inc., Forecast 3D has added the capacity to make hundreds of thousands of end-use parts within the timespan of a week. Where before Forecast 3D might have manufactured the mold, it can now manufacture the polymer parts directly, no mold required. Foundation in Tooling Today Forecast 3D occupies two buildings in Carlsbad, Califor- nia, filled with various 3D printers, CNC machining centers, ovens and paint booths, among other equipment. The compa- ny's involvement in AM started with just one machine: an SLA 250/10 stereolithography 3D printer from 3D Systems. It was Corey (left) and Donovan Weber, CEO and COO respectively of Forecast 3D, stand in their company's newly opened 3D Manufacturing Facility in Carlsbad, California. This production space is equipped with Multi Jet Fusion (MJF) 3D printing equipment from HP Inc., a technology that the company says lends itself to mass production. Forecast 3D got its start building silicone molds from 3D-printed master patterns. Now, the company sees a future in manufacturing large quantities of 3D-printed parts.