Vancouver-based 3D printing start-up3Dquehas reported it has successfully proven the cost-effectiveness of its Quinly 3D printer automation upgrade on theUltimaker S5。
早期的试验结果表明,奎因upgrade on the Ultimaker S5 decreases printer operator time by 90 percent, while lowering cost per part by more than two-thirds. 3DQue believes its automation upgrade proves the cost-effectiveness of metal 3D printing for mass production.
3DQUE联合创始人Mateo Pekic表示：“对于许多制造商而言，较低的前期和每一分部成本加上较少的运营商时间和更高的吞吐量，而不必引起零件堆叠的高风险是改变游戏规则的。”“ Quinly允许公司通过自动化其已拥有并正在用于塑料零件的Ultimaker S5来轻松扩展金属零件的生产。”
3Dque’s Quinly automation upgrade
Founded in 2018 by Pekic and entrepreneur Stephanie Sharp, 3DQue’s goal is to provide makers and entrepreneurs with high-volume 3D printing capabilities. The company has already developed and launched its proprietary QSuite and QPoD product offerings, first unveiled atRapid + TCT 2019。
The companyfirst installed its QPoD platform在Mitsubishi Chemical Performance Polymers(MCPP), and the firm was able to conduct extensive material compatibility testing to examine its potential as an alternative to injection molding.
Essentially, the Quinly package enables those seeking to run a 3D printing business to ramp up their production without having to constantly monitor their products’ progress. 3DQue launched itsQuinly自动化升级套件for Creality’s Ender 3 machines in May. The kit includes subscription-free automation software, a gravity-assisted print bed and the STL files needed to print machine ‘tilt’ brackets.
In July, 3DQue扩展了Quinly与所有Creality Ender 3克隆的兼容性，例如来自3D打印机制造商的以消费者为中心的Voxelab的Aquila 3D打印机FlashForge。Through this, 3DQue hopes to extend the freedoms of autonomous high-volume 3D printing to thousands of engineers.
Scaling up metal 3D printing
According to 3DQue, the global metal goods market is worth over two trillion dollars, but for metal 3D printing to disrupt the market it must be able to scale for mass production in a cost-effective manner. The company has identified three main bottlenecks to scaling of metal printing – high labor, equipment, and operating costs.
3Dquepredicts that, based on current methods, for the metal prints market to reach even one percent market share by 2025, companies would have to train more than four million skilled operators and spend some two trillion dollars in equipment.
With the firm’s Quinly automation upgrade, however, it claims that $20 billion in metal prints could be achieved with just 400,000 skilled operators and $300 billion in automated equipment. 3DQue also states that printed parts would be less than half the cost of metal parts printed today.
斯蒂芬妮·夏普（Stephanie Sharp）表示：“将3D打印从批处理过程转移到连续流程的过程，自动化现有打印机并通过数字供应链连接生产，使公司能够成本效益地生产大量的内部或现场零件。”3DQUE系统的首席执行官。“通过重新制作生产，公司具有更大的灵活性，较低的库存并确保其供应链。
“而且他们消除了散装运输和仓储，这是温室气体的两个主要来源，在降低成本的同时提高了可持续性。这是双赢。”
自动金属测试结果
Ultimaker S5 Industrial 3D打印机基于融合细丝制造（FFF）技术。对机器上3DQue自动化升级的初步测试表明，启动高批量打印所需的资本可能会下降90％，从而降低了完全自动化打印机的高量金属印刷所需的前期投资成本。
3Dqueprinted multiple test parts using the Quinly-automated Ultimaker S5 andBASF’sUltrafuse 316L and聚合物的PolyCast filaments. Part costs reportedly dropped by 63 percent compared to those produced via 3D printer manufacturer’sDesktop Metal’sbound metal deposition system (BMD). Continuing the comparison with Desktop Metal’s BMD technology, the tests revealed that fourteen Quinly-automated Ultimaker S5’s would provide similar capacity (63,230 parts per year), but would cost up to 10 times less and take up half the floor space.
3Dque’s Quinly upgrade eliminates manual tasks such as removing parts, applying adhesives, uploading files, and so on. The tests on the Ultimaker S5 showed that Quinly was able to scale production without bumping up the number of operators needed to run the machines, and in fact decreased operator time by over 90 percent.
As such, the Quinly automation upgrade was proven to reduce labor and equipment costs while providing more flexible, on-demand production. In turn, 3DQue believes the upgrade is capable of achieving both affordable and scalable metal 3D printing.
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Featured image showsUltimaker S5 3D printers at ERIKS’ facility. Photo via Ultimaker.
