The Fusion Workshop 3D printing services - Dorset

A quick intro into how 3D printing works?
Every 3D printer builds parts based on the same main principle: a digital model is turned into a physical three-dimensional object by adding material a layer at a time. This is where the alternative term Additive Manufacturing comes from.
A 3D printer takes a spool of material and heats it to between 190 Deg C and 240 Deg C, before pushing it out through a very fine nozzle, (like a high-precision, computer-controlled glue gun), building up the layers one at a time. PLA, short for Polylactic Acid, is a common material for 3D printing and one of the most used bioplastics in the world. Unlike petrochemical-based plastics, PLA is considered to be biodegradable and eco-friendly (For the technical detail see here). This material is extremely affordable and, thanks to its properties, is the easiest to print with. There are numerous other plastics available, each with unique properties chosen for the use of the end product. There are materials for making hard wearing items like gears or parts that must work in high temperature environments (90 Deg+), you can even print with plastics that change colour with temperature!

The most amazing aspect is that you can build a model from the inside out, making things that would be impossible with traditional manufacturing methods.

All the parts for a project enclosure 3D printed at the Fusion Workshop

The Fusion Workshop printer specification:
Printing volume: 300mm x 300mm x 400mm
Max printed object height: 400mm
Minimum practical layer height: 0.1mm
Max print speed: 120mm/Min (Depending on printing material)
Axis resolution: 0.02mm

**IMPORTANT NEW ADDITION TO THE WORKSHOP**
The Fusion Workshop enters the world of exotic polymers!
TFW is now the proud owner of a new IDEX (Dual axis) printer capable of the high printing temperatures (300 Deg C) and enclosed print volume required to handle some of the more advanced polymers used in the automotive industry. Polymers such as ASA and Carbon Fibre reinforced Nylon. ASA has been specially developed for harsher outdoor environments and has exceptional resistance to UV light. Nylon+CF is used widely in high temperature applications such as engine inlet manifolds with temperature resistance beyond 180 Deg C depending on the exact blend.
The dual axis enables mixing of not only different colours on the same print, but different materials. An example would be a rigid hub surrounded by a flexible outer layer all done as one print.

If you have a project that may need some of these features please let me know.

Link to video of the new printer:
https://youtu.be/ztwqHWLtrNY

See more at: www.thefusionworkshop.co.uk

Why not do it yourself?
You may have seen 3D printers for sale on places like Ebay, for what seems like a crazy price and maybe you are tempted to give it a go. As with many things in the tech world, it isn't just a case of switching it on, loading some filament and your job pops out. The learning curve to produce good quality prints is steep and long. For example; the image above is from the "Slicer". A special program that takes the 3D model and "Slices" it into layers ready to send to the printer. This slicer has over 400 settings to set and adjust, and many of these settings vary for each different type of material. You will read on the forums, even from the experts, that the only way to great quality prints is sample after sample, adjusting the settings until you arrive at a good print. That is after you have spent many weeks or even months understanding how the various settings will affect the final result. Eventually you will find some working profiles, but why spend the time doing that when you can out source the work to a company that has done that for you.
The choice of materials is also staggering, there are around 20 different types of filament PLA, ABS, Nylon, TPU and flexible. Within those technically different groups there are hundreds of different manufacturers from all over the world all producing filaments with different characteristics.

What does it cost?
Like the laser work, not as much as you think. You can download hundreds of free model files from the web on sites like thingiverse.com these are STL files ready to print. The cost depends on the material and time, but as an example this model Robot takes 37 minutes to print and would cost under £3.00.

If you want something particular of your own design just send me the sketch and I will turn it into a 3D model, send it to you for design approval, make any changes you want and then finally print your model.
Printing is a very accurate process once the parameters have been found. Dimensional tolerances of between 0.05mm and 0.1mm can easily be achieved. For prototypes of parts that will eventually be made of metal the cost difference between getting the first off machined in aluminium and getting one printed is huge. This reduces the temptation to accept a poor design because getting another made would be prohibitively expensive. You can get many more models printed while refining the design for a lot less than getting a single one machined. For design verification it really is the "Go to" technology.

Take a look at the projects gallery to see just some of the things that can be done.