What is MX3D? MX3D is a small startup company located in The Netherlands, they took 3D printing to a new level by using advanced welding and resin as their printer and wrote the software to control it. MX3D uses metal and other synthetic material to build the structures with, they are not really interested in the simplicity of general 3D printing. They use multiple axis robots with either a high tech welding machine or a resin printing tip, which allows them to print in mid air and allows them to print without the need for support structures.
History The history of MX3D first starts with just normal 3D printing, which started in 1986 and where first called Rapid Prototyping or RP this is because it was a fast and cost effective method for prototypes. And it has progressed to the 3D printing of today which any one can go and buy one but the size of what you can print is still on the small side the biggest thing that you can print with a normal 3D printer is about one foot by one foot with a normal 3D printer. However, with the MX3D metal and resin printing you can make a bridge or a bike. How they did this is by attaching an advanced welding machine with an industrial robot and developing software to control it. The first multi axis 3D printing robot was created in 2014, the company has come a long way with development in the last couple years. For a small company with only 2 years of design time they have created a whole other market for 3D printing.
Types of metal 3D printing
There are many different types and methods of metal 3D printing here are some and how they work. The first one is called the direct metal laser sintering (DMLS) or can be a type of process called Powder bed fusion. Sometimes referred to as metal 3D printing or a metal 3D printer, DMLS uses a laser beam to melt 20-40 micron layers of metal powder on top of each other to create metal parts. This additive process is similar to 3D printing, although metal powder is spread across a build platform and melted instead of a plastic filament being extruded. The parts created using this method are fully dense metal that are ready for use unlike the next one. Which is Metal binder jetting 3D Printing with metal starts out like any other printing process and that is with an 3D design and a slicer that tells the printer where the print head should deposit material. Instead of plastic being extruded, however, metal powder is deposited or rolled on in thin layers and a glue-like binding substance is ejected from the print head on top of each layer. The alternating layers of powder and binder fuse together and begin to build upwards to create the object. This process is repeated until all the layers of the object are complete from the bottom up. This process can take several hours. The last type is Directed energy deposition This process uses two different types of material – metal wire or metal powder. A nozzle that moves in multiple directions (4-5 axis) extrudes metal powder or wire material layer by layer. Once the material is deposited, it is melted with a laser or electron beam. This process continues and the object is built up layer by layer. Although this process is usually used to repair and maintain existing metal material, it can be used to create objects from scratch. However, many of these are still small scale compared to MX3D.
Projects Their main project is creating a bridge that will span across a canal in Amsterdam using multiple axis robotics. Multiple axis robots are whats used in automotive manufacturing is where we have seen them used the most. By feeding steel welding material to the robots they basically weld it over and over again.
The next project is called the Dragon Bench and it is the first sculptural piece to be created with the MX3D metal printer, they did this by adding small amounts of molten metal at a time with this they can print double curved lines in midair and they can print lines that intersect in order to create a self supporting structure.
Image result for dragon bench
Another project that they have done is the Arc Bicycle which was done at the MX3D facility in Amsterdam, a student team form TU Delft Developed a fully functional 3D printed stainless steel bicycle. The student team designed the frame of the bicycle to demonstrate the potential of the MX3D method for 3D printing metal. The length of the Arc Bicycle project was three months.
Image result for arc bicycle
Application of MX3D This has the ability to change the way structures are designed and built. Imagine constructing a large waterway bridge without ever having so set platforms and drudge the structures. With the ability to print and make things that are self supporting they will be able to make try and incorporate this technology into buildings and even automobiles.
MX3D
What is MX3D? MX3D is a small startup company located in The Netherlands, they took 3D printing to a new level by using advanced welding and resin as their printer and wrote the software to control it. MX3D uses metal and other synthetic material to build the structures with, they are not really interested in the simplicity of general 3D printing. They use multiple axis robots with either a high tech welding machine or a resin printing tip, which allows them to print in mid air and allows them to print without the need for support structures.History
The history of MX3D first starts with just normal 3D printing, which started in 1986 and where first called Rapid Prototyping or RP this is because it was a fast and cost effective method for prototypes. And it has progressed to the 3D printing of today which any one can go and buy one but the size of what you can print is still on the small side the biggest thing that you can print with a normal 3D printer is about one foot by one foot with a normal 3D printer. However, with the MX3D metal and resin printing you can make a bridge or a bike. How they did this is by attaching an advanced welding machine with an industrial robot and developing software to control it. The first multi axis 3D printing robot was created in 2014, the company has come a long way with development in the last couple years. For a small company with only 2 years of design time they have created a whole other market for 3D printing.
Types of metal 3D printing
There are many different types and methods of metal 3D printing here are some and how they work. The first one is called the direct metal laser sintering (DMLS) or can be a type of process called Powder bed fusion. Sometimes referred to as metal 3D printing or a metal 3D printer, DMLS uses a laser beam to melt 20-40 micron layers of metal powder on top of each other to create metal parts. This additive process is similar to 3D printing, although metal powder is spread across a build platform and melted instead of a plastic filament being extruded. The parts created using this method are fully dense metal that are ready for use unlike the next one. Which is Metal binder jetting 3D Printing with metal starts out like any other printing process and that is with an 3D design and a slicer that tells the printer where the print head should deposit material. Instead of plastic being extruded, however, metal powder is deposited or rolled on in thin layers and a glue-like binding substance is ejected from the print head on top of each layer. The alternating layers of powder and binder fuse together and begin to build upwards to create the object. This process is repeated until all the layers of the object are complete from the bottom up. This process can take several hours. The last type is Directed energy deposition This process uses two different types of material – metal wire or metal powder. A nozzle that moves in multiple directions (4-5 axis) extrudes metal powder or wire material layer by layer. Once the material is deposited, it is melted with a laser or electron beam. This process continues and the object is built up layer by layer. Although this process is usually used to repair and maintain existing metal material, it can be used to create objects from scratch. However, many of these are still small scale compared to MX3D.
Projects
Their main project is creating a bridge that will span across a canal in Amsterdam using multiple axis robotics. Multiple axis robots are whats used in automotive manufacturing is where we have seen them used the most. By feeding steel welding material to the robots they basically weld it over and over again.
MX3D Bridge
The next project is called the Dragon Bench and it is the first sculptural piece to be created with the MX3D metal printer, they did this by adding small amounts of molten metal at a time with this they can print double curved lines in midair and they can print lines that intersect in order to create a self supporting structure.
Another project that they have done is the Arc Bicycle which was done at the MX3D facility in Amsterdam, a student team form TU Delft Developed a fully functional 3D printed stainless steel bicycle. The student team designed the frame of the bicycle to demonstrate the potential of the MX3D method for 3D printing metal. The length of the Arc Bicycle project was three months.
Application of MX3D
This has the ability to change the way structures are designed and built. Imagine constructing a large waterway bridge without ever having so set platforms and drudge the structures. With the ability to print and make things that are self supporting they will be able to make try and incorporate this technology into buildings and even automobiles.
References
http://mx3d.com/field-lab/
https://3dprintingindustry.com/3d-printing-basics-free-beginners-guide/history/
https://pinshape.com/blog/3d-printing-metal/
http://gpiprototype.com/services/metal-3d-printing.html