High Speed Sintering

Selective Laser Sintering (SLS) is one of the most popular technology when it comes to professional level Additive Manufacturing, Because of its capability of printing fine details and accurate parts. Material choices, low material cost and recycle ability of left over material are also apparent advantages.
Similarly Polyjet technology is also being used widely in the industrial level Additive manufacturing again because its own particular strengths.

High Speed Sintering Process

Professor Neil Hopkinson invented and patented new method by marrying these two methods called "High Speed Sintering". Here is how it works.

• Layer of powder is spread as per slice thickness.
• Infrared absorbable ink is spread only in the areas where slice will be built.
• Bed is irradiated with infrared Lamp.
• Ink absorbs the energy and melts the underlying particles. 

   Mr Neil who is now director of 3D Printing at Xaar is working on commercialization of the technology in collaboration with Voxeljet . Learn more about the technology at the link below.
Xaar High Speed Sintering

The clip below shows how it works

The process when fully commercialized promised to bring speed and affordability to the high end Additive manufacturing. When it comes to use of additive in mass production, speed is one major hurdle and that is what some of the new processes are trying to improve on.

Voxeljet announced the commercialization of the technology  

References:
Xaar.com
Voxeljet

Are you in the Market to buy a 3D Printer.

It is the most asked question. In my Rapid Prototyping class students usually gathers around me in the very first lesson and i am bombarded with the same question again and again. A lot of my visitors are curious about the prices of the machines. People from the industry want to get an unbiased review and would like to know which machine they should buy.
As 3D industry is multiplying day by day, big players are jumping in to grasp the marketplace and more focused technologies and brands are surfacing, A clear ONE answer to the question is not possible. When people ask me, my first response usually is a question "If you are an automotive expert and someone comes to you out of the blue and asks " I want to buy a car which one should i buy". Do you have a clear answer for this person. Obviously, you want to know a bit more about the needs of the person and why he/she want to buy a car before you can try to come up with a possible answer. And that applies here as well, One should have at least some idea why do you want to buy a 3D printer.

Well! for all my industrial and more professional friends it is a very crowded market for a lot of different users so i would recommend having a chat or meet in person and i would love to share my views and reviews. I can certainly help you in narrowing down the choices.

For my hobbyist friends, i would suggest watching the following video.

 Few more considerations:

• Generally closed console printers performs better than open concept.
• Delta design might serve you better If you are in for bigger volume and not super conscious about the quality.
• For those who are willing to spend a bit more and looking for professional machines like quality, I recommend Ultimaker.
• BCN 3D has better design for those who are looking for Dual-Extrusion capability.
• FormLabs is a great choice for Resin based category, best fit for smaller highly detailed parts. 

Let me know if you have question. Comments are welcome.
   
References:
RcLifeOn Youtube channel
Ulimakers
BCN 3D
FormLabs

Pellet Extrusion 3D Machines

When it comes to FFF 3D printing, changing or adding of filament during the print is always challenging. The problem becomes more apparent when printing large size 3D models. Answer lies in pellet extrusion. Titan Robotics  recently introduced 3D machine with Pellet Extrusion capability at Rapid + TCT 2018.
The loading of more pallets during the print is as easy as 123, just pour some more when ever it runs out. Auto re-loader can be attached to machine to keep it going unattended for ever, all these equipment are already available and being used for Injection and Blow molding machines.

If you remember about a year or so ago First 3D printed car was printed on  CINCINNATI 3D machine over the weekend on one of Pallet Extrusion machines.

References:
Titan Robotics Inc.
Rides with Chuck.