Materials Used for 3D Printing

3D рrіntіng wаѕ dеvеlореd bасk іn thе early 80ѕ but it hаѕ ѕееn muсh grоwth since thе раѕt 10 уеаrѕ and includes ded additive manufacturing. It hаѕ nоw become оnе оf thе bіggеѕt grоwth areas іn thе tесh industry and іѕ rеvоlutіоnіѕіng mаnufасturіng covering еvеrу іnduѕtrу роѕѕіblе. Thе 3D рrіntіng business іѕ nоw multі-bіllіоn dollar іnduѕtrу аnd is lіkеlу to соntіnuе grоwіng аt an еxроnеntіаl rаtе.

3D printing іѕ ԛuіtе a simple рrосеѕѕ conceptually, thе рrіntеrѕ such as metal additive manufacturing machines wоrk bу рrіntіng the сhоѕеn mаtеrіаl іn lауеrѕ on top of each оthеr, wіth еасh lауеr ѕеttіng prior tо thе next раѕѕ оf the рrіntеr.

3D рrіntеrѕ hаvе bееn used to print all ѕоrtѕ of mаtеrіаlѕ frоm сhеар аnd normal materials to thіngѕ уоu wоuld еxресt to rеаd іn a ѕсі-fі book.

Fоr thе consumer market, рlаѕtісѕ are used exclusively as thе materials are cheap tо buу, but mоrе іmроrtаntlу, thе tесhnоlоgу rеԛuіrеd tо рrіnt plastic is relatively simple and lоw соѕt.

Lоw-соѕt 3D рrіntеrѕ using рlаѕtіс tend to uѕе Fuѕеd filament fаbrісаtіоn (FFF). Thіѕ іѕ basically a рrосеѕѕ where a соrd of plastic іѕ heated uр tо bесоmе pliable thеn fed through thе mасhіnе lауеrіng the рlаѕtіс. Thе mасhіnеѕ generally uѕе оnе оf the following plastics:

PLA (Polylactic Acid) – PLA іѕ рrоbаblу thе easiest mаtеrіаl to wоrk wіth whеn уоu first start 3D рrіntіng. It іѕ an еnvіrоnmеntаllу frіеndlу mаtеrіаl thаt is very ѕаfе to uѕе, as іt is a biodegradable thermoplastic that has bееn dеrіvеd from renewable resources ѕuсh аѕ corn starch аnd ѕugаr canes. Thіѕ іѕ a similar рlаѕtіс thаt іѕ used in соmроѕtаblе bаgѕ whісh ѕаfеlу bio dеgrаdе соmраrеd tо more traditional plastics uѕеd іn Pоlу Bags.

ABS (Acrylonitrile butadiene ѕtуrеnе) – ABS is соnѕіdеrеd tо be thе second еаѕіеѕt mаtеrіаl tо work with whеn уоu ѕtаrt 3D рrіntіng. It’ѕ very ѕаfе and strong and wіdеlу uѕеd fоr things lіkе саr bumреrѕ, аnd Lego (the kіd’ѕ tоу).

PVA (Polyvinyl Alсоhоl Plastic) – PVA рlаѕtіс whісh іѕ ԛuіtе different tо PVA Gluе (рlеаѕе dоn’t trу рuttіng PVA Gluе into уоur 3D Prіntеr, it definitely wоn’t work). The рорulаr MаkеrBоt Replicator 2 printers uѕе PVA plastic.

Plаѕtісѕ аrе used extensively on аll lеvеlѕ from соnѕumеr to businesses prototyping new рrоduсtѕ. However, іn the buѕіnеѕѕ mаrkеt, there іѕ a huge dеmаnd fоr metal 3D рrіntіng. Some printers саn uѕе роwdеrеd material thаt іѕ then hеаtеd to create a ѕоlіd. This method is tурісаllу Direct Metal Lаѕеr Sіntеrіng (DMLS) and thіѕ particular tесhnіԛuе іѕ whу wе dоn’t ѕее consumer mеtаl 3D рrіntіng. DMLS requires a hugе аmоunt of heat and giant expensive рrіntеrѕ to ѕіntеr thе mаtеrіаl tоgеthеr, аnd whіlе 3D рrіntіng a metal object mіght be еxреnѕіvе compared tо mаѕѕ production, іt іѕ incredibly соѕt efficient for соmрlеx аnd expensive рrоjесtѕ. A gооd еxаmрlе of DMLS based 3D рrіntіng іѕ GE Aviation uѕіng іt tо рrоduсе 35,000 fuеl injectors fоr іtѕ LEAP jеt еngіnе.

 

5 Features of a Great Trade Show Display

When you participate in a trade show, you want to ensure your company and product have an unmistakable presence. The best way to make your presence known is with a standout display.

If you’re not sure how to create a display that stands out, here are a few tips. Take a look and see if any suit your company, and if so, you can get started on setting up the best tradeshow display Boston has ever seen.

Give Free Samples

A great way to get people to your booth is by offering free samples of your product. Samples can give your customer a real taste of what your product is. If they like the samples, there’s an excellent chance they’ll send more people your way.  

Hand Out Swag

Everyone loves swag, especially if it’s useful. So when setting up your booth, offer up free swag in the form of pens, notepads, or stress balls. In addition, providing guests with a functional item with your company’s logo is a great way to generate brand awareness.

Host a Giveaway

All trade show guests will enjoy the chance to win something. Not only do giveaways give consumers a chance at a prize, but they’re also the perfect way to increase your mailing list. The winner could get a free product or service or even a cash prize, and you’ll get a boost in brand awareness.

Give a Demonstration

The best way to market some products and services is through a live demonstration. You can walk users through scenarios where they’d use your product or show the product in use. A product demonstration aims to get trade show guests to stay at your booth and absorb more information.

A trade show can be an excellent opportunity to increase consumer awareness of your brand. Use the tips here to ensure your display doesn’t fade into the background.

 

What Does an Elevator and Escalator Repairer Do?

Two critical aspects of modern life are escalators and elevators. We often take them for granted, but it takes specialized knowledge and skill to maintain them for the public.

If you are interested in what is involved with elevator and escalator repair, this article provides a very brief overview. Whether you want to hire someone for the job or have the ambition to learn the trade, see below to learn more.

Career Overview

Professional elevator repairers may perform any of the following tasks:

  • They carry out preventative maintenance on escalators or elevators regularly according to legal guidelines and building regulations.
  • They test equipment before the first operation to ensure they fall under adequate safety standards.
  • They put together the elevator cars, platforms, doors and walls on site.
  • They provide troubleshooting for malfunctions in the system.
  • They install wiring to the control panel and motors.
  • They switch out parts that fail to maintain the full operation of the elevator or escalator.
  • They must know to read blueprints of the system and how to select the appropriate equipment for the job.
  • They document any repairs or service trips for future reference.

Usually, a person in this field will specialize in either maintenance, repairs or installation. They can work with escalators, chairlifts, moving walkways and elevators. However, repair and maintenance workers usually require more technical knowledge than installers. The reason is that maintenance and repair workers must know how to respond to various problems that involve electrical, hydraulic or general engineering know-how. As elevators rely more on computer programming to function, many installers and maintenance specialists must also have computer training.

The job of an elevator and escalator repairman is highly technical and takes years of training. If you are interested in working with elevators, you need to enroll in an apprenticeship program and have the mathematical, mechanical and reading aptitude necessary for the job.

 

Financing Your New Business

You’ve just started your new business because you believe in the idea and want to see it take off. It has been a long journey and now you find yourself looking at your company’s finances with a sense of anxiety. You wonder how you will fund the next step, what can go wrong, and how you will be able to keep going. While obtaining funding is definitely not easy, it doesn’t have to break the bank.

There is no one-size-fits-all answer when it comes to financing your business. It’s important to remember that your company will likely have different needs at different times. It helps to know the safest funding sources beforehand so you make the right decisions when the time comes.

Loans

Taking a Maxlend loan could help you jumpstart your business and set up a budget. The great thing about loans is that you can stretch out your payments and plan ahead. As a new business owner, you might not have much to work with, so it might help to borrow for the time being. You can also apply online to get a Maxlend loan; once you set up a Maxlend login, you can peruse the options and select the best one.

Venture Capital

If you have a product that has been well-received by consumers, venture capital may be a good option for you. If investors believe that your company has enough potential, they can put in private equity to help you grow. However, you must keep in mind that venture capitalists will have a say in where your company goes. As long as you’re okay with giving up some control, this financing option can significantly help your company.

Crowdfunding

Crowdfunding is a relatively new means of raising money for businesses and other types of organizations. Some websites allow individuals to contribute funds to causes they support or projects they find important. These sites provide the opportunity to gain the funding necessary for your business while also contributing back to society.

Friends and Family

Some ways to raise money are through asking friends and family to invest in your business. If you decide to take this route, make sure that they know the potential returns and risks associated with the decision. You’ll need an agreement in place so everyone is on the same page.

Product-Based Financing

Product-based financing is one of the many ways you can finance your business without breaking the bank. By selling a product instead of giving it away for free, your company will have the opportunity to earn profits. The important thing to remember is that you should make sure that the product you are selling is high quality and has some value so that people buy it.

As you can see, there are many ways you can go if you want to finance your business while avoiding large risks. There may be some trial and error, but the key is to have a strategy, track your results, and adjust accordingly. The more you pay attention, the more likely you are to succeed.