Bill Bloomfield, operations director and Adam Bloomfield, 3-D print manager at IPFL with Alex Cuciureanu, product specialist at Laser LinesVersatility, quality and speed. These are key reasons that Waltham Abbey-based
Industrial Plastic Fabrications Ltd (IPFL), a plastic component manufacturer, chose the Stratasys J850 Pro. IPFL has been building plastic parts to order since 1969 and has customers in a variety of industry sectors including medical, aerospace, defence, automotive and TV/film. The company was an early adopter of additive manufacturing (AM), buying its first Polyjet machine 20 years ago. Following recent expansion, it has now added a J850 to its roster of 3-D printers, bringing the total number at its disposal to seven.
Adam Bloomfield, 3-D print manager at IPFL, said: “With the J850, we now have more Polyjet materials open to us, and we can load up to seven at once into the machines. Not only does this give customers more versatility, but it also means we can keep the machine running for longer periods without having to stop to change materials. That reduces both the time it takes for us to get the 3-D printed part back to the customer and the overall cost.”
Polyjet technology is excellent for prototyping, with IPFL using it for parts such as seals, gaskets and rubber stops, along with enclosures. Mr Bloomfield continued: “For example, if we need to help design a new case for nurses to help them carry a tablet around, we could go through several iterations of the design in just a few weeks, with the parts we produce all excellent for fast testing in the prototype phase. Once we have agreed on the finished part, it can be released to the injection moulding team for series production.
“We love Polyjet because of its support for multi-materials, along with its ability to produce both rigid and flexible parts. If low Shore hardness is required then Polyjet is ideal. By combining a soft material with rigid materials, we can produce excellent overmoulds and soft touch handles, which makes a huge difference when you are designing a new product and want to give a sense of what the final piece will look and feel like.
“Most people do not realise how soft you can go with Polyjet. The Agilus material is great for this, and with the J850, we can now produce parts in this material in clear, black or white, plus we can add greyscales as well. We think this will be perfect for making soft-touch overmoulds for medical prototypes.”
Wealth of experienceAs a company that has a wealth of experience in both traditional and AM production processes, IPFL has a front-row seat on the fast-pace of changes in the industry. Mr Bloommfield added: “Polyjet technology has vastly improved over the years. It has an excellent surface finish and some parts can now rival those produced by traditional methods.
“When we started offering AM as an option, people thought we were joking when we said they could have their part the next day when they were used to waiting often for a number of weeks. Some components still need to be made in the traditional manner, but that number is decreasing all the time. and for many of our customers, AM is now the natural starting point.”
Mr Bloomfield is satisfied with his choice of partner in
Laser Lines. He said: “The team has been excellent in supporting us. I called up an engineer last week with a technical query, and he was on site the next day helping us to resolve it. I think that speed of response speaks for itself. We find the Laser Lines team to be quick, efficient and knowledgeable when it comes to 3-D printing and we are very happy with the service.
“The J850 we have bought from Laser Lines enables us to be even more competitive and lets us offer an enhanced service to our customers. We are finding it hugely rewarding using it to help our customers realise their designs. Come and see us at the
TCT 3Sixty show (Stand F41), if you want to find out more about how we are using the machine.”
TCT 3Sixty is taking place 7-8 June, 2023 at the NEC, Birmingham.