The new building has been designed to house 3DPrintUK’s growing fleet of EOS polymer SLS machines, and to fully accommodate all the necessary ancillary and post-processing capabilities that the company offers clients as part of its service. Two rooms are fully dedicated to post-processing operations for cleaning and dyeing, while a break-down room is fully sealed from external environmental effects and to avoid powder contamination.
Since it first launched in 2011 with a single EOS machine, 3DPrintUK has gone from strength-to-strength by sticking to its core strengths and developing expertise in the SLS process. To date, the company has produced in excess of 1 million 3D-printed parts.
3DPrintUK’s capacity has increased year-on-year, and the machine room at the new facility currently houses seven EOS Formiga P1 series systems and one EOS P3 machine, all of which are capable of running 24/7. The company plans to further increase the size of its fleet this year to meet increasing customer demand.
Post-processing services are also offered for all orders, including polishing (if required) and dedicated dyeing capabilities. 3DPrintUK was the first company in the UK to install a DM60 system from Dye Mansion, enabling any 3D printed parts to be post processed to add solid colour (carbon black), which does not affect the tolerances of the part, but introduces a more durable finish than painting.
Although a proactive advocate of 3D-printing technology, one of the core principles of 3DPrintUK’s founder and managing director, Nick Allen, is a pragmatic and honest approach: “We are able to work with our customers – and potential new customers – to illustrate when and why the SLS process will work for them. But we are not afraid to tell them when it won’t, either. This is really important, and something the industry at large is not very good at confronting. I think this approach has contributed to our growth, which has been organic year-on-year, and the new premises are testament to that. We are still settling in, but the printers have been working non-stop since we got here and we’re looking to further expanding our capacity in the near future.”
3DPrintUK offers a cost comparison tool on its website for anyone considering SLS 3D printing as an alternative to injection moulding, including comparable unit costs.
