When the team at US-based Onulis saw a gap in the additive manufacturing space, they set out to develop a machine that would process excess and expired resin, transforming it into solid plastic stock for CNC machining, or allow for its safe disposal.
This led to a safe, sustainable cost-effective solution to handle resin in its liquid form: the WRAP machine which stands for Waste Resin Axial Printing.
The testing phase of the machine presented many challenges in that the excess resin is generally made up of different resin types all with different viscosities making it susceptible to clogging and clumping. Finding a material that was chemically resistant was a key obstacle as many materials would warp and deform when exposed to the resin. For example, ABS thermal plastic turned brittle and fragile.
Through its research, Onulis found that parts made from High Yield PA11 on the H350 did an excellent job of performing in the WRAP environment.
The H350 satisfied Onulis’ production demand without having to re-qualify products or processes. Thus the company was able to avoid paying for 46 injection mould tools, a huge benefit for a start-up company.
Suppes says that using the H350 meant the company could accelerate shipping globally ahead of its production schedule and avoid supply chain issues affecting the rest of the world, especially during Covid 19.
With 46 SAF parts in each machine, Onulis is able to produce 92 components in each H350 build in under 12 hours. This means over 1,288 parts can be produced per week which is enough to build nearly 30 WRAP machines per week.
Accurate, end-use parts with best-in-class consistency, produced by a powder-based 3D printer.
The SAF™ powered H350 powder bed fusion 3D printer controls production and costs. Grow your business through high-volume 3D printing and consistent end-use functional parts.
The H350 3D Printer is more than just a production solution for Onulis; the properties and accuracy of the High Yield PA11 bring the characteristics needed for producing the WRAP. These include:
When consistency and speed are of the essence, the H350 is capable of producing quality parts time after time that can withstand the harshest chemical environments and heavy repeated use.
