Architects and builders have the challenging problem of communicating clearly what an expensive building will look like before it is built. There are no do overs. 3D Modeling has helped this problem a lot. Architects can show photo-realistic images of the building and the layout. But it is still not quite intuitive for people to understand what the actual physical building will look like. 3D Printing models of homes and buildings gives a clear and intuitive representation of what a building will be in a way that photos and drawings just can't communicate.

Slant 3D produces thousands of 3D printed parts per week as an alternative to injection molding. All that is needed to take advantage of this is a 3D model of a building. Then it can be produced in large quantities for promotion of subdivisions and factory homes. The models can be on an agents desk and be a gift to the buyer when they select a home.

But really the most important part of 3D printed architectural models is the communication. They make the layout and proportions abundantly clear. Humans think in 3D space. We have difficulty interpreting drawings and even walking through VR, because it just doesn't have the context that a 3D physical model does. These 3D printed houses ensure that there is no confusion between the builder, the buyer, or the designer. Buyers can hold the model to know what they will get. And Builders can use the model to communicate to subcontractors what they need.

Production 3D printing is often considered to be a process limited to rigid materials. But that is just not the case. High Volume 3D Printing farms, such as those operated by Slant 3D, are able to produce thousands of low durometer parts, all without the cost of injection molding, and much more affordably than other additive processes.

Currently Slant 3D is able to 3D print parts in materials with durometers as low as Shore 00 40. This allows us to make objects such as custom 3D printed insoles, and rubber-like toys. And if we move into harder versions of flexible than we can manufacture items like bike helmets and industrial wheels. 

The material that is used to achieve this is TPU (Thermoplastic polyurethane). This rubber material is ideal for all kinds of flexible applications. It can be engineered to be wear, and heat resistant. And we also produce components with ESD safe properties.

Since TPU is so durable and flexible it is ideal for manufacturing the soles of shoes. Feetz is one company that attempted to bring about 3D printed Shoes. Newcomers such as Zellerfeld are also working on designs for 3D printed shoes.

All over the world people are using TPU 3D printing to create custom insoles. Pes Sem Dor in South America gathers data about customers feet and then produces custom insoles. Slant 3D performs the manufacturing of similar insoles here in the United States for several different clients.

Since TPU creates such compliant 3D printed parts it is often used in the production of industrial components, such as rollers and robot grippers. The parts are then put to use inside of factories moving other products around. 

The 3D Printed TPU is able to hold up through thousands of cycles without breaking down and ensures that new parts can be obtained readily without having to find new molders 5 years down the line.

TPU is just another one of the materials that Production FDM 3D Printing is ideally suited to. At Slant 3D we have worked for several years to implement high volume production of parts made with the material. And we have achieved that. We are now able to produce literally thousands of Flexible 3D printed parts per week. This means there is no longer a need for molds or tooling of any kind.

If you would like to get a quote for manufacturing your Flexible Rubber part please submit your design for a quote and one of our engineers will be in contact within 1-2 business days.

Idaho is largely an agricultural and heavy metal manufacturing state. But there is also a good piece of technology located in the state. As as these manufacturers grow they utilize more and more 3D Printing. Here are a few 3D Printing services that operate in the State of Idaho.

Intermountain 3D is a reverse engineering and 3D Printing service company. They are able to 3D scan products or create 3D models from scratch and then turn those models into 3D printed prototypes using the SLA or SLS processes. They can also handle limited production

Started in 2014 Intermountain 3D is also reseller of professional 3D Printers.

Operating one of the largest 3D Printing factories in North America Slant 3D focuses on production of 3D printed parts. With a capacity of over 10,000 parts per week, Slant 3D serves as a more affordable alternative to injection molding.

Slant also maintains a team of engineers to ensure that you can take your product from napkin to production with as few steps as possible. They also support materials ranging from simple bioplastics to ESD safe materials for electronics.

Started by Justin Shook. Shook Ideas is a product design company that has  a proven track record of creating, marketing and manufacturing final products with 3D Printing. They utilize the FDM process through a group of Ultimaker 3D printers.

Originally from Portland, RapidMade maintains an office in Coeur d'Alene, Idaho. This manufacturing service is able to take a concepts all the way to production with injection molding. They support all types of 3D Printing processes including MJF, polyjet and FDM.

Based in Boise Idaho, 3 Solutions Design provides 3D printing, machinging, and fabrication services. They utilize statysys 3D printers to create good quality prototypes and can transfer designs over to other processes as well.

The EU has announced new laws that will require that appliances be cheaper to repair than replace for up to 10 years.

The Ecodesign Directive requires that manufacturers stock repair parts for up to 10 years. This can be tremendous burden to appliance manufacturers because new appliances must be introduced every 1-2 years in order to keep pace the with the technology demands of consumers. It is quite possible that some lean manufactures will not be able to sustain the large inventories of spare parts to support this type of regulation. But smaller companies and upstarts will have to innovate to address the new standards.

Fortunately they may not not have to. Additive manufacturing will allow these companies to hold their inventory digitally, and only manufacture it as needed.

Instead of storing vast inventories of spare parts for years companies can design parts for washing machines, microwaves, etc to be 3D Printed. Then they simply have to stock parts as needed for specific time periods. Large quantities during production. And then only at the rate that spare parts are needed. This eliminates the need for stagnant capital kept in inventory. Essentially companies will have to design for Just-In-Time Manufacturing.

This would normally be a challenge. But production 3D Printing services like Slant 3D and others have the capacity to produce parts at rates that can meet the production requirements of these companies as they build and scale new products. Our High capacity 3D Printing farms can produce thousands of parts per week and our engineers are present to help you design your product appropriately. Submit initial designs for a quote of the product.

There seems to be hundreds of 3D Printers available to pick from. Cheap chinese kits and exceptionally expensive industrial systems. But what are the machines that simply work. Good quality machines that might not be the cheapest but are tools that you can rely on to make a good quality part ever time. Here are some good quality workhorse 3D Printers.

The Mason V1 is a 3D Printer specifically designed to run for years with just normal maintenance. Born from printers designed for high volume 3D printing in a factory the Mason is made from a tough aluminum extrusion frame and 3D Printed parts created by the Mason itself. One truly unique advantage of the Mason is that any part made on it can immediately be produced by the thousands by the Slant 3D printing factories without samples are setup fees making it ideal for prototype to production design and planning. Through the Mason does have a slightly smaller print volume than other machines on this list.

The smallest machine in this lineup. The Ultimaker 3 is a proven machine that has been around for awhile. With a completely integrated software, material, and machine setup Ultimaker makes it easy to get start printing quickly. Though maintenance can be difficult given the closed off nature of the machine and components.

It does boast dual extrusion which allows it to print parts with multiple materials.

At Slant 3D we are constantly working to add new materials and capabilities to our high volume 3D printing facilities. About a year ago we partnered with 3DXTech and Essentium to integrate ESD safe plastics into the production capabilities of Slant 3D.

ESD safe materials are those that prevent electrostatic charges from building up in a component. When you are shocked by a doorknob that is an ESD (Electrostatic Discharge). Those charges can damage electrical components. So all material in an electronics factory have to be ESD Safe.

It is very difficult to make 3D printing materials ESD safe. The only way to achieve it is to integrate carbon nanotubes into the polymer so they conduct electricity away. Essentium and 3DXTech are the only companies that have reliably created these types of materials with verified results.

Slant 3D has been doing production of 3D printed jigs, fixtures, and enclosures for electronics for some time. Usually the only electrical requirement was insulation and fire resistant behavior. But we recognized the need for ESD safe materials with several of our clients so we started to develop the 3D printing processes to handle these materials.

The ESD safe plastics that are now utilized at Slant 3D are High Rigidity TPU from Essentium and PLA from 3DXTech. These allow us to create tough functional components and ESD-safe prototypes for all of our clients. These materials are also integrated for high volume production. So final products can be 3D printed at scale with ESD safe materials, without the cost of tooling.

At Slant 3D we are constantly working to add new materials capabilities to our production 3D printing factories. So far we have integrated 3D printing materials ranging from bio-degradable bio-plastics to Carbon Fiber Nylons. And we will continue to build this catalog.

If you have a project that requires 3D printing with a specialty material please contact us for a free 3D printing quote and our engineers will work with you to get product and material integrated into our production capabilities so you can have your parts as soon as possible without the cost of tooling.