Lately, 3D printing, also known as additive manufacturing, has been making huge strides in its productivity, speed and quality. Historically, it was used to produce low-volume specialty parts and prototypes because this technology never reached a point where it was able to produce high quality parts at a high volume. But that notion is changing very quickly. Carbon, the additive manufacturing startup, is on a mission to help manufacturers and designers cut their costs, waste less energy and materials, while speeding up the time it takes to get from concept to product on the market. With 3D printing being increasingly used for production-level part creation, the technology as it exists today is becoming a viable alternative to traditional large-scale manufacturing methods.
Carbon’s SpeedCell Revamps 3D Printing
Carbon is shedding light on a new service it has released for contract manufacturers and other high-volume manufacturing businesses. The SpeedCell is a system of connected manufacturing unit operations that enables repeatable production of end-use parts at any scale. With requests from customers like the BMW Group and General Electric, Carbon was pushed toward revolutionizing its machines for mass-production. Carbon CEO and cofounder Joseph M. DeSimone notes that “once you have a real part that doesn’t look like a 3D-printed part, but has a smooth surface finish and the right mechanical properties, then what happens is people want lots of those parts.” Carbon’s M1 printer was the first to draw attention and create parts with exceptional surface finish and resolution. According to the press release introducing the SpeedCell, its components include two new products that provide a powerful solution for additive manufacturing at scale: The M2, a robust, industrial-grade 3D printer built with manufacturers in mind; and the Smart Part Washer that enables optimal cleaning and easy finishing of parts. With the next-gen M2 printer released as part of the SpeedCell system, the build-area and volume capabilities have increased twofold. This means that users can make bigger and greater parts per run than ever before..
SpeedCell appears to be an impressive contribution to technology, and its launch moves Carbon closer to its goal of altering traditional manufacturing. To get more information about the future and details behind 3D printing, read this recent blog post from our manufacturing expert Dave Turbide.
