Forget typical cycle times. We’re pushing the boundaries of conformal cooling.  While traditional approaches deliver reductions, at SyBridge, we see further.  By combining our expertise in 3D printing, mold tooling design, and in-house manufacturing, we engineer conformal cooling solutions that unlock the true potential of this transformative technology. Our unique synergy allows us to not just achieve impressive results, but to truly test the limits of what conformal cooling can accomplish for your product.   

Conformal cooling improves throughput 

SyBridge uses conformal cooling designs–either in retrofitting older tooling or as an initial design element–to enhance cooling efficiency, reduce cycle times, and increase productivity (Figure 1).  

In one redesign, after a mold flow simulation revealed hot spots on the tips of the parts, SyBridge experts engineered precision water channels to enhance cooling efficiency. Their unique design focused on cooling the front tip of the part, which enhanced the cooling of the rest of the part. This design change substantially reduced mold-open time. Figure 2 dives deeper into the results of these conformal cooling design enhancements. 

It takes experience to design effective conformal cooling 

Additive manufacturing (AM or 3D printing) is an excellent avenue for designing conformal cooling. AM enables intricate and complex structures that closely conform to every shape of the part in a way that–depending on the part geometry and complexity–is not always possible with subtractive manufacturing. During the design phase, long before the part is molded, SyBridge engineers use mold flow simulation, virtual testing, and digital integration to configure and test the conformal cooling capacities.  

Can we help you reduce cycle times? 

As conformal cooling experts, SyBridge engineers know how to help you get the cycle times and efficiencies your product needs. Contact our team to explore how solutions like conformal cooling can improve your injection molding process.

The post Conformal Cooling: Impact By the Numbers appeared first on SyBridge Technologies.

Forget typical cycle times. We’re pushing the boundaries of conformal cooling.  While traditional approaches deliver reductions, at SyBridge, we see further.  By combining our expertise in 3D printing, mold tooling design, and in-house manufacturing, we engineer conformal cooling solutions that unlock the true potential of this transformative technology. Our unique synergy allows us to not just achieve impressive results, but to truly test the limits of what conformal cooling can accomplish for your product.   

Conformal cooling improves throughput 

SyBridge uses conformal cooling designs–either in retrofitting older tooling or as an initial design element–to enhance cooling efficiency, reduce cycle times, and increase productivity (Figure 1).  

In one redesign, after a mold flow simulation revealed hot spots on the tips of the parts, SyBridge experts engineered precision water channels to enhance cooling efficiency. Their unique design focused on cooling the front tip of the part, which enhanced the cooling of the rest of the part. This design change substantially reduced mold-open time. Figure 2 dives deeper into the results of these conformal cooling design enhancements. 

It takes experience to design effective conformal cooling 

Additive manufacturing (AM or 3D printing) is an excellent avenue for designing conformal cooling. AM enables intricate and complex structures that closely conform to every shape of the part in a way that–depending on the part geometry and complexity–is not always possible with subtractive manufacturing. During the design phase, long before the part is molded, SyBridge engineers use mold flow simulation, virtual testing, and digital integration to configure and test the conformal cooling capacities.  

Can we help you reduce cycle times? 

As conformal cooling experts, SyBridge engineers know how to help you get the cycle times and efficiencies your product needs. Contact our team to explore how solutions like conformal cooling can improve your injection molding process.

The post Conformal Cooling: Impact By the Numbers appeared first on SyBridge Technologies.

–Leverages Proprietary Artificial Intelligence (AI) Algorithms–

ITASCA, Ill., June 10, 2024 /PRNewswire/ — SyBridge Technologies, a global leader in design and manufacturing solutions, today announced the launch of SyBridge Studio, a state-of-the-art manufacturing insights application, now available on the PTC Onshape® App Store.

This advanced tool integrates a comprehensive suite of design for manufacturability (DFM) features, drawing upon SyBridge’s extensive expertise in injection mold tooling and production-grade additive manufacturing. Leveraging state-of-the-art logic and data-driven artificial intelligence (AI) algorithms built on a vast database of manufactured parts and tools, the application provides users with unparalleled insights to optimize designs early, assess production tradeoffs, and achieve superior results in cost, speed, and quality.

SyBridge is a portfolio company of Crestview Partners, a leading private equity firm with approximately $10 billion of aggregate capital commitments.

SyBridge’s new application integrates directly into Onshape, the industry’s foremost cloud-native CAD software, providing a powerful extension to the existing toolset available to Onshape users. The app’s user-friendly interface and robust features offer a significant enhancement to the design process, enabling engineers to produce high-quality, manufacturable designs efficiently.

Key Features of the SyBridge Studio include:

• Automated Design for Manufacturability (DFM) Checks: Quickly understand manufacturing issues and how to mitigate them with 80+ Design for Manufacturability (DFM) checks across manufacturing processes: injection molding, CNC machining, and multiple 3D printing technologies.
• Injection Mold Action & Insert Identification: Visualize parting directions and automatically identify various common tooling actions like slides, pins, inserts, lifters, bosses, and strippers.
• Part Thickness Analysis: Visualize material distribution with a full-field colored heatmap on your part CAD to easily identify thin, thick, or non-uniform walls that could cause manufacturing quality issues like warpage or sink marks.

In addition to these powerful features, SyBridge is actively developing future enhancements to the application’s capabilities with a comprehensive roadmap including cost insights and analysis tools, a material recommendation engine, and the ability to purchase parts directly from Onshape via SyBridge On-Demand.

“Going from an industrial design to physical parts is a time consuming processes, typically requiring multiple iterations between different technical domains. With the launch of SyBride Studio, we are excited to provide designers and engineers with a tool that not only makes this process easier and more efficient, but works directly in their CAD environment,” said Byron J. Paul, CEO of SyBridge Technologies. “Our application’s integration with Onshape underscores our commitment to delivering innovative solutions that seamlessly integrate into our customers’ existing workflows to help simplify and accelerate the design and manufacturing process.”

“We are thrilled to welcome this app to the Onshape App Store,” said Jon Hirschtick, Co-Founder and Chief Evangelist of Onshape. “This app provides our users with invaluable tools to get feedback as they are designing, ultimately helping them to achieve their business goals more effectively.”

Onshape users can easily access and install the new application directly from the Onshape App Store, enabling them to quickly take advantage of its powerful features. For more information about SyBridge Studio and to download it, please visit the Onshape App Store.

About SyBridge Technologies

SyBridge Technologies is the global leader in technology-enabled design, prototyping and manufacturing solutions for complex, high-precision parts. Its mission is to use technology to simplify and accelerate how parts are designed and manufactured. SyBridge is one of North America’s largest injection molding tooling platforms and the largest private on-demand digital manufacturer. Our AI/ML technology platform is supported by an industry-leading team of software engineers, computational geometry experts and data scientists.  SyBridge Technologies is backed by Crestview Partners and comprises 15 acquisitions that bring together different products, services, and technologies into a unified technology-enabled platform. SyBridge is headquartered in Itasca, Illinois and operates through 18 locations across North America, Europe, and Asia. For more information, please visit www.SyBridge.com.

About PTC (NASDAQ: PTC)

PTC (NASDAQ: PTC) is a global software company that enables industrial and manufacturing companies to digitally transform how they engineer, manufacture, and service the physical products that the world relies on. Headquartered in Boston, Massachusetts, PTC employs over 7,000 people and supports more than 25,000 customers globally. For more information, please visit www.ptc.com.
PTC.com            @PTC            Blogs

PTC, Onshape, and the PTC logo are trademarks or registered trademarks of PTC Inc. or its subsidiaries in the United States and other countries.

SyBridge Media Contact:
Jeffrey Taufield or Jennings Brooks
Kekst CNC
(212) 521-4800
jeffrey.taufield@kekstcnc.com / jennings.brooks@kekstcnc.com

PTC Media Contact:
Greg Payne
Corporate Communications
gpayne@ptc.com

The post SyBridge Technologies Launches SyBridge Studio, an Innovative Application, on the PTC Onshape App Store appeared first on SyBridge Technologies.

Designing a product is just the beginning. The real challenge lies in ensuring your design is manufacturable, cost-effective, and meets your quality standards. Waiting for design feedback, navigating last-minute design changes, and dealing with manufacturing issues can make this journey feel like an uphill battle. But there’s a solution to make this process smoother and more efficient. 

We’re excited to introduce the SyBridge Studio App, a powerful new tool now available in the Onshape App Store. Developed by leading global manufacturer SyBridge Technologies, the app brings the existing features of SyBridge Studio directly into Onshape. Leveraging insights from millions of parts and tools made combined with the power of artificial intelligence, it codifies a century of manufacturing knowledge to provide you with expert guidance at your fingertips. Easily confirm manufacturability, understand trade-offs, and optimize your design, all while meeting your goals for cost, speed, and quality. 

Manufacturing insights at your fingertips 

After subscribing to the app, you’ll instantly get access to the following features: 

Automated Design Feedback – Quickly find ways to improve part design and reduce costs with manufacturing recommendations. Get feedback on draft angles, non-standard holes, supported surfaces, surface imperfections, and more. Understand how to mitigate potential manufacturing risks with a collective 80+ Design for Manufacturability (DFM) checks available across six manufacturing processes: injection molding, CNC machining, and four 3D printing processes (DLS, FDM, MJF and SLA). 

Injection Mold Action & Insert Identification – See where your tooling requires actions such as slides, pins, inserts, lifters, bosses, or strippers. Use this to make informed design modifications that minimize witness marks and enhance the aesthetic quality of your part. Identify opportunities to reduce tooling complexity and costs, streamlining the manufacturing process and improving overall efficiency. 

Part Thickness Analysis – Visualize the material distribution in your part with a full-field colored heatmap to easily identify thin or thick wall issues. Maintaining consistent wall thickness ensures uniform cooling, minimizes warping, and enhances part strength, durability, and aesthetic quality. Use this analysis to make informed design modifications that improve part quality and reduce costs by normalizing wall thickness throughout your design, resulting in a more efficient and effective manufacturing process. 

More features in an expanded view – SyBridge Studio’s Onshape extension currently houses the most important features, but even more are available on the SyBridge Digital Platform, including instant quoting, parts ordering, and additional analysis tools. Log in here using the same email used to sign in to the SyBridge Studio Onshape app to continue working in a more immersive, full-screen view. 

And more coming soon

More advanced features to help you design more effectively and bridge the gaps between design and manufacturing are on the way, including: 

Instant pricing and cost insights – Receive estimated part and tool pricing at various quantities, access cost-saving design recommendations, understand cost breakdowns, and view other key cost drivers (e.g., cycle time) for 6 manufacturing processes. 

Purchase parts – Easily place an order for your part when you’re ready to check out, directly inside Onshape.  

Recommended and customizable manufacturing orientation – Use our recommended manufacturing direction or adjust it based on aesthetic requirements. Easily visualize and understand the impact on design recommendations and tooling requirements. 

Injection molding tool visualization – View a mock-up of the mold core and cavity to get a sneak peek at how your tool will be made. 

Additional insights – Intelligent systems meet intelligent design. Stay tuned for more insights coming your way: material insights, more advanced DFM checks, and additional injection molding guidance. 

Assembly support – The SyBridge Studio app currently analyzes individual components that you select. Next up is support for full BOMs/assemblies. 

Elevate your design process today 

The SyBridge Studio App is here to change the way you approach design and manufacturing. By integrating advanced manufacturability analysis and optimization tools directly into your Onshape workflow, this app aims to help you overcome common challenges and achieve your design goals more efficiently. 

Ready to take your design process to the next level? Head to the Onshape App Store and subscribe to the app today to experience firsthand how this powerful tool can transform your workflow and bring your designs to life with greater ease and precision. 

The post AI-Powered DFM Analysis by SyBridge, Now Available in the Onshape App Store  appeared first on SyBridge Technologies.

Get the full article at MoldMaking Technology

The post How to Make Data Work for Mold Productivity and Performance appeared first on SyBridge Technologies.

Multi Jet Fusion enables the efficient production of end-use nylon parts using additive technologies. Here’s a checklist for design teams.

Introduction

What is Multi Jet Fusion?

Multi Jet Fusion (MJF) is an industrial form of 3D printing that can be used to produce functional nylon prototypes to higher volume production parts with exceptional design freedom and mechanical properties. The MJF process works by using inkjet nozzles to selectively distribute fusing and detailing agents across a bed layered with nylon powder. Unlike selective laser sintering, which uses lasers to fuse the powder into solid material, the MJF printer uses a continuous sweeping motion to distribute agents and apply heat across the print bed layer by layer until the part is finished, MJF can produce high-quality parts at high speeds.

This manufacturing process also does not require support structures to produce parts, making it possible to create complex geometries like internal channels or co-printed assemblies. MJF parts have mechanical properties comparable to injection-molded ones, but without the need for expensive tooling.

Designing for manufacturability will go a long way in ensuring optimal part quality and yield, minimizing post-processing needs, and driving cost reductions. Here’s a quick checklist to help your team ensure that you’re following MJF design best practices.

1. Is MJF a suitable process for my project?

Before diving into design changes, it is important to ensure that the MJF process will meet all product requirements. Here are a few questions to ask yourself:

Do any of the material offerings meet my product requirements?

While MJF has many strengths, it has a limited list of approved materials. PA12 and its glass bead counterpart are fairly versatile for rigid plastic applications. TPU, a flexible polyamide, can find use where an elastomeric material is required. If the available materials do not meet a specific requirement, you may need to consider a different process.

Does my part fit in the build volume?

One key limiting factor is the machine’s build volume, which is 380 x 380 x 284mm for the Jet Fusion 4200. In some cases, large parts can be printed as smaller subcomponents and assembled using adhesive or mechanical joints. In this case, design features such as dovetail joints may facilitate alignment and adhesion.

Do I have any tight tolerances I need to hit?

While the gap between additive and injection molding tolerances is narrowing, it is important to make sure that MJF’s tolerances are sufficient within the context of your assembly.

2. Are there areas where I can use less material?

In most cases, MJF defects are caused by thermal gradients that develop during the build. If the material cools unevenly, the piece may warp or develop sinks. Parts that are long and thin, have abrupt changes in cross-sections, or have thin curved surfaces are especially prone to shrink-induced warp.

Removing material from part designs wherever possible through the use of pockets, shelling, lattices, and topology optimization is key to mitigating and preventing these defects. Avoiding large changes in cross-sections is another way to limit warp. Ensure that chamfers and fillets are incorporated where needed throughout the part design to make the transitions between different features more gradual.

3. Are my features above the minimum threshold size?

In general, the wall thickness of MJF-printed parts should be a minimum of 1.5mm. Small design features should also be no smaller than 1.5mm, though some features such as slits, embossing, engraving, or the diameters of holes and shafts can be as small as 0.5mm. For embossed or debossed text, the font should be no smaller than 6pt (approximately 2mm) and should be a minimum of 0.3mm deep.

If a part includes screw threads, they should be M6 or larger. Where smaller, more precise, or more durable threads are needed, consider using threaded inserts. Beyond feature resolution, you should also consider how small, slender features might break off in post-processing.

4. Have I taken assembly tolerances into account?

Even with the greater geometric flexibility provided by the MJF process, some applications may still require a part to be assembled from multiple components. In general, mating faces should have 0.4 – 0.6mm of clearance to ensure that the components can properly fit.

If your project involves co-printing assemblies, the components printed together should have at least 0.5mm of clearance, but may require more, particularly when there are thick cross sections or there is a significant contact surface area.

5. Is my part design optimized for post-processing?

If your part requires post-processing, there are a few things to double-check in your design to help make secondary operations more effective.

1. Ensure that there are no unvented or trapped volumes in the design.
2. Avoid blind holes whenever possible — these are hard to clean, which can quickly drive up costs.
3. Add fillets to corners where the powder can cake and become difficult to remove through standard tumbling and bead blasting.

6. Have I seized every opportunity to lower part costs?

Besides improving part quality, intelligent DFM changes can drive cost savings. Lightweighting your part, for example, reduces the risk of defects and lowers the material cost per part. The other main consideration when designing for MJF and cost is optimizing nestability in a build. Adding draft or altering the position of printed assemblies may increase the number of parts that can fit per build and distribute fixed costs over more parts, lowering the overall part cost.

In addition to optimizing designs for manufacturability, additional factors to consider include your part’s cosmetics, surface finish, and ease of storage and transportation. MJF parts are naturally grey, but can be dyed black easily. If painting, priming, or other processes are not essential to the part’s function, they can be foregone to reduce expenses. Most MJF-printed parts will have a 125-250 microinches RA finish — if a smoother surface is needed, the part can undergo a variety of surface treatments, including sanding, tumbling, or vapor smoothing. Texturing can be an effective design technique to improve part aesthetics without additional post-processing.

Getting Started With a DFM Expert

Adhering to DFM principles is key to the success of manufacturing processes for a number of reasons. It helps to keep your operating expenses as low as possible, allows you to detect and address design issues early, and improves your overall part quality. This checklist is a valuable resource for making sure your MJF parts are optimized and refined before production begins.

The added advantage of partnering with SyBridge is that your team gains access to the latest in digital design technologies and expert advice. Our team is standing by to help guide each project from design and prototyping through to fulfillment, ensuring that you receive superior-quality parts on time and at the right price. Contact us today to get started.

The post HP Multi Jet Fusion Design Guidelines appeared first on SyBridge Technologies.

by Charlie Wood, Ph.D.
VP of Innovation, Research & Development

As a part of the SyBridge team, I’ve witnessed the remarkable evolution of design and engineering tools over the past decade. These digital advancements have revolutionized our approach to manufacturing, allowing for more data-driven processes and insights. But it can be difficult to know where to start, or even to understand where there are opportunities to implement.

At the heart of our approach lies the concept of the “Digital Thread,” a framework that interconnects data across the entire lifecycle. This concept enables us to leverage the wealth of design and operational data across our data lake that is generated in the manufacturing process, from CAD designs to inspection results. While the industry is still moving towards seamless integration, we’ve made significant strides in creating workflows that prioritize data-driven decision-making.

Streamlining Injection Mold Design Workflows

One key area where data is contributing to efficiencies within manufacturing is that of injection mold tooling design. By utilizing virtual component libraries for mold designs, we’ve been able to streamline the complex process of coordinating and collaborating on intricate assemblies for mold making. In these libraries, we have standard blocks, system approaches and components stored in a way that allows us to quickly identify and digitally pull components. This approach offers lots of flexibility when it comes to customer requests and needs, all while keeping standard practices built right into our tools. Over the course of many years, we’ve built software-driven processes to design new builds based off of these standard components, allowing us to quickly handle new requests from customers and build a learning feedback loop to avoid costly mistakes.

Additionally, through the use of parametric component libraries, we’ve been able to significantly reduce design complexity and incorporate our own manufacturing intelligence into these components, allowing us to directly check for design issues and integrate manufacturing information into CAD files. This process creates a flow of information from the conceptual stage of the design through manufacturing and approval, extending our Digital Thread from end to end. This information flow can also go backwards, tying quoting, estimation assumptions and specifications directly to tool designs. These advancements in our design approach have not only made the job of a tool designer a bit easier, but have improved quality by creating
more explicit feedback loops in our design processes.

Innovations in Conformal Cooling

As many know, 3D printing has unlocked incredible design freedom for manufacturing engineers around the world. However, what can be overlooked is how impactful it has been for system designers, like toolmakers, who can utilize that design freedom and low cost of complexity to create components that radically improve performance. In the case of toolmaking, 3D printing has unlocked new cooling channel designs simply not possible before.

Although increasing numbers of toolmakers are using these advanced manufacturing techniques today, the new design space is so complex it can be hard to probe. In the past, conformal cooling channels were fairly straight, in-plane paths driven by tool access limitations in machining. With metal 3D printing, the limits are far less restrictive and allow designers to pursue more creative and complicated structures.

Using advanced data-driven methods with virtual design and testing capabilities, we’ve been able to uncover non-obvious opportunity areas in the design space. Through these novel design and
manufacturing workflows, we’re optimizing cooling performance and achieving remarkable improvements in tool performance as measured through cycle time. Through our approach, we’re seeing cycle time reductions as high as 50%. These successes have inspired us to further integrate and enhance these workflows, driving continued innovation.

AI Tools for Manufacturing

The Fast Radius Portal’s AI-powered DFM checks

Looking ahead, we’re enthusiastic about the possibilities that emerging technologies like machine learning (ML) and artificial intelligence (AI) offer. These novel data modeling approaches have shown incredible potential, and the pace of technological advancement is rapidly accelerating. We’ve been able to use ML models to build data models faster than through simple bottom-up logic, particularly for complex problems that contain many correlating factors.

The critical ingredient in implementing AI for manufacturing are large data sets that provide a source of truth for model training and validation. By leveraging our existing datasets, we aim to predict defects, optimize designs in real-time and ultimately revolutionize quality control processes. These technologies are not a distant vision; they’re an integral part of our current digital platform, with features like instant quoting and DFM checks based on captured manufacturing data. And this is just the beginning of what’s possible.

Unlocking Manufacturing Innovation via the Digital Thread

Our journey in harnessing digital workflows for injection molding design has seen remarkable progress and tangible results. The end-to-end integration of data into the Digital Thread, combined with the power of ML and AI, holds the key to unlocking even greater innovation. As we continue to push boundaries and explore new frontiers, we’re excited about the advancements at the interface between the physical and digital worlds.

Are you ready to harness the power of the Digital Thread for your organization? Contact us today to get started.

The post The Digital Thread: End-to-End Data-Driven Manufacturing appeared first on SyBridge Technologies.

The terms “thermoplastic” and “thermoset” appear in many of the same conversations regarding plastic part manufacturing, but they’re not interchangeable. This article breaks down the major differences between thermoplastics and thermosets, as well as key advantages and best applications for each material.

Thermoplastics: What You Need to Know

Mechanical/Chemical Properties

A thermoplastic is any plastic material with a melting point that becomes molten when heated, solid when cooled, and can be re-melted or molded after cooling. The process is completely reversible, and doing so will not significantly compromise the material’s physical integrity. 

Thermoplastics are usually stored as pellets to facilitate easy melting during the injection molding process. Common examples of thermoplastics include acrylic, polyester, nylon, and PVC.

• Nylon: Nylon provides a unique combination of strength and wear resistance that makes this family of materials well-suited for a range of applications.
• TPE and TPU: When product designers and engineers want a part to have certain properties like shock absorption, flex rebound, or high impact strength, they often turn to polymers made out of thermoplastic elastomers. 
• ULTEM (PEI): ULTEM® is one of the only resins approved for use in aerospace settings. It is also among the most versatile plastics on the market. 

Advantages of Thermoplastics

Thermoplastics are strong, shrink-resistant, and relatively easy to use. Their inherent flexibility makes them an excellent choice for manufacturers who require shock-absorbent products that can withstand wear and tear while retaining their shape. 

Thermoplastics are generally more cost-effective than thermosets because they’re easier to process. This is because thermoplastics are made in higher volumes and don’t require post-processing. Plus, thermoplastic molds can be made from affordable materials like aluminum. Thermoplastics are highly compatible with injection molding processes, and are ideal for making repeatable parts in high volumes. 

Additionally, thermoplastics are some of the more environmentally friendly plastics on the market as they are highly recyclable by design. As an added benefit, manufacturing with thermoplastics produces fewer toxic fumes than working with thermosets. 

Common Thermoplastics Applications

Manufacturers often use thermoplastics for prototyping because if the final product doesn’t meet certain standards, they can easily melt the part down and start over without producing a lot of scrap material.

Beyond part prototyping, thermoplastics can be used to create a range of familiar consumer products, as well as medical devices, automotive components, and more.

Thermosets: What You Need to Know

Mechanical/Chemical Properties

In contrast to thermoplastics, a thermoset is any plastic material that hardens once cured by heat and cannot be reshaped after the curing process. During curing, valence bonds in the polymer cross-link together to form three-dimensional chemical bonds that cannot be undone, even under extreme heat. 

Thermosets are usually stored in liquid form in large containers. Common examples of thermosets include epoxy, silicone, and polyurethane.

• Epoxy (EPX 82): An additive material developed by Carbon for its DLS process. This material is ideal for automotive, industrial, and consumer applications. 
• Silicone (SIL 30): SIL 30 is an additive material developed by Carbon® for its digital light synthesis (DLS). Also known as SIL 30, this silicone urethane offers a unique combination of biocompatibility.
• RPU 70: Known for its toughness, strength, and ability to withstand heat, RPU can be used across multiple industries including consumer products, automotive, and industrial. 

Others like Phenolics are available as a granular product.

Advantages of Thermosets

Thermosets offer a wide range of benefits; overall, they are strong, stable, chemical-resistant, and have outstanding electrical properties. They won’t warp, degrade, or break down easily in extreme temperatures. 

Due to their strength and durability, thermosets are often used to reinforce another material’s structural properties. Among the most impact-resistant materials on the market, they are frequently used to seal products to protect them against deformation. 

Common Thermosets Applications

While thermoplastics offer a more diverse range of high and low functionality applications, thermosets can be used to create high-performance products in a wide variety of industries. 

Thermosets are ideal for building anything that comes into contact with extreme temperatures on a regular basis, such as kitchen appliances and electronics components.  

Start Building With Us

The crucial difference between thermoplastics and thermosets boils down to how they react to heat. Thermoplastics can be molded and remolded in the presence of heat without losing structural integrity, while thermosets can be molded only once. Of the two, thermoplastics are better suited for all-purpose products that need to be strong and flexible, while thermosets make better high-performance products. An experienced manufacturing partner can help you decide which material best fits your needs. 

When you partner with SyBridge, you partner with a dedicated team of engineers and manufacturing experts who will help you take your project to the next level. We’ll match your vision with optimal materials, manufacturing processes, and post-production services to ensure that you end up with a product of unmatched quality. Contact us today for a quote.

The post Thermoplastics vs. Thermosets: What’s the Difference? appeared first on SyBridge Technologies.

To provide NFL and D1 players with enhanced protection with greater comfort, VICIS collaborated with the advanced manufacturing team at SyBridge, 3D printer/materials manufacturer Carbon and the digital customization experts at Toolkit3D to create player-specific 3D printed pads for ZERO2 MATRIX football helmets.

SNAPSHOT

Challenge

The team at VICIS was seeking a way to manufacture football helmet pads that offer greater comfort, safety and durability to provide players with improved protection against head injuries.

Solution

Drawing upon the expertise of the teams at SyBridge and Carbon, VICIS 3D printed these advanced new helmet pads with Digital Light Synthesis™ (DLS) technology, utilizing lattice structures made from a new energy-damping, strain-rate-sensitive elastomer (EPU 45). To achieve a truly custom fit, VICIS turned to sports body equipment customization specialists Toolkit3D to perform 3D head scans of individual players. With SyBridge’s digital manufacturing capabilities and expertise in 3D printing, VICIS was able to create pads that conform to each player’s unique head shape, providing custom-fit comfort, enhanced protection and greater durability.

Outcome

Worn by some of the world’s best football players, VICIS helmets featuring these individually-customized 3D printed pads are now the top rated helmets for safety according to the NFL and NFLPA.*

*Data and rankings as of April 2023

“Just as in football, precision, speed and agility were key components when selecting a manufacturing partner for the 3D printed pads used in the Zero2 Matrix helmet. With SyBridge’s engineering expertise and advanced manufacturing technologies like Carbon® DLS™ and the Fast Radius Portal, we were able to incorporate feedback from the field to develop this helmet with player-specific customization in mind, bringing next-level design, protection and performance to the D1 and professional players of this sport we love.”

— Cord Santiago, Senior Design Engineer, VICIS

In the world of professional football, player safety is of utmost importance. With a growing concern about head injuries and the long-term effects they can have on athletes, leading helmet manufacturer VICIS set out to create an improved football helmet that would reduce impact force during head collisions.

To make this possible, the team at VICIS turned to SyBridge and Carbon in order to design and manufacture protective helmet pads, leveraging the digitization and customization expertise of Toolkit3D to achieve a custom fit for each player’s unique head shape.

The Challenge

REPLACING FOAM AROUND THE DOME

With traditional football helmets, including many of those used by professional and D1 athletes, foam is used as the primary material for padding and impact absorption. However, there are several key issues with foam pads that prevent them from being ideal for this application.

Foam pads:

• Offer little ability to fine-tune for specific impacts, limiting performance and safety
• Lack durability and require frequent reconditioning
• Cannot be customized without machining or other labor or material-intensive processes
• Trap heat and moisture

Recognizing the limitations of traditional foam pads, VICIS aimed to create helmet pads that not only remain structurally intact over time but also prioritize player comfort and offer unparalleled safety against head impacts. This required an innovative manufacturing approach, along with expertise in material science and engineering, leading VICIS to the advanced manufacturing experts at SyBridge and Carbon, and the sports body equipment customization specialists at Toolkit3D.

About EPU 45

EPU 45 is a new energy-damping elastomer developed by the material science engineers at Carbon. It prints four times faster than traditional elastomeric polyurethanes and is a strain-rate sensitive material that stiffens to absorb energy at higher impact rates, enabling the design of highly breathable lattice structures tuned for comfort at low-impact speeds and energy absorption at high-impact speeds.

Advantages of Lattice Structures

In addition to enhanced breathability, the lattice structures of the 3D printed helmet pads allow for optimal energy distribution upon impact. Combining this structural design with the unique properties of EPU 45 makes these advanced helmet pads a superior alternative to foam padding traditionally used in football helmets, as they offer greater durability with superior impact absorption.

The Solution

CRAFTING A NEW PLAYBOOK FOR IMPROVED CRANIAL PROTECTION

Working closely with the designers and materials scientists at Carbon and manufacturing engineers at SyBridge, VICIS determined that Digital Light Synthesis™ (DLS) was the right technology to manufacture these advanced helmet pads due to material compatibility and a focus on customization. With a lattice-structure design consisting of the new EPU 45 material, the 3D printed helmet pads would offer an ideal combination of enhanced protection and greater durability.

To create a truly custom fit for each player, VICIS leaned on the expertise of Toolkit3D, specialists in digitizing and automating the customization of high-performance medical and sports body equipment, to create a digital model of each player’s unique head shape. Then, collaborating with the engineers at SyBridge and Carbon, VICIS was able to optimize each pad’s design for manufacturability and cost-effectively 3D print the custom elastomeric helmet padding.
For additional customization and traceability, each pad is printed with the player’s name, pad set, print date and serialization, ensuring that players use the correct pads for their specific cranial geometries.

In the event a replacement pad is needed, utilizing the design flexibility that 3D printing provides combined with the on-demand digital manufacturing capabilities of SyBridge’s Fast Radius Portal, players can receive new pads that match their original head scans in as fast as 2 days, ideal for reconditioning equipment during bye weeks.

The Outcome

LEADING THE LEAGUE IN HELMET SAFETY

The agility of digital manufacturing and the rapid production times that 3D printing offers have allowed VICIS to manufacture these new pads for their Zero2 Matrix helmets with mass customization in mind. When it comes to comfort, one size doesn’t fit all, and sacrificing safety for an improved fit should never be a consideration.

Worn by some of the world’s best football players, VICIS helmets featuring these individually-customized 3D printed pads are now the top rated helmets for safety according to the NFL and NFLPA.*

With these helmets, players get enhanced safety without the impediment of additional size or weight, and a truly customized fit for improved security and performance.

*Data and rankings as of April 2023

The NFL in collaboration with the NFLPA, through their respective appointed biomechanical experts, annually coordinate extensive laboratory research to evaluate which helmets best reduce head impact severity. The results of those tests, which are supported by on-field performance, are set forth on this poster.

The helmet models are listed in order of their performance, with a shorter bar representing better performance. The rankings are based exclusively on the ability of the helmet to reduce head impact severity measures in laboratory testing. Performance variation related to helmet fit, retention, temperature-dependence, and long-term durability are not addressed in these rankings.

All helmets in green are recommended for use by NFL players. Based on a statistical grouping analysis, helmets in the Top-Performing group have been further distinguished into two green categories. The darker green group represents those that performed similarly to this year’s top-ranked helmets, while the light green group performed similarly to the lowest ranked dark green helmet. Helmets with poorer laboratory performance were placed in the yellow or prohibited groups. Yellow and newly prohibited red helmets are not permitted for new players and players who did not wear them during the 2022 NFL season. Newly prohibited helmets will be prohibited for all players in 2024.

The laboratory test conditions were intended to represent potentially concussive head impacts in the NFL. The results of this study should not be extrapolated to collegiate, high school, or youth football.

The post Tackling Football Head Injuries With Manufacturing Innovation appeared first on SyBridge Technologies.

DFAM draws on the same idea as design for manufacturability (DFM) — integrating process planning and product development. But instead of optimizing a product for urethane casting or injection molding, DFAM optimizes a product for production-grade manufacturing with additive technologies by analyzing competing factors to develop the most efficient design.

Additive manufacturing isn’t as simple as hitting print, especially when using DFAM principles to design a part for industrial-grade quality while minimizing production costs. But the resulting parts meet the performance of traditionally manufactured parts while reducing lead times, eliminating tooling costs and maximizing design flexibility. Leveraging DFAM guidelines early on in the product development process allows product design teams to optimize their designs to capture the value of additive manufacturing.

Here are a few common principles of DFAM to consider when leaping from additive manufacturing for prototyping to additive manufacturing for production:

Minimize Overhangs and Reduce Reliance on Supports

Each successive slice of your part as it is printing (e.g., in FDM, DMLS, etc.) relies on the layers below it for support. Large overhangs, openings and other features may require additional support during the build to prevent warping and ensure the product achieves its performance tolerances.Parts designed with DFAM principles in mind will be self-supporting, minimizing the need for supporting features which can add cost through material waste and added post-processing needs. And if supports are required, one cost-saving consideration would be to orient the part so that supports are placed in regions that aren’t user-facing, where marks are acceptable. This reduces the sanding and finishing time required in post-processing.

Part Orientation

While additive manufactured parts can be built in many orientations, the angle at which a feature is built can affect its tolerances. And because features can only deviate from the spec so much until it affects tolerance limits, it’s important to consider a range of possible orientations early on in the design process. That way, you can identify which orientation is best-suited for producing your part.

Consolidate Multi-Part Assemblies

It’s difficult to produce complex shapes with traditional manufacturing, which can necessitate creating some products as multi-part assemblies. If you are transitioning your product from traditional to additive manufacturing, it can often be consolidated into fewer parts to significantly reduce assembly costs. When Steelcase designed an arm cap using for additive manufacturing, for example, we transformed a three-part assembly into one uninterrupted part with multiple functional zones

Leveraging Generative Design to Optimize Your Part

The unique geometries possible through additive processes allows product designers to leverage generative design tools (e.g., topology optimization or lattice structures) to optimize the structure of your part based on hundreds of variables. And because lattices allow you to precisely tune the strength and material density in different regions of a part, one contiguous part can meet different performance requirements in different regions.

The Most Important Additive Manufacturing Design Consideration

None of these guidelines address one of the biggest obstacles to transitioning to production-grade additive manufacturing: An additive manufacturing product design skills gap. Because of this gap, the most important design guideline is to align yourself with additive manufacturing product design experts at the outset of any DFAM project. They will recommend design modifications that will optimize the cost and performance of your product. And they’ll understand how to drive efficiencies at the supply chain level through on-demand production and virtual warehousing. The sooner you involve expert AM design and engineering support, the greater the benefits you stand to earn with your switch to additive.

Interested in learning more? Be sure to check out our article on how to go beyond prototyping, and make your case for additive. At SyBridge, we’ll partner with companies across industries to discover, design and develop any part or product using additive manufacturing technologies. Learn how our experienced additive manufacturing design team can partner with you to design and deliver production-grade parts precisely tuned to your performance and design requirements. We’ve helped multi-million-dollar companies capture value with additive manufacturing, and can help you with your application, too. Get in touch with us today.

The post Applying Smart Design Principles to Amplify Benefits of Additive Manufacturing appeared first on SyBridge Technologies.