Introducing Direct Metal 3D Printing

RapidMade is pleased to announce a new metal 3D printing service, Direct Metal printing, now available to our customers. This is a new additive manufacturing technology that uses binder jetting to produce high-quality metal parts in runs of 100-1000 units without any tooling and with limited setup time. Direct Metal fills an important gap between […]

RapidMade Expands Services Offered

RapidMade’s services now include: Product Design and Engineering Simple static part design to fully automated mechanical and electrical equipment Design for prototyping and manufacture In-house prototyping capabilities for faster iterations and overnight customer feedback 2D and 3D drawings, tolerance and other manufacturing specifications, technology transfer and patent application documentation, equipment manuals, FDA and other compliance as […]

What’s the Difference Between Selective Laser Sintering (SLS) and Selective Laser Melting (SLM)

Samples of metal printed parts What’s the difference between Selective Laser Sintering (SLS) and Selective Laser Melting (SLM)?  Here’s one of the better descriptions I’ve found that explains it: “Selective Laser Sintering and Direct Metal Laser Sintering are essentially the same thing, with SLS used to refer to the process as applied to a variety of materials—plastics, […]

“Cool” Ultrasonic Additive Manufacturing “Foils” Its Competition.

Photo Credit: Plant Services/Fabrisonic Additive manufacturing technologies are evolving at such a rapid pace that it sometimes feels like a full-time job keeping up with new innovations.  Recognizing that each 3D printing process has its own strengths, weaknesses and applications, practitioners and researchers alike are inventing alternative methods “to get the job done.”  Ultrasonic Additive […]

Selective Inhibition Sintering Seen as Affordable Metal Printing Technology

Many consider the affordable 3D printing of metal to be a breakthrough that would allow greater adoption of additive manufacturing for end-use parts.  According to 3Dprint.com, researchers at the University of Southern California are working on a novel approach to that end:  Selective Inhibition Sintering (SIS) which inhibits powder from melting, instead using it a mold: […]

What’s the Difference Between SLS and SLM?

What’s the difference between Selective Laser Sintering (SLS) and Selective Laser Melting (SLM)? The truth is that they are very similar processes that differ primarily in the materials that they use. Here’s one of the better descriptions I’ve found that explains it: “Selective Laser Sintering and Direct Metal Laser Sintering are essentially the same thing, with SLS […]

3D Printing Helping Decommission Nuclear Power Plants

One under-appreciated benefit of 3D printing is being able to 3D scan and reproduce obsolete parts – either through traditional or additive manufacturing.  For example, we’ve been working with the State of Oregon to reverse engineer, improve and manufacture obsolete parts for some of its correctional facilities – saving several thousand dollars for each cell […]

Inconel Alloy 625 Now Available for 3D Printing

Inconel 625, a nickel-based alloy is said to be the first single metal alloy for 3D printing industrial applications at greater than 99 per cent density according to ExOne which creates the metal using its binder jetting technology. Inconel 625 is commonly used for components in the aerospace, chemical and energy sectors, with applications including […]