Photo Release -- 3D Systems Helps Bi-Link Slash Product Development Time and Costs With 3D Printed Injection Molds


  • 3D printed injection mold tooling shaves weeks off production times
  • Results in true production parts without compromises
  • 3DS and Bi-Link highlight injection molding applications in live webinar on March 17

ROCK HILL, S.C., March 11, 2015 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- 3D Systems (NYSE:DDD) today announced that Chicago-based mechanical component supplier Bi-Link Corporation uses 3D-printed injection mold tooling to drive powerful design cycle innovation and slash part development costs. Using several ProJet® 3500 HDMax printers, Bi-Link provides its customers with 3D print injection mold tooling and real-time production-grade test parts in mere hours—all at a fraction of the cost of traditional tooling. Watch this video to see the 3D print injection mold tooling process and applications.

A photo accompanying this release is available at http://www.globenewswire.com/newsroom/prs/?pkgid=31331

Bi-Link collaborates with engineering teams all over the world to solve complex design challenges from beginning to end. By incorporating the ProJet 3500 HDMax into their workflow, they've become exceedingly nimble so they can support rapid design iteration, create production test parts in as little as a day, diagnose problems in manufacturability, and even provide short-run manufacturing for their clients.This gives Bi-Link incredible business agility and a true advantage over prior processes.

"3D printed molds have allowed us to greatly enhance our E2E (engineer to engineer) focus," said Ray Ziganto, President, Bi-Link. "We are able to provide near real-time design-for-manufacturability and supply pre-prototype parts to verify designs, both of which help our customers reduce their design cycle time."

3DS' range of shop floor-ready MultiJet and Stereolithography 3D printers support fast, accurate injection mold tooling production. This advanced manufacturing application is helping OEMs, tool & die shops and contract manufacturers shave weeks from their design cycles, saving thousands on tooling costs per mold. Additionally, the unlimited complexity afforded by 3D printing grants complete freedom in the tooling design process.

"The notion that you need metal tooling to manufacture production parts isn't valid anymore," said Buddy Byrum, Vice President of Product Management, 3DS. "Bi-Link's injection mold tooling demonstrates just how disruptive 3D printing can be to manufacturing. In many cases, 3D printed molds can produce parts that would be difficult or impossible with metal tools."

To highlight the benefits and use cases of 3D printing injection mold tooling, 3DS and Bi-Link are hosting a live webinar on March 17, 2015 at 11:00 a.m. EDT. This webinar will showcase several of Bi-Link's projects and how they've used the ProJet 3500 HDMax to put injection molded parts in customers' hands in as little as a day. To register, go to:

http://3dprinters.3dsystems.com/bi-link-injection-molding-webinar-pr-lp/.

To find out more information about Bi-Link's 3D printing injection mold tooling, click here.

About 3D Systems

3D Systems provides the most advanced and comprehensive 3D digital design and fabrication solutions available today, including 3D printers, print materials and cloud-sourced custom parts. Its powerful ecosystem transforms entire industries by empowering professionals and consumers everywhere to bring their ideas to life using its vast material selection, including plastics, metals, ceramics and edibles. 3DS' leading personalized medicine capabilities save lives and include end-to-end simulation, training and planning, and printing of surgical instruments and devices for personalized surgery and patient specific medical and dental devices. Its democratized 3D digital design, fabrication and inspection products provide seamless interoperability and incorporate the latest immersive computing technologies. 3DS' products and services disrupt traditional methods, deliver improved results and empower its customers to manufacture the future now.

Leadership Through Innovation and Technology

  • 3DS invented 3D printing with its Stereolithography (SLA) printer and was the first to commercialize it in 1989.
       
  • 3DS invented Selective Laser Sintering (SLS) printing and was the first to commercialize it in 1992.
       
  • 3DS invented the ColorJet Printing (CJP) class of 3D printers and was the first to commercialize 3D powder-based systems in 1994.
      
  • 3DS invented MultiJet Printing (MJP) printers and was the first to commercialize it in 1996.
      
  • 3DS Medical Modeling pioneered virtual surgical planning (VSP) and its services are world-leading, helping many thousands of patients on an annual basis.

Today its comprehensive range of 3D printers is the industry's benchmark for production-grade manufacturing in aerospace, automotive, patient specific medical device and a variety of consumer, electronic and fashion accessories.

More information on the company is available at www.3dsystems.com.



            
3D Printed Injection Molds

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