More bang for the buck

Additive manufacturing (AM) is a growing industry as AM companies introduce new machines, new features, and new prices to make AM more affordable in the manufacturing arena. That was evident at Rapid 2010 as several companies debuted their new machines. Z Corporation introduced a rapid prototyping machine called the ZBuilder Ultra that it claims builds high-end functional prototypes at one-third of the price of machines with comparable performance. It will be available in July, says the company.

The ZBuilder is a stereolithography machine that builds durable plastic parts rivaling those produced by injection molding in accuracy, material properties, detail, and surface finish, says Scott Harmon, VP of business development for Z Corp. It enables engineers to verify designs for form, fit, and function prior to full-scale production, eliminating costly modifications to production tooling and shortening time to market.

“When you’re done with the innovation phase, you have to get into the engineering design phase, and you need parts closer to the actual end-use parts,” says Harmon. “Our mission is to help customers improve the inputs and outputs to achieve what they are looking for in this engineering design phase.”

Harmon explains that ZBuilder Ultra has a unique set of capabilities that is different from competing machines. “We find that for companies that are focused on innovation and creativity, and that are consumer oriented, we have advantages for design engineers, and can design far more models in less time and with greater physical fidelity than others in the same price point.”

Key benefits include providing accurate part features to within +/-0.008 inches, and razor-thin walls and sharp details through precise control of the light source; and parts with an ultra-smooth surface finish so that parts appear injection molded. Additionally, the ZBuilder Ultra is twice as fast as other RP systems, enabling users to verify designs the next day.

The ZBuilder Ultra also helps compress the design cycle, improve communication, and foster collaboration. “ZBuilder is the ideal addition to our product line, enabling customers to streamline the entire product development cycle,” adds Z Corporation CEO John Kawola.

While the parts that ZBuilder Ultra produces are still very much prototypes, Harmon says they are “ones that behave like end-use parts, ones that provide an outstanding representation of many performance plastics. Not every prototype needs to be in the end-use plastic in the design phase. We engage the customer in the properties they’re really interested in, and then find the solution that best fits those needs.”

ZBuilder Ultra will be available in July through Z Corporation’s worldwide reseller network. The suggested retail price in the U.S. is $34,900. International pricing will vary. —Clare Goldsberry