{"id":10700,"date":"2020-06-26T04:05:18","date_gmt":"2020-06-26T10:05:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.ulprospector.com\/knowledge\/?p=10700"},"modified":"2022-05-31T14:26:19","modified_gmt":"2022-05-31T20:26:19","slug":"pe-electroimpact-unveils-continuous-fiber-reinforced-3d-printing-system","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ulprospector.ul.com\/10700\/pe-electroimpact-unveils-continuous-fiber-reinforced-3d-printing-system\/","title":{"rendered":"Electroimpact unveils continuous fiber-reinforced 3D printing system\u00a0"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Electroimpact
(L-R) Electroimpact engineers Jordan Petersen, Ryan Bischoff and Cody Brown, shown here holding a door printed by SCRAM, have \u2013 together with Reese Allen \u2013 comprised the core team working on this technology.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Electroimpact Inc. would like you to meet SCRAM. The 34-year-old company based in Mukilteo, Washington, near Seattle, has finally pulled back the curtain on its multi-material, multi-process system that can be used to 3D print composite parts without layup mandrels or expensive fixed tooling.<\/p>\n

It calls the system Scalable Composite Robotic Additive Manufacturing (SCRAM), and has been working on the technology for more than four years, according to project manager Cody Brown. Only recently, however, did company officials feel comfortable to begin discussing the development publicly. The firm is, at its core, an aerospace company, and has more than 400 engineers on staff out of some 600 total employees.<\/p>\n

Electroimpact has integrated a thermoplastic automatic fiber placement (AFP) process and an advanced fused filament fabrication (FFF) 3D printing process to create SCRAM, which it describes as \u201can industrial, true\u00a0six-axis, continuous fiber-reinforced 3D printer.\u201d<\/p>\n

The process eliminates the need for tooling that is expensive and time-consuming to build, thereby speeding the process to make aerospace-grade, integrated composite structures. The firm uses high-performance thermoplastics \u2013\u2013 at the moment, primarily from the family of high-end polyaryletherketone (PAEK) resins \u2013\u2013 combined with a high percentage (usually up to 50-60 percent) of continuous fiber reinforcement.<\/p>\n

Once the part is fully printed, it is bathed in a vat filled with a solution that dissolves the thermoplastic support material. There is no need for curing, autoclaving, or vacuum bagging.<\/p>\n

The result, its officials claim, is a process that can \u201cproduce parts with exceptional material properties previously unheard of in the world of additive manufacturing.\u201d It also can produce structures that they claim would otherwise be \u201cgeometrically impossible.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"curved
Mechanical engineer Reese Allen, shown here with a curved duct printed by SCRAM, has been a key member of the development team.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Mechanical engineer and AM specialist Reese Allen stated: \u201cWe are also able to use a special FFF process to print a short-fiber-reinforced polymer onto continuous-fiber skin material, which opens up flexibility for things like variable density core (or infill) geometry.\u201d<\/p>\n

The current manufacturing configuration involves an enclosed, heated production cell that measures roughly 14 feet in each direction. Electroimpact currently can build a cylindrical part that is about four feet in diameter and five feet tall, said Brown. But the system is \u201ceasily scalable and can grow much bigger.\u201d The production cube is insulated and isothermal, since it\u2019s vital to maintain constant temperatures within plus or minus 1 deg. C.<\/p>\n

The print time for such a part can range from several days to about a week. But users stand to save weeks, if not months, by being able to eliminate the tool-making step. Electroimpact expects soon to also add milling and drilling capability to the system.<\/p>\n

The company has been very deliberate in its pursuit of this project, Brown said. For the first one and a half to two years, \u201cwe worked on the fundamental materials and technology research,\u201d trying to learn as much as possible about how best to proceed. They partnered with Siemens\u2019 computer-aided manufacturing group, and have made important advances, in baby steps, in the past two and a half years.<\/p>\n

Allen said the team first worked to figure out the material systems. \u201cWe did as much engineering as possible on paper, but then you just have to do it.\u201d Electroimpact now is working to further development by collaborating with an aerospace company they declined to identify. It also is talking with several universities, and wants to find \u201cthe right one\u201d with which to partner.<\/p>\n

\"SCRAM
Electroimpact has been developing this six-axis, continuous fiber-reinforced 3D printer system, dubbed Scalable Composite Robotic Additive Manufacturing (or SCRAM), for nearly four years.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u201cWe want to go big, and make strong, integrated, composite structures,\u201d Allen said.<\/p>\n

The cost to make each such production unit would be \u201cin the couple million dollar range\u201d now, said Brown. But the plan is to continue development and to bring that cost down substantially.<\/p>\n

\u201cDown the road, we hope to be able to sell such systems,\u201d he said, while noting it currently involves a very complex process that requires a substantial learning curve. \u201cIt\u2019s not a print and go solution.\u201d<\/p>\n

While Electroimpact\u2019s focus is clearly on the aviation and defense industries, company officials potentially see applications in the space program and in automotive, among other sectors.<\/p>\n

See the SCRAM in action in this short YouTube video: http:\/\/www.electroimpact.com\/3d<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Electroimpact Inc. would like you to meet SCRAM. The 34-year-old company based in Mukilteo, Washington, near Seattle, has finally pulled back the curtain on its multi-material, multi-process system that can be used to 3D print composite parts without layup mandrels … Continued<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":23,"featured_media":10706,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"episode_type":"","audio_file":"","podmotor_file_id":"","podmotor_episode_id":"","cover_image":"","cover_image_id":"","duration":"","filesize":"","filesize_raw":"","date_recorded":"","explicit":"","block":"","itunes_episode_number":"","itunes_title":"","itunes_season_number":"","itunes_episode_type":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[21],"tags":[],"ppma_author":[1244],"class_list":{"0":"post-10700","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-plastics-2","8":"entry"},"yoast_head":"\nElectroimpact unveils continuous fiber-reinforced 3D printing system\u00a0<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Meet SCRAM, a multi-material, multi-process system that can be used to 3D print composite parts without layup mandrels or expensive fixed tooling.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/ulprospector.ul.com\/10700\/pe-electroimpact-unveils-continuous-fiber-reinforced-3d-printing-system\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Electroimpact unveils continuous fiber-reinforced 3D printing system\u00a0\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Meet SCRAM, a multi-material, multi-process system that can be used to 3D print composite parts without layup mandrels or expensive fixed tooling. 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He has broad global experience and for more than 35 years has worked as a journalist, editor-in-chief, publishing executive and key connector of like-minded parties. He has launched successful publications and C-level events on three continents. While with Crain Communications Inc., he oversaw the relaunch of the 100-year-old European Rubber Journal in London and helped to start Urethanes Technology magazine there. \u00a0In 1988 Bob returned to Akron, Ohio, to serve as founding editor of Plastics News, an award-winning, weekly business newspaper. In 2005 he oversaw the editorial launch of the bilingual (Chinese and English) PN China e-newsletter and website. For more than a decade at PN he also held the titles of associate publisher, editorial director and conference director, and most recently served as business development director. A long-time affiliate member of the Industrial Designers Society of America, Bob has organized numerous design-focused events, earned a Personal Recognition Award from IDSA in 2013, and constantly strives to help bridge the gap between the design and manufacturing communities. In 2014 he left Crain and created RC Grace LLC in Akron, Ohio, as a consultancy that aims to help companies to enhance their branding and market presence, find business partners, connect with design resources (here or in Asia), secure funding and advance their growth initiatives. Email Bob or visit his website at www.rcgrace.com to learn more about how he can help you.","sameAs":["http:\/\/ulprospector.com"],"url":"https:\/\/ulprospector.ul.com\/author\/robert-grace\/"}]}},"authors":[{"term_id":1244,"user_id":23,"is_guest":0,"slug":"robert-grace","display_name":"Bob Grace","avatar_url":"https:\/\/ulprospector.ul.com\/media\/2017\/10\/Robert-Grace_avatar_1508791447-96x96.jpg","0":null,"1":"","2":"","3":"","4":"","5":"","6":"","7":"","8":""}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/ulprospector.ul.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10700","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/ulprospector.ul.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/ulprospector.ul.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ulprospector.ul.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/23"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ulprospector.ul.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=10700"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/ulprospector.ul.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10700\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ulprospector.ul.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/10706"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/ulprospector.ul.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=10700"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ulprospector.ul.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=10700"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ulprospector.ul.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=10700"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ulprospector.ul.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/ppma_author?post=10700"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}