Glass and ceramic 3D printers have always been complex machines, recently AIM3D has launched its newest generation of multimaterial printheads for its composite extrusion modeling (CEM), capable of printing Plastic, metal and ceramics. CEM combines the metal injection molding process (MIM), a well-known method, with the process technologies from additive manufacturing.
The result is a very simple process that is based on cost-effective and easily available injection molding pellets and offers the freedom of 3D printing. The CEM process not only reduces material costs significantly, but also machine costs. Already known problems in production, such as residual stresses, are significantly reduced in the CEM process.
CEM-E2 extruder. Capable of printing metal, plastic, and ceramics, the extruder’s print heads are optimized for different materials and are designed to achieve improved accuracy, higher surface quality, and better mechanical properties of parts. AIM3D has also developed its own ceramic Pellets, in combination with the CEM extruder this makes possible for the making of 3D printed ceramic parts.
The process of how this pellets become a final 3D printed part are described bellow:
3D printing Ceramic is not an easy task. Most of the existing methods rely on high temperature to help reach the ceramics melting point to later mold it into the desired form, but laying particles of it in the desired form to later fuse them together is a much more efficient and controlled method.
The truth about glass recycling is that it really depends on where you live and how the glass recycling policies are, therefore how the processes to recycle work from start to finish determine the glass life-cycle. In some states or countries, sadly millions of glass bottles end up dumped in a landfill, and this can even happen if the glass has been collected through a recycling bin.
Glass is 100% recyclable many times and it is capable of being reused without losing its quality and purity. That is why it is a very popular material for consumers and to be used for different purposes. Yet it is a material which we could get much more benefits from as it is not being recycled nearly as much as it could be.
Nowadays in the US, glass-recycling rate is around 33% and it has been like that for many years now. In Europe and some US states with the bottle deposit law, glass-recycling average rates are closer to 70% proof that this is possible worldwide and the impact would have enormous environmental benefits. If the glass-recycling rate be to 50%, it would redirect millions of glass from landfills while reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 1.4 million metric tons. This could be as good as taking 300,000 cars off the streets.
By the end of the decade there has been a goal set by the Glass Packaging Institute to achieve the 50% recycling rate that is intended to be domestic efficient as well as for companies. However it cannot be achieve without an structured plan. The public and private sectors must cooperate making specific investments in infrastructure to improve collection and recycling processes.
For this plan to be executed the Glass Packaging Institute has partnered with Boston Consulting Group to develop a structured plan with three main pillars:
Leave no bottle behind
Creating bottle-bill laws, clean collection options and commercial recycling programs.
Transform the recycling system
Creating a much more efficient process that goes from collection to separating to processing.
Collective actions
Having the private sector to create user-friendly deposit-return programs.
These three pillars are crucial for the program to work and they are self-reinforcing so none could be successful without the others, so every of these approaches are necessary.
So, by the 2030 the goal is set and this could benefit not only the US but encourage many other countries to implement it and reduce the glass-pollution impact in the world.
Made in the USA the MultiCam 3000/5000 Series Waterjet CNC it’s an easy-to-use, production cutting solution with optional 5-axis designed for cutting glass range of substrates.
The 3000/5000-Series CNC Waterjet options include pneumatic drill, chiller for intensifier, air ballast water-leveling system, closed loop filtration system, and abrasive removal system. Every MultiCam 3000/5000 Series Waterjets comes with the full support of the MultiCam Technology Center network.
Powered by KMT Waterjet SL-VI pump at 60,000psi/4,137bar, its high-pressure waterjet machining offers advantages when working with a wide range of substrates; allowing cutting highly accurate parts with excellent finish and no heat-affected edge.
Applications |
Waterjet Options |
Stone and tile machining |
Full range of table sizes (4’ X 4’ to 20’ X 60’+) |
Job shop (general parts fabrication) |
Full range of intensifiers (30 HP to 200 HP) |
Metal cutting (all metals) |
60K and 90K PSI options |
Aerospace machining (non heat-affected edge) |
Abrasive and pure water heads |
Automotive parts manufacturing |
Multiple heads for simultaneous machining of parts |
Gasket manufacturing (rubber products) |
Closed water filtration systems |
Foam cutting |
Abrasive removal systems |
Glass/ceramics machining |
Chillers |
Carpet cutting (pure water) |
Applications |
Waterjet Options |
Waterjet Options |
Z-Axis Clearance |
10” |
254mm |
Z-Axis Travel |
8” |
152.3mm |
Reapeatability |
+/-0.001 |
+/-0.0254 |
Cut Speed |
2100 IPM |
53.34 MPM |
Rapid Traverse |
1500 IPM |
38.1 MPM |
Drive System (X,Y) |
Rack & Pinion |
Rack & Pinion |
Drive System (Z) |
Ball Screw |
Ball Screw |
Additive manufacturing is the base of 3D printing, it has several methods but the most used and common are SLA (Stereolithography) or SLS (selective laser sintering) and FDM (fused deposition modeling). Both generally use polymers as the main material to produce prints and here is where things can get complicated, in this article we will cover the use of glass and its raw materials used to produce 3D prints.octype html>
3D printing glass is not an easy task, there have been a few organizations and scientists that were able to produce a 3D printed glass piece. Most of these methods rely on high temperature to help reach the glass melting point to later mold it into the desired form, glass will require temperatures around a 1000 ºC to reach its fusion point.
A team of engineers from the University of Washington succeeded by using glass powder and a binder solution to make particles react and thus being able to lay them and form a desired glass object. The technique allows a new type of material (glass) to be used in a typical powder based 3D printing system.
In 2017, a German group of researchers from KIT (Karlsruhe Institute of Technology) used an SLA process to create intricate glass objects. In SLA printing, light is used to selectively harden liquid materials into solid parts, layer by layer. The team applied the SLA process to a special ink containing glass nanopowder suspended in a photocurable polymer, and then they fired the piece at 1,300 ºC to burn off the polymer and densify the glass.
Most recently (November 2019), ETH Zürich have used a similar method as the KIT researchers, they have developed a special resin that contains a plastic and organic molecules to which glass precursors are bonded, the resin can be cured by UV Light using commercially available DLP 3D printers.
After the resin is cured into the desired form, the piece is subjected to two different temperatures: at 600˚C to burn off the polymer framework and then at around 1000˚C to densify the ceramic structure into glass. During the firing process, the objects shrink significantly, but become transparent and hard like window glass.