Het Zwitserse bedrijf Tegulas, dat zich bezighoudt met de ontwikkeling van dakpannen, maakt al vele jaren gebruik van 3D-designsoftware voor het ontwerpen van nieuwe modellen. Sinds 2019 verdiept het bedrijf zich ook in 3D-printtechnologie voor de productie van onderdelen voor de werktuigen, waarmee de dakpannen door de klanten worden geproduceerd. Daarvoor wordt een FDM-printer van het Nederlandse bedrijf FELIXprinters gebruikt.

3D-technologie speelt een belangrijke rol in het ontwerpproces van Tegulas Dachziegeldesign und Formenbau – zoals het bedrijf officieel heet. Op basis van de wensen van de klanten worden nieuwe modellen dakpannen in 3D-programma’s ontworpen en virtueel getest. Daarvoor wordt 3D-ontwerp- en simulatiesoftware Pro/Engineer van PTC gebruikt. De ontwerpen worden als digitale bestanden met de klant gedeeld en besproken, waarbij met behulp van de 3D-renderingtool Key-Shot ook een fotorealistische weergave van een compleet dakoppervlakte getoond kan worden. Na goedkeuring van het model worden tien tot twintig prototypes in kunsthars gegoten, om te controleren of het ontwerp aan de eisen voldoet.

Als het model van de dakpan goedgekeurd is, worden het productieproces en de machines in 3D ontworpen, waarbij met alle bewerkingen aan de dakpan in het proces rekening gehouden wordt. Voor de pers worden de mallen ontworpen en de handelingen van de machine worden in een simulatie getest. Tegulas is altijd aanwezig bij de oplevering en de inbedrijfstelling van de machine om het productieproces te testen. De specificaties en de kwaliteit van de eerste dakpannen die kant en klaar uit de bakovens komen worden uitgebreid gecontroleerd. Waar nodig worden het ontwerp, de mallen of de werktuigen aangepast.

Dakpannenontwerp

“Hoewel we gebruikmaken van de ervaringsgegevens en testinformatie uit het verleden is het ontwerpen van een nieuw model dakpan geen knip- en plakwerk”, legt Daniel Imhof, directeur van Tegulas uit. “Er zijn veel aspecten, waarmee bij het ontwerp van een dakpan rekening gehouden moet worden. De functionele eisen – bescherming van het gebouw tegen de uiteenlopende weersomstandigheden – wegen uiteraard het zwaarst. De dakpan – en vooral de aansluitingen – moeten zo ontworpen worden, dat ze enerzijds zo min mogelijk ruimte in beslag nemen en anderzijds geen water, sneeuw, vuil of wind doorlaten. Ook de wateropname en de vorst- en stormbestendigheid van het materiaal zijn belangrijke criteria.  En uiteraard bestaan er allerlei regels en normen waaraan we moeten voldoen.”

Dakpannen zijn in de afgelopen decennia enorm veranderd. Ze zijn dunner, vlakker en groter geworden, om materiaal te besparen; weerstand en kieren te verminderen en de dakdekker sneller te kunnen laten werken. Twintig jaar geleden gingen er 17 dakpannen in een vierkante meter; tegenwoordig nog maar tien. Daarnaast bestaan er verschillende soorten bevestigingssystemen voor dakpannen: er zijn hangsystemen, maar in sommige regio’s worden dakpannen worden vastgezet met spijkers of schroeven. Bovendien moet tegenwoordig ook rekening gehouden worden met de installatie van zonnepanelen op daken.

Het kosmetische aspect is eveneens een belangrijke factor bij het design van een dakpan. Eigenschappen als vorm, kleur en het gebruik van glazuur zijn uiteraard ook in functioneel opzicht van belang, maar ze hebben veel invloed op het aanzicht van het dakoppervlakte en de uitstraling van een gebouw.

Productie-eisen

Voor de gemiddelde woningeigenaar of dakdekker zijn de productietechnische eigenschappen van een dakpan  minder relevant, maar voor de fabrikant zijn ze cruciaal. Ze werken met leem, een natuurlijk product. Het wordt eerst gemengd en in de gewenste vorm geperst, waarna de dakpannen bij een temperatuur van zo’n 90 graden in een droogkamer drogen. Als het vochtgehalte is gedaald tot zo’n 2 à 3% gaan de dakpannen een oven in waar ze bij een temperatuur van 100 tot 150 graden worden gebakken. Daarna kunnen er bewerkingen als kleuren of glazuren plaatsvinden. Het productieproces is helemaal geautomatiseerd is. Het materiaal van de dakpan, de dikte en de afmetingen hebben invloed op de droog- en baktijd, maar het zijn vooral de details voor de bevestiging en de aansluiting die van grote invloed zijn op de productie van de mallen en het aantal bewerkingen in de pers. Omdat de dakpannen voor transport op pallets gestapeld worden, wordt bij het ontwerp ook gekeken naar de stapelbaarheid van dakpannen.

3D-technologie

“Hoewel we zelf geen dakpannen produceren, vonden we 3D-printing een interessante ontwikkeling  voor ons”, verduidelijkt Imhof. “We hebben toen onze eerste 3D-printer aangeschaft. Daarmee maakten we bijvoorbeeld kleinere schaalmodellen en testmodellen voor het verzamelen van informatie over de eigenschappen, het leggen en de weersbestendigheid. Ook hebben we wat ervaring kunnen opdoen met het graveren of drukken van logo’s en type-informatie in dakpannen. Langzamerhand kwamen we erachter dat we met een 3D-printer zelf ook onderdelen voor onze machines konden maken. We keken vooral naar het maken van modellen voor het aluminiumgieten van mallen voor dakpannen. Van de 3D-modellen die eerst van hout maakten, wordt een zandafdruk gemaakt, waar in het aluminium gegoten wordt. Omdat de mogelijkheden beperkt waren, zijn we op zoek gegaan naar een grotere 3D-printer. Zo kwamen we terecht bij FELIXprinters.”

“Het bedrijf is hier op bezoek geweest en heeft ons geholpen bij het printen van een gietmodel voor  een mal. Dat ging zo goed, dat we een 3D-printer en 11 kilometer filament kochten. Momenteel maken we zelf ook al bepaalde andere kunststofonderdelen voor onze apparatuur. Die componenten moeten bestand zijn tegen olie en bepaalde chemicaliën, maar we hebben ontdekt dat de 3D-geprinte componenten stabiel genoeg zijn.”

Printen met leem

Imhof is zeer te spreken over de samenwerking met FELIXprinters. “De prijs-prestatieverhouding van de printers is prima, maar de ondersteuning bij de ontwikkeling van de toepassingen en de productie van de eerste onderdelen was echt onmisbaar.”

Volgens Imhof is het seriematig 3D-printen van dakpannen nog niet haalbaar, omdat industriële toepassingen van 3D-printing extreem duur zijn. Er is bovendien nog weinig ervaring met het printen met leem of beton. Voor het printen van keramische tegels of kunststof afsluitmateriaal voor dakbedekking zie ik wel mogelijkheden.”

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1. EXPERIMENT INFORMATION

2. INTRODUCTION

One of the main challenges in tissue engineering is the lack of vascularization in the created tissue. Bioprinting has been one of the most promising approaches to generate high-resolution tissue models in a controlled manner. However, the printing of hollow structures and channels remains a challenge. One of the gold standards is the use of Pluronics as sacrificial ink to create such structures, yet its main drawback is that it only dissolves at cold temperature. Often larger structures also require to be placed on ice which is a limiting factor for cellular applications.  This project will focus on the co-development and characterization of a sacrificial bioink which can be removed at physiological conditions in the presence of cells. The sacrificial ink will be combined with commercially available biocompatible bioinks and will be optimized for dual-printed bioprinting on the Felix Bioprinter. In this respect, the optimal printing parameters will be determined by varying printing speed, temperature and applied pressure during printing and the development of the printed structures will be fine-tuned. The biocompatibility of the sacrificial bioink will be addressed by in vitro cell studies.

3. EXPERIMENT DETAILS

First, the printing parameters were optimized for the FELIX Bioprinter. The selection of the best parameters was done by visually inspecting and selecting the best results. The main characteristics for a correctly printed sample are a defined grid, visible pores, consistently sized edges, and fully printed lines which don’t break up. The shear thinning nature of the bioinks SUPPORT INX and STABLE INX allows the straightforward processing for deposition printing.

Figure 1. Viscosity of the used bioinks at different shear rates.

Table 1. Optimal printing parameters of SUPPORT INX.

With the above-mentioned parameters structures with high shape fidelity could be printed.

Figure 2. Printed structures using SUPPORT INX.

Complex structures containing channels were successfully printed by combining STABLE INX with SUPPORT INX as support material. More specifically, 1 mm diameter straight and branching channels by flushing and applying a vacuum. Afterwards the scaffolds were sterilized and were seeded with GFP-labelled cells.

Figure 3. 1 mm in diameter channels were printed in STABLE INX using SUPPORT INX support followed by seeding with HT1080 cells.

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3D Food printers can create beautiful culinary creations, but also increase productivity and efficiency in food preparation

FELIX FOOD 3D printer, 3D printed brocolli

FELIXprinters in IJsselstein, the Netherlands, has focused on the development and production of 3D printers since 2011. Now we are launching a series of food 3D printers. Pastes, chocolate, puree, fats and soya can be prepared in a multitude of ways using a food 3d printer. A food printer can also improve the efficiency of food preparation in the kitchen, thanks to its ability to independently complete print jobs, freeing up chefs to do other tasks. Food printers also provide a solution for eating and swallowing problems by presenting food in a more appealing way through using novel food combinations, consistencies and shapes, to ease consumption and ingestion.

Using food 3d printing, a product or dish is built up layer by layer. This provides new possibilities in the food industry and commercial and industrial kitchen. Traditionally, difficult or complex shapes are made with the help of baking moulds or ready-to-use forms that can be stacked on top of each other.  With food 3D printing, countless possibilities of forms and structures are made possible, giving food preparation a spectacular, new edge. By 3D printing names, logos or icons, a dish gets a personal touch, taking it to the next level.

Besides the large new creative freedom, 3D printing also provides the possibility to increase the productivity and efficiency of food preparation.  The food printer works independently to print the programmed 3D design.  The global problem of food waste can be addressed by implementing food 3D printing. Foods that are less attractive that would typically be discarded, can be used to create pastes, for food 3D printing.  These ingredients get transformed into tasty and beautiful food creations.

Edible materials

A number of factors play a role in determining whether a food material is suitable to be 3D printed: viscosity, texture, the size of the nozzle of the 3D printer, taste combinations and the composition of the final product. The viscosity is the most important factor. The paste should pliable enough to the easily pushed through the nozzle.  It also shouldn’t harden or stiffen too quickly, causing nozzle blockage.  Too liquid should also be avoided, if you want to print higher 3D models, as this won’t retain its printed shape. Some pastes, such as dough, can be printed in its raw form and then left to dry and harden, frozen, cooked or baked.  The ideal viscosity is between 50 and 1.000 Pascal seconds (Pa.s).

The texture is also important. A soft and smooth substance is better and easier to 3D print than a puree containing solid pieces. The diameter of the nozzle also plays a role. One could also combine two pastes with different textures into one single print. An example of this would be the simulation of meat where this technique is used to copy the structure and taste of real meat.

In general, materials such as vegetable- and fruit purees, fats such as butter, chocolate, avocado, sugar products such as marzipan, soya, seaweed and algae, pasta dough, proteins and gelatin are good materials to 3D food print.

Three models

FELIXprinters offers three different types of food 3D printers. The Single Head Food 3D printer has one syringe, allowing you to print pastes accurately in a variety of forms with heights of up to 17 cm. The Twin Head Food 3D printer has two print heads mounted in a fixed position.  This printer prints simultaneously giving you double the output and perfectly copied print objects. Great for a higher print output. The Switch Food 3D printer has two printheads that can be filled with two different materials to combine in one single print.

FELIX FOOD 3D printers line-up

To find out more, visit www.felixfood.nl

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Ten years of growth and innovation

31 October marks the date that FELIXprinters was officially registered as a company.  10 years later  the company has grown to produce innovative 3D printers across a wide scope of the 3D printing market.

How it all started

The foundation that FELIXprinters is built on is that of innovation.  10 years ago, founder and CEO  Guillaume Feliksdal, built the FELIX 1 from his home in the Netherlands.  His background in engineering and experience in the industrial automation and robotics fields were the pillars that the machine was built on.

Eventually his father, Wilgo Feliksdal, with his years of experience in process automation and production, partnered with Guillaume to establish FELIXprinters as a fully-fledged business full time.

It was obvious that there was potential to put the product on the market.  The first FELIXprinter was sold and it became clear that there are many factors to take into consideration to make a successful sale and to deliver a professional product. As a private individual seeing a gap in the market, every single detail needs to be thought of, from bubble wrap to printing a professional manual.

Guillaume and Wilgo were thrown in the deep end, but learned to navigate the waters very quickly, setting up professional IT support systems and creating a streamlined production process.

The first community

The first group of FELIXprinters customers were the early adapters of 3D printing. The FELIXprinters forum was a source of discussion, information and connection. Through mainly word of mouth, sales increased.  Through the inputs from the active community, FELIXprinters could implement the suggestions and wishes of its users.

Evolution of the printers

With each iteration, the 3D printers contained features that made printing easier and more convenient. There was a natural progression in the early years, leading to 3D printers that were able to print taller prints, finer print quality with better user interfaces.

FELIXprinters was mainly focused on the personal and hobbyist market.  This gradually changed with the introduction of the FELIX Pro 3 and the FELIX Pro L and XL.  This new printer line-up was exceptionally suitable for professional and industrial use.  On the one hand due to its size, the printers were able to handle bigger production runs.  On the other hand, the bar was significantly raised in terms of the technology incorporated in the hardware and software.

This shift in focus matched what we were also seeing happening in the market.  According to a Market Analysis Report of Grand View Research, published in May 2021, “the industrial printer segment led the market and accounted for more than 76% share of the global revenue in 2020.”

This market evolution was also a defining factor in the focus for FELIXprinters.

Way of working

A number of industrial clients have approached FELIXprinters with business challenges that require a customized 3D printing solution.  Practically this means printing with:

• New material types, like food, chocolate, high temperature exotic filaments and bio materials.
• A series of printers with the ability to print and produce 24/7 without human intervention.
• Specialized print-head formats such as multiple extruders.

Some of the highlight of our customization projects:

A delicious project

3D printing delivers on the need to mass-produce chocolate in new an intricate forms that can only be created with the use of a 3D printer. This was a challenge in which we worked with multiple providers to optimize the supply, temperature, packaging and food safety. With this project we got to showcase our leadership in product design an automation, and we couldn’t be prouder in serving this client.

Mass personalization

Mass personalization was an academic term ten to twenty years ago, but today, 3D printing is also making this a reality.  We engineered a large series of industrial 3D printers that print individualized consumer designed products.  Orders are received from clients who specify exactly what they want printed and with the use of exotic filament that require very high temperatures to ensure durability and strength, each unique product is delivered, 24/7.

Customizable 3D BIOprinting

Bioprinting is a platform that is allowing scientists and research to explore the possibilities within their field and the 3D environment imitates the conditions under which cells move and live.  The FELIX BIOprinter was launched in partnership with a consortium of universities and scientists and has been adopted by visionaries with the aim to help you to find answers to questions about what is limiting us as humans to live optimal, healthy lives.

The future

What does the future hold for FELIXprinters and for the Additive Manufacturing industry?

According to co-founder Wilgo Feliksdal, the adoption of 3D printing is becoming the norm for more and more industries with the goal of faster production, personalised output and decreased costs. There is still work to be done to bring the possibilities of 3D printing to the fore for various industries.  Creatively tackling this problem by inspiring others with the possibilities and benefits of 3D printing is a tool in overcoming this obstacle, and making 3D printing a still more obvious choice for innovators today and in the future.

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Biofabrication is the use of additive manufacturing or 3D printing technologies for the (re)generation of biological tissues. This scientific field has the potential to revolutionize modern healthcare. However, to reach the life-saving breakthroughs in this very promising field it is very important that researchers, clinicians and the industry have access to the right tools for this endeavour. Therefore, XPECT INX, a spin-off project from Ghent University focuses on the development of innovative new materials for bioprinting. The team at Xpect Inx say: “We believe that the field of bioprinting or biofabrication is in need of reliable innovative materials or ‘bioinks’. Unfortunately, as with a lot of new research fields, there are a lot of innovations happening in academic circles which never bridge the gap to the real world. Therefore, by launching XPECT INX, we aim to capitalize on the years of academic research to bring these innovations to the market. These decades of academic expertise enabled us to develop high quality bio-inks and biomaterials.”

The FELIX BIOprinter offers a reliable platform for BIOprinting, and now, we are proud to announce this new collaboration with XPECT INX.  This means a full system approach to BIOprinting with a range of materials for all research and medical needs.

XPECT INX continues: “By tailoring our high quality XPECT INX bioinks for the FELIXbioprinter, we believe that this collaboration has the potential to expand the sum of parts. Via constant mutual developments, we believe that this collaboration reaches far greater than the sum of parts. We believe that this agreement can help to consolidate the first steps towards the future of healthcare.

XPECT INX is available for sale on the FELIXprinters webshop.

For more information about XPECT-INX, visit: www.xpect-inx.com

Contact either the FELIXprinters team at info@felixprinters .com or the XPECT INX team directly at info@xpect-inx.com

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The global 3D bioprinting market — currently valued at $965 million — is expected to grow at a CAGR of nearly 20% up to the mid 2020s, driven by increased healthcare demands, but also to overcome the supply bottlenecks and ethical issues associated with organ donation and tissue repair. Bioprinting also caters for the increased demand for customized patient-specific healthcare solutions, a trend that is only likely to accelerate moving forward.

FELIXprinters has established itself as a key player in the supply of mid-priced highly accurate industrial additive manufacturing (AM) machines, and has been independently assessed as the only credible rival to Ultimaker in terms of quality and cost-effectiveness in industrial AM*. The company’s reputation is built upon the Pro 3, Pro L, and Pro XL platforms, which are used throughout an array of industry sectors for challenging AM production applications.

The FELIX BIOprinter has been developed on the chassis of the established FELIXprinters product line, meaning that at its heart is the tried and tested technology that has already been serving manufacturers for years. The printer is characterized by key features that are specifically designed for medical, scientific, and research applications, including syringe cooling, print bed cooling and heating, a dual head system, easy syringe positioning (ergonomic access to the machine supports researchers in their work), and automatic bed levelling.

Wilgo Feliksdal, Co-Founder of FELIXprinters says, “The BIOprinter has been designed to be the ultimate bio research instrument in a cost-effective package. It has been developed alongside the brightest minds in the bioprinting sector, and we partnered with training4crm and the Technical University of Denmark (DTU), and received funding from the European Union Horizon 2020 Programme to develop the BIOprinter. Uniquely, the BIOprinter combines dual sterilizable printheads which have a modular design for easy changeovers, and separate heads are available to print different bio-inks at the same time. This integrates different material properties into a single scaffold structure.”

The BIOprinter has automatic bed levelling through the use of a unique probing systems which results in a perfect first layer, which means a quality end result. The BIOprinter also retracts with a highly precise motor for better dosage or materials and more accurate material flow versus alternative air pressure systems.

Feliksdal continues, “The BIOprinter consists of an adaptable and flexible ecosystem to ensure that it can meet a wide range of researchers’ needs without generating unnecessary costs. One major advantage is the source control system which enables the user to use standard slicing software and make changes themselves if needed. Also, syringes are not restricted to expensive brand-specific or in-house produced products that essentially drive up operating costs. The machine instead has been designed to use a standard 5ml syringe, and standardized petri dishes and culture plates, so there are no limitations on auxiliary parts and materials.

Users of the BIOprinter benefit from the fact that print heads are easy to sterilize, which eliminates the likelihood of contamination. The BIOprinter is hand-made in the Netherlands, and has undergone testing for 24 hours before being issued with CE certification. The machine is WIFI and LAN enabled, comes with a one-year warranty, and lifetime customer support.

The FELIX BIO is appropriate for all types of bio-printing research, and is equipped with strong motors that can extrude a range of different viscosity of materials. In addition, the BIOprinter has been designed to be easily upgradeable, which means that the lifecycle of the machine can be extended without compromising quality, reliability, and productivity.

* Toon Meynen, Trideus, Belgium, 2019.

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