Cool web site, thanks for the heads up Joe. Any comments on speed? Hope it's faster than the site.
----- Original Message -----
From: Joseph Kowen
To: rp-ml@bart.lpt.fi
Sent: Monday, March 13, 2000 1:17 PM
Subject: New Product Announcement
March 13, 2000
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Objet Geometries Ltd. Introduces Innovative Three-Dimensional Printer
Objet Geometries Ltd. (Rehovot, Israel) has today announced an innovative three-dimensional ink jet printer at the National Design Engineering Show in Chicago, Illinois. The company will be demonstrating a pre-production version of the machine, called Objet Quadra, which will be available for $39,000 during the second half of this year in the U.S. Objet also plans to demonstrate the new machine at the April 2000 Rapid Prototyping & Manufacturing 2000, in Rosemont, Illinois.
The Quadra process is based on state-of-the-art ink jet printing technology. The printer, which uses 1536 nozzles, jets a proprietary photopolymer developed in-house by Objet’s talented materials development team. Because it requires no post-cure or post-processing, Quadra offers the fastest start-to-finish process of any rapid prototyping (RP) machine currently on the market.
Objet will initially offer one grade of material with properties similar to multipurpose resins currently offered with competitive RP systems. Additional materials with varying properties are under development. Material is delivered by a sealed cartridge that is easily installed and replaced. Jetting of different resins, once they become available, will not require costly investments in materials or hardware upgrades. A new cartridge is dropped into place without any complicated procedures or specially trained staff.
"Objet's new Quadra technology may prove to be one of the most important new developments in the history of the RP industry," said industry consultant Terry Wohlers, president of Wohlers Associates, Inc., of Fort Collins, Colorado. "What I saw in technology innovation and part quality was impressive." Models are built by jetting layers of resin that are fully cured, layer-by-layer, using two UV lights. Models printed on the Objet Quadra do not require post-curing of any kind.
Wohlers continued by saying that Objet has achieved what many thought was impossible. "Depositing and curing photopolymer by ink jet printing is a first," he said. "The machine offers a ratio of price to performance that will compete head-on with some systems costing 10 times as much," he believes. “Quadra’s approach to support structures is another first and is one of the most striking features of the system,” Wohlers said.
Quadra deposits a second material that is jetted to support models containing complicated geometry, such as overhangs and undercuts. The support material is easily removed by hand after building the model. The support material separates easily from the model body without leaving any contact points or blemishes to the model. No special staff or training is required. Furthermore, models built on the system do not require sanding or smoothing where the supports are attached.
Objet Quadra offers significant advantages over previous technologies in the field. The material properties of items printed on Quadra are unmatched by machines in its class and price category, and are equaled only by industrial systems that cost an order of magnitude more. The Quadra prints in a resolution of 600 dpi, with a layer thickness of 20 microns (0.0008 inch), and builds parts of up to 270 x 320 x 200 mm (11 x 12 x 8 inches). The introduction of Quadra marks the start of a revolution in the area of three-dimensional imaging.
The significance of Quadra is that the technological platform developed by Objet provides the basis for further development in the area of three-dimensional printing for years to come. According to Objet’s managing director, Hanan Gothait, “Objet’s Quadra puts three-dimensional imaging into the hands of engineers and designers. It will revolutionize the way that products are designed, reducing time-to-market for a wide range of manufacturing industries, from automobile companies to cellular telephone companies, and many other industries in between.”
Objet chairman, Effi Ephrath, describes the new printer as clean, quick and cost effective, providing designers with the opportunity to review their digital designs early on, and frequently, in the product design process. He believes that within a relatively short time, three-dimensional printers will become an indispensable tool for designers, in much the way that plotters became standard equipment for them over the past few years.
Objet’s software team developed software for Quadra, which is based on Windows NT/98/2000. An intuitive user interface aids users in setting up the build, scaling, and positioning single and multiple models. Maintenance costs for Quadra are expected to be low. The UV lamps are a standard off-the-shelf item, priced below $75 each, with a life of 1000 hours. Users can easily replace the lamps themselves. Patents are pending on Quadra and it’s resins.
About Objet Geometries
Objet Geometries, a privately held start-up company, was founded in 1998. The company consists of an interdisciplinary staff of 25 specialists in the fields of ink jet technologies, materials and software. The company is located in the Weizmann Science Park in Rehovot, Israel, and is managed by Mr. Hanan Gothait, one of its founders.
Further Information:
Joseph Kowen +972-8-940-9717 ext. 113 josephk@objet.co.il
Brondi Ben Yosef +972-8-940-9717 ext. 120 brandib@objet.co.il
www.objet.co.il (available March 13, 2000)
Graphic images of the machine and printed material available upon request.
For more information about the rp-ml, see http://ltk.hut.fi/rp-ml/
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