SINTERIT

Case Studies

THE MOST PRECISE COMPACT SLS SYSTEM FOR

ALL INDUSTRIES

R&D PROTOTYPING WITH SINTERIT LISA

Designing innovative, intrinsically safe identification and location systems

for personnel and equipment in mining facilities is not a typical job of a

product designer. Devices based on radio systems and are made to work in

extreme conditions. Used hundreds of meters underground, help rescue

teams in finding the survivors after the mining accident, when the electrical

wires are broken.

The stake is high and financial responsibility even higher. To produce the

final devices, it is necessary to use injection molds that cost tens of thousands

of dollars. Any mistake made during the designing process is expensive and

time-consuming. Without 3D printing, the usage of the injection molds

would have been necessary not only for a final parts production but also for

the whole prototyping. In this case, Sinterit Lisa SLS 3D printer became the

problem-solving device.

Due to the high quality of the prints, the prototype can provide client’s

acceptance for the product, the approval for the injection molds files.

Owning the SLS 3D printer facilitate a lot for product design companies. You

can keep your project secure, without the need of using third-party

companies. Workflow is smoother and faster. Costs are at least several times

lower than using classical prototyping methods, and the risk of erroneous

orders falls to a minimum.

Medicine – Children heart

As it turned out, SLS technology meets all the requirements. Such SLS 3D-

printed models can be used both for planning the cardiac surgery but also for

interventional procedures, especially in complex and rare congenital heart

diseases when the anatomy is always different and vary from patient to

patient.

It helps to plan surgery and

therefore make it safer, easier

and shorter. Operations, where

doctors practiced on 3D printed

hearts, have a higher rate of

success, which is leading to a

better life of the patient.

3D printing turned out to be a perfect

solution for this problems.

Cardiologists could print every heart,

see the abnormality closely. They

could even do a mock-up surgery

before the real procedure.

Unfortunately, while the most

common FDM printers are good

enough for everyday use, this time

that technology couldn’t help.

Doctors needed a solution that would

provide surgical precision. They had

to imitate every little vein and artery

that surrounds the heart. For FDMs,

veins were either too thin to print or,

because of the needed supports, could

be easily torn apart during post-

processing.

SLS 3D printing helped with:

▪ Creating a 1:1 heart model of a neonate, that maintain structure and relation of different

anatomical structures like veins, trachea or arteries, not possible to achieve in other

technologies,

▪ Helping students to learn about various heart diseases in the most visual way Planning

and mocking upcoming procedures, what leads to a higher survival rate of patients,

▪ Explaining the heart diseases to parents, who are not aware of heart abnormalities in

general.

MECHANICS – BIKE GRIP

SLS 3D printed bike grips empowering extreme mountain

biking

Most of the great things begin out of passion and knowledge. The same was in NIRI

Grips case. Passionate off-road riders – Riccardo, mechanical engineer and Andrea, the

medical doctor with interest in the modern technologies used in sports, decided to

improve the quality of extreme biking. Combination of their experience and skills paved

the way to produce 3d printed, vibration absorbing bike grips. During the prototyping

process, they met Sinterit, producer of desktop 3d printers operating in selective laser

sintering (SLS) technology.

For extreme bikers, shock absorbance is crucial. According to the report “A

prospective study of downhill mountain biking injuries,” forearm injuries are

among one of the most common. For Andrea and Ricardo it was crucial to

find a way to protect athletes against those injuries.

Implementing the changes in

bicycle hardware, replacing

some typical parts for other,

more shock absorbance could

improve quality of biking, make

this experience better and

healthier. In this case, NIRI

founders believed that bike grips

were the parts, which needed to

be improved at the beginning.

They transmit the most

oppressive forces. Using 3D

printing, one of the most

innovative technology in the

21st century would benefit in

redesigning bike grips and

changing the whole experience.

SLS 3d print, the final

products are not only

durable but very light

as well.

Unconventional

possibilities of SLS

printing helps to make

solid lightweight,

lattice structures (only

49 grams each), hard to

make if not utterly

impossible in other

technologies. Their shock absorbing capabilities converts them into a final

product shortly after print. But for many years SLS printing was reserved

only for big, wealthy companies.

3D Printed Jewllery by unikke design

Unikke Design equals: unique, modern, functional and unexpected.

Jewellery made by Olga Guzik is a constant search for new solutions that

combine goldsmithing with new materials. First collection „Better Wear

Than Use” was made from real bullets. The main idea is to create innovative,

but functional design. From 2013 Unikke Design use 3D printing technology,

it is the first brand that puts natural stones inside of 3d printed models. In

2015 Unikke received Best New Designer Award (Inhorgenta).

Anti-pollution mask Living in increasingly

contaminated cities,

people are using protective

masks more and more

frequently. While there are

many styles for adults,

there are far fewer

designed especially for

children, for whom

pollution is definitely

more harmful. Bartlomiej

Gaczorek, a designer in 3D

technology, wanted to

respond to this need by

creating a mask for young

children.

The mask is used for respiratory protection during creative activities (painting,

polishing or gluing) and for everyday wear in areas with high air pollution. The best tool

for creating a fully functional mask was the Sinterit Lisa printer, using SLS technology.

This is due to features such as the ability to print permanent, targeted elements that could

be treated and painted to create a final product, not just a prototype. In addition, it has

the ability to print durable components (PA12 nylon) as well as flexible ones (TPU),

making it possible to print both rigid sections of the mask and an anatomically adjustable

section for the face.

Thanks to the relationship

between Autodesk Netfabb and

Sinterit, the designer was able to

create a mask that will protect

children from the harmful

pollution.

• A mask that is ideally suited to the size of the child. Thanks to this, the chance of

getting harmful pollution into the lungs despite wearing the mask is minimized.

• The combination of two available materials – PA12 and Flexa Black caused that

the mask is both durable and comfortable.

Using Autodesk Netfabb has made it possible to design the mask faster and more

effectively. The repairing, hollowing, and lattice infilling algorithms are simply

amazing. Where other software fails, the Netfabb Ultimate does the job effortlessly. A

solid piece can be hollowed and filled with crystal-like lattice structures and vents for

removing unsintered powder can be added in few simple steps. This reduces the final

weight and material consumption by 50 per cent as compared to a solid part. It seems

Netfabb Ultimate is a perfect match for an SLS printer like Sinterit Lisa.

3d printed customizable ice pops

Merging art with innovative technology can bring up most spectacular results. The

vision perfected by the work of Leonardo da Vinci today is being continued by

successors to his approach, like famous car manufacturer Horacio Pagani or Janne

Kyttanen, featured by TIME Magazine as one of the most influential people in design.

Pixsweet is mass production of fully customizable 3D ice pops, which create great new

opportunities for marketing and event purposes. All of this is possible thanks to 3D

thermo injection (3DTi) technology – an autonomous manufacturing process

transforming an image directly into a packaged 3D product.

Pixsweet is a great example of innovation being achieved at minimal cost – even at

serial production scale. Molds for ice pops are relatively small, but at the same time

excellent quality is needed for lowering post-production and labour costs. This kind of

results were almost impossible to achieve with FDM printing. – SLS quality is perfect,

there are no visible layers and the surface itself is very precise. With Lisa we can also

use only 30% of the material and re-use the other material again and again.

As the 3D printing technology becomes more affordable and user-friendly, more and

more people will be able to fulfill their visions and test designs in pace and in low

cost. Today people are presented with the unprecedented opportunity for innovation

and creation – which feels like fulfilling Leonardo’s vision of combining art, science

and technology.

3D prototypes of Voting terminal

SLS Sinterit Lisa printer, the company ELEcTOR produced voting pilot in a faster,

easier and better way. The final product is now used to pass resolutions in Government

institutions, make decisions at Supervisory Board meetings, manage tests and

questionnaires during lectures and conferences.

ELEcTOR is specialising in wireless voting systems for picking votes, automatic

calculating of votes after which the results are immediatelly presented in graphical

visuals. Company wanted to have the device which would not only be useful and reliable

but also attractive, from the design point of view so they decided to make some

prototypes in 3D printing with Sinterit Lisa in order to prepare the best voting pilot in

a faster and better way

“Our goal was to create the best possible

physical case for handheld mobile voting

terminals. We wanted to incorporate years of

experience in building, modifying and using

third-party components in production process,

while maintaining low cost footprint.

In the past we used time-consuming adaptation,

cutting, drilling and screwing of cases available

on the market. Still the result was lacking in

ergonomics and looks. When we decided to

create a new case we were unsure of some

aspects of the design, e.g. proportions and

shape, the way it will feel when gripped in

hand, placement and size of mounting for

ribbon, labels, etc.

It was also important to minimize time and manual operations involved in production

process. We came up with several specially crafted structures and slits on the case,

which make it easy to integrate together with our IC board, keyboard, battery slot and

cover, LEDs, etc.

The scale of our production implied necessity to create plastic injection mould and

considering its high cost we had to carefully prototype the model using cheaper

technologies.

3D printing allows to significantly shorten the time of the designing, testing and

developing stages. That’s mainly due to the possibility of making and improving

prototypes in-house in a matter of hours. Rapid prototyping with SLS Sinterit 3D

printing allows ELEcTOR company more revisions in less time, so they can test

thoroughly while still reducing time to market. Know exactly how their product will

look and perform before investing in tooling.

The results of the 3D voting terminal prototype were:

▪ Better looks and feeling of voting terminals

▪ Faster and easier production process

▪ Several specially crafted details:

▪ elastic battery cover produced in a single mould with the case,

▪ mount for ribbon,

▪ label slot placed discreetly on the side of the case,

▪ ability to fit cases together when placed on top of each other, etc.

SLS 3D printer - AR technology in glasses

New technologies are the field where evolution and changes are the most noticeable.

And such are the 3D systems of augmented reality – the devices are constantly

upgraded to guarantee the highest image quality. The combination of virtual 3D reality

and non-virtual reality is the result of collaboration of Sinterit and Professor Rigo

Herold – a German researcher working on developing AR technology as well as on the

design of data glasses. Glasses printed in SLS 3D technology allow for precise

assembly of components and maximum comfort of using the equipment.

Augmented Reality (AR) is a technology that connects the real world, most commonly

recorded by camera lenses, with 3D imaging. Development of AR, the ability to interact

in real time and freedom of movement in three dimensions, this technology is often used

in entertainment, but also in medicine, aviation and automotive industries. The

Augmented Reality also can be used in other fields of industry, to improve tools and

machines, and to increase their efficiency.

Usage of Sinterit Lisa

helped Professor Rigo

Herold to produce

high-quality Data

Glasses, that are

customizable, both in

functional and size

aspects. Accuracy of

objects printed with

SLS technology

enables to contain

optical components

with high requirements

regarding the precision

of all mounting

elements.

▪ Time and money reduction. When printing objects in SLS technology, a user doesn’t

need any mold which costs dozens of euros. For serial production, moulding is just not

efficient and too costly.

▪ SLS technology made it possible to print final top quality parts. Materials used to

print Data Glasses are temperature and chemical resistant. This allows employing the

product to operate in rough, industrial space.

▪ 3D printing made it possible to customize data glasses for individual needs of both

workers, and working environment requirements.

▪ Compared to other methods and printing elements using external manufacturers, using

Sinterit Lisa is time and cost efficient. Opportunity to print Data Glasses cheaper and

faster helped to expand manufacturing of Data Glasses.

SINTERIT