D Systems’ ColorJet Printing (CJP) Technology
Binder jetting technology was founded at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1993. One of the licensors of the technology was Zcorp or Zcorporation, which named built 3D printers depending on binder jetting and renamed Zprinting technology (as in Z-axis printing). When Zcorp was owned by 3D Systems, the market leader in stereolithography, in the early 2000s, the company began offering binder systems and renamed its ColorJet printing (CJP) technology because, w'ith the addition of an inkjet head, it was possible to color the outer layer and thus the surface of the parts. ColorJet 3D printing, or CJP, is a 3D system 3D printing process that uses a core and a binder to create 3D objects.
This 3D printing process is famous for the printing of detailed, multi-color 3D parts for art, medical, consumer goods, and architecture and experimentation models. Parts can also be used as templates or master patterns for metal castings. The final pieces are delicate. Parts can be easily printed for a few days of turnaround.
Technology
As with many other rapid prototyping methods, the component to be printed with CJP/ZPrinting is made up of many thin parts of the 3D model. In ZPrinters, the inkjet-like printing head moves across the powder bed, selectively depositing the liquid binding material in the shape of the section. A fresh layer of powder is spread over the top of the model and the process is repeated. Once the pattern is finished, unbound powder is removed automatically. Parts can be produced on a ZPrinter at a rate of around l vertical inch per hour, making it one of the fastest technologies available today. In ColorJet printing, the outer edge of each layer is colored, resulting in complete colored final items. Figure 5.2 demonstrates the basic concept of ColorJet printing (CJP) technology.
FIGURE 5.2 ColorJet printing (CJP) technology.
EOS’s EOSINT System
About EOS (Electro Optical Systems)
Founded in 1989 and headquartered in Germany, EOS is a technology and market leader in additive manufacturing (AM) integrated e-manufacturing solutions, an industrial 3D printing process. EOS offers a modular portfolio of solutions, including systems, software, materials, and advancement materials as well as services (service, training, special application consulting, and support). As an industrial manufacturing technique, it allows for quick and scalable development of high-end components based on 3D CAD data at a quality level of the reproducible industry. It paves the way for a paradigm change to revolutionary technologies in product design and manufacture. This accelerates product development, gives versatility in design, optimizes component structures, and allows both lattice structures and functional integration.
