The building of 3D objects through layer-by-layer deposition offers enormous potential for creating complex parts that are difficult or impossible to make by traditional methods. Industrial inkjet printing provides an ideal solution with advantages that include mass customisation, flexibility, reliability and ultra-high quality. The ability of inkjet to enable radical new designs is helping to drive the adoption of 3D printing beyond prototyping and into the traditional manufacturing space.
Inkjet technology enables binder jetting and materials deposition, two of the most flexible additive manufacturing processes available. These processes can deliver blended alloys and hybrid-casting for robust metal parts, co-moulded parts fabricated from multiple polymers, intricate components for healthcare applications and cutting-edge functional devices such as sensors, displays and batteries.
Meteor is a leading independent supplier of datapath solutions suitable for 3D and additive manufacturing print systems. Providing products with a host of features backed by responsive, world-wide support, Meteor helps customers harness the power of inkjet in additive manufacturing and 3D applications by simplifying the path from development to production.
Benefits for 3D and Additive Manufacturing
- Binder jetting and materials deposition require ultra-precise placement of unique fluids, often with high viscosity or challenging chemistries. Meteor’s drive electronics and software produce complex, multi-pulse waveforms to accurately control printhead drop volume, velocity and timing.
- Industrial inkjet is a proven technology with an ever-increasing range of jettable fluids encouraging the advent of new 3D and additive manufacturing applications.
- Meteor offers a range of software solutions including fully configurable Digital Front Ends, Software Development Kits and Met3D which converts STL or OBJ 3D CAD files to Meteor compatible TIFF slices. Meteor solutions integrate with commercially available 3D build tools.
- The ink required for additive manufacturing and 3D printing often requires recirculation to prevent sedimentation and nozzle blocking. Meteor products fully implement the control functions of the printheads and ink supplies used in these systems.
- Meteor’s ability to support ultra-high data rates, large image buffers and long cable lengths means that systems with printheads mounted on robotics or other complex configurations can be deployed without limitation. Straightforward integration of multiple printheads with greyscale control of deposition volume allows the blending of materials within a given voxel.
- Meteor offers a range of development tools and services to facilitate suitable printhead selection; waveform and fluid optimisation; and print process development.
