University of Suffolk's State-Of-The-Art Industrial 3D Printer

The University of Suffolk has introduced a state-of-the-art industrial 3D printer to its 3D Productivity Suite, thanks to a capital grant from IBC.

Stefanie Thorne, Director of Business Engagement and Entrepreneurship at the University of Suffolk explains “The Suite with high specification industrial 3D printers, based at the IWIC, will provide a location where firms involved in any form of product design, prototyping and manufacture will be able to explore the strategic relevance of 3D printing to their business.  Firms will be able to engage with the upgraded IWIC facilities to explore in silico design and visualisation; produce initial models and “works-like” prototypes through to late stage “looks-like” prototypes and pre-manufacturing designs.  Firms will be able to access support and guidance to help them become more innovative and competitive through adopting the most appropriate variant of the wide array of 3D technologies available.”

Tom Ranson, 3D Productivity and Digital Media Technologist at the University of Suffolk added, “Traditionally when prototyping, especially with injection moulding, it can take months to pull together moulds for test parts. They can also be very expensive, especially if testing reveals the part needs to be adjusted as the mould would need to be remade as well. With 3D Printing that time can be reduced to just a few days. A single part would take a few hours to print. The types of plastics will also open up new avenues of prototyping for Suffolk. New to us are the flexible plastics, high temperature plastics and the medical grade plastics. Simply put, if your business produces a physical component then it’s likely we can help fine tune its design in a matter of weeks rather than months, and at a vastly reduced cost.”

For more information about the 3D printing facilities at the University of Suffolk, please contact 3dprinting@uos.ac.uk