TECH WATCH
A Separating Way to Print in 3D
The 3D printing industry usually touts the speed and accuracy of its
devices as they move a digital design to its seemingly flawless physical
representation in a matter of moments. Details like the sometimes
tedious steps required to refine the printed object are typically left out
of the marketing materials.
Rize Inc. ( rize3d.com ) says among the key attributes of its new Rize One
3D printer is the fact that there's virtually no post-production processing
of parts. The company began shipping the desktop-compatible printer,
which makes use of an Augmented Polymer Deposition (APD), a patented
technology that uses its Rizium One, an engineering and medical-grade
thermoplastic filament. The printer distributes the appropriately named
Release One ink in between the part and the support structure so it can be
removed manually, and according to Rize, without the need for sanding
or filing.
Rizium One has other nontraditional qualities for a 3D printer, the firm
says. The material is isotropic, which means it is uniform in strength along
the X, Y and Z axes. It also means prototypes are suitable for the stresses of
functional testing.
Bosch's Dive into Wafer Tech
This desktop machine, the Rize One, is said to produce parts that
require very little in the way of post-processing.
Bosch ( bosch.com ) likes to boast that its application-specific integrated
circuits (ASICs) have been used in vehicles since 1970. Some 36 years later,
each vehicle produced around the world has, on average, at least nine
Bosch chips on board, according to the company. The hope in Dresden these
days is that's only for starters, as Bosch plans to build a wafer fab there to
meet the demand of the wireless sensor market (such as for the tire trend
monitor) . Construction is set for completion in 2019 with production
pegged for 2021 at the estimated 1-billion euro facility, which will focus on
12-inch wafer technology. The plant will employ 700 in a town that's come
to be known as "Silicon Saxony."
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