Evolve Additive
3D printing is often said to resurrect R&D projects that have fallen to the floor due to lack of time or money. With the number of acquisitions and patents companies like 3D Systems and Stratasys have it's hard to imagine that there aren't also some long lost 3D printing technology projects that aren't getting the resource they deserve.
Today, Stratasys has announced that one long-standing work-in-progress is being spun out into an entirely separate entity so it can blossom into a potentially ground-breaking 3D technology.
The new company is called Evolve Additive, and the technology is called Selective Toner Electrophotographic Process or STEP for short. According to the management team, STEP is up to 50 times faster than other polymer 3D printing processes, can work in a wide range of thermoplastics with unrivalled directional strength in the Z-axis.
Unlike many innovations in the additive manufacturing world that have been enhancements to traditional technologies, STEP is an entirely new method of fabricating parts. The process blends established 2D imaging technology - akin to a photocopier - with proprietary IP developed by Evolve to precisely align incoming layers and sophisticated bonding techniques.
In a brief presentation of the technology CEO of Evolve Additive, Steve Chillscyzn told TCT: "We've invented a brand new technology; the first of its kind in 25 years, this is not a variant of FDM, not a variant of PolyJet or anything else out there that you'll see, this is brand new from scratch technology."
- Specifically, STEP technology introduces a range of new features, including:
- Engineering-grade thermoplastic materials (amorphous and semi-crystalline)
- Production speeds of up to 50X faster than existing additive manufacturing solutions
- Cost per part and surface quality comparable to traditional manufacturing
- Isotropic properties in X, Y and Z directions on par with injection moulding
- Industry 4.0 and automation factory floor integration
- Multiple material printing capable within the same layer
- Full-colour printing capability – including spot and process.
TCT Expert Advisory Board member, Todd Grimm has said of the technology, "Evolve’s STEP process is interesting because it brings a completely new approach to production environments using additive manufacturing, yet it prints using production-grade thermoplastics, which is what manufacturers are most familiar with when producing parts conventionally. Having had the opportunity to get a glimpse early on, it’s very encouraging to see how Evolve has progressed the development of the STEP process.”
The seasoned senior management team of Evolve Additive Solutions brings over 40 years of combined experience in additive manufacturing and includes such industry leaders as:
- Steve Chillscyzn, Chief Executive Officer
- Bruce Bradshaw, Chief Business & Marketing Officer
- Shane Glenn, Chief Financial & Strategy Officer
- Dr Arun Chowdry, Vice President of Technology and Materials
TCT will have more on the Evolve process soon...
