Stratasys Fortus 900mc machines at Stratasys Direct Manufacturing.
In just another example of how it’s a hard life being a journalist in this industry, after this year’s CES, fellow TCT’er, Carol Hardy and I decided to shake things up on our annual trip to Las Vegas and hit the open road in search of some of North America’s biggest 3D printing service bureaux.
We figured we would head West to California (told you, it’s a pretty tough gig), believing the four hour drive filled with road tunes from TV shows set in The Golden State would be something checked off the bucket list. Instead, the dream was abandoned when the reality of having never driven in the U.S. and choosing the notorious LA traffic as a test drive had us questioning our sanity. A short plane ride and Uber saved the day.
Our first stop was Dinsmore, an Irvine-based company that’s been helping products come to life with additive technologies since 2002. Headed up by Jay Dinsmore, there’s a cool and casual atmosphere as we enter the office but that doesn’t mean the team isn’t working flat-out on the thousands of orders that come through the door on a weekly basis.
At the facility machines are running 24 hours a day with a staff of 25 “cranking it out” as Jay describes, on a range of technologies including SLA, SLS, FDM, DMLS, PolyJet, CNC, injection moulding and the most recent addition to Dinsmore’s toolset, two Carbon M1 3D printers. The technology, which stole much of the industry’s limelight in 2016 for being fast, we now know is in fact less about speed and more about the myriad of engineering grade materials it supports, and Dinsmore is keen to take advantage of that as one of only a handful of bureaux in the country to offer the service. During our visit, a Carbon representative was on hand discussing projects with customers over the phone and carrying out maintenance on the machines, so it’s clear the Silicon Valley start-up is up for getting stuck in to make sure the technology is as big a success as it’s been hyped up to be.
Part finishing at Dinsmore.
Dinsmore is resolutely all about the customer-focussed approach, as is declared in its mission statement that it’s “not an automated 3D printer”. The idea is that the bureau is an extension of the customer’s team and its engineers will work with clients to discuss a project from design to finish, depending on each unique case.
“At Dinsmore our focus is always on the customer,” Jay explained. “Recurring or new customers are all treated the same way. Our team is committed to guiding customers through the entire process of their project execution, from quote generation to design, iteration, production and final product delivery, we are in constant contact with our customers and always ensure that their expectations are met.”
The bureau covers just about every technology including both plastic and metal. Right now there’s no metal 3D printing machinery in house but Jay says Dinsmore has its eye on a few things that could change that in the near future. Working mainly with Somos materials, it’s also adding more materials to its kit, particularly with the M1 platform to offer customers the biggest range of choice whether they’re looking to for those first prototypes or products that are customer-ready.
“Our focus on an expanded technology offering allows us to meet all our customers’ needs, from rapid prototyping to final part production. Our customers trust us to get the job done,” Jay commented. “The rate of innovation across manufacturing technologies, and particularly 3D printing, has increased exponentially in recent years. Our customers trust us to be their go-to subject matter expert across an array of new and developing technologies.”
Our conversations and the prints we see in the office spanned everything from automotive parts to medical devices and it was great to see the Oakley Angel which featured on the cover of this very magazine a few years back taking pride of place up on the wall. They’ve got all kinds of orders coming through and it’s very unpredictable, the bureau can have a relatively quiet day on the agenda and can then be completely slammed within a matter of hours but Jay says the overall industry is getting back to some kind of normalcy after that initial 3D printing hype.
“As pressure for shortened product design and production timelines continues to grow, the role of the service bureau or contract manufacturer is more important than ever before.” Jay added. “Customers expect their service providers to be the most knowledgeable about new technologies and their application opportunities. Remaining focussed on our customers’ needs, and ensuring that we continue to be experts in new technology and applications has ensured our continued growth and success.”
3D printing at the Dinsmore Lab.
Precisely one hour and 20 minutes in the other direction, in what our driver commented was the longest job he had ever booked, we headed to Stratasys Direct Manufacturing. With eight facilities across the States, two in Valencia alone, it’s the biggest 3D printing bureau in North America. We arrive just as a startup is picking up some prints before we meet with Scott McGowan, VP of Marketing and Jacqueline Vaughn, Marketing Communications Manager, for a tour.
Stratasys Direct has been in action for two years after Stratasys completed the acquisition of both Harvest Technologies and Solid Concepts in 2014 and combined them with its own 3D printing service, RedEye to form one giant super bureau.
Though Stratasys-owned, the bureau is completely “technology agnostic” as Scott explains taking us through the first facility, which is filled with an army of stereolithography (SLA) machines. You’ll probably be thinking, “but Stratasys doesn’t do SLA?” and you would be right – the rows of machines are in fact from 3D Systems of which there are 40 company wide.
“We utilise our technical expertise and in-depth understanding of each technology’s benefits to determine which applications these technologies are best suited for,” Scott commented. “Stratasys Direct Manufacturing is a solutions provider, and our customers rely on us to provide the best solution to meet their project’s requirements.”
At the second facility, just a moment’s walk away, the floor is filled with FDM equipment ranging in size from Fortus 400 to 900 machines and there are over 100 across the bureau. As far as any new machine installations on the horizon, Scott is tight-lipped but says the company has its eye on “anything you can think of”.
Screens are placed up on the wall, like an airport departures board, detailing the numerous jobs in the print queue. Typically a customer will start with a quote from Stratasys’ rapid quote service or direct contact with the sales and project engineering staff based on their design, material, size and finishing specifications. Once approved by the customer, the project goes into production, which can include manufacturing, quality control, post-processing and inspection, all of which is done in-house. Most parts we were able to see were parts of bigger projects, and as is often the way with product development, mostly confidential.
“Every project is unique, so we feel that individualised attention is crucial should there be any questions or need to rely on internal expertise,” Scott commented.
Ken Friberg
Rows of SLA machines at Stratasys Direct Manufacturing.
Bureaux are a massive part of the AM ecosystem with many product developers choosing to outsource their manufacturing requirements to service providers that can provide multiple technologies rather than perhaps say one or two that they alone may be able to invest in. In fact when I first wrote on the current state of the service bureau market back in 2014, one of the comments made by a UK service bureau was that they’ve seen businesses purchase their own AM systems as a result of getting caught up in the hype, only to get rid and go back to outsourcing. Scott says this initial influx has resulted in different types of users; customers that believed 3D printing could do anything, and more industrial users who have come on board due to heightened awareness in blue chip boardrooms.
“What we have also seen in recent years is a higher level of engagement from industry leading companies and OEM’s. For a long time, the proliferation of 3D printing was a ‘grassroots’ effort pushed forward by individual contributors and engineering and design teams,” Scott, commented. “Now, there is also a push from the top. CEO’s and high-level managers have seen the impact 3D printing is making in their company or have recognised its potential, and they are passing down the desire to assess and integrate this technology into their product development and production portfolios.”
As awareness continues to grow, service bureaux like these are ramping up their capabilities and keeping their eyes out for new technologies to ensure they’ve got the most comprehensive toolkits and expertise at hand for whatever any industry throws at them. It’s hardly news anymore that there’s no one-size-fits-all for AM but these guys are showing you can be a one-stop solution and doing so with an impressive number of traditional and additive technologies under their belts.
As we waited for our last Uber ride back to the hotel, our would be-road trip came to an end, but I get the feeling there will be much to return for in the near future with more technologies to see, and hopefully for us, a few more land miles in the bag.
To find a 3D printing service provider near you, check out our 3D Printing & Additive Manufacturing Service Provider Map inside our latest TCT North America issue (3.1) and on the TCT app.
