In a recently published webinar about sintering Filamet™, our sintering partner, David Lawson of Sapphire3D, used the phrase “development-minded.” As in, you have to be development-minded in this process. What does that mean in the context of FFFMetal and The Virtual Foundry?
You’re going to have to work a little bit.
We don’t have all the data you need. We have sintering profiles for most, but not all, of our materials. We don’t have a replacement for casting and machining.
What we do have is a magnificent development platform that opens doors to solutions that could not exist before. What we offer is freedom from the constraints of traditional manufacturing. What we’re providing is just the beginning of a new way of doing new things.
If you are development-minded, you will love our process.
If you are development-minded, you will uncover and advance ideas long overdue.
If you are development-minded, you will make beautiful parts beyond what you thought was possible.
But you’re going to have to work for it.
The beauty of Filamet™ is its flexibility. You’re using the printer of your choice. You’re using the kiln that works best for you. This flexibility means variability in the printing process as you and your printer get acquainted with each other. This flexibility means variability in the sintering process as you dial in the parameters that yield the best results. This flexibility means it takes a little work to figure out how to get the best print for the firing process and how your different part shapes behave during sintering.
A whole section of people exist out there who embrace what we’re doing. They work with our products right alongside us. They experiment and record their data and make incredible things happen. Sometimes – many times – we don’t know what they’re working toward until they’ve created something they know is invaluable. That thing that changes everything.
These forward-thinkers understand what we’ve created here. They’re excited to get their hands on it and we’re excited to guide them as they work to get the best parts for their application. I am always impressed by the ingenuity of our customers.
If you’re looking for a plug-and-play option that’s all set and ready, we’re not the place to look. But if you want total control over your equipment, your process and your materials, let’s work together.
Join your development-minded team with ours and together we’ll use the power of innovation to change how work is done.
Tricia Suess
President, The Virtual Foundry