<font size="7">Processing of thermoplastics</font><br>cleanroom printer 3D</font>

Processing thermoplastics

Cleanroom 3D printer

Technical data:

What was needed: A precise and reliable cleanroom 3D printer for processing thermoplastics
Requirements: Absolutely lubrication and maintenance-free, high service life, suitable for cleanrooms, no abrasion, cost efficiency
Products used: Simple encapsulated stepper motor with coupled dryspin® high helix lead screw and flanged threaded nuts with spanner flat from iglidur® A180, encapsulated stepper motor with coupled trapezoidal threaded spindles and flanged threaded nuts from iglidur® A180, igus® WSX double rail, drylin® W single rails, drylin® R aluminium shafts, igubal® pillow block and flanged bearings, xiros® radial deep groove ball bearings
Success for the customer: Design freedom was gained on all linear guides by utilising drylin®-bearing with interchangeable sliding foils. This has significantly accelerated the design process of the VIVECube - Clean Precision. The sliding foils effectively prevent unwanted particle release and at the same time offer process stability. The use of suitable rails and shaft guides brought additional advantages in the realisation of the system.
The use of steepand trapezoidal threaded spindles with high efficiency for all drive axes was the final solution to the problem of cleanroom compatibility of the VIVECube - Clean Precision. This was the only way to find a verifiably suitable and cost-effective solution for low-abrasion linear drives.

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VIVECube - Clean Precision cleanroom printer 3D

Description of the application. What is the function of the application? Where is the application used?
VIVE-MedTech GmbH develops and produces customisable and user-focused medical products. The product range extends from surgical instruments and catheters to artificial lungs for use during temporary lung replacement therapy. The products must fulfil high requirements in terms of safety and performance, in particular cleanliness and purity from foreign substances. This is where VIVE-MedTech uses a 3D printing production system developed in-house in the cleanroom: the VIVECube - Clean Precision is a precise and reliable 3D cleanroom printer for processing thermoplastics.

What are the operating/environmental conditions like for the end user? What challenges had to be solved?
The production of medical products places its own requirements on the purity and cleanliness of the production equipment and auxiliary materials used. The machines must run lubrication-free as far as technically possible and at the same time be reliable over the long term. In particular, challenges arose in the realisation of linear drive trains and the selection of materials.

What requirements did the bearings have to fulfil?
In particular, the bearings of our production equipment must be low-abrasion and durable at the same time. To control the unavoidable residual abrasion, bearings and drive elements must be made of largely harmless materials. Of course, all components must also remain cost-effective and reasonably available.

Which igus® solutions are used?
Polymer bearings are used at various points in the VIVECube - Clean Precision.

X-axis plain bearing: An igus® WSX double rail is used here as the "stoop axis". This offers very good flexural rigidity for our application. A slide designed in-house runs on the rail with drylin® fixed and floating bearings as well as sliding foils made of iglidur® A180.

Y-axis plain bearing: Individual rails run parallel to drylin® W on both sides of the bridge axis, on each of which a specially designed carriage with drylin® fixed and floating bearings and sliding foils made of iglidur® A180 are also used.

Z-axis plain bearing: Four parallel drylin® R aluminium shafts are used for robust guidance of the printing platform. The printing platform is guided on the shafts by means of specially designed carriages with drylin® fixed and floating bearings and sliding foils made of iglidur® A180.

X/Y drive train: Simple encapsulated stepper motors with coupled dryspin® high helix lead screws are used both on the bridge axis in the X direction and on both parallel individual rails in the Y direction. The carriage of the X-axis and both parallel carriages of the Y-axis are then driven with matching dryspin® flanged threaded nuts with spanner flat from iglidur® A180. The high helix lead screws are each guided at the end by igubal® upright and flange stops.

Z-drive train: Two synchronised encapsulated stepper motors with coupled trapezoidal threaded spindles are also used to raise and lower the printing platform. The print platform is driven by a matching flanged threaded nut from iglidur® A180.

Filament guide on the print head: A xiros® radial deep groove ball bearing made of xirodur® B180 is used as a contact pressure element on the filament feed of the print head.

Products used in the 3D cleanroom printer

Further 3D printing applications

3D printer office

What was needed? A large-format and precise 3D printer that is suitable for use in offices or workshops
Requirements: Maintenance-free, easy installation, high accuracy, 100 % lubrication-free, no dust and dirt adhesion, quiet and vibration-free due to office use
Success for the customer: The engineers use linear guides, slides, threaded spindles and lead screw nuts of the type dryspin® for the linear movements of all three axes. The lead screws allow travel speeds of up to 120mm/s. All components help to minimise maintenance of the 3D printer. The right 3D printer in the office.

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Portable 3D printer

What was needed? A 3D printer that is compact and portable, but can still produce detailed 3D parts
Requirements: Best performance even in tight installation spaces, no maintenance, 100 % lubrication-free, low wear and friction, smooth dry operation, vibration- and noise-free, no adhesion of dust and dirt
Success for the customer: In developing countries and emergency areas, a portable device with high precision is very helpful. It is a radical advance for dental and medical care. The igus® products in the 3D printer ensure a long service life, clean printing conditions, and dry operation without vibration or noise.

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3D printer that makes itself

What was needed? A 3D printer that can produce its own essential parts quickly and precisely
Requirements: High precision and working speed, no vibration, low weight, lubrication-free, low friction
Success for the customer: The xBot is aimed at private users as well as schools, universities and industry: "The printer is not only fast and precise, but also high-quality and durable. It can process a variety of materials - from compostable PLA to standard ABS to flexible materials such as nylon and rubber-like plastics. The construction is solid and all the main components are manufactured in AT or DE."

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Fabforge Innovations 3D printer

What was needed? A precise and quiet 3D printer that fulfils the requirements for "Made in India"
Requirements: 100 % lubrication and maintenance-free, precise, quiet and vibration-free running, smooth dry operation

Success for the customer: Fabforge Innovations is a manufacturer of 3D printers based in South India and operates nationwide. It used to use linear rails from other manufacturers, but to meet the "Make in India" conditions, Fabforge Innovations changed the design and used igus® products.

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3D printed lead screw nut

What was needed? An alternative to metal ball screw nuts that can be manufactured independently using 3D printing
Requirements: 100 % lubrication and maintenance-free, quiet running, simple manufacture, smooth running, clearance-free
Success for the customer: With the design, there was no other way to achieve the set goal. The parameters were prescribed, and the final product had to work. Optimising the contact area was crucial to reducing friction. Thread surface hardening reduced it further. After several printing attempts, the print quality improved.

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Mini 3D printer

What was needed? A compact and cost-effective mini 3D printer
Requirements: During printing, a tray must perform extremely precise vertical movements in order to achieve a high print resolution of 50 micrometres. In addition, the smallest possible components had to be found for the compact 3D printer.

Success for the customer: With the help of drylin® components, the Lumi Pocket is a 3D printer that combines an extremely compact design with outstanding print quality and an unbeatable price.

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Do you have any questions about dryspin® lead screw technology?
Our expert Thorben Hendricks will answer all your questions about dryspin® lead screw technology. Simply fill in the contact form and we will take care of your enquiry. We look forward to hearing from you!

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