3D scanning company S-CAN 3D Ltd manufactures its automotive parts and accessories for precision measuring equipment. The UK-based company creates moulds and jigs using FELIXprinters Pro 3 & Tec 4 systems.
Founded in 2012, S-CAN 3D has invested in a wide range of equipment over the past years. The company’s goal was to be able to take a customer’s component, reverse engineer it, and then re-manufacture it. Adding AM to its equipment now enables them to achieve prototyping applications, create casting moulds and masters as well as manufacture jigs.
The 3D scanning specialist uses the Pro 3 & Tec 4 machines. Those 3D printers integrate automated and intelligent features that would increase productivity and efficiency. Indeed, FELIXprinters’ 3D printers come with automated motorized calibration and a quick-swap print-head solution. In addition to the dual head configuration, the 3D Printers integrate a dedicated flexplate, that facilitates removal of 3D printed parts. The Pro-AM systems also offer extremely quick heat-up and cool-down of the print heads, meaning that the dual head print times are reduced by a factor of 2.
With the Pro-AM systems, the Netherlands-based manufacturer promises industrial applications. Furthermore, due to the gap between supply of lower cost, reliable and accurate 3D printers and the demand for affordable industrial platforms, the company targets manufacturers that do not have the capital to invest in expensive AM platforms. James Senior, MD at S-CAN 3D says, “We have found FELIXprinters AM platforms to be very easy to use. You can be up and running within a few minutes of getting them out of the box. We run all of our printers through Simplify3D software so you load the profile, pick a material and you are ready to go. In-house we now have the first machine we bought from FELIX back in 2015 (the Pro 1), and a Tec 4.1, a Pro 3 and the new Pro XL. Our first Pro printer has paid for itself 10 times over.”
Even though S-CAN 3D does not mention how the use of Felixprinters’ 3D printers has been impactful for their production process, they explain: “S-CAN 3D use FELIX 3D printers for prototyping designs. We might do five or more different concept designs of a particular part or component, as it’s much easier to visualise a part when it’s in your hand. We are putting a lot of work through the newly purchased XL printer and it’s opening up things which we wouldn’t have been able to do before (at least to the same quality and size), so things are very encouraging. We have found FELIX machines to be very repeatable which is our most fundamental requirement for any application, and we also haven’t noticed any accuracy degradation over time.”
Both companies will share the same booth at this year’s TCT Show, taking place 24 –26 September at the NEC, Birmingham, UK. Experts from both companies will showcase their solutions on Stand E50. Visitors will discover FELIXprinters’ Pro series of 3D printers, including the largest and most recent addition to the family, the Pro XL platform. Lastly, exhibiting together will enable them to demonstrate the mutual benefits of both FELIXprinters and S-CAN 3D in terms of two-way support and maximising the potential of the FELIX 3D printers for wide-reaching applications and how it is possible to make industrial 3D printing more accessible.
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