Question 1

3d printing technics used? printers used? General pricing?

Accepted Answer

We use 3 different techniques for different purposes, SLM 316L, SLM Gr5 titanium, and CMF Gr5 titanium
 
SLM from "Zero-tek"
DMLS titanium from EOS M290 printer
CMF detail please contact us
 
3d printing services include printing, heat treatment, support material removal and sandblasting.
 
The CMF pricing calculated on the weight of the end product and the temporary supporting material. However, the SLM pricing is only calculated on the weight of the end product. 
 
General Pricing:
DMLS titanium （Gr5） 2.7-3.0 €/g
SLM stainless （316L）0.3-0.6 €/g
SLM aluminum (AlSi10Mg) 1-1.2 €/g
Mold steel (1.2709) 1.1-1.3 €/g
 
*The calculation of wall thickness starts from 1.2mm, which means that the part with wall thickness less than 1.2mm will be calculated according to the weight of 1.2mm.

*single piece less than 25g will be calculated as 25g (if one piece is less than 25g, I suggest building multiple pieces and chain them together with some connection material until its over 25g, after printed you can cut it off）.

*density cacualtion: Titanium 4.8g/cm³, 316L 8g/cm³, Alu 2.8g/cm³

Question 2

What is the quality of the finished surface?

Accepted Answer

SLM: the finish roughness is approximately R7, in the isolated areas(areas without support material).

Figure 1: typical SLM surface finish
In isolated areas where the support material is removed the surface texture can be altered. During the SLM process support material is printed to support the construction of the parts and the factory will use power tools to remove the supports by hand. This will inevitably result in some minor damage to the surface where the support is attached. However, the effect can be minimised during the SLM product design phase by adjusting the printing direction to place the supporting surface in an inconspicuous location, such as the bottom surface of the fork crown, where surface texture is less important.
We would also be happy to deliver the product with the support material still attached if you would like more control over its removal.

Figure 2: typical SLM part before and after support material removed.

Figure 3: typical SLM surface minor damage to the surface of a support remove areas.
CMF: the finish is better than SLM overall and there is no need to remove the supporting material. The surface is uniform and smooth.

Figure 4,5 : typical CMF surface finish (supplied) and with polishing by the customer (with tumble machine)

Question 3

Material properties

Question 4

Tolerances?

Accepted Answer

SLM: the parts after heat treatment generally shrink slightly. about-0.1/-0.2mm, the printer will compensate by itself, so the design size is ideally the size you get. the shriek only happen on open structure mostly，like the CS, HT-DT etc connection holes， thatsｉgave a reference here. so the reality is not all the direction shrink evenly. The printing direction and others parts near the printed part will affect the local shrinkage as well.

Figure 1-3: design numbers in green, actual hand measurements in black(notice the parts are not designed with cup or supporter).
 
CMF: tolerances of +/- 0.1 mm are possible but strongly dependant upon the part geometry. best tolerances control in all the metal printing technic.

Question 5

General tipps for first time design of 3d printed parts

Accepted Answer

For SLM
1: The threads for BB shell or other big size threads are better left with a machining allowance in advance for cutting thread. Direct printing threads only recommend for M4-M8

2: Generally the minimum wall thickness is 0.8mm.

3: The gap of the product to be assembled should be placed 0.15MM on each side

4: For parts with high requirements for partial assembly (such as bearing hole/diameter/plane assembly position), leave a machining allowance in advance, and then go through secondary finishing

5: Metal printing is somewhat slender after high temperature sintering, thin-walled parts, shells and other structures will be deformed. If you would like to maintain the thin-walled shape，please design a supporter or a cap at the end of voids to avoid distortions.

6: Heat treatment is optional
 
for CMF print design please contact us directly for further information.

Question 6

Manufacturing and lead times

Accepted Answer

For CMF parts we ship from Germany worldwide by DHL
 
For SLM parts and other frame building supplies (depending upon on your location and our inventory status)，we ship from Germany worldwide by DHL or ship from China worldwide by SF-express.
 
Lead times for stock parts is dependant upon the country but is generally shipped from our warehouse within 3 days (excluding holiday periods). 
 
Lead times for 3D print order parts are typically 6-8 days from confirmation of order to shipping from our factories (excluding holiday periods). However, this excludes transit time from our 3d print factory to the relevant country.

Question 7

Infill/Honeycomb/ Lattice Structures/ Shape support cap

Accepted Answer

usually, we print 316L stainless with 1.2-1.5mm wall thickness parts for the frame. but if you require an infill we can do a 0.8mm wall with infill.

the infill design has 2 option here: "Materialise Magics 25.0"or "fusion 360 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GOXftS15fro)" , https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bfI3yjD0ds0

We offer the infill design service by "Materialise Magics 25.0", which requires a solid STL body， charges from 80-200euro/each

Open structures perpendicular to the horizontal plane (bigger than 15mm) generally require a sacrificial cap to avoid deformation

FAQ

Frequently asked questions

3d printing technics used? printers used? General pricing?

What is the quality of the finished surface?

Material properties

Tolerances?

General tipps for first time design of 3d printed parts

Manufacturing and lead times

Infill/Honeycomb/ Lattice Structures/ Shape support cap