Blog Tag: Additive Manufacturing

It is no secret that the men and women under 35 are much less likely to enter the field of “making things” including the millennials and generation Z population. Unlike the WWII generation that helped build the US into one of the best manufacturing countries in the world, the new generation is all about the digital world and working from anywhere using the latest in AI and Virtual Reality technology.

There are still some manufacturing done in the US, but the vast majority of small parts, motors, appliances, etc, are now made overseas. Those remaining manufacturing companies are finding that the public school systems, community colleges and four year universities are no longer providing any type of hands-on training in the use of tools or machining equipment.

Many companies have decided to put their own training programs in place and create new manufacturing specialists organically. It seems to be the only answer to keeping their companies up to speed and competitive in a market that is constantly changing and creating new technologies. With the new generation of men and women moving faster into the digital world it is obvious the manufacturing companies in the US are going to have a more difficult time in staying relevant in their fields without some major changes in the way manufacturing is done.

Pure Air Systems manufactures a line of HEPA and Carbon based air filtration systems and as a 37 year old company they are one of only three companies in the world making their type of systems. For more information on the complete line of their air filtration units please go to their website at:  http://www.pureairsystems.com   or call them on their toll-free number at: 800-869-8025.

There are two main factors that are moving the process of using 3D Printing or Additive manufacturing into the product producing mainstream and replacing the traditional machining, CNC and injection molding processes. First, the number of skilled machinists and manufacturing engineers is rapidly declining and secondly, and most important, the younger generation has little or no interest in working for or with any manufacturing operation. The new generation sees their future in the digital world.

The other major reason is the speed in which additive manufacturing has advanced in every facet of product production. This is especially true in the use of additive manufacturing in producing parts from ferrous and nonferrous materials. The ability to produce a steel part that is one piece versus multiple parts or pieces using traditional machining is now blazing new trails in the ability to make a part in one print cycle that used to take five to eight steps. Also, the ability to quickly prototype a part and then change it and print again for five or more iterations in the span of one reduces prototyping and product development to less that 10% of the time for traditional machining.

Interestingly, the method of designing a part for manufacturing is identical in both traditional and additive manufacturing. The use of advanced CAD software allows for the design of any part and the design files are saved in different file types depending whether the part is made on a CNC machine or 3D Printer. This new generation of young workers already know how to use this software as their understanding computers, software, programming and object design is already in place. So, the 3D Printer is a perfect fit for this new group of workers who most likely will work remotely from the actual manufacturing operation.

Pure Air Systems began its operation in 1985 using hand drawings for the design of its HEPA based air filtration systems and then eventually moved into the CAD era and today is looking at using AI for some of its advanced equipment designs. The world of technology is moving at light speed and Pure Air Systems is keeping pace.

For more information on the complete line of HEPA and Carbon based air filtration systems please go to our website at:  http://www.pureairsystems.com  or call us on our toll free number at: 800-869-8025.

3D Printing or Additive manufacturing is now the eminent player in the 4.0 Industrial Revolution phase. This technology has opened the door to using materials to make almost anything we can think of and creating a technology that has opened the door for the development of new materials that are developed specifically use in 3D Printing.

Many of these materials are produced by either heating up printing nozzles to temperatures reaching 300 degrees C and above, or by using laser systems to melt metal in the new metal printers or jetting systems that use a wide variety of compounds for creating objects.

All of these systems produce either very fine particulate or significant odors or both. Since 3D Printing or Additive manufacturing is still relatively new, there have not been a lot of studies to determine the levels and size ranges of the particulates that are generated by these machines.

Pure Air Systems has been making HEPA and Carbon based fan powered, air filtration systems since 1985. These systems, ranging is air volume from 50 CFM to 2,000 CFM, are made from all metal housings, using commercial grade HEPA filters and variable speed drive ECM motors. The units come in a number of configurations and control options so they can be attached to any HVAC system , used as stand-alone units and the fans can be controlled to run at any speed.

These systems come with a ring panel prefilter, scanned HEPA certified to 99.99% at 0.3 microns and a large Carbon filter for odors and gases.

In a 3D Printing/Additive manufacturing environment the PAS systems could be used as stand-alone units pulling air from one to four machines and removing the fine airborne particulate. Many newer printers are enclosed so it is easy to attach a small duct to the enclosure and pull that air into the PAS HEPA system.

Another option is to attach the PAS system to the main HVAC units in the lab or production area and remove the particulate and odors using the main HVAC ducting system to pull all the contaminated air back to the filtration unit.

The Pure Air Systems HEPA units have been used on almost every application requiring filtration in almost every corner of the world. They have been used in applications where toxic gases and dangerous airborne particulate are present. Their rugged durability and history of high performance over long periods of time are the reason Pure Air Systems has been in business for 33 years.

For more information on our complete product line please go to our website at: http://www.purairsystems.com    or call us on our toll-free number at: 800-869-8025.

For the past two years I have been using 3D Printers to develop prototypes and promotional items for a wide variety of individuals. From High School students to entrepreneurs and small businesses, we have designed and printed objects from promotional key chain fobs to new guitar pics and hand held water filtration devices. The ability to utilize 3D printing makes this process possible.

Since its inception in 1985, 3D printing has made huge advances in the quality, types of materials, software and ease of use ( for the technically inclined) along with prices under $1,000.00 for some printers. We have tried a number of printers, all under $3,000.00 and have settled in on the Open Source printer designs. These are made to print in over 25 different materials including ABS, PLA, HIPS, Nylon, Poly Carbonate, Laybrick, Laywood, Bronze, Brass, Copper and other new materials. This allows us the ability to create some very unique prototypes and limited production products for 1/100th of traditional fabrication techniques.

Pure Air Systems, Inc. a company that designs and builds HEPA based commercial grade, fan powered air filtration systems. Their newest portable unit entry into the medical market required some unique design concepts including the use of 3D printing to create some component design that would have been very difficult in the aluminum materials used in the balance of the unit. Most of the 3D print models are created in Solid Works, CAD, or Auto Desk Inventor. And, whenever possible we use STEM engineering High School students to do the 3D modeling to give them an opportunity to work with real-world problems and the clients like it as well.

As more companies begin to look to 3D modeling to create and re-design products the ability to introduce 3D printing or Additive manufacturing into the mix becomes a reality. The innovation compression cycle for 3D printing is one of the fastest I have ever seen. And, as Pure Air Systems discovered, this technology can bring prototyping costs and time down to a few weeks rather than a few months.

For more information on the complete line of HEPA based air filtration systems go to our website at: https://www.pureairsystems.com or call us on our toll free number at: 800-869-8025.