3D Systems, Inc. and SWANY Co., Ltd., an innovative product design firm, have formed a partnership to encourage the adoption of large format pellet extrusion 3D printers in Japan. Through this collaboration, SWANY is opening a new demo center that will include a 3D Systems EXT 1070 Titan Pellet printer (formerly Titan Atlas 2.5 HS) – the first of its kind in Japan. SWANY, in collaboration with 3D Systems, will open a new demo center that includes a 3D Systems EXT 1070 Titan Pellet printer (formerly Titan Atlas 2.5 HS) – the first of its kind in Japan.
SWANY, from this location, will also offer 3D printing services to the Asia-Pacific Region. This includes design support for prototyping and manufacturing of a wide range of applications. Combining the companies’ application and technology expertise, 3D Systems and SWANY will also jointly develop new printing parameters to enable the use of additional mass production and recycled pellet materials to more sustainably address a broader range of applications with UCWS (Upcycling Workspace) which recently released a framework to enable sustainable manufacturing in collaboration with the local social welfare council and companies.
SWANY reportedly chose to collaborate with 3D Systems for this venture based on the AM solutions provider’s reputation as a technology pioneer, with 3D Systems’ EXT Titan Pellet printers being one of the leading pellet-based polymer extrusion 3D printing technologies on the market. Installed worldwide are companies from many industries, such as automotive, aerospace foundries consumer products and general manufacturing. By using pelletized feedstock, 3D Systems’ EXT Titan Pellet printers offer up to a 10x reduction in material cost and a wider range of functional materials than traditional filament-based 3D printers. These printers, with their cost savings and fast print speeds, are ideal for large-scale production.
EXT Titan printers have unique tool head choices. Apart from the ability to mount dual-pellet extruders, and even filament extruders, 3D Systems’ customers who employ its EXT Titan Pellet printers can also opt to include a CNC milling spindle tool head. This 3-axis spinning tool allows high precision surface finishing both during and following printing. The EXT Titan 1070 pellet printer SWANY purchased for its demo center includes both additive and subtractive tool heads – one pellet extruder and one milling spindle. SWANY will be able to produce large-scale components (e.g. large-scale patterns and molds, production batches, functional prototypes and large-scale moulds) with manufacturing-level precision, surface quality and repeatability for its customers.
“In the production of large plastic parts for our customers, we continually found ourselves challenged to produce molds with dramatic speed and in a cost-efficient way,” said Yoshihiro Hashizume, president and CEO of SWANY. “As a result, we often couldn’t meet these requests and turned away business. We believe that 3D Systems’ EXT 1070 Titan Pellet printer is the only tool that can overcome this challenge. Through our collaboration with 3D Systems at our new Demo Center, we are confident that the EXT Titan Pellet printers will facilitate a major change in Japan’s domestic manufacturing environment for mass production.”
“We’ve seen a dramatic rise in interest for our EXT Titan Pellet printers from many industries and geographies. Additive manufacturing is a powerful tool for manufacturers who want to move towards more sustainable business practices. Our extrusion process allows manufacturers to quickly create tooling, patterns, or end-use products from thermoplastic pellets. SWANY’s engineers have extensive knowledge and experience in additive manufacturing and manufacturing know-how, pellet feedstocks, and milling as demonstrated by their ‘Digital Mold’ 3D printed injection molding application. SWANY will install our first machine in Japan due to the combination of Digital Mold’s capabilities with EXT Titan Pellet. I’m pleased that SWANY is adopting this technology and look forward to seeing the unique applications our collaboration with them will uncover,” said Dennis Jung, VP of APAC sales at 3D Systems.
The new Demo Center is scheduled to open in October 2023 at 7361 Tomigata Street, Ina City.
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