Revolutionizing the “Quick Fix”
February 8th, 2012
By: Joseph K- Parts Finisher
Performing the job of “Parts Finisher” successfully for GROWit demands a combination of attention to detail and an array of adequate and functional tools. While one may possess the above trait; there is no guarantee that the tools available will be adequate for the ever-changing library of prototypes. Hi…my name is Joseph and I work as a “Parts Finisher.” I am indebted to a wide selection of appropriate cleaning tools with the exception of…my pressure washer.
Before I go any further, I must stress that my job cannot be performed properly without a pressure washer, at this point. More specifically, I clean and prepare Objet 3D printed parts. For those of you who aren’t extremely familiar with the additive 3D printing process, prototypes and end use parts are printed with a buffer of support material around some or all of the part geometry to provide stability during printing. So, it is therefore my job to remove the support from the model along with any residue it leaves behind. Again, I need a pressure washer!
Now, I want to be clear: I do have a functional pressure washer available to me and the tool itself is not lacking of any particular functionality. However, it is the glove attachments on it that drive me bananas. (see image below)
The gloves are made of a thick latex material, as you can see. They are wonderful for shielding my hands from high-pressure water, but yield almost zero dexterity! The problem? A vast majority of the parts we print are small to medium in size with complex geometrical features. Hence, navigating a small, delicate part through a high-pressure water system without sufficient feeling abilities poses disastrous consequences. Can anyone say, “Broken part”? (Those are “bad” words here)
Needless to say, I had traded these gloves for a wet shirt (i.e. sticking my own gloved-hands through the previously sealed glove parts. See image below)
I then began thinking to myself, “must I always leave work with this wet shirt?” Here I am at the pinnacle of manufacturing technology, so I thought, there has to be a better product solution. Thus, with my degree in CAD operation, I sat down at my desktop and modeled my idea of what a “PolyJet prototype” pressure washer glove attachment should look like. This is what I came up with….
Furthermore and with the approval of management, the part will be printed on one of our Connex 500′s to produce a brand-spanking new version of a glove attachment for my new and improved, one of a kind pressure washer.
We will post a quick update soon to let everyone know how the improvements are working out.
All it took to make my job a little easier (and much dryer)….was additive technology and a great idea!