Processing thermoplastics

Cleanroom 3D printer

Technical data:

What was needed: A precise and reliable cleanroom 3D printer for processing thermoplastics
Requirements: Absolutely free of lubrication and maintenance, long service life, suitable for cleanrooms, no abrasion, cost efficiency
Products used: Simple encapsulated stepper motors with coupled dryspin® high helix lead screws and flanged lead screw nuts with spanner flat made of iglidur® A180, encapsulated stepper motors with coupled trapezoidal lead screws and flanged lead screw nuts made of iglidur® A180, igus WSX double rail, drylin® W single rails, drylin® R aluminium shafts, igubal® pillow block and flange bearings, xiros® radial deep groove ball bearings
Success for the customer: The use of drylin® bearings with replaceable liners has resulted in greater design freedom for all linear guides. This has significantly accelerated the design process of the VIVECube - Clean Precision. The liners effectively prevent unwanted particle release and at the same time offer process stability. The use of suitable rail and shaft guides brought additional advantages in the realisation of the system.
The use of high helix lead screws and trapezoidal lead screws with high efficiency for all drive axes was the final solution to the problem of cleanroom capability of the VIVECube - Clean Precision. This was the only way to find a verifiably suitable and cost-efficient solution for low-abrasion linear drives.

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VIVECube – Clean Precision cleanroom 3D printer

Description of the application. What is the function of the application? Where is the application used?
VIVE-MedTech GmbH develops and produces customisable and user-focused medical devices. The product range extends from surgical instruments and catheters to artificial lungs for use during temporary lung replacement therapy. The products must fulfil high standards in terms of safety and performance, especially with respect to cleanliness and purity from foreign substances. This is where VIVE-MedTech uses a 3D printing production system, developed in-house, in the cleanroom: The VIVECube – Clean Precision is a precise and reliable cleanroom 3D printer for processing thermoplastics.

What are the operating/environmental conditions like for the end user? What challenges had to be solved?
The production of medical devices places its own requirements on the purity and cleanliness of the production equipment and auxiliary materials used. The machines must run lubrication-free as far as technically possible while remaining reliable over the long term. In particular, challenges arose in the implementation of linear power trains and the selection of materials.

What requirements did the bearings have to meet?
It is especially important that our production equipment's bearings are low-abrasion and durable. In order to control the unavoidable residual abrasion, bearings and drive elements must be made of materials that are largely harmless. At the same time, all components had to remain cost-effective and reasonably available.

Which solutions from igus are used?
Polymer bearings are used at various points in the VIVECube – Clean Precision.

X-axis-plain bearing: An igus WSX double rail is used here as the "bridge axis". This offers very good flexural rigidity for our application. A carriage designed in-house runs on the rail with drylin® fixed and floating bearings as well as liners made of iglidur® A180.

Y-axis-plain bearing: drylin® W single rails run parallel from both sides of the bridge axis, on each of which a specially designed carriage with drylin® fixed and floating bearings and liners made of iglidur® A180 are also used.

Z-axis-plain bearing: Four parallel drylin® R aluminium shafts are used for the robust guide of the printing platform. The printing platform is guided on the shafts by means of specially designed carriages with drylin® fixed and floating bearings and liners made of iglidur® A180.

X/Y power train: Simple encapsulated stepper motors with coupled dryspin® high helix lead screws are used both on the bridge axis in the X-direction and on both parallel individual rails in the Y-direction. The carriage of the X-axis and both parallel carriages of the Y-axis are then driven with matching dryspin® flange lead screw nuts with spanner flats made of iglidur® A180. The high helix lead screws are each guided at the end by igubal® pillow block and flange mounted bearings.

Z-power train: Two synchronously operating encapsulated stepper motors with coupled trapezoidal lead screws are also used to raise and lower the printing platform. The printing platform is driven by a matching flange lead screw nut made of iglidur® A180.

Filament guide on the print head: The print head's filament feed uses a xiros® radial deep groove ball bearing made of xirodur® B180 as a pressure element.

Products used in the cleanroom 3D printer

Further 3D printing applications

Office 3D printer

What was needed: A precise, large-format 3D printer suitable for use in offices or workshops
Requirements: Maintenance-free, easy installation, high accuracy, 100% lubrication-free, no dust and dirt adhesion, quiet and vibration-free due to office use
Success for the customer: The engineers use linear guides, carriages, and dryspin® type lead screws and lead screw nuts for the linear movements of all three axes. The lead screws allow travel speeds of up to 120mm/s. All components help to minimise maintenance of the 3D printer. The right 3D printer for the office.

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Portable 3D printer

What was needed: A compact, portable 3D printer that can still produce detailed 3D parts
Requirements: Top performance even in tight spaces, no maintenance, 100% lubrication-free, low wear and friction, smooth dry operation, no noise or vibration, no dust or dirt adhesion
Success for the customer: In developing countries and distressed areas, a portable device with high precision is very helpful. It is a radical step forward for dental and medical care. The igus® products in the 3D printer ensure a long service life, clean printing conditions and dry operation without vibration or noise.

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3D printer that makes itself

What was needed: A 3D printer that can manufacture its own essential parts quickly and precisely
Requirements: High precision and working speed, no vibration, lightweight, lubrication-free, low friction
Success for the customer: The xBot is aimed at private users as well as schools, universities and industry: "The printer is not only fast and precise, but also high-quality and durable. It can process various materials – from compostable PLA and the standard material ABS to flexible materials such as nylon and rubber-like plastic. The design is solid and all essential components are manufactured in Austria or Germany."

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Fabforge Innovations 3D printer

What was needed: A precise and quiet 3D printer that fulfils the conditions for "Made in India"
Requirements: 100% lubrication and maintenance-free, precise, quiet and vibration-free operation, smooth dry operation

Success for the customer: Fabforge Innovations is a manufacturer of 3D printers based in South India and operates across the country. It used to use linear rails from other manufacturers, but to meet the "Make in India" conditions, Fabforge Innovations changed the design and used igus® products.

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3D printed lead screw nut

What was needed: An alternative to metal ball screw nuts that can be manufactured independently using 3D printing
Requirements: 100% lubrication and maintenance-free, quiet operation, easy to manufacture, smooth running, clearance-free
Success for the customer: The design allowed no other way to achieve the set goal. The parameters were prescribed and the final product had to work. Optimising the contact area was crucial to reducing friction. Thread surface hardening reduced it further. After several printing attempts, the print quality was able to be improved.

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Mini 3D printer

What was needed: A compact and cost-effective mini 3D printer
Requirements: During printing, a tray must perform extremely precise vertical movements in order to achieve a high print resolution of 50 micrometres. In addition, the smallest possible components had to be found for the compact 3D printer.

Success for the customer: With the help of drylin components, it was possible to develop the Lumi Pocket, a 3D printer that combines an extremely compact design with outstanding print quality and an unbeatable price.

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Do you have any questions about dryspin® lead screw technology?
Our expert Robert Day will answer all your questions about dryspin lead screw technology. Simply fill in the contact form and we will take care of your issue. We look forward to hearing from you!

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