Truck & Off-Highway Engineering - April 2022 - 9

TECHNICAL INNOVATIONS
MANUFACTURING
3DEO unveils metal 3D-printing platform for mass production
California-based 3DEO unveiled in
February its new metal 3D printing
platform and patented technology,
Saffron. The proprietary platform has
been in development for the past five
years. " Until now, we have revealed very
little about our patented technology,
and for good reason - we felt we had a
tiger by the tail and wanted to gain as
much advantage as possible, " said Matt
Sand, 3DEO's co-founder and president.
Using a hybrid additive manufacturing
(AM) process that leverages binder
jetting and CNC machining, the nextgeneration
printer achieves superior
results in terms of surface finish, material
properties and dimensional accuracy,
Sand said. The build area is 81 sq.
in. (523 sq. cm), covered by eight spindles
operating at 60,000 rpm with micron-level
positional accuracy.
Depending on part geometry or print
speed required, the printer can automatically
vary layer thickness anywhere
from 50 to 500 microns.
The technology creates new possibilities
in 3D printing, the company claims. It
can define many layers at the same time
and can cut upward-facing geometries in
three dimensions, eliminating layer lines.
" The printer is actually only a small piece
of the puzzle when it comes to mass production, "
Sand added. " So, we gradually
3DEO plans to bring 125 next-gen printers to its Torrance, Calif., facility over the next three years,
capable of producing more than 20 million parts per year.
expanded scope from being focused only
on the metal 3D printing technology to
innovating up and down the entire production
line. "
This holistic approach resulted in
3DEO's digital end-to-end platform, the
Manufacturing Cloud, with its new
Saffron machine representing " the mass
production breakthrough the industry
has been waiting for, " the company
claims. The Manufacturing Cloud is
based on Jarvis OS, 3DEO's proprietary
software backbone. Jarvis takes in customer
digital models and uses in-house
computational geometry to convert
them into digital work instructions. Its
computer vision and machine learning
modules provide feedback to monitor
and control the platform.
" Imagine a world in which new products
can be launched at the speed of
software - in months, not years; and for
thousands of dollars, not millions, " Sand
said. " This manufacturing capability will
level the playing field for all engineers.
This exciting vision for the future of manufacturing
will become a reality through
3DEO's Manufacturing Cloud that we are
building in Torrance, California. "
3DEO has more than 20 patents
Using a hybrid AM process that leverages binder jetting and CNC machining, the next-gen printer
achieves enhanced surface finish, material properties and dimensional accuracy.
TRUCK & OFF-HIGHWAY ENGINEERING
granted or pending across a range of
applications including 3D printing, robotics,
software and automation. To
April 2022 9
BOTH IMAGES: 3DEO

Truck & Off-Highway Engineering - April 2022

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