State of the art RP machine installed at bureau

An Accelerated Technologies product story

Edited by the Engineeringtalk editorial team Oct 18, 2001

Accelerated Technologies has installed an additional Objet Quadra rapid prototyping printer based on state-of-the-art ink jet printing technology

Objet Geometries has announced that service bureau Accelerated Technologies has installed an additional Objet Quadra printer.

This Objet Quadra is the first commercial system in the world to be put into service.

ATI recently completed a highly successful two-month beta test of the Objet Quadra during which the printer proved its business value by enhancing the service bureau's rapid prototyping capabilities, particularly in speed and level of detail.

The US-based ATI service bureau has six sites and a total of 18 high-end RP systems.

In addition to RP, the company also offers extensive tooling and rapid tooling services.

It is now the first company in the world to have two Objet Quadra printers.

"We have already integrated the Objet Quadra into our service offering, achieving excellent results and productivity," said Mike Durham, ATI General Manager.

"We see this additional purchase as strategically important to our ongoing success, because it positions ATI at the forefront of the RP industry.

Objet's extensive patented technologies enable us to offer advanced capabilities ahead of our competitors." Added Todd Grimm, Marketing Manager for ATI, "Working with Objet during the beta was an excellent experience as they were very responsive to our feedback and ideas.

We are pleased to see that many of our suggestions have been incorporated in the commercial version of the machine." Commented David Ofek, President and CEO of Objet: "We are delighted and greatly encouraged that ATI, a world leader in RP, is buying its second machine from our young company.

ATI's purchase decision, coupled with Kodak's recent purchase of a machine, provides the best possible conclusion to our US beta program.

It validates our belief that the Objet Quadra is the ideal solution for a wide variety of rapid prototyping needs." The Objet Quadra is designed to provide high-quality models quickly and conveniently throughout the design process, thereby shortening product development cycles, dramatically shortening the time to market of new products in a wide range of industries.

The Objet Quadra process is based on state-of-the-art ink jet printing technology.

It uses 1536 nozzles to jet layer upon layer of an Objet-developed photopolymer, with each layer cured by exposure to UV light.

The innovative design of the Objet Quadra incorporates advances in software, electronics, mechanical design, and materials.

Models produced on the Objet Quadra printer have properties unavailable to other jetting technologies used to produce three-dimensional models.

A significant advantage of the Objet Quadra is its ability to jet a second material to support models containing complicated geometry, such as overhangs and undercuts.

The Objet Quadra prints in a resolution of 600dpi in the X-axis, 300dpi in the Y-axis, and with a layer thickness of 20 microns (1200dpi), and builds parts of up to 270 x 300 x 200mm (10.6" x 11.8" x 7.8").

Objet develops and produces three-dimensional network printers and materials that create models directly from three-dimensional CAD files using innovative hardware, software and polymer materials.

The Objet Quadra printer is used as an output device for digital files created by designers and engineers in a wide variety of industries who need to physically verify their designs early in the product development process.

Based in Rehovot, Israel, Objet was founded in 1998.

It operates a wholly owned US sales and customer service subsidiary, Objet Geometries, Inc, and a sales and support office in Zaventem Belgium, Objet Geometries Europe S.A.

The company currently employs 70 people worldwide.