Stereolithography machine expands service scope

A Moog product story

Edited by the Engineeringtalk editorial team Aug 17, 2006

FineLine Prototyping, a leading service provider, has purchased a Viper Pro SLA system for its stereolithography manufacturing needs.

FineLine Prototyping, a leading service provider, has purchased a Viper Pro SLA system for its stereolithography manufacturing needs.

FineLine Prototyping has been operating for five years focusing primarily on manufacturing small, high resolution parts used in the medical device industry.

"While small, highly feature-rich parts have always been our specialty here at FineLine, we have been seeing a growing demand for large parts in the market", stated Rob Connelly, President of FineLine Prototyping.

"For that reason, it has been our intention to offer large part production services for quite some time now, but not until we could do so at a quality level that is consistent with what our customers have come to expect from our small part business".

Following the purchase of a new Viper Pro by FineLine Prototyping, Rob Connelly and his team worked behind the scenes to perfect and optimise their system.

With their work complete, FineLine recently announced in a special newsletter to their customers that the Viper Pro SLA system exceeds initial expectations and offers superior part characteristics over any other previous SLA systems.

"The Viper Pro is far more than just another large stereolithography machine; it takes the large-part market to a new level of quality - much like what 3D Systems did for the small-part market when they introduced the Viper".

FineLine Prototyping current inventory of systems includes five Viper SLA systems and two InVision HR 3D printers.

The new large frame Viper Pro SLA system provides a large build volume up to 29 x 25 x 21in and a high-resolution laser system similar in capability to the well established smaller Viper.

The high power level of the system's laser enables it to build at a faster rate than any system currently available - translating to lower part cost.

In addition to adding the capability of producing larger parts, the Viper Pro system will also provide: smoother sidewalls - less finishing required for patterns and painted parts; sharp, crisp corners - due to the fine laser beam, as sharp as 0.002in; greater accuracy - due to a short beam path and high-resolution imaging system; and lower pricing - due to the higher throughput of the system.

"The Viper Pro SLA system from 3D Systems offers the quality, resolution, and accuracy we have been waiting to deliver to our current and future customers for some time", concluded Connelly.

"Since we purchased the Viper Pro SLA system we have seen a significant jump in our business".

"FineLine Prototyping is exactly the kind of advanced user we designed our Viper Pro SLA system for", said Abe Reichental, 3D Systems' President and Chief Executive Officer.

"As a highly successful and experienced service provider of SLA and InVision made parts worldwide, FineLine Prototyping now has the tools to offer a broader range of rapid 3D printing, prototyping and manufacturing solutions to its customers in the medical device, consumer electronics, tool pattern and other industries".

"We are enormously proud and pleased that FineLine has chosen to expand their high quality part prototyping and manufacturing services using our new Viper Pro", concluded Reichental.