The 3D printing Unit, based in the faculty of Natural Sciences, provides assistance in conceptualizing, designing, and 3D-printing parts and components for any purpose.

Services can begin at any stage of the process, from the concept phase- identifying the need and coming up with ideas for possible solutions, the designing phase- CAD designing the components and choosing the right materials for them, or the manufacturing phase- printing a given 3D model.

The services are available to all University departments, as well as to external (academic and industry) researchers.

Equipment:

Asiga max X35– this printer utilizes DLP technology (Digital Light Processing) to create precise and delicate items (precision level of micrometers), with a fairly small build volume (75*37*67 mm). the materials used this printer come as viscous liquids, and are solidified by UV light in the printing process. The printer works relatively quickly (up to 7 hours of print at most depending on size), but requires a post-printing processing of an additional 1-2 hours.

Form 3B- this printer utilizes SLA technology (stereolithography) which is similar in concept to the DLP of the Asiga. Both printers use UV light to harden a resin into a solid material, but each has its own unique way of focusing the light onto precise points. The biggest notable difference is a much larger print bed (145*145*185 mm) and a different variety of materials.

Ultimaker 5S– this printer utilizes FFF technology (Fused Filament Fabrication) to create larger, more robust items, with larger build volume (330*240*300 mm). the materials used in this printer come as coils of plastic line, which is melted at high temperatures and pressed through a thin nozzle to “draw” the product one layer at a time. items printed with this printer tend to be less accurate then the Asiga prints (precision level of about a millimeter), but are cheaper, larger, and are made with different materials.

Bambulabs X1-Carbon- another FFF printer. This printer is similar in technology to the Ultimaker, but has a build volume of 256*256*256 mm, and trades high temperatures for speed. Where the Ultimaker prints with higher temperatures, allowing it to use a variety of materials, the Bambulabs haslower printing temperatures, limiting the material variety, but allowing to print at much higher speeds.

For additional information please email:3dp@sci.haifa.ac.il.