About the work, and what the printed parts are for

The project was for Hod Assaf Industries Ltd, for an exhibition. The aim was to demonstrate a new method of producing and assembling the elements the company uses in construction.

The project ran in several stages:

Stage one – defining what the client needed
Stage two – 3D modelling at the size required
Stage three – printing the model. We chose MJF, with nylon 12 as the material.
Stage four – the model goes through two rounds of bead blasting and paint

Two models were printed, each made up of six parts.

About the client

Hod Assaf Industries Ltd, founded in 1947, is among Israel’s leading producers of steel reinforcement for concrete. Its products serve the construction, infrastructure, defence and agriculture industries.

The technology and the material

The project was produced in MJF – Multi Jet Fusion, nylon powder printing. The part is built layer by layer inside a powder bed, with no supports, and the whole build volume is available for parts. That is what makes the technology suit small runs exactly: the chamber can be filled with dozens of different parts in one build, with no dedicated tooling to pay for.

The material is nylon 12 (PA12) – an engineering material with good mechanical durability, dimensional stability and an even matte finish. See more on choosing a material.

Why each model was split into six parts

A model made of several parts is not a compromise – it is usually the right decision. Splitting it means each part can be printed in its own optimal orientation, finer detail can be reached, and each area can be painted separately before assembly. At an exhibition, where the visitor looks closely, that difference shows.

Why we chose 3D printing

Small quantity – tens of units, not thousands. An injection mould does not pay for itself at that volume.
Timescale – days to weeks, rather than months for tooling.
Room to change – the file can be corrected and a new version printed without starting development again.
Geometric complexity – shapes that cannot be milled or cast come straight off the printer.

A similar project of your own?

Send us a file or a description of the problem and you will get a recommendation on technology, material and timescale – talk to an engineer. See also product design and development and 3D printing production.