Additionally, as parts become smaller, they become more expensive to produce, and the cost of injection molds for micro components can be hundreds of thousands of dollars, as opposed to $10,000. This economic reality is leading many manufacturers to explore the potential of 3D printing for their manufacturing needs.

At BMF, we offer a range of materials with different properties for various applications. As an open-source material company, we have our own line of formulated liquid resins that are made specifically for our line of micro-precision 3D printers, but we also partner with material companies to provide third-party material options that give flexibility based on the application.

In fact, injection moulding has a long history in bicycle manufacturing. One of the first was made from injection-molded Lexan in 1973. The Original Plastic Bike Inc had been founded in 1971, and took out magazine adverts, but it sold very few, if any, of its proposed products.

Micro-precision 3D printing is a technique used to create 3D parts with extremely high resolution, accuracy and precision, typically with features that are smaller than 100µm.

"Our services accompany the customer from the design to the manufacturing process in the sense of integral planning with the aim of placing the product on the market in the best possible way."

Boston Micro Fabrication uses a 3D printing approach called PμSL (Projection Micro Stereolithography) that leverages light, customizable optics, a high quality movement platform and controlled processing technology to produce the industry’s most accurate and precise high-resolution 3D prints for product development, research and industrial short run production. The technology represents a true industry breakthrough by empowering product manufacturers to capitalize on the benefits of 3D printing without sacrificing quality or scale, helping push new boundaries in innovation.

Boston Micro Fabrication (BMF). "Enabling Miniaturization with Micro Precision 3D Printing". AZoM. https://www.azom.com/article.aspx?ArticleID=22490. (accessed September 28, 2024).

Boston Micro Fabrication delivers one of the highest levels of precision available on the market, and we manufacture and sell printers capable of achieving 2µm, 10µm and 25µm resolution parts. Our 2µm series includes the microArch S130 and S230, both capable of achieving tolerances within +/-10µm.

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The benefits of an injection-molded cycle frame are obvious – manufacturing is swift (just pop them out of mold every minute or so), and they won’t rust. Complex shapes can also be achieved.

Often, 3D printing is used to accelerate prototyping and design testing across a number of industries. Single-use disposable medical devices are a great fit, as well as microfluidics, electronic connectors and components and drug delivery systems. On top of these applications, we're helping advance the industry's use of 3D printing through self-drive innovation.

The trend toward miniaturization is growing, as the demand for smaller parts and components in the fields of medical devices, biotech, electronics, and wearables increases. However, the cost is a significant challenge in manufacturing miniaturized parts for medical devices, electronics, and optics. Traditional 3D printing struggles with producing smaller parts, but micro 3D printing can deliver precision for complex components at scales as small as a single micron.

Boston Micro Fabrication (BMF). 2023. Enabling Miniaturization with Micro Precision 3D Printing. AZoM, viewed 28 September 2024, https://www.azom.com/article.aspx?ArticleID=22490.

"The business model of Plastic Innovation GmbH combines two major innovations," claims the company. "The implementation of the bicycle industry’s new method of manufacturing frames using injection molding together with the innovative business model of rethinking bicycle design."

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The elevated cost of tooling for micro-injection molds and the minimal volume of the parts requiring less material greatly impacts the cost analysis. 3D printing can be more cost-effective and efficient than traditional manufacturing processes depending on the output volume needed, and this crossover point gets higher as the parts get smaller. The fact that 3D printing doesn't require tooling has always been an advantage. This advantage is even more obvious when looking at micro-injection molding. The cost of a single cavity complex micro mold can often cost upwards of $100k.

Boston Micro Fabrication (BMF). (2023, April 13). Enabling Miniaturization with Micro Precision 3D Printing. AZoM. Retrieved on September 28, 2024 from https://www.azom.com/article.aspx?ArticleID=22490.

The most famous plastic bicycle (if we discount carbon composite bicycle frames, that is) was the Itera bicycle of Sweden. This was born from a massive 1978 grant from the Swedish National Board for Technical Development. By 1980 a rideable bicycle – of sorts – was demonstrated by the Itera Development Center AB, and in the following year the first mass-produced Itera bikes were shown to prospective retailers and to the press.

Post-processing for DLP or SLA-based part production involves post-washing to remove uncured resin and removing supports. Our photo-polymer-based process follows the same steps, but our small parts require less solvent and support. Form Wash and Form Cure devices are used for post-processing and are effective for our micro 3D printed parts.

Plastic Innovation of Austria is hoping to resurrect the 1980s idea of injection-molded cycle frames. Such frames used to snap, made by companies which flopped in more ways than one.

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We also recently collaborated with Henkel to validate LOCTITE 3D 3955 for use on the microArch platforms. This material is compatible with our new microArch S350 printer for printing flame-resistant parts at 25µm resolution. This high-performance halogen-free flame retardant UL94-V0 high modulus photopolymer resin is suitable for end-use parts including electrical connectors, housings, electronic components, and other parts requiring high flame resistance or the ability to withstand harsh environments.

The company’s website is yet to be populated. However, from the awards information it appears that the company is seeking to mainly license its technology rather than make its own products. "The awareness of the new design options must first be created at the OEMs," says a company blurb.

Conventionally, these parts are manufactured using injection molding. The smaller and more complex a part is, the higher the cost associated with creating a mold and the turnaround time can be months. BMF is disrupting traditional manufacturing with 3D printing, enabling engineers to create prototypes at a fraction of the time and cost to be used for fit and form testing, manufacturing aids, molding and casting tools, and end-use parts for production.

So, if Plastic Innovation GmbH has truly figured out a way to mass-produce rideable, long-lasting, non-floppy injection-molded cycle frames it would be on to a winner. As reported by Cycling Industry News, the company has already won an award: its “bicycle of the future” concept bagged an Austrian Greenstart gong.

Also key to the cost analysis, the printed parts use very little material, so material costs are minimal. With micro 3D printing, you can print tens of thousands of parts before the amortization of the tool is realized. If you only need 100's of parts, the value of micro 3D printing skyrockets. Quite simply, fabricating micro parts through traditional manufacturing methods is costly and difficult. BMF's PµSL technology is a very attractive alternate solution for complex, micro parts.

However, many of the frames and plastic components snapped in use, most of the parts were proprietary and therefore difficult replace, and the Itera was said to be uncomfortable to ride. Nevertheless, it’s estimated that in the four years the Itera was made 30,000 units were sold around the world.

Graphics in the video above show that Plastic Innovation has been working wih Peugeot to produce CAD drawings of its proposed frames, which could be made from recycled plastics.

John is the CEO of Boston Micro Fabrication (BMF) an additive manufacturing technology company with a focus on high resolution, accuracy and precision.  From 2016 to 2019, John served as President-Americas for Ultimaker, the leading open source desktop 3D printing company.  From 2012 to 2016, John was the CEO of Harvest Automation.  Harvest developed and deployed an autonomous mobile robotic platform that assists workers with difficult, repetitive material handling. John was VP of Sales and then CEO of Z Corporation from 1997 until 2012.  Z Corporation led the way in introducing fast, easy to use and full color 3D printing into a wide range of industries.  John is also currently the Chairman of Labminds, a laboratory automation technology company and a Board Director at Industrial ML, an industrial machine learning company.  John received a BS in Mechanical Engineering from Cornell University, MS in Mechanical Engineering from Rensselaer and an MBA from Union College.

The shift towards short-run production using 3D printing is currently underway, with some of our early customers utilizing this technology to qualify their processes. Due to various economic factors, such as supply chain issues, many manufacturers are feeling the pressure and are thus considering this approach as an alternative solution.

Surface finish ranges between 0.5 to 2 microns RA, depending on the orientation of the surface. Feature size is usually a multiple of the resolution, such as 10 microns or 2 microns. For example, a 10-micron resolution can produce features of approximately 50 microns, while a 2-micron resolution can achieve features of around 10 microns.

Recent advances in 3D printing have led to materials with mechanical properties approaching those of traditional injection molding materials. End-use materials are now reaching 90% of the strength and flexibility of injection molding materials. Functional designs are now possible using these materials.

The uncured resin inside the channel must be removed after printing, which we have accomplished using various techniques, such as chemical washing and vacuum removal, developed in the past 18 months.

This method is capable of manufacturing end-use parts for short-run production, which are challenging to produce using traditional methods. For small-scale injection molding, 3D printing is a cost-effective alternative to creating molds and casting tools, as traditional machining requirements become more expensive as parts decrease in size.

The smaller the part and the more complex the geometry, the trickier it is to manufacture. So, at BMF, we are fulfilling a real need, making prototypes and end-use parts for small, complex geometries - available faster and at much cheaper costs than other methods.

We have recently developed and validated several new materials which are now available for use on BMF’s microArch platforms. These include BMF MED and LOCTITE 3D 3955. BMF MED powered by 3D Systems is a custom-formulated biocompatible resin that meets the requirements of FDA class II biocompatibility.  This combined with its great aging properties makes it suitable for end-use medical devices, pharmaceutical, and research applications. This resin also features fast and simple post-processing requirements for improved ease of use.

At BMF, we are essentially helping engineers 3D print parts they have not been able to in the past - that match the quality of an injection molded part at a fraction of the cost.

We offer sample parts and benchmark parts at no cost to prospective customers to evaluate our technology, which is a crucial aspect of our sales process. If you'd like to request a sample part, please visit our website and submit a request.

Boston Micro Fabrication (BMF). "Enabling Miniaturization with Micro Precision 3D Printing". AZoM. 28 September 2024. .

In this Interview, AZoMaterials speaks to Boston Micro Fabrication's CEO John Kawola, about micro precision 3D printing.