Issue link: http://www.insightdigital.biz/i/214203
Specialized Products, Ltd. How it works Established in 1994, Specialized Products, Ltd. is a privately held contract manufacturer. The facility consists of 75,000 sq.ft. of manufacturing and warehouse space, situated on 14 acres in the Clintonville Industrial Park. 1 A person uses CAD (computer aided design) software to design a three dimensional (3D) model of an object, which could include a fully functioning clock or a car door handle. 3 The computer model is communicated to a 3D printer's pre-processor, which slices the model into different layers with varying thicknesses (1/1000 inch or smaller). The software looks at the sections (slices) to create a tool path of where it needs to have material and where it doesn't (hollow areas) to create objects as tiny as a hearing aid or as large as an airplane wing. The 3D printer "prints" the object layer by layer in its "build box" which contains a smooth, thin bed of finely ground material such as powdered plastic. Depending on the type of printer, the printing head contains a heat source, such as a laser or an electron beam, that melts the powdered material or jets a spray binder over the powder in a precise pattern. The binder functions as a glue for the material as an object is built. 4 Depending on the type of material used, most prototypes can be cleaned up and ready to use right off the printer. availability with which customers can, literally, have a part in their hands is transforming the manufacturing landscape. "We've become a prototyping culture," he says. Sommerfeld agrees, pointing to the vast potential 3D printing has for broadening not just manufacturing horizons but countless other industries as well. "It's a field that's just exploding with possibilities," Sommerfeld says. "It's almost as easy as hitting 'print screen'… You don't have to be an engineer or scientist to come up with a new idea. Everyone can come up with an idea." 200 Summer Street, Clintonville • 715.823.3727 www.specializedproductsltd.com DESIGN TO IMPRESS... BUILD TO LAST... Commercial Industrial Design/Build www.alliancebuilds.com | 920-336-3400 Strengthen your workforce ALLSTARS N E W N O R T H C A R E E R S I N M A N U F A C T U R I N G Join the NEW Manufacturing Alliance… a group of manufacturers working with educational institutions, workforce development boards, chambers of commerce and state organizations to promote manufacturing in our region. 2013 2 Our objectives: •Createapositiveviewofmanufacturing careers in our area •GrowpartnershipswithK-16, media and other manufacturers Meet Eric and other All Star winners who are making a difference in manufacturing. •Promoteworkforcedevelopment •Advancecollaborationeffortsthat promote the health of manufacturing A p u b l i c a t i o n o f t h e N E W M a n u f a c t u r i n g A l l i a n c e | P r o d u c e d b y I n s i g h t P u b l i c a t 1o n s i To connect with manufacturing companies focused on the future and to learn more about member benefits, go to www.newmfgalliance.org w w w.in s i g h t o n m f g . c o m November 2013 • / insight on manufacturing | 13