Additive at Scale Uses Essentium 3D Printing Platform

Essentium, Inc. reports that Additive at Scale, an advanced manufacturing services provider, used the Essentium High Speed Extrusion (HSE) 180 ST 3D Printing Platform and Essentium PCTG-Z to design and manufacture 100 pilot units for an asset tracking solution for a multinational chemical company.

Additive at Scale used Essentium's 3D printing technology to overcome design, cost and time constraints, delivering the asset tracking solution for fleet management and monitoring of 18-wheeler chassis that transport chemicals in just 60 days, the company reports.

Additive at Scale partnered with Blues Wireless to create an asset tracking solution that offers GPS capabilities and an onboard accelerometer while allowing the end-user to input data to the cloud without Wi-Fi or Bluetooth connectivity. 

Additive at Scale partnered with Blues Wireless to create an asset tracking solution that offers GPS capabilities and an onboard accelerometer while allowing the end-user to input data to the cloud without Wi-Fi or Bluetooth connectivity. The challenge was quickly developing electronic enclosures to mount the solution to the chassis. The enclosures require a specific form factor, custom PCB mounts, and a rugged design for outdoor installations.

To overcome the challenges, Additive at Scale designed an electronic enclosure with an O-ring groove and seal, threaded inserts, and custom PCB mounts. It printed 100 units for its pilot phase with an Essentium HSE 180 ST 3D Printer. The Additive at Scale team chose to use Essentium PCTG-Z for its electrostatic discharge (ESD)-safe properties, impact strength, chemical resistance, and low cost.

"Having Essentium as a strategic partner has allowed us to tap into the expertise of their material scientists and application engineers to help select the right material and process settings to meet our client's needs," explains Madison Jones, director of Additive at Scale. "They also offer the best ESD-safe materials on the market, which in most cases, is ideal for electronic enclosures or assembly of electronics."

With Essentium's technology along with its material scientists, service and support team, and training support, Additive at Scale was able to complete the pilot phase quickly and efficiently. Additive at Scale has been given official vendor status and is in the process of scaling-up production.

Sources: Press materials received from the company and additional information gleaned from the company’s website.