Companies from across the region are being invited to try out ground-breaking 3D printing technology in the BathVentures Innovation Centre.
The technology, called RepRap, is being displayed in the Centre’s brand new Digital Manufacturing Lab. Local companies are being invited to try out RepRap at the lab and explore the potential of 3D printing technology.
RepRap was conceived by Dr Adrian Bowyer, a senior lecturer in engineering in the Faculty of Engineering & Design.
RepRap is short for replicating rapid-prototyper; it employs a technique called ‘additive fabrication’. The machine works a bit like a printer, but, rather than squirting ink onto paper, it puts down thin layers of molten plastic which solidify. These layers are built up to make useful 3D objects.
Dr Andrew Dent from the University of Bath’s RepRap Project team, said: “As most of the parts of RepRap are made from plastic, the machine is able to print copies of itself. Therefore it can be replicated for free and shared between companies. This makes using RepRap so much cheaper than traditional industrial 3D printing.”
RepRap can be used to cheaply print 3D plastic objects.
RepRap allows highly configurable 3D printing, with the outputs very easy to adapt or modify to suit requirements. Chris DeBona, Open Source Programmes Manager at Google said: “Think of RepRap as a China on your desktop.”
Manager of the Digital Manufacturing Lab, Pia Taubert, said: “This technology has strong potential benefits for local businesses, allowing them to manufacture items in-house at low cost.
“Our new Digital Manufacturing Lab is located right in the centre of Bath, making it really easy for businesses from the region to pop in and try out the machine.
“Having RepRap here in Bath will allow very small companies access to very powerful technology. We hope that being able to use RepRap will increase awareness among local businesses of the potential of this type of machine.”
The Digital Manufacturing Lab is now open to companies. For more details and a free of charge introductory briefing please visit the Digital Manufacturing Lab website.
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