We’re looking at a company whose entire focus is post-processing equipment and services for 3D printing: Postprocess Technologies.
Postprocess Technologies specifically focuses on the industrial 3D printing market, where they provide several different products to address the needs of industry using 3D printing.
The company provides specialized support removal machines in various sizes. These machines are used to remove water-soluble support material from Stratasys FDM prints. Stratasys does provide wash tanks for such purposes, but those from Postprocess Technologies use ultrasonic waves and multiple forms of agitation to speed up the process – and accommodate larger volumes of parts simultaneously. This is important if you happen to run a fleet of large 3D printers. They’ll also provide special additives to speed up support removal – and waste-water removal systems too.
They also provide several devices for surface finishing. Such machines have been known long before 3D printing, but they were discovered to be very suitable for removing the unsightly layer lines produced by many 3D printers. Objects are placed in a tank filled with angular media and agitated. Over time the media bumps out all the layer lines and generally smooths the object perfectly. They provide several different types of media – both in shape and material – to account for all types of printed objects.
Finally, they offer a “vast selection” of sealants and coatings that can be applied to a 3D printed object to improve a variety of properties, including electrical conductivity, corrosion resistance and more.
While their market is clearly industrial, we’re wondering if some of their expertise could be applied to the personal 3D printer market? No one has yet produced a smoothing machine expressly made for such equipment yet, for example. We’re also interested in their coatings, which could also be scaled down for use by personal 3D printer operators.
