Thermwood Receives 32 Additive Manufacturing Patents as an Early Christmas Gift

Posted by Duane Marrett on Tue, Jan 04, 2022

Tags: Thermwood, Announcements, Local Motors, Thermwood LSAM, Patented, Boeing, Navair, Al Davis Torch, General Atomics

Thermwood routinely applies for patent protection on additive manufacturing technology it develops for its LSAM large format additive systems. During COVID, we received electronic copies of patents that were granted, however, the official hard copies were withheld.

A couple of days before Christmas 2021, we received a package containing the official hard copy of 32 additive manufacturing patents. This was certainly a one-day record for Thermwood and a welcome sight!

Thermwood Receives 32 Additive Manufacturing Patents

In addition to these latest patents, Thermwood already has a large portfolio of earlier issued patents covering the unique, large format (5x10 foot table and larger) 3D print technology it has developed. This LSAM technology is currently the most widely used large scale additive print technology operating in industry today. It’s used in a wide variety of industries including aerospace, transportation, heavy equipment, foundry and large decorative structures. It is being used to produce a diversity of products including aerospace patterns, molds and tooling, heavy equipment foundry patterns, bus chassis, large valve body foundry patterns and trim tooling. It was even used to print the tallest 3D printed structure in the world, the 92 foot tall Al Davis Memorial Torch at Allegiant stadium in Las Vegas.

Al Davis Memorial Torch Printed on Thermwood LSAM

Thermwood offers this unique patented technology on a wide variety of equipment, the largest, most diverse product offering of its kind available today. It includes a broad selection of machines, including single and dual gantry, fixed and moving table configurations, with both print-only and print-and-trim systems, from 5 by 10 foot to 20 by 60 foot print envelopes. We are working on even larger machines but that’s for another day.LSAM offers the broadest line of large scale additive systems available in the market today

Boeing Navair project

The primary focus of the patented LSAM technology is to reliably and repeatedly produce the highest quality, best fused, most homogeneous printed structures possible from a variety of reinforced thermoplastic polymer composites including those intended to operate at elevated temperatures. Although it is nice to have been granted these patents, it is even nicer to finally have the official hard copies in hand.

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Thermwood LSAM 10'x40' - The World's Largest Composite 3D Printer is Now Installed at Local Motors!

Posted by Duane Marrett on Wed, Jun 27, 2018

Tags: Thermwood, Local Motors, 3D printing, Additive, LSAM, 3D Print, Thermwood LSAM, Additive Manufacturing, World's Largest 3D Composite 3D Printer, Olli

Installation of the world's largest composite 3D Printer is now complete at Local Motors. This massive Thermwood LSAM 10'x40' is ready to get to work making the Olli! 

Installation of the world's largest composite 3D Printer is now complete at Local Motors. This massive Thermwood LSAM 10'x40' is ready to get to work making the Olli!
Thermwood LSAM 10'x40' - Ready to work! 


Looking down the working envelope from the print gantry side of the Thermwood 10'x40' LSAMLooking down the working envelope from the print gantry side of the Thermwood 10'x40' LSAM

A part in the process of being printed on the Thermwood 10'x40' LSAM at Local MotorsA part in the process of being printed on the Thermwood 10'x40' LSAM at Local Motors

Looking down the working envelope from the print gantry side of the 10'x40' Thermwood LSAM at Local Motors
Looking down the working envelope from the print gantry side

Another view of the 10'x40' LSAM at Local MotorsAnother view of the 10'x40' LSAM at Local Motors

A view from the trim gantry side of the Thermwood LSAM 10'x40' at Local MotorsA view from the trim gantry side of the Thermwood LSAM 10'x40' at Local Motors

About The Thermwood LSAM

Thermwood offers a line of dual gantry additive manufacturing machines which both print and trim parts on the same machine. These are large industrial additive manufacturing machines that can be up to 100 feet long.  Thermwood LSAM 10'x20'

LSAM (pronounced L-sam) represents an all new technology for large scale 3D printing of thermoplastic polymers. While other large scale additive efforts attempt to scale up small, filament-fed desktop printer techniques, LSAM is, at its core, designed for additive manufacturing of large structures using a fundamentally different approach

LSAM is different. The print process is different. The machine is different. The print head is different. The control is different. The software is different and the resulting parts are different.

LSAM is intended for industrial production. It is not a lab, evaluation or demonstration machine, but is instead a full-fledged industrial additive manufacturing system intended for the production of large scale components.

Although suitable for producing a wide variety of components, Thermwood is focusing on producing industrial tooling, masters, patterns, molds and production fixtures for a variety of industries including aerospace, automotive, foundry and boating.       

About Local Motors

Local MotorsLocal Motors is a ground mobility company focused on shaping the future for the better. Founded in 2007 with a belief in open collaboration and co-creation, Local Motors is a digital OEM, capable of micro-manufacturing, sales, service and operations all from a local footprint using a microfactory.

Meet Olli

 

 

World's First 3D Printed Car Machined on Thermwood Model 70 at IMTS 2014

Posted by Duane Marrett on Thu, Sep 18, 2014

Tags: CNC, Trade Shows, Model 70, Local Motors, Strati, 3D printing

Thermwood participated at the 2014 IMTS (International Manufacturing Technology Show) in Chicago, as a part of the world's first 3D printed car team.  

This ambitious undertaking was conceived by Local Motors localmotors.com and carried out by several partners on the project, including Thermwood.  The overall concept was to 3D print, trim, assemble and drive the car all in the one-week time frame of the IMTS show in front of the over 100,000 attendees during the week.

After the car body was 3D printed (the additive portion of the process using a Cincinnati Big Area Additive Manufacturing machine), a Thermwood 5 Axis Model 70 10x15 CNC router was used as the subtractive portion to trim and shape the body into the final streamlined version. This process had to be precise to achieve the correct fit and finish of the body, fenders and all other parts.  

Overall, the entire 3D printing process took 44 hours, machining on the Thermwood took one full day and final assembly was two days! 

Additive portion of the project 

 Time-lapse of the Strati being printed


Subtractive portion on the Thermwood Model 70

day_2_2_smaller

Thermwood Model 70 5 Axis CNC router performing the "subtractive" portion of the process

brent_working_on_car_smaller

Thermwood's Brent East put in long hours programming and running the subtractive portion of the car


Assembling the Strati

car_in_process_assemble

Strati 3D Printed Car being assembled at the IMTS show


The Finished Product

After assembly, the finished Strati was ready to roll, and was driven on the last morning of the IMTS show on Saturday September 13th.   This World's First 3D Printed Car begins a lengthy international tour this week.

Local Motors CEO John B. Rogers Jr. (Jay) says in a press release "The Strati was designed by our community, made in our Microfactory and will be driven by you,  This brand-new process disrupts the manufacturing status quo, changes the consumer experience and proves that a car can be born in an entirely different way."

brent_in_car_smaller

Thermwood's own Brent East checking out the finished 3D Printed Car before its maiden voyage

Maiden Voyage

3dprintedcar_1st_drive 

The project team presents the finished Strati to the world right before its first drive!

strati_first_drive

World's first 3D printed car drives around downtown Chicago


NBC Chicago Story on the Process - Featuring the Thermwood Model 70 - click to view

NBC Chicago Story on 3D Printed Car 


About the Model 70

The Multi-Purpose 70 is designed for aerospace and composite applications utilizing large/heavy fixtures (various sizes available).

Thermwood Model 70 10x20 CNC Router

Model 70 10x20 Fixed Table

Thermwood Model 70 10x10 CNC Router

Model 70 10x10 Fixed Table


 More Info

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