Essentium Blog

August 3, 2020November 30, 2020 | Blake Teipel

Winning When You’re Losing: Making Lemonade Out of (3D Printed) Lemons

When it’s nearing the end of a game and victory is clearly out of reach, coaches often put their second and third stringers into the contest. Are they giving up? Not in the slightest. They’re using that valuable time to give less talented players exposure to in-game situations, a chance to feel part of the […]

July 7, 2020November 30, 2020 | The Essentium Team

3D Filament Drying: Proper Drying Practices Make Perfect 3D Printed Parts

Water. It’s the foundation of all life on earth, but it’s a killer when it comes to the quality and consistency of 3D printed parts. The moisture content in thermoplastic extrusion materials used by 3D printers needs to be properly controlled during filament manufacture, storage, and when printing to achieve best results. Improper handling at […]

June 30, 2020January 14, 2021 | Jim Rollins

The Bigger the Better: Printing Large Jigs and Fixtures in One Piece

In the mass manufacturing world, 3D printing is usually not used to make a finished piece. Rather, it is an enabling technology. Additive manufacturing is used to help other machines, robots and workers do their jobs better by creating lightweight yet durable jigs and fixtures that securely hold a tool or an unfinished part in […]

June 29, 2020November 30, 2020 | Blake Teipel

3D Printing & Supply Chains: Adopting a Posture of Preparedness

The COVID-19 pandemic has shined a bright light on the fragility of our supply chains. Who would have thought that in a country like America, we would ever see stores stripped bare of essentials like toilet paper and pasta? That our medical professionals and first responders would run out of PPE? Or that domestic factories […]

June 17, 2020December 1, 2020 | The Essentium Team

Reinforce Your Supply Chain with Open Ecosystem Additive Manufacturing

If the COVID-19 pandemic has taught us anything, it’s that supply chains can be disrupted suddenly and without any indication of how long the interruption will last. Manufacturers need to have a Plan B to keep their factory floors humming in the event of a disruption to their sources of raw materials, parts, and tools. […]

April 30, 2020January 14, 2021 | The Essentium Team

5 Ways Additive Manufacturing Shortens Aerospace Supply Chains

Now more than ever, the aerospace industry needs to implement more efficient procurement and shorter production cycles. The coronavirus pandemic has taught us very quickly that 1) supply chains can be interrupted for indeterminable lengths of time and 2) the sudden decline in passengers means airlines have to find new ways to cut costs. That’s […]

April 29, 2020January 14, 2021 | The Essentium Team

Best Materials for 3D Printed Fixtures and Jigs

Jigs and fixtures are used in all kinds of manufacturing environments to make repeatable assembly processes more accurate, faster and safer. Specialized tools like gauges, drill guides, masking templates and cradles have been traditionally machined from metal. That makes them heavy, expensive and subject to long lead times to design and produce. On the upside, […]

April 29, 2020November 30, 2020 | Lars Uffhausen

Additive Manufacturing Will Change Procurement as You Know It

Every manufacturer can benefit from more efficient procurement and shorter production cycles. That’s why a growing number of manufacturers are now taking a serious look at additive manufacturing. Additive manufacturing describes the technologies that build 3D objects by adding layer-upon-layer of material, whether it be plastic, metal and more.

April 20, 2020January 14, 2021 | The Essentium Team

Additive Manufacturing 101: Jigs & Fixtures

Whatever a company makes on its factory floor, chances are the employees use specialized jigs and fixtures on the assembly line to complete the manufacturing process. Jigs and fixtures represent a tremendous opportunity for additive manufacturing to increase efficiencies and reduce costs on the production floor. But what exactly is a jig, and how does […]

April 3, 2020November 30, 2020 | The Essentium Team

Essentium’s Response to COVID-19: A Letter From the CEO

As I said in my statement from March 25th, while Essentium cannot be a first responder, we can be a second-tier responder in the fight against Covid-19. Where the supply chain for PPE is faltering, we can step in. We have stepped in.