ICICS Seminar: Rapidia 3D Printer
On June the 11th, the HATCH management team arranged to have our Rapidia 3D printer serviced and repaired. As a follow up, ICICS & HATCH hosted a ‘Lunch & Learn’ seminar on June 13th to train our many ventures and curious parties from around the applied sciences on how to properly use the Rapidia 3D Printer in the ICICS Makerspace.
The ‘Rapidia’ is a state of the art 3D printer that, when used in concert with their unique convection furnace, can print and sinter steel parts from standard 3D models. The system uses metal paste that is available in 316L Stainless Steel, 17-4 PH Stainless Steel and Nickel Superalloy 625; with Copper (beta release available), H13 Tool Steel and Cemented Tungsten Carbide in development.
Parts are printed using a combination of metal paste and a ceramic stabilizer to help the finished product hold it shape. Once the part has dried, it is transferred into the furnace where the material undergoes the very precise process of sintering.
Our guests, Max and Allen, provided a thorough overview of how the system works and what makes it unique. Further, the two took the over 20 participants through each step of the process from conception, design,
printing and sintering. The lunch and learn proved to be a valuable event that prompted a flurry of positive engagement between students, professors, ventures and the Rapidia engineers. There is a newly kindled optimism and excitement about the capabilities of the
Rapidia system. HATCH is privileged to have access to such equipment and it is our hope that it will benefit our ventures and students now and in the future.
HATCH plans to deliver semi-regular training seminars in the future to enhance the engagement and experience of our ventures.
Learn more about HATCH Venture Builder here
Learn more about the Rapidia 3D Printer here