Verashape Launches Open Innovation Program for Development and Implementation of 5-Axis 3D Printing

Polish 3D printer manufacturer Verashape introduced the world to its newest 3D printer, the 5-Axis VSHAPER, at formnext 2017 this past November.

The Polish National Research and Development Center supported the making of the 5-axis machine, which was developed by the company’s R&D team and uses 5-axis kinematics – the geometry of motion – and a tilting rotary working platform, which ultimately frees users from the current restrictions of the layer-by-layer method that is so typical of most extrusion-based 3D printers.

According to Verashape, its innovative new 3D printer will “transform the way people think about 3D Printing in FFF technology.”

Tomasz Szymański

“The conceptual work on the 5-Axis Machine continues, but we have decided to present its effects so that potential customers are included in the technology development process,” said Tomasz Szymański, the Founder and CEO of Verashape. “We strive for the machine, that will become available to purchase in 2019, to meet the expectations of demanding production companies.”

The 5-Axis VSHAPER can work with several different materials in one process, so users can make models out of hard material that are reinforced with a different, high-strength material and printed elastomeric seals – an appealing capability for industrial users in such industries as aerospace and automotive.

It is for these types of industrial customers that Verashape has launched its Open Innovation Program, which is based on searching for new ideas related to additive manufacturing technology and encouraging industry representatives to come up with new solutions that will affect the development of production processes.

Verashape Content Manager Agnieszka Kielar told 3DPrint.com, “VERASHAPE has just launched Open Innovation Program as part of which we intend to cooperate with industrial companies interested in the development and implementation of 5-axis 3D Printing technology.”

The program aims to get potential customers involved in creating solutions for the development and implementation of 5-axis 3D printing.

“Our machine enables indexed 5-axis printing, enhancing the conventional model printing method allowing to transfer the print plane to another surface that was printed earlier,” explained Marek Kantowski, R&D Lead Engineer, Verashape. “It also allows simultaneous 5-axis printing that moves away from the conventional layer-by-layer printing method and allows creating spatial models on a three-dimensional surface, by using all the machine axes simultaneously.”

The 5-Axis VSHAPER 3D printer has a cylinder-shaped active workspace, with a 300 mm diameter and 300 mm height. It also comes with a tool store, which allows users to switch between multiple toolheads in the same 3D printing job. Additionally, the 5-Axis VSHAPER can process most thermoplastic materials due to a platform with multiple individually controlled heated sections and the constant temperature inside its closed working chamber.

As Verashape lays out, benefits of joining the VSHAPER Open Innovation Program include:

• Cooperation with experienced 3D Printing experts
• Active participation in creating innovative technology
• Preferential and individually determined terms of purchase
• Significant impact on the direction of the final product development

“As part of the VSHAPER Open Innovation program, we will do our absolute best to make sure that the R&D work we conduct on the 5-axis machine supporting additive manufacturing are beneficial to specific recipients of this innovative technology,” said Szymański. “Companies interested in the implementation of 5D Printing technology, as they are a reality today, have a direct and real impact on the functionality of the machine, which will eventually help their production processes.”

Industrial companies that are interested in shaping the future of 5-axis 3D printing with Verashape can register for the VSHAPER Open Innovation Program here.

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