A cross-cutting technology involving different sectors such as: industrial automation, mechanical, automotive/motorsport, medical and aerospace.
The printers can be adapted to the customer’s needs based on the material to be printed and its applications, placing no limits on customization possibilities.
Click and learn about our case studies:
Make or Buy case study
The company had received 5 orders, each including the production and completion of 5 machines by the end of the year, with each machine requiring 12 arms, each with slightly different characteristics. It was therefore necessary to find a solution that would allow customization for use. The company began to consider the option of producing the components by FDM 3D printing, turning to Mark One. However, it needed to consider whether it was more cost-effective in the long run to produce the components through a 3D printing service or to purchase a 3D printer.
Team Department
of Industrial Engineering
Mark One introduced the MK 333 Printer to the Department of Industrial Engineering at the University of Bologna as support for academic activities.
This has improved the department's approach to research and teaching, as it has enabled innovative solutions to be developed faster and on a limited budget, tested, modified and approved: theoretical but also practical demonstration of the designed components.
The main critical components realized through 3D printing are the frame and the interface with the gripper object. Due to the complexity of the gripper, the department could not make it through traditional methods; taking advantage of 3D printing, the gripper was built at the modest cost of 50€.
Case Study Robot Clamps
A company operating in the Packaging industry needed robot handling grippers with certain gripping characteristics and material flexibility.
The goal was clear: to find a combination of materials and geometries that would create a grip that was neither too rigid nor too flexible.
Case study Vials
The client company is a business operating in the world of automatic packaging and wrapping machinery manufacturing.
Due to delays in sample shipment from suppliers, the client chose to contact Mark One for the development of a specific project.
The Focchi Case
Focchi is a global benchmark for glass and aluminum curtain walls. The goal was to find new ideas and test them quickly at low cost.
Focchi became interested in 3D printing technology because of the possibility of customizing unique architectural products. The stages of sampling and making matrices were real bottlenecks, as they required long periods of time for realization. The main example of this is cruisers. This gave rise to the need to make components at the prototyping stage through additive manufacturing.
Case Study MOLD FOR CREATING FLEXIBLE COMPONENTS.
Until then, the company, in order to validate the designs, used to create prototypes by taking advantage of traditional technology through the creation of injection molds. This generally involved changing the geometry and consequently the mold. Increasing, therefore, development costs.
Mark One suggested, therefore, leveraging its technology to its full potential to decrease the aforementioned costs.
Carter Bike case study
The company decided, therefore, to invest in the MK 333 3D printer, which was able to provide the optimal solution to the problem that arose.
The advice and support provided by Mark One enabled the client company to make the industrial process faster, more effective, and more economical.
The manufacturing and industrial process revolution: the Kawasaki case
This white paper shows the success story of two major projects developed by Mark One and Kawasaki.
The collaboration revolutionized the production cycle and resulted in new high-performance components using Mark One technology. In addition, Kawasaki improved the supply chain and reduced development time thanks to Mark One's assistance. What is unique about this collaboration is that the Kawasaki team has all the support and tools needed to develop and implement 3D printing projects directly on-site, without time and labor-related costs. Downloading the case study will allow you to learn more about this successful collaboration and the benefits of 3D printing in the industrial sector.
Mark One has been a sponsor and technical partner of GRT Yamaha WorldSBK.
From the creation of equipment that can facilitate "pit work" (such as assembly jigs, custom mounts, cases for controlling the bike's ECU) to custom accessories for "cold bikes" (intake and exhaust plugs for engine storage, crankcase covers to facilitate the oil loading procedure, etc.) there are already several prototypes created to replace aerodynamic and mechanical components on Yamaha motorcycles.
The partnership between Motorsport and 3D printing has laid the foundation for a real revolution in the racing world.
ORTHOTIC INSOLES
Specialists used to make custom orthotic insoles by plaster cast in a handcrafted way. This process requires days of preparation and a high risk of human error. It also takes time away from the main activity of visiting and treating patients. Thus, MK Insoles, the first 3D printer dedicated entirely to the production of orthotic insoles, was born in collaboration with experts in the field. Customized orthotic insoles can thus be made in a simple and automated way, freeing up time for other priority activities.
See how some Italian podiatrists have applied our MK Insoles 3D printer.
Project
Pre-Operative
These simulate a bone model
with internal porosity and structure comparable to the real thing. In this way, the medical team is able to conduct pre-operative tests and plan the surgery, thanks in part to the ability to directly mill and drill the printed models.
By doing so, the doctors were able to perform a variety of milling and drilling tests on the provided models, so that they arrive at the time of surgery ready to perform the operation more quickly and accurately.
Covid-19 personal protection equipment project
The protective mask made by Mark One takes advantage of 3D printing to meet the need to defend against the high propagation of coronavirus.
The purpose of this mask is to help prevent
and limit the spread of the virus, providing a valuable protective tool for those who work or live in contact with many people.
The 3D-printed protective mask is different from conventional masks used so far: it consists of a cover in which filters are placed, which can be replaced several times a day without having to change the mask entirely.
Medical Brace Project
These are characterized, in addition to an entirely new and original design, by extreme lightness and perfect compatibility conferred by the uniqueness of each print, as it is modeled directly on the patient.
Space Rover Project
The Alma-X project was born within the University of Bologna - Alma Mater Studiorum and aims to build a rover, almost entirely produced by 3D printing, for interplanetary exploration.
It is the first prototype planetary rover built in Emilia-Romagna. The partnership with Mark One is one of the strengths of the entire project: in fact, about 80 percent of the rover was made by additive manufacturing. Thanks to the 3D technology and the wide choice of materials fielded by Mark One, Alma-X has the possibility, on the one hand, to make any component by cutting costs and production time, and on the other hand, to demonstrate the excellence of its product with different mechanical applications.
Through additive manufacturing and thanks to the flexibility of Mark One materials, the team made the rover's central body and wheels. Also important are the training aspects: in fact, Mark One supports the project not only with 3D printers, but also in the transmission of the know-how necessary for its realization. Through symposiums and industry events, the necessary skills are transmitted to the students involved in the project.
TEAM SKYWARD
Skyward Experimental Rocketry is a student association active at Politecnico di Milano, Italy, founded in 2012 with the ambitious goal of designing and building small and medium-sized experimental rocket-probes.
The Skyward team uses Mark One printers at all stages of rocket development: both to create models at the design stage for kinematic and footprint testing and to produce finished components.
The partnership with Mark One has enabled higher numbers of components to be printed and prototyped more quickly, opening the paorte to a new frontier of research and development within the association. Lightweight materials, low costs, and the ability to try mates with real parts led team members to double the speed at which they achieved their goals by creating a carrier that reaches 1.5 km in altitude, making the most critical components 3d printed.
