Celebrating 3M BIC’s product development technology – British Science Week
This week marks the annual British Science Week (11 – 20 March) a ten-day celebration of science, technology and engineering.
At the 3M BIC, we help drive innovation with in-house capabilities for product development including design, prototyping and product verification. Our on-site cutting-edge technology and expertise enable us to address all technical business challenges and product development needs.
Working in collaboration we can help create innovative solutions that make tangible improvements, whether it’s to improve an existing product in response to a market’s changing needs or developing a completely new idea.
Here’s a quick reminder of how we can support product development and the technology we have available at the 3M BIC:
Product development is taking an idea through design and testing, onto production and finally into the commercial market. It doesn’t just have to be new product development (NPD), it can be enhancing and finetuning an existing product to help improve processes and functionality or creating a new service. Ultimately, it’s about the product or service’s journey from start to finish.
Additive manufacture (AM) or 3D printing is the term given to the process where an object is manufactured by successively adding layers and fusing them together to form a solid 3D object. It is used alongside computer-aided design (CAD) technology to create prototypes in several materials, including plastics, resins, and metals.
There are 4 different types of additive manufacture available at the 3M BIC:
- Selective laser sintering (SLS)
- Filament deposition method (FDM)
- Stereolithography apparatus (SLA)
- Selective laser melting (SLM)
X-ray Computerised Tomography (XCT)
X-ray Computerised Tomography (XCT) is a non-destructive testing tool that can be used to find faults, broken wires, inspect internal areas of interest in a product, as well as map the internal structure with high accuracy results without destroying the part.
Our X-ray Computerised Tomography (XCT) capabilities can meet the needs of the most demanding inspection and metrology applications.
Effective jigs and fixtures can support manufacturers by improving the speed, functionality and cost of the production processes. They are simply bespoke tools that enable the most efficient production process or machine operation.
At the 3M BIC, we can support the creation of jigs and fixtures, through our additive manufacture capabilities. Contact the technology team today for a free consultation on how jigs and fixtures can improve your productivity.
Looking to develop a product and need technical support? Give us a call today on 01484 505601 or e-mail our tech team on technology@3mbic.com
