One of the largest 3D printing facilities in the world

3D printing… At first glance, it might make you dreamy. Some have compared the effect of this invention to that of the steam engine. The progress made in the industrial sector in twenty years has been remarkable, especially in the construction of many houses. Even NASA has come to include this device in its extra-terrestrial exploration.

What will happen in practice? We set up a 3D printer in a workshop, we design a prototype of something and away we go? Hmm… this is only true in the beautiful world of theory. In fact, it is not so simple because a large number of conditions have to be taken into account:

• There are many technologies and it is not always easy to know which one is best suited for a given project. The type of 3D printer and the type of material will be different each time.
• Having a 3D printer based on different technologies can result in a relatively high cost.
• The file of the 3D modeling software must be flawless, otherwise the end result may not be as desired.
• etc.

Bring a wide range of 3D printing services under one roof

Verge’s founder Matteo Rigamonti had encountered such problems himself and in early 2013, he realized that the solution involved setting up a massive factory dedicated to 3D printing and joining it with an online service. Principle :

• Customers upload their 3D models,
• Verg produces printed parts in the shortest possible time using the most appropriate technology,
• Customers get back the printed parts.

Verg opened its first site on the Internet in 2015. The company established its factory in Scorze near Venice. It has become the reference point of operations: it covers at least 6,000 square meters.

multiple technologies

Rigamonti wanted Verge to come up with a vast arsenal of 3D printing technologies, including the following.

FDM

FDM is the most widespread technology in 3D printing. It consists of superimposing successive layers of wire of thermoplastic material.

resin (SLA)

This technique is the oldest. A liquid resin is solidified layer by layer by ultraviolet light.

MJF

Multi Jet Fusion is a system developed by HP and it is this technology that inspired Matteo Rigamonti to pioneer. MJF relies on nylon and has the advantage of producing unique pieces in record time. Furthermore, the material used, nylon PA 12 (or PA 11), allows printing not only rapidly but also at volume, making it competitive with injection molding for series of less than 1,000 pieces.

In addition to these materials, PA11, glass-filled PA12, PP and TPU can also be molded.

Weerg boasts the largest installation of MJF 3D printers in the world, but also has the lowest cost of Nylon PA12 globally.

5-axis CNC machining

For some models involving materials such as aluminum, steel, brass, copper, titanium and some plastics, Verg uses state-of-the-art CNC (Computer Numerical Control) machines that can guarantee centesimal tolerances.

He is not everything. Verg, on its part, is proud to use the largest 5-axis Harmle C42U machine system. This machine can therefore rotate in five different directions on the workpiece – the two additional axes being the axes of rotation. This results in greater production possibilities. The machines are automated and maintained by robotic systems.

Supervised by 3D Printing Experts

Finally, Vierg highlights another benefit. Every time a project is submitted to its platform, an expert technician follows the project from A to Z. He can advise the customer on the most suitable content and inform him if there is any error in the uploaded file. Queue.

Article written in partnership with Virg