Personalisation of Titanium part

The Brief:
To announce the launch of the UK’s first EOSINT M 280, we invited our local MP, Richard Benyon, and local press, to an inauguration event.  We wanted to make a memento for him that reminded him of 3T and demonstrated the attributes of additive manufacturing and the new machine.

The Solution:
We created the ultimate in personalised gifts – a Titanium tie clip created using our guest’s signature.

The frame for the tie clip was designed and drawn using the 3D software package SolidWorks.  A black and white JPEG of Mr Benyon’s signature was worked in Magics and created to stand proud of the frame.  The two elements were combined and the file was converted into an STL format.  Supports were designed and the clip was set on a build platform.

In order to minimise the time required in hand finishing, it was important that the supports for the clip were strong enough to hold it to the platform but weak enough to be easily removed for finishing.

The tie clip was built in Titanium on an M280.  The M280’s 400 watt laser meant the clip was built faster and with finer detailing than previous DMLS machines.

The close up image of the finished product shows how the process deals with both angle and up-skin surfaces.  The very top surface of the signature was hand polished to highlight the text.

To complete the gift, we designed and built a gift box using plastic additive manufacturing – this demonstrates the accuracy of the process as it contains a clip mechanism which means the box snaps shut.

The Result:
Richard Benyon was delighted with his gift and, as can be seen in the photograph, immediately clipped it on to his tie.

Extra bits:
This product demonstrates the individualisation and customisation that additive manufacturing enables.  We estimate that it would be possible to build between 80 and 100 clips on one plate – all of which would be different.