ORANGE, MASSACHUSETTS, UNITED STATES, April 27, 2015 /EINPresswire.com/ -- Bill Kovacs stands quietly in front of a bookshelf at the beginning of the video for the Sinterhard Filaments Kickstarter crowd funding campaign, his hands tucked casually in his pockets, wearing a sweatshirt, and a billed cap. Then he begins to speak, and you realize that he has a fantastic product, and he is explaining it as brilliantly as the best shop teacher you ever met. He delivers a highly informative description of what Sinterhard Filament is and does, while taking the viewer on a virtual tour of the operating plant. The tour includes an area that is under construction, the company's collection of 3-D printers – used for testing materials, and the debinding and sintering equipment.

Sinterhard Filaments proposes to create metal and ceramic filled filaments for use with 3-D printers. These are not designed for use by hobbyists, but can be use to replace injection molding processes which are currently used to create a variety of objects. These items include things like pipe fittings, parts for faucets, almost any small mechanical item that needs a particular molded shape, and must be sufficiently durable to withstand moderate to heavy wear and tear.

The original plan was to produce only ABS and PLA thermoplastic 3-D printer filaments that would be filled with aluminum or stainless steel metal powder. These would be used in a standard 3-D printer to create items that are furnace-ready. The printed pieces next would be placed in a debind oven, which thermally removes the polymer. Finally, the piece is run through a sintering furnace which shrinks it and hardens it to its intended density.

This process would enable creation of small runs of items – things which are not needed in a quantity that would make setting up full manufacturing tooling worthwhile. However, the usefulness of this process would not be limited to such items. It could revolutionize the whole manufacturing process.
Bill Kovacs heads a highly qualified team of people. He, himself, has degrees in chemical engineering and in business. Larry Coster is an electrical engineer and maker. Craig Kovacs is trained in computer engineering, vacuum and thermal equipment and laboratory equipment. Gary Hamel is an electronics engineer, and maker.

Kathy Kovacs has a degree in business, and handles sales and related matters. Dr. Stephanie Sidney is the part-time human resources manager. Jon Geperdson is the jack-of-all-trades, and the resident poet.
Since the launch of this visionary project, the team has been bombarded with requests to broaden the scope of their original plan by adding more kinds of materials – and they have yielded to these requests by adding them to the rewards for the Kickstarter. Participants should be aware that the added types of material will increase the time required to fulfill requests.

All rewards for this crowd funding campaign relate directly to the project. Except for the bottom two tiers of participation – which are rewarded with thanks, or with a Design Guide, all contributors receive Sinterhard Metal Filled Thermoplastic Filament in appropriately varied amounts and types. Additional rewards include having one part that you have printed, debound and sintered in CLE’s furnaces.
For a more comprehensive description of the process, please view the Sinterhard crowd funding campaign webpage to view Bill Kovacs’ incredible lecture/walk through, or visit the Sinterhard website where there is an extensive print explanation of this complex process. You will be glad you have – it is completely possible that this sort of industrial processing is the wave of the future.

The working papers for this project and process will be made available through an Open Source license, making them accessible to everyone who will work with it. Mr. Kovacs says that they believe in the Open Source philosophy.
This forward looking process and company is well worth your time to investigate, and listen to Mr. Kovacs’ knowledgeable explanation. It is very possible that his description embraces something that is likely to be the wave of the future. Even if you are not a manufacturer, you might find it worthwhile to bring this process to the attention of others who might be interested in discovering a less expensive, more efficient method of creating small parts than dealing with all the tooling necessary for injection molding.

About: Bill Kovacs heads up Clear Light Enterprises, Inc (www.sinterhardfilaments.com). Their latest project is to create Sinterhard Filaments for industrial 3-D printing – a process that would make small runs of parts much more accessible. They are based in Orange, Massachusetts.

Bill Kovacs
Clearlight Enterprises, Inc.
www.sinterhardfilaments.com
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