Prosilas, Autore presso PROSILAS

AM solutions always win by combining special materials.

Oct 15, 2022 | News Prosilas

Expertise available for all industries.

Different sectors require
to Additive Manufacturing different solutions.

With a dynamic workflow, we are able to take advantage of a vast know-how built around processes and materials for 3D printing and find the right mix of skills and applications for individual customer needs.

We deploy our knowledge and experiment with new solutions.

Luca Ferroni Tecnico Senior Prosilas Stampa 3d

Fields of application

The areas where we get the most demands and the best results:

Automotive (20% )
Industrial (17%)
Fashion & consumer goods (17%)
MotorSport & Racing (8%)

Our technician Roberto Nasini explains that the main need of customers ” Motorsports & Racing” is to combine:

strength
lightness
rapidity of realization.

Not only the speed of the process, materials make the difference!

At the moment, Prosilas is the only manufacturer in Europe to use carbon loaded even for large parts. We were the first to test the PA603CF on a P770 EOS 3D printer, also managing to dribble the traditional difficulties on the Z axis, (notoriously weaker than the others) thanks to the study of suitable machine-parameters.

As for finishing, customers often require finishing with the smooth bottom: for this a primer is used to remove roughnesses, and give greater aesthetics and aerodynamics.

Prosilas servizio di Stampa 3d con un controllo della catena produttiva MQS

Different blends: the strategic solution for the functional and aesthetic use of additive materials

We work mainly for the creation of prototypes and for the production of equipment and placements, printing the parts that go inside the production chains of industrial machines.

Prototypes can be aesthetic (usually made of polyamide) or aesthetic and functional together: in this case they require more resistant mixes – such as glass, aluminium or carbon filled polyamide – for example, to provide greater thermal or mechanical resistance.

Depending on your needs, you can create components (usually placements) composed of two parts a rigid polyamide and a softer tpu able to avoid scratches and abrasions.

Moreover, black or white TPU is the material widely used in the fashion sector: there is a lot of work both with the creation of prototypes and with the mass production of shoes, bags and jewelry.

Thanks to the possibility of mass production, an iconic TPU sole with a complex voronoi structure was born, the sole Skeleton Philipp Plein , flexible in some parts and stiffer in others.

Scarpa Skeleton di Philipp Plein ; suola stampata in 3d in Prosilas

“For objects like these,” explains Nasini, “it is important to balance the design with functionality and to understand the right density that makes a difference on thickness, flexibility and softness. All in one monolithic piece, not assembled. The results have been so convincing that from the 560 realized in 2021 it has been passed to the 1,735 of 2022, with other brands that arrive because these possibilities are a great plus for creative people”. Roberto Nasini

The choice of the material also influences the finishing

Thanks to ad hoc colors: black pigmented TPU, for example, avoids the painting of the sole and therefore its loss of color when consumed.

The Automotive sector, where we make the largest percentage of our business, sums up everything the company does in other sectors. The results also depend on the materials, so you work on Polyamide when you focus on aesthetics and on glass-filled, aluminum-filled and carbon-filled for functionality.

In general, there are no product sectors to exclude. Requirements change quickly and deliveries quickly become crucial: this is why we work to optimize the speed of the machines and to refine the performance of the materials.

Thus increasing competitiveness on traditional technology.

Prosilas & Lube Volley : a new partnership

Sep 12, 2022 | News Prosilas

Prosilas & Lube Volleyball

Prosilas is proud to support for the 2022/23 season the volleyball team A.S. Volley Lube, flagship of our city, Civitanova Marche: a commitment that enhances even more the link of the company with the territory and its precious resources!

“Teamwork, respect and collaboration are the great values of sport, which we share as people and which move our company every day, we are really happy to be able to share this kind of sensitivity and goals “- Vanna Menco, CEO Prosilas.

Here is the press release of Lube Volley and the words of Vice President Massaccesi:

“New partnership for Italian champions. Starting from the 2022/23 racing season, the Cucine Lube Civitanova shorts will also feature the brand of the Marche company Prosilas.

It is one of the largest services in Europe, a member of the Prototal Industries group, dedicated to supporting industrial production through the use of 3D printing, additive design technologies and services.

A company made in Marche, led by the experience of Vanna Menco, who for over 20 years has accompanied the large national and international manufacturing companies by supporting the entire production cycle in a smart way: rapid prototyping, design and co-design, 3D scanning, reverse engineering, rapid production and finishing; all within a single technological pole at the forefront, a real ally of production for the growing industry.

Thanks to this orientation towards growth and evolution, as well as to the love for our region, which Prosilas has chosen to accompany our team, supporting and sharing the sporting values of collaboration and commitment that make a great team, in the field, in professional activity and in life.

Albino Massaccesi, Vice President of Lube Volley: “Welcoming solid companies such as Prosilas and sharing their values is a source of pride. The pleasure is double because to support us is an enterprise of our region that, just like us, has distinguished itself over the years on the international scene!”.

Vanna Menco, CEO Prosilas: “Teamwork, respect, collaboration and commitment are the great values of sport and also the values that move our company every day; we are so happy to share this kind of sensitivity and goals”.

NEW SPARE PARTS AND SPARE PARTS: 3D PRINTING FOR THE HYDRAULIC SECTOR.

Jul 7, 2022 | Case History, Pa2200 - SLS Material

The opportunities offered by 3D printing are now multiple and the continuous developments of technology allow us to respond promptly even to the needs of sectors that were considered too specific such as hydraulics and hydrothermohydraulics.

An innovative solution

In particular, the innovative combination of industrial 3D scanning and 3D printing with SLS tencology offers a wide range of opportunities. In particular, in the hydro-hydraulic sector, the production of implementation and replacement parts on furniture, taps, sanitary ware, air conditioning and convector systems represent one of the greatest challenges and needs.

It is precisely here that additive manufacturing represents an excellent alternative, with numerous advantages over more traditional technologies, both from the point of view of the aesthetic and mechanical performance guaranteed on the parts produced, both for its ability to reproduce obsolete or discontinued components, intervening if necessary on the optimization of geometries quickly and functionally .

Roberto Nasini Prosilas Stampare 3d per l'industria manifatturiera

la produzione Stampe tre d per produzioni e preserie Prosilas

Rebuilding spare parts that are now out of production or whose mold has been lost has never been so simple and fast!

A process that we at Prosilas know well and that through the use of our 3D scanners and the application of reverse engineering has allowed us to produce a particular model of hydraulic tap breaker and a shower customized to the specific request customer’s.

With the 3D file from the scanning of the part out of production, the SLS technology used in our laboratories Prosilas allows to 3D print functional elements, also offering the possibility to work on large results or series (working chamber 680x380x540 mm), being able to choose from a wide range of materials: PA12, PA12+Glass spheres, PA12 + Carbon fiber, PP (Polypropylene).

An opportunity, that of putting back on the market spare parts out of production getting the reconstruction through additive technology, that not only allows to answer to a specific need without looking for solutions of fortune or sketched, but which makes the production itself much more sustainable and performing.

On-demand warehouse

The case of the 3D reconstruction and printing of the tap and a custom shower model shows how on the one hand 3D printing allows to have a production according to the needs, thanks to a virtual warehouse on demand without the need to manage a physical storage and from the other offers the opportunity to rethink the component in additive, in order to obtain an improvement of the mechanical performances.

Innovative and customized additive solutions that we propose, supporting companies in all sectors, even those universally recognized as the most demanding just like the world of hydrothermohydraulics.

What’s after additive manufacturing and 3D printing?

Jun 1, 2022 | Finishing, News Prosilas

Post-process treatments

beyond the production

“The customer always has his reasons”, ie specific needs that require an exclusive evaluation and an ad hoc solution. Our commitment to propose ourselves as AM Service and Consulting from Mathematics to Post Process allows us to take into account this aspect, devoting particular attention to this last phase, that is to all those finishing treatments that are performed on the part already produced, in order to optimize functionality and aesthetics.

We deepen together with Marco Soldini, Head of Laboratory and Post Process of Prosilas.

At every result his Post-Process treatment

All parts developed with additive Manifacturing, whether made with polymer or metal, can receive end-of-process treatments for aesthetic and/or functional improvements. The most performing and suitable post process (automatic or manual) is chosen according to the needs and objectives that the final result must reach.

There are almost always two possible paths:

1. Automated Finishing

through a machine that the operator only cares to support

2. Manual Finishing

with an operator who performs the various operations required by the procedure.

The choice is determined by the required precision rate, also depending on the use of the workpiece in question.

Automated Finishing

In Prosilas the Manual Finishing is the preferred option, even if there are cases in which Automated Finishing is used, such as vapor smoothing and coloring, respectively a chemical steam treatment and an immersion of the part in the color.

VAPOR SMOOTHING

The chemical smoothing is an acid vapor that applied on the piece allows you to smooth the surface, making it, depending on the case, waterproof, washable, shiny, food compatible and not only.

Examples of objects that can be subjected to this type of Post Process? A tank to contain specific liquids, but also dishes and glasses.

COLORING

With the coloring you go instead to change the color resulting from the construction material (white if polyamide, gray if metallic, for example) by immersing it in a liquid colored preparation that is absorbed, covering any surface imperfections without altering the thickness.

They can be subject to coloring design components such as those for eyewear, which require a uniform color even in the smallest parts, all potentially exposed. Or, they can be parts like pulleys, which have to move inside machinery without leaving residue, which would happen if they were painted.

Seven types of Manual Finishing

Manual Finishing is preferred not only in all cases where the skill of the operator makes the difference, but also when customers have only one piece, absolutely exclusive (something that often happens in rapid prototyping), to apply the post process and it is said that there is an ad hoc machinery.

Seven results that customers usually look for with manual finishes:

Waterproofing for liquids and vapors.

Sometimes the process is necessary only on one side of the product. Prosilas determines together with the customer, from time to time, which substance to use and whether to spray or bath, for example. It is different to waterproof a thermos for drinks, the tank of a motorcycle or a part of a hull exposed to salt. It must then consider what type of maintenance or treatment the object will be subjected to, for example if it will have to be disinfected.

Metal Insert – Helicoil.

The customer can supply parts with holes and Prosilas must put threaded inserts, embedded in the material, to allow – for example – to insert screws or other metal parts.

Metal Plating.

It is the arrangement of metal particles on plastic. It is useful, for example, in the case of restorations in which original spare parts are no longer available, to be created ex novo and then chrome.

Fuel Resistant treatment.

It is another type of waterproofing, excluded from the process nº1 for chemical reasons. It’s about the tanks, but also all the parts that could come into contact with the fuel, such as the protective cover of a part of the car near the tank. It is a very complicated process, especially when it comes to storing substances that are difficult to manage, up to those considered aggressive for which only glass works.

UV Resistant treatment.

It concerns all those parts that change due to exposure to the sun, white or transparent, which turn yellow, or objects for which the passage of UV rays causes chemical problems.

Painting.

When painting a blank piece, the surface is not smooth. Applying a primer, however, is free of imperfections and you can decide whether it is smooth or opaque.

Micro shot peening.

It owes its name to the microspheres that form the abrasive dust with which an object is treated by blowing, in an automated machinery. It leaves no residue.

When and where it is useful to employ with post processing

The post process has different uses depending on the purpose of the client.

A prototype of a tank, for example, may be required:

as a prototype for its own sake, so it does not need a post process;
for a static demonstration, so need an external painting but not internal;
for a functional demonstration, so not needing an external finish but certainly a functional finish.

A single piece can therefore be used for very different uses, so the finishes that a process partner like Prosilas can recommend will be just as different.

sls - post process - chemical smoothing - lisciatura chimica

The smaller and more delicate the object, the less likely it will be finished in a machine. However, the automated process guarantees a more homogeneous result. Sometimes the post process modalities can be interchangeable: choosing the best one in a given case is part of the competence of the AM consulting service.

The most requested post processing systems

Based on our experience, there is a large demand for the primer ready for painting, which then intervenes the customer’s paint, and waterproofing, including food, especially in terms of FPA certifications and biocompatible materials.

MARCO SOLDINI

Plant Manager

Marco Soldini is member of TAB – Prototal Group Technical Advisory Board

Soldini’s professional figure is fully employed in the Company: he is R&D Finishing Manager and in charge of special projects: he researches and develops new techniques and new solutions so that the Company always has a cutting-edge offer.

Plus, he’s IT & Plant Manager at Prosilas.

AM more sustainable and responsible ? It’s a team work!

May 27, 2022 | News Prosilas

Vanna Menco, CEO Prosilas @ SPS Italia

Additive Manufacturing for a more responsible and sustainble producution

The satisfaction and reflection. Our participation in the conference “Women in 3D Printing” within SPS Italia was a very important moment, that saw our CEO Vanna Menco take stock of additive manufacturing as an important element within a sustainable and responsible production system.

Vanna Menco CEO Prosilas alla SPS di Parma con Women in 3D Printing

Sustainability

Sustainability is a keyword of our time and, as such, sometimes not always used appropriately. Certainly, therefore, it is worth dwelling on this issue, which is also a crucial issue for companies, in environmental and economic terms, and it is first of all “a team effort”, as our CEO said.

“Sustainability is not just about measuring carbon footprint or saving energy”

Vanna Menco says: “The real challenge is to carry out concrete actions, certainly not to make a greenwashing of your company or plant trees to compensate for the CO2 emitted by its production. First of all, it is necessary to start from environmental certifications such as ISO14001 to meet the required parameters”.

The integrated approach of Prosilas

As we pointed out at SPS, the idea of Prosilas for sustainability goes above all through a new approach towards customers and suppliers: a shared approach that starts from the company understood as all its individual employees, to pass then to the customers in form of spendable know-how and to the suppliers in form of shared direction.

Prosilas: AM Consulting

As consulting service, Prosilas is committed every day to provide advice to its customers, through the choice of materials, the type of production, technologies and finishing, favor for example:

the use of recycled material;
the improvement of performance;
the use of energy-saving materials.

We therefore accompany the customer in a certain direction and/ or we advise against certain solutions always with a view to sustainability thanks to the countless solutions that Prosilas can implement, from the choice of materials to production, from technologies to finishing.

Creating an environmental balance with suppliers to have a shared environmental policy.

On the subject of sharing, Vanna Menco’s speech also brought a look to the Prototal group of which Prosilas is part and which is moving with a series of alignment meetings between all the heads of units to find a shared and innovative strategy.

In general, in fact, the companies that first will find the correct and concrete answers to the issues of sustainability will be those that will have the opportunity (and the great responsibility) to be pioneers. In this sense, Prosilas is very pleased to accept this challenge, presenting itself as a “matriarch” of change in its sector, given that sustainability is a concept that already permeates every business action.

Sustainability is a team effort, as we have said, that stimulates the growth of the company and the staff: growth and creative evolution, so that companies provide a positive contribution and changes that last over time.

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