Five Questions With: Justin Coutu

"Probably the most exciting aspect of the 3-D printing industry is the ever-increasing number of material offerings that are available." / COURTESY R&D TECHNOLOGIES

Justin Coutu is president of R&D Technologies Inc., a reseller of the Stratasys line of 3-D printing and rapid prototyping systems that also operates a service bureau for companies throughout the U.S. that prefer to outsource their prototype printing. Last year, the company moved into new offices in the Quonset Business Park.

Coutu spoke with Providence Business News about the challenges R&D Technologies faces in keeping up with a rapidly changing industry.

PBN: How has R&D Technologies made use of its new space at the Quonset Business Park to showcase its products and services?
COUTU:
The move to our new facility at 70 Romano Vineyard Way has dramatically increased the size of our demo and service bureau rooms, which has allowed visitors the opportunity to view our 3-D printers in action, both through appointments and during our open houses. This is a first-class facility and we are proud to be located at Quonset Point.

PBN: How have R&D Technologies’ service bureau offerings changed as 3-D printing technology continues to evolve? What materials are available now that weren’t available five or 10 years ago?
COUTU:
Probably the most exciting aspect of the 3-D printing industry is the ever-increasing number of material offerings that are available. In our service bureau, for example, we have been able to leverage these new technologies and materials to increase our production capacity and offer our clients real industrial-grade materials that are suitable for industrial end use parts – and typically at a very fast turnaround time.
In the past, we were able to produce highly accurate photopolymer models. But in many cases the materials were suitable only for prototyping uses. With advances in material quality and printer resolution, we are now able to print in Nylon, industrial-grade ABS, polycarbonates, and medical- and aerospace-grade materials. It is truly a game changer for us because the client is now able to conceptualize and rapidly have an end-use product produced without the time and tooling expense that would be required by a traditional manufacturing process.

- Advertisement -

PBN: In the last few years, inexpensive 3-D printer kits (some costing only a few hundred dollars) have appeared on the market to meet growing demand for the technology outside the industrial community. Has R&D Technologies augmented its product lineup to keep up with this trend?
COUTU:
We are focusing more on the high quality commercial 3-D printers from Stratasys, although we also offer the popular Makerbot line of machines. Although we don’t currently sell low-cost 3-D printer kits, we do however encourage people to purchase these kinds of kits in order to learn more about the capabilities of 3-D printing and what it holds for the future of manufacturing. This not only supports the engineers who are shaping the course that 3-D printing is taking, but also gets people interested in this revolutionary technology.
During our monthly open house seminars, we frequently hear from visitors who began with one of those small kits at home, only to realize they could use this advanced technology for prototyping and development at work. It’s really a win-win situation for everyone.

PBN: What are the limitations of 3-D printing technology?
COUTU:
The limitations in the technology of 3-D printing can be summed up to the large variety of equipment available. There are many different 3-D printers on the market, and some do certain things better than others. For example, a Fused Deposition Modeling (FDM for short) machine doesn’t print in rubbers or clear plastic materials, but it is the ideal machine for use in any machine shop or on any manufacturing floor because it offers an endless stream of manufacturing support.
However, the distinct advantage of 3-D printing, and what makes it a valuable tool, is what it doesn’t limit. And that is the ability to create or manufacturer in almost any form imaginable, while at the same time giving the user an almost carte blanche design palette to work with. This is what makes 3-D printing the powerful tool that it is.

PBN: Does R&D Technologies have plans to expand in the near future, either in terms of hiring new employees or in terms of entering new markets?
COUTU:
R&D Technologies is constantly expanding; with the way the industry is growing now, we really have no choice. Stratasys products are only getting better with the advancements in build material choices, accuracies and speed. These are very exciting times for R&D Technologies. We have grown more than 50 percent in the last two years alone, and we are still having difficulty keeping up with the demand in the industry. The FDM and Polyjet technology expands to so many different industries that our team is constantly working on new ways to prove major benefits to our customer’s design and manufacturing processes.
The more talent we add to our growing team only adds to the success of the manufacturing industry in the U.S. The operative goal is to be able have the U.S. manufacturing industry produce better products efficiently, and at less cost to the end users.

No posts to display