Manufacturing Core

The FORTUS 450mc uses Fused Deposition Modeling (FDM) technology to create precise prototypes and end-use parts. With a large build volume of 16 x 14 x 16 inches, it can handle big projects or multiple smaller ones at once. The printer supports a wide range of thermoplastics, including high-performance materials like ULTEM™ 9085 and Antero 800NA, making it ideal for industries such as aerospace, automotive, and medical. Key features include a fully heated build chamber for consistent quality. It is commonly used for prototyping, manufacturing tooling, and low-volume production parts.

The FORTUS 400mc is the second largest of the MCUT’s 3D printers. It holds up to two 92 cubic inch canisters of both support and part material. The 400mc is capable of using a multitude of different plastics and is instrumental in producing parts for senior design projects and many ongoing research projects. The 250mc is smaller, only uses a single type of material, and operates at temperatures lower than those of the 400mc. The 250mc holds approximately a quarter of the total material that the 400 holds. However, what the 250mc lacks in versatility, it makes up for in speed. Both FORTUS printers are capable of soluble support material for complex parts.

The FORTUS 370mc uses Fused Deposition Modeling (FDM) technology to produce precise prototypes and end-use parts. With a build volume of 14 x 10 x 14 inches, it can handle a variety of projects. The printer supports a range of materials, including carbon fiber and other engineering-grade thermoplastics. Key features include soluble support material for complex designs. It is ideal for prototyping, tooling, and low-volume production.

The GEARBOX HT2 is the latest addition to the MCUT. It is one of the first open source high temperature filament printers on the market that offers support material and a large build area. Since it is open source, we can accommodate specialized slicing requests. It is planned to primarily use the system for cheaper, stronger parts in ULTEM 1010.

The Prusa Mk3s is an entry level printer with surprisingly high resolution. This printer runs on open source software and filament. It produces parts with high quality and resolution that often rival industrial systems. This makes it a great option for low cost but high quality prototyping.

The Cube Printer Farm will be a set of 14 3D Systems Cube 3 printers converted to RepRap (open source). This will allow for mass printing small objects or breaking up a large object into many parts to drastically reduce print time. These printers will run basic PLA and will be hooked into one server. It is anticipated this project will be completed later this year.

The Formlabs Form 3B is a Stereolithographic (SLA) 3D printer that utilizes Digital Laser Projection (DLP) to cure UV sensitive resin. The printer is capable of resolution ranging from 25-100 microns and has a maximum build size of 14.5cm x 14.5cm x 18.5cm. We also house washing and curing chambers for post-processing. We can polish clear parts upon request. Flexible resin is available, and is the most flexible material we can process in the Manufacturing Core. High temperature resin is available for applications ranging up to 240C.

The Artec Spider is a high resolution, hand held, blue light 3D scanner. It has a 3D resolution of 0.1mm and 18GB of internal memory. Scanned files can be exported in multiple formats optimized for 3D modeling or geometric analysis.

The HAAS TL1 Lathe is a CNC lathe with a 12-horsepower drive and is capable of spindle speeds up to 2000 rpm. The lathe can be operated either manually or from a CNC controller. The lathe can feed at rates up to 450 inches per minute in both the x- and z-axes. It is excellent for general turning purposes.

MCUT’s CNC mill is a HAAS VF4 with a 30-horsepower drive. The spindle can reach speeds of up to 8100 rpm. It is an excellent system for general milling. We have many fixturing & tooling options for large metal stock down to small plastic parts.

MCUT has a HAAS OM2 CNC machine used for small scale machining. The 5-horsepower drive can produce spindle speed of up to 30,000 rpm and feed rates of up to 757 inches per minute in the x-, y-, and z-axes. The small machining volume and rapid speeds make this machine ideal for small, precise prototype parts. It is retrofitted with air filtration to enable graphite and other hazardous material milling.

The OMAX 2626 JetMachining Center is an abrasive water-jet cutter capable of producing water pressures up to 50,000 psi. The water-jet cutter is useful for cutting sheet materials that are up to a thicknesses of more than an inch. Materials that can be cut include plexiglass, acrylic, aluminum, and some kinds of steel. Using the proprietary OMAX software, long and complex series of cuts can be made with exceptional precision.

Additional Information and Guidelines

Please bring your stock and a flash drive with your .dxf file.

Fast cuts take about 30mins, standard 1hr, and longer 1.5-2 hours.

• Minimum thickness of material is 0.15″. Plywood can be used to bring a material up to this thickness
• Plywood or other supporting material is suggested for brittle materials such as acrylic or materials at risk of delamination
• Max stock size is 28″ x 30″, max cut size is 26″ x 26″
• Minimum hole size is approximately 0.075″, but this varies per material type and material thickness
• Our software can easily create layouts from a single drawing, however, extremely small parts will easily fall into the tank and be lost. If at all possible it is convenient to connect all parts with a small 0.15″ wide bar in advance

UT customers should book your waterjet appointment through Stratocore. If you are an external customer (non UT person or business) please contact jaked@utk.edu.