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University of Applied Sciences Jena.
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Prof.
University of Applied Sciences Jena Uses Objet 3-D Printing Technology to Advance Education and Research at the University and Beyond
Easy, fast and real visualization of component functions
The University of Applied Sciences Jena is a modern educational institute in every respect. Founded in 1991, and with a student body of nearly 5,000, the university focuses on providing practice-oriented, science-based education. Through cooperation with universities around Europe and beyond, world-leading industrial and technology companies and industrial research institutes in Jena, the university’s students are enriched by exposure to advanced technology, up to date management and scientific innovation.
In 2004, the university installed an Eden330™ 3-D Printing System. It selected the Eden because the printer offered a fast and cost effective method for producing high-quality prototypes on campus, and because of its innovative, office-friendly and clean technology.
“Our students have no exposure to the uncured materials and the whole process is clean, which is ideal for an educational setting,” said Jens Bliedtner name, prof. at the University of Applied Sciences Jena. “Additionally, the fact that the Eden printer does not require a specially equipped lab made the purchase decision easier.”
The Eden 3-D printing system is used by multiple departments at the university to create highly accurate 3-D models for a wide range of purposes. Students and researchers in the fields of precision engineering, medical engineering, biology, construction and design regularly use the 3-D printing system as part of their studies and R&D work. It is also used by the job shop to manufacture various parts and assemblies.
High-quality models and low finishing needs save time and cost, expand
opportunities
The unique process produces accurate models that have very smooth surfaces and fine details, with no post-processing required. This enables students and faculty at the University of Applied Sciences Jena to produce high-quality models quickly, with low finishing costs, and to manufacture components and assemblies with movable parts. They also use the Eden330 to make models for vacuum casting. With the fast, cost-effective rapid prototyping capabilities provided by the Eden system, students can easily and rapidly visualize component functions; they can quickly validate virtual constructions by using real components and they are able to use functional models in presentations. Additionally, the Eden330 opens new possibilities for the development process, enabling fine details, complex geometries and thin-walled components.
Museum-quality 3-D printing
Recently, the Eden 3D printing system proved indispensable to the success of a highprofile project that the University of Applied Sciences Jena took on as a public service. The Phyletisches Museum Jena (the museum of natural history at Friedrich-Schiller University Jena), approached the heads of the SciTec Department of the university with the idea of creating a model of the HIV virus, to mark the 100th anniversary of the museum. The SciTec Department worked with industrial design company Develos Product Industriedesign Weimar to create the prototype.
The model shows how HI-virus – the virus that causes AIDS – slowly destroys its victim’s immune system by accelerating a normal process called homing, which diverts white blood cells from the bloodstream to the lymph system. It is a powerful tool in better understanding the structure of the virus and how it works. Since the first cases of AIDS were reported around 27 years ago, the disease has become a global epidemic, with more than 33 million people around the world living with HI-virus.
After completing the HI-virus model, the University of Applied Sciences Jenna donated it to the Phyletisches Museum in honor of the museum’s 100th anniversary and the Friedrich-Schiller University’s 450th anniversary. It is on permanent display in the Evolution Room of the Phyletisches Museum in Jena.
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