UnionTech showed its amazing fashion!
Wonder Festival 2021 (WF2021) was held in Shanghai from June 13 to 14 during the Dragon Boat Festival holiday. As the only SLA 3D printing brand participating in WF2021, UnionTech brought its two new products.
Wonder Festival (WF) is the world’s largest garage kit (GK) model exhibition which gathers GK toys from all over the world. It is one of the most anticipated events for GK enthusiasts. A lot of young GK brands, whose sense of style design and degree of exquisiteness were worthy of praise, emerged at WF2021. Domestic GK brands are rising and contending for attention.
Visitors are consulting at the exhibition booth of UnionTech
With the growing maturity of 3D printing technology, many GK companies are also starting to embrace the new technology. For GK enthusiasts, it is undoubtedly good news. However, many people are worrying whether 3D printing products would suppress the GK market, because 3D printing products can restore the GK prototypes by 1:1 in terms of technology and accuracy.
Most of the GKs can basically be restored by 3D printing. As we saw at WF2021, many of the complex and well-crafted prototypes were made by 3D printing. By virtue of its outstanding accuracy and speed, 3D printing is significantly competitive in this industry.
A spaceman made by 3D printing (1.7 meters)
10cm Mystery Box Mass Production Market
The best-selling GKs in the market are 10-15cm high, featured by quick response, timely production and trending topic. The pain point of the industry is the tedious mold opening and long development cycle.
The role of the 3D printer is to optimize the traditional technological process, replace the clay sculpture process of the prototype model, reduce the cost and shorten the creation cycle.
1. The prototype model by clay kneading in the traditional process is also a kind of creation. After the introduction of 3D printing, creation and modification are completed at the data stage.
2. It takes about six months for the traditional process to complete the first batch of finished products, but 3D printing helps shorten the length of such process to three months.
3. 3D printing technology can directly complete the decomposition of data model.
4. The reduction of mold opening times can significantly cut down the cost.
5. Data can be processed, expanded or scaled repeatedly.
Account book:
For a PUV mold toy GK (3,000-5,000 pieces), calculated on the basis of 5,000 pieces: 5 sets of steel molds are needed after disassembly, and each set of steel mold costs RMB 20,000, that is, the mold fee is RMB 100,000, namely the mold cost of each piece is RMB 20/piece. Post-processing: injection molding of grey fabric+ color painting+ packaging= RMB 16 /piece. Namely, the composite cost is RMB 36/piece. And the production cycle is 3 months.
SLA 3D printing solution: If it replaces the steel mold processing step, based on the calculation at 60 grams per piece, the cost is 60*0.13*1.3=RMB 10. The process cycle is shortened by 2 months and the cost is reduced by 50%.
25cm GK Sculpture Market
When the height of the GK exceeds 25cm, the market changes greatly.
3D printers can further help practitioners deeply optimize the process, significantly shorten the development cycle and reduce the times of mold opening.
1. Adopt 3D printing technology to print directly
2. Adopt hollow 3D printing mode, and then inject the resin
3. Significantly shorten the development cycle
4. Greatly expand the pre-sale, customization and other business models
UnionTech: a tastemaker in the digital reform of animation industry
In the field of SLA currently, UnionTech’s launched two featured solutions: DLP and SLA.
DLP 3D printing process:
Scope of application: GK (skin and hair)
Pay more attention to detail reproduction, with smooth surface and excellent texture.
DLP printer: π200
SLA 3D printing process:
Scope of application: mystery box, GK (base station, body, costume, props)
Compared with DLP, SLA has significant advantages in printing speed, printing volume and other aspects, and it can print larger format. Combined with DLP, it can ensure speed and detail reproduction.
SLA printer: π663
Printing format: 600X600X400mm
How to make an orange cat with 3D printing?
The first choice for 3D printing materials in the animation industry is the photosensitive resin material resistant to elevated temperature
The photosensitive resin is composed of two major parts, namely, the photoinitiator and the resin (the resin consists of prepolymer, diluent and a small amount of additives).
The amount of photoinitiator and diluent has an important influence on curing speed and curing quality of photosensitive resin. When the proportion of photoinitiator to diluent is appropriate, it can produce both higher curing speed and better curing quality. Therefore, choosing the major brand manufacturers and the sophisticated and stable photosensitive resin 3D printing materials is crucial to the display effect of animation products. In view of the characteristics of the animation industry, it needs photosensitive resin materials with functions such as high temperature resistance, moisture and water resistance, and excellent surface quality, in terms of the properties of photosensitive resin 3D printing materials. The 3D printed materials tailored by UnionTech for the animation industry are featured by high temperature resistance, water resistance, excellent surface quality and perfect detail display.
The integration of 3D printing technology and animation industry will facilitate the animation industry to complete a revolutionary upgrade
The pace of the development of the era has never stopped. At WF2021, we strongly felt that there are more and more 3D printing works, and the technology is becoming more and more mature.
1. Differentiated small amount of quick response and flexible production
2. Distributed manufacturing and intelligent production management
3. Material breakthrough, where the traditional materials are really replaced
4. Satisfaction of the demands of diversified markets, as well as the industry’s special technical support demands for colorful printing, stop-motion animation, soft model, intelligent model expansion and so on
We hold the view that the integration of 3D printing technology and animation industry will facilitate the animation industry to complete a revolutionary upgrade. With the continuous updating and iteration of materials, the gradual decline of prices, and the improvement of the accuracy and speed of 3D printing equipment, we believe that the animation industry will usher in in-depth and large-scale application of 3D printing.
