Zecotek Develops Additive Manufacturing Interface

“3D” seems to be all the rage today. Whether you are talking about 3D printers, 3D movies, or 3D TVs, it seems like regular old 2D is passé. For the field of additive manufacturing (AM), a 3D object is the end result of days, weeks or months of planning, and most of that planning is in 2D. What if we could add true 3D to the design process, without goggles or special glasses?

Zecotek would like to answer that question. The company is rolling out a new AM interface platform that allows users to view images in 3D without requiring any additional components and, according to the company, without any of the physiological side effects sometimes associated with 3D imaging. A single screen will present glasses-free, auto-stereoscopic, multi-view, HD 3D display.

“Zecotek`s 3D display technology creates significant advantages in the design process related to 3D printing,” said Dr. A.F. Zerrouk, CEO of Zecotek. “By creating a user interface between the 3D printer and our own patented 3D display, we offer end-users the most realistic view of the solid object being created on the printer.  Individual or multiple users will have the ability to view the object in full 3D, from all perspectives, and edit the object as desired. The interface will have a rich variety of interactive features and offer the ability to see a true 3D image during the design process which can save both time, material and cost.”

According to Zecotek, their display system is capable of presenting 3D and 2D images simultaneously, split screen style, without any loss in quality for either image. The display has been designed to maintain the base resolution of images, regardless of viewpoint perspective. The glasses-free design offers an effective viewing angle of 40 degrees with 90 concurrent perspectives allowing for multiple views at the same time.

Zecotek isn’t basing its entire future around AM, however. Other potential applications for its 3D technology include gaming, advertising, and air-traffic control. If the current 3D craze continues, I’d certainly expect to see this sort of technology show up in homes before long. If people love HD TV, how much more would they love HD 3D? Until then, you may have to settle for what seems to have become the standard test for 3D design in AM: the Yoda bust.

Below you’ll find a video about Zecotek.

Source: Zecotek