3DDC Success Story

Established in June 2007, 3DDC is a reputable UK company which specializes in the coating of additive manufactured and rapid prototype parts. The company specialises in coating metal parts for one-off projects or small lot production runs with the aim of improving the mechanical properties or the cosmetic finish of the parts. 3DDC produces components for a diverse range of industries including Aerospace, Architecture and Motorsport.

Before Fischer, 3DDC used traditional instruments such as the Mechanical Micrometer. This resulted in difficulties in getting repeatable measurements when measuring metallic layers on complex geometries. Measuring EMC Shielding coatings in particular, proved to be problematic as it involved measuring thin coatings of copper and nickel on both sides of small components. The combination of the mechanical properties of the metals and the close proximity of adjacent surface layers made this application exceedingly challenging. Hence, 3DDC required specialised instruments to get accurate and reliable readings. 

The solution for 3DDC was the SR-SCOPE® RMP30-S with the ERCU N probe and the DUALSCOPE® FMP150 with the FN4D nickel probe. This combination enabled 3DDC to precisely determine the coating thickness of each layer without the influence of other layers.

Graham Barton, Managing Director of 3DDC said, “Fischer displayed genuine interest in helping us solve our measurement issues. Once I explained our measurement issues, they immediately recommended the right instruments for our needs. Shortly after meeting at the Surface World Show, Fischer visited our offices in Bedfordshire to demonstrate the instruments on the manufactured components that we were not able to measure reliably. Investing in the two Fischer instruments proved to be an excellent decision. Now, we are able to produce high quality parts for our clients with shorter production times and lower material costs as we no longer over-plate.”