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Mcor Technologies Ltd was engaged in the design, development and manufacture of paper-based 3D printing systems. The company was founded in 2005 and was based in Dunleer, County Louth, Ireland. The company is in liquidation since 2019 and has ceased trading. [1] The assets and IP of Mcor were purchased by CleanGreen3d Limited in October 2019.
In 2003, Mcor founders Dr. Conor MacCormack and Fintan MacCormack developed paper 3D technology. [2] This is unlike Laminated object manufacturing (LOM) technology, developed by Helisys Inc. (now Cubic Technologies). [3] Whereas LOM technology uses rolls of adhesive-coated paper and a knife or laser to cut a shape, paper 3D printing uses sheets of standard business A4 and letter paper, an adhesive dispensing system and a tungsten-tip blade to cut the shape. [4] [5] [6] As in many other rapid prototyping processes, the part to be printed is built up from multiple thin cross sections of the 3D model created via computer aided design (CAD) software. [7]
After going a few years without official funding, in 2014, Mcor Technologies secured 2 rounds of venture funding which totaled $32 million, making it the largest amount raised by any 3D printing company that year. [8]
Mcor Technologies Limited entered into receivership 21 March 2019. CleanGreen3D Limited purchased the assets of Mcor Technologies on 29 November 2019. [9]
Some Mcor 3D printers can print parts in colour. This is achieved by depositing coloured ink on each sheet of paper – using a modified two-dimensional inkjet paper printer – and then loading those sheets of paper into the section of the printer where the cutting and gluing occurs. [5] [10] Colour 3D printing can be used to replicate the appearance of buildings, maps, products, anatomy, and molecular structures. It can also add annotations to prototypes, display the results of structural analyses (i.e., finite element analysis) and used to produce consumer products.
Inkjet printing is a type of computer printing that recreates a digital image by propelling droplets of ink onto paper and plastic substrates. Inkjet printers are the most commonly used type of printer, and range from small inexpensive consumer models to expensive professional machines.
Corrugated fiberboard is a material consisting of a fluted corrugated sheet and one or two flat linerboards. It is made on "flute lamination machines" or "corrugators" and is used for making cardboard boxes. The corrugated medium sheet and the linerboard(s) are made of kraft containerboard, a paperboard material usually over 0.01 inches (0.25 mm) thick. Corrugated fiberboard is sometimes called corrugated cardboard, although cardboard might be any heavy paper-pulp based board.
Dye-sublimation printing is a computer printing technique which uses heat to transfer dye onto materials such as a plastic, card, paper, or fabric. The sublimation name was first applied because the dye was considered to make the transition between the solid and gas states without going through a liquid stage. This understanding of the process was later shown to be incorrect, as there is some liquefying of the dye. Since then, the proper name for the process has become known as dye-diffusion, though this technically-correct term has not supplanted the original name. Many consumer and professional dye-sublimation printers are designed and used for producing photographic prints, ID cards, clothing, and more.
Letterpress printing is a technique of relief printing. Using a printing press, the process allows many copies to be produced by repeated direct impression of an inked, raised surface against sheets or a continuous roll of paper. A worker composes and locks movable type into the "bed" or "chase" of a press, inks it, and presses paper against it to transfer the ink from the type, which creates an impression on the paper.
Imposition is one of the fundamental steps in the prepress printing process. It consists of the arrangement of the printed product’s pages on the printer’s sheet, in order to obtain faster printing, simplify binding and reduce paper waste.
3D printing, or additive manufacturing, is the construction of a three-dimensional object from a CAD model or a digital 3D model. The term "3D printing" can refer to a variety of processes in which material is deposited, joined or solidified under computer control to create a three-dimensional object, with material being added together, typically layer by layer.
A label is a piece of paper, plastic film, cloth, metal, or other material affixed to a container or product, on which is written or printed information or symbols about the product or item. Information printed directly on a container or article can also be considered labelling.
The RepRap project started in England in 2005 as a University of Bath initiative to develop a low-cost 3D printer that can print most of its own components, but it is now made up of hundreds of collaborators worldwide. RepRap is short for replicatingrapid prototyper.
An Iris printer is a large-format color inkjet printer introduced in 1985 by Iris Graphics, originally of Stoneham, Massachusetts and currently manufactured by the Graphic Communications Group of Eastman Kodak, designed for prepress proofing. It is also used in the fine art reproduction market as a final output digital printing press, as in Giclée.
Laminated object manufacturing (LOM) is a rapid prototyping system developed by Helisys Inc. In it, layers of adhesive-coated paper, plastic, or metal laminates are successively glued together and cut to shape with a knife or laser cutter. Objects printed with this technique may be additionally modified by machining or drilling after printing. Typical layer resolution for this process is defined by the material feedstock and usually ranges in thickness from one to a few sheets of copy paper.
Solid ink is a type of ink used in printing. Solid ink is a waxy resin-based polymer that must be melted prior to usage, unlike conventional liquid inks. The technology is used most in graphics and large format printing environments, where color vividness and cost efficiency are important.
Rapid prototyping is a group of techniques used to quickly fabricate a scale model of a physical part or assembly using three-dimensional computer aided design (CAD) data. Construction of the part or assembly is usually done using 3D printing or "additive layer manufacturing" technology.
Stratasys, Ltd. is an American-Israeli manufacturer of 3D printers and 3D production systems for office-based rapid prototyping and direct digital manufacturing solutions. The company is incorporated in Israel. Engineers use Stratasys systems to model complex geometries in a wide range of thermoplastic materials, including: ABS, polyphenylsulfone (PPSF), polycarbonate (PC) and polyetherimide and Nylon 12.
A contract proof usually serves as an agreement between customer and printer and as a color reference guide for adjusting the press before the final press run. Most contract proofs are a prepress proof.
Protolabs is a company that provides rapid manufacturing of low-volume 3D printed, CNC-machined, sheet metal, and injection-molded custom parts for prototyping and short-run production. Markets like medical devices, electronics, appliances, automotive and consumer products use these parts. Protolabs' headquarters and manufacturing facilities are located in Maple Plain, Minnesota. The company also has manufacturing facilities in England, Germany, and Japan.
EnvisionTEC is a privately held global company that develops, manufactures and sells more than 40 configurations of desktop and production 3D printers based on seven several distinct process technologies that build objects from digital design files. Founded in 2002, the company now has a corporate headquarters for North America, located in Dearborn, Mich., and International headquarters in Gladbeck, Germany. It also has a production facility in the Greater Los Angeles area, as well as additional facilities in Montreal, for materials research, in Kiev, Ukraine, for software development, and in Woburn, Mass, for robotic 3D printing research and development. Today, the company's 3D Printers are used for mass customized production and to manufacture finished goods, investment casting patterns, tooling, prototypes and more. EnvisionTEC serves a variety of medical, professional and industrial customers. EnvisionTEC has developed large customer niches in the jewelry, dental, hearing aid, medical device, biofabrication and animation industries. EnvisionTEC is one of the few 3D printer companies globally whose products are being used for real production of final end-use parts.
Zink, a portmanteau of "Zero INK," is a full-color printing technology for digital devices that does not require ink cartridges and prints in a single pass. The printing technology and its thermal paper are developed by Zink Holdings LLC, a U.S. company, with offices in Edison, New Jersey, and Billerica, Massachusetts, and a manufacturing facility in Whitsett, North Carolina. Zink Holdings makes all the paper; makes a printer for printing labels and other designs on rolls of Zink zRoll; and licenses its technology to other companies that make compact photo printers, and combined camera / compact photo printers that print photographs onto mostly 2×3” sheets of Zink Paper. Key licensees include HP, Lifeprint, Prynt, and C&A Global.
In recent years, 3D printing has developed significantly and can now perform crucial roles in many applications, with the most important being manufacturing, medicine, architecture, custom art and design.
A variety of processes, equipment, and materials are used in the production of a three-dimensional object via additive manufacturing. 3D printing is also known as additive manufacturing, therefore the numerous available 3D printing process tend to be additive in nature with a few key differences in the technologies and the materials used in this process.
Markforged is a privately-held additive manufacturing company that designs, develops, and manufactures The Digital Forge — a smart industrial platform of 3D printers, software and materials that empowers manufacturers to print strong parts at the point-of-need. The company is headquartered in Watertown, Massachusetts in the Greater Boston Area. Markforged was founded by Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Gregory Mark and Chief Technology Officer (CTO) David Benhaim in 2013. It produced the first 3D printers capable of printing continuous carbon fiber reinforcement and pure copper and utilizes a cloud architecture that makes the platform better each part it prints.