BlueFire Equipment Corporation (OTCQB:BLFR) revealed the formation of
its 3D or additive manufacturing initiative for the production of its
proprietary polycrystalline diamond cutter (PDC) drill bits.
BlueFire’s development team is exploring the application of 3D methods
for producing the company’s drill bits and is currently working with a
Texas-based 3D scanning company to create a digitized model of the
proprietary PDC drill bit for 3D integration. Using the 3D computer
aided design (CAD) software SolidWorks, the team is developing ways to
integrate BlueFire’s technology with game changing 3D technology.
Chairman and CEO of BlueFire Equipment Corporation William A. Blackwell
said, “We are pleased to join the innovators who have recognized the
huge potential of 3D manufacturing.” He added, “3D printing is now
coming of age and producing highly complex metal components that equal
or surpass the quality of cast parts.”
BlueFire is working to become a frontrunner in the field of downhole
drilling tools employing additive manufacturing systems. Entities such
as NASA, Boeing, General Electric and Ford are using this technology to
manufacture highly engineered components. As reported in Bloomberg,
Boeing has integrated 3D manufacturing into their regular supply chain
processes, producing more than 20,000 printed parts for military
applications.
Much of today’s manufacturing processes are based on “subtractive
manufacturing,” which relies on the removal of material to create
something. Additive manufacturing, or 3D printing, is a process by which
three-dimensional objects in a diversity of shapes are manufactured by
adding material using digital models. Metallic, plastic, ceramic or
composite materials can be employed using this process, which involves
building the required object by adding successive layers of material to
achieve the desired shape.
3D printing uses a variety of different types of technologies.
Stereolithography (SLA) focuses a beam of ultraviolet light onto a vat
of liquid photocurable resin, drawing out the 3D model one layer at a
time. Fused Deposition Modeling (FDM) produces an object by extruding a
stream of melted material to form stacked layers. Selective Laser
Sintering (SLS) uses a laser to fuse powdered materials layer by layer
to form the object.
Details about BlueFire Equipment Corporation and information about
obtaining quotes are available at www.bluefireequipment.com.
About BlueFire Equipment Corporation (OTCQB:BLFR)
BlueFire Equipment Corporation designs and manufactures proprietary
drilling technologies for use in the exploration and production of oil
and gas in the United States. It sells and leases various sizes of
polycrystalline diamond cutter (PDC) drill bits to drilling contractors
and oil and gas companies. BlueFire Equipment Corporation was founded in
2008 and is headquartered in Houston, Texas, where other major
exploration and production companies have a presence, including
ExxonMobil, BP and ConocoPhillips.
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Copyright Business Wire 2013