Impossible Creations and 3D Printing at the London Model Engineering Show

Impossible Creations were exhibiting at the London Model Engineering Show, Alexander Palace. The show is a regular annual event for anyone interested in the intersection between engineering and model making. Stacked full of model boats, trains, planes, tanks and trucks, the show is also host to a wide range of tool makers and engineering process experts, including ... Impossible Creations.

At the show I had the pleasure of meeting Ian Carter, founder, and was able to touch and feel various model parts that had been 3D-printed on their uPrint by Dimension 3D printers.

Dimension is a brand of 3D printers by Stratasys that offers CAD (computer-aided-design) users a low-cost, networked alternative for printing functional 3D models from the desktop. The printers build models layer-by-layer using ABS plastic, one of the most widely used thermoplastics in today's injection-molded products.

Ian Carter founded Impossible Creations after three decades of experience in product design in the automotive industry, and he now is aiming to bring these capabilities to a wider audience - including the hobbyist 'model maker' marketplace and offer a 'design and build' custom modelling service. For example, a model train enthuiast could use a computer to replicate an historic locomotive, and then 3D Print the plastic part as the body of a new engine for his model railway.

While at the Impossible Creations booth, one enthusiastic model maker was discussing the details of a small part which they had test printed using Impossible Creations service. They were brimming over with positive statements and were comparing the previous injection-molded part with the 3D Printed part.  They claimed that "The 3D print is of much higher quality. I can see these parts to my clients. I often have to apologize to my clients for the injection-molded parts."

The company is now moving to dedicated offices and workshop in Essex and we wish them every success for the future.