Frequently Asked Questions
Please find a sample below of the most commonly asked questions.
When is the machine available?
What do you mean by “breaking the 2D printer model”?
Total Cost of Ownership (TCO)
What is the cost per cc of the Mcor Matrix?
How does your cost per cc compare with your competitors?
What are your consumables?
How is the adhesive applied?
Do you use a blade or laser?
What is the resolution of the finished part?
Can you make sample parts?
Can you make colour parts?
What kind of post processing is required?
What do the parts feel like?
Are there any issues for the disposal of waste material?
When is the machine available?
The Mcor Matrix is currently available for sale in Ireland and the UK and will be rolled out globally commencing Q1 2010.
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What do you mean by “breaking the 2D printer model”?
We have tried to break the current trend of system manufactures that follow the 2D printer market who on the one hand offer machines with ever reducing capital cost while on the other making 40-50% revenue on materials. The core material for the Mcor Matrix is paper (which is purchased by the end user) with the blade and adhesive supplied by Mcor Technologies at a volume discounted prices. The total cost of ownership, factoring in the consumables makes our system the best value for money in real costs.
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Total Cost of Ownership (TCO)
The total cost of ownership (TCO) offers a final statement reflecting not only the cost of purchase but all aspects in the further use including materials and maintenance of the machine.
For example:
Regardless of the initial capital price point of the various machines, the maximum build (9.4litres or 316.33oz) of the Mcor Matrix costs under €94.00 ($135.00) to build, while a competitor having a cost per cc of €0.4 ($0.58) would be €3760 ($5,416.00). Any differential that might have been saved on the capital price of the machine is quickly lost.
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What is the cost per cc of the Mcor Matrix?
The cost per cc for the Mcor Matrix is €0.01 or $0.0144.
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How does your cost per cc compare with your competitors?
Our cost per cc is up to 40 times less expensive that our rivals.
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What are your consumables?
The consumable can be broken down into paper, adhesive and blade.
Paper: there are no special requirements for the paper. We developed the Mcor Matrix to use the lowest cost paper classified as 80gsm (gsm = gram per square metre) or 20lb in the US. This paper is supplied by you, the user, so the cheaper you can buy, the lower the part cost.
Adhesive: the Mcor Matrix uses a special commercially available water based PVA adhesive. The logistics of where the end user can purchase the adhesive are under discussion and the price per litre / gallon will be announced via a newsletter.
Blade: the blade is made from cemented tungsten carbide. The blades are supplied by Mcor Technologies. The price per blade is under discussion, but the cost per CC price of €0.01 is based on a conservatively high blade price. Mcor Technologies expect to reduce this price significantly and hence reduce the cost per cc even further. We will inform you as soon as possible via the newsletter.
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How is the adhesive applied?
The Mcor Matrix has a patented adhesive dispensing system that deposits very small dots of adhesive onto the paper substrate. It applies the adhesive selectively, depositing higher density on the part cross sections and lower on the waste. This enables easy weeding of waste material. Each sheet, depending of the part geometry being built, could have up to 48,000 dots. Therefore a full build could have a maximum of up to 67 million dots.
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Do you use a blade or laser?
In an attempt to reduce the capital cost of the machine it was decided at the conceptual stage to use blade technology instead of lasers. The Mcor Matrix utilises a cemented Tungsten Carbide blade in a drag blade arrangement.
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What is the resolution of the finished part?
The X & Y resolution is 0.05mm (0.0019in), with the Z-Axis being 0.1mm (0.0039in). The Mcor Matrix has the capability of running two thicknesses of paper. In Europe they are 80gsm and 160gsm. The 160gsm is approximately twice the thickness of the 80gsm paper. Therefore the z-resolution goes from 0.1mm (0.0039in) to 0.2mm (0.0078in). Although there is a trade off in z-resolution, the build speed is doubled!
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Can you make sample parts?
A lot of people have asked for sample parts, this we intend to do as soon as physically possible within our organisation. We have received a large number of requests in a short period of time; however we are endeavouring to sort out the logistics to fulfil this request. We will keep you posted in the next newsletter.
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Can you make colour parts?
Obviously as long as the paper conforms to the same properties as standard office paper, any colour can be achieved by changing the paper colour.
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What kind of post processing is required?
Parts straight from the machine, and after the weeding process, can be post processed in a number of ways. They can be hardened using a cyanoacrylate adhesive, sanded and painted. There are plenty of other techniques that we haven’t yet tested. If you have any techniques you’d like us to try just drop us an email.
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What do the parts feel like?
The finished parts have similar tactile characteristics to a wood carving.
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Are there any issues for the disposal of waste material?
The waste and support material needs to be removed to expose the finished part inside. This excess material is partially bonded together by our patented selective adhesive dispensing system. However because the adhesive is a water based PVA, no special waste disposal procedures are needed.
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