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Looks to be bouncing off the lower bollie. Not too worried.
Some people approach everything like a big message board… We've got a lot of new posters and young investors on here who may not always think before they write things- I think that's why the original poster brought it up, and I agreed with him. We're kind of used to instant gratification on here with the constant discussion. I thought his pretend dialogue raised a valid point. The "Uncle Greg" image was meant tongue in cheek…. much as his hypothetical Cola/ Morris convo.
We're saying not to bug him for real-time updates on Sigma's relationship status, now that many people have his contact info. It would likely strain things. [I feel like we're talking about a couple, lol. Good life advice, too. ;)]
Absolutely… No replies or extra/follow-up questions for rich Uncle Greg, guys- he might cut us out of his will! Not even a month later, ok?
Lol- yeah, that by hand thing was pretty hilarious imagery. I pictured some worker with a beer belly sorting rocks under a hanging lamp with a massive ashtray full of cigarettes, half watching a fuzzy black and white tv from the 70s. He really did do it though- the 40hrs a week are in their filings.
Idk about you, but Etrade won't allow OTC Market sells.
Agreed. Vivek seemed really confident that the thing that sets Sigma Labs apart is exactly what Greg Morris said they need:
Wow- that's a very good sign then, that they're the only ones referenced by name. I would think it'd be some kind of liability issue for him to name only one company that you didn't ask about if they weren't a key player, since that is likely to influence your investing. Granted, it was public info a year back, but to continue to bring them and only them up repeatedly while glossing over the rest… in every reply about IPQA/C/M is pretty encouraging.
Curious-Did you specifically mention Sigma Labs in your question?
I got the same reply. Guess he got a lot of questions about it… lol. Whoops.
Re-Read Q&A with Mark and Vivek…
Our answers are staring us in the face at the top of this page!
Sigma's updated patent app also covers EBM.
I believe this was discussed last week. It alerts the process engineer so he can push the right buttons on the actual printer. If/When Sigma makes their own printer (or licenses it to an existing printer maker), they will have an actual automated closed loop.
We were 30 seconds away from a HOD close.... sneaky b*stards. Still, looking good for next week.
May see a nice power hour brewing... current bid/ask looks nice. What's L2 look like?
Awesome. Volume is super low right now... I expect it will likely pick up next week, hopefully in the scenario you suggest! PS- The majority of my shares went long term today- woop! [Had had a stop trigger last year and had to buy back... it was a sad day. lol]
I'm not very good at candles, but can anyone tell me if this looks like a bullish harami to you? (Looking at the daily.) Thanks.
Aw, thanks! I don't know much on my own other than how the design side works, but my husband explains the materials stuff to me. He spent several months testing seemingly identical samples of metal for just such differences.(Our future kids will be a piece of work, lol) All I know is that when he read sigma's history with los Alamos and their published papers he said 'buy all you can.' Had I listened back at .028 I'd have 3x the shares I do now... but .05-.08 is not too bad.
No, you can have two parts that exactly match the CAD file, but the material properties of the metal can vary, even if it's the exact same alloy. You need more than just a good design to ensure the part does what it's supposed to. Example, if the grain or crystal structure of the metal cooled in such a way that it created a weak point, it would still match the cad file, but would be a potential for failure.
NICE!! Great DD, lady.
Other QA is either post build inspection, or camera based verification. Print Rite's monitoring and feedback for allows for correction in real time, by the process engineer (for now), though this will likely be automated in the future... I think that's the overall end game. It's not as glamorous as we'd like...definitely not space age yet, but we hold the patents for at least another 15 years or so... who knows what'll happen between now and then. (I hope, an intel Inside arrangement with the actual printermkers.)That said, if you think about the inefficiencies in current manufacturing ...and even AM, having to inspect every part rigorously post build vs with sigma, real time ability to correct DURING the build, and decreased post build inspection/ scrapped parts, that's still a huge leap in the right direction, and likely the best anyone's going to get between now and production, which is what, early next year? Our IP protection is so vast, it would block most workarounds without some seeeerious background knowledge... and remember Sigma has further plans beyond this rollout.
I, too, pictured it fully automated, but according to the data sheet, it's still the process engineers adjusting on the fly, based on printrite's real time feedback. (I'm picturing those guys watching red and green screens at the power plant...lol.) It is, however, adaptive, and anticipates problems before they start, can 'learn' based on engineer input and its algorithm. I think that's why they've been talking data management and apps, to make it more usable. Regardless, they hold the ip for closed loop control of the weld pool volume for all welding processes including beam and deposition, so are bound to be involved in the solution, but i don't think we'll see it fully automated until a. sigma makes a printer (like that metal3dx that was put on the back burner) or b. licenses their tech to existing printermakers. jmo.
http://www.b6sigma.com/uploads/DataSheets/PrintRite3D%20Spec%20Sheet_REV1.pdf
ps...if you ever want to look it up again, read the long form patent on justia...might just be the format, but i found it much easier when i re read it today.
http://patents.justia.com/patent/20130126483
Agreed... you can run a million tests on comsol, have the most beautiful cad file ever, but if you can't guarantee the integrity, especially of the new am parts that's a major liability. All it takes is one failed airplane to derail the dream of additive manufacturing in the public eye...and all ge's billions of dollars in additive investment would literally crash and burn. Other companies, as stated in that england article, are taking the more cautious route and integrating slowly (prototypes and plastics...)but GE has gambled hard, and publicly...They have to come up with SOMEthing to guarantee quality between now and full scale production, and after poring through existing qa options (mostly camera based, within the printers themselves) and pending patents, my bet's on sigma being a part of that plan. Gobs of data, if hard to manage, is also a way to cya... and with the data management and final tweaks being worked out, i'm hoping the rest of puzzle falls into place soon. We're rounding the final curve, so to speak... there's only so much more time between now and when they start production. If they're going to meet the 2016 deadline, there's a pretty narrow window for any new players to emerge.
That patent app someone posted earlier was for post production assurance, in a totally different specifically named sector, and also seemed in its infancy, based on the language. If that's all we have to worry about i think we're in a pretty good spot. It's not guaranteed, but so far everything that has come out, both from sigma and the continued agreements, suggests things are unfolding well, and imo, with the exception of maybe one, sigma hasn't entered an agreement that didn't turn into greater integration in the industry yet. The progression is too logical... sign with morris pre aquisition leads to beta testing with ge, then continued darpa work, beta testing with honeywell, who wants to keep up with the joneses, materialise integration for better compatibility among big players, actual contract for data management and talk of apps for ease of use, which if i heard morris right is the one thing there's a way to go on...and finally, plugging it all on their own latest model eos to showcase the finished product... just before ge constructs a giant factory with all new printers... and while not exclusive, morris' talk shows eos is clearly the printer maker they use the most... things that make you go hmm, as a certain poster likes to say.
You are so far off... even I know what CAD is, took several classes in it. that's just the 3d blueprint, Essentially, nothing to do with in process adjustment or correction. Even the best AM, and for that matter, traditionally manufactured parts can only get near net shape... the key is to be in the range of acceptability, not just in terms of appearance, following the cad file, if you will, but structurally. You can have two parts that look identical, whether castings or additive parts, but depending on their rate of cooling and a hundred other variables, their strength, durability, conductivity, etc will be very different. This is why it is so important to be able to verify each layer with am... structural defects with am designed parts are virtually impossible to detect without new methods, which we believe and sigma AND morris hasa said that they have... the inspection process works beautifully, it's just closing the loop i'm still curious about. Sigma's program is supposed to enable adjustments in real time to ensure a quality build every time. If it was as simple as just designing a nice CAD file, why the hell would companies spend money on NDI in general, let alone the billions that are being put into new methods of additive testing? If it's too hard to grasp all the variables in metal work...Look at the way even the most basic production lines operate. The factory computers all have their programs and design files but I've had more than a few shirts, tables, and appliances with their own set of defects. Quality Assurance is meant to make defects, which do happen, as obsolete as possible...and aerospace,i would hope would be a bit more rigorous in their standards than your average tennis shoe maker!
On the bright side, looks like 12's are holding steady... low volume though. Here's hoping it consolidates here. Would love another day like this, then up next week. PR would be fantastic- one can dream, right?
Thanks Round3r- great reply. That makes me feel a lot better... (you stated my subconscious hopes/suspicions so beautifully) :) Jeff, too!
Based on their data sheet, it sounds like it, as it includes the thermal profile.
From what my husband has told me, metal parts have different properties and tolerances based on how they're made- how they cool, what % each alloy is made of, etc. For example- steel's properties can vary dramatically, some processes create steel that is more brittle, harder, more flexible, etc, for different purposes. Additive processes are relatively untested. From what I understand, a key benefit of Sigma's technology is that it can provide that information-Inspect, and especially Deform and Thermal, and with closed-loop control ensure that the parts are uniform and strong in the right places. (Sorry for my unscientific summary...if I butchered anything, it's my faulty understanding, not his. lol)
http://www.steelconstruction.info/Steel_material_properties
Now THIS is a properly worded patent application... ;) The detail... the clarity... the obviously already developed less hypothetical invention.... [ cough...the earlier file date... the claiming of priority with existing patent...]
http://patents.justia.com/patent/20130126483
That's interesting... I'm not 100% sure it affects us- it's for post manufacturing inspection using surface characteristics and xrays on turbo generators. Not in-process QA or closed loop control...also makes no specific claim or reference to anything related to 3D printing/AM. I think that was a really poorly worded application, personally- super unclear. Maybe it's their own land-grab?
Only reason it would affect us would be if they decided their program was good enough and they didn't care about in-process quality control/ were content with normal post- manufacturing NDI.
I sold all but 10k @.004 so I can still keep an eye on it in my brokerage. Still have hope they can turn it around, but it'll be awhile IMO- hoping to make $ elsewhere in the meantime. Curious to see whether they really do start a steady stream of updates soon; I don't mind paying a bit more later if things are solid- but it may drop more before any run hits.
Too big of a spread, I guess? Sellers unwilling to go that low... buyers playing hard ball. Stalemate.
Agreed. He makes that presentation constantly... I was sad it had been modified somewhat from what I saw (the other had a more specific timeline as well as a particularly intriguing photo under In-Process Quality Assurance and emphasized the goal of closed loop control), but did not go as in depth into the IP challenges and specific AM processes... it was still largely the same though. I highly doubt that was it.
I don't think you understand what Sigma does... they don't "use" methods of printing, as they don't sell printers/print anything. Their PrintRite 3D Inspect module is a standalone machine that uses sensors to monitor ALL of those types of printing, and a complex algorithm based on their decades of research into materials properties/physics to give a profile of the part, as well as a closed loop process controller, according to their data sheet. It can work with any of them- Dr. Dave said- all they need is a line of sight.
http://www.b6sigma.com/uploads/DataSheets/PrintRite3D%20Spec%20Sheet_REV1.pdf
See updated patent app for compatibility:
I think it was their way of showing GE they won't just roll over, not putting all eggs in one basket, and dangling two carrots at once. If they spread out the pieces of the puzzle among big competitive players, they will either fight to possess the whole (bidding war)or each have to buy licenses to all components to keep up with the other. Brilliant move, imo.
In talking about Sigma, he described the ability to monitor the conditions of each layer of the build in real time as 'revolutionary' and stressed how incredible it is to have all this information for the first time... 'the question is what do you do with that data' which is what there is 'still a ways to go' on... He also re-emphasized that they're working with b6 and national labs and universities to continue to work on the solution. Let's not forget the good points, here. I think it's fantastic news. It's confirmation "Inspect" does what it's supposed to, which is inspect...the rest of the puzzle comes later with Deform, Thermal, etc. Once Sigma gets all their modules hooked into the EOS printer we may finally have the Holy Grail of not only In-Process Monitoring, but also CONTROL- which is IMO their most valuable patent. So funny he kept talking about IP issues- "many of these smaller companies have patented and submitted applications in a kind of land grab." Described this as a challenge, for GE trying to consolidate their supply chain. I get the distinct impression that at least OUR small company won't be selling out any time soon.
I still didn't get that he was hesitant in a negative way. I honestly think he was a bit surprised, because he seemed very upbeat about it- talking fast/enthusiastically, then tempered it with 'still a way to go' so as not to mislead Sigma investors into total elation.... sort of like the EOS announcement where the Germans jumped the gun and GE said- essentially- well, exact numbers haven't been finalized. (Which is a nice way of neither confirming nor denying.) lol. The point is, GE is still very much working with Sigma- which was a big question many had not so long ago. I'm told we ladies are pretty good at picking up on emotional subtleties...so hoping I'm right on this one. I feel good about today, at any rate. Curious to see what tomorrow brings... would love to see another test of .15 but may start correcting. Hard to say since we dont know what's driving the run.
I had typed a question about the JTDA from last year.
I thought he sounded very positive about them, pleasantly surprised,(they obviously saw a lot of sigma-related questions) and went on to explain the benefits of what they do. IMO, the tone was excited about the work, if tempered a bit by the fact that not everything is finished yet.
Perhaps this is why Sigma signed that Big Data agreement? :)