Posted on

3D Printing News Briefs: August 31, 2018

Welcome to this month’s last edition of 3D Printing News Briefs! Today, in honor a new month starting tomorrow, we’re starting with stories about everything new. BEEVERYCREATIVE will soon launch a new 3D printer kit, while Fast Radius is opening a new headquarters and Thor3D welcomes a new CEO. Verashape is introducing the latest version of its SOFTSHAPER software, and Link3D launched a new additive manufacturing scheduling solution. Moving on from new things, Midwest Engineered Systems, an official KUKA partner, will be displaying its technology at IMTS 2018, and a company used its innovative laser cladding technology to restore a CNC spindle.

BEEVERYCREATIVE’s New 3D Printer Kit

Portuguese 3D printer manufacturer BEEVERYCREATIVE is getting ready to launch a new 3D printer DIY kit, and will present it publicly for the first time at the upcoming TCT Show 2018 in Birmingham. This is a big deal for the company, as it hasn’t introduced had a product launch for a new 3D printer since 2015; employees have been very busy working on the MELT project for the European Space Agency for the last two years, and are more than ready to introduce the new B2X300 3D printer kit.

BEEVERYCREATIVE conduct multiple studies before the launch, including market research on 3D printer user patterns and collecting quantitative and qualitative information from users about its helloBEEprusa 3D printer kits. The B2X300 is named for the company’s brand (B), its two extruders (2X), and its 300 x 200 x 300 mm print area (300), and was delivered to several beta testers this spring for testing and feedback. Aside from its build area, number of extruders, and the fact that it features auto bed leveling and trinamic drivers, we don’t know much about the 3D printer kit yet. But all will be revealed by mid-September.

Fast Radius Opening New Headquarters and AM Factory

The Fast Radius team, L-R: John Nanry, chief product officer; Bill King, chief scientist; Lou Rassey, CEO; and Pat McCusker, COO [Image: Manuel Martinez, Chicago Business]

3D printing solutions provider Fast Radius is scaling up its manufacturing footprint, and recently opened its new headquarters in Chicago’s West Loop, which features an advanced, industrial-grade 3D printing facility. This facility is home to extensive HP MultiJet Fusion technology, as well as what the company calls the largest Carbon production facility in the Western Hemisphere. This was a well-thought out location: the building of the Chicago-based Digital Manufacturing and Design Innovation Institute (DMDII) was where the company’s new CEO Lou Rassey first collaborated with several other Fast Radius executives, including Chief Scientist Bill King, PhD, Chief Product Officer John Nanry, and Enterprise Solutions Leader John Ramirez. The rest of the company’s executive team includes Vice President of Sales and Marketing Brian Simms and COO Pat McCusker.

Rassey said, “It was important to the Fast Radius team that we were headquartered in Chicago, as we are passionate about being a part of the next great industrial manufacturing renaissance in this city, the Midwest, and ultimately, the world.

“Pat, John, Bill, John and Brian form the perfect core team to grow Fast Radius as we build out our technology platform and global footprint to bring manufacturing innovation to the world at scale.”

Thor3D Welcomes New CEO

Anna Zevelyov

This week, Moscow-headquartered 3D scanner manufacturer Thor3D announced that it has appointed its very first Chief Executive Officer. The new CEO, Anna Zevelyov, is a company co-founder and a 3D printing market veteran who had been serving as Thor3D’s Sales Director; her long-time lieutenant, Vadim Fomichev, will now be taking on this role. Under Zevelyov’s leadership, the company will be focusing on R&D, with plans to release at least one new 3D scanner each year.

“Some history…the company was, until now, ruled by committee. Although periodically, this “collective-wisdom” approach was beneficial, over time we realized that a strict hierarchy and one person at the helm is needed,” Zevelyov wrote in a statement. “The Board of Directors took 6 months to consider whether to nominate a CEO and if yes, who that might be. After much debate about how this could change the culture of the company, the decision was made this month. I was elected unanimously, which, naturally, boosts confidence, as I take on this new challenge.

“I am honored and optimistic. My first priority will be R&D (after all, Thor3D is, first and foremost, a technology company). My aim will be to significantly improve our current technology and to introduce a new 3D scanner at least once a year (expect to hear big news before the end of the year). Another priority will be organization of our intellectual property. I anticipate filing a number of international patents over the next year to formalize the innovative work that has been done in the company over the previous months.”

New SOFTSHAPER Software Version

Verashape, which manufactures the VSHAPER line of 3D printers, has just introduced the latest version of its SOFTSHAPER software. Thanks to a license granted to the company by Siemens PLM Software last year, SOFTSHAPER 2019 is based on Parasolid Communicator. There are many improvements and new features in this latest version of SOFTSHAPER, including a technological process tree, detailed reports, and the ability to group layers and print manually adjusted supports.

“A huge simplification that SOFTSHAPER 2019 provides us with is the ability to print supports with higher density,” explained Seweryn Nitek, a Software Engineer at Verashape. “The density is higher only in the area of contact with the model. In other areas, the density of supports is selected in relation to the required stiffness. This saves time for printing supports, which are then removed by the user.”

Midwest Engineered Systems Displaying KUKA Technology at IMTS 2018

Two years ago at IMTS 2016 in Chicago, KUKA Robotics showcased how its robots integrate with 3D technology thanks to partnerships with companies like Midwest Engineered Systems (MWES), a leader in complex systems integration. MWES provides services such as robotic welding, machine tending, material handling, and automated production lines, but has become well-known in the last few years for its work in laser wire additive manufacturing. This technology is able to create very large parts, while also saving up to 90% of the material normally machined away.

“We’ve actually come up with a way way to print with metal using wire. Really what that does is allows you to print larger parts and it allows you to print them faster,” said Scott Woida, the President of MWES, in a video.

The company’s additive manufacturing system uses the hot wire process to preheat wire before it enters the molten pool. At the upcoming IMTS 2018, you can check out the MWES technology for yourself at KUKA’s Booth N-236200.

Restoring CNC Spindle with Laser Cladding

A company called Synergy Additive Manufacturing LLC (SAM), which claims to be one of the only turnkey jobshops to offer metalworking services like final machining, heat treating, metal forming, 3D CAD design, and 3D printing, also developed a laser cladding process is a more cost-effective alternative to hard chrome coatings. The company offers a 24 hour turnaround on the dimensional restoration of rotating components, like motor shafts and CNC spindles, using this technology.

In a new video, SAM demonstrated how its laser cladding method can be used to restore a CNC spindle. The technology offers a good metallurgical bond, and there is no chipping away or peeling once the restoration is complete. You can see this for yourself in the video below:

Discuss these stories and other 3D printing topics at 3DPrintBoard.com or share your thoughts in the comments below.

Posted on

3D Printing News Briefs: August 28, 2018

We’re talking about business, cool products, and events in today’s 3D Printing News Briefs, followed by a how-to video on smoothing your 3D prints and a student competition project. Nano Dimension has sold two of its DragonFly Pro 3D printers to separate branches of the US military, while AIO Robotics has introduced its new silicone drawing mat for 3D printing pens. A 3D printing and design company offered a sneak peek of a new 3D printed golf product, and Rize plans to demonstrate its technology at the upcoming IMTS show. A YouTube video explains how to smooth your 3D prints using automotive primer, and Ogle Models helped a university team complete its prototype for the Unmanned Aircraft Systems Challenge.

Nano Dimension Sells Two More DragonFly Pro 3D Printers

Israeli additive electronics provider Nano Dimension announced this week that it sold two of its industrial DragonFly 2020 Pro PCB 3D printers to two different branches of the United States Armed Forces. The 3D printer sales were closed by Fathom and TriMech Solutions, two of the company’s top US value added-resellers. This news comes just two months after the company became a certified vendor for the DoD with its Commercial and Government Entity (CAGE) code, which means it can pursue and conduct business directly with the US Federal Government and its agencies.

“Nano Dimension continues to strengthen its position in the U.S. market, particularly in the U.S. defense sector. These sales to tier one customers demonstrate the attractiveness of our additive manufacturing solution,” said Simon Fried, President of Nano Dimension USA. “The ability to create functional circuit prototypes quickly and securely in-house is a key factor in the increasing adoption of our solution in the multi-billion-dollar U.S. defense sector. Nano Dimension’s DragonFly Pro 3D Printer makes it possible to 3D print radically new designs and improve workflows by leveraging the agility of additive manufacturing. The defense sector is highly motivated to enable additive manufacturing in the field by bypassing traditional manufacturing processes.”

AIO Robotics Introduces Silicone Drawing Mat

High-tech startup AIO Robotics, creator of the ZEUS All-In-One 3D Printer, is introducing its latest innovation – a silicone mat perfect for drawing on with your favorite 3D printing pen. The mat, made out of premium, heat-resistant silicone material, is available on Amazon for just $12.99, though you can save 10% on the mat when you also purchase one AIO Pen or an AIO Pen Filament.

The Silicone Mat for 3D Pen Drawing is perfect for many materials, including PLA, ABS, and PETG, and can be used for simplified but high-precision 3D drawing of grids, circles, and rectangular shapes. When you purchase the mat, you will also receive two free silicone finger protectors, which allow you to safely and easily remove filament from a hot 3D pen tip.

3D Printed Golf Ball Accessory

3D printing and design company Two Brothers 3D Printing Solutions, based in Massachusetts, offers consulting, 3D printing, and CAD services, and also works hard to, as its website states, “showcase the incredible and affordable technology that is 3D printing.”

“Over the past 4 years, brothers Ryan and Tyler Stacy have spent countless hours learning the ins and outs of 3D printing. Over that time, the two have been able to use 3D printing to create solutions for many different areas; from power tools to prosthetics, replacement parts, birthday gifts, and quite literally, anything in between.”

Earlier this week, the company posted its latest unique 3D printed solution on Twitter – a moveable contraption, called a TeeMate, used to pick up golf balls so golfers do not have to bend down to do it themselves. Fore!

Rize to Showcase Its Technology at IMTS

At the upcoming IMTS 2018 show, 3D printing company Rize will be showcasing its technology at the booth belonging to Fuji Machine America Corporation. Rize makes industrial 3D printing safe and easy with its Rize One hybrid 3D printer, and can produce parts that have best-in-class strength in all axes. Additionally, thanks to its unique ink marking capability, the company also provides what it calls “the industry’s only Digitally Augmented Part capability for traceability and compliance.”

At IMTS 2018, representatives from Rize and its authorized reseller, Dynamic Machine, will demonstrate the technology’s quick and clean support removal, and explain how the company’s industrial 3D printing can be combined with Fuji’s comprehensive automated manufacturing solutions in order to provide significant cost and time advantages. Come see the Rize One for yourself, and get all your questions answered, at Fuji’s booth #339059 at the IMTS 2018 show, September 10-15 at McCormick Place in Chicago.

Smooth 3D Prints with Automotive Primer

We’ve seen people smooth their 3D prints with epoxy and with acetone, but this is a new one – automotive primer. Youtuber gordontarpley recently published a video about how well it works to smooth your 3D prints with 2k automotive primer, saying that it’s been his “main method for the last few months.”

“I get asked all the time, ‘How do you clean up your 3D prints?’ and the method always varies. So I’ve been trying to figure out the best way to make a video about that,” Tarpley said.

“Most of the time I go straight from a 3D print…and I will just start with primer. Primer paint and then I’ll paint a layer, sand it, paint, sand, over and over until it looks smooth.”

Tarpley said that’s he learned some valuable information about the primers in this way. To learn more about smoothing your 3D prints with automotive primer, check out the video below:

3D Printed Prototype for Unmanned Aircraft Systems Challenge

Prototyping company Ogle Models and Prototypes has a history of helping student university teams with their competition projects. Recently, the company worked with a team from University College London (UCL) to create an unmanned aircraft prototype for their entry in the Unmanned Aircraft Systems Challenge, which is held by the Institutions of Mechanical Engineers and designed to develop and inspire the next generation of engineers.

The student team had to design, manufacture, and operate an unmanned aircraft that could complete several tasks simulating a humanitarian mission. The team ran into some issues – in order to endure wind tunnel testing, their prototype would need pressure taps in order to sample air distribution across it. So they called on Ogle for assistance, which recommended SLA 3D printing for the job so they could lower costs by building the taps within the model.

“The accuracy of industrial SLA ensured that the complex geometry of the scaled-down aerodynamic surfaces was replicated with precision. For clarity reasons, the team chose ClearVue resin, which allowed the pressure tapping pathways to be seen on the finished model,” explained Matt White, Senior Sales Engineer at Ogle.

“UCL is regarded as one of the best institutions in the country when it comes to training tomorrow’s mechanical engineers and we were only too happy to help when the team approached us.”

Discuss these stories and other 3D printing topics at 3DPrintBoard.com or share your thoughts in the Facebook comments below.

Posted on

3D Printing News Briefs: August 24, 2018

We’re sharing some business news in today’s 3D Printing News Briefs, followed by some interesting research and a cool 3D printed statue. Meld was listed as a finalist in the R&D 100 Awards, and Renishaw has introduced 3D printed versions to its styli range, while there’s an ongoing Digital Construction Grant competition happening in the UK. A researcher from Seoul Tech published a paper about in situ hydrogel in the field of click chemistry, while researchers in Canada focused on the Al10SiMg alloy for their study. Finally, an Arcam technician tested the Q20plus EBM 3D printer by making a unique titanium statue of Thomas Edison.

Meld is R&D 100 Awards Finalist

The global R&D 100 Awards have gone on for 56 years, highlighting the top 100 innovations each year in categories including Process/Prototyping, IT/Electrical, Mechanical Devices/Materials, Analytical/Test, and Software/Services, in addition to Special Recognition Awards for things like Green Tech and Market Disruptor Products. This year, over 50 judges from various industries selected finalists for the awards, one of which is MELD Manufacturing, an already award-winning company with a unique, patented no-melt process for altering, coating, joining, repairing, and 3D printing metal.

“Our mission with MELD is to revolutionize manufacturing and enable the design and manufacture of products not previously possible. MELD is a whole new category of additive manufacturing,” said MELD Manufacturing Corporation CEO Nanci Hardwick. “For example, we’re able to work with unweldable materials, operate our equipment in open-atmosphere, produce much larger parts that other additive processes, and avoid the many issues associated with melt-based technologies.”

The winners will be announced during a ceremony at the Waldorf Astoria in Orlando on November 16th.

Renishaw Introduces 3D Printed Styli

This month, Renishaw introduced a 3D printed stylus version to its already wide range of available styli. The company uses its metal powder bed fusion technology to provide customers with complex, turnkey styli solutions in-house, with the ability to access part features that other styli can’t reach. 3D printing helps to decrease the lead time for custom styli, and can manufacture strong but lightweight titanium styli with complex structures and shapes. Female titanium threads (M2/M3/M4/M5) can be added to fit any additional stylus from Renishaw’s range, and adding a curved 3D printed stylus to its REVO 5-axis inspection system provides flexibility when accessing a component’s critical features. Components with larger features need a larger stylus tip, which Renishaw can now provide in a 3D printed version.

“For precision metrology, there is no substitute for touching the critical features of a component to gather precise surface data,” Renishaw wrote. “Complex parts often demand custom styli to inspect difficult-to-access features. AM styli can access features of parts that other styli cannot reach, providing a flexible, high-performance solution to complex inspection challenges.”

Digital Construction Grant Competition

Recently, a competition opened up in the UK for organizations in need of funding to help increase productivity, performance, and quality in the construction sector. As part of UK Research and Innovation, the organization Innovate UK – a fan of 3D printing – will invest up to £12.5 million on innovative projects meant to help improve and transform construction in the UK. Projects must be led by a for-profit business in the UK, begin this December and end up December of 2020, and address the objectives of the Industrial Strategy Challenge Fund on Transforming Construction. The competition is looking specifically for projects that can improve the construction lifecycle’s three main stages:

  • Designing and managing buildings through digitally-enabled performance management
  • Constructing quality buildings using a manufacturing approach
  • Powering buildings with active energy components and improving build quality

Projects that demonstrate scalable solutions and cross-sector collaboration will be prioritized, and results should lead to a more streamlined process that decreases delays, saves on costs, and improves outputs, productivity, and collaborations. The competition closes at noon on Wednesday, September 19. You can find more information here.

Click Bioprinting Research

Researcher Janarthanan Gopinathan with the Seoul University of Science Technology (Seoul Tech) published a study about click chemistry, which can be used to create multifunctional hydrogel biomaterials for bioprinting ink and tissue engineering applications. These materials can form 3D printable hydrogels that are able to retain live cells, even under a swollen state, without losing their mechanical integrity. In the paper, titled “Click Chemistry-Based Injectable Hydrogels and Bioprinting Inks for Tissue Engineering Applications,” Gopinathan says that regenerative medicine and tissue engineering applications need biomaterials that can be quickly and easily reproduced, are able to generate complex 3D structures that mimic native tissue, and be biodegradable and biocompatible.

“In this review, we present the recent developments of in situ hydrogel in the field of click chemistry reported for the tissue engineering and 3D bioinks applications, by mainly covering the diverse types of click chemistry methods such as Diels–Alder reaction, strain-promoted azide-alkyne cycloaddition reactions, thiol-ene reactions, oxime reactions and other interrelated reactions, excluding enzyme-based reactions,” the paper states.

“Interestingly, the emergence of click chemistry reactions in bioink synthesis for 3D bioprinting have shown the massive potential of these reaction methods in creating 3D tissue constructs. However, the limitations and challenges involved in the click chemistry reactions should be analyzed and bettered to be applied to tissue engineering and 3D bioinks. The future scope of these materials is promising, including their applications in in situ 3D bioprinting for tissue or organ regeneration.”

Analysis of Solidification Patterns and Microstructural Developments for Al10SiMg Alloy

a) Secondary SEM surface shot of Al10SiMg powder starting stock, (b) optical micrograph and (c) high-magnification secondary SEM image of the cross-sectional view of the internal microstructure with the corresponding inset shown in (ci); (d) the printed sample and schematic representation of scanning strategy; The bi-directional scan vectors in Layer n+1 are rotated by 67° counter clockwise with respect to those at Layer n.

A group of researchers from Queen’s University and McGill University, both in Canada, explain the complex solidification pattern that occurs during laser powder bed fusion 3D printing of the Al10SiMg alloy in a new paper, titled “Solidification pattern, microstructure and texture development in Laser Powder Bed Fusion (LPBF) of Al10SiMg alloy.”

The paper also characterizes the evolution of the α-Al cellular network, grain structure and texture development, and brought to light many interesting facts, including that the grains’ orientation will align with that of the α-Al cells.

The abstract reads, “A comprehensive analysis of solidification patterns and microstructural development is presented for an Al10SiMg sample produced by Laser Powder Bed Fusion (LPBF). Utilizing a novel scanning strategy that involves counter-clockwise rotation of the scan vector by 67° upon completion of each layer, a relatively randomized cusp-like pattern of protruding/overlapping scan tracks has been produced along the build direction. We show that such a distribution of scan tracks, as well as enhancing densification during LPBF, reduces the overall crystallographic texture in the sample, as opposed to those normally achieved by commonly-used bidirectional or island-based scanning regimes with 90° rotation. It is shown that, under directional solidification conditions present in LPBF, the grain structure is strictly columnar throughout the sample and that the grains’ orientation aligns well with that of the α-Al cells. The size evolution of cells and grains within the melt pools, however, is shown to follow opposite patterns. The cells’/grains’ size distribution and texture in the sample are explained via use of analytical models of cellular solidification as well as the overall heat flow direction and local solidification conditions in relation to the LPBF processing conditions. Such a knowledge of the mechanisms upon which microstructural features evolve throughout a complex solidification process is critical for process optimization and control of mechanical properties in LPBF.”

Co-authors include Hong Qin, Vahid Fallah, Qingshan Dong, Mathieu Brochu, Mark R. Daymond, and Mark Gallerneault.

3D Printed Titanium Thomas Edison Statue

Thomas Edison statue, stacked and time lapse build

Oskar Zielinski, a research and development technician at Arcam EBM, a GE Additive company, is responsible for maintaining, repairing, and modifying the company’s electron beam melting (EBM) 3D printers. Zielinski decided that he wanted to test out the Arcam EBM Q20plus 3D printer, but not with just any old benchmark test. Instead, he decided to create and 3D print a titanium (Ti64) statue of Thomas Edison, the founder of GE. He created 25 pieces and different free-floating net structures inside each of the layers, in order to test out the 3D printer’s capabilities. All 4,300 of the statue’s 90-micron layers were 3D printed in one build over a total of 90 hours, with just minimal support between the slices’ outer skins.

The statue stands 387 mm tall, and its interior net structures show off the kind of complicated filigree work that EBM 3D printing is capable of producing. In addition, Zielinski also captured a time lapse, using an Arcam LayerQam, from inside the 3D printer of the statue being printed.

“I am really happy with the result; this final piece is huge,” Zielinski said. “I keep wondering though what Thomas Edison would have thought if someone would have told him during the 19th century about the technology that exists today.”

Discuss these stories and other 3D printing topics at 3DPrintBoard.com or share your thoughts below.

Posted on

3D Printing News Briefs: August 21, 2018

We’ve got plenty of business news for you in today’s 3D Printing News Briefs, and a little scientific research as well. Kelyniam Global has acquired new 3D printing technology, while Rostec makes an investment in technology. One of the earliest SpaceX employees is now an advisor for another aerospace company, the Youngstown Business Incubator has received a federal grant, and SAE International recently hosted a 3D printing webinar. Auburn University has been chosen as the site of a new National Center of Additive Manufacturing Excellence, and a new study discusses 4D printed elastic ceramics.

Kelyniam Global Adds New 3D Printing Capabilities

Using medical models for surgical pre-planning is almost a clinical standard these days. In an effort to increase its current medical modeling skills, custom 3D printed cranial implant manufacturer Kelyniam Global, which works with health systems and surgeons to improve cost-of-care and clinical outcomes, announced that it has expanded its 3D printing capabilities with the acquisition of new technology. This new technology aligns with the company’s reputation as a premium supplier of cranial implants requiring excellence in design and quick turnaround times.

“This state-of-the-art equipment will enable Kelyniam to produce certain medical models on the same 24-hour turnaround schedule we offer for cranial implants. The ability to rapidly print ultrahigh resolution models with high accuracy across our entire platform is a significant differentiator in our industry,” said Kelyniam COO Chris Breault.

Rostec Investing in Industrial 3D Printing Development

Russia’s state technologies corporation Rostec (also Rostek and Rostekh), which develops products for high-tech and communication systems, has invested nearly 3 billion rubles to create a specialized center for industrial 3D printing. The Center for Additive Technologies (CAC), with a goal of reducing the amount of time and money it takes to launch new products, will offer customers a full range of services and advanced 3D printers. The CAC’s main task will be introducing industrial 3D printing to high-tech industries that could really use it.

“Industrial 3D printing is becoming one of the indispensable attributes of modern industry. We see the high potential of this technology and introduce it into our production practice,” said Anatoly Serdyukov, the Industrial Director of the aviation cluster at Rostekh State Corporation. “For example, in the JDC today, about three tons of parts per year are produced by the additive technology method. The holding plans to widely use them in the serial production of promising Russian gas turbine engines, which will be certified in 2025 – 2030. The creation of a specialized center will expand the scope of this technology and produce parts for such industries as aircraft building, space, high technology medicine, automotive industry.”

Project participants calculate that the CAC’s first pilot batch of parts will be manufactured there sometime in 2019.

Former SpaceX Employee Becomes Advisor to Relativity Space

Aerospace company Relativity Space hopes to one day 3D print an entire rocket in an effort to lower the cost of space travel, and has been working hard to achieve this goal over the last few years. The company has fired up its 3D printed engine over 100 times so far, and just a few months ago received $35 million in Series B Funding. Now, Relativity Space has announced that Tim Buzza, one of the very first employees at SpaceX – another company working to 3D print rockets – is one of its official advisors.

Jordan Noone, Relativity Space Co-Founder, said “When I was at SpaceX, Tim’s stellar reputation for breadth and depth of engineering and operations was legendary in the industry.”

Buzza spent 12 years helping to develop SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket and Dragon spacecraft and will advise Relativity Space on organizing the company structure, launch site selection and trades, rocket architecture, structures and avionics, and more.

Federal Grant Awarded to Youngstown Business Incubator

The Youngstown Business Incubator (YBI) is about to receive some new 3D printing software and hardware, thanks to a federal grant. Recently, the Appalachian Regional Commission awarded $185,000 in federal funding to YBI. The new 3D printers and 3D printing software that the grant will fund, in addition to being a boon for YBI, will also help to strengthen its frequent area partners Youngstown State University (YSU) and America Makes.

“Each additional piece of equipment further strengthen us as a national and international leader in additive manufacturing technology and this is a key part of that process,” said Michael Hripko, YSU’s Associative Vice President for Research.

SAE International Recently Held Additive Manufacturing Webinar

Last week, global engineering organization SAE International hosted an hour-long additive manufacturing webinar, called “Considerations When Integrating Additive Manufacturing into Aerospace and Ground Vehicle Development and Production Environment,” for members of the mobility engineering community. The discussion, moderated by the organization’s Senior Global Product Manager Audra Ziegenfuss, was led by four guest speakers: Dr. John Hart, the Director of MIT’s Center for Additive and Digital Advanced Production Technologies (ADAPT); Bill Harris, a Technical Fellow with Lockheed Martin; and Adam Rivard, the Additive Manufacturing Director for LAI International, Inc.

Topics covered during SAE International’s webinar last week included novel AM methods that translate to automotive and aerospace applications, the risks involved in introducing 3D printed, flight-critical parts, and the anticipated timeline for general acceptance of 3D printed parts by aerospace customers.

Auburn University Site of New National Center of AM Excellence

Recently, Auburn University in Alabama, ASTM International, and NASA launched two new centers of excellence in additive manufacturing with the shared goal of speeding up research and development, standardization and innovation in 3D printing. Researchers at Auburn’s National Center for Additive Manufacturing Excellence (NCAME), will conduct interdisciplinary research, while also striving to grow effective collaboration between industry, government, academia, and not-for-profit.

“The Center of Excellence is going to facilitate us bringing together the best technical experts in industry, government, and academia, and that’s going to help us develop the very best standards for this emerging technology,” said Katharine Morgan, the President of ASTM International.

New Study On 4D Printed Elastic Ceramics

3D printing EDCs. (A) 3D printed large-scale elastomeric honeycomb. (B) 3D printed microlattices and (C) honeycombs of PDMS NCs and first EDCs and second EDCs.

Shape-morphing assembly is a great technology for applications in 4D printing, biomaterials, life sciences, and robotics, and multiple materials like ceramics, silicone, and polymers are used. But, we’ve not yet seen much in the way of ceramic structures derived from soft precursors that allow for elastic deformation. Polymer-derived ceramics (PDCs) have some excellent properties, such as high thermal stability and chemical resistance to oxidation and corrosion, and their microstructures can be fine-tuned through tailored polymer systems.

While we’re seeing a lot in the way of 3D printing soft materials, current ceramic precursors are not flexible and stretchable. Guo Liu, Yan Zhao, Ge Wu, and Jian Lu with the City University of Hong Kong published a paper, titled “Origami and 4D printing of elastomer-derived ceramic structures,” that explains how they developed silicone rubber matrix nanocomposites (NCs) that can be 3D printed and deformed into elastomer structures with complex shapes and transformed into mechanically strong EDCs.

The abstract reads, “Four-dimensional (4D) printing involves conventional 3D printing followed by a shape-morphing step. It enables more complex shapes to be created than is possible with conventional 3D printing. However, 3D-printed ceramic precursors are usually difficult to be deformed, hindering the development of 4D printing for ceramics. To overcome this limitation, we developed elastomeric poly(dimethylsiloxane) matrix nanocomposites (NCs) that can be printed, deformed, and then transformed into silicon oxycarbide matrix NCs, making the growth of complex ceramic origami and 4D-printed ceramic structures possible. In addition, the printed ceramic precursors are soft and can be stretched beyond three times their initial length. Hierarchical elastomer-derived ceramics (EDCs) could be achieved with programmable architectures spanning three orders of magnitude, from 200 μm to 10 cm. A compressive strength of 547 MPa is achieved on the microlattice at 1.6 g cm−3. This work starts a new chapter of printing high-resolution complex and mechanically robust ceramics, and this origami and 4D printing of ceramics is cost-efficient in terms of time due to geometrical flexibility of precursors. With the versatile shape-morphing capability of elastomers, this work on origami and 4D printing of EDCs could lead to structural applications of autonomous morphing structures, aerospace propulsion components, space exploration, electronic devices, and high-temperature microelectromechanical systems.”

Discuss these stories and other 3D printing topics at 3DPrintBoard.com or share your thoughts in the Facebook comments below.

Posted on

3D Printing News Briefs: August 18, 2018

In 3D Printing News Briefs, in which we share news about some upcoming events, and then move on to business, science, and 3D printing pen art. Europac 3D and Addition Design and Research are showing their plans for the upcoming TCT Show, and the Formlabs Roadshow is coming to Chicago next month. Makelab has launched its on-demand production platform, powered by AMFG software, and Rize published a brief about 3D printing in life sciences. Finally, 3Doodler announced an upcoming video class series on 3D printing pen art.

Europac 3D Announces Lineup for TCT Show 2018

Top UK 3D printing, scanning, and inspection business Europac 3D announced that its booth for this year’s TCT Show in Birmingham will be its “biggest and most informative” yet, showcasing the latest in 3D printing innovations. In addition to displaying and 3D printing a range of sunglasses during the show to illustrate its end-to-end solutions, the company will also display 3D printers from HP and UnionTech, NX software from Siemens, and 3D scanners from Artec and Kreon Technologies. Experts will also be on hand at Europac’s booth to answer any questions.

“We will have our biggest and best stand to date at TCT this year and will be hosting 3D printing, scanning and modelling experts to provide visitors with a one stop shop for all their technical queries,” said John Beckett, Managing Director of Europac. “Europac 3D will be on hand to demonstrate all of our latest projects and innovations. We look forward to welcoming visitors to our stand for what promises to be an unforgettable event.”

Check out what Europac to offer at Stand M26 at the TCT Show, running from September 25th-27th.

Addition Design and Research Attending TCT Show 2018

Another 3D printing company that’s announced its plans to exhibit at the TCT Show is contract research and development (CRD) supplier Addition Design & Research, which provides end-to-end advanced design and manufacturing solutions using 3D printing. While the company is rather new to the 3D printing industry, it’s long worked at the intersection of CRD, high value design and engineering, and AM with other organizations to create high quality business solutions.

Addition Design & Research will be available during the TCT Show at Stand K49 for one-on-one meetings to provide insight into its expertise, offer advice on how to adopt 3D printing, and to discuss collaboration. Any organizations in the UK searching for a primer on using 3D printing as a business solution should attend the company’s training course in Sheffield just ahead of the show.

Formlabs Roadshow Hits the Road in Chicago

The popular Formlabs Roadshow has visited many big cities, from New York City and San Francisco to Los Angeles and now Chicago.

“Formlabs is traveling to industry hubs across North America to celebrate the capabilities of 3D printing in digital manufacturing,” the event reads. “We are bringing together local innovators and global disruptors to discuss how accessible 3D printing technology is enabling manufacturing across the business and education landscapes. Join us as we tackle opportunities and barriers in digital manufacturing and design with industry experts.”

The event, which centers around taking advantage of Industry 4.0, will be held from 10:30 – 2 on Friday, September 14th at the Digital Manufacturing and Design Innovation Institute (DMDII). Speakers include several well-known 3D printing experts, including Luke Winston, the Chief Business Officer at Formlabs, and Siemens’ Additive Manufacturing Solutions Director Chris Weber, with more to be announced soon. Tickets are less than $70, so sign up here to attend.

Makelab Launched On-Demand Production Platform

Brooklyn-based 3D printing service bureau Makelab is partnering with AMFG, which creates automation software for industrial 3D printing, to launch a new on-demand production platform. AMFG’s software will automate Makelab’s manufacturing operations, as well as make its 3D printing services more accessible to universities, engineers, and designers. Customers can use AMFG’s on-demand portal to easily request 3D printed parts with its auto-quoting tool, while Makelab will be able to track parts and requests, automatically schedule jobs and optimize build space, plan for post-processing, and conduct quality assurance.

“With AMFG, we’ve found an end-to-end solution which not only takes care of the auto-quoting in a more user-friendly and intuitive way, but also takes care of managing production, which is a huge advantage for us. As we scale our business, we’re always looking for innovative ways to solve key issues like keeping track of all our machines, effectively packing builds and ultimately, optimising our workflow for maximum efficiency,” said Makelab Co-Founder Christina Perla. “AMFG answered all of these questions and more, so we can provide a faster, more efficient service for our customers.”

Rize Commissions Brief on Life Sciences 3D Printing

Boston-based 3D printing company Rize recently commissioned a new Insight Brief, titled “Personalized 3D Printing in Life Sciences,” written by Axendia’s Eric Luyer, an Industry Research Analyst, and Ellyn McMullin, a Research Associate. There are many applications for 3D printing in the healthcare, medical device, pharmaceutical, and surgery industries, and Life Sciences companies can use the technology to break down barriers. But there are plenty of complex regulations to be managed in order for this to be successful. The brief discusses 3D printing applications in Life Sciences, some of the FDA guidelines, and how Rize’s 3D printing Augmented Polymer Deposition (APD) technology is very important to controlling some of the important processes that Life Sciences manufacturers need.

“RIZE’S patented APD system is key to Traceability, Control of Process Parameters and validated processes that Manufacturers must maintain and control to meet FDA 21 CFR 820.30 Design Controls requirements. It’s an industrial 3D Printer where complex geometry can be manufactured matching patients’ anatomy,” said Kishore Boyalakuntla, Vice President of Product at RIZE.

The brief also discusses how global medical device manufacturer CONMED used Rize’s technology to 3D print molds for producing medical-grade elastomeric products.

3Doodler Working on 3D Pen Art Video Class Series

Popular Kickstarter-backed company 3Doodler is working with Bluprint, owned by NBCUniversal, on a series of 3D Pen Art video classes aimed at teaching makers and crafters how to create works of art with the 3Doodler Create+ 3D Pen. Its content, available for free online through Bluprint, Craftsy, and streaming apps like Roku, will be part of the new entity’s expanded subscription service, and Grace Du Prez, an internationally renowned 3D pen artist whose work we’ve covered before, will be the host of the show, which marks the first such broadcast agreement for 3Doodler.

Six episodes will run through the 2018 holiday season, and the first five are already up, covering projects like phone cases, terrariums, and lantern lights; you will need to sign up for a free Bluprint trial to watch. The sixth video class will be an episode of Doodle Wars, a new, family-friendly NBC competition series. Check out a teaser video for Doodle Wars below:

NEW SHOW TIME: Doodle Wars is here ! These artists are incredible and thanks to this show I’m now calling myself Bob Ross Jr. Shoutout to Bluprint NBC and the whole awesome Hudsun Media team that made it happen and our great judges Zoe Hong + Jon Chad. Catch the whole season over at mybluprint.com now!….#doodlewars #iamadoodlerwarrior #doodle #scribble #draw #art #doodling #competition #mybluprint

Gepostet von Paul Costabile am Mittwoch, 15. August 2018

Discuss these stories and other 3D printing topics at 3DPrintBoard.com or share your thoughts in the Facebook comments below.

Posted on

3D Printing News Briefs: August 14, 2018

We’re taking care of business first in today’s 3D Printing News Briefs, followed by a story about 3D printed glasses and then moving on into the aerospace sector. 3YOURMIND is sharing a preview of its upcoming virtual AM Summit, and Rize published a new case study. TriPro 3D Technology introduced a new 3D printer, and a doctor at the Beijing Tongren Hospital is hoping to correct patients’ vision with 3D printed glasses. Launcher completed another test for its 3D printed rocket engine, a 3D modeler put a lot of work into creating a 3D printed NASA helmet, and engineers at NASA’s Ames Research Center created a 3D printable model of its flying telescope.

3YOURMIND Presenting Virtual AM Summit

German startup 3YOURMIND, which provides industrial 3D printing software solutions, is presenting a free virtual conference called the AM Summit later this month for people who want to learn more about industrial 3D printing. Beginning at 10 am Central European Time on August 28, the AM Summit will feature five speakers from multiple industries, who will be discussing topics like how to make data 3D printable, the future of 3D printing materials, and how to identify great AM business cases.

The AM Summit’s website states, “Learn how to get started with 3D design, identify your first successful business cases, and how to optimize workflows like leading companies around the world do. Participate in the digital conference online from your desk and chat in real time with the audience and the experts”

Rize Presents Customer Case Study

Boston-based 3D printing company Rize just released a new customer case study about New Hudson Facades (NHF), which designs, engineers, manufactures, and installs custom glass and aluminum façades on skyscrapers, that explains how the company adopted 3D printing in its Pennsylvania office, which already contained automated assembly lines, material handling and inspection equipment, and robotic glazing equipment. NHF’s engineering manager Andrew Black was already familiar with 3D printing and thought that the company could increase product quality and production and decrease costs by incorporating the technology into its daily operations. When asking Cimquest, a Rize reseller, for a recommendation, Black specified that the AM solution the company needed had to be safe, fast, easy to learn and use, and able to fabricate strong functional parts, like clamping fixtures and check gauges. Cimquest then suggested the Rize One.

“I put Rize One right next to my desk, so I can use it all the time. It’s so easy, anyone can use it,” Black said.

“We’re finding creative new uses every day for our Rize 3D printer.”

NHF is now enjoying a 15% increase in production speed and $200,000 cost savings per year on fixtures.

TriPro Introduces Industrial 3D Printer

China-based TriPro Technology Co., Ltd. specializes in lasers and CNC machines but has also made the leap to 3D printing. Now, the company is introducing its latest 3D printer, the ProMaker 700, for industrial applications. It’s easy to print with materials like ABS, PLA, PETG, and nylon on the ProMaker 700, which features a 460 x 430 x 740 mm build volume. The 3D printer can maintain a constant temperature of about 60°C, thanks to its full enclosure; this is necessary when working with materials like ABS so they don’t warp at the edges due to rapid cooling. With a 50 micron resolution on X and Y and a 100 micron on Z, the ProMaker 700 is also perfect for batch manufacturing.

“We highly recommend this machine for designing, for manufacturing, prototyping, importance of functional and parts manufacturing,” said Achilles from TriPro.

3D Printed Glasses for Correcting Vision

Dr. Song Hongxin with a pair of 3D printed glasses at Beijing Tongren Hospital. [Image: Beijing News]

At the Beijing Tongren Hospital in China, Dr. Song Hongxin is working to create customized 3D printed glasses with a free-form surface to help people with deformed corneas correct their vision. Free-form surface lenses, which can fit differently shaped corneas, can help with the symptoms of an eye disorder called keratoconus, which can result in symptoms like astigmatism, blurred vision, and nearsightedness.

Dr. Song, who was inspired by the adaptive optical system of NASA, explained, “Normal corneas have a smooth and convex surface, while their (keratoconus patients’) corneas are bumpy with many irregular concaves.”

While traditionally made glasses aren’t always customizable, and can be expensive when they are, 3D printing allows physicians to customize glasses more accurately to fit a patient’s cornea.

Launcher Completes Hot-Fire Test

Launcher, a space startup, is making metal 3D printed components for rocket engines, like a combustion chamber made using nickel-chromium alloy Inconel 718. The startup relies on EOS technology for its 3D printing needs, and recently completed another hot-fire test of its E-1 3D printed chamber rocket engine, which is being used to help Launcher validate the design of the 3D printed combustion chamber and internal cooling channels before the technology is applied to its much larger E-2.

During the 30 second test, Launcher achieved its highest “performance and temperature mix ratio for LOX/RP-1” and reached a combustion temperature of about 6,000°F, which is over twice the melting point temperature of its 3D printed Inconel 718 combustion chamber.

3D Printed NASA Helmet

Designer, animator, special effects creator, and maker Adam Savage, formerly of Mythbusters and currently of Tested, was excited to introduce a video on the site recently about a new member of the Tested family – 3D modeler and prop maker Darrell Maloney, also known as The Broken Nerd.

“Darrell came to my attention last year because he’s ludicrously prolific and incredibly facile at 3D printing and model making and ambitious in his scope,” Savage said in the new video.

“In our ongoing collaboration, Darrell will continue to deliver some videos for Tested.com, including this one, in which I commissioned Darrell to make a space helmet for me.”

It’s not just any space helmet either – Savage is working to replicate the orange Advanced Crew Escape Suit (ACES), also called a pumpkin suit. This full pressure suit was worn by Space Shuttle crews after STS-65, and Darrell adapted a high-fidelity model that Savage purchased in order to make the helmet 3D printable. It took over 100 hours of 3D printing to create the helmet – you can check out the full process in the video below.

3D Printable SOFIA Flying Telescope Model

A 3D printed model of the Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy (SOFIA) is displayed beneath a photo of the real thing.
[Image: NASA/SOFIA]

Engineers at the Ames Research Center have made a 3D printable eight-piece model of NASA’s flying telescope SOFIA, which stands for Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy. The SOFIA telescope was built into a modified Boeing 747 wide-body jetliner, and flies at altitudes of up to 45,000 feet in order to observe the objects that fill our universe, like black holes, comets, and stars, from the stratosphere. The 3D printable SOFIA model, which includes a mini version of the real SOFIA’s 106″ reflecting telescope, was built to a scale of 1/200, making it just under a foot long.

The digital files to 3D print your own SOFIA model are free to download.

“SOFIA flies higher than commercial jetliners to get above 99 percent of the water vapor in Earth’s atmosphere, which blocks infrared light from reaching the ground. This is why SOFIA is capable of making observations that are impossible for even the largest and highest ground-based telescopes,” NASA officials said.

Discuss these stories and other 3D printing topics at 3DPrintBoard.com or share your thoughts in the Facebook comments below.

Posted on

Aconity3D to Set Up North American Base of Operations for 3D Printing at UTEP

Bottom, L-R: Diana Natalicio, UTEP President; Yves Hagedorn, Aconity3D, managing director; Florian Sondermann, AconityUS, managing director. Top, L-R: Ryan Wicker, PhD, Keck Center director; Zia Uddin, student researcher; Alfonso Fernandez, powder bed manager; Francisco Medina, director of technology and engagement; Mireya Flores, Keck Center manager; Philip Morton, applications manager. [Image: UTEP Communications]

The University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP) has long been a 3D printing advocate, and a lot of this important work takes place at the university’s W.M. Keck Center for 3D Innovation, which is also the first satellite center for America Makes. Now, UTEP has made an agreement with Germany-based Aconity3D GmbH, which develops laser powder bed fusion 3D printers, to be its base of operations in North America.

“We are pleased to establish a relationship with UTEP. This is an excellent example of how research universities can partner with private industry to advance the educational opportunities afforded to students and also attract economic development to the region,” said Yves Hagedorn, PhD, the Managing Director of Aconity3D. “We are confident that the combined expertise of the Keck Center and Aconity3D will yield innovative approaches to 3D printing and offer world-class research opportunities for students.”

Aconity3D was founded in 2014 as a small startup, though it now boasts over 50 employees, and makes 3D printers capable of manufacturing complex metal parts for medical implants, airplanes, and cars, among others. It was eager to set up camp at UTEP due to the Keck Center’s expertise and prominence in the industry, as well as its commitment to increase economic development.

“This exciting collaboration is very well aligned with UTEP’s access and excellence mission. UTEP is committed to providing our students with exceptional educational opportunities, many of which are advanced through the ground-breaking research underway on our campus,” said UTEP President Diana Natalicio. “This agreement with Aconity3D will enhance UTEP’s research environment, broaden the range of experiences available to our students in the Keck Center for 3D Innovation, and attract new business development that will enable UTEP graduates to remain in this region to pursue their career goals.”

This agreement will not only give Aconity3D a home in the US, but it will also attract high-end jobs for the community’s engineering students, increase UTEP’s production and service operations, and advance 3D printing through important research investigations with government agencies and industry.

“The Keck Center is a natural fit for Aconity3D as it is a recognized leader in additive manufacturing. This collaboration will enhance our technical knowledge base and expand our expertise,” said Theresa A. Maldonado, PhD, the dean of UTEP’s College of Engineering. “We can also work collaboratively toward our model to incubate startups and provide them a pool of highly qualified graduates.”

The company’s 3D printers have an open architecture system, which is different from most commercial approaches in that users can modify the parameters themselves in order to find the optimal way to 3D print a customer’s specified material. The equipment is great for research, as one needs plenty of knowledge about the technology in order to operate the 3D printers. This helps feed Aconity3D’s corporate philosophy of locating near high-tech research organizations – for instance, its German headquarters are near the Fraunhofer Institute for Laser Technology (Fraunhofer ILT). Aconity3D’s model of supporting the institute’s interns and students will continue at UTEP.

Aconity3D will begin its North American operations with only a CEO, but plans to hire up to three employees within a year. The hiring process will focus first on Keck Center graduates who have experience working with the company’s technology, as one of Aconity3D’s laser powder bed machines is already housed there.

“We have long worked on leveraging our expertise in 3D printing to build a new economy in El Paso around additive manufacturing. Our partnership with Aconity3D is a major milestone in that direction and is validation of all of our combined efforts,” said Ryan Wicker, PhD, the founder of the Keck Center. “The only way a company like Aconity3D would decide to come here is because of our technical strength in additive manufacturing, access to our graduating talent to meet their workforce needs, and the tremendous opportunities available for commercial success through collaborations with UTEP. We can apply this economic development model to build other businesses around their technologies, recruit other 3D printing businesses to our region and create new businesses from our own 3D printing technologies coming out of UTEP. As a research university, UTEP must be – and is excited to be – fully engaged in stimulating economic development for the benefit of our region.”

The long-term goal of this agreement is to set up a technical center and research space in the Keck Center, which will work with Aconity3D’s German headquarters to sell and service its 3D printers in North America. Its US base of operations will be located at UTEP’s University Towers Building.

Discuss this story and other 3D printing topics at 3DPrintBoard.com or share your thoughts in the Facebook comments below. 

Posted on

3D Printing News Briefs: August 7, 2018

We’re starting things off on today’s 3D Printing News Briefs with a little business and a little software, before moving on to more cool 3D printing projects and products. NextFlex has announced its Project Call 4.0, and we’ve got a closer look at a 3D print filament recycling system that was introduced at the Barcelona Maker Faire. OnShape has announced the latest updates to its CAD system. A university student 3D printed a car muffler, and Printable Science presents its 3D printed safety razor.

NextFlex Project Call 4.0

Last month, the NextFlex consortium, one of the leaders in the Manufacturing USA network, announced the award recipients of $12 million in funding for the latest round of its extremely successful Project Call program for Flexible Hybrid Electronics (FHE) innovations. This week, the consortium announced the $10 million funding round for its Project Call 4.0, which has a “very diverse scope of needs” that represent gaps in capabilities and technology in multiple application areas. Proposals should focus on several manufacturing thrust areas (MTA), such as flexible battery integration, FHE device encapsulation, evaluating and developing connectors for e-textiles and FHE devices, and advanced 3D electrical design software, among others.

“NextFlex’s Project Call process has proven to be extremely successful. We continuously tackle member-identified FHE manufacturing challenges, and with 31 projects already underway from three previous project calls, we expect this to garner even more interest from the FHE community,” said Dr. Malcolm J. Thompson, the Executive Director of NextFlex. “Topics in Project Call 4.0 build upon successful developments and learning from our previous project calls.”

OUROBOROS 3D Printing Recycling System

The Barcelona Maker Faire was held earlier this summer, and one of the many innovations on display at the event included an all-in-one recycling system for 3D printing called the OUROBOROS. The system shreds used plastic and extrudes the material into a 3D printable filament. According to YouTube user Joan Cullere, the OUROBOROS system includes a prototype shredder with a 24 V motor that’s almost completely 3D printed itself.

In addition to the economic and compact shredder prototype, the OUROBOROS 3D printing recycling system features a user-friendly filament extruder with better cooling, a new spooling system, and an optimized filament path. To see the new system for yourself, check out the video below.

Onshape System Updates

Modern CAD platform Onshape introduced the premium edition of its software in May, and delivers automatic upgrades to the system every three weeks. The latest updates, from July 12 and August 1, include many new improvements to the Onshape CAD system.

For instance, the July 12 update introduced a feature for adjusting the line thickness in drawings, which allows users to define the thickness for tangent, hidden, and visible edges. This update also added a new Drawing Properties panel icon, which replace the wrench icon and includes several new features. The August 12 update made it possible for users to change existing parts or assemblies to a revision, which means every stage of the workflow can be changed. In addition, users can now enjoy significant rebuild time improvements in the system’s complex multi-part Sheet Metal Part Studios. The next updates should arrive on August 23rd.

3D Printed Car Muffler

University student and YouTube user Cooper Orrock was inspired by another maker’s DIY project – a duct tape and cardboard car muffler – to make his own 3D printed version. He designed the two-component automotive part and 3D printed it in plastic; then, with the help of some friends, he prepared the part for installation on a vehicle. This included clearing out some of the holes on the rim of each part so it could be screwed together, and removing the original muffler from the car.

“Part of me thinks that it could possibly melt just because of all the heat from the engine and stuff, but part of me thinks it could work,” Orrock said.

To see if his prediction came true, check out the video below.

3D Printed Safety Razor

Printable Science, which creates “all the science that’s fit to print’ according to its Patreon page, creates all sorts of nifty 3D printed projects, like a socket nut driver, a mini hacksaw handle, and a USB microscope stand. Now, it’s moved on to a 3D printed, four part plastic safety razor.

“Forget the dollar shave club… forget paying shipping and handling… 3D print your own safety razor and be part of the 29 cent shave club,” a member of Printable Science said on the YouTube video.

He explained that the basic design of the safety razor has been mostly unchanged for about 150 years, and that with the design for this razor, you can make your own for just 19 cents. However, this isn’t the first 3D printed razor we’ve seen – in fact, the Gillette Company filed a patent for a 3D printable razor cartridge a few years ago, and was also one of the co-creators of a challenge to design a 3D printed razor handle. To see how Printable Science’s 3D printed plastic safety razor compares, check out the video below.

Discuss these stories and other 3D printing topics at 3DPrintBoard.com or share your thoughts below.

Posted on

3D Printing News Briefs: July 27, 2018

We’ve got plenty of awards and other business news for you today in 3D Printing News Briefs. Sinterit and ViscoTec each received awards for their technology, while Arkema announced that it is opening a 3D Printing Center of Excellence at its Pennsylvania facility. Vectary and Sketchfab are integrating, and Xometry is now offering SLA 3D printing. Finally, OPEN MIND Technologies has introduced its latest hyperMILL CAM software.

Sinterit Lisa Receives Award from All3DP

Sinterit, one of the fastest growing manufacturers of SLS 3D printers, just received the “Best Desktop SLS 3D Printer Summer 2018” award for its Lisa 3D printer by All3DP. The award shows that the company is moving in the right direction, and confirms that the Lisa is the perfect choice for 3D printing professionals looking to upgrade to SLS technology without breaking the bank. Even better for Sinterit: the award was announced in the final week of a pre-order period for its upgraded Lisa model, which will feature better hardware, bigger 3D prints, and easier maintenance.

“All3DP is happy to present the Sinterit Lisa with the award for Best Desktop SLS 3D Printer on the market. We recognize the Sinterit team for their tremendous work in making SLS 3D printing technology more affordable and accessible,” said Tyler Koslow, Editor at All3DP. “Additionally, their recent update to the Sinterit Lisa and development of the new Sinterit Lisa 2 PRO suggests that they will remain a market leader for a long time.”

ViscoTec Awarded Special Title Two Years Running

Georg Senftl (holding certificate) and Martin Stadler (holding lion) accepted the award on behalf of all ViscoTec employees.

For the second year in a row, German company ViscoTec, which specializes in pump and dose technology and has 3D printing viscous liquid products for silicone and other materials was awarded the “Bayern’s Best 50” title. For 17 years, the Bavarian Ministry of Economic Affairs has honored the 50 most dynamic, medium-sized companies in Bavaria, and the jury considers criteria such as number of employees, turnover, and social and economic contributions. ViscoTec, and the other 49 winning companies were personally awarded the title, a certificate, and a Bavarian porcelain lion by Bavaria’s Minister of Economic Affairs, Energy and Technology Franz Josef Pschierer at a recent event in Schleißheim Castle.

“Our employees all over the world actively help us to be such a successful company every day and that we will continue to develop very well in the future. Special thanks also go to our partners and customers. Their partnership with ViscoTec is constantly driving us forward. This motivates us not to stand still, to open up new possibilities and to find solutions for the daily challenges,” said Georg Senftl, Commercial Director of ViscoTec Pumpen- u. Dosiertechnik GmbH. “Last but not least, the innovative climate in the Inn-Salzach region contributes to the continuous development of companies like ViscoTec.”

Arkema to Open 3D Printing Center of Excellence

3D Printers and Post-Processing Machines for UV-Cured Resins at Arkema Center for Excellence.

This Monday, July 30th, speciality chemical and advanced materials developer Arkema will be holding the grand opening for its new 3D Printing Center of Excellence. The center will be located at the Exton, Pennsylvania facility of its Sartomer subsidiary, which designs engineered resins for UV-curable additive manufacturing under its N3xtDimension brand. The 3D Printing Center of Excellence will work to advance 3D printing resins technology and be home to most UV-based 3D printing technologies, such as Digital Light Processing (DLP), stereolithography (SLA), and HP’s Multi Jet Fusion (MJF). It will offer a collaborative space for developing custom resins, and complete the company’s worldwide R&D network, which is dedicated to developing advanced 3D printing materials.

“Sartomer is a historic partner for 3D printing pioneers. We’re launching the 3D Printing Center of Excellence to deepen our support of the visionaries working to develop innovative 3D printed materials,” said Sumeet Jain, Global Director, 3D Printing at Sartomer.

Vectary Integrates Sketchfab

Online 3D design tool Vectary is giving its users access to thousands of new 3D models, as it has now integrated Sketchfab, the world’s largest platform for interactive 3D content. Vectary users can connect to the Sketchfab library and import hundreds of thousands of 3D models with one click, as well as export, publish, and even sell their own 3D work on Sketchfab. Vectary CEO Michal Koor, who co-founded the tool in 2014 with Pavol Sovis said, “Easily importing Sketchfab 3D models in the Vectary 3D tool can be a great way to create design concepts and bring more inspiration to their work. Exporting their Vectary models to Sketchfab gets them exposure to a larger audience, which can mean an increased customer base and new income possibilities by selling their work on one of the best 3D marketplaces available.”

Xometry Adds SLA 3D Printing to List of Services

3D printing service provider Xometry has added stereolithography (SLA) 3D printing to the list of 3D printing processes it provides. Versatile SLA technology offers higher resolution 3D printing, which will allow Xometry’s customers to achieve prints with good surface finish and fine detail – perfect for production parts and prototypes. The technology also enables you to print large products and parts and can create complex parts, to meet tolerances of +/- 0.004” or +/- 0.001” per inch, in a single operation.

Xometry also offers plenty of SLA-friendly materials, such as the Accura and Somos brands. Try it out today – upload your 3D CAD file to Xometry now to get an instant SLA quote.

New Version of hyperMILL CAM Software Released

3D Z-Level Shape Finishing

Germany CAD/CAM software solutions develop OPEN MIND Technologies AG has released the latest version of its advanced CAM software, hyperMILL 2018.2, which provides more machining efficiency and several new enhancements and features. 3D Z-level Shape Finishing, available in the hyperCAD -S module, now comes with automatic face extension to automatically extend selected milling surfaces during CAM programming, and can now also support conical barrel cutters.

This version also provides a “V sketch” command, which allows users to make easy changes to turning contours and milling boundaries by assigning geometric constraints to 2D contours. Other enhancements to the -S module include being able to measure and record distances between two shapes, like meshes, solids, and face models.

Alan Levine, Managing Director of OPEN MIND Technologies USA, Inc., said, “Keeping the hyperMILL suite at the forefront of CAM technology, we are pleased to offer our customers improved CAM strategies and enhanced CAD tools for even greater machining productivity through our new release of hyperMILL 2018.2.”

Discuss these stories and other 3D printing topics at 3DPrintBoard.com or share your thoughts in the Facebook comments below. 

Posted on

Developer of Printoid App Introduces New App for Managing Your 3D Printing Filament Spools

Two years ago, Android software engineer and OctoPrint fan Anthony Stephan, who’s based out of France, developed an Android app for OctoPrint called Printoid that provides direct access to the OctoPrint server and has features such as video streaming and a 3D visualizer for G-code and STL files. Now, Stephan is back with a new project – RollingUp, an Android app that can help you more efficiently manage your 3D printing filament spools. The app, which aims to make life easier for makers, was launched about a month ago, and Stephan tells us that since then, over 2,000 users have joined the RollingUp community and “are very happy with the app.”

As he explained to 3DPrint.com, Stephan decided to make the RollingUp app for three reasons:

“firstly, I have a personal stock 50+ spools, and it is pretty hard to know how much filament I still have in this spool or this one. I maintained an Excel sheet with the input information each time I had to use a spool, but most of time I forgot to do this, and I had to power-on my computer…

“secondly, I am working with a pro here in France, who has also a high stock of spools (200+). And he needed a tool to manage his stock too.

“finally, there was no good tool to do this yet. Because the Printoid users was requesting me this feature since a while, I though that it was a good idea to provide a standalone tool for everybody!”

The RollingUp app is a 3D printer filament spool manager, which lets you easily add your spools to the app and input their usage. The app is only available on Google Play for now, though the iOS version is currently under development and should be available soon on the Apple Store.

In terms of making money, Stephan told us that the app does contain small advertisement banners, though these only show up for those who use the free version to manage just two spools of filament. The $4.99 Premium plan, accessible from an in-app purchase, doesn’t include any ads and lets you add and manage as many spools as you want.

When asked who he made the RollingUp app for, Stephan told us:

“For every makers/printers who want to track his own filament consumption. It is also a good start to make the makers/printers aware of the consumption of plastics / bio-plastics. I am currently working on new screens to display statistics to the users about their habits: how much ABS are you using against PLA? How much filament do you put in the trash? These informations will be available very soon, and I hope that we all will contribute to change our mind about the 3D printing universe: we can do amazing things, be we also have to think about our environment.”

Users can synchronize the app on multiple devices, as well as access its spools shop to get great deals on filament.

Stephan told 3DPrint.com, “I let the users filling their spool information by themself. But I am currently working with Filament.Directory, a huge spool database. They will provide me API in the next weeks to connect RollingUp with their database: users will be able to select their spools in a list instead of creating it by themself, and will also have an access to two kind of information: the best parameters provided by the manufacturer of the filament, and the best parameters observed by the users. Filament.Directory already work a lot on these informations, and it would be amazing to provide them in RollingUp.”

The app cannot currently be used to share pictures of your 3D prints, but Stephan has said he may think about adding a social media function to the next version of RollingUp. But the app has all sorts of other great features, including:

  • Easy management of your stock and various materials parameters
  • Spool consumption cost and input
  • Verify if a spool has enough filament left for a specific print job

“Very soon I will introduce new features, first in order to sensitise the users about eco-responsibility in the 3D printing world, and secondly to bind the app with the Filament.directory database (in order to create automatically spools in the app according existing spools on the market),” Stephan told us.


The app also lets users sort their filament spools by weight, material, and manufacturer, and, if you have the Premium version, access a special NFC tag-writing feature. This feature allows you to write out your spools on NFC tags, then access their status by scanning the spool with your Android device.

To take advantage of this feature, you first have to create your spool in the app. This is easy to do if you already use Printoid for OctoPrint – just choose a file in the file manager, then click the RollingUp icon to send its length and weight (in meters and grams) to the app, or directly input this information by clicking on the file name from the dashboard. Label the input and then open the ‘NFC Tags’ menu and click the ‘write’ button. Choose your spool, add your device to the tags, and voila! You can now stick the tags right on your spools.

One swift click on the spool in your app’s dashboard lets you input consumption, while a longer click will pull up its consumption history. A cost manager feature also shows how much money you’ve spent on each print.

In terms of crowdsource settings, Stephan explained to us that users will have the best settings for their own spools in the app, and will be able to contribute to the Filament.Directory database.

When asked by 3DPrint.com what he hoped to achieve with RollingUp, Stephan answered,

“Actually, I hope that the user base will grow a lot. Then, with the new features, for example the integration of the data from Filament.Directory, I hope that we will be able to improve a lot the best parameters information found in this website. Also, since users can create new spools in RollingUp, it’s also a good way to be informed about new spools on the market, which are the best parameters, etc. and so, feed the Filament.Directory database. This database is amazing and deserve to grow quickly, with the help of every makers/printers!

“Moreover, with RollingUp, I really want to give super-powers to the 3D printers and their spools. The NFC feature, for example, is easy to use, but very impressive and convenient!”

Will you try out the RollingUp app? Let us know! Discuss this and other 3D printing topics at 3DPrintBoard.com or share your thoughts in the comments below. 

[Images provided by Anthony Stephan]