eSUN, a China-based manufacturer of 3D printing filaments, and Sindoh, a 3D printer manufacturer based in South Korea have signed an agreement for global strategic cooperation at the Inside 3D Printing Conference, in Seoul, Korea. The agreement, which was signed on June 27th, will enable both companies to use each other’s resources in order […]
BIOMODEX Continues to Build Momentum in 3D Printed Medical Models
The 3D printing of medical models is something of an art form, and it’s one that startup BIOMODEX does well. Based in Paris and Boston, the company provides 3D printed anatomical models to surgeons, helping them prepare for complex and difficult surgeries. BIOMODEX has seen a lot of forward momentum lately, raising $15 million in Series A funding at the end of May and recently sharing perspective on the growth of additive manufacturing. In 2017, BIOMODEX 3D printed 1,000 medical models and is on track to print five times that number in 2018. The company’s approach to 3D printed medical models is an innovative and exciting one, based on a patented algorithm that forms the core of its INVIVOTECH technology.
“It is the algorithm that builds the composite material and that will distribute the different materials at a micron level; we can control every single drop of the material to match the mechanical target we have,” said BIOMODEX CEO Thomas Marchand. “We are inventing new composite materials thanks to this algorithm.”
What sets BIOMODEX apart from other 3D printed medical model companies is that in addition to matching the exact shape of the organ to be operated on, BIOMODEX adds its functionality. This adds an extra layer to the benefits that such models provide, enabling surgeons to operate with greater accuracy and efficiency.
“The vision is that our personalized, 3D printed patient-specific models will enable surgeons to gain a better understanding of their patient’s unique anatomy – so they will be able to plan the most complex procedures in an optimal way,” Marchand told Stratasys’ Mary Christie. “Our goal is to help surgeons choose the best medical device and operating strategy to reduce risks and improve medical and financial outcomes.”
[Image via Stratasys]
Current estimates suggest that one out of every six surgeries in the United States experiences a complication – a frightening statistic. Policy initiatives are appearing that would hold hospitals accountable for the costs of complications, and reduce Medicare payments for hospitals with high readmission rates, poor patient satisfaction, and high incidences of hospital-acquired conditions, including through surgical complications.
3D printed models can reduce the risk of complications by allowing the surgeons to plan and practice their exact procedure before the patient ever gets on the table. This results in quicker surgeries, less risk to the patient, and lower exposure to anesthesia and radiation.
“The first $3.6M fundraising in 2016 allowed us to develop EVIAS, a unique product in the field of interventional neuroradiology, aimed at reducing operational risks during the treatment of intracranial aneurysms,” Marchand said. “The latest financing will be used to develop new products in the interventional cardiology space and enable the opening of a new manufacturing facility outside Boston, Massachusetts. Boston is an ideal location for us with its mecca of world renowned medical centers and high concentration of medical device companies as we evolve and grow from our entrepreneurial roots.”
[Image: BIOMODEX via Facebook]
In the near future, BIOMODEX will be introducing its first cardiovascular product: LAACS, a software program unique to left atrial appendage patient-specific models. It will be introduced at the Transcatheter Cardiovascular Therapeutics (TCT) meeting in September, and will be available for purchase in 2019.
Marchand and BIOMODEX are also considering opening a service bureau for PolyJet users to send their imaging files, like MRIs and CTs, for file optimization prior to 3D printing.
“This would certainly bolster the use of 3D printing for pre-surgical planning where technical expertise at segmentation and file preparation are lacking or availability is constrained,” said Marchand.
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Sketchfab Store for 3D Models Officially Out of Beta Mode and Open for Business
Founded in 2012, Sketchfab is the world’s largest 3D model platform, and a very popular place for its over 1.5 million community members – mostly hobbyists and professionals – to easily discover, publish, and share 3D content. The platform’s download feature was launched four years ago, and the site now also features an entire ecosystem of various 3D platforms, including augmented and virtual reality.
As the site continues to grow, Sketchfab has helped its community share work through not only its platform, but also through more than 90 sharing integrations, including Adobe, Blender, Facebook, Reddit, and Twitter.
But its founders realized that Sketchfab was going to need a way to distribute 3D content outside of the platform, in order to make it easy for anyone to find and publish content online in these creative times.
So it began working on something completely new – a Sketchfab store, which was a natural next step. A dedicated store would let 3D content creators easily integrate 3D models uploaded by the Sketchfab community into their virtual worlds without any attribution.
The store has been in beta form since early this year, with early adopter buyers and sellers checking it out. For the last six months, the team has been gathering feedback from its early users and adding some new features to increase the experience. But Sketchfab has finally launched the store out of beta, so its users can monetize their work on a single platform – and the company is offering our readers an exclusive discount this week.
“Sketchfab’s store is a great place to buy assets because customers can inspect models from all angles instead of browsing through cherry-picked presentation images. For sellers, it’s hassle-free as there is no need to create extensive presentation material. It’s easy to create great looking 3D previews and even showcase animations,” said Matthias Andre, the Co-Founder and Art Director of Bitgem, which creates 3D models and textures for game developers.
The Sketchfab Store will allow content creators the ability to integrate tens of thousands of 3D models and textures into virtual worlds, and is the first to allow customers, before they purchase a 3D model, to inspect it from every possible angle and aspect – including topology and textures – in real time.
That’s because it combines a browser-based 3D player with an advanced, first-in-the-market Model Inspector feature, so customers working on multiple 3D projects, ranging from 3D printing and video games to animal and architectural renderings, can be confident in the 3D models they’re purchasing, and not have to guess if the 3D digital files they’re buying online are good.
Additionally, the Sketchfab Viewer supports AR and VR right out of the box for another way to review the store’s content.
“We’re extremely excited to launch the Sketchfab store after a successful open beta. The store allows our extraordinarily talented community to easily monetize their work on a single platform, while the model inspector takes the guesswork out 3D model purchases,” said Alban Denoyel, CEO and Co-Founder of Sketchfab. “We cannot thank our early adopter buyers and sellers enough for sharing their thoughtful feedback and making the official store as strong as possible!”
Several big name brands like Amazon, HTC, and Sony, among others, already trust the Sketchfab Store, which is becoming, in the platform’s own words, “the go-to destination for buyers with significant industry asset purchase needs.”
In addition to launching its long-awaited store, Sketchfab also recently announced two new content partnerships. Apple at WWDC is one of the launching partners of its new 3D format, while Facebook at f8 integrates its AR studio platform. Good news for our faithful readers – Sketchfab is also offering you a 10% discount to its new store. Just use the exclusive code 3DPRINT, valid through July 8th.
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[Images provided by Sketchfab]
Ricoh planning for acquisitions with $1.8 billion war chest
Comments made by Ricoh Americas’ president & CEO, Joji Tokunaga have reconfirmed the Japanese multinational’s commitment to industrial 3D printing. In an article published by ZDnet Tokunaga, together with senior VP of marketing, Glenn Laverty, and CEO of Ricoh Canada, discusses plans for a multi-year strategy that will see the 2D printing specialist move closer […]
Speeding up Prototyping with 3D Printed Injection Molds
3D printing is a wonderful technology on its own, but it’s also extremely effective when combined with other manufacturing methods, like injection molding. 3D printing molds for injection molding, rather than creating them in the traditional multi-step manner, saves time, allowing manufacturers to get their products to market more quickly. Every manufacturing company has to struggle to remain competitive in such a packed, fast-moving industry, and one of the ways to do so is to be the first to put out a new product. This is even more difficult for the manufacturers of electrical products, as international standards and certification requirements result in long certification processes for their parts, which must be prototyped using final materials.
One way for these companies to get to market faster is to speed up the prototyping process, and one way to do that is to produce the molds for injection molding using 3D printing. Schneider Electric is one company doing this. The company utilizes its Openlab to support product development.
“Our goal is to use cutting-edge technologies to shorten the product development cycle,” said Frédérick Choupin of Schneider Electric. “With 3D printing and agile project management, we’re in a position to overcome the traditional obstacles of long-established processes and market an innovative product 60% faster.”
Openlab has been working for over a year with Prodways and the Platinium 3D platform to incorporate Prodways’ MOVINGLight technology into the development cycle of its electrical components to 3D print plastic injection molds. Nearly 25 tooling molds were 3D printed using the technology; as a result, hundreds of parts could be injected on an injection molding machine under manufacturing conditions that resulted in parts that matched the final shape and complied with the certification prerequisites with the correct polymer grade.
“Typically, producing an aluminum mold for tooling prototypes of parts that need to be certified as final material has a lead time that can range from several weeks to two months, and that drastically slows down the development cycle,” said Sébastien Guenet, Deputy Executive Officer of UIMM Champagne-Ardenne (Champagne-Ardenne Union of Metallurgies Industries), Platinium 3D. “With 3D printing, we can produce tooling prototypes in a few hours, modify them immediately based on the needs of the functional tests and then inject final material parts. These final material parts are sent directly for certification while the aluminum mold is still being produced. Thanks to this process, we considerably speed up the new-product development cycle since the final material parts are already certified even before the aluminum production mold is finalized.”
Prodways’ 3D printing materials feature high mechanical and heat resistance, allowing Openlab and Platinium 3D to inject charged and nonflammable polyamide parts. Glass-charged polyamide is one of the most commonly used materials for technical components that require high heat resistance.
Working together, Prodways, Platinium 3D and Openlab by Schneider Electric are changing the way that electrical products are prototyped, making the process faster and simpler and ensuring that Schneider Electric can certify its parts and get them to market more quickly.
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[Source: Prodways]
3D Printing News Briefs: June 29, 2018
In today’s 3D Printing News Briefs (the last one this month, how is the summer going by so quickly?!), a few companies are announcing special honors and recognitions, and then we’re sharing stories stories about some interesting new 3D printing projects, and finally wrapping things up before the weekend with some business news. Renishaw’s Director of R&D has been honored by the Royal Academy of Engineering, while MakerBot earned an important designation for its 3D printing certification program for educators and Renovis Surgical Technologies received FDA approval for its new 3D printed implant. Festo is introducing three new bionic robots, one of which is partially 3D printed, and CINTEC is using 3D printing for its restoration of a famous government house. GE wants to use blockchains for 3D printing protection, and ExOne announced a global cost realignment.
Royal Academy of Engineering Honors Renishaw’s Chris Sutcliffe
Earlier this week, the Royal Academy of Engineering (RAE) awarded a Silver Medal to Professor Chris Sutcliffe, the Director of Research and Development of the Additive Manufacturing Products Division (AMPD) for global metrology company Renishaw. This award is given to recognize outstanding personal contributions to British engineering, and is given to no more than four people a year. The Silver Medal Sutcliffe received was in recognition of his part in driving the development of metal 3D printed implants in both human and veterinary surgery, and also celebrates his successful commercialization of 3D printed products with several companies, including Renishaw, and the University of Liverpool.
“Throughout my career I’ve worked hard to commercialise additive manufacturing technology. As well as AM’s benefit to the aerospace and automotive sectors, commercialisation of AM and associated technologies has been lifechanging for those with musculoskeletal diseases,” said Sutcliffe. “The award celebrates the successes of the engineers I have worked with to achieve this and I am grateful to receive the award to recognise our work.”
MakerBot’s Certification Program for Educators Gets Important Designation
One of the leaders in 3D printing for education is definitely MakerBot, which has sent its 3D printers to classrooms all over the world. Just a few months ago, the company launched a comprehensive, first of its kind 3D printing certification program, which trains educators to become 3D printing experts and create custom curriculum for STEAM classrooms. An independent review of the program showed that it meets the International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE) standards, and it has earned the prestigious ISTE Seal of Alignment from the accreditation body. In addition, a survey conducted over the last three years of over 2,000 MakerBot educators shows that the percentage of teachers reporting that MakerBot’s 3D printers met their classroom needs has doubled in just two years.
“This data shows that MakerBot isn’t just growing its user base in schools. We’re measurably improving teachers’ experiences using 3D printing,” said MakerBot CEO Nadav Goshen. “Much of this impressive teacher satisfaction is thanks to the effort we’ve put into solving real classroom problems—like the availability of 3D printing curriculum with Thingiverse Education, clear best practices with the MakerBot Educators Guidebook, and now training with the new MakerBot Certification program.”
Earlier this week, MakerBot exhibited its educator solutions at the ISTE Conference in Chicago.
FDA Grants Clearance for 3D Printed Interbody Spinal Fusion System
California-headquartered Renovis Surgical Technologies, Inc. announced that it has received 510(k) clearance from the FDA for its Tesera SA Hyperlordotic ALIF Interbody Spinal Fusion System. All Tesera implants are 3D printed, and use a proprietary, patent-pending design to create a porous, roughened surface structure, which maximizes biologic fixation, strength, and stability to allow for bone attachment and in-growth to the implant.
The SA implant, made with Renovis’s trabecular technology and featuring a four-screw design and locking cover plate, is a titanium stand-alone anterior lumbar interbody fusion system. They are available in 7˚, 12˚, 17˚, 22˚ and 28˚ lordotic angles, with various heights and footprints for proper lordosis and intervertebral height restoration, and come with advanced instrumentation that’s designed to decrease operative steps during surgery.
Festo Introduces Partially 3D Printed Bionic Robot
German company Festo, the robotics research of which we’ve covered before, has introduced its Bionic Learning Network’s latest project – three bionic robots inspired by a flic-flac spider, a flying fox, and a cuttlefish. The latter of these biomimetic robots, the BionicFinWave, is a partially 3D printed robotic fish that can autonomously maneuver its way through acrylic water-filled tubing. The project has applications in soft robotics, and could one day be developed for tasks like underwater data acquisition, inspection, and measurement.
The 15 oz robot propels itself forward and backward through the tubing using undulation forces from its longitudinal fins, while also communicating with and transmitting data to the outside world with a radio. The BionicFinWave’s lateral fins, molded from silicone, can move independently of each other and generate different wave patterns, and water-resistant pressure and ultrasound sensors help the robot register its depth and distance to the tube walls. Due to its ability to realize complex geometry, 3D printing was used to create the robot’s piston rod, joints, and crankshafts out of plastic, along with its other body elements.
Cintec Using 3D Printing on Restoration Work of the Red House
Cintec North America, a leader in the field of structural masonry retrofit strengthening, preservation, and repair, completes structural analysis and design services for projects all around the world, including the Egyptian Pyramids, Buckingham Palace, Canada’s Library of Parliament, and the White House. Now, the company is using 3D printing in its $1 million restoration project on the historic Red House, which is also known as the seat of Parliament for the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago and was built between 1844 and 1892.
After sustaining damage from a fire, the Red House, featuring signature red paint and Beaux-Arts style architecture, was refurbished in 1904. In 2007, Cintec North America was asked to advise on the required repairs to the Red House, and was given permission to install its Reinforcing Anchor System. This landmark restoration project – the first where Cintec used 3D printing for sacrificial parts – denotes an historic moment in structural engineering, because one of the reinforcement anchors inserted into the structure, measuring 120 ft, is thought to be the longest in the world.
GE Files Patent to Use Blockchains For 3D Printing Protection
According to a patent filing recently released by the US Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO), industry giant GE wants to use a blockchain to verify the 3D printed parts in its supply chain and protect itself from fakes. If a replacement part for an industrial asset is 3D printed, anyone can reproduce it, so end users can’t verify its authenticity, and if it was made with the right manufacturing media, device, and build file. In its filing, GE, which joined the Blockchain in Transport Alliance (BiTA) consortium in March, outlined a method for setting up a database that can validate, verify, and track the manufacturing process, by integrating blockchains into 3D printing.
“It would therefore be desirable to provide systems and methods for implementing a historical data record of an additive manufacturing process with verification and validation capabilities that may be integrated into additive manufacturing devices,” GE stated in the patent filing.
ExOne to Undergo Global Cost Realignment
3D printer and printed products provider ExOne has announced a global cost realignment program, in order to achieve positive earnings and cash flow in 2019. In addition to maximizing efficiency through aligning its capital resources, ExOne’s new program will be immediately reducing the company’s consulting projects and headcount – any initial employee reductions will take place principally in consulting and select personnel. The program, which has already begun, will focus first on global operations, with an emphasis on working capital initiatives, production overhead, and general and administrative spending. This program will continue over the next several quarters.
“With the essential goal of significantly improving our cash flows in 2019, we have conducted a review of our cost structure and working capital practices. We are evaluating each position and expense within our organization, with the desire to improve productivity. As a result, we made the difficult decision to eliminate certain positions within ExOne, reduce our spending on outside consultants and further rely on some of our recently instituted and more efficient processes,” explained S. Kent Rockwell, ExOne’s Chairman and CEO. “Additional cost analyses and changes to business practices to improve working capital utilization will be ongoing over the next several quarters and are expected to result in additional cost reductions and improved cash positions. All the while, we remain focused on our research and development goals and long-term revenue growth goals, which will not be impacted by these changes, as we continue to lead the market adoption of our binder jetting technology.”
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America Makes and ANSI Publish Latest Version of Standardization Roadmap for Additive Manufacturing
America Makes, the national accelerator for additive manufacturing and 3D printing based in Youngstown, Ohio, began working with the American National Standards Institute (ANSI), a private non-profit organization, back in early 2016 to develop standards and specifications for the rapidly evolving 3D printing industry. Together, they formed a regulatory institution for the industry, called the America Makes and ANSI Additive Manufacturing Standardization Collaborative (AMSC), and in an effort to facilitate industry growth, immediately got to work developing a roadmap that could be used to identify necessary additive manufacturing standards.
The AMSC was specifically chartered to coordinate and speed up the development of industry-wide additive manufacturing standards that are consistent with stakeholders’ needs, along with setting up a possible approach to the future development process. Four working groups in the areas of design, maintenance, process and materials, and qualification and certification began working, and in December of that same year, the AMSC released the preliminary final draft of its Standardization Roadmap for Additive Manufacturing (Version 1.0) to the public for review and comment.
The completed roadmap was published last February, naming 89 ‘gaps’ – 19 of which were labeled high priority – where no standard or specification had been previously published for a specific industry need. Phase 2 of the project began not long after, and just a few months ago, the AMSC released its preliminary final draft of the Standardization Roadmap for Additive Manufacturing (Version 2.0).
The AMSC released the 260-page draft in order to receive public review and comments, and planned for its final publication this June. About 320 individuals, from 175 different public and private sector organizations, supported the development of this second document version.
This week, the group, which receives major funding from the US Department of Defense (DoD), has announced the publication of its completed Standardization Roadmap for Additive Manufacturing (Version 2.0), which is available for download here.
Jim Williams, the President of All Points Additive and Chair of the AMSC, said, “It’s been a privilege to be involved with the committed group of professionals who make up the AMSC and I want to thank all of them who contributed to this undertaking.”
This latest version of the AMSC roadmap offers a description of the existing additive manufacturing standardization landscape, and also lists progress updates on the gaps identified in the first version, many of which have been, as America Makes puts it, “substantially revised.” A total of five gaps have been withdrawn.
Rob Gorham, Executive Director of America Makes, which is driven by the National Center for Defense Manufacturing and Machining (NCDMM), said, “We are extraordinarily pleased at the AMSC’s continued progress to define a coherent set of additive manufacturing standards and specifications that will benefit the industry.”
V2 of the roadmap has identified 93 gaps, of which 18 are listed as high priority, where no specifications or standards have been published to address an industry need. These new gaps include a lot about polymers, including topics such as laser-based additive repair, the use of recycled polymer precursor materials, NDE of polymers and other non-metallic materials, and heat treatment polymers. In a total of 65 of these gaps, the document lists additional pre-standardization R&D needs.
Joe Bhatia, President and CEO of ANSI, said, “Coordination of standards development activity in emerging technology areas is something that ANSI excels at, and we have been very pleased to partner with America Makes to define the standards needed to help grow the additive manufacturing industry.”
The Standardization Roadmap for Additive Manufacturing (Version 2.0) considers the entire life cycle of a 3D printed part in its standards, all the way from the design and selection of the materials and process through production, post-processing, finished material properties, testing, qualification, and even maintenance post-print.
The document reads, “As with the earlier version of this document, the hope is that the roadmap will be broadly adopted by the standards community and that it will facilitate a more coherent and coordinated approach to the future development of standards and specifications for additive manufacturing.
“To that end, it is envisioned that the roadmap will continue to be promoted in the coming year. The roadmap may be updated in the future to assess progress on its implementation and to identify emerging issues that require further discussion.”
This latest roadmap version is supplemented by a listing of standards, titled the AMSC Standards Landscape, which are either peripherally or directly related to the issues laid out in the document. Both this document, Version 2.0 of the roadmap, and additional information are available on the AMSC website.
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3D Printing 5G Telecommunication Technology
The telecommunications industry is currently front page news including the AT&T/Timewarner acquisitions, the pending Fox acquisition by Comcast or Disney and a new CEO at Verizon who is a technologist with a focus on 5G. Once the current merger activity further settles, we anticipate a new, focused, and competitive telecomm industry. The use of additive manufacturing in the telecommunications sector has introduced new solutions for advancements in current technology. Telecommunication components are expensive to prototype, manufacture and install while spare parts are also significant costs to many new projects and existing ones. Using additive manufacturing, parts such as electrical components that have arbitrary and geometrically intricate shapes/sizes can be easily prototyped and integrated onto printable circuits. Antennas, sensors and power stations for IT departments, telecommunication companies, cable operators, and related companies are now being deployed with 3D printed parts as the technology becomes more widely accepted in the sector. 3D printing components for telecommunication purposes is eligible for Research and Development tax credits.
The Research & Development Tax Credit
Enacted in 1981, the now permanent Federal Research and Development (R&D) Tax Credit allows a credit that typically ranges from 4%-7% of eligible spending for new and improved products and processes. Qualified research must meet the following four criteria:
- Must be technological in nature
- Must be a component of the taxpayer’s business
- Must represent R&D in the experimental sense and generally includes all such costs related to the development or improvement of a product or process
- Must eliminate uncertainty through a process of experimentation that considers one or more alternatives
Eligible costs include US employee wages, cost of supplies consumed in the R&D process, cost of pre-production testing, US contract research expenses, and certain costs associated with developing a patent.
On December 18, 2015, President Obama signed the PATH Act, making the R&D Tax Credit permanent. Beginning in 2016, the R&D credit can be used to offset Alternative Minimum Tax, for companies with revenue below $50MM and for the first time, pre-profitable and pre-revenue startup businesses can obtain up to $250,000 per year in payroll taxes and cash rebates.
3D Printing Uses in Telecommunications
MIMO
MIMO antennas (multiple input, multiple output) are antenna technology for wireless communications in which communication circuits are combined to minimize errors and optimize data speed. Recently, communications manufacturers have been experimenting with 3D printing the powerful antennas. Utilizing a high-resolution stereolithography 3D printer, the printing process is entirely precise as it is capable of printing 27.2 x 27.2 x 17 mm antennas that can be completed within half an hour. The printed antenna is made of a photosensitive resin, ensuring all its surfaces are metalized and conductive, further enhancing frequency characteristics.
Orange
Orange is one of the world’s leading telecommunications operators; headquartered in France, they provide to 200 million mobile customers and 18 million fixed broadband customers. Orange is working to provide clean renewable energy to millions of on-the-grid users as well as expanding to those off the grid through the use of 3D printed components optimizing many power sources such as wind turbines. Small wind turbines are being used to improve efficiency and optimize mobile connection performance but can be expensive to build in mass production. Orange adopted 3D printing to utilize for the wind turbines as they are printing blades that are significantly reducing the cost of the units, as well as improving performance to provide impacts to the lives of those living in energy poverty along with those currently already using energy solutions.
Optomec
Optomec is a 3D manufacturing company based in Albuquerque, New Mexico that specializes in printing solar cells, flexible electronics, organic electronics, and touchscreen components, among many other parts, and are now experimenting with 3D printing functional parts for a phone such as the antenna. 3D printing a phone antenna now provides phone companies flexibility in the design and allows for a reconfiguration of the whole production line. With the ability to mass produce small phone components such as an antenna with 3D printing, no longer will harmful solvents and materials be needed for such parts and it will even provide a less expensive solution for phone companies whose profit margins are already razor thin.
Voxel8 Inc.
Voxel8 is a 3D manufacturing company that is adept at printing electronic components especially for telecommunications. The company from Somerville, Massachusetts has developed a 3D printer capable of printing one-piece, functioning electronic devices such as a smart phone. The printer creates digital manufacturing systems that can print numerous types of components such as antennas, electromagnetic coils or stacked integrated circuits, among many more. Though capable of printing whole pieces, some assembly is still required for installing batteries, sensors and resistors for which Voxel8 is working to develop new inks to print these parts. The company hopes to revolutionize the telecommunication industry and eventually eliminate the need for the painstaking task of thousands of human workers having to assemble the complex handheld devices we use every day.
Airbus Defence and Space
Airbus, the large aerospace company headquartered in Toulouse, France, is experimenting with metal 3D printing to develop critical parts for satellites used in telecommunications. Airbus is 3D printing metal waveguides used on telecom satellites which are crucial pieces that filter out unwanted radio frequencies and allow others to pass through. The additive manufactured parts provide improved performance while lowering production costs and excess waste and eliminating design constraints seen with traditional manufacturing techniques. The less bulky 3D printed waveguides are allowing for more waveguide components to be integrated onto satellites, greatly increasing the degree of functionality while delivering more capable telecom satellites that will soon change the landscape of how satellites are designed and developed.
Conclusion
Telecommunications is one of the most important aspects of everyday life; without it, data, information, messages, etc. would not be exchanged in a timely manner, if at all. Recent developments in 3D printing for the field have eliminated many of the limiting barriers that have prevented much of the technology from being utilized to full potential due to factors such as cost or feasibility to implement such methods. 3D printing is being used more than ever and telecom specializing companies are digging in to significantly improve upon 3D printing methods to continually provide solutions that will change much of daily life for the better.
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Charles Goulding and Ryan Donley of R&D Tax Savers discuss 3D printed telecommunications devices.
FIT additive manufacturing launches Japanese subsidiary
FIT AG, a German additive manufacturing group, has recently announced the founding of its newest subsidiary, FIT Japan KK which aims to expand FIT AG’s operations and customer base within Asia’s developing additive manufacturing market. Carl Fruth, CEO of FIT AG, comments, “We want to expand these business relationships as a technology leader for Japan […]
Roboze and FIT AG Announce 3D Printing Expansions to New Countries
As 3D printing continues to grow, the technology’s footprint is broadening on a global scale. More and more companies are seeing their 3D printing systems spread around the world with new installations, expansions, and partnerships. Recent news out of Dubai (via Italy) and Japan (via Germany) showcases two more 3D printing entities expanding their reach.
3D printer manufacturer Roboze, headquartered in Bari, Italy, has long had expansion on the mind. In the last two years, the company announced expansions into the US, the Balkan Peninsula, Asia and India, the Benelux region, Poland, the EMEA region, and the UK and Ireland. Now Roboze can add a new location to this long list – the United Arab Emirates, or more specifically, Dubai, which knows a little something about 3D printing.
In 2016, Dubai implemented its famous 3D Printing Strategy, which includes a multi-tiered plan focusing on construction, consumer products, and medical products. The plan, set up to ensure that Dubai and the UAE become world leaders in 3D printing, has an ambitious goal – to have 25% of the city-state’s buildings 3D printed by 2030. As the technology continues to evolve, and the market is forecast to reach $300 billion by 2025, this seems manageable. The project is set to start in 2019, beginning at 2% with a gradual increase toward the final goal.
The Dubai Health Authority (DHA) is regulating standards for 3D printing use in the health sector, and is already exploring 3D printed prosthetic limbs and other medical devices. In addition, Dubai is increasing its focus on 3D printed consumer products, and has set a goal of reaching €6 billion on the market by 2025 for producing items like fast food products, household items, jewelry, optics, and children’s games.
Expansion-minded Roboze has now responded to the UAE market, and will use its high-precision, industrial 3D printers to provide cost and time-effective solutions. This week, the company’s founder and CEO Alessio Lorusso is in Dubai to introduce the company’s 3D printing solutions, including the ARGO 500, to the UAE in a series of meetings.
Roboze’s patented Beltless System is part of what makes its offerings so appealing. The system gets rid of the traditional rubber straps, replacing them with a unique movement of the X and Y axes, complete with directly connected helical rack and pinion. This makes the company’s 3D printers some of the most accurate in the whole world.
The company also counts metal replacement, especially in the aerospace and automotive fields, and its versatile materials among its strengths. Its desktop 3D printers can print using high-performance, industrial-strength materials, like PEEK and PEI, which help Roboze, in its own words, “pave the way in the creation of new divisions aimed at leading the medical technology sector.”
By exporting its extrusion-based technology to Dubai, which is rapidly developing its use of 3D printing in multiple sectors, Roboze is seizing an opportunity that just can’t be missed, as the UAE’s growing market is quickly becoming a stepping stone to a brighter future.
Another well-known company that’s focused on expansion is 3D printing specialist FIT AG, which is headquartered in Germany and has subsidiaries in Romania and the US, and began a joint venture in Russia in the fall.
This week, the company announced that it’s entered the 3D printing market in Japan by setting up a new fully owned subsidiary, called FIT Japan K.K. The company completed an analysis of the Japanese 3D printing and service market to confirm that a shift in the country’s business needs and manufacturing strategies was occurring, which meant that more substitution of prototypes with final tools and parts was needed.
Japan boasts many opportunities in the 3D printing industry. This growth comes from growing demand from multiple end-use applications, like the architecture, automotive, and healthcare industries. So the strategic decision for FIT AG to reach out to the Japanese market makes sense.
[Image: FIT AG]
“Step by step, we will evolve from a foreign contract manufacturer to an insider in the Japanese innovation system,” said Carl Fruth, CEO at FIT Additive Manufacturing Group. “To this goal, we have established a Japanese subsidiary to serve as a direct interface for our ADM services to the market and to introduce us to important Japanese customers. Starting from a position as a global technology leader, we intend to open up the Japanese as well as the Asian markets and to consolidate business in the long run.”
FIT AG specializes in volume manufacturing of 3D printed parts, and developed an approach called ADM, Additive Design and Manufacturing. The company offers a comprehensive service, which includes both additive design and engineering in the pre-production project phase, multiple technologies for production, and post-processing and quality assurance.
Yasushi Murata
“When learning about FIT AG and its ADM concept for the first time, I was immediately intrigued by its potential. I’m overjoyed to empower Japanese companies with FIT’s expertise,” said Yasushi Murata, FIT AG’s assigned leader in Japan. “I’m not exaggerating… I’m convinced that FIT AG can act as a game-changer for the Japanese productive industry of today.”
One advantage of FIT AG’s move to Japan is that, while the name FIT Japan K.K. may be new to the market, the company is not unknown in the country, as it already counts several Japanese companies as customers.
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