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3D Printing News Briefs, August 5, 2020: Titan Robotics & Braskem, 3DPRINTUK

Today’s 3D Printing News Briefs is about materials and a 3D printed version of a real building. Titan Robotics and Braskem are partnering up to offer new solutions in 3D printed polypropylene, while 3DPRINTUK is expanding its materials and post-processing capabilities. Finally, the Coit Tower House in San Francisco now has a 3D printed miniature replica.

Titan Robotics & Braskem Announce Partnership

Braskem Polypropylene pellets for 3D printing

Production AM solutions provider Titan Robotics and petrochemical company Braskem have announced their strategic partnership, which has resulted in the launch of a new polypropylene (PP) resin that’s been optimized for 3D printing large-format production parts. The two companies spent over a year researching and developing the new material, which is the first commercially available grade of unfilled PP engineered specifically for 3D printing on Titan’s industrial Atlas 3D printers with pellet extrusion. The features of PP include chemical resistance, dimensional stability, impact strength, low density, recyclability, and thanks to this new partnership, Titan and Braskem will be able to offer improved industrial AM solutions.

“3D printing large parts using polypropylene resin has been a challenge for many years,” stated Rahul Kasat, Titan Robotics’ Chief Commercial Officer. “In collaboration with Braskem, a global leader in the polypropylene market, we have now solved that challenge. Our industrial customers will be able to print functional parts with this first of its kind polypropylene grade. We are also excited to continue to develop new polypropylene based solutions for our customers in collaboration with Braskem.”

Titan is also an authorized distributor of Braskem’s 3D printing pellet products.

3DPRINTUK Expanding Materials & Post-Processing

PEBA Dyed Close Up

SLS low volume production specialist 3DPRINTUK is branching out with its introduction of the flexible PrimePart 2301, a polyether block amide (PEBA) material with good chemical and water resistance, rubber-like characteristics not dissimilar to TPU, excellent detail resolution, and a higher melting point than most other resin-based elastomers. The material would be a good fit for batch production runs and rugged end-use applications, including handles, sports equipment, air ducts, and gaskets. Additionally, the company has invested in DyeMansion’s PowerShot S system, which uses a proprietary PolyShot Surfacing (PSS) process that allows 3DPRINTUK to offer a shot peening post-processing service that can improve the surface finish of 3D printed parts.

“At 3DPRINT UK we have honed and optimized the SLS 3D printing process over many years to achieve the best possible results off our machines for a wide range of relevant applications, that continue to grow in scope. However, the post processing of parts — from cleaning through to further optimised surface finishes — has always been a necessity for many of our clients. Expanding our post processing capabilities is a vital part of the business, and the DyeMansion PowerShot S system is an important next step in our expansion, enabling us to offer our many and varied clients the benefits of shot peened 3D printed parts from a single source,” said Nick Allen, the CEO and Founder of 3DPRINTUK.

3D Printed Coit Tower House

The 210′ tall Coit Tower was built in the early 1930s in San Francisco’s Telegraph Hill neighborhood as a way to beautify the city. The art deco tower, a recognizable sight on the city’s skyline, was added to the National Register of Historic Places in early 2008, and 12 years later, Yuriy Sklyar, the founder, CEO, and head of design & marketing at design studio Threefifty, has 3D printed a replica tower that stands over 7′ tall…a 1/20 scale. Utilizing a Creality CR10S5, a Replicator 2, and a MakerBot system, Sklyar, who has been utilizing 3D printing since 2013, called this unique project a “great opportunity to leave a lasting mark on the best city in the world – and its art community.” It took a month to create the base of the tower, as he had to redo a lot of it, eventually installing a heated silicone bed and heat enclosure to reduce the amount of warping. The next month was spent printing “the 4 giant sections of the fluted tower design.”

“Each one of these four sections, just like the real tower, consists of 4 sub-sections – I wanted to be very accurate with such details. At first these were limited in height by the 3rd party 3D printer, so only 2 sub-sections were supposed to be printed at a time, and then joined together with metal plates and nuts/bolts, but since I was now working on my own terms, I decided to reduce the amount of work for myself, and at the same time reduce the number of bolts/nuts/plates to just 4 sets, instead of 8,” Sklyar wrote.

“Each one of these sections takes about 3.5-4 days to print using a single 1.1mm shell @ 10% infill, which created for a surprisingly strong structure, since I instructed the infil to have a 45% overlap with inner and outer walls.”

You can check out his post for the very specific details of the project, but I’ll leave you with just a few – including all of the hardware used, the 3D printed Coit Tower weighs a total of 24 kg, and took over 7.5 km of ColorFabb’s nGen filament, SUNLU PETG and Gizmo Dorks PETG filament to print. Sklyar designed the whole thing from scratch, and the columns are joined by steel plates secured by bolts and in-printed nuts.

The post 3D Printing News Briefs, August 5, 2020: Titan Robotics & Braskem, 3DPRINTUK appeared first on 3DPrint.com | The Voice of 3D Printing / Additive Manufacturing.

3D Printing News Sliced: Makerbot, 3D Systems, GE Additive, EOS, ColorFabb, TU Delft, SUTD, AMT

This edition of the 3D Printing Industry’s news digest, Sliced, sees a variety of hardware and material releases from Dyze Design, 3D Systems, colorFabb, and EOS, as well as new 3D printing applications in brewing and underwater drones. All this and more from GE Additive, The Toro Company, Delft University of Technology, Jaguar Land Rover, Additive Manufacturing Technologies, and Singapore University […]

3D Printing Industry News Sliced: Farsoon, WASP, BIOLIFE4D, Siemens, Weerg, GEFERTEC

In this latest edition of the 3D Printing Industry news digest Sliced, 3D printing is providing care to the afflicted in Syria; the latest iteration of a premier motorsport racing car is realized with additive manufacturing; and further strides are made towards developing standards in the aerospace industry. Read on for updates from the likes […]

Interview with Ralph van der Borst of colorFabb

A long long time ago Ralph and I were part of the super fun super crazy, hard-working rollercoaster that was Philips spinout Shapeways. Ralph was great to work with, a no-nonsense guy who got stuff done. He was supposed to do some IT stuff then did supply chain stuff and then web stuff and then was managing customer service and later on became the HR manager of the startup. It was hectic but Ralph was a rock during all of the crazy storms and constant scaling. I was happy to learn that after leaving 3D Printing for a while Ralph was back in the industry, working in business development for colorFabb. Dutch filament maker colorFabb is a real innovator in making new kinds of filament such as their metal filled filaments and their color on-demand technology. I really wanted to find out what Ralph was up to so we interviewed him.

What do people find difficult about 3D printing?

3D printing in general. What you can do but most importantly what you can’t do. A lot of people are still not familiar with the technique and what it can do for them. Those who are aware, have challenges in designing for the specific materials. We are still at the forefront of this new industrial revolution. In order to achieve mass adoption, we need to wait for software tools to get easier or for our mobile phones to get 3D cameras which will allow us to take a picture and have it converted into a 3D print file on the spot.

What has changed in 3D printing since you’ve gotten involved?

A lot actually especially in the ease of use. Desktop 3D printers have evolved a lot over the past years. The same goes for industrial printers. Tray sizes have increased, printing time reduced. We have also witnessed the rise of new materials (Carbon fiber, 18 karat gold, Porcelain, conductive materials, stainless steel and aluminum). All of this wasn’t possible or- widely available when I started in 2008. Besides this we have seen an increase in general awareness of what 3D printing is.

I can’t be the only one to have closely studied colorFabb’s spooling equipment to find out who their supplier was.

What is holding 3D printing back?

Simplicity, general knowledge, costs, accessibility and the learning curve. An easy way for people to make a 3D print file who are not familiar with 3D printing would help a lot. Right now you need to have technical knowledge before you can start printing. Although we see a decrease in costs it is sometimes still cheaper to buy, let’s say an iPhone case, instead of 3D printing it.

What common errors do you see?

Wrong expectations about what 3D printing can and can’t achieve. Design flaws. Models having thin walls, non-manifold issues etc. You will need to design your model specifically for the material you would like to have it in. Not having the correct printer settings for desktop printers is also a common mistake.

What are you excited about in 3D printing?

The future of it. Mass adoption. Other specific things such as the 3D printing of DNA strings excite me as well. Low costs customized prosthetics is another area. This 4^th industrial revolution is going to be life-changing.

Why did you join colorFabb?

For several reasons actually. In the world of filaments colorFabb materials are considered to be the best ones when it comes to quality. colorFabb is in the forefront producing these new materials in house, which is awesome to be a part of. This in combination with the high energy environment, the awesome colleagues, the mission & vision of the company and the growth the company is going through, made it an easy decision.

What is colorFabb?

colorFabb was founded by Ruud Rouleaux, CEO of Helian Polymers in 2012. With extensive knowledge of the (bio)plastics industry, colorants and additives it was a logical next step for him to explore opportunities in the world of 3D printing. After rigorous testing and experimenting in the fall and winter of 2012 a new grade of PLA (PLA/PHA) was developed and it became commercially available in March 2013.

Later in 2013 the first special filament, woodFill, was launched. Half a year later a truly unique material was developed: bronzeFill, the first filament with actual bronze particles in it resulting in truly stunning prints when post-processed.

2014 also saw the expansion in production from one production line to four (currently 7), as well as the move to a new building. More important, colorFabb announced its joint development agreement with Eastman Chemical Company in September of that year, which has resulted so far in four grades of filaments, based on Eastman’s Amphora 3D Polymer range of materials.

Due to the rapid growth of the 3D printing market colorFabb has been expanding its production capacities, logistics department and team ever since the beginning. The colorFabb team consists of extrusion operators ensuring quality control, a logistics department that ships to over 100 countries worldwide every year, 3D print engineers who test all filaments and many more professionals. All of them dedicated to the quality and service the colorFabb brand is known for.

Why should I buy colorFabb filament?

colorFabb has established itself as a market leader through the release of innovative materials, high-quality production and strategic partnerships (Ninjatek, Stacker, Eastman, Covestro). We are often the first to bring new materials (Bronzefill and LW-PLA) and Color on Demand (RAL) where customers can purchase the RAL color they want and need in PLA as from one 750gram spool. colorFabb is unique in the world by offering this service.

What exciting new products are you offering?

Our latest release is called Light Weight -PLA. LW-PLA is the first filament of its kind using an active foaming technology to achieve lightweight, low-density PLA parts. At around 230C this material will start foaming, increasing its volume by nearly 3 times. Users can decrease material flow by 65% to achieve lightweight parts, or use the expanding properties to effectively reduce print time by using big layer heights or single extra thick perimeters.

Are you focusing more in the desktop or on the industrial market?

Both markets are not mutually exclusive. We see a wide adoption of FDM desktop printers in a lot of companies and industries looking for material solutions which colorFabb can offer.

Why did you move more into offering 3D printers also?

We feel that offering a complete package has added value. colorFabb as a company in focusing on these 3 pillars as their business model:
Materials (Filaments)
Hardware (3D printers)
Application center (Design/3D print services)

What is happening in the filament market?

More diversity and focus on functional filaments by an ever more demanding market.

Will PLA stay our most popular filament?

It is an easy to use filament that works on practically all printers. It will therefore remain the go-to filament for a lot of users. However, due to increasing demand for more functionality (which PLA lacks) there will be other contenders for the pro-users. It is hard to asses which material that will be. In general we are focusing on custom made filaments which can be used by our customers for all kind of purposes.

Will FDM switch to granulate?

Maybe for large scale models. For the desktop industry we don’t see the granulate replacing FDM because of the level of control needed over the flow of the material.

The post Interview with Ralph van der Borst of colorFabb appeared first on 3DPrint.com | The Voice of 3D Printing / Additive Manufacturing.

3D Printing Industry News Sliced: Stratasys, Markforged, XYZprinting and more

In this week’s edition of the 3D Printing Industry news digest Sliced, you can find the latest stories from an expanding filament to mobile phone security, 3D printed art pieces at Milano Design, and life-size comic book characters. We also cover the latest updates from the likes of Stratasys, Markforged, PyroGenesis and WASP. Read on for […]

3D Printing Industry Awards 2019 Materials Company of the Year Update

The best 3D printing materials of 2019? We asked our readers. Continuing with our nomination updates, we’re here to see who is currently in the running for the 2019 3D Printing Industry Awards Material Company of the Year. From polymer and metal powders, through to filament and resins for desktop 3D printers, this category includes a […]

Gantri Designers Continue Elevating Style with 3D Printed Lamps

While you may not think that a technology so often used by hobbyists to make small plastic toys could be responsible for the creation of elegant housewares, you would definitely be wrong. In 2017, London School of Economics graduate Ian Yang founded California-based housewares company Gantri, which is dedicated to selling beautiful 3D printed lamps made by designers from all around the world.

Yang told House Beautiful, “We believe that designs are more than objects—they represent the personal stories, inspirations and lives of the designer. We feature each designer because it provides context for how they arrived at their design and creates a human connection between the consumer and the designer—something that is sorely missing from the design world today.”

Konus

Each of the modern, stylish 3D printed lamps featured on Gantri are “a labor of love,” with their own unique backstories: the Lago lamp by Heitor Lobo Campos in Brazil was inspired by the texture of water, and the Konus lamp by Raphael Pangilinan was actually developed twenty years ago when the designer was a teenager in the Philippines.

“I didn’t have a lot of money, so I improvised using driftwood or pieces of metal. I first made Konus using bamboo, eventually moving on to hand-woven abacá fiber,” Pangilinan explained on the Gantri website. “I never manufactured it on a large scale because it would have taken forever.”

But thanks to Gantri’s 3D printing technology, the designer was able to take his modern lamp to the next level by producing it on a larger scale and selling it.

“I was especially fascinated by 3D printing, because even though it was mostly used by hobbyists at the time, I saw so much potential for it as a cost-effective, sustainable way to bring high-quality designs to life. So I started tinkering and researching for ways to make luxury 3D printed products, and that’s how the idea for Gantri was born,” Yang said.

The company’s technology is a little different than standard 3D printing. The company wanted a more efficient way to make better prints, so it got to work modifying existing 3D printing hardware to fit its needs.

Gantri also finishes its own lamps by hand-sanding each one, then protecting it from any potential scratches and UV damage by finishing it with a soft-touch matte paint, which is actually used most often on yachts; the matte also adds a little warmth to the lamp.

But neither of these two steps would be possible without the first – the company actually developed its own biodegradable 3D printing materials, which were designed specifically for use in its 3D printed lighting.

Yang said, “We worked with ColorFabb, a materials company in the Netherlands, to create two custom blends of corn-based PLA.

“We wanted to control the precise feel of our parts for our high-end customers. We’re comparing ourselves to traditional luxury goods after all!”

In addition, the company’s technology has managed to take the entire product development process and streamline it down from the typical 18-24 month timeline to just 14 weeks, which means that designers can bring their lamp designs to life and sell them much more quickly.

One of the coolest features Gantri offers is its new augmented reality view tool, which just launched in September and makes lamp shopping way easier.

“Visualize any of our lights in your space with augmented reality, right from your phone,” the Gantri website reads.

While browsing the Gantri website on Safari, any customer with an iPhone or iPad running iOS 12 can use the device’s camera to get a good visual of how a particular product would look in their home, without needing to download any additional apps.

Gantri is also planning on introducing some new lighting categories for its customers to browse, as well as unveiling an improved Create Hub, so more designers can make their lamps a reality this year.

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

3D Printing News Briefs: November 3, 2018

In this month’s first edition of 3D Printing News Briefs, we’re starting again with news about formnext, before moving on to other business news, a medical story, and a case study. Mimaki will be bringing over 10 million colors to formnext, and M. Holland has signed a distribution agreement with 3DXTECH. Some exciting medical news out of South Korea – the country’s first chest transplant using 3D printing has been successfully completed. Finally, LulzBot published a case study about its work to help produce a haunting stop-motion animation short film.

Mimaki Showcasing Over 10 Million Colors at formnext

At formnext in Frankfurt later this month, Mimaki will be bringing its advanced, full-color 3D printing technology, under the theme of ‘Shape the Future in Colour.’ Its 3DUJ-553 3D printer, which offers consistent results in over 10 million colors, will be running live during the event so visitors can see the super fine, photorealistic detail it offers. In addition, through a collaborative project with Materialise, Mimaki’s 3D printed models are currently available under the name Multicolor+ through i.materialise. These models, 3D printed in UV-cured photopolymer resins with inkjet printing heads, have a strength that’s higher than other color 3D printing technologies and can be handled directly off the 500 x 500 x 300 mm build plate of the 3DUJ-553.

“Materialise is currently trialling Mimaki’s full-colour 3D printing technology. The material, Multicolor+, allows us to create smooth surfaces with vibrant colours that enhance the value of a finished object. Multicolor+ offers more vivid and intense colours and enables stronger, sturdier materials with a minimum wall thickness of 1mm. It also allows for printing interlocking parts. As a result, Multicolor+ is ideal for printing decorative parts such as figurines, avatars and architectural models,” said Miranda Bastijns, Materialise Director Manufacturing Online.

Come see Mimaki’s full-color 3D printing capabilities for yourself at booth D26 in Hall 3.1 at formnext, November 13-16.

M. Holland Signs New Distribution Agreement

This spring, international thermoplastic resins distributor M. Holland signed its first 3D printing product distribution agreement with Owens Corning to sell the company’s XSTRAND product line. Now, the company has announced that it signed its second distribution agreement, this time with Michigan-based manufacturer and supplier of high-performance 3D printing materials and parts 3DXTECH. This agreement will provide M. Holland’s industrial manufacturing clients with access to a larger team of commercial and technical support resources, in addition to adding over 24 materials, like carbon fiber and fire-retardant materials, to the company’s current 3D printing product portfolio.

“At M. Holland, our mission is to give our industrial clients agnostic advice about how to integrate 3D printing into their operations to create value. The 3DXTECH product line gives us a full portfolio of high quality, engineering-grade materials, which we can marry with objective recommendations about methods and machinery to deliver the optimal solutions to our clients,” said Haleyanne Freedman, M. Holland’s global 3D printing and additive manufacturing engineering specialist.

South Korea Completes First Local Chest Transplant Using 3D Printing

3D printed sternum model

A 55-year-old man, who chooses to remain anonymous, has just received the first chest transplant using 3D printing in the country of South Korea. Following Spain, Italy, the US, Britain, and China, this makes it the sixth nation in the world to complete this amazing medical innovation. The patient had a malignant tumor in his thorax, and while he’d had four other surgeries and anti-cancer drugs in the past, these conventional methods did not ultimately work, and the cancer returned to his body.

“All of a sudden, the patient once again was feeling pain, and the lump on his chest became clearly visible. This meant the cancer had grown resistant,” explained Professor Park Byung-Joon with Chung-Ang University Hospital. ” We felt the new treatment was necessary and so we had to perform surgery urgently.”

He knew that 3D printing could help customize treatments for patients. Together with the rest of his team, Professor Park created a 3D printed breastbone for the patient that would have been nearly impossible to create with other methods of manufacturing. The hope is that this 3D printed chest transplant will help spur additional innovation in South Korea.

To learn more, watch the video below:

LulzBot Helps Produce Stop-Motion Animation

Dale Hayward and Sylvie Trouvé of Montreal-based See Creature Animation, together with the National Film Board of Canada, have been working together for the past three years to produce the short film Bone Mother, a stop-motion animation version of the Slavic folklore tale of the witch Baba Yaga. For the first time, See Creature decided to use 3D printing, and chose the LulzBot Mini as the affordable, reliable machine they needed to create nearly the entire film with 3D printing. Then, the team decided to add three more to the studio, due to how much 3D printing was required – over 1,500 unique faces were needed, and See Creature used woodfill PLA by colorFabb, with a light infill, to make them. Adjustments were also made to reduce print precision, as one character needed plenty of wrinkles.

“Our main character, Baba Yaga is an ancient witch and naturally she should have wrinkles. So instead of sculpting them into the computer model, we found that if we print the face lying down, the layers look like a topographical map and the print naturally accentuated the curves of her face, creating a lot of the wrinkles for us,” Hayward explained. “We loved the look and it fit her character so much that we actually lowered the resolution to get even more stepping.”

“Where technology has forced traditional hand-drawn animation to adapt or fade away, stop-motion has always ridden the tech wave, so much so that there has become a renaissance of stop-motion films over the last decade. This is attributed to technologies like 3D printing…. they have opened the doors to greater creative possibilities at a lower budget.”

Bone Mother, which clocks in at less than nine minutes, recently premiered in Toronto. See it for yourself below:

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

News Digest: Tridues, GoPrint3D, Admatec, Weerg, Xjet, FIT, Polygonica and more

This edition of our 3D printing news digest Sliced contains, UK distribution rights for 3D printers, expansion of FIT, a trade secrets war, Polygonica update, ANSYS VRXPERIENCE and full-color 3D printing services. Desktop Metal partners with Trideus for distribution Desktop Metal, a Boston based manufacturer of 3D printers, has partnered with Belgian AM solutions provider, […]