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3D Printing News Briefs, July 25, 2020: MakerBot, ANSYS, Sintavia, Nexa3D & Henkel

We’re all business in today’s 3D Printing News Briefs! MakerBot has a new distribution partner, and ANSYS is launching a new product. Sintavia has acquired an additional Arcam 3D printer from GE Additive. Finally, Nexa3D and Henkel are introducing a new material for 3D printing medical and athletic devices.

MakerBot Welcomes New Distribution Partner

MakerBot announced that it has expanded its distributor network by entering into an agreement with the Distrinova division of the Unitum Group, which will distribute the MakerBot METHOD 3D print platform throughout Belgium, the Netherlands, and Luxembourg. This partnership will increase the availability of the entire platform, which offers industrial capabilities and engineering-grade materials, to more customers in the Benelux region who need professional, powerful 3D printing solutions. The METHOD platform consists of the METHOD and METHOD X printers, various accessories like an experimental extruder, METHOD Carbon Fiber editions, and materials like Nylon Carbon Fiber, ABS, ASA, SR-30, and PC-ABS FR, and Distrinova’s network of channel partners will distribute all of them, in addition to MakerBot’s educational 3D printing solutions.

“We are very proud to introduce MakerBot and the METHOD technology into our product portfolio,” said Guy Van der Celen, CEO of Unitum Group BV. ” With the METHOD range we can provide our resellers network not only reliable, state-of-the-art 3D printers, but also the opportunity to offer their customers high value-added solutions for a broad range of new application areas. In addition, the introduction of MakerBot corresponds perfectly with Distrinovas’ strategy to develop strong partnerships with the leading innovative global manufacturers of 3D printers.”

ANSYS Event to Launch Discovery Product

Engineering simulation software company ANSYS released its Discovery Live tool for real-time 3D simulation back in 2017, and will soon be introducing a brand new ANSYS Discovery product, kicking things off with a virtual launch event on July 29th. The company states that the product can help companies improve their product design processes, increase ROI, and provide answers to important design questions earlier, without having to wait for the results of a simulation.

“This reimagining of the Discovery line of products aims to maximize ease of use, speed and accuracy across thermal, structural, fluids and multiphysics simulation all from within a single consistent user interface (UI),” Justin Hendrickson, Senior Director, Design Product Management, wrote in a blog post about the new ANSYS Discovery.

“Traditionally, simulation has been used during later stages of design when making corrections can be costly and time consuming. However, with the new Ansys Discovery, every engineer will be able to leverage simulation early during concept evaluation as well as during design refinement and optimization. This means that they will be able to optimize products and workflows faster and on a tighter budget.”

The launch event will feature a keynote address from Mark Hindsbo, Vice President and General Manager, Design Business Unit, a product demonstration by Hendrickson, two customer success stories, and several interactive breakout sessions, including one focusing on thermal simulation and another exploring the tool’s generative design capabilities. You can register for the event here.

Sintavia Acquires Second Arcam Q20+ 3D Printer

Tier One metal additive manufacturer Sintavia announced that it has acquired a second Arcam Q20+ 3D metal printer from GE Additive, bringing its total number of electron beam printing systems to three and its overall number of industrial metal 3D printers to nineteen. This additional Arcam Q20+ will be installed next month in Sintavia’s Hollywood, Florida production facility, where the other Q20+ is located with an Arcam A2X, a Concept Laser M2, three SLM 280 systems, a Trumpf TruPrint 3000, and nine EOS 3D printers – six M400s and five M290s.

“Over the past several years, we have worked to qualify the Q20+ for aerospace manufacturing and now have several aerostructure product lines that depend on this technology. Electron beam printing is an excellent option for complex titanium aerospace components, and this business line will continue to grow for us. Even in a difficult overall manufacturing environment, the demand we have seen for EB-built components is very encouraging,” stated Sintavia CEO Brian R. Neff.

Nexa3D and Henkel Commercializing New Material Together

Nasal swabs

Together, SLA production 3D printer manufacturer Nexa3D and functional additive materials supplier Henkel are commercializing the polypropylene-like xMED412, a durable, high-impact material that can be used to print biocompatible medical and wearable devices. Henkel is the one manufacturing the medical-grade material, which is based on its own Loctite MED412 and was designed to offer high functionality and consistent part performance—perfect for printing products like athletic and diving mouth gear, respirators, orthotic guides and braces, and personalized audio projects. The lightweight yet sturdy xMED412 material, which can withstand vibration, moisture, and impact, has been tested by Henkel Adhesive Technologies on the NXE400 3D printer, and is now also cleared to print nasal swabs.

“We are thrilled to bring this product to market in collaboration with Nexa3D. We developed and tested with Nexa3D’s NXE400 3D printer a multitude of approved workflows designed to unleash the full potential of xMED412’s outstanding physical properties and biocompatibility,” said Ken Kisner, Henkel’s Head of Innovation for 3D printing. “Nexa3D and Henkel have provided a digital manufacturing solution for a growing number of medical devices, athletic wearables and personalized audio products. Especially with regard to the current Covid-19 pandemic, we are pleased that nasopharyngeal swabs manufactured with xMED412 on the NXE400, in accordance with our published procedures, have already been cleared through clinical trials and are in compliance with ISO 10993 testing and FDA Class I Exempt classification.”

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CSIRO 3D Prints First Self-Expandable Stents from Shape-Memory Alloy Nitinol

Peripheral Arterial Disease (PAD) is a condition which sees fatty deposits collect and lower the blood flow in arteries outside of the heart, most commonly in the legs. Those suffering from PAD will often experience pain while walking, and could even develop gangrene if the case is serious enough. Over 10 percent of people in Australia are afflicted with this painful condition. To treat it, a stent can be temporarily inserted inside the blood vessel to keep it open.

We’ve seen 3D printing used to fabricate stents before, which can help improve sizing options and allow for patient-specific diameters and shapes. But ,until now, there hasn’t been a way to print a self-expandable stent made of shape-memory nickel and titanium alloy nitinol. The material is superelastic, and metallurgists have had a difficult time trying to figure out a way to 3D print a self-expandable nitinol stent without compromising the unique properties of the metal alloy.

But researchers from Australia’s national science agency, the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO), together with its Wollongong-based partner, the Medical Innovation Hub, have finally made it possible.

Vascular surgeon Dr. Arthur Stanton, the Chief Executive of Medical Innovation Hub, explained, “Currently, surgeons use off-the-shelf stents, and although they come in various shapes and sizes, overall there are limitations to the range of stents available. We believe our new 3D-printed self-expanding nitinol stents offer an improved patient experience through better fitting devices, better conformity to blood vessel and improved recovery times. There is also the opportunity for the technology to be used for mass production of stents, potentially at lower cost.”

Stent model

The first 3D-printed nitinol stent is a major medical breakthrough for PAD patients, as surgeons have had to use off-the-shelf, non-custom stents for these procedures in the past. But with 3D printing, individual nitinol stents can be made right at the hospital, with the surgeon there to offer instructions—saving time and money, and reducing inventory, as well.

According to Australia’s Minister for Industry, Science and Technology, Karen Andrews, 3D printing could mark a major paradigm shift in the $16 billion worldwide stent manufacturing industry:

“This is a great example of industry working with our researchers to develop an innovative product that addresses a global need and builds on our sovereign capability.”

The proof-of-concept stents offer the potential for customization to individual patient requirements, but are equally as suitable for mass production.

Back in 2015, CSIRO opened the Lab22 Innovation Center. The specialist researchers there are focused on creating value for Australia’s manufacturing industry by developing future developments in metal additive manufacturing. CSIRO’s Lab22 collaborates with industry partners, like the Medical Innovation Hub, to build important biomedical parts, like the first 3D-printed sternum and titanium heel, and now the first 3D-printed nitinol stent.

CSIRO Principal Research Scientist Dr Sri Lathabai said, “Nitinol is a shape-memory alloy with superelastic properties. It’s a tricky alloy to work with in 3D printing conditions, due to its sensitivity to stress and heat. We had to select the right 3D-printing parameters to get the ultra-fine mesh structure needed for an endovascular stent, as well as carefully manage heat treatments so the finished product can expand as needed, once inside the body.”

The team used selective laser melting (SLM) technology to successfully fabricate the complex mesh stent structures. Due to the level of geometric accuracy that 3D printing achieves, the stents can be made for specific patients, and nitinol allows them to expand once inside the body. CSIRO has established a new technology company, Flex Memory Ventures (FMV), to help commercialize the technology.

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Stratodyne: New Space Company Wants to 3D Print Stratospheric Satellites and CubeSats

With a growing directory of space companies gaining momentum, research and development in rocket science, aerospace engineering, and space travel are at an all-time high. After a continuous decrease in orbital launches since the early 1990s, companies began sending payloads into orbit in the mid-2000s, and whether successful or not (although usually successful), the sharp string of experimental technology for spacecraft, rockets, and space exploration vehicles has quickly revved up our faith in the space industry. Rocket launches have been streaming online more often than ever before and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) is leveling the playing field to allow for students and space researchers everywhere to sent forth their creations into orbit.

With over 100 startup space companies competing in the vast commercialization of space, many college students are beginning to see an opportunity in the field. Such is the case with Stratodyne, a startup working on applying additive manufacturing technology towards spaceflight and stratospheric science, which involves having balloon-borne stratospheric satellites at the edge of Earth’s atmosphere for mission lengths of days, weeks, and even months at a time.

Founded in January of this year by 20-year old Edward Ge, a finance major from the University of Missouri, along with a few of his High School and college friends, the startup company is focused around applying advances in 3D printing technology to lower costs for space and high altitude research.

The completed vehicle with the CubeSat frame that houses the payload (Image: Stratodyne)

3DPrint.com spoke to the young entrepreneur, who described his company as “originally envisioned as a manufacturer of CubeSat frames and a provider of testing services in near-space conditions due to the lack of affordable parts and services in the CubeSat industry.” However, along with fellow founders, he decided to pursue a multi-role route with their ideas, seeking to create a 3D printed modular and remotely controlled airship that could serve as a satellite, testbed, and even a launch platform for small rockets into space.

“As part of our development towards a 3D printed stratospheric satellite and 3D printing CubeSats, we recently launched a small prototype consisting of a CubeSat, a truss, and an engine frame with twin solar-powered drone motors to an altitude of 27 kilometers. All the components were 3D printed out of common thermoplastic polymers ABS and ASA, with the exception of the solar-powered motor and onboard electronics and parachute,” said Ge. “The flight lasted a total of six hours, with our experimental motor nearly doubling the flight time of the balloon. We intend to perform another launch in April using a prototype altitude control system with the aim of having the stratospheric satellite remain aloft for 24 hours straight.”

To deal with all their 3D printing needs, Ge and fellow founders currently have multiple machines at their disposal. The University of Missouri has loaned them a Stratasys FDM machine 400mc which uses polycarbonate to manufacture parts for sounding rockets and even satellites, multiple Prusa open-source 3D printers, and a custom-built CNC printer in the works.

Edward Ge next to one of the 3D printing machines, a Stratasys FDM, that Stratodyne is using to create their CubeSats (Image: Stratodyne)

Ge, who acts as both CFO and CEO of the company, indicated that “these machines give us a massive range of materials to work with but at the moment we primarily use parts made from Polycarbonate, thermoplastic polymers ABS (Acrylonitrile butadiene styrene) and ASA (Acrylonitrile butadiene styrene), and are even experimenting with Nylon powder and laser printing.”

In the early months of the company, they experimented with 3D printed rockets before deciding that it just wasn’t feasible to develop a true launch system with the resources and budget at hand. At the time, the plan was to crowdfund the development of a 3D printed sounding rocket comparable to the ones Black Brant used by NASA or rockets from Up Aerospace for an estimated program cost of $40,000. Ge does not exclude working with rockets in the future, he considers that there is still an experimental 3D printed composite rocket motor on the drawing board, but the majority of the work has pivoted towards stratospheric satellites since it will take a lower cost to commercialize.

“We plan on launching a crowdfunding campaign soon, once our weather balloon altitude control valve goes past the prototype stage which should be around April. During the summer months of June and July, the plan is to begin pitching to venture capital companies in the Midwest or go back to our plan of crowdfunding development with tangible prototypes and successful flights under our belt,” explained Ge. “However, we know that crowdfunding is fickle, and would only use it to generate a surplus for us to pursue stretch goals such as upscaling the stratospheric satellites or resuming development of a high altitude launch vehicle. On the technical side, our plan is to have regular flights every two to three weeks on weather balloons to flesh out the altitude control system and engine work.”

Stratodyne plans to go commercial by mid-2021, but for now, the majority of their planning is on an R&D phase. Ge expects that this may change depending on how fast their pace is and how much venture capital funding they get.

The completed vehicle during its ascent (Image: Stratodyne)

“The ultimate goal of Stratodyne is to make space something that is accessible to, not just big corporations or governments, but to your average High School student or the typical guy you’d find on the street. It might sound like a cliché – and it is since every startup says that – but it’s something that needs to happen if we are ever going to be a truly spacefaring species and that’s one goal we can all believe in,” concluded Ge.

Although they are still working on an official webpage, Stratodyne’s news can be found at their Instagram account: @stratodynecorp. The young business partners are proving that their generation is ready to take risks to create what they expect is an undeniable force on the horizon, in this case, the space horizon. Although it is a new company, born only two months ago, the team shows great determination and vision, and are moving very fast, in part thanks to 3D printing providing the necessary tools and autonomy to develop whatever they need, to make their dream a reality.

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BASF Commercializing Metal-Polymer 3D Printing Composite Material with iGo3D, MatterHackers, and Ultimaker

BASF 3D Printing Solutions, a subsidiary of German chemical company BASF that’s focused entirely on 3D printing, has been working to build up its materials inventory over the past two years. In 2017, BASF formed a partnership with Essentium for the purposes of developing more robust FFF 3D printing materials. A new partnership focuses on the industrial Ultrafuse filament family, which includes extra-strong Ultrafuse Z for the desktop. Now, it’s introducing a new Ultrafuse material: Ultrafuse 316L metal-polymer composite.

“Ultrafuse 316L can, under certain conditions, be processed on any conventional, open-material FFF printer. Our goal was to develop a high-quality metal filament that makes the additive manufacturing of metal parts considerably easier, cheaper, faster, and accessible to everyone,” explained François Minec, Managing Director, BASF 3D Printing Solutions.

In the past, FFF was limited to just using thermoplastics. But BASF Ultrafuse 316L is a metal filament with polymer content, the latter of which acts as a binder during the printing process. The main polymer content, or primary binder, from the ‘green’ part is removed through catalytic debinding, which then results in the brown part of pure metal particles and the residual (secondary) binder. Industry-standard debinding and sintering processes take this secondary binder out of the brown part, while the metal particles combine. Post-sintering is when the material achieves its final hardness and strength properties – 316L stainless steel.

Ultrafuse 316L was specifically designed for safe, cost-effective printing of fully stainless steel objects on open FFF 3D printers for metal tooling, prototypes, and functional parts. Now, BASF has begun to commercialize the material with a trio of companies – professional desktop 3D printing solutions provider iGo3D, 3D printing retailer MatterHackers, and desktop 3D printing leader Ultimaker.

“In comparison to Metal Injection Molding (MIM), the Ultrafuse 316L offers an office-friendly solution, which opens new production opportunities. To reach the full potential of the metal filament and to ensure a solid start, it is necessary to understand that Ultrafuse 316L is not a conventional filament. Our goal is it to provide full service packages and support from the first request up to the finalized and sintered part, to implement metal 3D printing as a natural component in your manufacturing process,” said Athanassios Kotrotsios, the Managing Director of iGo3D.

The risk of defects is lower, and the success rate higher, when using Ultrafuse 316L due to the metal content being in the high 90% range, and an even distribution of metal in the binder matrix. In addition, the possible occupational and safety hazards that come with handling fine powders are significantly decreased with this material, because the metal particles are immobilized in the binder matrix.

“Ultrafuse 316L from BASF enables engineers and designers to produce true, pure, industrial grade metal parts easily and affordably using desktop 3D printers. This material is a significant technological advancement and truly a shift in how we describe what is possible with desktop 3D printers,” said Dave Gaylord, Head of Products for MatterHackers.

BASF’s Ultrafuse 316L – Metal filament for 3D printing stainless steel parts

The new Ultrafuse 316L metal composite filament is strong and flexible enough to be guided through complex material transport systems, and works with both Bowden and direct drive extruder types.

Paul Heiden, Senior Vice President Product Management for Ultimaker, said, “The Ultimaker S5 raises the bar for professional 3D printing by offering a hassle free 3D printing experience with industrial-grade materials. We are proud to announce that print profiles for Ultrafuse 316L will be added to the Ultimaker Marketplace. 3D printing professionals worldwide can then use FFF technology to produce functional metal parts at significantly reduced time and costs compared to traditional methods.”

BASF will provide 3D printer processing guidelines and parameter sets for Ultrafuse 316L, in addition to on-site support and consultancy to make sure that the material is performing up to snuff on your choice of FFF 3D printer. But if you’re interested in learning more about how to use the material now, you can check out this tutorial from MatterHackers about BASF’s new Ultrafuse 316L:

Metal polymer materials will let a lot more people 3D printing stronger materials. However, it has to be noted that a completely new geometry will most probably not work the first time with this process. Shrinkage rates in parts vary across wall thicknesses, part sizes and even geometries. During the sintering, process parts will tend to not shrink uniformly. The currentl limitation with Ultrafuse is therefore the same one that affects binder jetting with metals. For series of the same parts this is very interesting currently and it should be a solvable challenge to make shrinkage more predictable. But, the sheer data involved to predictably predict part outcomes at many geometries and do then in software predictively deform parts would be vast. So solvable, but still a difficult challenge to undertake for these partners and the industry as a whole.

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[Images: BASF]

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Bralco and GE Additive Sign MoU for Increased Development of 3D Printed Magnetic Components in APAC Region

Singapore-based metal Bralco Advanced Materials, a research, product development, and commercialization company specializing in metal 3D printing, just announced that it has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with GE Additive in order to speed up the development and manufacturing processes for 3D printed magnets and electromagnetic components in the Asia Pacific (APAC) region.

Bralco often collaborates with academic research institution Nanyang Technological University of Singapore (NTU). The company works to leverage the power of 3D printing to provide quicker, less expensive solutions for developing, prototyping, and customized mass manufacturing complex electromagnetic components for customers in the aerospace, energy, e-mobility, industrial automation/rotating devices, and robotics fields.

“Bralco is honored to be working with GE Additive in this very exciting space of digital industry 4.0. This collaboration is a major milestone for us, coming at a time when the demand for soft and hard magnets is growing rapidly due to their use in every aspect of modern life be it health care, mobility, personal communication devices, renewable energy or robotics,” said Amit Nanavati, the founder and CEO of Bralco Advanced Materials.

“Moreover, the adoption of additive manufacturing technology will save millions of dollars in material cost due to the additive nature of this technology compared to the traditional manufacturing processes.”

L-R: Dr. Ho Chaw Sing, Managing Director, National Additive Manufacturing Innovation Cluster, H.E.; Mr. Javed Ashraf, High Commissioner of India; Mr. Amit Nanavati, Founder & CEO of Bralco Advanced Materials Pte. Ltd.; Mr. Tan Czek Haan, General Manager, GE Additive; Mr. Wouter Van Wersch, President & CEO, GE ASEAN & NZ; Mr. Francis Chan, Trade Commissioner of Canada [Image: Bralco]

We often see 3D printed magnetic components used for applications in the aerospace, automotive, energy industrial automation, medical, and robotics fields.

Combining its own expertise in magnetic materials with GE Additive’s 3D printing and powder manufacturing technology know-how, Bralco will be able to increase the speed of development for both hard and soft magnets and components with complex shapes, high mechanical strength, differentiated magnetic fields, high frequencies and torque conditions, and able to operate at elevated temperatures. These kinds of magnetic components for perfect for demanding applications, like electric vehicles’ traction motors.

“We are very excited to set up our first R&D Lab and Product Innovation Centre in Singapore, fully equipped with GE Additive machine and a state-of-the-art powder and built parts testing and characterisation lab,” Nanavati continued.

“We hope these steps will add to the growing importance of Singapore as a global center for the additive manufacturing industry and as one of the most attractive locations to set up a high tech R&D facility – an achievement largely due to the vision of the Singapore government in early adoption of Industry 4.0 and Additive Manufacturing and the untiring efforts of its nodal agencies National Additive Manufacturing Innovation Cluster (NAMIC), Enterprise Singapore (ESG) and Enterprise Development Board (EDB).

The signed MoU will give Bralco access to GE Additive’s AP&C (Advanced Powders & Coatings) materials division, as well as its engineering consultancy team Addworks – enabling the company to decrease both the product development and commercialization cycles. Additionally, the MoU looks at the future potential of appointing Bralco an APAC service provider for 3D printing parts and components, based on its own magnetic material compositions, with GE Additive machines and powder materials.

“We, at Bralco, are very excited to be right at the front of this leap into the digital future,” Nanavati concluded. “We look forward to exploring ground breaking discoveries through our work with GE Additive in this next chapter of our journey.”

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Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Machine Tool Company Commercializes New Metal 3D Printer

[Image: TRAFAM]

A new metal 3D printer developed by Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Machine Tool Co., Ltd. – a group company of the Japanese industrial firm Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd. (MHI) – has just been commercialized. Recently, the first commercial unit of the LAMDA 200 system, developed through a research project between the New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization (NEDO) and the Technology Research Association for Future Additive Manufacturing (TRAFAM), was delivered to the Industrial Research Center of Shiga Prefecture in Ritto.

The commercial metal system uses a proprietary Directed Energy Deposition (DED) method – metal powder is fed continuously by nozzles to the laser fusing point. By altering the composition of the materials, the LAMDA 200 is able to laminate metals with precision and at high speeds.

A few years ago, TRAFAM began utilizing MHI Machine Tool’s accumulated laser and positioning control technologies in order to develop a next-generation prototype metal DED 3D printer. This unit was finished in the fall of 2017, at which point the organization began an advertising campaign that targeted full-scale marketing. Now, the commercial entry model of this metal DED 3D printer has been officially launched.

The commercial LAMDA 200 3D printer is dedicated to fabricating small part prototypes. The system uses laser beams, which are emitted through dual nozzles, to pass through metal powder and cause fusion at the focal point. The movement of the two nozzles causes the printer’s progressive additive manufacturing. According to MHI, the 3D printer’s molding speed is over ten times faster when extracting a formed object than powder bed fusion printing is, which helps suppress metal powder waste.

MHI Machine Tool and the Industrial Research Center of Shiga Prefecture will work together to create metal additive manufacturing innovations. Just this month, the Centre established on its grounds an Advanced Monozukuri Prototype Development Center, which is where the new LAMDA 200 metal DED 3D printer will be installed. Here, it will be used to support new product and technology development of companies working in the traditional Japanese concept of craftsmanship known as monozukuri. Together, the Centre and MHI Machine Tool will work to increase proposal-based sales routes, as well as gain further recognition of the commercial LAMDA 200 in the manufacturing industry and develop new user applications.

According to an MHI press release, “Because it is possible to perform additive manufacturing to a part’s surface by way of repair, to double-laminate different metal powders, and to manufacture large parts, significant expansion of applications is anticipated through innovations during the processing phase and combined use with other machine tools.”

Inevitably, maintenance issues and complaints about quality management of metal materials regarding the new DED metal 3D printing system will come up as the LAMDA 200 is increasingly adopted. That’s why MHI Machine Tool is also working to create feedback monitoring capability that will monitor and stabilize the system’s status automatically, in addition to a shielding function that will be needed when manufacturing titanium alloys and other metals that will be used in aviation applications.

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Nexa3D’s Ultra-Fast NXE400 3D Printing System Making North American Debut at CES 2019

This week at CES 2019 in Las Vegas, production-grade stereolithography 3D printer manufacturer Nexa3D will be displaying its new NXE400 3D printer for the first time in North America. The NXE400 is impressive indeed, with reported print speeds of up to six times faster and 2.5 times the build volume of comparable hardware, making it the fastest large-format 3D printer in the industry.

Water pump housing

Like the other 3D printers in the company’s newest line, the NXE400 leverages Nexa3D’s proprietary Lubricant Sublayer Photo-curing (LSPc) technology and patented structured light matrix, and can continuously print up to 16 liters of parts at high speeds of up to 1Z centimeter a minute. This lowers the production time for prototypes and other functional parts from hours to just minutes, at injection molding levels of tolerance, repeatability, and quality, which also saves on money.

The new, highly accurate NXE400 comes with integrated sensors and cognitive software, which combine to offer continuous print monitoring, optimize part performance, and give detailed diagnostics. In addition, it also comes equipped with tough materials in order to enable ultra-fast 3D printing of production tooling, casting patterns, functional prototyping and end-use parts, and dental restoration.

Speaking of the dental industry, Nexa3D is planning on commercializing its new NXE 3D printer series this year through a multi-channel arrangement with its current partners: 3D printer manufacturer XYZprinting and digital and traditional dental materials provider BEGO. The three-way collaboration will go a long way in transforming the world of digital dentistry, as it will access the demand for expensive digital dentistry printers and industrial production, and the partnership could also end up being a major dental competitor to both EnvisionTEC and 3D Systems.

Various parts and assemblies 3D printed by the NXE400. Electrical assembly, pull handle, GoPro mount, bracket assembly, topology optimized brackets designed by ParaMatters

But the dental industry isn’t the only one that Nexa3D is interested in – the company is also collaborating with Techniplas, a global design and automotive manufacturing provider. Nexa3D joined its open innovation program as a partner a year ago in an effort to expand its presence in the automotive industry, and at this week’s CES show, Techniplas will be showcasing a concept vehicle that features 3D printed parts produced by Nexa3D, along with its growing generative design capabilities.

At CES 2019, Nexa3D will be exhibiting a range of its 3D printers, including the new NXE400, at the Techniplas booth #9320 in the North Hall’s Vehicle Technology zone in the Las Vegas Convention Center (LVCC), and also at the Dynamism booth #32020 in the 3D Printing Marketplace in the LVCC’s South Hall.

Izhar Medalsy, the Chief Product Officer for Nexa3D, said “After more than two years of intensive research and development, our team is proud to exhibit the results of our painstaking work at CES 2019 with our significant partners Techniplas and Dynamism, two go-to-market collaborators that are helping us validate the marketplace impact and build access to new products.”

Nexa3D wants to invite all qualified resellers, strategic partners, and industry practitioners to check out its new NXE400 3D printer, priced at $49,950, at CES 2019 this week. If you’re unable to make it out to Las Vegas for the show, you can see the 3D printer in action in the video below:

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[Images provided by Nexa3D]

CollPlant and United Therapeutics Corporation Enter into Licensing Agreement for 3D Bioprinted Lungs

This week, CollPlant and United Therapeutics Corporation announced that they have entered into a licensing, development, and commercialization agreement together for the purposes of 3D bioprinted lung transplants. This partnership will combine United Therapeutics’ organ manufacturing and regenerative medicine capabilities with CollPlant’s BioInk and proprietary recombinant human collagen (rhCollagen) technology.

“We strongly believe that our proprietary and proven rhCollagen is the finest building block for regenerative medicine scaffolds available today, and will play a critical role in the organ manufacturing process,” said CollPlant CEO Yehiel Tal. “As a pioneer in the field, United Therapeutics is the perfect partner for us. This strategic agreement is a major achievement for CollPlant as it aligns us with a global leader, validates our technology and creates value for our shareholders. We are honored to have established this important collaboration with United Therapeutics and look forward to working together to bring lifesaving organs to humanity.”

Under the terms of the agreement for 3D bioprinting solid-organ scaffolds for human transplants, which United Therapeutics is more than familiar with, CollPlant granted an exclusive license for its technology to United Therapeutics, through its wholly owned organ manufacturing and transplantation-focused subsidiary Lung Biotechnology PBC, for the production and use of its rhCollagen-based BioInk for 3D bioprinted lung transplants. The subsidiary itself is the first public benefit corporation subsidiary of a public biotechnology or pharmaceutical company and works to address the national shortage of transplantable lungs and other organs.

Over the next few years, CollPlant will manufacture and supply BioInk in order to meet the development process demand. In addition, it will provide technical support to United Therapeutics while it sets up a facility in the US to manufacture both BioInk and rhCollagen.

Martine Rothblatt, PhD, Chairman and CEO of United Therapeutics, said, “We are excited to work with CollPlant’s extraordinary Israeli technology to transform the tobacco plant that is so associated with lung disease into a collagen-expressing plant that will be essential to the production of an unlimited number of transplantable lungs.”

The agreement, in addition to its focus on lung manufacturing, will also grant United Therapeutics an option, in its sole discretion, to expand the field of its CollPlant license in order to add up to three additional organs.

According to the agreement’s financial terms, once it’s effective, CollPlant will receive an initial upfront payment of $5 million. Then, once certain operational and regulatory milestones related to the development of 3D bioprinted lungs are reached, the company will receive milestone payments of up to $15 million.

Option exercise payments of up to $9 million are also provided for in the licensing agreement, as well as additional developmental milestone payments of up to $15 million…if United Therapeutics decides to develop additional manufactured organs using CollPlant’s technology, that is. Additionally, CollPlant will also be entitled to receive reimbursement for certain costs, as well as royalties on sales of commercialized products that are covered by patents licensed by the company itself.

The effectiveness of the licensing agreement between CollPlant and United Therapeutics is subject to a few closing conditions, which include receipt of approval by the Israel Innovation Authority, which was formerly the Office of Chief Scientist.

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3D Printing News Briefs: September 8, 2018

We’re starting out with a lot of business news in today’s 3D Printing News Briefs, and then finishing up with something cool (pun intended) to get you through the weekend. Link3D launched its new Production Planning System for AM workflows, Carbon has a new medical-grade material, and there’s new 3D printed footwear on Kickstarter. Several US sleep experts have joined the Oventus medical advisory board, HP’s MJF technology is being used to make assemblies, and GKN Aerospace is improving its production times with Stratasys technology. Bradley Systems has suggested using its Yellow Magic 7 to clean your SLA 3D printers. Finally, a mechanical engineer and 3D printing blogger has created a retro air cooler.

Link3D Launches Production Planning System

New York City-based Link3D, which offers a centralized software platform for the industrial 3D printing workflow over external or internal additive manufacturing, has just announced the availability of its Production Planning System (PPS) and Advanced Build Simulation. PPS, an AM scheduling solution meant to enhance the company’s software for shop managers and application engineers, can further optimize AM workflows, helping 3D printers to run more efficiently and automate various tasks, like tracing and tracking a build’s genealogy, planning out each step of a build, managing scheduling, facility capacity, and production dispatching, and forecasting accurate production lead times.

“Our comprehensive predictive models are made to forecast AM production and costing outputs by accounting for labor, hardware model, AM technology, post-processing and including material science variables like specific gravity and viscosity. Link3D PPS utilizes machine learning algorithms to make recommendations for placing work orders on the correct machines based on machine availability to achieve real-time distributed manufacturing,” said Shane Fox, the CEO and Co-Founder of Link3D.

Link3D PPS will use blockchain technology to trace and track all of the data logged and generated, so organizations can validate and certify their production processes.

Carbon Introduces New Medical-Grade Material

This week, Carbon announced the launch of its first medical-grade 3D printing material, a two-part, white polymer resin called Medical Polyurethane 100 (MPU 100). The material is made for drug- and skin-contact devices, medical system components, single-use medical device, and surgical instrument applications. The material is sterilizable, biocompatible and has good mechanical strength. MPU 100 has good abrasion resistance, is compatible with common disinfectants, and works with the company’s Digital Light Synthesis (DLS) technology to produce rigid, isotropic plastic parts.

“The life sciences and medical device industries show enormous promise for using 3D printing for production at scale, and we will continue to prioritize the development of next-generation materials in this segment,” said Jason Rolland, Vice President of Materials at Carbon.

Carbon is offering MPU 100 in 800 ML cartridges to its customers in Europe, the US, and Canada. You can learn more about the new medical-grade material at Carbon’s booth #431505 in the West Hall at IMTS 2018 next week.

Unis Brands Starts 3D Printed Footwear Kickstarter

Earlier this week, Unis Brands began a Kickstarter campaign for its line of user-customizable, 3D printed footwear. The line includes two different styles of sandals: the U-Straps and the U-Slides, both of which will be available, in limited quantities, to early campaign backers for just $75 and $100, as opposed to the regular retail price of $140. The 3D printed U-Straps and U-Slides offer custom sizing, as customers provide the exact length and width measurements of each foot. The sandals are made with flexible 3D printing filament for a comfortable fit, and each one has five components, including the logo, buttons, cushion, upper, and midsole, that can be customized with different patterns and colors.

Unis said, “After getting my start in footwear by taking popular sneakers apart, customizing them, putting them back together and then selling them on eBay, I’m excited to announce my first line of sandals on Kickstarter. With five different user-customizable areas, and with individually 3D-printed shoes based on each customer’s exact foot measurements, we are creating footwear that is truly one-of-a-kind.”

All of the company’s recyclable shoes are made in the US on 3D printers designed and built by CEO and founder Nicholas Unis.

US Sleep Experts Join Oventus Medical Advisory Board

Brisbane medical device company Oventus, known for its FDA-approved, 3D printed sleep apnea device, recently announced that it had appointed a Medical Technology Advisory Board (MTAB) of international sleep experts. The board will assist and guide the company on the development and commercialization of its Sleep Treatment Platform. The MTAB, a US-based consultative advisory body, will report to Oventus CEO Dr. Chris Hart, and provide guidance and input into the company’s clinical, developmental, and commercial strategy, which is currently focused on introducing its products to the US.

The following top sleep physicians and advisors in the US have been appointed to the Oventus MTAB for a three year term, which is renewable by mutual agreement:

Lee A. Surkin, MD, FAASM
Richard K. Bogan, MD, FCCP, FAASM
Jerry Kram, MD, FAASM
Mark Hickey, MD, FAASM
Mark A. Rasmus, MD, FAASM
Daniel B. Brown, Esq
Myra G. Brown

Aerosport Modeling & Design Making Assemblies with HP’s MJF Technology

HP MJF PA12 Nylon Butterfly Valve Assembly

Ohio-based 3D printing service bureau Aerosport Modeling and Design, which has been producing high-quality prototypes, working models, machined parts, and appearance models since 1996, adopted HP’s Multi Jet Fusion (MJF) technology nearly a year ago.

The company uses MJF 3D printing to fabricate assemblies, such as a Butterfly Valve one made of PA 12 Nylon. The original assembly came in 30 pieces and took half an hour to assemble. But by using HP’s 3D printing technology to make it, the total number of pieces was reduced to just four, with only three minutes of assembly. This helped Aerosport lower its production costs by 70%, and its production time by an astonishing 90%.

GKN Aerospace Improving Production Times with Stratasys 3D Printing

3D printed tooling made on the Stratasys F900 Production 3D Printer.

This week, Stratasys announced that GKN Aerospace, which serves over 90% of the world’s aircraft and engine manufacturers, is removing design constraints and improving production times for many tooling applications after integrating 3D printing at its Filton manufacturing site. In an effort to lower lead times for production-line tools and create complex parts that can’t be completed with traditional manufacturing, GKN Aerospace invested in a Stratasys F900 Production 3D printer. This decision helped the company achieve “unprecedented levels of design freedom,” as well as a 40% decrease in material waste; production has also gone from several weeks to only a few hours.

Tim Hope, Additive Manufacturing Center Manager at GKN Aerospace, said, “Since integrating the F900, we have dramatically reduced production-line downtime for certain teams and are enjoying a newfound freedom to design complex tools.

“We can now cost-effectively produce tools for our operators within three hours. This saves critical production time, and by printing in engineering-grade thermoplastics, we can produce 3D printed tools with repeatable, predictable quality every time. All while matching the quality of a traditionally-produced tool, and reducing the costs and concessions compared to equivalent metallic tooling.”

Bradley Systems Wants You to Clean Your SLA 3D Printer with Yellow Magic 7

If you’ve got an SLA 3D printer that needs a good cleaning, Bradley Systems, Inc. wants you to consider using its Yellow Magic 7 (YM7) cleaner, as opposed to Isopropyl Alcohol (IPA), which is also called isopropanol and dimethyl carbinol. The company first heard about people using its cleaner, which was originally formulated as a flexo UV ink and varnish cleaner for printing human and pet food packaging, to clean parts for SLA 3D printers on a Formlabs forum, and has since started offering 1 gallon jugs of YM7 on Amazon…and this decision is garnering it some pretty positive reviews.

“Until now, IPA has been the go-to cleaner for this application because it gets the job done. The downside is that IPA is a flammable chemical compound with a strong odor. This means you’ve got to make sure you’re wearing personal protective equipment (PPE) and storing it properly so you don’t accidentally blow yourself up. As for the smell… well there’s not much you can do there,” the company wrote in a blog post.

YM7, unlike IPA, is biodegradable, non-toxic, and has little odor. It’s not a fire hazard, as it’s water based, and it also performs well in an ultrasonic cleaner. It’s also versatile enough to clean a multitude of different 3D printer parts and accessories, like rollers and rubber pads.

“So, what we’re seeing so far is that you can still get the job done using Yellow Magic 7 without the stink or the potential of blowing up your co-workers or family. Which is nice.”

Mechanical Engineer Builds 3D Printed Retro Air Conditioner

While 3D printing is a relatively modern technology, it can be fun to use it to recreate your favorite retro items from the past, like arcade games, original Apple computers, FM radios, and television sets…even scuba helmets! A mechanical engineer named Juan, who owns a YouTube channel and blog titled Govaju 3D Printing, has worked in the 3D printing world for eight years, 3D printing is not only his work, but also his hobby and passion. Recently, Juan decided to get back to the past by creating a 3D printed retro item of his own.

“I recently created this video of a project that I’ve been working on for a few months, it’s a retro air conditioner,” Juan told 3DPrint.com. “It is printed 100% in 3D with the lulzbot taz 6 and with wood filament and PLA.”

Take a look at the video to see the project come together!

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Custom 3D Printed CT-Bone Graft Implants Coming to Japan and Europe

We first heard of innovative CT-Bone technology three years ago, when Dutch company Xilloc reached an agreement with Tokyo-based Next21 K.K., the creator of CT-Bone, to bring 3D printable bone into hospitals in Europe. Back in 2001, Next 21 K.K. collaborated with the University of Tokyo and RIKEN on developmental research into the technology, which uses 3D printing to make synthetic bone grafts out of calcium-deficient HA material.

Now, after receiving an approval for manufacturing and marketing medical devices from the country’s Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare (MHLW), the company is announcing formal approval for a new technology to 3D print synthetic bone grafts, which can both fuse and be assimilated into a patient’s existing bone.

There are currently four different types of existing bone grafts for patients with different kinds of bone defects and deformities: Autograft and Allograft (the most common), Synthetic Bone graft, and Xenograft. Custom synthetic graft materials are shaped from a heated and sintered block of material with machine tools, and is hard for natural bone tissue to absorb, which could lead to inflammation.

Autograft, which is the foremost transplant method in Japan, requires an additional surgery in order to remove a piece of bone from the patient’s leg or hip, so patients have to go through a second invasive procedure and deal with the potential risks, like damage and infection, from extended exposure. Allograft from a bone bank is the most common in the US and Europe, but as it’s harvested from cadavers, there are potential infectious and ethical conundrums to consider. Additionally, it can be hard to find a cadaver bone that’s the appropriate size and shape to match a patient’s original bone.

But, 3D printing makes it possible to reproduce the shape of the original bone with 0.1 mm accuracy, and CT-Bone also uses a curing treatment method to help with recrystallization. This the technology, as Next21 K.K. puts it, “most suitable for molding biomaterial like a bone graft.”

CT-Bone does not use a sintering process to increase mechanical strength like other synthetic bones or 3D printed ceramics do, so it actually becomes physiologically activated; this helps the material in the custom implant fuse and assimilate to the patient’s existing bone much more quickly.

While most typical bone implants are made from material like titanium or PEEK, or even cut and re-positioned bone from the patient, CT-bone is a 3D printable, calcium phosphate implant that’s actually converted into real bone by the patient’s own body.

After a CT-scan, Next21 K.K.’s biomedical engineers work with the surgeons to create a patient-specific implant (PSI), which can incorporate porosity and match the patient’s anatomy perfectly, which helps facilitate bony ingrowth and good bone-to-implant contact. It only takes a few months post-implantation for CT-Bone to unify with the patient’s existing bone.

Thanks to a subsidy from the New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization (NEDO), the company completed a pre-clinical study for CT-Bone, titled “Computed tomographic evaluation of novel custom-made artificial bones, “CT-bone”, applied for maxillofacial reconstruction” and performed with support from the National Institute of Biomedical Innovation, Health and Nutrition (NIBIOHN). Co-authors include Yuki Kanno from the University of Tokyo, Takashi Nakatsuka with Saitama Medical School, Hideto Saijo, Yuko Fujihara, and Hikita Atsuhiko from the university, Ung-il Chung with the university’s Graduate Schools of Engineering and Medicine, and Tsuyoshi Takato and Kazuto Hoshi with the university.

The abstract reads, “We fabricated custom-made artificial bones using three-dimensionally layered manufacturing (3D printing) process, and have applied them to patients with facial deformities. We termed this novel artificial bone the “CT-bone”. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the middle-and long-term safety and effectiveness of the CT-bones after transplantation.”

CT-Bone grafts were implanted into 23 sites on 20 patients with facial bone deformities and then evaluated through the use of CT scans post-op, minimally for one year and then maximally for seven years and three months after transplantation.

According to the paper, “No serious systemic events due to the CT-bone graft were found during the observation period (1 year postoperatively). In 4 sites of 4 patients, the CT-bones were removed due to local infection of the surgical wounds at 1-5 years postoperatively. Compatibility of the shapes between the CT-bone and the recipient bone was confirmed to be good during the operation in all of the 20 cases, implying that the CT-bones could be easily installed onto the recipient sites. During the CT evaluation (<7 years and 3 months), no apparent chronological change was seen in the shape of the CT-bones. Sufficient bone union was confirmed in 19 sites. The inner CT values of the CT-bones increased in all the sites. The longer the postoperative period, greater increases in the CT values of the CT-bones tended to be observed.”

Next21 K.K. plans to commercialize CT-bone in the Japanese market, and initiate export to other Asian countries. Having already reached a license agreement with Xilloc for local manufacturing and sales of CT-Bone in the EU, the company will also expand sales to Europe.

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[Images provided by Next21 K.K.]