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E.U. to Regulate 3D Printed Toys & Supply Chain

The European Union has taken a serious interest in regulating 3D printed toys. As additive manufacturing processes only continue to pick up steam, affecting nearly every industry in some way, safety is becoming more of a concern. In the 80s of course, with the inception of SLA 3D printing, most digital fabrication was used for rapid prototyping with a limited range of software and materials (generally photopolymers) available to users.

There are countless new materials on the market now, as ambitious users and researchers around the world continue to forge ahead, overcoming obstacles, and creating new ways to fabricate complex geometries, whether for prototypes or functional parts. This doesn’t mean all 3D printing materials are safe to use—or that structures and wiring may not cause a potential hazard. Children have the potential to be very hard on toys, and especially over time. They may ingest small pieces and choke, or experience poisoning from toxic chemicals.

Concern over toy safety encompasses the entire industry, however, with basic measures in place regarding “general risks” for children and anyone who may be exposed to toys, along with “particular risks” surrounding fire, chemicals, radioactivity, electrical issues, and more. The EU offers recommendations to 27 countries, and also oversees the Innovation Radar Platform—recently naming WAZP as a Key Innovator. And while safety is a major focus, here, the goal is to create a solid innovative industry with a strong supply chain—meaning that quality products need to be at the center.

The platform is used to highlight new concepts and the inventors behind them, and is funded by the EU as well as other framework programs centered around research and innovation—often including applications like consumer goods, manufacturing, distribution of products, and retail goods. WAZP is certainly well-acquainted with most of those areas of industry, acting as a global supply chain company for additive manufacturing. The Tralee, Ireland-headquartered company gained notice during the Horizon 2020 iBus Project, known for focusing on internet business models for toys, as well as furniture, and commissioned by the University of Limerick.

The WAZP team follows through from optimization to manufacturing and delivery. (Image: WAZP)

(Image: WAZP)

Germany’s University of Paderborn has also been recognized as a key innovator, and the two companies will be overseeing the creation of an “innovative high confidence quotation model for AM toys safety.”

Four levels, created by Innovation Radar, will be explored:

Value creation opportunities
Technology readiness
Business readiness
Market readiness

WAZP will offer their experience in creating successful models for 3D printing supply chains, including “value” for stakeholders like the suppliers of toys, manufacturers, distribution companies, stores selling toys, and consumers too. Sustainability is a key goal in these business models, bolstering supply chains within the 3D printed toy industry.

Innovation Radar operates on four different maturity levels (Image: Innovation Radar)

WAZP’s success has been in providing business models that offer customized supply chain strategies. Their team believes in producing complex, quality designs, but within a “no-waste culture.” Research and development will continue with the University of Limerick, University of Paderborn, and the European Union. Check out information about Innovation Radar and EU funded projects here.

3D printing within the toy industry has brought many new concepts and products to life for kids, and consumers of all ages, from spinning tops to parts for train sets, LEGO constructions and even go-karts, and more.

[Source / Images: WAZP]

The post E.U. to Regulate 3D Printed Toys & Supply Chain appeared first on 3DPrint.com | The Voice of 3D Printing / Additive Manufacturing.

Analysis of the EU report on 3D printing IP with Marks & Clerk

The European Commission, the EU’s executive branch, has released a study analyzing the current state of 3D printing in relation to IP law. In the report, the authors consider the IP implications of the development of industrial 3D printing, which the EU deems a priority technology. To fully grasp the key details of the 257-page […]

EU prioritizes additive manufacturing in U.S. trade talks, receives CECIMO support

The European Union is keeping additive manufacturing among its priorities in industrial goods trade negotiations with the U.S. CECIMO, the association representing the interests of machine tool and manufacturing technologies, has spoken out to endorse the EU’s handling of this subject, and remains hopeful that the discussions will help facilitate growth of the additive manufacturing sector. […]

CELLINK awarded $1M in EU funding to develop 3D bioprinter ink

Swedish 3D bioprinting firm CELLINK and the Academic Center for Dentistry Amsterdam (ACTA) have been awarded the equivalent of over $1 million USD (SEK 10 million) for a materials development project. Scheduled to run for three years, the funding was awarded by the European Union, with 50% of costs to be delivered by Horizon 2020 […]

3D Printing News Briefs: November 7, 2018

We’re starting with more formnext announcements on today’s 3D Printing News Briefs, then moving on to classes and workshops. Verashape is launching a new 3D printer at next week’s event in Frankfurt, while Cubicure will be presenting its new CSS software solution for 3D printing. In the meantime, SelfCAD is releasing an updated version of its software. Finally, the EU-funded METALS project has published an online 3D printing course, and the people behind a new program for 3D printed construction technology in India are organizing a workshop on construction 3D printing.

VSHAPER 500 Med Launching at formnext

Just like Polish 3D printer manufacturer Verashape introduced its 5-Axis VSHAPER 3D printer at last year’s formnext, the company is taking advantage of the 2018 event in Frankfurt, estimated to gather a record number of participants in its largest space yet, to launch its newest 3D printer – the VSHAPER 500 MED, which was developed to meet the growing demands for spatial printouts used in the medical field. The VSHAPER 500 MED, which includes a vacuum table, a closed chamber with UV light, and silver-based antibacterial coatings, is perfect for creating precise, high quality 3D printed medical models. The 3D printer also has a 420 x 420 x 400 mm workspace, along with an extruder with two V-JET heads.

“3D Printing technology is becoming an increasingly valuable tool in medical diseases treatment, fighting disabilities and increasing the effectiveness of complicated surgeries,” said Marcin Szymański, the company’s VSHAPER Product Manager. “The technology is already used to aid the creation of dental crowns, bone parts, blood vessels and hip-joints prosthetics.”

To see the new VSHAPER 500 MED 3D printer for yourself, visit Verashape at formnext from November 13-16 at Stand 3.1-G88.

Cubicure Presenting CSS Software Solution at formnext

Cubicure, a spin-off company of TU Wien, will be presenting its new, platform-independent software solution for additive manufacturing data preparation at formnext. The software, called CSS for Cubicure Support & Slice, can generate complex support geometries, as well as edit STL files. The comprehensive tool allows users to generate, edit and repair 3D models, in addition to easily exporting layer information for the 3D printing process. Developed with graphic software provider DeskArtes and based on 3Data Expert, CSS is applicable for DLP and SLA (stereolithography), and Cubicure’s own Hot Lithography technology, and also comes with an intuitive import function of several surface models, a user-friendly GUI, and data conversion tools.

Dr. Robert Gmeiner, the CEO of Cubicure GmbH, said, “With this software solution Cubicure offers another important product for the additive manufacturing value chain.”

You can visit Cubicure Booth G59 in Hall 3.1 at formnext.

SelfCAD Releasing Updated Software

Browser-based 3D design platform SelfCAD, founded in 2015, combines 3D modeling, slicing, and several other tools and functions in one easy program. Now, SelfCAD has launched an updated version of its software, which was developed based on users’ expectations of powerful but easy to use 3D modeling software. Version 2.0 of the modeling software includes more capabilities, like a 3D sketching toolset to increase the user’s level of freedom, and simplified design, including an intuitive user interface with a less confusing toolbar that makes it easy to use, even for beginners.

Additional features include new selection modes, a simple objects view with both light and dark modes, a measurement option for easier design of accurate models, new sketching brushes, and new shapes. What’s not new is that SelfCAD, with a price of $14.99 a month or $139.99 a year after a 10-day free trial.

METALS Project Publishes Online 3D Printing Course

The three-year MachinE Tool Alliance for Skills (METALS) project, funded by the European Union under the Erasmus+ program and coordinated by CECIMO, ended last week, but not before releasing a free, online course about the fundamentals of AM. The project was characterized by a comprehensive partnership across Germany, Italy, and Spain, with a goal of increasing the competitiveness of Europe’s machine tool industry by providing the necessary skills to benefit from new disruptive technologies, such as 3D printing. The e-learning course, which is available in English, German, Italian and Spanish, intends to support the development of the AM workforce, and includes 27 learning units divided along three main areas: knowledge of AM, work-process, and entrepreneurship.

“Training and education are important elements for the industrialisation of additive technologies in Europe, which is the objective of CECIMO,” said Filip Geerts, CECIMO’s Director General. “With METALS, learners will be able to access relevant online knowledge at no cost and start building their competences to interact with AM. Coupled with on-hands training, which remains essential, initiatives like METALS are useful to increase the overall awareness of what AM concretely is and entails.”

National Workshop in India on 3D Printing Construction

Indian 3D printing startup Tvasta Manufacturing Solutions, based out of Bangalore and Chennai, is a design and manufacturing organization that specializes in industrial 3D printing. The startup, founded by a group of alumni from the Indian Institute of Technology Madras, developed India’s first 3D printed concrete structure in collaboration with the IIT Madras Civil Department. Now, Tvasta and IIT Madras are organizing a national workshop, to be held in Chennai on November 16, all about 3D printing in construction.

The objective of the conference is to present how construction 3D printing has the potential to majorly boost the country’s affordable housing sector. Many reputable speakers from around the world, including academic and industry experts, have been invited to speak about developments in automation, specialized concrete mixes, structural design, and other topics during the workshop. The conference will be held in the IC & SR Auditorium at IIT Madras.

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CECIMO Raises Concerns: How Much is Too Much 3D Printing Regulation

Regulation is important in any industry, as are standards which ensure that every player in the industry is delivering products and processes up to a certain quality and consistency. There’s a fine line, however, between healthy regulation and unnecessarily strict standards that stifle innovation. At the beginning of July, the European Parliament adopted a non-binding resolution entitled “Three-dimensional printing: intellectual property rights and civil liability,” with 631 votes in favor, 27 against and 19 abstentions.

The resolution is largely a positive one in favor of 3D printing, pointing out the benefits of the technology for society and the economy and the need for new rules supporting faster certification of parts. That’s undoubtedly a good thing; one of the factors that holds up additive manufacturing from becoming a more prevalent production technology is the issue of getting bogged down in the part certification process. However, the resolution also calls for the European Commission to consider a revision of the Liability and Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) regulatory framework for 3D printing in the European Union.

The European Association of the Machine Tool Industries (CECIMO) has some concerns about this, believing that current EU regulations are enough and that further tightening intellectual property regulations would prevent the kind of innovation that is necessary for the 3D printing industry to continue to grow.

“3D printing technologies will thrive in Europe if, among other things, legislation continues to create supportive conditions,” CECIMO Director General Filip Geerts told 3DPrint.com. “Industry has been instrumental in pushing through solutions in the areas of digital rights management and data security. In this context, there is no need to establish new EU provisions on liability and Intellectual Property just for 3D printing at this stage, especially as there is no evidence of 3D printing being used as an easier or favoured production method for counterfeit goods.”

Panic about intellectual property violations are prevalent in the 3D printing industry, but many have argued that those fears are overblown. Individual designers who post their files online are at risk of having their designs stolen and sold elsewhere, but in cases where that has happened, crackdown on the offenders has generally been swift. Many are concerned about the theft of intellectual property from corporations, but there hasn’t been much evidence of that happening so far, and many preventative measures have been offered by experts on how to safeguard parts against being copied. CECIMO argues that regulations are already strict when it comes to 3D printing, and that a difference should be established between business-to-business (B2B) and business-to-consumer (B2C) uses of the technology when approaching regulation.

Liability is an issue discussed by the European Parliament as well, which was outlined initially in a preliminary report at the end of 2017. The question is who is responsible when someone is harmed by a 3D printed object – the manufacturer of the object itself, the manufacturer of the 3D printer, or the creator of the software used to design the object? The issue is a murky one, and again CECIMO argues that too much focus on liability is likely to slow down the necessary acceleration of 3D printing in Europe.

The adoption of the resolution requires a mandatory response from the European Commission within three months. The Commission has been asked to outline its views and intentions on the subject, and CECIMO intends to continue to work closely with the Commission to encourage that the current EU regulations be left alone.

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[Images provided by CECIMO]