Axial3D & Fast Radius Offer DICOM-to-Print Anatomical Model 3D Printing Service for Surgical Planning

We’re still in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, but it seems like there’s at least a small light at the end of the tunnel as businesses and services begin to open their doors once again. This is also a pretty important time for hospitals right now, since they are starting to perform surgical procedures again. Obviously, the crisis has created a pretty big surgery backlog, which is why Fast Radius and Axial3D are teaming up to create better 3D-printed anatomical models for surgical planning.

When it comes to surgery, using 3D printing in the pre-planning process has been proven time and again to be of tremendous value, as it can help save on costs, as well as decrease the amount of time a patient is on the operating table. It can help make the process more efficient, and the surgeon more confident, especially when dealing with complex cases.

3D printed anatomical heart model. (Image credit: Materialise)

By using 3D technologies in surgical planning, clinicians can enjoy a higher standard of medical imaging, which enables them to have more insight into the unique anatomical details of different patients. Before they’re anywhere close to the operating room, the surgeons can hold 3D-printed anatomical models in their own two hands and take a much closer look at what they’ll be dealing with. Not only does this allow them to better define, and even practice, surgeries ahead of time, but patients can also handle the models in order to gain a better understanding of what’s going on in their bodies.

“The partnership between Fast Radius and Axial3D comes at a critical time for healthcare institutions. We are now able to support surgeons and hospitals in the US minimize the impact of COVID 19 as they endeavor to return elective surgery capacity,” explained Roger Johnston, the CEO at Axial3D.

Belfast-based healthcare technology firm Axial3D is focused on the global adoption of 3D printing in the healthcare industry, and its patient-specific 3D-printed medical models are award-winning. By partnering with Chicago-headquartered digital manufacturing solutions provider Fast Radius, clinicians all across North America will be able to make much more precise surgical plans than what 2D imaging can offer, according to the partners.

(Image credit: Axial3D)

Together, the two companies have developed what they consider a high-volume, high-quality DICOM-to-print service that will allow hospitals and surgeons in Canada, Mexico, and the United States to fabricate patient-specific 3D anatomical models, at high speeds, with an accuracy of micro-millimeters. They’ll use patient 2D scans to create the models, and once they’re 3D printed, they will be shipped to the hospitals within a minimum of 48 hours. How’s that for service?

“Our mission at Fast Radius is to help companies make new things possible that advance the human condition. Partnering with Axial3D to make these surgical models will have a great impact on patient care. It’s work we’re proud to do,” said Lou Rassey, the CEO at Fast Radius.

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Axial3D and Fast Radius to supply 3D surgical models in U.S. with DICOM-to-print service

Fast Radius, a Chicago-based digital manufacturing service provider, and Axial3D, a UK-based medical technology firm, have announced a new ‘DICOM-to-print’ service for surgeons and hospitals across North America. The partnership between the two firms is intended to provide clinicians across the United States, Canada, and Mexico access to improved surgical planning with micro-millimeter accurate, patient-specific […]

3D printing industry news sliced: Satair, VELO3D, 3D Systems, Dimension Inx, REGEMAT, Open Additive, DP Technology and more

In this edition of Sliced, the 3D Printing Industry news digest, we cover the latest business developments, partnerships, and acquisitions across our industry.  Today’s edition features updated quality assurance guidance, fresh funding for US universities, a new CFO at 3D Systems, Singaporian marine technology and 3D printed miniature satellites.  Read on for the latest news […]

Airbus Subsidiary Uses Full-Color Multi Jet Fusion for Maintenance Tooling

Among the most exciting aspects of HP’s Multi Jet Fusion (MJF) technology when initially unveiled was the ability to 3D print functional objects in a full range of color. Though it took a couple of years for it to happen, that capability finally hit the market in 2018 with the release of the HP Jet Fusion 300/500 Color 3D Printer range. Now we are beginning to see the applications that a broad spectrum of hues has in practice. Airbus services company Satair used the technology to 3D print a series of tools for its maintenance operations.

Used to gag the main landing gears on the A380, the GAGS tool pads were redesigned to improve the strength-to-weight ratio, resulting in 60 percent mass reduction. Image courtesy of HP.

Satair turned to service bureau Fast Radius with the ultimate goal of to speed up aircraft repair with the use of 3D printed tools. As a member of HP’s Digital Manufacturing Network, Fast Radius leveraged MJF to print tools for the company. In particular, the color printing capabilities of the Jet Fusion 580 Color system were utilized to 3D print bright red and orange tools in order to improve job safety and ensure that tools were not misplaced after use. The tools were also optimized to reduce total part count, enhance robustness and integrate new functions.

One particularly unique feature about the company is the fact it has a production hub on-site at the UPS Worldport facility in Louisville, Kentucky, allowing it to potentially ship parts at greater speeds than other service providers.

This pintle bearing alignment tool is used to bear in the rear spar prior to installing it during the installation of the main landing gear installation. Assembly was reduced from four parts to two. Image courtesy of HP.

Three new tools were redesigned and printed by HP and Fast Radius for Satair: GAGS tool pads, pintle bearing alignment tools, and flap zero locking tools. MJF was chosen in part for the ability to 3D print durable parts with the mechanical properties necessary for harsh aircraft repair environments. Specifically, HP 3D High Reusability PA 12 was chosen due to its chemical resistance to oils, grease, aliphatic hydrocarbons and alkalies.

3D printing the parts also sped up design time, as multiple iterations could be produced at once within a single build. The use of color also allowed for the communication of information in unique ways, such as 3D printing part numbers, serial numbers and scannable QR codes directly onto the tool.

Whereas Satair previously waited weeks for new tools to be manufactured, this project saw Fast Radius print, inspect, package and ship two tools in less than 48 hours. This was enabled in part by Fast Radius’s logistics partnership with UPS, with which it sent the items from Chicago to Hamburg, Germany.

This flap zero locking tool is used to lock flaps in the A320 cockpit. The assembly was reduced from six parts to two and resulted in a lead time reduction of 50 percent. Image courtesy of HP.

The use of 3D printing by Satair is just another notch in Airbus’s belt, as the aerospace giant deploys AM all across its business to the point that it is probably not necessary to recount all of the ways it is being used, but we can highlight the myriad parts printed for the A350 XWB, as well as the work of Premium AEROTEC and APWorks.

As for Fast Radius, this is another interesting customer from the service bureau, which is fond of emerging AM technologies. For instance, the company also used Carbon’s Digital Light Synthesis to print parts for Steelcase’s office chair. Outside of 3D printing, Fast Radius offers a number of other manufacturing services, including CNC machining and injection molding. With the Fast Radius Virtual Warehouse, the company is hoping to implement the concept of digital inventory, in which digital files replace physical stock, with goods manufactured on-demand.

As with 3D printing itself, it will take some time for designers and engineers to fully grasp the potential of producing parts in full color. The ability to use bright pigments for safety purposes and to embed QR codes is just the beginning. HP previously demonstrated the use of colors to exhibit the level of wear on a part, so that, as it is worn down, it shows new colors that can be more easily quantified. Augmented reality applications could also be developed based on embedded symbols in a part. In the near future, we may see even more interesting uses of full color printing of end parts.

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3D Printing News Briefs: October 25, 2019

We’re talking about art and business in today’s 3D Printing News Briefs. An art installation at Millennium Park was created through the use of 3D printed molds, provided by Fast Radius. Farsoon has signed a joint development agreement with Rapid Manufacturing, and EVOK3D is partnering up with the Currie Group to accelerate its sales growth.

Fast Radius Makes 3D Printed Molds for Art Installation

Artist Edra Soto was commissioned to build an outdoor art installation in Chicago’s popular Millennium Park, which resulted in her freestanding Screenhouse, constructed by Navillus Woodworks out of over 400 custom-cast concrete blocks and opening today in the park’s Boeing Gallery North. Navillus enlisted the help of Fast Radius to create 3D printed molds for the blocks, which helped save on development time and money. The company printed the molds out of PA 12 material, using HP’s MJF technology. 3D printed lattice structures were used in the construction, which also helped reduce the weight of the piece.

“Our mission is to make new things possible to advance the human condition. I can think of no better way to serve that mission than helping bring Edra Soto’s beautiful design to life in Chicago’s Millennium Park, where it will be enjoyed by our fellow Chicagoans and visitors from around the world. This project with Navillus shows the potential of additively manufactured molds to redefine construction project design,” Fast Radius CEO Lou Rassey said in a case study about the project.

Farsoon and Rapid Manufacturing Sign Joint Development Agreement

PA12-based parts fabricated by Rapid Manufacturing on the beta-Flight-HT403P in Rümlang.

Stuttgart-based Farsoon Europe GmbH, a subsidiary of Chinese company Farsoon Technologies, has signed a joint development agreement for beta testing of its Flight technology with Rapid Manufacturing AG, headquartered in Rümlang, Switzlerland. Per the agreement, earlier this month Farsoon installed its new Flight-HT403P, with a 400 x 400 x 540 mm3 build cylinder and 500W fiber laser, at Rapid Manufacturing. After completing initial tests successfully, the Swiss company is now using the laser sintering system to make plastic PA12 components and parts with high resolution, low surface roughness, and good mechanical properties for its customers.

“We are impressed by the strong will power to increase the competitiveness of laser sintering, which Rapid Manufacturing is systematically implementing with the installation of our machine,” stated Dr. Dirk Simon, the Managing Director of Farsoon Europe GmbH.

EVOK3D and Currie Group Partnering

Australian company EVOK3D, which supplies and supports both professional and production 3D printing solutions and is the HP 3D Production Specialist Partner for the country, announced that it has signed a partnership equity agreement with Currie Group, a top end-to-end Graphic Arts service supplier in New Zealand and Australia. Currie Group provides and services high-quality printing equipment, and EVOK3D will leverage its management experience to continue growing its sales and support capability.

“3D printing has moved beyond just prototyping and is now a viable direct manufacturing technology. To meet the growing demand for these technologies we needed to scale the business and Currie Group is ideally positioned having pioneered digital disruption of the 2D print industry over the last 20 years. For our clients across education, design, industry and healthcare it means they can continue to invest with confidence,” stated Joe Carmody, the Managing Director for EVOK3D.

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Curtiss Motorcycle Co. unveils Zeus 8 electric bike made using 60 3D printed parts

Additive manufacturing service provider Fast Radius and custom electric motorcycle startup Curtiss Motorcycle Company have partnered on the prototyping of an upcoming vehicle. The Zeus 8, a “naked” hot rod bike with visible battery cylinders, was shown publicly for the first time last week. Hybrid additive and subtractive manufacturing methods were used by Fast Radius on […]

3D printing job market movements: Lubrizol, MyMiniFactory, Fast Radius, M.Holland, AMBER

The market for jobs in 3D printing is incredibly active. New appointments are indicative of company growth and, in some cases, fundamental restructuring. In today’s job update, we review a new engineering opportunity at Lubrizol Corporation, as well as career moves from MyMiniFactory, M.Holland Company, AMBER, and Proto Precision Manufacturing. If you’re looking for 3D Printing Jobs […]

3D Printing News Briefs: April 12, 2019

We’ve got news about a contest to start off today’s 3D Printing News Briefs, followed by some business news and 3D printed jewelry. Weerg has announced the second edition of its “3D Printing Project Award” contest. Moving on, Bastian Solutions worked with Fast Radius to create a robotic materials handler using HP 3D printing, while Fast Radius announced that it has closed a round of Series B funding. Finally, an SLM 3D printer is being used by a person you might recognize to fabricate unique metal rings.

2nd Edition of Weerg’s 3D Printing Project Award Contest

3D printing and CNC machining platform Weerg, based in Gardigiano, Italy, just announced the second edition of its “3D Printing Project Award” contest, which promotes creativity, experimentation culture, and innovation in design manufacturing. The company, which offers the largest Italian installation of HP’s MJF 4210 3D printers, invites designers and developers to create “an iconic object completely printed in 3D” for the chance to win a €500 Weerg coupon, and an interesting social media opportunity – star as the protagonist in a professional video that will highlight his/her designer skills, which Weerg will promote.

“After the success we obtained last edition, we decided to put to test once more our recently doubled and enhanced production department, and to give visibility to the most creative talent in 3D Printing. The Weerg Award was created to stimulate the potential and the desire to innovate of tomorrow’s designers who are starting to come face to face with the opportunities offered by additive manufacturing,” said Weerg’s founder Matteo Rigamonti. “In addition, it will allow us to maximize the performance of HP printers by creating very original and sophisticated items.”

You have until this Sunday, April 14th to submit your entry by posting it directly to Weerg’s Facebook and Instagram pages. The winner will be announced on Monday.

New Robot Warehouse Picker Features 3D Printed Parts

Indianapolis-based Bastian Solutions, a Toyota Advanced Logistics company, has launched its Shuttle System: an efficient, flexible robotic materials handler with dexterity to spare. 45% of the final build-of-material (BOM) on the system’s robotic arm were 3D printed with HP and Carbon 3D printers. The durable polymer joints of the robotic picker were made with HP’s Multi Jet Fusion (MJF) technology, while its fingers and gripper were 3D printed out of unique materials, like EPU 40, using Carbon’s Digital Light Synthesis (DLS) technology. The company displayed its new Shuttle System this week at ProMat 2019 in Chicago.

“We envisioned that additively manufacturing specific parts would make the Bastian Solutions Shuttle System the most efficient and agile robotic picker available on the market. The additive manufacturing process will enable us to customize each robot picker to fit a customer’s particular warehouse environment,” said Ron Daggett, the Vice President of Technology and R&D, Bastian Solutions.

These parts were 3D printed at the Chicago headquarters of industrial-grade additive manufacturing facility Fast Radius.

Fast Radius Raised $48 Million in Series B Funding

Speaking of Fast Radius, the company recently announced that it had raised $48 million in a Series B funding round, which it will use to continue expanding its production-grade AM platform through application engineering, sales teams, and software development. Its software platform, the Fast Radius Operating System (FROS), supports customers across the entire lifecycle of a product, helping them conduct engineering and economic evaluations, find potential applications, and 3D print industrial-grade parts at scale. The funding round was led by the company’s previous collaborator UPS, and Drive Capital was also a strong participant; other participants include previous investors Jump Capital, Skydeck, and Hyde Park Venture Partners.

Pat McCusker, the COO at Fast Radius, said, “This additional funding will allow us to further expand our partnerships with leading global companies across aerospace, consumer, industrial, medical, and automotive verticals.”

Bam Margera 3D Printing Jewelry with SLM Technology

And now for something totally different…Bam Margera, a professional skateboarder, stunt performer, filmmaker, musician, and TV personality who rose to fame as one of the main members of MTV’s reality show Jackass from the early aughts, is now designing jewelry, which he 3D prints on an SLM Solutions 125 system that he purchased. He is selling the unique metal rings and pendants on his official BamMerch website.

According to the website, “BamMerch is Bam Margera´s new lifestyle brand offering various jewelry and apparel, our store launched in December 2016.

“All items are crafted in Estonia, using combination of high-tech metal 3D printing and hand crafting to create extremely unique and detailed jewelry.”

All of the jewelry is 3D printed in-house out of sterling silver, and then carefully polished in ten stages. Some of the pieces, like the pretty Margeras Pendant with three intertwined hearts, are available for as little as $17, with prices ranging all the way up to $149 for the Skull Ring v2. Margera also offers a range of bundles. Check out the video below to see the 3D printing process for some of Margera’s rings, but be warned – if you go searching for more information about his 3D printed jewelry on Twitter or Instagram, there’s a lot of profanity and other NSFW content.

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