Integrated reality and 3D printing technology startup Mixed Dimensions (Mxd3D) has announced a global strategic partnership with Mimaki Engineering Co., Ltd, a top company in the digital printing sector and developer of high-resolution, full-color 3D printing systems. The partnership will be focused on 3D printing and modeling services, as well as 3D software.
Mxd3D was founded seven years ago by Muhannad “Mo” Taslaq and Baha Abunojaim in Jordan, but is now headquartered in San Francisco, California. The company, which is backed by several top-tier venture firms such as Silicon Badia and Susman Ventures, started out as web-based software for 3D designers to upload their work and verify that their designs would come out correctly, and eventually established the leading GamePrint software platform and MakePrintable cloud-based 3D CAD file repair software as its core technologies.
3D printed Gods from Assassin’s Creed Origins (Image: Mixed Dimensions)
Both of its platforms make it easy for developers of digital intellectual property (IP), and specifically gaming companies, to create and provide 3D printed full-color versions of their important assets. Once someone places a request, the products are 3D printed in San Mateo, and can then be shipped to customers all over the world.
Mimaki is a leader in the industrial products, sign graphics, and textiles & apparel markets, and has already committed a significant amount of resources to its new partner, including an equity investment and some of its breakthrough, high-quality 3D printing hardware.
“Our experience working with Mimaki Engineering has been extraordinary,” stated John Vifian, Mixed Dimensions’ President and COO, in a press release. “Working closely together, we have unlocked manufacturing capabilities that were heretofore simply impossible, and what we have already achieved is only the beginning.”
Mixed Dimensions’ CEO Taslaq said, “Mixed Dimensions is building the merchandising factory of the future, to meet the growing global demand for personalized collectible objects.”
Mo Taslaq, Co-founder and CEO of Mixed Dimensions (Image: Mixed Dimensions)
Mr. Ikeda of Mimaki will be joining the board of directors at Mixed Dimensions, along with Taslaq, Pascal Levensohn of Dolby Family Ventures, Gilman Louie of Alsop-Louie Partners, two of the other venture firms which back Mixed Dimensions.
“We are very excited to welcome Ikeda-san as an independent director,” Tom Kalinske, Executive Chairman of the Mixed Dimensions board, said in the release. “Mimaki is the clear leader in full-color 3D printing, and we are proud to have them as a strategic partner and investor.”
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It was only a few months ago that Stratasys introduced its latest PolyJet system, the J826, at 3DEXPERIENCE World 2020. This week, it’s unveiling the new J55 3D printer, which costs roughly a third of the price of the company’s enterprise-class PolyJet systems (100K versus $260k) giving product design teams fast, full-color, office-friendly 3D printing in one package.
“We developed this innovative new 3D printer to truly transform the product development process for product designers and engineers everywhere. Not only does the J55 fit the budget of virtually any product design team, but the quality of the parts you can 3D print are best in class. It’s so simple that anyone can set it up and use it, and it’s so quiet you’ll forget it’s running,” said Omer Krieger, Executive Vice President of Products at Stratasys.
The J55 is unique in many ways, starting with a patented, first-of-its-kind rotating build platform with a fixed print head that makes maintenance easier and increases reliability. Something else that’s increased is the machine’s output, even though its footprint is smaller at 4.6 sq. ft. This fact, coupled with ultra-quiet operation and ProAero filtration for odor-free operation, makes the J55 a great solution for product design offices.
The J55 3D Printer operates using a first-of-its-kind rotational printing platform, maximizing print reliability and offering greater output from a small footprint.
In developing the J55, Stratasys prioritized a simpler print workflow for designers. The 3D printer is supported by GrabCAD Print software, so that multiple common CAD files, like CATIA, Inventor, PTC Creo, Siemens NX, and SOLIDWORKS, and 3MF files, can be imported easily. Additionally, Stratasys is adding support for the latest 3MF color workflow for the first time through the use of KeyShot 3D rendering software from Luxion Inc.; this capability is currently in beta testing and is planned for later this year.
Designed to fit design studios and office spaces, the Stratasys J55 suits the budget of virtually any product design team, without compromising on part quality.
“We know that the risk and time involved with traditional prototyping simply doesn’t work anymore, yet there’s no room for compromise on design. Designers can and should do a lot more prototyping in-house, from initial concept modeling to highly realistic final prototypes,” said Tim Greene, a 3D printing research director at IDC, about how the product design process needs to change in order to match the current industry. “It’s just been a matter of bringing enterprise quality to a design shop’s price point and workspace. And now we’re there.”
Stratasys says that the J55 was created as a “smaller but equally capable complement” to its enterprise J8 series. The system offers the same great detail and resolution as the rest of the series, its 3D printed models match the color, finish, material, and shape of final products, and the entire design process is supported with same day send-to-print and little post-processing required.
The J55 opens up advanced full-color, multi-material 3D printing to everyday designers, giving them the power to significantly enhance product development.
Tony Guard, the Director of Innovation and Industrial Design at Kinetic Vision, stated, “There is no way to validate 2D designs without a realistic 3D model, it’s simply not possible.”
The Cincinnati-based company, designated an “essential business” during the COVID-19 pandemic, employs 175 people and creates products for businesses of all sizes, ranging from startups to Fortune 50 companies, in many industries, including aerospace, consumer electronics, medical, and packaged goods. Kinetic Vision is using the new J55, but with employee capacity so low, it seemed setup would be difficult. But Guard says a single employee, with remote support from Stratasys, was able to do it.
“My jaw dropped when I saw what the machine could do. We can validate products faster with form, color, finish, graphics, everything. We can offer our clients tangible 3D-printed models that represent a final retail product, faster than we ever could before,” he said. “I’d love the J55 to be our secret strategic advantage, but I don’t think it will be a secret for long.”
The J55 3D Printer combines realism and productivity, including high fidelity and five simultaneously printed materials that enable nearly 500,000 colors, PANTONE Validation, realistic textures and transparency in one printed part.
The J55 mixes productivity and realism so that users can achieve fast, full-color, and realistic designs. It offers high fidelity and full CMF (color, material, finish) capabilities, including five high-performance PolyJet materials, including support, that can be printed at the same time – allowing operators to avoid downtime due to material changes. The printer enables nearly 500,000 X-Rite-based color profiles, multiple textures, PANTONE validated color, and transparency with VeroClear material; VeroUltraClear will available later this year.
Other specs include:
remote monitoring
22-liter maximum build volume
accuracy of ±100μ
hands-free soluble support removal
503 lbs
Orders are being taken now for the new Stratasys J55 3D printer, which is expected to ship in July 2020. Check out the video here to learn more about the J55.
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In today’s 3D Printing News Briefs, we’re covering a range of topics. First, Digital Alloys is sharing a guide on the cold spray metal 3D printing process. UPM just launched its new GrowInk Bioinks product range. STPL3D offered its 3D printing expertise to help with a complex orthopaedic surgery, and the Smithsonian Institution is using Mimaki’s full-color 3D printer to make virus models for an exhibit. Finally, 3D printing was used to give an ancient mummy a voice…sort of.
Digital Alloys’ Cold Spray Guide
Massachusetts-based Digital Alloys has been publishing a Guide to Metal Additive Manufacturing, and the 16th part is all about Cold Spray technology, which was used as a coating process for many years before it was adapted into a metal 3D printing technology for rapid fabrication of near-net-shape parts. The technology uses pressurized gas to rapidly fire metal powders through a nozzle, aimed at the deposition point, with high enough velocity to create a metallurgical bond on impact but without melting the material. High-pressure Cold Spray systems allow for the processing of heavier materials, like steel and titanium alloys, while low-pressure systems use ambient air as a propellant, making them better for more ductile metals, like copper and aluminum.
“Cold Spray’s advantages include compatibility with heat-sensitive materials, low thermal stresses, and the ability to operate in an open (non-inert) environment. Disadvantages include restrictive part geometry, low density and accuracy, and material embrittlement,” the blog post states. “This post provides an overview of Cold Spray metal AM technology: how it works, geometry capability, material compatibility, economics, applications, and current state of commercialization.”
UPM Launched GrowInk Product Range
Biomaterials company UPM, which introduced the biocomposite 3D printing material Formi 3D two years ago, is now launching a new line of hydrogels. The GrowInk 3D printing product range, which consists of non-animal derived, ready-to-use hydrogels, was introduced at the recent SLAS2020 conference. These bioinks, made up of water and nanofibrillar cellulose, support cell growth and differentiation by mimicking the in vivo environment, and are compatible with a wide range of 3D printers.
GrowInk Bioinks provide excellent imaging quality, and are perfect for many different 3D bioprinting applications, such as scaffold preparation and cell encapsulation for drug discovery, regenerative medicine, and tissue engineering. Additionally, UPM is also expanding its GrowDex product range with the sterile hydrogel GrowDex-A, which was created to debind biotinylated molecules, like antibiotics and peptides.
STPL3D Provides 3D Printing Help in Orthopedic Surgery
In December, 14-year-old Aaska Shah from India sustained multiple fractures to her left elbow while playing, and at her young age, a prosthetic implant would only compromise her natural movements. So doctors were left with no choice but to operate, using clamps to keep the bone pieces in place. Aaska’s surgery was denied because of how complex it would be, but Dr. Jignesh Pandya took on the task, and partnered up with Agam Shah from 3D printing service STPL3D to create a 3D printed resin model of the patient’s fractured elbow bone for surgical planning.
“Dr Pandya and his team first reviewed x-rays and 2D scans of the patient and reviewed their surgical plan. The doctors were a little concerned because there are a frightening amount of things that can go wrong during the operation but refused to give up hope,” an STPL3D blog post states. “The doctors have faced many challenges during the operation like deciding the clamp length and attaching points in the bone but the surgeries were successful largely thanks to the skilled surgeons.”
The doctors said the 3D model gave them “greater confidence,” and the patient was also on the operation table for roughly 25% less time.
Smithsonian Institution 3D Printing Full-Color Virus Models
This image shows the Influenza virus model, created using the Mimaki 3DUJ-553 3D printer, in an opened position. The clear disk that contains the eight purple capsids and the eight yellow RNA strands has been removed from the green envelope. Image credit: Carolyn Thome/SIE
The world’s largest museum, education, and research complex, the Smithsonian Institution, is working with Mimaki USA to help with art, cultural, educational, and science exhibits and experiences. The Maryland-based Smithsonian Exhibits’ (SIE) studios works with the Institution’s offices and museums, and the federal government, to help plan engaging exhibits, as well as create models for research and public programs. The SIE team is using the full-color Mimaki 3DUJ-553 3D printer to create detailed, 3D printed models of enlarged viruses for the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History’s Outbreak: Epidemics in a Connected World exhibition.
“We are pleased to be a part of the Smithsonian Institution’s efforts to engage and inspire audiences through the increase and diffusion of knowledge. This printer will enable the Smithsonian to use new technologies to produce exhibits in new ways, particularly for creating models and tactile elements that help bring exhibits to life for all visitors,” stated Josh Hope, Sr. Manager, 3D Printing & Engineering Projects at Mimaki USA.
3D Printed Vocal Tract for Mummy
The 3D printed trachea and mouth of Nesyamun. (Credit: David Howard/Royal Holloway, University of London)
We’ve seen 3D printing used multiple times to help bring the mysteries of mummies into the modern world, but here’s a new one: a team of researchers from the UK used 3D printing to help an ancient mummy speak. Together, they published a paper, titled “Synthesis of a Vocal Sound from the 3,000 year old Mummy, Nesyamun ‘True of Voice,’ about their work creating a 3D printed vocal box for the mummy. Nesyamun was an Egyptian priest who lived and died over 3,000 years ago, during the reign of Ramses XI. A scribe and incense-bearer who likely sang and chanted prayers at the temple in Thebes, his sarcophagus features an epithet that translates to “true of voice,” because as a priest, he would have said that he lived a virtuous life; this is the reason the researchers gave for their work being ethical. In 2016, the mummy was sent to a facility for CT scanning, which discovered that, while his soft palate was gone and his tongue was shapeless, his larynx and throat were still in good condition – perfect for an experiment to replicate his vocal tract and help him “speak.”
Egyptologist Joann Fletcher said, “The actual mummification process was key here. The superb quality of preservation achieved by the ancient embalmers meant that Nesyamun’s vocal tract is still in excellent shape.”
The team 3D printed a copy of Nesyamun’s vocal tract between the larynx and lips on a Stratysys Connex 260 system. The horn portion of a loudspeaker was removed and replaced with the artificial vocal box, and then connected to a computer to create an electronic waveform similar to what is used in common speech synthesizers. This setup was able to help produce a single vowel sound, which you can hear for yourself here.
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In today’s 3D Printing News Briefs, euspen plans to hold a Special Interest Group meeting in September centered around additive manufacturing, and an adjunct professor completed a comparison between a small SLS 3D printer and a large one. Moving on to interesting 3D printing projects, an artist teamed up with Mimaki to use full-color 3D printing to make a stage prop, a reddit user created an anti-cat button for an Xbox system, and an imgur user created a modular 3D printed fashion system.
euspen to Hold Special Interest Group Meeting on AM
The European Society for Precision Engineering and Nanotechnology (euspen) will be addressing the factors which are influencing an uptake of the use of additive manufacturing as a production technology at a Special Interest Group (SIG) meeting in September. The meeting, which will be co-hosted by the American Society of Precision Engineering (ASPE), will analyze the barriers to, and the opportunities for, the adoption of AM in production. It will be held from September 16-18 at the École Centrale de Nantes in France.
At the AM SIG meeting, issues that are, as euspen put it, “critical to the viability of AM as a production technology,” will be addressed. The co-chairs of the meeting are Professor Richard Leach from the University of Nottingham and Dr. John Taylor from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte. Local hosts and the organizing committee include Professor Alain Bernard from Centrale Nantes, Dr. David Bue Pedersen from the Technical University of Denmark, Professor Leach, and Dr. Taylor.
Comparison of Small and Large SLS 3D Printers
3D printers are often used in educational settings these days. Piotr Dudek, an adjunct professor at the AGH University of Science and Technology in Poland, runs a 3D printing lab at the school that both students and researchers frequent. While many technologies are used in the lab, SLS is the one that most interests Dudek, who decided to compare a big SLS system from EOS with the smaller Sinterit Lisa.
“We are using the big EOS SLS 3D printer for a long time and we wanted to compare it with Sinterit Lisa, check the possibilities of it. In SLS technology every detail matters. The temperature of the printing chamber, powder distribution system, heating or laser moving mechanism are very precise and important features. We wanted to test if Sinterit’s device is the valuable solution,” Dudek stated.
Larger 3D printers obviously have higher print volumes, but the down sides include difficult calibration, specialized training, and higher costs. In addition, it’s easy to mess up the calibration of a large 3D printer during transport. The Lisa 3D printer uses a gantry system, which comes pre-calibrated to save time, and it also uses less material, which means less money. The desktop printer is also much more student-friendly, making it the better choice for 3D printing labs like the one Professor Dudek runs.
Full-Color 3D Printed Stage Prop
A few months ago, 3DPrint.com heard from 3D printing specialist and Post Digital Artist Taketo Kobayashi, from the Ultra Modelers community, about an art exhibit in Japan that he helped organize which featured colorful, 3D printed works created on the Mimaki 3DUJ-553 full-color 3D printer. Recently, he reached out to us again with news of his latest Mimaki Engineering collaboration – a stage prop for the Japanese artist Saori Kanda, who performed with techno/trance band Shpongle at the Red Rocks Amphitheater in Colorado.
“It is a artwork,” Kobayashi told 3DPrint.com, “but also a utilization of full color 3D printing to entertainment field.”
The “Shpongle Mask,” which took 28 hours to print and mixed in Asian details, was worn onstage by Kanda as she performed her painting live with the band.
3D Printed Anti-Cat Xbox Button
reddit user Mbiggz was getting sick of their cat turning off the touch-sensitive button on the Xbox console while it was in use, which I can understand, having two cats of my own. So Mbiggz came up with the perfect solution – a 3D printed cover for the button. The design can be found on the maker’s Tinkercad account, as Mbiggz originally made the design for a Digital 3D class.
“Adhesive goes on the back part (it is labeled in the print). I’m a newcomer in terms of this so it’s not perfect,” Mbiggz wrote on Tinkercad. “Also, the door doesn’t open all the way, so you can fix it so that it does if you want to (even though it doesn’t really matter, there’s not really a need for it to open it all the way).”
3D Printed Modular Fashion System
hunter62610, a young imgur user, designed and 3D printed a Lego-like modular fabric system, which was featured in his school’s fashion show. He made two dresses that are made with a 3D printed prototype fabric pattern called Escher, which was designed to be “put together and taken apart” hundreds of times. It took him just two weeks to make the material, which the two young ladies who modeled the dresses said was fairly comfortable.
“The idea of the system is that theoretically, one could buy a fashion catalog filled with designs, and say 5000 links. Once could make every clothing item in the catalog, based on there needs. Perhaps that’s a pipe dream, but it’s a fun idea,” hunters62610 wrote.
“The Escher system is quite versatile. Each link acts like a free flowing Equilateral triangle, and has a male and female ball joint on each side. Every individual link is theoretically compatible with every other link. Special links are stored in the middle of this pouch that are really 3 merged links with a screw hole. If needed, these links can be used as elastic tie down points or buttons, if you screw in the buttons i made.”
A Makerbot Replicator Plus was used to print the fabric links in unique, small panels.
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As 3D printing arrived on the scene, surprising artists and designers with a certain level of self-sustainability in creation never experienced before, the hunger for more, more, more in terms of options became almost immediate—and mainly with a desire for more color. There have been forays into 3D printing with color and full-color 3D printers, but for the most part there has still been a wait while manufacturers have been busy developing a wide range of hardware, software, and alternative materials (in a basic array of monotones and colors) that can take on everything from construction to saving lives via tissue engineering. So far, color has generally taken a backseat while the important work was getting figured out.
We learned about the ColorPod though a few years ago, as a device for several RepRap Cartesian style 3D printer variants that allows for 3D printing in full color. In development by Aad van der Geest for years now, the device has evolved into a customized, streamlined workaround for having it all while 3D printing, and you can take matters further into your own resourceful hands by making your own parts for the DualBox add-on too—turning your FDM 3D printer into a full-color powder machine.
The bottom pulls itself up with threads that are wound around the axis of a geared stepper motor. (Photo: Hackaday)
Today, the versatile ColorPod works with most 3D printers, supports .stl and .obj 3D model files, and is accompanied by supporting software. Objects are 3D printed in full color as the unit dispenses colored droplets on powder in the DualBox add-on, comprised of two compact units: the feeder box, which moves up; and the model box, which moves down. Powder is dispersed from one box to the other in thin layers with a spinning roller, and cross sections are fabricated with ink and water on the powder.
Professional powder from gecko-3d.com is recommended by the developer for better accuracy in printing. 3D models can be printed up to 110 X 70 X 50 mm. For $499, you can buy the set to make your own DualBox, with components to include:
500 gr gecko 3d powder
1 HP45 cartridge filled with clear fluid
2 plexiglass box cutout set
1 plexiglass bridge part
2 geared stepper motor
4 bottom axis support
4 box fixing plate
10 nylon M3 screws 5mm
1 servo modified for continuous rotation
1 resistor 100k on connector
1 resistor 820E on connector
1 dyneema thread 1200 mm
1 screw terminal
1 geeetech sync cable
1 endswitch conversion cable
1 5V regulator with cable
1 rubber band
2 ball bearing with outside diameter 16mm
1 stainless steel tube 210X20X2 mm
1 supply cable male
1 supply cable female
1 fuse holder with 2A fuse
2 M3 threaded rod 80mm
1 M4 threaded rod 96mm
1 metal spring
2 M2 screw 20mm
2 M2 screw 12mm
4 M2 nut
4 M2 washer
Other parts must be 3D printed to complete the set.
Build the basic container using sticky tape. Numbers are engraved on the outside of the container. Later you can make the final unit with super glue. (Photo: vouwbad)
With the advent of 3D printing, users were thrilled with the capability to design a 3D object and then be able to produce it on their own too, whether in a home workshop, professional, or industrial setting. While choices for post-processing and finishing could include intricate painting and detailing, quickly, the ability to print in more complex ways evolved with multi-materials and multi-components, full-color printers by HP and Mcor, and more. Innovations such as the ColorPod give users even more options for producing spectacular prototypes, parts, and artistic works.
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While attending SOLIDWORKS World 2019 in Dallas recently, I learned during my interview with Stratasys that the company’s multi-material J750 3D printer, which offers over 500,000 different color combinations, was the only 3D printer used during production of Missing Link, the latest stop motion animation film from Oregon-based LAIKA. The movie is about Sir Lionel Frost (Hugh Jackman), an investigator of myths and monsters, and the legendary Sasquatch (Zach Galifianakis), better known as Mr. Link, or Susan. Together with Sir Lionel’s old friend Adelina Fortnight (Zoe Saldana), they set out across the globe on a mission to find the long-lost valley of Shangri-la, said to be home to the Yetis…who just might be Mr. Link’s long-lost cousins.
The film takes place all around the world, including London, a ship on the ocean, a logging town in Santa Ana, snowy mountains, and a forest in the Pacific Northwest…which is where I was last week. I was lucky enough to join a group of other journalists on a behind-the-scenes tour of the studio ahead of the film’s release on April 12th. Take a look at the trailer below:
It took LAIKA roughly five years to make Missing Link, which director and writer Chris Butler called its “most ambitious film to date.” It was also the first to feature bespoke facial animation, as the Stratasys J750 was used to create the film’s over 106,000 3D printed faces. Thanks to the “amazing level of nuance” of the characters’ facial expressions, it’s much easier to become emotionally invested in these silicone puppets for a full-length feature film. LAIKA uses Maya to design the 3D printable faces for its stop motion puppets, which easily snap on and off with coded magnets…an ingenious solution for switching the many facial expressions that make up a character.
While on the tour, we had the chance to see plenty of movie magic, and speak to the people responsible for making it happen, including the studio’s head of production, costume designer, creative lead, practical effects director, supervising production designer, and VFX supervisor. The only thing that could have made the day better, at least in my book, was if Hugh Jackman himself had strolled in during the tour…which sadly did not happen.
However, we did get the chance to hear from Brian McLean, LAIKA’s Director of Rapid Prototyping, about the studio’s use of 3D printing to make the faces for its stop motion animation characters. LAIKA is no stranger to Stratasys technology, having worked with its J750 3D printer since 2015, but its 3D printing journey began long before then.
The studio’s first 3D printer, which was used to make the faces for its 2009 film Coraline, was the compact Objet Eden260 from Stratasys, which uses Polyjet technology and has been used to create other stop motion animation projects in the past. This 3D printer jets down liquid resin and liquid support in very fine layers, which are then cured by UV lights.
“The reason why we chose this technology was because it was known for its precision and known for its accuracy, especially those fine feature details,” McLean explained.
Because the Objet Eden260 was a single material system, the faces for Coraline were all 3D printed in white resin and then hand-painted. While McLean said the 3D printer was “amazing,” he noted that it did rather limit the level of sophistication that could be used when painting the characters.
The next logical step was color, which is why LAIKA used 3D Systems’ ZPrinter 650 (now known as the ProJet 660Pro) for its films ParaNorman and The BoxTrolls, as it was the only color 3D printer on the market at the time, though McLean said it “was a bear” to work. The ZPrinter 650 features colored glue in cyan, yellow, and magenta, which is sprayed through an inkjet head onto fine layers of white powder.
Unfortunately, this 3D printer only provided a 60% yield on LAIKA’s 3D printed faces, because the dry powder is exposed to the ambient temperature and humidity in the studio. In McLean’s words, Portland is “rainy as hell,” which means that the powder is absorbing lots of humidity. So any puppet face that’s 3D printed will come out looking different in the winter than it does in the summer, which doesn’t do a lot for consistency. That’s why LAIKA was excited to enter the world of resin color 3D printing.
“We had resin in just black and white, then we had color, but the color was powder. The goal had always been, and the exciting thing was, as soon as we can get colored resin, then we have the best of both worlds – we have the precision and the accuracy and the repeatability, but we can add color,” McLean explained.
LAIKA used the Stratasys Connex3, which wasn’t in the room during the tour, to help create three characters for its 2016 film Kubo and The Two Strings. Unfortunately, it only offered a total of three mixable color options. But then Stratasys came out with the J750, which “gave you the ability to print six colors at once.” LAIKA was actually a beta user for the J750, before immediately purchasing “the first five off the assembly line” once the multi-material system was officially released.
“So long story short, we saw this technology, we thought it was where the industry was going, and we got a few of the printers in,” McLean said.
“The hardware that Stratasys had created was really cool, but the software was really limiting, and we ended up partnering with an independent software developer that allowed us to do this really advanced color placement with resin placement.”
McLean explained that after a conference presentation on The BoxTrolls, a LAIKA employee ended up sitting next to a representative from the far-reaching Fraunhofer research organization, who mentioned the organization’s Cuttlefish advanced slicer software. Fraunhofer’s software, which McLean said “saw through” voxel and resin development, intrigued the studio.
“We take for granted a lot of color technology because of the decades that have gone into color calibration in 2D printing,” McLean said. “We’re very used to being able to see a picture on our computer screen and print it out on our inkjet printer and the colors come out pretty accurate.”
Stratasys was willing to let LAIKA use Cuttlefish with the Connex3 and J750, but when it released the GrabCAD Voxel Print software solution in 2017, its software capabilities were expanded to allow for, among other things, better control of voxel-level colors.
“So we were able to leverage the research that Fraunhofer had done, combine it with the hardware that Stratasys had created, and during the production of ‘Missing Link,’ we were able to produce 3D color printed faces that literally no one else in the world had the sophistication to do.”
The J750 also works fast, as McLean explained that a whole row of unique character faces, with different expressions, can be 3D printed in about an hour and 35 minutes.
“Complexity doesn’t add time to the printing process,” he explained. “The only thing that adds time to the printing process is how tall an object is.”
McLean also showed us the “nightmare fuel” of what was underneath the 3D printed puppet faces, calling the whole set-up “really fancy Mr. Potato Heads.” The faces are more like 3D printed masks with eye holes, while the eyes underneath can be subtly moved with an X-acto knife.
“We will spend anywhere between six months to sometimes even as long as a year designing the character’s head,” McLean said. “And when I say designing the character’s head, I’m not talking about what he looks like, I’m talking about what the audience never sees – the internal components. And the reason we spend so much time is we want to give the animators ultimate control when they’re out on set.
“People have heard that cliche saying – the eyes are the windows to the soul. There’s a tremendous amount of performance and life that the animators are pumping through these characters through the eyes. So we want to make sure that this little mechanism that we’ve created and engineered is going to give them the ultimate control that they need.
“Certain animators will want different tension…some animators want the eyeball to be loose, other animators want the eyeball to be tight. Or they’ll want the lid to be loose, and other ones want it tight. So this [mechanism] you can independently tension the eyelid or the eyeball. Now the thing that’s really crazy about certain eyelids is that this is just a vacu-formed thin sheet of plastic. But when you watch it animate, you can’t tell that that’s just a thin piece of plastic.”
LAIKA needed to find an innovative way to animate both the face and the connecting fur of the character Mr. Link, whom McLean hilariously referred to as “an avocado with a face.” It took the studio over a year to come up with a driver system, which is 3D printed out of strong ABS and has embedded magnets inside, which push and pull the fur of Mr. Link’s head into shapes that match the rest of the face.
By using 3D printing to make the faces, the studio is taking the “normal steps of animation and flipping it on their heads.”
“Normally in animation…the animators will go through, they’ll draw it out, they’ll block out the scene, they’ll get the body movements all defined and the timing just right and the acting, and then the last thing that they do is they add the facial animation on top,” McLean explained. “We’re doing facial animation months before an animator’s even on set with their puppet. Because of our process of needing to animate faces, send them to the printer, print out hundreds and hundreds of faces for a shot, process them, test them, and deliver them, we need months to do that. So when an animator is out on set, they are doing a live action performance with the body, they’re capturing it in real time frame by frame, but the facial animation is already pre-determined and already locked down.”
When asked, McLean said they have thought about 3D printing the puppets themselves, especially as the technology is being slowly adopted throughout the various departments in LAIKA. So we’ll see what comes next for the innovative studio.
Missing Link comes out on April 12th, and I for one can’t wait to buy my ticket…I haven’t even seen it yet and I’m already emotionally invested in these amazing puppets.
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The UV-cure inkjet Mimaki 3DUJ-553 3D printer, based on patented technology with a maximum build size of 508 x 508 x 305 mm, is a fully ICC-compliant, color-managed device that offers high-quality, precise 3D printing, and has numerous enhancements so it can produce full color, realistic objects up to 20″ x 12″ with fine detail and high definition. The system offers over 10 million color combinations for photorealistic output, and can also achieve 90% of SWOP colors.
The 3DUJ-553 is able to produce color-accurate prototypes and objects without using manual coloring by hand, which allows users to majorly decrease finishing times. Because it offers so many colors, Mimaki’s 600 kg 3D printer is perfect for applications such as sign-making, prototyping, architectural elevations, modeling, short run fulfillment, and stunning, detailed artwork.
3DPrint.com recently heard from 3D printing specialist and Post Digital Artist Taketo Kobayashi, from the Ultra Modelers community, about an art exhibit he’s helping to organize that will soon be held in Japan and features colorful, 3D printed works created on Mimaki’s 3DUJ-553 by other members of the Ultra Modelers community.
“This is not just a art exhibit but also showing the future of entertainment field such as figure merchandise with using 3D printer,” Kobayashi told us.
“It is a great opportunity to actually experience the possibilities of full color 3D printing…”
According to Kobayashi, Ultra Modelers is made up of people who are actively participating “in CG art, design, entertainment and additive manufacturing.” The creative community’s purpose, in addition to exhibiting their collective pieces of art, is to be a “communication hub of artists, students who are learning CG, schools and corporations.”
“Ultra Modelers will create “connections” between those CG artist,” Kobayashi told 3DPrint.com. “Connecting dots will create synergy which energize CG and additive manufacturing industries, and will create opportunity of learning from each other.”
Ultra Modelers held its first exhibit in Osaka in November of 2018, and due to its “favorable reception,” the community, which currently consists of a dozen members, will be hosting a second exhibition. Tomorrow, March 15th, Ultra Modelers is holding a one day limited exhibit of its members’ colorful, 3D printed pieces at Mimaki Engineering’s showroom in Gotanda, Tokyo.
“There’s so many diverse way to output digital artworks now. Art, digital molding, animation,” Kobayashi told us. “11 top creators from different field of CG gathered for this exhibit and they will create original brand new artworks. 12 artworks schedule to be exhibited.”
All of the 3D printed pieces of art in this week’s exhibit were fabricated on Mimaki’s 3DUJ-553 3D printer. In addition to the exhibition, three seminars will also be taking place at Mimaki’s showroom, two of which will be focused on 3D modeling using ZBrush.
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We’ve got some exciting dental news to share first in today’s 3D Printing News Briefs – Stratasys just announced its new full-color dental 3D printer at LMT Lab Day. Moving on, Farsoon has been busy developing an advanced pure copper laser sintering process, and Aether is working with Procter & Gamble on a joint development project. DyeMansion has announced a new UK distributor for its products, and three researchers address the challenges of adopting additive manufacturing in a new book about best practices in the AM industry.
Stratasys Introduces Full-Color Dental 3D Printer
This week at LMT Lab Day Chicago, the largest dental laboratory event in the US, Stratasys has introduced its new full-color, multi-material J720 Dental 3D printer which lets you have 500,000 color combinations for making very high resolution, patient-specific models. Its large build tray can print six materials at the same time, and it’s backed by GrabCAD Print software.
“Labs today operate in a very competitive space where differentiation counts on mastering the digital workflow and expanding into new products and services. The J720 Dental 3D Printer is designed to change the game – allowing levels of speed, productivity and realism the market has never seen,” said Barry Diener, Dental Segment Sales Leader for Stratasys. “This powers laboratories to meet the demands of a competitive market and push the boundaries of digital dentistry.”
See the new J720 Dental 3D printer at LMT Lab Day Chicago today and tomorrow at Stratasys Booth A9. It’s expected to be available for purchase this May.
Farsoon 3D Printing Pure Copper
Pure copper heat exchanger
Two years ago, after Farsoon Technologies had introduced its metal laser sintering system, the company’s application team began working with industrial partners to develop an advanced 3D printing process that could additively produce components made of pure copper. Copper is a soft, ductile metal with both high electrical and thermal conductivity, and it’s often used in industries like shipbuilding, electronics, automotive, and aerospace. But most additive copper is based on alloys, and not the pure metal itself, which is hard for lasers to regularly and continuously melt and can cause problems like thermal cracking and interface failure.
That’s why Farsoon’s work is important – all of its metal laser sintering systems can successfully create cost-effective, high-quality pure copper parts. The company’s process and unique parametric design is able to meet custom needs of customers, and to date, it’s launched 13 process parameters for metal powder sintering, including pure copper. Some of the parts that have come out of Farsoon’s recent collaborations include a pure copper heat exchanger, which featured a 0.5 mm wall thickness, complex spiral geometry and was printed in a single piece. Farsoon is open for additional partners seeking to further develop the 3D printing of pure copper and other specialized materials.
Aether and Procter & Gamble Begin Joint Development Project
Aether CEO Ryan Franks and Director of Engineering Marissa Buell with an Aether 1
San Francisco 3D bioprinting startup Aether has entered into a two-year joint development agreement with Procter & Gamble (P&G) in order to develop 3D printing and artificial intelligence technologies. The two will use the multi-material, multi-tool Aether 1 3D printer as a technology creation platform, and will create several hardware and software capabilities that hope to automate and improve P&G’s product research applications and develop a next-generation Aether 3D printer. An interconnected network of computer vision and AI algorithms aims to increase automation for multi-tool and multi-material 3D printing, while high-performance cameras will enable new robotics capabilities. Aether is also working on additional software that will help P&G automate and speed up image processing.
“Aether is working with P&G to completely redefine 3D printing. It’s no longer going to be just about depositing a material or two in a specific pattern. We’re building something more like an intelligent robotic craftsman, able to perform highly complex tasks with many different tools, visually evaluate and correct its work throughout the fabrication process, and constantly learn how to improve,” said Aether CEO and Founder Ryan Franks.
DyeMansion Names New UK Distributor
3D print finishing systems distributor DyeMansion, headquartered in Munich, announced that Cheshire-based 3D printing services supplier Europac3D will be the UK distributor for its range of machines. Per the agreement, Europac3D will now offer all of the AM finishing systems in DyeMansion’s Print-to-Product workflow, which includes its Powershot C powder blasting system, DM60 industrial coloring system, and the PowerShot S, which delivers homogeneous surface quality to 3D printed, powder-based plastics. Because of this, Europac3D is one step closer to achieving its mission of being a one-stop shop for 3D printing, scanning, and post-processing services.
“DyeMansion’s post-production systems are worldclass and add the all important finish to additive manufacturing,” said John Beckett, the Managing Director of Europac3D. “Their systems are perfect for companies or 3D print bureaus that have multiple SLS or HP 3D printers and allow us to extend our offer by providing market leading additive manufacturing finishing systems for 3D-printed polymer parts.”
New 3D Printing ‘Best Practices’ Book
We could go on and on about the many benefits offered by 3D printing (and we do), but there are still industry executives who remain unconvinced when it comes to adopting the technology. But a new book, titled “Additive Manufacturing Change Management: Best Practices” and released today, is here to provide some guidance for those still holding back. The book, which addresses some of the challenges of adopting 3D printing, was published by CRC Press as part of its Continuous Improvement Series and written by Dr. Elizabeth A. Cudney, an associate professor of engineering management and systems engineering at the Missouri University of Science and Technology, along with Divergent 3D’s VP of Additive Manufacturing Michael Kenworthy and Dr. David M. Dietrich, who is an Additive Manufacturing Engineering Design Fellow for Honeywell Aerospace and Dr. Cudney’s former doctoral student.
Dr. Cudney said, “If company leaders are interested in bringing additive manufacturing online, this book can help them decide if it makes sense for their industry.
“There’s often a lack of planning, a lack of understanding, a resistance to change and sometimes fear of the unknown. Our hope is that this book will provide a good road map for managers to advance additive manufacturing at a faster pace.
“We wanted to take a look at how companies can roll out a new technology, new processes and equipment and integrate that in such a way that you have a good product in the end.”
In the 17-chapter book, the authors present what Dr. Cudney refers to as a ‘road map’ for business leaders looking to adopt 3D printing. The eBook format costs $52.16, but if you want that shiny new hardcover version, it will set you back $191.25.
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Today in Las Vegas, CES 2019 officially kicked off, though the official CES Unveiled media event took place on Sunday at the Mandalay Bay hotel. Taiwan-based 3D printer manufacturer XYZprinting attended the media event and showed off its newest product, the consumer-oriented da Vinci Color mini, which was first introduced this summer. The company plans on unveiling several additions to its 3D printer line at the show this year, including an upgraded extruder option and an expanded filament line.
XYZprinting is committed to making 3D printing more accessible to the masses, and the compact da Vinci Color mini, its second-generation desktop full-colored FFF 3D printer, is crushing full-color 3D printing size and price barriers. It’s a good choice for consumers, designers, makers, and small business owners looking to use full-color 3D printing for the purposes of prototyping. The da Vinci Color mini uses the company’s 3DColorJet technology, which creates millions of color combinations by applying a single CMY ink cartridge to a color-absorbing PLA filament; however, it’s also possible to print in monochrome if you wish.
“Our investment in full-color 3d printing technology has opened the door to the next level of 3D printing innovation. By providing an affordable and compact full-color printer, we are very pleased to be bringing color 3D printing technology within reach for small businesses, schools, designers, makers and general consumers,” said XYZprinting CEO Simon Shen. “We will continue to provide innovative, high-quality 3D printers while making it affordable for everyone to utilize this technology and incorporate it into their daily lives.”
The da Vinci Color mini features a 5″ color touchscreen, which gives users an intuitive way to work the user interface, and also comes with a 5.1″ x 5.1″ x 5.1″ EZ-removable print bed.
In addition, there are several upgradeable options for the desktop 3D printer, such as a Laser Engraver module for engraving on leather, paper, wood, and other materials, and a Hardened Steel nozzle for 3D printing with some of the company’s newest materials.
The newest filaments by XYZprinting include a Metallic PLA and a Carbon Fiber PLA, which gives users access to higher-performing materials. The Hardened Steel nozzle upgrade, which is very wear-resistant in terms of these more abrasive materials, will cost 119.95 with the da Vinci Color series, and $79.95 for select XYZprinting 3D printers, like the da Vinci mini-series and the da Vinci Jr. Pro. series.
The company also launched an additional new filament that was designed with antibacterial properties. The special Antibacterial PLA inhabits bacterial growth by at least 99% through the use of silver ions, which majorly lowers the risk of infections.
Antibacterial PLA
Because the Antibacterial PLA comes with enhanced protection against germs and infections, it’s a safer and more hygienic choice of material for young kids who are just starting to learn about 3D printing. Educators and parents who use this new filament can rest assured that their 3D printing experience will yield safe, functional prints that can be used in the household and the classroom with no worries. A 600 gram spool of XYZprinting’s new Antibacterial PLA costs $29.95 on the company’s online eShop, and the material is compatible with the company’s Color series, Nano series, da Vinci Jr. and Jr. Pro series, and the da Vinci Super 3D printer.
The company’s newest 3D printer, along with its other new products, materials, and accompanying software, will be available for purchase by the end of the first quarter of 2019 on the XYZprinting online eShop. At just $1,599, the da Vinci Color mini is a more affordable option for users interested in full-color 3D printing. You can take a look at all of these new products, along with a range of other commercial 3D printers and ancillary products, at XYZprinting’s booth #31524 in South Hall 3 of the Las Vegas Convention Center (LVCC) at CES 2019 this week.
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We’re starting with some business news in today’s 3D Printing News Briefs, and then moving on to an award. A British company is the first automotive consumer retail brand built entirely around 3D printing, which is a pretty big deal. Oerlikon has a new online instant quoting and tracking tool, while MakePrintable has released some new updates and Additive Industries is launching a new center in Singapore. Finally, the SMS Group has won a prestigious award.
First Automotive Consumer Retail Brand Built Around 3D Printing
Leeds-based digital manufacturing company Carbon Performance uses 3D printing, artificial intelligence, and blockchain to design and fabricate lightweight, next-generation automotive components that are environmentally sustainable. Recently, the company designed an suspension upright for a Lotus Elise sports car that was 3D printed in aluminum. The part, with an organic design, ended up being 25% more lightweight and was consolidated from a total of nine parts into just one.
But what really sets Carbon Performance apart is that it packages up its 3D printed automotive components and retails them to end customers, which technically makes the company the first automotive consumer retail brand in the world that’s built entirely around 3D printing. Take a look at its short promo video below:
Oerlikon Offering New Online Tool
Swiss technology and engineering group Oerlikon is now offering a new online tool to help its customers save time with their on-demand manufacturing and rapid prototyping needs. The company is offering an online instant quoting and tracking tool that’s capable of handling a large variety of metal and polymer part needs.
The tool is easy to use – just upload your CAD file and prepare your part for 3D printing by choosing from available options. Then, Oerlikon will 3D print your part, and you can track the order until it’s sent quickly right to your door. The company is even offering a discount for the first order you place in its new service through December 31st, 2018. Simply enter the promo code AMFIRST in the Oerlikon AM online quoting tool to take advantage of the deal.
MakePrintable Releases New Updates
Speaking of tools, the MakePrintable service launched by San Francisco startup Mixed Dimensions back in 2014 has just released a few major updates. It already offers such services as easy, automated 3D file fixing and better user efficiency in 3D printing, and is now rolling out its latest – a pay per download service and a full color 3D printing service. The first lets customers repair files, then pay if they’re pleased with the quality, without having to purchase a subscription, while the latter service is able to produce “unmatched quality prints at competitive pricing compared to others in the industry.”
“When we designed our printing service we focused heavily on all pillars (quality, speed and cost) as we know how much expensive and problematic it is to get quality prints and even to get past most 3D printing services checkout process,” Baha Abunojaim, Co-Founder and CTO of Mixed Dimensions, told 3DPrint.com. “At MakePrintable we guarantee our users a smooth and fast experience with a competitive pricing point while also leveling up the quality thanks to our years of research and robust file preparation technology.”
Additive Industries Announces New Center in Singapore
After an official State Visit from Mdm Halimah Yacob, the President of the Republic of Singapore, to its Eindhoven headquarters, Additive Industries announced that it would be building a Process & Application Development (PAD) Center in Singapore. The company plans to build its newly launched PAD Center up into a regional Asia Pacific hub for customer support and local development. The PAD Center will also serve as a competence center for the industrialization of metal 3D printing within the company itself, with special market focus on important regional verticals like semiconductor equipment and aerospace applications.
“Singapore is an ideal stepping stone for Additive Industries’ growth ambitions in the Asia-Pacific region,” said Daan Kersten, the CEO of Additive Industries. “It is a natural hub with great infrastructure, it’s an excellent fit with our target markets and the governmental support accelerates our execution.”
3D Printed Spray Header by SMS Group Wins Award
A group of companies that’s internationally active in plant construction and mechanical engineering for the steel and nonferrous metals industry known as the SMS Group just announced that it won the German Design Award 2019, in the Industry category, for its 3D printed spray head for forging plants. This is likely the first time a small machine component like the spray head, which is used to cool dies in forging presses, has won one of these awards, so it’s a pretty big deal. The 3D printed spray head is the result of a joint effort between the group’s Forging Plants Department, Additive Manufacturing Project Team, and simulation technology experts. While it is a small component, it’s certainly mighty – it was designed to fulfill its function in the most efficient way possible. 3D printing helped to make the spray head smaller, less expensive, easily customizable, and made it possible to add flow optimized channels for cooling die heads.
“Winning the Design Award makes us extremely proud. It is recognition of many teams within SMS group whose work is characterized by a highly interdisciplinary approach,” said Axel Roßbach, Research and Development Extrusion and Forging Presses with the SMS group GmbH. “The spray head is a milestone innovation marking a new era in the design of plant and machine components, enabled by the game-changing potential of 3D printing and function-optimized design. The design of a machine part is today no longer limited by the constraints imposed by conventional – process-optimized – forming and machining techniques. Supported by latest software and computer technology, we can now give a component exactly the design that fulfils its designated function in the best possible way. Another important aspect is that we have used new materials. Therefore the Award honors not only a new design, but above all the new way of thinking lived within SMS group, which has materialized in a global approach to Additive Manufacturing.”
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