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3D Printing News Briefs: May 30, 2019

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.

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

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3D Printing News Briefs: May 26, 2019

This year’s RAPID + TCT ended late last week at the Cobo Center in Detroit, so we’re again starting off today’s 3D Printing News Briefs with more news from the busy show floor. DyeMansion launched a new extended color series at RAPID, while 3D Systems made the announcement that its Figure 4 Modular is now available. Moving on, SLM Solutions just celebrated the grand opening of its new Shanghai application center. Finally, a Reddit user made an adorable miniature 3D printer.

RAPID 2019: DyeMansion’s New Colors

DyeMansion at RAPID 2019 [Image: Sarah Saunders]

Munich startup DyeMansion, a leader in finishing and coloring solutions for 3D printing, launched its new ColorsX extended color series for end-use products at RAPID last week, in order to continue helping its customers achieve the perfect finish for all of their applications. Automotive ColorsX and Neon ColorsX are the first solutions under the startup’s X Colors for X Industries premise, with more to follow in the future. The automotive color line has improved light and heat resistance for better 3D printed polyamide components and interior car parts, and features Automotive BlackX, which has a less saturated black tone than DyeMansion’s basic DM Black 01 and was created according to ISO EN 105 B06 method 3’s hot irradiation standards. The luminous neon color line includes GreenX, YellowX, OrangeX and PinkX to help create striking end-use products. Both of these new color lines are compatible with DyeMansion’s PolyShot Surfacing (PSS) and VaporFuse Surfacing (VFS).

“Some of our earliest customers who made use of DyeMansion Print-to-Product technologies for serial production are from the Automotive and Lifestyle industries,” explained Kai Witter, DyeMansion’s Chief Customer Officer. “While working closely with our customers, joint strategies are always about creating even more value to their businesses. So, I feel very delighted to now offer additional value creating products. Automotive and Neon ColorsX are only the beginning of providing more specific industry offers.”

Once DyeMansion decided to launch its ColorsX series, it also named the coloring process it established back in 2015: DeepDye Coloring (DDC), which can be easily controlled and traced through integrated RFID technology and offers a limitless choice of custom colors.

RAPID 2019: 3D Systems Announces General Availability of Figure 4 Modular

Also at RAPID last week, 3D Systems announced the general availability of its scalable Figure 4 Modular production platform. The flexible digital light printing (DLP) system has multiple configurations that can print parts with high surface quality, and allows manufacturers to iterate designs more quickly, as well as produce end-use parts without having to worry about a minimum order quantity. Three models make up the Figure 4 – Standalone, Production, and Modular – and several customers, such as D&K Engineering and Midwest Prototyping, are reaping the benefits. Additionally, 3D Systems also announced five new DLP and SLS materials, the first of which is the immediately available Figure 4 FLEX-BLK 10. The other new Figure 4 materials, such as TOUGH-BLK 20, MED-AMB 10, MED-WHT 10, and HI-TEMP-AMB 250, are expected to be available in Q3 and Q4 of 2019.

“The newest additions to our plastic 3D printing portfolio demonstrate our commitment to driving the adoption of digital manufacturing. With the industry’s first, truly scalable plastic production platform and our robust selection of materials, 3D Systems enables customers to rethink manufacturing and realize improved agility, reduced complexity, and lower overall total cost of operation,” said Vyomesh Joshi, the President and CEO of 3D Systems.

3D Systems also announced that its customers Rodin Cars (based in New Zealand) and North Carolina-based Stewart-Haas Racing are using its plastic and metal 3D printing solutions to improve the speed and performance of their cars.

SLM Solutions Celebrates Opening of New Shanghai Application Center

The same year that SLM Solutions opened an applications and demonstration center in Germany, it also established Chinese operations in Shanghai. Earlier this week, the selective laser melting experts celebrated the grand opening of their expanded office facilities and application center in Shanghai, which will help the company continue to grow its presence on the Asian market. The new center has installed four SLM systems: one SLM 125, one SLM 500, and two SLM 280 printers. Additionally, the facility also has equipment to represent an SLM build’s supporting process chain, such as a metallurgical lab and post-processing capabilities. The grand opening included a tour through the new new customer service and application engineering center.

“As we continue to grow our Chinese team, the opening of our Shanghai Application Center is an important milestone in SLM Solutions’ development and indicates the confidence in the Chinese market,” stated Jerry Ma, General Manager of SLM Solutions (Shanghai) Co., Ltd. “As part of the global strategy for growth we have the capacity to more than double our number of employees and the equipment to support all Chinese users with the technological resources shared by our applications centers around the world. We can also provide high-quality, fast technical services to better promote the development of selective laser melting and create more value for customers.”

Mini 3D Printed 3D Printer

A reddit and imgur user by the name of “Mega Andy” used 3D printed parts and DVD drive motors to make his own miniature 3D printer. And by miniature, I mean that he used a banana for scale, which was taller than the 3D printed 3D printer itself! It’s a really interesting project – the device runs Marlin, and features a glass bed and an E3D V6 hotend. The black and gold parts of the mini 3D printer were made out of PLA material, while PETG was used to make teeth for the leadscrews. Speaking of this, Mega Andy said that the printer is “fairly unreliable” because it easily ruins the teeth that guide the device on the leadscrew. Additionally, he’s also working to improve and lengthen the Z axis due to binding problems. Mega Andy released the STLs onto Thingiverse so others could try to make their own versions of the miniature 3D printed 3D printer…say that five times fast.

“So this project is nothing new, people have made 3d printers, CNC, engravers before using this hardware. What I wanted to do differently with this is have a designed 3D printed frame to hopefully fit standard parts. Instead of mounting full metal dvd drive assembly’s together and look like a DIY project I wanted a something that could be more compact and neat,” Mega Andy wrote on Thingiverse.

“This project is not for everyone and would only recommend to someone with a decent knowledge of 3d printers, basic soldering and lots of patience. Also some fiddling was needed to get the right amount of tension on the leadscrew, this bit is a massive pain but hopefully no one else needs to go through quite as much issues as i did with this bit. They will wear out though and a 3d printer will be needed to print new parts for it when they inevitable wear out.”

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

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Imgur User Beats New Samsung Galaxy S10 ID Scanner with 3D Printed Fingerprint

While we have become well familiarized with the concept that ‘there is an app for that,’ today another common statement in tech-savvy circles is ‘well, you know you could 3D print that!’ The hope is that everyone is using their powers for good. As we find out more about how Imgur user darkshark used 3D printing to beat the latest fingerprint scanner app, however, it does cause us to wonder what other rules are being broken—or what other dark ideas are currently being masterminded with the use of 3D printing.

darkshark set out to unsettle us all by showing just how easy it is to get into someone’s phone (here, the new Samsung Galaxy S10)—which can be like having direct access to their wallet and many facets of their private lives. We have to take a moment to process the fact that one can even 3D print their fingertip scan to begin with, but beyond that, let it sink it in that here, the fabricated fingertip in many cases worked better than the real thing.

The process was quite simple: scan your fingerprint, 3D print it, and see what happens. darkshark began by putting by fingerprints on the side of a wineglass and then took a picture of it:

“I used my smartphone to take this picture, but it’s certainly not out of the question to use a long focal length DSLR camera to snag a fingerprint image from across a room…or further.”

darkshark then processed the image in PhotoShop and increased the contrast, creating an alpha mask. That was exported into 3DS Max, where a geometry displacement produced a perfect, raised 3D model of the fingerprint. It then took darkshark less than 15 minutes to 3D print the model on an AnyCubic Photon LCD resin printer.

“It took me 3 reprints trying to get the right ridge height (and I forgot to mirror the fingerprint on the first one) but yeah, 3rd time was the charm,” said darkshark. “The 3D print will unlock my phone…in some cases just as well as my actual finger does.”

This brings a whole new element not only to the issue of theft, but also regarding lifting fingerprints and then using them for identification when needed—and just as so many of us (naively, it would now seem) had been trusting the fingerprint scan as a secure way to protect access.

“This brings up a lot of ethics questions and concerns,” said darkshark. “There’s nothing stopping me from stealing your fingerprints without you ever knowing, then printing gloves with your fingerprints built into them and going and committing a crime.”

“If I steal someone’s phone, their fingerprints are already on it. I can do this entire process in less than three minutes and remotely start the 3D print so that it’s done by the time I get to it. Most banking apps only require fingerprint authentication so I could have all of your info and spend your money in less than 15 minutes if your phone is secured by fingerprint alone.”

3D printing and security have been topics of concern over the last few years, along with other related issues such as the manufacturing of weapons like guns. Criminals have attempted all sorts of heists with 3D printers in their bags of tools, but this technology is also being used to foil other nefarious users with devices meant to detect credit card skimmers, function as evidence in court, and even helping with murder cases.

What do you think of this news? Let us know your thoughts! Join the discussion of this and other 3D printing topics at 3DPrintBoard.com.

[Source / Images: Imgur]

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3D Printing News Briefs: April 3, 2019

To kick off this week’s first edition of 3D Printing News Briefs, we’ve got a fun project to share with you, before moving on to events, business, education, and software. Materials Australia is hosting a 3D printing conference in Melbourne this summer, while formnext + PM South China will debut in September of 2020 and the original formnext is continuing to grow at record speed. Evolve Additive Solutions will expand its Rochester facility, and Mauritius is unveiling its second 3D printing center. The founders of rigid.ink launched a new online AM course, and Magnitude Innovations has released a new metal 3D printing software application.

Cool 2D-3D Project on imgur

TheSparklyGhost, a user on the popular online image sharing community of imgur, recently posted a brief video of a really neat project titled “2D project on a 3D printed object.” I’m going to do my best to explain this, but it’s better if you watch the short video posted on Imgur, which has been viewed over 81,800 times in the last seven days. TheSparklyGhost 3D printed a long white object, which at first glance looks kind of like a curved wall but is actually an extended cutout shape of a person with legs akimbo. Then, the print is moved back and forth over a thin projection line, which makes it look like a 2D person walking.

The video has received a wide variety of comments in the last week. Some users just expressed their awe, while one asked if the STL for the print was available and some offered suggestions like “make a 3D projection on a 4D printed object” and “Now make it moon walk.” However, not everyone was impressed, with one user asking if the cost was worth it and another saying, “k this is sorta cool and all but what will this do for you?” Anyone have a response to that?


Materials Australia Hosting 3D Printing Conference 

This summer, Materials Australia, the peak representative body of the country’s materials science and engineering profession, will be curating an additive manufacturing conference in Melbourne. The Asia-Pacific International Conference on Additive Manufacturing (APICAM) 2019 will be held from June 30th to July 3rd at RMIT University. The conference, in its second iteration, will include keynote presentations by AM experts, a poster presentation, a networking hub, workshops, exhibitors, and multiple receptions.

According to the website, “The purpose of APICAM2019 is to provide a focused forum for the presentation of advanced research and improved understanding of various aspects of additive manufacturing. This conference will include invited lectures from internationally distinguished researchers, contributed presentations and posters.”

Early bird registration is available until May 1st.

2020 Debut of formnext + PM South China

Additive manufacturing continues to grow more popular in China, with domestic industry sales estimated to reach $2.96 billion in 2020, and the government is paying attention. Now, from September 9-11, 2020, the first edition of Formnext + PM South China will debut at the new Shenzhen World Exhibition and Convention Center, which is said to be the largest exhibition venue in the world. The event will be jointly organized by Guangzhou Guangya Messe Frankfurt Co Ltd and Uniris Exhibition Shanghai Co Ltd, and will aim to help AM industry players open up new business opportunities in innovative equipment, processes, and advanced materials. Over 10,000 visitors are expected to attend, with more than 200 exhibitors from around the world.

“With the expertise from its brand name shows, Formnext in Frankfurt, Germany, and also PM China in Shanghai, the newly formed fair will be one of a kind in South China,” Mr Hubert Duh, Chairman of Guangzhou Guangya Messe Frankfurt Co Ltd, said in a press conference to celebrate the launch of the event. “The synergy from the two fair brands will facilitate the exchange of ideas between industry professionals and bring a positive impact to the manufacturing sector.”

formnext in Frankfurt Continuing Record Growth

In the meantime, the world’s leading international AM trade fair, formnext, is still going strong, and is in fact expanding and developing at record speed this year along the whole process chain. As of March 2019, over 500 exhibitors, many of which are international and 147 of which are new, had already registered for the event, which will be held in Frankfurt from November 19-22. This means that the amount of space the event will cover this year is already more than the final size of formnext 2018, which is why formnext 2019 will take place for the first time in the more modern Halls 11 and 12.

Other changes include an expansion of the Discover3Dprinting seminar series, which is organized with the ACAM Aachen Center for Additive Manufacturing and meant for medium-sized companies looking to adopt AM. The Startup Challenge, AM4U platform of career opportunities, the ideas competition “purmundus challenge,” and the BE-AM Symposium, which focuses on 3D printing in the construction industry, are all continuing and being expanded, and formnext’s content partner TCT will again discuss current developments and trends in the conference program. Additionally, this year the US will be the first partner country represented at the event, and special highlights for American guests, like the “AM Standards Forum,” will be included.

Evolve Additive Solutions to Grow New York Operations

3D printing OEM Evolve Additive Solutions, a Stratasys spin-out company, is headquartered in Minneapolis but operates its materials technology center in Brighton, New York. The company will be expanding its Brighton operations, according to an announcement by Empire State Development (ESD), which will allow the creation of 60 new jobs over the next five years in the Finger Lakes region. The company recently raised $19 million in equity funding with lead investors LEGO Brand Group and Stanley Black & Decker, which complements its efforts to commercialize its Selective Thermoplastic Electrophotographic Process (STEP) 3D printing process and expand its Brighton office by 7,000 square feet, with another 13,000 added later. Supporting the development and growth of high-tech industries, such as 3D printing and advanced manufacturing, is an important part of the Finger Lakes Forward economic development plan.

“Our Brighton facility is key to our success and having a first-class facility to attract the best talent possible for materials and process development is essential,” said Evolve’s CEO Steve Chillscyzn. “We are extremely pleased that Empire State Development recognizes the opportunity our technology can offer to our future customers but also to are current and future employee base in the area.”

In exchange for job creation commitments, ESD has offered Evolve tax credits of up to $1 million through the Excelsior Tax Credit Program to facilitate its growth in the region.

Mauritius Opens Second 3D Printing Center

[Image: Kickstarter]

The Republic of Mauritius, located about 855 km east of Madagascar in the Indian Ocean off the southeast coast of the African continent, set up its first 3D Printing Centre last winter on the National Computer Board (NCB) premises. About 50 students have prepared projects using the services provided by the center, and now, through a joint initiative of the NCB and SME Mauritius, the country’s second 3D Printing Centre has been unveiled at SME Mauritius in Coromandel. With its available filaments, 3D printers, and scanners, the center will be a one-stop 3D printing shop to support university students, startups, designers, and other industry professionals. It will also offer 3D print support services for SMEs.

Minister of Technology, Communication and Innovation, Yogida Sawmynaden said, “The scope of 3D printing technology, he highlighted is limitless and is bound to play a bigger part in the years to come.”

Rigid.Ink Launches Institute of 3D Printing Course

UK 3D printing filament company rigid.ink is moving away from materials and on to educating the members of its community. The company just launched a new online coursed called The Institute of 3D Printing, described on the site as “A complete 3D Printing video course & private expert community designed to accelerate your printing skills and success.”

“It’s the first of its kind and since it’s pretty unusual for a filament company to branch out like this,” Ed Tyson, the owner of rigid.ink and founder of the Institute, told 3DPrint.com.

The goal is to make learning the technology less confusing for new users, so the industry is in the hands of everyday people, and not professionals working in big firms. The course includes entire modules on everything from adhesion and leveling the print bed to troubleshooting and much more.  In addition, members who take the course can receive technical support – within 24 hours, no less – from 3D printing professionals for tough questions. You can join the Institute of 3D Printing now for a monthly fee of just $20 – a savings of 25% off the usual price, with a 30-day money back guarantee included.

Magnitude Innovations Releases New Metal 3D Printing Software

Illinois startup Magnitude Innovations Inc., which offers product development and technical consulting services, has released its Uptimo software application, which is meant to help companies increase the profitability of their metal 3D printing processes. Magnitude itself specializes in metal laser powder bed fusion technology, and its software’s proprietary algorithms analyze production data to offer instant 3D printing system feedback. While originally an internal tool for client projects, Uptimo is now available to any Magnitude customer as a standalone application.

Uptimo is an Operational Excellence software application, and utilizes scheduling and production data to assess how a 3D printer is performing over one, or multiple, projects. The analysis is split into four Key Performance Indicators (KPIs), and the customized solution will help companies improve build layout, machine planning, parameter optimization, and other aspects of the metal AM process that impact cost and quality. Magnitude’s CEO Maciej Tusz is at the AMUG Conference in Chicago this week to represent the company and display the various features of its new Uptimo application.

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