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3D Printing News Briefs: May 19, 2019

We’ve got business news and materials news for your weekend, just ahead of next week’s massive RAPID + TCT show. 3D Hubs and AM Ventures are both opening new offices, but in vastly different countries. BASF 3D Printing Solutions is launching a new TPU material for use with HP’s latest 3D printer series, and Freeman Technology will be hosting a seminar about AM powders next month.

3D Hubs Opening US Headquarters in Chicago

Prototyping machine shop at mHUB

Two months ago, automated manufacturing platform 3D Hubs announced that it had received $18 million in Series C funding, some of which was earmarked for opening a dedicated US office to best serve the over 10,000 clients it serves here. Now, the company has announced that its new North American headquarters will be located in Chicago, Illinois, with the added bonus of an endorsement from the city’s Mayor Rahm Emanuel. This decision allows 3D Hubs to centralize its US workforce, and it plans to double the team at headquarters by the end of 2019. The offices will be located at the mHUB technology innovation center in the city’s West Town neighborhood, and are scheduled to open next month.

“3D Hubs joins the long list of international companies choosing Chicago for their future. With our growing tech economy and strong digital manufacturing community, Chicago is the perfect home for this innovative company,” said Mayor Emanuel. “I look forward to seeing 3D Hubs success in Chicago in the years to come.”

AM Ventures Opens Office in Korea

Germany-based AM Ventures Holding GmbH (AMV) is a top independent strategic investor in the AM industry, and over the last four years has been busily setting up an ecosystem of sustainable strategic investments, in addition to a partner network for using advanced manufacturing technologies in serial production. Now in an effort to further grow its technology venturing activities, it is expanding to the Asia Pacific region with a new office in Busan, Korea.

AMV’s Chief Venturing Officer Arno Held said, “AMV is pleased to announce the opening of its new office in Korea serving the Asia-Pacific region, a market which is already demonstrating active AM adoption for serial production and a large growth potential. AMV commits to this dynamic region and the investment opportunities available there.”

Having already moved to its new Korean home , AMV’s liaison office AM Ventures Asia has appointed Simon (Sangmin) Lee, a previous sales manager at the Korea office of EOS GmbH, as the Regional Director of Asia.

BASF 3D Printing Solutions Launches Ultrasint TPU Powder

Rüdiger Theobald, the Senior Manager for Sales & Marketing in Powder Bed Fusion at BASF 3D Printing Solutions GmbH, discusses the company’s new Ultrasint TPU powder in a recent YouTube video. The highly flexible yet accurate material, which is perfect for automotive applications and coating and simulation solutions, was launched specifically for HP’s new Jet Fusion 5200 series.

“Two great brands, two great companies merge together, both with innovative technologies on hand and a great new ecosystem to support the industry with a very innovative material,” Theobald said in the video.

“We have found out a good way to operate with different wall thicknesses, that makes it very reasonably usable for any kind of pressurized applications in regards of liquids or gas.”

Freeman Technology to Host Seminar on AM Powders

Next month, powder flow specialist Freeman Technology will be hosting a free seminar in the UK entitled “Understanding Powders for Additive Manufacturing.” The one-day event, which will take place on June 11th at the Hilton Birmingham Metropole, will introduce attendees to the principles of powder rheology, and explain how associated methodologies can also be applied in order to gain a better understanding of how to optimize powder for AM applications.

During the seminar, there will be a presentation from Freeman Technology’s Operations Director Jamie Clayton about understanding and measuring powder flow and behavior. Industry experts, such as Ricoh Material Specialist Enrico Gallino and Product Manager Cathryn Langley with Malvern Panalytical, will present about some of the major challenges when it comes to powder handling, including how to quantify the size and shape of metal powders for AM. Delegates will also have the chance to see a demonstration of the company’s FT4 Powder Rheometer. You can register for the seminar here.

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

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Interview with Zach Kaplan of Corazon Capital, mHUB and Inventables

Zach Kaplan

Zach Kaplan is the founder and CEO of the company Inventables, a 3D carving company offering a powerful machine, intuitive software, and unique materials that make carving easy and inspiring. Kaplan is also a member of the board of directors for mHUB, Chicago’s first innovation center focused on physical product development and manufacturing, and a founding partner at Corazon Capital. He has a vested interest in the entrepreneurial economy that can be afforded through 3D printing and product manufacturing as his company helps to enable entrepreneurs within this field.

Give us a bit of info on your background?

I got started in digital manufacturing at Glenbrook North High School.  That experience inspired me to get a bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign.

What was your first experience as a maker?

My first experience as a maker was probably playing with construction toys as a child.  We had LEGOs, Construx, and cardboard brick blocks. The first electrical project I remember was a soldering an autonomous robot together in 6th grade.

Chicago has deep roots in manufacturing, what effect has that had?

Manufacturers in Illinois account for 12.6 percent of the total output in the state, employing 9.5 percent of the workforce. Total output from manufacturing was $103.75 billion in 2017. In addition, there were 572,700 manufacturing employees in Illinois.  I think that has helped us build an ecosystem to advance digital manufacturing.  

Chicago has been the center of gravity for digital manufacturing.  We’ve shown a lot of leadership when it comes to the growth in the movement. The Museum of Science and Industry was one of the first to have a fab lab.  Chicago was the first big city to build a large scale makerspace in a library. Pumping Station One started in 2009 before it was fashionable to build a makerspace or hackerspace.  Today mHub and DMDII are buzzing with activity and have brought together the traditional manufacturing industries, the startup community, with digital manufacturing technology. It’s a great place for Inventables to be.

X-Carve by Inventables

As a member of the board of Directors at mHUB, what excites you about developments within Chicago and the additive manufacturing sector as a whole?

mHUB was a glimmer of an idea 5 years ago when we first started talking about it at the GE Garage during Chicago Ideas Week. Today it’s a 63,000 square-foot facility that contains 10 fabrication labs, including electronics, plastic fabrication, metals, textiles and rapid prototyping, as well as a microfactory for small production runs.  What excites me is it’s buzzing with activity.

You have a manufacturing background but also have involvement within the VC world as a founding partner at Corazon Capital. Could you give some insight on what it means to go from an entrepreneur to an investor?

Going from an entrepreneur to an investor happens pretty organically.  As you go on your entrepreneurial journey other entrepreneurs start asking you questions or for feedback on fundraising.  I gradually started getting more and more deals sent to me and eventually started investing. Corazon has a team of people and I’ve become a venture partner.  My role is to help identify investments, evaluate them, and help other founders in our portfolio by making introductions or sharing my experiences. In terms of my own investment thesis I like to invest in people working on problems in big markets where the product is just starting to be defined.  At Corazon we invest in seed and early stage deals so the product is still evolving.

What advice do you have to people who are working with startups in the additive manufacturing space?

Fail often to succeed sooner.

What advantages does Chicago have in terms of the global maker scene?

Chicago is well connected in the global maker scene because of O’Hare airport.  Almost every city is a direct flight away. We sometimes take that for granted living here.  We have McCormick Place which brings the IMTS (International Manufacturing Technology Show).

International Manufacturing Trading Show

What are some trends to watch out for within the maker world?

Low cost distributed digital manufacturing with CNC machines is going to dramatically increase over the next 5 years.

 

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3D Printing Industry Experts Interview With Bill Fienup

Bill Fienup

This was a fun and in depth interview done with industry expert Bill Fienup. Bill Fienup, director and innovation services and co-founder of mHUB. He is a mechanical engineer, product developer and serial entrepreneur who has designed toys for Hasbro and researched fusion energy for Los Alamos National Laboratory. Bill holds both Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Mechanical Engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He was a co-founder and president of Catalyze Chicago, which provided space, equipment, mentorship and community to dozens of early-stage product development entrepreneurs. Before merging into mHUB, Catalyze occupied 8,000 square feet, served close to 200 members who filed 80 patents, raised $21M, generated $57M in revenue and created dozens of new jobs. Bill started his career as a product design consultant for IDEO and Insight Product Development. With deep experience in mechanism design, product development and complex electromechanical systems, Bill shifted from consulting to become an entrepreneur. He started several companies, including Ecofurn and MB Labs, which focused on connected devices. Bill holds 11 patents — including a bandage dispenser, biopsy needle and a NERF Atom Blaster with more pending, including several related to 3D printing. Bill’s reputation as a thought leader extends beyond Chicago. In addition to being a repeat visitor to the White House for topics ranging from international trade to the maker movement, Bill has appeared on national television with his inventions.

Ese: What got you interested in 3D Printing?

Bill: Z Corp. I was involved with them as a freshman in college. I got to work with their powder based system. It utilized binder material along with an inkjet cartridge. It is one of the first 3D Printing processes built. This was before the huge 3D Printing boom. I thought it was amazing, and I knew it would change product development. Rapid iteration was wild. Sanding and model making was how my generation thought of products. We were learning CAD and other cool things as well with our classical mindsets.

Explain your early career experiences and how they lead to where you are currently?

I first started with my job at IDEO. I did about 7 years of product development. It was a good experience. I wanted more upside though. I saw businesses being made. I then decided to quit my job to be an entrepreneur. I was doing a lot of work on my own for a while. I wanted to build a community of like-minded people. I realized I was failing by myself trying to create products. I needed a bigger community. I thought it’d be a great idea to build an incubator. Also business skill sets were needed as well. I understood the struggles so I wanted to help others. I met Haven Allen early on with this similar drive and ambition. That is how we started and are currently at our positions at mHUB.

Haven Allen and Bill Fienup

What are the biggest obstacles with the work you have done for mHUB?

It is an ambitious goal in trying to build this type of space. Getting people behind the mission was also very difficult initially. We launched as a nonprofit so entrepreneurs could grow. That business model is tough though because membership drives our revenue. We want them to grow in our community to the point that they do leave us.

What are some things that you feel are important for the future of additive manufacturing? What are interesting trends in Chicago?

Speed is of utmost importance. Speed has been the barrier to actually making products. Typical machines in the industry are being made with quicker efficiency. People are starting to design with 3D Printing in mind. The shoe industry is very interesting when it comes to these type of developments. 3D printers are now finally getting fast enough to do great work. Unique properties are occurring with the use of 3D printing. It will be vital for industries such as the aerospace industry. Lighter materials are always great. So mostly speed, and people designing products is interesting.

Aerospace and 3D Printing

What advice do you have to anyone who is looking to begin their entrepreneurial career?

It is very challenging to do things by yourself. I’d advise people to join an incubator community. A support system of industry expertise is always important. Crowdsourcing is very powerful as well. It is important to have a community. Do not do anything alone. Always look to seek for partnerships. It is critical for your growth.