formnext 2019 just wrapped up in Frankfurt, but we still have plenty of news to share from the show floor, including the announcement of a new partnership between global science-based company Royal DSM, Chromatic 3D Materials, and German RepRap (GRR). Together, the three will be working to develop flexible, high-performance 3D printing solutions in polyurethane (PU) parts for a variety of industries, such as rail, footwear, and automotive.
Flexible materials can be used to make many different parts, but it’s not always easy to 3D print with PU and similar materials. That’s why these three companies, from different parts of the 3D printing value chain, are working together to remove the barriers from, and make sure that manufacturers have proper access to, the necessary expertise and resources for 3D printing high-performance parts with Chromatic’s FlexTune line of durable, flexible, and reliable PU elastomer materials.
“Many high-performance parts require a degree of flexibility in their daily use. Removing barriers that stand in the way of the adoption of this technology by teaming up with partners like Chromatic and GRR clearly underscores the power of DSM’s 3D printing ecosystem. Combining these partners’ expertise across the 3D printing value chain helps make 3D printing more attainable and offers manufacturers a complete solution,” stated Hugo da Silva, DSM’s VP of Additive Manufacturing. “Together, we can unlock the full potential of additive manufacturing and scale 3D printing to industrial production levels.”
Image: Chromatic via YouTube
In this partnership, GRR will make its knowledge and equipment accessible to manufacturers interested in adopting the FlexTune materials. According to Chromatic, this versatile line of materials can help make 3D printed products that go all the way from a flexible Shore A hardness of 40 to a rigid Shore A of 90. The company states that its “ability to customize the product is almost limitless.”
“The introduction of FlexTune 3D printable polyurethanes elastomers is a vital step for additive manufacturing to becoming the industrial process for manufacturing flexible parts. Elastomers are no longer just for prototypes, but durable enough to withstand the rigors expected of performance materials in commercial applications,” stated Chromatic 3D Materials CEO Cora Leibig. “The partnership of DSM’s market knowledge, GRR’s advanced printing capability and Chromatic’s ability to adapt thermoset materials to additive manufacturing is an exciting leap forward for the industry that we are proud to be engaged in.”
Examples of some of the specific applications that could really benefit from parts made out of flexible materials include train braking system gaskets, insoles for shoes, noise-reducing buffers and mechanical clutches for power transmission in cars, and hoses and bellows.
This isn’t DSM’s first experience with Chromatic – last year, it led a Series A funding round for the next-generation 3D printing materials company, and the two originally teamed up to introduce and explore thermoset materials for 3D printed parts, which offer more resilience and durability than thermoplastics. Now, partnering with GRR, both companies will be able to further market Chromatic’s FlexTune material line – now available around the globe.
“Due to this great collaboration with DSM and Chromatic our customers can now manufacture thermoset material parts that are difficult or impossible to produce by injection moulding,” said German RepRap CEO Florian Bautz. “At the same time the final parts have the same mechanical properties as injection-moulded parts, which brings major advantages for the future.”
The complete 3D printing solution that these three partners are offering will help many manufacturers enjoy the benefits of using flexible 3D printing materials.
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Together, Henkel and Shapeways are reaching for bigger and better solutions in 3D printing, complementing each other in partnership to expand large-scale manufacturing of Loctite materials. The two companies will be exhibiting at Formnext, presenting more about their work together from November 19-22 in Frankfurt.
Germany’s Henkel is a global adhesive technology leader, while Shapeways is undeniably one of the leaders in product creation, offering a platform for others to see their ideas fabricated on demand. As accessibility and affordability in 3D printing continue to sweep the world, the two companies are on a mission to help other companies integrate 3D printing and 3D printed components into their production lines—and especially with the use of the next generation resins included in the Loctite brand. Shapeways provides both the technology and capability for enhancing materials and presenting even greater accessibility to industrial users.
Currently, the two companies are launching the ‘Loctite Powered by Shapeways’ multi-step program, which allows users to order predefined Loctite demo parts, including a new photopolymer for fire safety standard UL’s 94V-0.
“We are excited about the collaboration with Shapeways as a leading technology platform for customized 3D printing solutions,” explained Philipp Loosen, Head of 3D Printing at Henkel. “Combining Shapeways’ technology and production expertise with our materials know-how and industry access enables a powerful combination for the large-scale 3D printing of customized Loctite parts. Based on the partnership, we will launch a digital platform leveraging novel opportunities to its global customers for Loctite solutions in 3D printing through Shapeways’ existing platform integration.”
Loctite 3D Printing 3870 High Impact Bearing Cover
Loctite 3D Printing 3172 Tough High Impact Gray Robot Bracket
Both Henkel and Shapeways have been in the news recently. Henkel—a 143-year-old company—has continued its presence in the 3D printing market, further strengthening it with their Loctite brand and division. They continue to operate the bulk of their global portfolio in other technology, innovation, and branding to include adhesives, laundry, home care, beauty, and more. They also continue to lead as a force in sustainability.
As the two powerful forces combine resources in working together, they will be able to build on the strength of Shapeways, with factories and offices in New York, the Netherlands, and a network of other partners around the world. Shapeways has continued its dynamic presence, with a recent e-commerce integration with Etsy, a customized jewelry collection, and accelerated expansion.
For the future, the 3D printing partnership is on a mission to continue enhancing the functionalities they have created, ultimately allowing customers for Henkel to order industrial Loctite parts. If you will be attending Formnext next week, find out more about their new program at Hall 12.1, Booth C41.
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Loctite 3D Printing 3860 High Temp Exhaust Manifold
Loctite 3D Printing 3843 Tough HDT80 Black Puck Adapter
We’re talking about art and business in today’s 3D Printing News Briefs. An art installation at Millennium Park was created through the use of 3D printed molds, provided by Fast Radius. Farsoon has signed a joint development agreement with Rapid Manufacturing, and EVOK3D is partnering up with the Currie Group to accelerate its sales growth.
Fast Radius Makes 3D Printed Molds for Art Installation
Artist Edra Soto was commissioned to build an outdoor art installation in Chicago’s popular Millennium Park, which resulted in her freestanding Screenhouse, constructed by Navillus Woodworks out of over 400 custom-cast concrete blocks and opening today in the park’s Boeing Gallery North. Navillus enlisted the help of Fast Radius to create 3D printed molds for the blocks, which helped save on development time and money. The company printed the molds out of PA 12 material, using HP’s MJF technology. 3D printed lattice structures were used in the construction, which also helped reduce the weight of the piece.
“Our mission is to make new things possible to advance the human condition. I can think of no better way to serve that mission than helping bring Edra Soto’s beautiful design to life in Chicago’s Millennium Park, where it will be enjoyed by our fellow Chicagoans and visitors from around the world. This project with Navillus shows the potential of additively manufactured molds to redefine construction project design,” Fast Radius CEO Lou Rassey said in a case study about the project.
Farsoon and Rapid Manufacturing Sign Joint Development Agreement
PA12-based parts fabricated by Rapid Manufacturing on the beta-Flight-HT403P in Rümlang.
Stuttgart-based Farsoon Europe GmbH, a subsidiary of Chinese company Farsoon Technologies, has signed a joint development agreement for beta testing of its Flight technology with Rapid Manufacturing AG, headquartered in Rümlang, Switzlerland. Per the agreement, earlier this month Farsoon installed its new Flight-HT403P, with a 400 x 400 x 540 mm3 build cylinder and 500W fiber laser, at Rapid Manufacturing. After completing initial tests successfully, the Swiss company is now using the laser sintering system to make plastic PA12 components and parts with high resolution, low surface roughness, and good mechanical properties for its customers.
“We are impressed by the strong will power to increase the competitiveness of laser sintering, which Rapid Manufacturing is systematically implementing with the installation of our machine,” stated Dr. Dirk Simon, the Managing Director of Farsoon Europe GmbH.
EVOK3D and Currie Group Partnering
Australian company EVOK3D, which supplies and supports both professional and production 3D printing solutions and is the HP 3D Production Specialist Partner for the country, announced that it has signed a partnership equity agreement with Currie Group, a top end-to-end Graphic Arts service supplier in New Zealand and Australia. Currie Group provides and services high-quality printing equipment, and EVOK3D will leverage its management experience to continue growing its sales and support capability.
“3D printing has moved beyond just prototyping and is now a viable direct manufacturing technology. To meet the growing demand for these technologies we needed to scale the business and Currie Group is ideally positioned having pioneered digital disruption of the 2D print industry over the last 20 years. For our clients across education, design, industry and healthcare it means they can continue to invest with confidence,” stated Joe Carmody, the Managing Director for EVOK3D.
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We’re talking about events and business today in 3D Printing News Briefs. In November, Cincinnati Inc. is presenting at FABTECH, and Additive Manufacturing Technologies and XJet are heading off to formnext. Moving on, Thor3D has announced a new partnership with Rhinoceros.
Cincinnati Incorporated Showing at FABTECH
Machine tool manufacturer Cincinnati Incorporated (CI) is going to FABTECH 2019 next month in Chicago, and plans on showcasing its recently announced partnership with Hendrick Motorsports, along with the #88 car driven by Alex Bowman, and its latest machines at the event. CI is now a full-season associate sponsor of the team’s four-car stable for the next ten years, in addition to its Official Metal Fabrication and Additive Equipment Provider. The racecar will be in booth #A2973 at the show, along with CI’s Hyform and AFX press brakes, Roboform cell, and new CLX laser, which was built specifically for automation-minded metal fabricators. The company’s high temperature Small Area Additive Manufacturing (SAAM HT) machine will be on display in booth #A3839, and its Medium Area Additive Manufacturing (MAAM) machine will make its official debut to the public.
“We’re ready to get to FABTECH and show the fabricating world what we’ve been up to in the past year. Walking through our facility, you can feel the energy and see the production happening. It’s exciting and it’s contagious, and we can’t wait to share it,” said Matt Garbarino, Director of Marketing Communications at Cincinnati Incorporated.
XJet Bringing Extended Carmel Product Line to formnext
FABTECH isn’t the only show in November – formnext is taking place in Frankfurt from November 19-22, and XJet announced that it will be introducing two new versions of its Carmel 1400 3D printer at the event. The Carmel 1400M for metals and the Carmel 1400C for ceramics, both of which use XJet’s NanoParticle Jetting technology, are part of the company’s continuing work to, as XJet put it, “redefine metal and ceramic AM.”
“Formnext is always a highpoint on XJet’s calendar. Each year we hit new milestones, and this is particularly evident at Formnext. From Formnext, XJet will offer two systems, the Carmel 1400C devoted to ceramics and the Carmel 1400M dedicated to metals. While both systems use the same NanoParticle Jetting technology, they are different and have been optimized to handle the different materials. Both will be demonstrated on our booth throughout the show,” said XJet’s CBO Dror Danai.
At Booth C01 in Hall 12.1 of formnext, XJet will demonstrate multiple applications and sample parts that showcase its NPJ technology for both metal and ceramic 3D printing. Representatives from the company’s distribution network will be on hand to answer question, and visitors can also enjoy an immersive, virtual reality experience into XJet’s NanoParticle Jetting at the booth.
Additive Manufacturing Technologies Presenting Modular, 3D Printed Booth at formnext
Sheffield-based Additive Manufacturing Technologies (AMT) will also be attending formnext as it officially exits stealth mode. The company will be showcasing a customizable, modular, and sustainable stand construction at the event, with over 6,000 3D printed parts that will connect 1,100 meters of aluminum tubing to create the booth, which was designed and constructed by Steel Roots Design. Materialise printed the parts out of Nylon PA 2200 material, using SLS technology by EOS, and they were then post-processed with AMT’s own PostPro3D platform. The lightweight parts have complex geometries, with moving features and internal threads that would have been impossible to create using another fabrication process.
“The whole point of exhibiting at a show like Formnext is to demonstrate your technologies and capabilities. At AMT we don’t want to just tell people how good our technologies are, we want to really show them. Our unique stand will show how functional and sustainable 3D printed parts — even at higher volumes — can be utilised when using our automated post processing technologies,” stated AMT’s CEO Joseph Crabtree.
“This level of sustainability commitment is a fundamental principle for AMT at every level of the business. Every decision we make takes sustainability into consideration.”
See AMT’s 120 kg stand structure for yourself at Booth 361, Hall 12.1, at formnext next month. Once it’s been constructed, several other company innovations will be showcased inside, such as the automated Digital Manufacturing System (DMS).
Thor3D and Rhinoceros Sign Partnership Agreement for New Product
3D scanner manufacturer Thor3D and Rhinoceros software developer McNeel have signed a partnership agreement so that Rhino software can now be resold by Thor3D’s distribution partners, along with multiple plug-ins, in a bundle with the Calibry handheld 3D scanner. Rhino’s set of tools for analysis, animation, engineering, free-form 3D modeling, and engineering can now be supplemented by Calibray scans, which can be used as base models. In addition, the bundle can also be extended using Brazil and Penguin rendering software, the Flamingo nXt rendering engine, and integrated animation by Bongo.
“Rhino software is widely known and used worldwide. Many of our customers already use it and our goal is to make it even more accessible to a wider audience. Engineers and digital artists alike, will find this software, in combination with our 3D scanners, extremely helpful in their day-to-day work,” said Anna Zevelyov, the CEO and Co-Founder of Thor3D.
Recommended retail price for the new Calibry and Rhino bundle will be €5,700.
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We’ve got lots of material news for you in today’s 3D Printing News Briefs, starting with a Material Development Kit from RPS. Polymaker and Covestro are releasing three new materials and EOS has introduced a new TPU material for industrial 3D printing. Moving on, CASTOR and Stanley Black & Decker used EOS 3D printing to reduce costs and lead time, and Velo3D is partnering with PWR to make high performance heat exchangers.
RPS Introduces Material Development Kit for NEO800
UK 3D printer manufacturer RPS just launched its NEO Material Development Kit, which was designed by company engineers to be used as a polymer research and development tool for its NEO800 SLA 3D printer. The MDK comes in multiple platform and vat sizes, and allows developers to work with different resin formulations, so that R&D companies can work to develop a range of polymers that are not available in today’s industry. Users can print single layer exposure panes with Titanium software and the 1 liter vat in order to find the photo-speed of the formulation they’re developing; then, tensile testing of different material formulations can commence. Once this initial testing is finished, developers can scale up to the 13 liter vat – perfect for 3D printing prototype parts for use in optimizing final configuration settings.
“This NEO Material Development Kit now opens the door for large industrial chemical companies such as BASF, DSM and Heinkel to push the boundaries of UV photopolymers,” said David Storey, the Director of RPS. “The industry is looking for a quantum jump in materials to print end-user production parts from the stereolithography process.”
New Polycarbonate-Based Materials by Polymaker and Covestro
The first is PC-ABS, a polycarbonate and ABS blend which uses Covestro’s Bayblend family as its base material. Due to its high impact and heat resistance, this material is specialized for surface finishings such as metallization and electroplating, so it’s good for post-processing work. Polymaker PC-PBT, which blends the toughness and strength of polycarbonate with PBT’s high chemical resistance, is created from Covestro’s Makroblend family and performs well under extreme circumstances, whether it’s subzero temperatures or coming into contact with hydrocarbon-based chemicals. Finally, PolyMax PC-FR is a flame retardant material that’s based in Covestro’s Makrolon family and has a good balance between safety and mechanical performance – perfect for applications in aerospace motor mounts and battery housings.
EOS Offers New Flexible TPU Material
In another materials news, EOS has launched TPU 1301, a new flexible polymer for industrial, serial 3D printing. Available immediately, this thermoplastic polyurethane has high UV-stability, great resilience, and good hydrolysis resistance as well. TPU materials are often used in applications that require easy process capabilities and elastomeric properties, so this is a great step to take towards 3D printing mass production.
“The EOS TPU 1301 offers a great resilience after deformation, very good shock absorption, and very high process stability, at the same time providing a smooth surface of the 3D printed part,” said Tim Rüttermann, the Senior Vice President for Polymer Systems & Materialsat EOS. “As such the material is particularly suited for applications in footwear, lifestyle and automotive – such as cushioning elements, protective gears, and shoe soles.”
You can see application examples for TPU 1301 at the EOS booth D31, hall 11.1, at formnext in Frankfurt next month, and the material will also be featured by the company at K Fair in Dusseldorf next week.
CASTOR, Stanley Black & Decker, and EOS Reduce Costs and Lead Time
Speaking of EOS, Stanley Black & Decker recently worked with Tel Aviv startup CASTOR to majorly reduce the lead time, and cost, for an end-use metal production part that was 3D printed on EOS machinery. This was the first time that 3D printing has been incorporated into the production line of Stanley Engineered Fastening. In a CASTOR video, EOS North America’s Business Development Manager Jon Walker explained that for most companies, the issue isn’t deciding if they want to use AM, but rather how and where to use it…which is where CASTOR enters.
“They have a very cool software in which we can just upload the part of the assembly CAD file, and within a matter of minutes, it can automatically analyze the part, and give us the feasibility of whether the part is suitable for additive manufacturing or not. And in case it is not suitable, it can also let us know why it is not suitable, and what needs to be changed. It can also tell us what is the approximate cost, which material and printer we can use,” said Moses Pezarkar, a Manufacturing Engineer at Stanley’s Smart Factory, in the video.
To learn more, check out the case study, or watch the video below:
PWR and Velo3D Collaborating on 3D Printed Heat Exchangers
Cooling solutions supplier PWR and Velo3D have entered into a collaborative materials development partnership for serial manufacturing of next-generation heat exchangers, and for the Sapphire metal 3D printer. PWR will be the first in the APAC region to have a production Sapphire machine, which it will use to explore high-performance thermal management strategies through 3D printing for multiple heat exchange applications. Together, the two companies will work on developing aluminum alloy designs with more complex, thinner heat exchange features.
“PWR chose Velo3D after extensive testing. The Velo3D Sapphire printer demonstrated the ability to produce class-leading thin-wall capabilities and high-quality surfaces with zero porosity. Velo3D and PWR share a passion for pushing the limits of technology to deliver truly disruptive, class-leading, products. We are a natural fit and look forward to building a strong partnership going forward,” said Matthew Bryson, the General Manager of Engineering for PWR.
“Heat exchanger weight and pressure-drop characteristics have a huge impact on performance and are significant factors in all motorsport categories. Using additive manufacturing to print lightweight structures, enhancing performance with freedom-of-design, we have the ability to further optimize these characteristics to the customer’s requirements whilst providing the necessary cooling. The broad design capabilities and extremely high print accuracy of the Velo3D Sapphire 3D metal printer will help us optimize these various performance attributes.”
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The conference, which was titled “Collectively Independent” and ended a few days ago, welcomed members of the over 1,600 fab labs around the world to Egypt, where they could meet to discuss, collaborate, and share about innovation, technology, and digital manufacturing. Fab labs provide people with a place to invent, create, and learn – they bring their ideas, and fab labs provide access to an environment with advanced technology, materials, and skills so that makers can get busy making.
Fablabs.io is the official international online community for fab labs – it’s an open, online social network where artists, educators, engineers, fabricators, and scientists, from over 40 countries and ranging in age from 5 to 75, can discuss their projects. Soon after Wikifactory was launched in 2018, the startup wondered how it might be able to support the Fablabs.io community.
“That’s why we started working on a new Projects site that uses Wikifactory’s infrastructure to allow Labs around the world to collaborate more effectively in product and hardware development,” Wikifactory wrote in a press release.
The platform’s new partnership with Fablabs.io, which was announced at FAB15 by Wikifactory co-founders Christina Rebel and Max Kampik, means that fab labs around the world are able to not only document, but also share their projects via the Wikifactory-powered Projects.Fablabs.io site. This new site will make it possible for global members of the fab lab community to collaborate in a communal online workspace, which combines “the essential tools for online product development” so that communities, teams, and individuals can receive support and also use functionalities, such as an issue tracker and a version controlled drive, to their best advantage.
But the new Projects.Fablabs.io site isn’t the only news that Wikifactory is sharing. The platform also recently launched some new features to help improve its workflow for users.
Wikifactory launched three new features that will make it even easier to collaborate with distributed product development teams – a Version Control System, Time-travel, and Conflict Resolution.
“Both from an insiders and an outsiders perspective, it’s extremely useful to be able to track the evolution of a Project. This has influenced the design of our Version Control System, inspired by git, but designed for a product development environment,” Wikifactory wrote in a press release.
“Moving away from the command line but considering the same methodology, whatever changes you make to a Project in your own session of Wikifactory remain a local save to your computer until you click Contribute. Every contribution must have a title and a description to send your local changes to the global servers, and when they do, they get logged in the History.”
Version Control, which is “all about managing contributions” between product developers, makes it easier to browse, visualize, and download older versions of your existing files, while the Time-travel feature lets you find a specific version of an older file – such as one before a change was made that you’d like to do unmake. Both of these features allow users to browse through all the versions of a file on Wikifactory.
The visual Conflict Resolution feature obviously lets users resolve conflicts that may arise during product development, such as when a file was deleted by one person while another was modifying it, or if two different collaborators changed the same 3D file. The new feature helps you figure out which changes should stay, and which should be ignored.
“After implementing the conflict-resolution flow, we know this will pave the way to develop functionalities such as forking, merging, branches etc., which are all things we want to add, as we believe they will improve open/distributed collaboration for product developers,” the press release states.
To learn more about these new features and any other developments, check out the Release Notes category on the Wikifactory forum.
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For this edition of 3D Printing News Briefs, we’re starting off with a celebration – Scansite created 3D printed replicas of the spacesuit that Neil Armstrong wore for the 50th anniversary of the moon landing. Moving on to business and metals, 3D Hubs has hired a new Managing Director for the US, and DigiFabster published a case study. IAM 3D HUB’s newest technological partner is ArcelorMittal, and finally, SmarTech Publishing released some new research on metal powder bed fusion.
Scansite Creates 3D Printed Replicas of Famous Spacesuit
Just over 50 years ago last month, Neil Armstrong became the first man to walk on the moon, and people around the world have been celebrating this important anniversary. In 2015, the Smithsonian National Air & Space Museum launched a Kickstarter campaign to conserve, preserve, and digitize Armstrong’s spacesuit from that fateful day; this year, to commemorate the anniversary, the museum contacted Scansite to create 15 extremely faithful replicas of the suit for its 50th celebration of the moon landing. The interactive, life-sized “Apollo at the Park” replicas were made to display at 15 MLB ballparks around the US, together with an augmented reality app so visitors can learn important facts about the Apollo 11 moon mission.
“Baseball parks are the perfect venues for new generations to learn more about that summer night on July 20, 1969. The spacesuit replicas allow us to bring a piece of Apollo to Americans everywhere,” said Ellen Stofan, director of the National Air and Space Museum.
Scansite conducted high resolution 3D scanning of the original spacesuit, which was tricky because it features many details and different materials. The company used both a Breuckmann structured light scanner and a Faro touch probe to acquire the scan data, which resulted in a file with over 5.3 gigabytes of data. The data was edited, using surrounding topology of each hole in the information as a guide to fill everything in, and Scansite created a full-scale 3D print of the spacesuit, in 16 separate panels, on a Voxeljet 3D printer out of porous acrylic material. The sections were glued together to create the master model, which was then used to make a mold; finally, each replica was hand-sanded and painted, finished with a tough, autobody clear coat, and mounted on an engraved granite base.
3D Hubs Names Robert Schouwenburg as US Managing Director
Online manufacturing marketplace 3D Hubs announced that Robert Schouwenburg, the former COO & CTO of Shapeways, will be joining the company as its Managing Director for the USA. The company recently announced an $18 million funding round, which it’s been using to expand its team in the US, including opening a new North American headquarters at Chicago’s mHUB. Schouwenburg has over 20 years of experience in the industry, and will be working with the Chicago team to better service the company’s North American customer base, in addition to expanding 3D Hubs’ CNC machining services offering in Chicago.
“We’re at the start of ‘industry 4.0,’ an era when automation and data exchange will accelerate manufacturing technologies, and 3D Hubs is uniquely positioned to become a leader in this upcoming industrial revolution,” stated Schouwenburg.
DigiFabster Helps MakeItQuick Lower Costs and Increase Revenue
3D printing software and services provider DigiFabster recently released a case study about its customer MakeItQuick, a UK 3D printing service bureau. DigiFabster helps machine shops and service bureaus like MakeItQuick generate more new revenue, while lowering the cost of labor-intensive activities such as order entry, project management, and quoting. MakeItQuick teamed up with DigiFabster not long after it launched, and quickly started seeing results – the company was able to reduce quoting costs by up to 95% and order transaction costs by up to 85%. This allowed MakeItQuick to scale quickly and grow their revenues by 25% a month.
“The software handles 90% of our quotes without the need to manually review every part that is submitted. The time savings were immediately evident,” said Marco Massi, the owner of MakeItQuick.
“We save even more once a quote is confirmed. All the order details are at hand, giving us the opportunity to analyze the data and decide on the best way forward.
“In less than a year with DigiFabster, our revenue has grown steadily. We’re now experiencing a 25% monthly revenue increase, paving the way for our future success.”
IAM 3D HUB’s New Technological Partner
The latest technological partner of AM technology incubator IAM 3D HUB is ArcelorMittal, one of the world’s top steel and mining companies. The company, which has a presence in 60 countries and an industrial footprint in 18, will support the Barcelona-based hub with its technologies, materials, and knowledge to allow for new applications of and metal materials for 3D printing. The two share similar objectives, but ArcelorMittal hopes to use its experiences to contribute a new point of view.
ArcelorMittal’s membership in IAM 3D HUB will allow it to develop new metal 3D printing materials, as well as leverage the hub’s end-to-end solutions platform and work with stakeholders. By incorporating this company, the hub is welcoming a new member in the value chain of 3D printing “as a material developer.” It joins technological developers like HP, Renishaw, and Wacker Chemie, strategic partner Fira de Barcelona, and post-processing specialist Abrast by Coniex.
SmarTech Publishing: New Research Note on Metal Powder Bed Fusion
Less than a year ago, 3DPrint.com’s owner, 3DR Holdings, acquired an interest in industry analysis firm SmarTech Markets Publishing, and we continue to have a great relationship. If you’re ever interested in reading the firm’s latest data reports or market studies, you can find them all under the Research tab on our home page. Speaking of research, SmarTech’s VP of Research Scott Dunham, who has prepared the company’s Additive Manufacturing with Metal Powders Report for the last five years, recently released a research note on metal powder bed fusion, titled “Who Will Win (and Who Will Lose) the Metal PBF Marathon?”
“Despite what headlines, technologists, and marketing executives would have you believe, the metal 3D printing “race” is a marathon, not a sprint. To continue with the metaphor, we’re probably in about mile 10 of the race today –certainly not at the beginning anymore, but also quite a long way from the end. We are now about twenty three years since the first commercial metal powder bed fusion (PBF) systems came into view,” Dunham wrote.
“With so many closely comparable suppliers of metal PBF equipment now vying for market share, this begs the question, who has what it takes to make it? Everyone in the race today is working toward similar visions of an “Industry 4.0” future that hinges on metalworking going fully digital and highly automated from end to end, from prototyping all the way up to scaled production, with varying levels of customization capabilities based on industry needs along the way.”
Dunham goes on to list some of the technology’s “standout traits,” and names the company’s predictions on how the metal PBF race will turn out: which companies will be the front runners (EOS, GE Additive, Trumpf).
3D printing consultancy company Betatype specializes in optimizing metal AM production applications to deliver functional components for customers in many industries, including consumer goods, automotive, and medical. Recently, the company, based in London, published a new case study that explains how it teamed up with software company nTopology to create and manufacture a functionally optimized, 3D printed part for a rocket nozzle.
Betatype recognizes that collaborating with companies in industrial sectors, as well as the AM industry, can help produce better project results, with higher standards, than companies working alone can sometimes manage. Its recent partnership with nTopology is a perfect example of how collaboration was able to increase productivity in metal 3D printing.
“For serial production in additive manufacturing to work, it must make business sense. Through the partnership between nTopology and Betatype, and our shared belief in solving engineering problems by linking design, simulation, and manufacturing processes directly, we are able to present a strong business case for additive manufacturing,” said Brad Rothenberg, the Founder and CEO of nTopology. “We enable our customers to design and manufacture complex parts with speed, efficiency and reliability. We could not be happier with the results of this rocket nozzle case study and are looking forward to working on more joint projects.”
The project at the center of this collaboration was a test part for a rocket nozzle, and was created specifically to show how companies can integrate different solutions through partnerships. nTopology used its own nTop Platform software to help design the rocket nozzle part’s base mechanical structure, converting the part’s 3D model into an implicit one. Then, the design was optimized through the use of nTopology’s advanced simulation and topology optimization tools. Finally, Betatype’s software technology was applied to great effect, before the part was 3D printed.
Additive manufacturing offers material, shape, and structure control in one process, and Betatype’s Engine data processing platform helps maximize these capabilities to the fullest extent. The platform helps users manage, manipulate, and generate CAD and CAM data for multi-scale 3D design, in order to create higher fidelity for complex parts – not easily manufactured with conventional technology – at each scale of 3D design.
By combining technology from both nTopology and Betatype, the two companies were able to optimize the design of the complex rocket nozzle part for metal laser powder bed fusion 3D printing. Together, they achieved a major increase in part productivity – a 28% reduction in build time, down from 25 hours to 18.
“Betatype’s partnership with nTopology is an excellent demonstration of how we can work with talented designers to make additive manufacturing perform,” said Betatype’s Founder and CEO Sarat Babu. “The application clearly shows the benefits of combining the functional design and optimization skills of our partner with process optimization through our technology to achieve productivity levels that would not otherwise be possible with a standard metal LPBF platform.”
Rocket Nozzle: As built onto the base plate in Grade 23 Titanium (190 x 190 x 200).
Betatype fabricated the rocket nozzle test part out of titanium on a Renishaw AM250 3D printer. The nTop Platform’s capabilities highlighted how applying intelligent design can improve a part’s functionality, while also making sure that it is fit for its ultimate purpose. But the input from Betatype showed that design alone only gets you part of the way, and that metal 3D printing, complex functionality, and intelligent design is a winning combination.
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Last year, we learned that Jean-Michel Lamarre and Fabrice Bernier of the National Research Council (NRC) of Canada had started fabricating electric motor magnets using a process called cold spray additive manufacturing, or CSAM. The technology involves a metal material, in fine powder form, being accelerated in a high-velocity compressed gas jet. A stream of powder hits the substrate at high speed and starts building up a layer at a time, and the process has extremely high buildup rates, which makes it possible to produce several kilograms of magnets an hour. Cold spray itself is a relatively old technology but adapted here to build up objects and giving them magnetic properties is a step forward. In many 3D printing processes, magnetic parts are problematic because we have difficulty aligning metal fibers, organizing particles or getting the part itself made.
As metal 3D printing continues to be used in more sectors of the economy in Canada, it seems that more industrial-scale demonstrations are required so that interested parties can see its potential. So now, NRC Canada and Quebec-based Polycontrols, which specializes in surface engineering solutions and equipment integration, are partnering up to improve the accessibility of CSAM for the country’s manufacturers.
The NRC in Boucherville, home of the future the Poly/CSAM facility
Together, the two will be building a collaborative research facility, located at the NRC’s Boucherville site in Quebec, that will work to scale up the CSAM process, as well as help researchers and manufacturers study, adopt, and deploy the technology.
“The National Research Council of Canada acknowledges the value and importance this collaboration can offer the industry and the Canadian advanced manufacturing ecosystem,” said François Cordeau, the Vice President of Transportation and Manufacturing for NRC Canada. “We see great potential in bringing together different stakeholders to enable innovation and to build a network of industrial partners for a stronger Canadian supply and value chain. Our renowned technological expertise and capabilities in additive manufacturing research and development will support Poly/CSAM and contribute to developing demonstration platforms targeted at end user-industries and cluster networks.”
Poly/CSAM facility interior layout design
The Poly/CSAM facility is expected to open in February of 2020, and will help adapt laboratory-developed technology in order to meet factory and mass production requirements. Investissement Québec, the Business Development Bank of Canada, and Bank of Montreal have helped Polycontrols launch the first phase of this strategic growth initiative with an estimated $4 million investment over the six-year venture.
“Polycontrols is eager to leverage its proven track record in thermal and cold spray implementation (aerospace and surface transportation industries) to showcase its capabilities as a large-scale manufacturing integrator offering custom equipment platforms with the objective of bringing disruptive technologies such as hybrid robotic manufacturing, data analytics and machine learning (supported by Artificial Intelligence) to the shop floor,” stated Luc Pouliot, the Vice President of Operations for Polycontrols. “We see Poly/CSAM as a way to strengthen Canada’s industrial leadership in cold spray additive manufacturing and becoming more agile and competitive on the national and international scene.”
The Poly/CSAM facility will offer multiple technologies, including:
data logging and analytics
machine learning
surface preparation
sensor technologies
in-situ robotic machining and surface finishing
coating and 3D buildup by cold spray
local, laser-based thermal treatment
Poly/CSAM, a new metal additive manufacturing facility to open in February 2020
In addition, to ensure that the technology will be used safely and securely out in the world, NRC Canada will provide advice, training, and technical services to manufacturers through its professional team of over 40 experts.
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We’ve got a new partnership to tell you about in today’s 3D Printing News Briefs, followed by a software update and some news about 3D printing in the hospital. FIT AG and Mitsui & Co. Machine Tech Ltd are partnering in Japan. Volume Graphics has released Version 3.3 of its CT software solution. Lastly, Rady Children’s Hospital is bringing the technology in-house with a new 3D printing lab.
FIT AG and Mitsui & Co. Machine Tech Ltd. Announce Partnership
Back, L-R: Alexander Bonke, CEO, FIT Production GmbH; Carl Fruth, CEO, FIT AG; Albert Klein, CFO/CSO, FIT AG) Front, L-R: Shigeo Watanabe, General Manager, Business Planning Division, Corporate Planning & Strategy Unit, Mitsui & Co. Machine Tech Ltd.; Yasushi Murata, Director Project Management, Japan FIT AG, Takahiro Sueki, Business Planning Division, Corporate Planning & Strategy Unit, Mitsui & Co. Machine Tech Ltd.
German company FIT Additive Manufacturing Group (FIT AG) and Mitsui & Co. Machine Tech Ltd have announced that they will be partnering up to give Japanese manufacturing companies access to proven 3D printing solutions. Mitsui Machine Tech, which is a subsidiary of Japanese conglomerate Mitsui & Co., Ltd. will propose that its Japanese customers use FIT’s engineering, manufacturing, and project management services in cooperation with subsidiaries FIT Production GmbH and FIT Japan K.K. In addition, it will offer FIT’s 3D printing solutions to customers in Japan who are looking to invest in their own AM capacity.
“The cooperation of Mitsui Machine Tech and FIT offers Japanese customers the combination of trust and expertise. This is essential during the introduction of new technologies,” stated Carl Fruth, the CEO of FIT AG. ” We have developed a well-defined set of services in the additive design and manufacturing of final products and volume parts, and now Mitsui Machine Tech and FIT offer this to the Japanese market. Our cooperation with Mitsui Machine Tech fills us with pride and joy. We have high expectations as to the results.”
The news about the partnership was announced at the recent German-Japanese Additive Manufacturing Forum.
Volume Graphics Releases Updated Version of Software
Multi-material surface determination
Volume Graphics GmbH has over two decades of experience in developing and providing software for non-destructive testing based on industrial computed tomography (CT). Now, the company has released the latest generation of its advanced CT data analysis software. Version 3.3 of its VGSTUDIO, VGSTUDIO MAX, VGMETROLOGY, and VGinLINE include multiple updates, such as multi-material surface determination and volume meshing for simulations, and Volume Graphics has also announced the addition of a Technical Consulting unit that will provide customers with professional consulting and evaluation services.
Christof Reinhart, the CEO and Co-Founder of Volume Graphics, said, “With version 3.3 of our software solutions, we are once again laying the foundation for customers to make their processes smarter.
“For example, using the new data export, metrology data derived with the tremendous measurement capabilities of our software can be seamlessly shared with QA systems, where the values can then be combined and checked over time. More than ever before, this new feature enables customers to better integrate leading-edge CT technology into their existing software landscape. The new export feature is based on the native support of the widely used Q-DAS format, which makes using results in third-party statistical or analysis software especially easy.”
Rady Children’s Hospital Opening 3D Innovations Lab
San Diego-based Rady Children’s Hospital – the largest children’s hospital in California and the region’s only pediatric trauma center – has decided to stop outsourcing its 3D printing projects and bring the technology in-house. The hospital knows the positive impact that 3D printing can have on the outcome of a patient, and is opening its first 3D Innovations Lab, which will be centered around the HP Jet Fusion 580 Color 3D printer. The system will be used to make anatomical models for specialists and surgeons to use in pre-planning, which can help lower the risk of complications in the OR. One example is that of Leanne Wilbert’s son, who needed open heart surgery for a condition where two of his main arteries were switched. A scale model of his heart was 3D printed to allow the surgeon to practice different approaches.
“3D printing and 3D innovations as a whole has a major role in a hospital,” Justin Smith, PhD, a research scientist at Rady Children’s Hospital, said in a video. “It helps our surgeons, helps our doctors, helps our students, helps the families themselves, helps the whole team. By creating a workflow that enabled 3D printing, we brought this incredible technology in house. It’s helping improve our patient outcomes, but also helping our economics, in helping new opportunities for device design and fabrication.”
In addition to 3D printing, the hospital’s new 3D Innovation Lab will also include virtual and augmented reality technologies.
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Flexible materials can be used to make many different parts, but it’s not always easy to 3D print with PU and similar materials. That’s why these three companies, from different parts of the 3D printing value chain, are working together to remove the barriers from, and make sure that manufacturers have proper access to, the necessary expertise and resources for 3D printing high-performance parts with Chromatic’s FlexTune line of durable, flexible, and reliable PU elastomer materials.
Examples of some of the specific applications that could really benefit from parts made out of flexible materials include train braking system gaskets, insoles for shoes, noise-reducing buffers and mechanical clutches for power transmission in cars, and hoses and bellows.“Due to this great collaboration with DSM and Chromatic our customers can now manufacture thermoset material parts that are difficult or impossible to produce by injection moulding,” said German RepRap CEO Florian Bautz. “At the same time the final parts have the same mechanical properties as injection-moulded parts, which brings major advantages for the future.”
