3D Printing News Briefs: March 16, 2020

We’ve got news about 3D printers in today’s 3D Printing News Briefs, as BigRrep has shipped its 500th large-format 3D printer. Peopoly is developing new 3D printers for its Phenom series, and startup Excelencia is offering a 3D printing service for large objects. Moving on, MPA, NAMIC, and SSA have launched a Joint Industry Program for 3D printed maritime parts.

BigRep Ships 500th Industrial Large-Format 3D Printer

Large-format 3D printing leader BigRep, founded in 2014, just announced that it has shipped its 500th industrial large-format AM system. The company’s managing director, Martin Beck, said that this delivery shows how much all of the company’s industrial customers value BigRep products, which are utilized in a wide variety of applications. The 500th delivery was a BigRep ONE 3D printer, which was shipped to e-mobility tech company JAMADE GERMANY, creator of the AMAZEA underwater scooter  – the first water sports mobility device that will use serial produced 3D printed parts at the consumer level.

“We are very excited about this delivery because it represents a new dimension of industrial AM in end-consumer products, both for us as a company and the industry,” said JAMADE Managing Partner and Technical Director Detlef Klages. “The new BigRep ONE will enable us to launch the serial production of AMAZEA as planned, completing our existing fleet of four BigRep ONE printers. We greatly value the printers’ cost efficiency, accuracy and quality when compared to the extremely high investment for traditional tools.”

Peopoly Developed Two New Phenom Series 3D Printers

In October, Hong Kong company Peopoly launched its Phenom 3D printer series, which was well-received by industrial users due to a higher resolution print, shorter workflow, and reduced cost. So, using the same MSLA technology, the company, which was founded back in 2016, has developed two new systems for its third generation series: the extra-large Phenom L and the fast Phenom Noir.

The Phenom L has a build volume of 345.6 × 194.4 x 400 mm – over 50% larger than the original, which a 20% faster rate of print speed. It also features new build plate designs, which improves the post-processing experience and simplifies the workflow for larger prints. The Phenom Noir has a monochrome LCD panel, designed for enterprise 3D printing applications, that reduces UV light waste, which Peopoly says makes the system run five times faster than the Form 3. With its 293.76 × 165.24 x 400 mm build size, it’s also nearly 13% bigger than the original Phenom.

Excelencia’s Launches 3D Printing Service for Large Objects

MASSIVIT project

Spanish 3D and textile 3D printing distributor Excelencia Tech just launched earlier this month with two big projects. First, the startup is an official distributor for MASSIVIT 3D printers, so it’s focusing on selling these. Secondly, Excelencia is promoting its XL MEDIA Project, which is a service it offers for 3D printing very large objects on its MASSIVIT systems. The 3D printers the startup owns are pretty costly, which is why Excelencia is promoting the use of them to companies that need to print large objects, but can’t afford to purchase their own large-format printer.

“Nowadays, if one of our 3D printings have to be done by a “traditional” 3D printer, it will take couple of weeks and an enormous budget to succed. So we offer the chance to create your 3D products using our machine without buying it, to understand and check all advantatges that Massivit’s machines have,” Miguel Preda Lliso, the Marketing and Business Development Manager for Excelencia, told 3DPrint.com.

“With our technology we can do giant products (about 180 cm) in less tan 48 hours  and without generating as much waste as traditional machines (our machines just use as much kilos of material as the product weight).”

Phase 2 of Joint Industry Program for 3D Printed Marine Parts

Singapore’s National Additive Manufacturing Innovation Cluster (NAMIC), along with SSA and the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA), has launched the second phase of a Joint Industry Programme (JIP) for the 3D printing of marine and maritime parts. Phase 1 was completed in October, and Phase 2 consists of the call for proposals from classification societies or AM technology suppliers that would like to participate in the JIP as an industry consortium leader. The objective of this JIP, which has the potential to spin off further developmental projects in the future, is to establish the technical feasibility, regulatory requirements, and commercial viability for creating 3D printed marine parts.

“Maritime assets are capital intensive, and downtime is costly,” the JIP Challenge Statement reads.

“Replacement of marine spare parts involves many actors in the supply chain, and can be costly in terms of inventory, logistics, and cost of spare parts (especially for obsolete parts).”

The JIP is also working to shine a light on some of the opportunities, and challenges, involved in deploying 3D printing for marine parts, such as approval and certification processes. The application deadline for this phase is 6 pm on April 6, 2020.

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

The post 3D Printing News Briefs: March 16, 2020 appeared first on 3DPrint.com | The Voice of 3D Printing / Additive Manufacturing.

3D Printing News Briefs: August 7, 2018

We’re starting things off on today’s 3D Printing News Briefs with a little business and a little software, before moving on to more cool 3D printing projects and products. NextFlex has announced its Project Call 4.0, and we’ve got a closer look at a 3D print filament recycling system that was introduced at the Barcelona Maker Faire. OnShape has announced the latest updates to its CAD system. A university student 3D printed a car muffler, and Printable Science presents its 3D printed safety razor.

NextFlex Project Call 4.0

Last month, the NextFlex consortium, one of the leaders in the Manufacturing USA network, announced the award recipients of $12 million in funding for the latest round of its extremely successful Project Call program for Flexible Hybrid Electronics (FHE) innovations. This week, the consortium announced the $10 million funding round for its Project Call 4.0, which has a “very diverse scope of needs” that represent gaps in capabilities and technology in multiple application areas. Proposals should focus on several manufacturing thrust areas (MTA), such as flexible battery integration, FHE device encapsulation, evaluating and developing connectors for e-textiles and FHE devices, and advanced 3D electrical design software, among others.

“NextFlex’s Project Call process has proven to be extremely successful. We continuously tackle member-identified FHE manufacturing challenges, and with 31 projects already underway from three previous project calls, we expect this to garner even more interest from the FHE community,” said Dr. Malcolm J. Thompson, the Executive Director of NextFlex. “Topics in Project Call 4.0 build upon successful developments and learning from our previous project calls.”

OUROBOROS 3D Printing Recycling System

The Barcelona Maker Faire was held earlier this summer, and one of the many innovations on display at the event included an all-in-one recycling system for 3D printing called the OUROBOROS. The system shreds used plastic and extrudes the material into a 3D printable filament. According to YouTube user Joan Cullere, the OUROBOROS system includes a prototype shredder with a 24 V motor that’s almost completely 3D printed itself.

In addition to the economic and compact shredder prototype, the OUROBOROS 3D printing recycling system features a user-friendly filament extruder with better cooling, a new spooling system, and an optimized filament path. To see the new system for yourself, check out the video below.

Onshape System Updates

Modern CAD platform Onshape introduced the premium edition of its software in May, and delivers automatic upgrades to the system every three weeks. The latest updates, from July 12 and August 1, include many new improvements to the Onshape CAD system.

For instance, the July 12 update introduced a feature for adjusting the line thickness in drawings, which allows users to define the thickness for tangent, hidden, and visible edges. This update also added a new Drawing Properties panel icon, which replace the wrench icon and includes several new features. The August 12 update made it possible for users to change existing parts or assemblies to a revision, which means every stage of the workflow can be changed. In addition, users can now enjoy significant rebuild time improvements in the system’s complex multi-part Sheet Metal Part Studios. The next updates should arrive on August 23rd.

3D Printed Car Muffler

University student and YouTube user Cooper Orrock was inspired by another maker’s DIY project – a duct tape and cardboard car muffler – to make his own 3D printed version. He designed the two-component automotive part and 3D printed it in plastic; then, with the help of some friends, he prepared the part for installation on a vehicle. This included clearing out some of the holes on the rim of each part so it could be screwed together, and removing the original muffler from the car.

“Part of me thinks that it could possibly melt just because of all the heat from the engine and stuff, but part of me thinks it could work,” Orrock said.

To see if his prediction came true, check out the video below.

3D Printed Safety Razor

Printable Science, which creates “all the science that’s fit to print’ according to its Patreon page, creates all sorts of nifty 3D printed projects, like a socket nut driver, a mini hacksaw handle, and a USB microscope stand. Now, it’s moved on to a 3D printed, four part plastic safety razor.

“Forget the dollar shave club… forget paying shipping and handling… 3D print your own safety razor and be part of the 29 cent shave club,” a member of Printable Science said on the YouTube video.

He explained that the basic design of the safety razor has been mostly unchanged for about 150 years, and that with the design for this razor, you can make your own for just 19 cents. However, this isn’t the first 3D printed razor we’ve seen – in fact, the Gillette Company filed a patent for a 3D printable razor cartridge a few years ago, and was also one of the co-creators of a challenge to design a 3D printed razor handle. To see how Printable Science’s 3D printed plastic safety razor compares, check out the video below.

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