Posted on

Sharebot Releases Improved SnowWhite2, Low-Cost SLS 3D Printer

In 2014, Italian 3D printer manufacturer Sharebot introduced its low-cost selective laser sintering (SLS) system, SnowWhite, at the TCT Show, two years prior to its market release. The company has since branched out in its 3D printer offerings, but is still improving its SLS system, releasing the SnowWhite2, an improved update to the original SnowWhite with some new features.

“SnowWhite was created to bring the advantages of sintering to small and medium-sized companies and laboratories, all in an economic, simple and effective way without sacrificing the professional quality of the result,” Sharebot states on its website. “The user can really “print in one click” because, once the profile of the material has been defined, the printing process is completely autonomous, requires no external intervention and the results are perfectly repeatable.”

The Sharebot SnowWhite2 features what Sharebot refers to as direct laser sintering (DLS) technology, infusing prints with thermal and mechanical resistance. Because of its CO₂ laser, multiple thermoplastic powders should work with this system, such as PA12 and TPU. It’s also possible to use special powders loaded with other material particles, like aluminum, carbon, or glass, to give prints a variety of mechanical, visual, and physical properties. 

Textile sample 3D printed on SnowWhite2

One improvement that the SnowWhite2 features is an upgraded software interface, which includes custom print profiles and open parameters. The printer uses the Simplify3D slicer, and has Ethernet connectivity, which partners well with the Sharebox3D print notification system.

Another one of the major changes is improved temperature management of the print chamber. The SnowWhite2 printer can be integrated with a separate module, the SnowWhite2 Nitro, that uses oxygen presence sensors to regulate the flow of whichever inert gas is used, nitrogen or argon. This makes it possible to control the atmosphere inside the chamber, which Sharebot says means no more yellowing prints.

The company says that the Nitro module can be easily added for a modified print atmosphere at any time, and that it’s easy to set the 120 kg printer up. According to Sharebot, it takes less than ten minutes to start up the SnowWhite2, about the same amount of time to move from loading your material to printing out the first few layers.

The company states that the printer’s other features include ease of use, minimal maintenance and fast cleanup, durable prints with highly detailed surfaces, a heated build chamber, and a 50 micron Z-axis resolution. Sharebot also notes that, on average, the new SnowWhite2 consumes less than 1.5 kilowatts of electrical per hour, includes an advanced laser control system with emissivity settings, and that all the unused powder is recycled and “can be directly reused in subsequent processing.”

Assembly sample 3D printed on SnowWhite2

Additional SnowWhite2 3D printer specs are:

  • 100 x 100 x 100 mm print volume
  • 100 micron XY resolution
  • 0.2 mm spot dimension
  • 35 mm/h Z-axis speed
  • scan speed up to 3500 mm/s

With the SnowWhite 2, we are now seeing the second generation in low-cost SLS machines, as Sinterit has already released the Lisa 2 and Sintratec the S2. The goal with these systems is to bring sophisticated SLS technology down to a price point that smaller businesses and labs can afford. However, as these machines advance, one has to wonder how their costs will increase. Just as Sharebot has created its Nitro module for improved prints, Sinterit has launched a series of accessories that will likely bring up the total overall cost of operation. They may still be able to keep prices below high-end production systems, as Sinterit has demonstrated that it is still focused on reducing costs as much as possible with its accessories.

Sharebot is now taking pre-orders for the new SnowWhite2 3D printer, with delivery beginning October 1st, 2020. Also, there is currently a special discount for pre-orders of the printer until September 30; contact the company’s marketing department for more information.

(Images courtesy of Sharebot)

The post Sharebot Releases Improved SnowWhite2, Low-Cost SLS 3D Printer appeared first on 3DPrint.com | The Voice of 3D Printing / Additive Manufacturing.

Posted on

Sharebot launches the SnowWhite 2 3D printer – technical specifications and pricing

Sharebot has debuted its new SnowWhite 2 3D printer. The professional SLS system is the next iteration to the previously released SnowWhite, with improvements in temperature control and a new software engine. Being aimed primarily at SMEs and research institutions, the machine claims to provide an economical method of professional-grade polymer part production. Covering all […]
Posted on

For a Personalized Look, Try a 3D Printed Pompillon Bow Tie

There’s something fantastically dapper about a bow tie, and a 3D printed version definitely takes this fashionable look the extra mile. Ties and bow ties, along with ascots and scarves, were born from the cravat, and can quickly elevate an outfit. But using 3D printing to make these fashion-forward accessories means that you can easily play with the shape and texture of the tie for a more unique aesthetic.

Pompillon, a clothing brand based in Italy and Germany, was founded in 2017, based on an idea from bow tie collector and aerospace engineer Luca Pompa, also the founder of the brand. That idea, of course, was to use 3D printing to make more creative, customizable bow ties. The name Pompillon is a playful merger between the surname Pompa and ‘papillon,’ which the website explains is “the French name of the beloved bow tie.”

“The vast assortment of colors of bow ties and combinable ribbons wants to encourage everyone’s imagination to the maximum, to personalize his style with a small accessory with attention to every detail,” the Pompillon Facebook page states. “Moreover, the various editions will allow collecting them in all its lines.”

3D printed Pompillon bow ties merge classic shapes with creativity, experimentation, and technology; add in attention to detail and a wide range of ribbons and tie colors, and the sky is the limit when it comes to personalizing your style. The Pompillon tie takes the typical bow tie silhouette, reduces it down to the most essential lines, and reinterprets the accessory with 3D printing.

The brand uses another Italian original to fabricate its bow ties – Sharebot 3D printers. Pompillon bow ties are 3D printed using a hexagon infill shape. Several of these six-sided polygons, all with sides of equal length, are joined together to make the bow tie and optimize “structural packing to the maximum.”

3D printed Pompillon bow ties are perfect for classic, everyday style, and for more formal occasions as well. The brand’s ideal clientele are those who appreciate a personalized and colorful look, as they enjoy dressing in a refined way, without being boring.

The bow ties are 3D printed out of plant-based, biodegradable PLA material from renewable resources, which keeps them lightweight. In the future, Pompillon will make special editions of its bow ties out of carbon fiber, marble powder, and even wood.

Pompillon has two versions of its bow tie – the filled Gentlemen and the open Rebel. When you combine the two, it makes the Unique model. The brand also offers a Gala Edition bow tie, which appear to only come in black and white for more sophisticated evenings, à la James Bond. These 3D printed bow ties are completely customizable with a variety of colors, clips, and ribbon, so you have a lot of choices to play around with in making your own unique accessory.

You can visit the brand’s online shop page to see what’s available. Two of the looks I really like are the Pompillon Dark Rebel, which is a red ribbon and black bow tie combination for just €24.90, and the Pompillon Unique White Snow & Blue Ocean, also at a price of €24.90. A 3D printed Gala Edition bow tie will set you back just €26.90, and several of the Pompillon Gentlemen ties, including my favorite in the limited edition Nature Green color, only cost €19.90.

They even look good on dogs!

“Have fun using them in bulk or combined with our other Pompillon. Make it unique and customizable for every look and mood,” the shop page says.

“Take a picture wearing it and post it on social media. If you send it to info@pompillon.it, it will be published and advertised on our social networks! plus you will have the chance to win a free one…be Lucky!”

Would you wear a 3D printed Pompillon bow tie? Let us know! Discuss this story and other 3D printing topics at 3DPrintBoard.com or share your thoughts in the Facebook comments below.

The post For a Personalized Look, Try a 3D Printed Pompillon Bow Tie appeared first on 3DPrint.com | The Voice of 3D Printing / Additive Manufacturing.

Posted on

Sharebot confirms presentation of compact metalONE 3D printer

Sharebot, an Italian-headquartered developer of desktop and professional grade 3D printers, is ready to launch its first metal system. Scheduled for public presentation at MECSPE Parma on Thursday March 28, 2018, the metalONE is reportedly “one of the smallest 3D metal printers on the market.” In anticipation of the event later this month Laura Longoni, International Area […]
Posted on

3D printing news Sliced Siemens, ExOne, Stratasys, Massivit, CELLINK, Formlabs, Star Rapid

This edition of our 3D printing news digest Sliced asks the following questions: Is advanced manufacturing destined to destroy jobs? Will 3D printing benefit from trade wars between the US, Europe and China? How is bioprinting advancing and what are the latest career moves and opportunities across the 3D printing industry? Also, 3D printing news from Siemens, […]
Posted on

3D Printing News Briefs: July 17, 2018

In Today’s 3D Printing News Briefs, we’re covering a lot of business and a little medical news. AMFG is partnering with a top UK bearings manufacturer to help automate its digital manufacturing workflows, while Segula Technologies has begun an industrial 3D printing partnership with digital manufacturing company Multistation. Techniplas has completed a deployment of Sharebot 3D printers to its 14 manufacturing facilities around the world, and the winners of the SkillsUSA Additive Manufacturing Competition have been announced. Finally, a pediatric cardiologist used the Sinterit Lisa to create a 3D printed model of a newborn boy’s heart to plan his risky surgery.

Bowman International Announces Partnership with AMFG

Bowman’s bearings

Automation software specialist AMFG, which recently launched a new AI software platform, has partnered with Bowman International, one of the top bearings manufacturers in the UK, as it works to grow its 3D printing capabilities through its Bowman Additive Production (AP) division. Bowman AP has several MJF and SLS 3D printers available for its use, and uses 3D printing to design and produce its end-part bearings, which has helped increase their load bearing capacity by up to 70%.

In the meantime, Bowman International’s goal is to use AMFG’s AI-powered production automation software to oversee production of said bearings, by automating production job scheduling, optimizing digital CAD files for production with printability analyses, and creating a custom digital part catalog.

“We’re very pleased to be partnering with AMFG and using their automation software to scale our already expanding AM facility,” said Jacob Turner, the Head of Additive Production at Bowman International. “Additive manufacturing is transforming the way bearings are manufactured, and we aim to continue to be at the forefront of innovating the production of bearings using AM. AMFG’s automation software will enable us to achieve this by significantly increasing the efficiency of our production processes.”

Multistation Partners with Segula Technologies

Another newly announced 3D printing partnership is the one between international engineering group Segula Technologies and Paris-based 3D printing company Multistation. The two are working together to further develop the potential of 3D printing in the industrial sector, which will allow both companies to increase their offerings and provide customers with excellent services along the AM value chain. Segula will bring its design, product-process qualification, and technology integration in industrial environments to the table, while Multistation will share and apply its expertise in AM design and simulation by determining any potential parts that could be 3D printed instead of fabricated with a more traditional method of manufacturing.

“Additive manufacturing is an integral part of a value chain within which Multistation provides a comprehensive offering; Segula Technologies was an obvious partner of choice to enable our Additive Consulting division to address manufacturers’ concerns more effectively,” said Yannick Loisance, the CEO of Multistation. “We will thus be able to supply them not just with software packages, machines and materials, but also with a more comprehensive range of high-quality engineering services that are suited to a host of different business sectors.”

Techniplas Adds Sharebot 3D Printers to Its Manufacturing Facilities

This fall, Italian professional-grade 3D printer manufacturer Sharebot joined the open innovation program at Techniplas, a top automotive design and manufacturing provider. Now, as part of its own continuing digital transformation, Techniplas has deployed Sharebot 3D printers to all of its 14 manufacturing facilities across five continents. This move will allow the company to 3D print the majority of the manufacturing products it uses every day on-site, which will equal major cost and time savings as Techniplas previously used only third-party providers for this task.

“With Sharebot 3D printers installed in all of our manufacturing facilities worldwide, we are taking decisive steps toward fabricating the majority of our manufacturing line assembly tools, jigs, fixtures, gauges and even robotic arm attachments in-house. Based on our experience with Sharebot printers thus far, we expect to significantly reduce our development time and annual assembly line tooling costs in each manufacturing facility over time,” said Techniplas COO Manfred Kwade.

Winners of the SkillsUSA Additive Manufacturing Competition Announced

For the fourth year running, advanced manufacturing technology industry organization SME and Stratasys have co-sponsored the SkillsUSA Additive Manufacturing Contest, held during the annual SkillsUSA National Leadership and Skills Conference in Louisville. The winners of this year’s student contest, which asks contestants to solve real world problems with 3D printing, were just announced. This year, entrants had to design an adaptive device for a veteran, who had endured a traumatic thumb amputation, so he could keep playing his PlayStation 3. Prizes include RAPID + TCT conference passes, SOLIDWORKS’ 3D-CAD design software, SME Education Foundation scholarships (for high school participants), a one-year Tooling U-SME subscription, and a MakerBot Mini 3D printer.

“The SkillsUSA contest is designed to help students and educators realize the power of additive manufacturing to drive innovation. This year’s competition was particularly meaningful as it directly resulted in enhancing a veteran’s life with a custom solution not possible without additive manufacturing,” said Gina Scala, the Director of Marketing, Global Education at Stratasys.

The high school winners include:

  • Gold medal: Getty George and Sam Green, Martin Luther King High School, Riverside, California
  • Silver medal: Noah Logan and Johnathan Urbani, Stafford Tech Center, Rutland, Vermont
  • Bronze medal: Andrew Daddone and Layke Martin, Frederick County Career & Tech Center, Frederick, Maryland

The college winners include:

  • Gold medal: Adolfo Vargas and Alexander Kemnitz, Central Community College-Hastings, Hastings, Nebraska
  • Silver medal: Deema Al Namee and Aric Donerkiel, Vermont Technical College, Randolph Center, Vermont
  • Bronze medal: William Swaner and Ashton DeZwarte, Tenneseee College of Applied Tech-Nashville, Nashville, Tennessee

Watch a video about the 2018 competition here, and check out the winning designs here; you can also view SME’s Flickr album for more competition photos.

Surgeon 3D Prints Pediatric Heart Model with Sinterit Lisa

Desktop SLS 3D printer manufacturing Sinterit has seen its flagship Lisa 3D printer, which went through a recent upgrade, used to save lives in multiple ways, from fighting wildfires and protecting the faces of children to providing assistance in a tough pediatric cardiac surgery.

“Delivering desktop SLS 3D printer for more than three years caused that our clients send us tonnes of useful and exciting cases. Writing about all of them is hard, if not impossible, but when 3D printing helps saving lives, especially those most fragile, we feel proud, and also a duty to share it with you,” Michał Krzak, Sinterit’s Marketing Communication Manager, told 3DPrint.com.

A newborn’s heart can weigh barely 20 grams, and fits in the palm of an adult’s hand, so you can imagine that surgeries on such a delicate organ are exceedingly difficult. Jarosław Meyer-Szary, MD, from the Department of Pediatric Cardiology and Congenital Heart Defects at the University Clinical Center in Poland recently turned to Sinterit’s Lisa 3D printer to save the life of Kordian, an infant less than one month old suffering from a potentially fatal heart disease called interrupted aortic arch.

Meyer-Szary created 3D printed, life-size model of Kordian’s tiny heart, and SLS technology was able to recreate each intricate artery and vein. The model not only helped him plan the surgery ahead of time, but also helped Kordian’s mother gain a more thorough understanding of her son’s condition. Kordian is now a thriving and happy 18 month-old, thanks to Sinterit’s SLS technology.

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