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3D Printing Webinar and Virtual Event Roundup, June 28, 2020

This week is packed full with 3D printing webinars and virtual events, with four taking place Tuesday, and two each on Wednesday and Thursday.  We’ll tell you all about them below!

Digital Manufacturing Investor Day

First up, software provider Dyndrite will be hosting its first ever Digital Manufacturing Investor Day on Tuesday, June 30th, featuring both pre-recorded and live content. Investors and venture capital companies have been invited to hear lightning presentations by hardware and software startups from all around the world, and several industry investment firms will also give panel presentations. The advisors for the inaugural Digital Manufacturing Investor Day are Gradient Ventures, HP Tech Ventures, and The House Fund.

“This virtual event is an initiative to help link startups in the digital manufacturing space to investors in the industry. As supply chains have been recently disrupted and workforces have to remain distanced, so new digital manufacturing technology becomes even more critical as manufacturers figure out how to tackle these challenges.”

Register here.

Additive Manufacturing for Aircraft Interiors 

Also on June 30th, a webinar about 3D printed aerospace applications will take place from 9-10 am EDT. “Additive Manufacturing for Aircraft Interiors – doing the trick for the In-Service Market” will discuss the use of polymer 3D printed parts for future aircraft cabins, how the technology can save money and time, possible new business opportunities for Maintenance Repair and Overhaul Providers (MROs), and what issues still remain, such as certification, investments, and availability of the right raw materials. Stephan Keil, Director Industrialisation for AM Global, will moderate the discussion between panelists Markus Glasser, Senior Vice President EMEA, EOS; Vinu Vijayan, Global Business Development Manager – Aerospace, EOS; Frederic Becel, Design Manager, CVE, Innovation Leader Aircraft Modification Division, Air France; and Karl Bock, Principal Design Engineer, Aircraft Modification Team, P21J Design Organisation, Lufthansa Technik.

“A wide spreading of AM manufacturing also has the potential to significantly change the supply chain setup of the Aero industry, impacting small and large suppliers, as distributed manufacturing moves closer to becoming a reality. Furthermore, new business models for spare parts and part design data may emerge, along with new services, which brings a need to tackle challenges around IP and regulation.”

Register here.

nScrypt’s Cutting Edge of Digital Manufacturing Webinar

nScrypt is also holding a webinar on the 30th, titled “Pushing the Envelope of Digital Manufacturing.” The first part of the Cutting Edge Digital Manufacturing webinar series will take place at 1 pm ET on the 30th, and the second part will occur at the same time on July 7th. Panelists Mark Mirotznik, PhD, University of Delaware; Jing Wang, PhD, University of South Florida and Oregon State University; Devin MacKenzie, PhD, University of Washington, and Raymond C. Rumpf, PhD, University of Texas at El Paso, will discuss the future of direct digital manufacturing, covering topics like metamaterial use, permeating electronics in structures for control, sensing, and smart features, and going from a CAD file to a final, multimaterial electronic product in one build.

“JOIN YET ANOTHER DISTINGUISHED PANEL for part ONE of an in-depth discussion on the future of direct digital manufacturing by some of the premiere additive manufacturing universities in the country. The projects these universities are working on are solving problems with traditional antennas and printed circuit boards (PCBs).

Register here.

ACCIONA’s Concrete 3D Printing Webinar

The last June 30th webinar will be held by ACCIONA, called “Let’s Talk Concrete 3D Printing.” It will take a multidisciplinary approach when discussing the technology’s use in the value chain, “where Innovation, Academia, Design, Manufacturing and Industry join together for a broad analysis of the technology.

Speakers will be Alaa K. Ashmawy, PhD, P.E. Dean and Professor for the School of Engineering at the American University in Dubai; Sualp Ozel, Senior Product Manager at Autodesk; Fahmi Al Shawwa, the CEO of Immensa Additive Manufacturing; Carlos Egea, Manager 3D Printing, Skill Center at ACCIONA; and Luis Clemente, COO 3D Printing at ACCIONA. The webinar will take place at 8:30 am EST, and attendees can join here.

3D Systems Webinar Featuring VAULT

On Wednesday, July 1st, at 10:30 am EST, 3D Systems will be holding a live webinar, “Advanced Your Engineering and Equip Sales to Win Business with SLA,” featuring VAULT, which manufactures enclosures for tablets in the point-of-sale industry. The company integrated 3D Systems’ SLA technology into its process, and the 45-minute webinar will explain how SLA can be used at every stage of business. VAULT will share customer reactions to quality and service, in addition to the training and on-boarding process, and explain how companies can win new business by providing access to high-quality 3D printed parts.

“Gaining a new client is all about gaining their confidence. No matter how refined your sales pitch, nothing wins trust or business faster than immediately following through on your promises.

“Join our live web event featuring VAULT’s VP of Engineering, Quentin Forbes, to find out how in-house 3D printing with 3D Systems’ stereolithography is helping the company build its reputation and client base.”

Register here.

Webinar for New Metal 3D Printing Material

Also on July 1st, metallurgist expert Aubert & Duval will join Alloyed, formerly known as OxMet Technologies, in hosting a free webinar about ABD-900AM, a new nickel superalloy for metal additive manufacturing. When tested with laser powder bed fusion (LPBF) technology, the high-strength material offered improved manufacturability, as well as high creep and oxidation resistance, compared to common AM alloys. It also features ~99.9% density and is highly crack resistant. Adeline Riou, Global Sales Manager at Aubert & Duval, and Will Dick-Cleland, Additive Manufacturing Engineer at Alloyed, will give an overview of the material’s properties, along with several interesting case studies, during the 30-minute webinar.

“Designed for use at high temperatures up to 900°C / 1650°F, ABD®-900AM has been tailored for AM by Alloyed not just for high mechanical properties, but also for excellent printability. Compared with Ni718, ABD®‑900AM provides a minimum of 30% improvement in yield stress at temperatures >800°C and a creep temperature capability improvement by up to 150 o C – similar to alloy 939 and alloy 738.”

The webinar will begin at 11 am EST, and you can register here.

Stratasys Aerospace Webinar Series Continued

Stratasys will continue its new aerospace webinar series this Thursday, July 2nd, with “Value Proposition of AM to Airlines.” During this hour-long webinar, Chuan Ching Tan, General Manager, Additive Flight Solutions (AFS), will speak about several related topics, including when and where additive manufacturing can make its business case to airlines, use cases – especially regarding aircraft interiors – by AFS to airlines, and other issues to get past in order to speed adoption of the technology.

You’ll have to wake up early if you’re in my time zone – the webinar will take place at 4 am EDT. Register here.

VO Webinar: Coming of Age for Additive Manufacturing

Recently, Viaccess-Orca (VO), a global provider of advanced data solutions and digital content protection, joined the collaborative 3MF Consortium as a Founding Member. Now, it’s presenting a free 45-minute webinar with HP and Autodesk, also active members of the 3MF Consortium, about “Additive Manufacturing’s coming of age: the essential role of data security and standards.” The webinar, also held on July 2nd, will focus on the importance of data security and standards as the closed AM ecosystem moves to a more open future. Dr. Phil Reeves, Managing Director of Reeves Insight Ltd, will facilitate the discussion between speakers Scott White, Distinguished Technologist, 3D Software and Data, HP, Inc.; Martin Weismann, Principal Software Engineer for Autodesk; and Alain Nochimowski, Executive Vice President of Innovation at VO.

Learning objectives of the webinar will include why data standards are so important for the growth and deployment of the technology in the Industry 4.0 supply chain, how 3D CAD and AM hardware vendors can embrace both interoperability and data standards to benefit customers, what the 3D printing industry can learn about analytics, traceability, and data security from more mature industries, and the consortium’s newly released Secure Content specification. At the end, there will be a Question and Answer session, facilitated by Laura Griffiths, Deputy Group Editor at TCT. The webinar will take place at 10 am EST; register here.

Will you attend any of these events and webinars, or have news to share about future ones? Let us know! Discuss this and other 3D printing topics at 3DPrintBoard.com or share your thoughts in the comments below.

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Improved 3D Printing: Near-Convex Decomposition & Layering

Researchers İlke Demir, Daniel G. Aliaga, and Bedrich Benes tackle one of the most popular topics in 3D printing today: optimization. While the many benefits of digital fabrication are oft discussed—from greater affordability, improved speed in production, and the ability to create and re-design without a middleman—challenges continue to arise due to continual innovation. Ever on the search for perfection, users are continually seeking ways to predict mechanical properties, decrease defects, and monitor additive manufacturing systems.

In this study, the authors focus on reducing the amount of material used, reducing print times, and refining accuracy. Detailing the efforts of their research in ‘Near-convex decomposition and layering for efficient 3D printing,’ we learn more about their ‘divide-and-conquer approach,’ featuring automatic decomposition and configuration of an input object into print-ready components.

“3D printers have both limitations and advantages depending on the coherency between the printer features and the model geometry,” explained the authors. “Instead of relying only on improvements of the 3D printing technology, we provide a solution that optimizes the model in order to maximize that coherence by segmenting the model into easily printable components.”

They noted 15% improvement of quality, 49.4% savings in material, and 50.3% reduction in printing.

Decomposition for 3D printing: Input model (a), our automatic near-convex decomposition (b), configuration that will be printed (c), individual printed components (d), and the final printed and assembled object (e).

The sample for this study is a polygonal model. Decomposition included separating the beginning clusters into an ‘optimal’ set of components. In the next step they were prepared for printing in a configuration phase, saving time as in most other cases labor is extended as the print bed must be moved down, or the printhead must be moved up. Production is also more efficient as parts are printed at once. In evaluating properties, the researchers examined:

  • Volumetric approximation
  • Number of components
  • Amount of support material
  • Faster print time
  • High quality resulting from less angular surfaces

System pipeline: A 3D mesh is first decomposed into clusters and then optimized for optimal components. Afterwards, the components are configured for an efficient layout. Finally, printed and assembled to produce the final physical object.

The algorithm consists of subspace creation and segmentation. A set of similarly shaped clusters (triangles) is defined, and then clusters are ‘iteratively merged and split’ for balance.

“During each iteration of this step, we compare cluster-by-cluster, mark similar clusters, and merge-split at the end of each iteration, until convergence. We also highlight that our method uses the same threshold parameter values for all models,” explain the authors.

For improved printing, components must possess:

  • Concavity
  • Surface angles
  • Sizes and Numbers
  • Deviation

Component properties: Convex components need less support material (a). Better surface quality can be achieved by avoiding near-horizontal angles (b). Balancing convexity and size/number of components prevent over-segmenting (c). Minimizing deviation increases model fidelity (d). The red dashed lines indicate the cut line. The combed area in (a) indicates the support structure, and the combed areas in (c and d) indicate the model deviation.

Of the 20 samples applied to the framework in this study, some were manually modeled, and some were acquired commercially. Complexity averaged 23.9K, with the new method suitable for both solid and shell forms. Preprocessing time for segmentation and configuration was around 15 minutes for a medium complexity model.

Printed examples were compared with the initial and segmented models, ‘with better approximated surfaces, and multi-color support.’ Real models were also examined in their initial form, after supports were removed, and before and after assembly.

Example objects: We show side by side the printed results of the original and the segmented models

Original vs. segmented models: We show the original and segmented forms of the model, before and after post-processing (removing support material and assembling, respectively).

“… our approach prevents wasting material, and provides higher fidelity objects, with multi-material support. Note that, even if the approximated surface is highly curved, our decomposition finds segments that connect well, even after printing with accumulated printing errors.”

The authors did note, however, that the printed model did not ‘approximate’ the original—although the segmented model did. Upon superimposing printed versions in wireframe, they were able to show that improved approximations can be achieved—using the same printer.

“The coloring in the point cloud version indicates that our algorithm decreased the overall error more than 35% based on the Hausdorff distance of sampled surface points. We have not evaluated based on a measurement of the real printed models, because parameters contributing to this surface error is more constrained in simulation,” concluded the researchers.

“Our results show that the framework can reduce print time by up to 65% (fused deposition modeling, or FDM) and 36% (stereolithography, or SLA) on average and diminish material consumption by up to 35% (FDM) and 10% (SLA) on consumer printers, while also providing more accurate objects.”

Evaluation: Comparison of the original and the segmented models, their printing times and material consumption, per model and per printer type.

Improvements: Our results are highlighted within boxes. The avoidance of angled surfaces improves surface fidelity (a and b), having no support material protects the deterioration of the object (c), convexity gets rid of the support material (and its scars) from the inside and outside of the objects (d).

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: ‘Near-convex decomposition and layering for efficient 3D printing’]

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Prosthetic Dental Treatments: Traditional Stone Casts vs. 3D Printed Casts

Egyptian researchers Passent Aly and Cherif Mohsen compare the benefits of 3D printing with conventional techniques for the production of prosthetic dental casts, releasing the findings of their study in ‘Comparison of the Accuracy of Three-Dimensional Printed Casts, Digital, and Conventional Casts: An In Vitro Study.’

In relation to oral and jaw restoration, prosthetics can be critical to the health of many patients. In this study, Aly and Mohsen match conventional stone casts with prosthetic casts 3D printed using stereolithography (SLA), as well as with “digital casts,” that is, 3D scans of existing stone casts. While digital technology is becoming increasingly popular for items like casts—replacing traditional methods with 3D printing for prototyping and creating functional parts—the authors point out that, for clinical practice, such processes must be heavily evaluated first.

In testing the effectiveness of digital casts in this study, Aly and Mohsen used a light desktop scanner to fabricate prototypes. For reference in comparison during experimentation, the researchers used a set of maxillary and mandibular ivory teeth. Five stone casts were made from polyvinylsiloxane impressions.

Maxillary and mandibular conventional stone casts.

“The typodont casts (reference casts) were scanned using intraoral dental scanner (Trios 3Shape) in the following three steps: first maxillary and mandibular casts were scanned  separately; the second step involved articulating the maxillary and mandibular arches by utilizing the ‘bite registration algorithm.’ Third and finally, digital casts (n = 5) were exported in STL file format to be integrated into space analysis software,” explained the researchers.

The digital casts were then printed on a ProJet 6000, using VisiJet SL Clear resin.

3D printed mandibular cast.

“The following linear measurements were taken: mesiodistal (MD) and occlusocervical (OC) for first molar, first premolar and canine in addition to intermolar width (IMW) and intercanine width (ICW) on both arches and sides by the same operator,” stated the researchers.

Digital cast with mesiodistal, intercanine, and intermolar measurements

Errors occurred as follows:

“The errors ranged from 0.003 to 0.142 mm for different measurements. In OC, the errors of digital cast were significantly higher than the errors of the other two groups, where the mean of the digital cast = 0.016 compared with 0.004 and 0.007 for the other two groups (p < 0.0001). Similarly, in MD measurements, the error of digital casts (mean = 0.006) was significantly greater than the error of printed casts (mean = 0.003) but similar to those of conventional casts (mean = 0.005) with overall significant difference (p = 0.02). For IMW and ICW, digital casts had significantly greater errors (mean = 0.142 in IMW and 0.113 in ICW) compared with the two other groups (means= 0.019 and 0.008 in IMW and mean = 0.021 and 0.011 in ICW), p < 0.0001.”

Overall, only a ‘minor error’ was noted in accuracy of the 3D-printed casts as compared to the stone casts. The authors were able to confirm the advantages of using SLA printing in that area. They did, however, note a ‘significant difference’ in accuracy for SLA casts compared to digital casts:

“The cause of this error in the arch width measurements is due to the overestimation of digital measurements in comparison to stone and printed casts. Also, distortion of arch happens during scanning of dental casts,” concluded the authors. “But this error is still within the acceptable clinical range which comes in agreement with other studies.”

“This study used only one type of intraoral scanners and one type of 3D printers. Also, it is an in vitro study not simulating the conditions in the oral cavity, such as saliva, bleeding, limited mouth openings, and difficulty in vision, which are considered limitations of the current study. Thus, further studies are needed to evaluate the accuracy of other scanners and printers in comparison with the types used in this study. In addition, there is a need for future in vivo studies simulating oral conditions.”

3D printing of prosthetics and implants continues to change the quality of life for individuals in need around the world, whether in dentistry, orthodontics, or even limb replacement.

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: ‘Comparison of the Accuracy of Three-Dimensional Printed Casts, Digital, and Conventional Casts: An In Vitro Study’]

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Australian Defence Force Academy: Integrating FDM & SLA 3D Printing via Photopolymer Resin Extrusion

In ‘Photopolymer Resin Extrusion Hybrid 3D Printer,’ Joshua Matthes (of The University of New South Wales at the Australian Defence Force Academy) details new hardware meant to serve as an improvement for both FDM and SLA 3D printing.

Through combining photopolymer-based extrusion printing with an open-source Prusa i3 clone, Matthes highlights the advantages of both FDM and SLA printers—currently the most popular hardware used in digital fabrication today, with FDM in the number one slot, ‘holding the greatest share of a US $7.3 billon market.’

This is due to the level of accessibility and affordability in FDM 3D printing enjoyed around the world today, while stereolithography—known as the first type of 3D printing brought to light in the 80s by Chuck Hull with the SLA-1—has shown impressive longevity, reigning currently as the second most-used method. It is obvious that Matthes would like to see SLA brought up to par with FDM:

“Although FDM printers have the ability to reach layer heights of 50 to 100 microns, fused deposition means they are still greatly limited by anisotropic qualities in the z-axis,” states Matthes. “Comparatively, photopolymer manufacturing utilizes a chemical bonding process to create its product. In theory, this should lead to a better final product with isotropic properties compared to an FDM produced product.”

FDM vs SLA manufacturing products

As Matthes experiments with how to bring the best of both worlds to 3D printing users, he examines alternative design approaches like changing pipe dimensions or heating of the resin (for better extrusion); however, there are further challenges with ‘unpredictable results,’ with temperature and materials. Matthes tries to remain within the scope of his project goals also, avoiding introducing new parts to the printer, while analyzing techniques developed in previous research.

Piston based extrusion for viscous fluids

Matthes points out that using a syringe is the better option in comparison to a peristaltic pump, preventing pressure loss. Here too though there are drawbacks as the syringe is limited in the amount of material it can hold—unlike the much larger capacity offered by a reservoir. It must also fit properly within the existing structure.

Electronics layout for the module

During experimentation, Matthes dealt with clogging issues due to resin buildup, as well as material seeping on to the aluminum print bed (solved with a new print surface, by way of baking paper). As for the nozzle, the author decided to 3D print a disposable one which ‘proved to be instantly viable for the resin printer.’

As the study continued, dogbone samples were 3D printed as follows: eight FDM PLA samples, eight resin casted samples, and eight resin printed samples.

“The casted sample set was introduced to ensure that the samples produced by the printer aligned to what would be expected by the material itself. It also provided a good comparison between utilizing an additive manufacturing method compared to just producing the part outright,” explained Matthes.

“To improve the accuracy of the experiment, besides using eight of each sample, each sample group was produced in the same conditions. For example, all PLA samples were produced in one build and all casted samples were produced simultaneously. However, for the printed resin the built plate and material capacity is too low to produce all eight samples simultaneously. Therefore, they were produced after each other utilizing the same gcode for each sample. This should have little impact on the results of the experiment but should be considered.”

Failed production of
dogbone sample
through z-axis
manufacturing.

FDM samples were usable but ‘not ideal,’ due to failure of z-axis layering. The samples were then produced flat on the bed offering better structural alignment.

Ultimately, all eight samples were printed the same way. Resin samples resulted in issues with air bubbles after being ‘laid out on baking paper side by side.’ With the casting process showing how important thin layering is during the 3D printing process, Matthes still used the eight samples for tensile testing.

Upon ‘major manufacturing difficulties’ that continued with material build-up and clogging, Matthes was unable to 3D print resin samples. The nozzle presented serious design issues and the research team decided to skip over the last samples and use the cast resin and FDM samples for data characterization.

Example of air bubble fault in casting resin manufacturing process.

 “Although the printer did not successfully become operational, it proved to have the capability if given primary attention and concentration on optimization and overcoming final manufacturing issues,” concluded Matthes. “After many hours of calibration, it successfully completed multiple first layers for the sample but struggled when moving into the second layer manufacturing.”

“As for materials, this project successfully tested both PLA and resin samples and could categorize each material with overall properties. The yield strength and ultimate tensile strength were found for both materials as well the hardness. Utilizing this information and lessons learnt, final optimization of the printer and materials testing will likely result in a successful printer.”

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.

Example of overextrusion on first print layer.

Best first layer showing appropriate extrusion rate for first layer.

[Source / Images: ‘Photopolymer Resin Extrusion Hybrid 3D Printer’]

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SLA 3D Printing For Microneedle Transdermal Drug Delivery Systems

In the recently published ‘A 3D printed microfluidic-enabled hollow microneedle architecture for transdermal drug delivery,’ researchers explore innovative methods for delivering medication into the bloodstream via the skin. In this study, they work on the micro-level to create ‘new degrees of freedom’ in delivery.

As medicine continues in the direction of patient-specific treatments, 3D printing continues to play an enormous role—including medical devices, implants, innovations in tissue engineering like scaffolding, and much more. In this study, the researchers continue to refine the use of needles for transdermal use.

Conventionally, they have been fabricated with materials like plastics, metals, ceramics, and more. With the advent of biocompatible polymers, microneedles are being more widely used due to greater disposability, affordability, and the potential for customization—pointing toward patient-specific benefits overall.

Microfluidic devices are behind many of the new capabilities in drug delivery systems, allowing for mixing and transporting of the required small amounts of fluids.

“For example, microfluidic mixing was used to directly synthesize nanoparticles with tunable physicochemical properties such as particle size, homogeneity, and drug loading and release at the point of delivery,” state the researchers. “Additionally, the combination of microneedles and microfluidic mixing is beneficial in areas such as combinational therapy-based subcutaneous/transdermal administration for preclinical testing of biologic treatments.”

New systems are being developed too for ‘codosing,’ allowing for patients to receive several medications at once. Microfluidics and innovative drug delivery systems make the process more affordable, simpler, and less open to error. This study yields microfluidic-enabled microneedle devices printed via single-step stereolithography (SLA) from an ‘elaborate hollow microneedle design,’ resulting in a refined microneedle array.

“This architecture allows the modulation of the input fluid solutions’ flow rates to facilitate programmable drug delivery in future combinational therapy-based applications,” stated the researchers.

While there are benefits to SLA 3D printing, the research team was tasked to refine the process further for this study, creating a new microneedle design and print set up.

3D-printing of microfluidic-enabled hollow microneedle devices. (a) CAD model of a representative microfluidic-enabled microneedle device as an input to the SLA printer. (b) The printed device with three microfluidic inlets converging into a 3D spiral chamber and to a hollow microneedle array outlet. (c) Close-up of the inlet junction visualizing the convergence of red-dyed, clear, and blue-dyed solution streams. (d) Close-up of the hollow microneedle array.

The research team was able to create up to 12 devices (with dimensions of 1.5 × 1.2 × 3.1 cm) using class IIa biocompatible resin in a single print, in 2.5 hours.

Characterization of 3D-printed hollow microneedle arrays. Images of sheared-cylinder microneedles printed at (a) 0°, (b) −45°, (c) +45°, and (d) 90° angles with outlined profiles (insets show the corresponding print setups). SEM images of the (e) conical, (f) pyramidal, and (g) basic syringe-shaped needle arrays. (h) Average needle heights for each design (for a subset of 25 microneedles per array). (i) CAD model of the syringe-shaped design and the SEM image of the tip (∼50 μm radius of curvature). (j) CAD model of the fine-tip syringe-shaped design (additional features highlighted) and the SEM image of the tip (∼25 μm radius of curvature). (k) SEM image of the fine-tip microneedle array. (l) Average microneedle heights across three separate fine-tip microneedle arrays (for a subset of 25 microneedles per array). Error bars indicate ±standard deviation.

Scanning microscopy displayed success in both design and 3D printing of the arrays.

3D-printed microneedle mechanical characterization: penetration and failure. (a) Penetration test of the pyramidal, conical, and fine-tip syringe-shaped microneedle arrays across two layers of the parafilm with 5 N of applied force. (b) Mechanical simulation of the fine-tip syringe-shaped microneedle, visualizing the occurrence of maximal stress at the tip. (c) SEM image of a microneedle before and after penetration testing (demonstrating no tip failure). (d) Axial force vs displacement curve for a 3 × 3 array of syringe-shaped microneedles. The failure point and penetration force are noted. The inset image illustrates the compression test setup.

“Penetration and fracture tests confirmed the microneedles’ mechanical robustness for practical application. An example microfluidic-enabled microneedle device was printed with our devised scheme that facilitates homogeneous mixing of multiple fluids under different flow rates, followed by transdermal delivery of the mixed solution. Comparisons of various flow rate ratios with colored dye solutions showed tunable control over the relative concentrations of solutes delivered. Ex vivo confocal laser scanning microscopy of three fluorochrome model-drug solutions on porcine skin further validated the platform’s ability for transdermal drug modulation and delivery,” concluded the researchers.

“This 3D printed device is particularly applicable to preclinical investigations centered on combinational drug therapy, where the in-situ combination of multiple drugs and the tuning of their physicochemical properties lead to more effective outcomes than single or premixed agents alone. For example, the controlled multifluidic synthesis of nanoparticles can tune the release mechanisms of various drugs for wound healing applications.”

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.

Mixing characterization of the 3D-printed microfluidic architecture. (a) Photograph of the SLA-printed microfluidic mixing architecture with CAD model in the inset. (b) Schematic of the solution concentration quantification method. (c)–(f) Microscopic images of the 3D spiral chamber’s inlet junction under various flow rate ratios of red-dyed, clear, and blue-dyed solutions (Q1:Q2:Q3). (g)–(j) Microscopic images of the 3D spiral chamber’s outlet under the corresponding flow rate ratios. (k)–(n) Normalized fluorescence (FL) intensities of rhodamine B (RB), fluorescein isothiocyanate (FITC), and methylene blue (MB) present in the solutions obtained from the outlet. Error bars indicate ±standard deviation (n = 3).

[Source / Images: ‘A 3D printed microfluidic-enabled hollow microneedle architecture for transdermal drug delivery’]

 

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Northwestern University: Researchers Produce Large Scale 3D Printer & Control Heat with HARP Technology

3D printing technology is often seen from the ‘bigger is better’ perspective, especially as researchers and manufacturers continue to out-do each other in digital fabrication of enormous proportions. Now, a team at Northwestern University has created a large-scale, ‘futuristic’ 3D printer capable of printing a prototype or part that is the size of an adult human—and in just two hours.

Using high-area rapid printing (HARP), the research team has made enormous technological progress with throughput never seen before in on-demand manufacturing. And while historically 3D printing users want it all, there are usually numerous trade-offs with that ideal, including missing out on some of the advantages of such technology due to strength in one area and great loss in another—often at the risk of diminishing performance or quality or causing restrictions.

The researchers state that such compromises are not required with HARP technology, featuring a 13-foot-tall printer with a print bed measuring 2.5 square feet. The prototype—projected to be on the market in around 18 months—is currently able to print half a yard of material (whether single, large, or different parts at one time) in one hour, which the research team states is a record.

Chad Merkin (Photo: Northwestern)

“3D printing is conceptually powerful but has been limited practically,” said Northwestern’s Chad A. Mirkin, product development leader. “If we could print fast without limitations on materials and size, we could revolutionize manufacturing. HARP is poised to do that.”

This project evolved as chemists Joseph DeSimone and Mirkin, long-time friends, began working together in the 3D printing field in 2015. DeSimone and colleagues at the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill wrote about continuous liquid interface production (CLIP). And while it has been groundbreaking, undeniably, CLIP technology still offers challenges in production also—notably during curing, causing warping and cracking, often due to size. Mirkin’s developers, working within their new company Azul 3D, have worked past such issues by circulating coolant beneath the resin, and then sending it through a unit made for cooling—literally ‘pulling’ the heat from printed parts. This has allowed researchers so far to print objects that are one square meter in cross-section—and over 4 meters high.

Using ‘tiling,’ the researchers use light positioned from four projectors sitting side-by-side during the new SLA process.

(A) A hard, machinable polyurethane acrylate part (print rate, 120 μm/s; optical resolution, 100 μm) with a hole drilled against the print direction. Traditional noncontinuous layer-by-layer printing techniques typically delaminate and fracture when drilled in this orientation. (B) A post-treated silicon carbide ceramic printed lattice (print rate of green polymer precursor, 120 μm/s; optical resolution, 100 μm) stands up to a propane torch (~2000°C). (C and D) A printed butadiene rubber structure (print rate, 30 μm/s; optical resolution, 100 μm) in a relaxed state (C) and under tension (D). (E) Polybutadiene rubber (print rate, 30 μm/s; optical resolution, 100 μm) returns to expanded lattice after compression. (F) A ~1.2-m hard polyurethane acrylate lattice printed in less than 3 hours (vertical print rate, 120 μm/s; optical resolution, 250 μm). Scale bars, 1 cm. (Image: ‘Rapid, large-volume, thermally controlled 3D printing using a mobile liquid interface’)

“Tiling, with our technology, is theoretically unlimited,” Mirkin says.

Converting liquid plastics into solid parts, HARP prints vertically, curing under UV light. Parts can be used in applications for the automotive industry, aerospace, dentistry, and different areas of medicine. More detailed information about their work has also just been published in the recently published ‘Rapid, large-volume, thermally controlled 3D printing using a mobile liquid interface.’

Most 3D printers generate an obvious amount of heat, which can be prohibitive in design on a larger scale. In this case, light is projected through a window, that allows for the removal of heat and circulation through the cooling unit.

The HARP system 3D prints vertically (Image: Northwestern Now)

“Our technology generates heat just like the others,” Mirkin said. “But we have an interface that removes the heat.”

“When you can print fast and large, it can really change the way we think about manufacturing,” Mirkin also added. “With HARP, you can build anything you want without molds and without a warehouse full of parts. You can print anything you can imagine on-demand.”

3D printing varies from one extreme to another, which is one facet of this technology that makes it so exciting. One day you may be reading about 3D printing on the micro-scale or experimenting with nano-composites, and the next, learning about manufactures fabricating parts on the large scale.

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.

(A) Stationary print interface. (B) Mobile interface. (C) Mobile interface with active cooling. Elapsed time between panels (left to right) is ~500 s; scale bars, 25 mm. Data and thermal color mapping correspond to movies S1 to S3. (Image: ‘Rapid, large-volume, thermally controlled 3D printing using a mobile liquid interface’)

[Source / Images: Science; Northwestern Now; ‘Rapid, large-volume, thermally controlled 3D printing using a mobile liquid interface’]

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3D Printing News Briefs: October 6, 2019

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

Advanced 3D printing materials leader Polymaker and polymer company Covestro are teaming up to launch three polycarbonate-based materials. These versatile new materials coming to the market each have unique properties that are used often in a variety of different industries.

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 & Materials at 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.”

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: October 6, 2019 appeared first on 3DPrint.com | The Voice of 3D Printing / Additive Manufacturing.

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Korea: Optimizing High-Viscosity Ceramic Resins for Supportless SLA 3D Printing

In ‘Optimization and characterization of high-viscosity ZrO2 ceramic nanocomposite resins for supportless stereolithography,’ Korean researchers examine new materials for SLA printing, working to improve both dispersion and photo-curing properties. Pointing out that AM processes have been used to create a range of ceramic products via SLA and other methods, SLA is becoming most popular due to high resolution and good surface treatment.

UV-composite resins have been used previously for many studies, attempting to increase ceramic particles, but for most research, micro-particle content has been most common.

“Ceramic composite resins with higher micro-particle contents showed properties such as a lower viscosity and sedimentation, and their poor dispersion stability seemed to contribute to ultimate deterioration of the properties of the 3D-printed objects,” state the researchers. “Furthermore, this approach is difficult to apply to the supportless SLA 3D printing process, due to lower viscosity properties of resins.”

Here, the researchers created a high-viscosity APTMS (3-acryloxypropyl trimethoxysilane)-coated ZrO2 ceramic nanocomposite resins with 50 vol% of ceramic particles at a mixing ratio of 70:30 by volume for nano- and microparticles of ZrO2 for use in supportless SLA.

“Nano- and micro-particles of ZrO2 ceramic were mixed at various volume ratios of 70:30, 50:50, 30:70, and 0:100, and then the surface of the mixed ZrO2 ceramic particles were functionalized to acrylate groups through hydrolysis and condensation of APTMS. For the hydrolysis and condensation reactions, mixtures of APTMS, ethanol, and distilled water in ratios of 1:7.5:91.5 by mass were first vigorously stirred. Mixed ZrO2 ceramic particles were then added at 30 wt% to the APTMS solution, which was then hydrothermally treated at 100 °C for 3 h and dried under vacuum for 24 h at 100 °C.,” states the research study.

(a) Schematic illustration of the preparation processes of high-viscosity ZrO2 ceramic nanocomposite resins according to different polymer network structures for supportless SLA. (b) Comparison of objects 3D-printed using low-viscosity and high-viscosity resins produced by supportless SLA.

In the production of low-viscosity resins for complex geometries, the researchers recommend use of supports, due to results in the study yielding ‘sagging and distorted structures.’ With high-viscosity resins, however, they state that they almost seem to serve as the supports themselves.

“In other words, it is possible to achieve supportless SLA 3D printing using high-viscosity ceramic nanocomposite resins, which can help eliminate the washing process of supports and minimize the materials used,” state the researchers.

APTMS-coated ZrO2 ceramic nanocomposite resins showed improved properties like:

  • Higher dispersion stability
  • Greater photopolymerization
  • Larger cure depths than at other ratios

“For better rheological, dispersion and photo-curing properties, the optimum ratios of non-reactive diluents (IPA) were investigated by controlling the IPA contents, and the effects of the different polymer network structures on the 3D-printed objects before and after sintering were studied against the mixing ratios of HDDA and TMPTA monomers,” concluded the researchers.

“This is the start of a promising era for fabrication of customized zirconia dental implant restorations using supportless 3D printing.”

Ceramics and 3D printing are becoming more common, especially due to the wide range of applications that can be improved due to all the benefits of the new technology, such as titanium matrix composites with ceramics, glass-ceramics at the nanoscale, and even ceramics 3D printing robots. 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.

Characteristics of objects 3D-printed using the APTMS-coated ZrO2 ceramic nanocomposite resins with different TMPTA contents and UV absorber contents: (a) optical images of green bodies and sintered bodies, (b) cross-sectional images of sintered bodies, (c) average grain size and density of sintered bodies, and (d) surface roughness of green bodies and sintered bodies. (For interpretation of the references to colour in this figure legend, the reader is referred to the web version of this article.)

[Source / Images: ‘Optimization and characterization of high-viscosity ZrO2 ceramic nanocomposite resins for supportless stereolithography’]

 

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Zac Posen, GE Additive, and Protolabs Partnered to Make 3D Printed High-Fashion Collection for 2019 Met Gala

The Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Costume Institute fundraiser event, better known as the Met Gala, has been referred to as the Oscars of the East Coast. This highly exclusive event heralds the arrival of the Costume Institute’s annual exhibition, and is a chance for fashion’s elite to strut their stuff. This year, famous designer Zac Posen, who launched his House of Z label at the age of 21, used 3D printing to go above and beyond on fashion’s biggest night. I was lucky enough to be invited to a luncheon in New York recently where Posen, and his collaborators GE Additive and Protolabs, discussed their teamwork over the last year to design and 3D print pieces for the 2019 Met Gala.

The Met Gala has a different theme each year, which the event itself, as well as the institute’s featured exhibition, are centered around, and guests dress to fit that theme. In 2016, the theme was Manus x Machina: Fashion in the Age of Technology, while last year was titled Heavenly Bodies: Fashion and the Catholic Imagination. This year, the chosen theme was Camp: Notes on Fashion, from writer Susan Sontag’s famous 1964 essay “Notes on Camp.”

CNN’s Aileen Kwun asked, “What does it mean to be “camp” in our age of political absurdity, and of social media-driven of excess and spectacle? The Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Costume Institute will attempt to address the historical context and significance of camp in fashion for its next blockbuster exhibition.”

In this case, we’re not talking about camping in tents and sitting around a fire pit, but more artifice and theatricality. Sontag herself defined camp as being a “love of the exaggerated,” in addition to a “sensibility of failed seriousness.”

Exaggerated is right when it comes to Posen’s 3D printed Met Gala collection, but in the best possible way. The designer and his 3D printing partners combined AM technology with CAD, stalwart fashion design techniques, and conceptual thinking to come up with several beautiful and unique pieces for the star-studded gala.

The event kicked off with a short video presentation before four people took the stage for a panel discussion: Linda Boff, GE’s chief marketing officer; Protolabs applications engineer Eric Utley; Sarah Watson, a design engineer with GE Additive’s design consulting team AddWorks; and Posen himself.

Zac Posen

The eye-catching collection was inspired by nature, and more specifically the idea of freezing natural objects in motion. Posen has always been interested in the fluidity of fabrics, and has long wanted to experiment with the use of 3D printing in his designs.

“I wanted to work in 3D printing for, I don’t know, 20 years, and I tried to get my hand into it a few times, and – you know, this was the beginning, I didn’t know what the capabilities were,” Posen said during the panel. “So it was the beginning of this quest and collaboration.”

In a serendipitous moment, he actually had dinner with Boff the day after the 2018 Met Gala, and the collaboration was born when they realized that the 2019 event would be the perfect opportunity to mix 3D printing with high fashion.

“Then I did a trip to Pittsburgh and had a million and ten questions about plastic molecules, what’s possible, you name it,” Posen explained. “And then they kind of started to say, ‘Well, what do you want to start dreaming?’ And I talked about natural form, because I like to garden.

“Our greatest innovator and scientist is Mother Nature…that was really the start.”

Over the last year, the partners have been hard at work creating some absolutely stunning pieces. Posen and his creative team worked with the 3D printing experts and design engineers at GE Additive and Protolabs to explore multiple digital technologies – GE Additive brought its experience in additive design for multiple modalities, mechanical and industrial design, and creative and complex CAD modeling to the table, while Protolabs supplied its industry expertise from a wide range of manufacturing industries, materials, and processes.

Posen stated, “I dreamt the collection, GE Additive helped engineer it and Protolabs printed it.”

It took many, many hours of 3D printing to complete the collection for this year’s Met Gala – Posen and Boff said that the collaborators spoke with each other daily – and several of the garments were actually fitted to exact 3D recreations of the bodies of the people who would be wearing them; according to the Hollywood Reporter, Posen invited nine guests to the event, but only some of them rocked 3D printed pieces on the museum’s pink carpet.

The great thing about 3D printing is the freedom it offers, which allows users to fabricate designs that would have been extremely difficult, or even impossible, to make using traditional forms of manufacturing. Additionally, there are many available custom finishing options for 3D printed pieces, in which Posen was extremely interested.

At one point early in the discussion I was looking down while writing notes, but my head quickly snapped back up when I heard multiple intakes of breath around me as a model walked into the auditorium wearing one of the stunning Met Gala pieces: the Rose Dress, worn at the previous night’s event by British supermodel Jourdan Dunn. The model walked slowly back and forth in front of the room so that everyone could get a good look at the amazing dress, which is based on the structure of a real rose.

The custom gown has 21 unique 3D printed petals, each one weighing 1 lb. and averaging 20″ in size, made out of Accura Xtreme White 200 durable plastic and printed on an SLA system. Primer and color-shifting automotive paint from DuPont were used to finish the petals, which are actually held in place on a modular 3D printed titanium cage that’s completely invisible from the outside of the dress. The cage was 3D printed on an Arcam EBM system at the GE Additive Technology Center (ATC) in Cincinnati, Ohio, while the gown itself was fabricated at Protolabs’ North Carolina facility; the 3D printing and finishing of the Rose Dress took over 1,100 hours.

[Image: Protolabs]

According to Posen, the first petal prototype was a little too heavy, and the team had to determine how to reduce the weight by 20%, in addition to balancing stiffness with organic movement and adding a buttress underneath for extra support of the titanium frame. Watson explained that the dress design was very modular, and the cage itself is adjustable.

“Our role as design consultants is to come in and have this immersive relationship with the customer,” Watson explained onstage. “So this was kind of an example of any other project we’d do with other industries, but slightly more, I think extreme, in just having us understand and start to work with each other. So Zac would give us feedback, like ‘It needs more energy and motion,’ and I was like, do you have a dimension for that?”

Everyone in the room laughed at this, particularly, I’d say, those of us from the manufacturing industry, and Posen continued her thought: “What do you mean by energy?”

Watson continued, “But then we started to ask questions and we started to work together and kind of understand what that meant. And by the end, it really started to click.”

She said that the 3D printed clear bustier the team made for actress Nina Dobrev to wear was a good example of the company’s partnership with Posen really picking up steam.

“We worked really hard on the front of it, took a long time iterating back and forth to get a front that you really loved, and then on our last visit to New York, you said, ‘Let’s just add some twists at the back that look like they’re floating away in the wind,’ and I was like, ‘All right, I think I know exactly what you want.’ So we started to learn how to work together.”

The bustier – a clear dress 3D printed on an SLA printer – is the only piece of the Met Gala collection to be created at Protolabs’ German facility. Posen told us that it actually got held up on the way over to the US because the customs officials thought it was an art piece, to which Boff responded, “It is an art piece!”

The interior of the 3D printed dress perfectly matches Dobrev’s 3D recreation, and comes in a 4-piece assembly for a truly custom fit. The first version was not as translucent as Posen hoped, so to get the glassy, liquid appearance of the final piece, Protolabs used Somos Watershed XC 11122 plastic, then finished it by wet hand sanding and spraying it with a clear coat.

All told, the 3D printing and finishing of the bustier dress for Dobrev took over 200 hours.

“I think it’s really funny how this is fashion, but we were using a lot of the same plays in the playbook that Fortune 500 companies use to develop their products,” Utley said at one point during the discussion.

He said that the team made scale models and combined them with 3D CAD files to give Posen a better idea of what a piece would look like before printing even began. Watson noted that the same kind of problem-solving and engineering can be applied whether GE Additive and AddWorks are completing design projects for the aerospace industry or for the fashion world.

“When you’re trying to solve these problems of how do we print this, how do we design it for additive, how do we assemble it so that it assembles in a way that you really can’t tell how it was put together, those types of problems really apply across many different industries,” Watson said.

While the 3D printed Rose Dress and bustier are both beautiful and unlike anything I’ve ever seen before, the third of the Met Gala dresses we talked about is my favorite – a custom, purple Zac Posen gown, with a 3D printed palm leaf collar accessory, worn by actress (and Ohio native!) Katie Holmes.

While Posen did not have the neckpiece itself, which was 3D printed at the North Carolina Protolabs facility on an SLA system, he did bring the mold for it to the panel. He explained that he waited for the 3D printed neckpiece to fully evolve before he got to work on the draping of the beautiful dress, which he described as “1950s-quality” and like a “purple sunset.”

The pearlescent palm leaves were 3D printed out of Accura 60 plastic and finished with pearlescent purple paint (Pantone 8104C). The piece drapes over the actress’s shoulders and attaches to the neckline of the tulle gown at her clavicle. It took over 56 hours to 3D print and finish the palm leaves for the striking neckpiece.

Watson explained how Posen found a palm leaf he liked from his favorite craft store and sent it to GE Additive, who laser scanned it to make a 3D model. After the model was cleaned up and modified, the designers added a twist so that it would perfectly match and “float away over” her shoulder.

“That just demonstrates the power of this technology – you can start with this inspiration and modify it, add all the complexity you want, bring the vision to life in the 3D model, and then create it,” Watson said.

Moving on, Boff picked up an intricate 3D printed vine headpiece, flush with leaf and berry embellishments and finished with brass plating, and remarked that she was scared to even hold it. Posen told her not to worry, as the headpiece, worn by actress Julia Garner at the 2019 Met Gala, was made of nylon.

Garner wore a custom Zac Posen ombré silver to gold lamé draped gown with the headpiece, which was printed as a single piece with binder jet technology on an HP Multi Jet Fusion system.

The headpiece, which features a butterfly in the center, was the fastest piece of the collection to make: 3D printed with no supports, plated, and finished in just over 22 hours at Protolabs. It was a comparatively quick job, and the team commented that there is no way they could have made the headpiece through more conventional forms of manufacturing.

The final piece in the Met Gala collection was a custom Zac Posen metallic pink lurex jacquard gown, worn by Bollywood icon Deepika Padukone, that included delicate 3D printed embroidery which Posen described as “a little sci-fi” and was inspired by underwater creatures like sea urchins and anemones.

The 408 pink and silver embroidery pieces, 3D printed on an SLA system at Protolabs out of Accura 5530 plastic, were all different sizes, and were actually sewn on to the outside of the gown. But before that happened, the pieces were vacuum metalized and center painted with Pantone 8081 C; the 3D printing and finishing work on the embroideries took over 160 hours.

At the Met Gala, Posen and two of his other guests also wore 3D printed accessories – the designer added 3D printed lapel brooches to his ensemble that were essentially a scaled down version of the large palm leaves that made up the 3D printed neckpiece. 3D printed out of high resolution Accura 5530 material on both SLA and MJF machines, these brooches were finished in pearlescent purple and gold paint.

Additionally, Vito Schnabel and actor Andrew Garfield both wore 3D printed cuff links that integrated Posen’s logo and represented a scaled down version of the Rose Dress. The cuff links were 3D printed out of MicroFine Green material on an SLA 3D printer and dramatically finished with color-changing red and gold paint.

The four panelists then took some questions from the group, and one of the first people to get the mic wanted to know what had surprised each person about the collaboration. Posen said that all the partners began to learn one another’s vernacular during the process, while Utley stated that the evolution of the project was surprising and Watson continued, noting that “Zac wanted to go bigger and bolder than other 3D printed fashion.”

“It can be hard to conceptualize something like this,” Watson continued. “But this is a great demonstration of what the technology can really do.”

Utley stated that the fashion collaboration took advantage of two important things 3D printing can offer – lightweight designs and mass customization.

“Let’s give credit where credit is due – aerospace and medical get a lot of noise for adapting 3D printing, but like Zac said, he was using 3D printing ten-plus years ago, and it [fashion] is well-suited for those aspects,” Utley said.

Posen said that he was “very proud” of the partnership with GE Additive and Protolabs, and that he was able to work with the two companies to “bring motion and life to technology.”

“Had we not had a partner in Zac Posen, who literally thinks in 3D, this never would have happened,” Boff said about the Met Gala collection. “It was a project of tremendous joy and passion, and to see it come to life on the steps of the Met is a once in a lifetime experience. It was just incredible.”

When asked what she had learned from working with Posen, Watson stated that AddWorks and GE Additive will typically use CAD software for more industrial applications, but that they had needed to shift and become more familiar with using other software, such as Rhino and Blender, in addition to photogrammetry, for this particular project. Speaking of software, Posen was asked if the collaboration would change how he designed clothes from now on.

“I would love a software that will let you model fabric and draping,” he answered. “And we’re getting there!”

[Image: Protolabs]

Another person asked the question that is always on my mind when it comes to 3D printed clothing – what does the path look like to consumer 3D printed fashion? Many designers are working to use the technology to make wearable clothing that’s less of a novelty and more for everyday use, but that can sometimes be easier said than done. But Posen had a great answer, and stated that the next big challenge was dealing with closures for clothing.

“What’s the new zipper?” he asked.

As most of us aren’t lucky enough to have an army of people helping to dress us, or own clothing made to perfectly fit our bodies, this is a smart question to be asking. Posen also said that we have a long way to go in replicating fabric, and that further advancements in both scale and material are still to come in the future. Watson also chimed in and said that 3D printing could easily be used to make molds in the fashion industry.

Boff thanked the teams from GE Additive and Protolabs for their “remarkable” patience, flexibility, and commitment, and said that the project shows how 3D printing in any industry, fashion or otherwise, is really about “working your way back from a problem.”

“And in this case, that problem was dressing five gorgeous women,” Boff said as everyone in the room laughed. “But it is something that applies to so many different industries, and I just think for all of us, this can sound a bit fantastical, but 3D printing is real.”

3D printing is still growing faster than any other type of manufacturing technology at the moment, and the fashion industry, as well as other applications in consumer goods, can really use the technology to its advantage to help the market evolve. Posen has said that the 3D printed Met Gala collection is an example of fashion as an art form, and not the standard in terms of mass adoption. But, while we still can’t walk into Macy’s and purchase our own 3D printed Rose Dress just yet, I think that day is coming.

Check out some more pictures from my trip to New York below:




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

[Images: Sarah Saunders, unless otherwise noted]

 

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Loughborough: Tests In Continuous Carbon Fiber Composites in 3D Printing With FDM and SLA

UK researchers continue to explore the benefits of creating new composites for 3D printing. Here, they discuss their findings regarding carbon composites used in SLA 3D printing and material extrusion, outlined in their recently published paper, ‘Fabrication of the continuous carbon fiber reinforced plastic composites by additive manufacturing.’

As authors Y. Lu, G.K. Poh, A. Gleadall, L.G. Zhao, and X. Han explain, composites are often created due to a need for stronger mechanical properties in 3D printed and additive manufactured parts. Carbon is a material relied on especially in applications like the automobile industry and aerospace because of incredible strength, but also the potential for making lightweight parts that may not have been possible previously.

The authors point out that while carbon fiber is useful for strengthening mechanical properties, it often still displays limited strength in tensile testing. This is due to a lack of control over short fibers, resulting in more unpredictable orientation and alignment during 3D printing. Beyond that, inferior bonding of the composite fibers and the matrix may also cause a lack of integrity in structures. In testing, the researchers used continuous-fiber-reinforced composites (CFRCs) in material extrusion and SLA processes.

Testing was performed through physical evaluation of the mechanical properties, along with examination by microscope. Samples were created specifically for tensile testing, with Accura60 resin used for SLA 3D printing (with carbon fiber filament obtained from Markforged) and nylon and carbon fiber filament, also supplied by Markforged, used for material extrusion on a MarkTwo 3D printer. Tensile tests were then completed on an Instron 3369 machine with a 50 kN load cell, and then analyzed further through a Primotech microscope, with the fiber-matrix interface examined via a Hitachi TM3030 Tabletop scanning electron microscope.

ASTM D638-02a Tensile test specimen sample geometry (dimensions in mm).

Sample code and material specification

“The increase of elastic modulus after embedding carbon fiber is 110.49% and 23.69% for ME and SLA based composite samples, respectively. Compared with theoretical result, experimental results demonstrated a 73.3% lower tensile modulus for ME samples and a 42.06% lower tensile modulus for SLA samples,” reported the authors. “The microscopic analysis suggested a presence of porosity at the fibre-matrix interface of the composite specimens produced by both SLA and ME while SLA samples have a less percentage of porosity.”

(a) 2D plane view of fibre distribution of ME-C sample; (b) Cross Section view of SLA-C matrix sample

While the elastic modulus was increased substantially with carbon fiber, the authors pointed out that it also significantly reduced elongation at break, due to a lower elongation-to-break—in comparison to the use of all nylon material. Because of this, the sample was brittle. They also noticed high porosity due to voids in the fiber/matrix layers—leading to decreased mechanical performance. It was noted that this could be due to inferior infill density, with printed fibers not being even distributed during 3D printing—leading to ‘compromised’ tensile properties.

“Compared with theoretical result, experimental results demonstrated a 73.3% lower tensile modulus for ME samples and a 42.06% lower tensile modulus for SLA samples. The microscopic analysis suggested a presence of porosity at the fibre-matrix interface of the composite specimens produced by both SLA and ME while SLA samples have a less percentage of porosity,” stated the researchers.

Fracture sections of ME-C samples (a and b) and SLA-C samples (c and d)

“Compared to commercially available composite ME based machine, SLA technology showed promising results for composite manufacturing, and further investigation is ongoing,” concluded the researchers.

One of the most fascinating parts of 3D printing is not only the innovations that spring forth from the technology continually, but also the ongoing refinements in machines and materials. And while one type of plastic or metal may be suitable for a range of applications, users often find that by adding another material or element, they can strengthen or stabilize parts further, whether in using metals like titanium or a mixture of graphene and alginate, or recycling wood into 3D printed composites. 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: ‘Fabrication of the continuous carbon fiber reinforced plastic composites by additive manufacturing’]