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3D Printing News Briefs: August 11, 2019

We’re starting off this 3D Printing News Briefs edition with some good news from Xometry – this week, it announced the availability of Carbon DLS technology as one of its process options. Moving on, Markforged published a case study and Aeromet announced new properties for its A20X powder. Finally, HP has launched a design competition.

Xometry Offering Carbon DLS Technology

Just this week, custom on-demand manufacturing network Xometry announced that it will be offering Digital Light Synthesis (DLS) technology by Carbon as one of its available 3D printing process options, in addition to SLS, SLA, FDM, DMLS, PolyJet, and HP’s Multi Jet Fusion. Through its Instant Quoting Engine, Xometry customers can get quotes, design feedback, and lead times for production-grade parts 3D printed with Carbon’s DLS. You can learn more about how to get the most out of this technology, and the Xometry platform, during a live webinar on Wednesday, August 14, from 12 – 1 pm; each attended will be entered to win a pair of Adidas Futurecraft 4D shoes with 3D printed soles by Carbon.

“We are very excited to add Carbon’s cutting-edge DLS technology to Xometry’s capabilities. Our additive customers have been asking us for it due to its reputation for speed and quality,” stated Bill Cronin, Xometry’s Chief Revenue Officer.

Aeromet Announces New Properties for A20X Alloy 

 

 

announcement covering new record-breaking properties achieved by the A20X alloy after a research project involving Rolls-Royce, Renishaw and Aeromet.

A20X™ cements its status as a leading aluminium powder for additive manufacturing after breaking the critical 500 MPa UTS mark.

6th August 2019: A20X, the aluminium alloy developed and patented by UK foundry specialist Aeromet International, has cemented its status one of the strongest aluminium additive manufacturing powders commercially available after surpassing the key 500 MPa UTS mark.

As part of a recent research project involving aero-engine giant Rolls-Royce and additive manufacturing equipment specialist Renishaw, heat-treated parts produced using A20X™ Powder have achieved an Ultimate Tensile Strength (UTS) of 511 MPa, a Yield Strength of 440 MPa and Elongation of 13% – putting the powder at the forefront of high-strength aluminium additive manufacturing.

Crucially, parts additively manufactured with A20X™ Powder maintain high-strength and fatigue properties even at elevated temperatures, outperforming other leading aluminium powders.

Mike Bond, Director of Advanced Material Technology at Aeromet, commented: “Since bringing the A20X™ alloy to market for additive manufacturing 5 years ago we have seen significant adoption for high-strength, design-critical applications. By working with Rolls-Royce, Renishaw and PSI we have optimised processing parameters that led to record-breaking results, opening up new design possibilities for aerospace and advanced engineering applications”.

The HighSAP project, backed by the UK’s National Aerospace Technology Exploitation Programme (NATEP), was led by Aeromet and involved Rolls-Royce, Renishaw and atomisation experts PSI. A20X™ Powder for additive manufacturing is derived from the MMPDS-approved A20X™ Casting alloy, the world’s strongest aluminium casting alloy, which is in use by a global network of leading aerospace casting suppliers.

 

 

 

  • Aeromet announces new properties for A20X powder
  • Case study: Dunlop uses Markforged technology to save thousands
  • HP launches 3D Print Design Competition

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Xometry: On-Demand Manufacturing Marketplace Completes $50MM Funding Round

Led by Greenspring Associates, Xometry has just announced $50MM raised in equity funding. Also funding the on-demand manufacturing marketplace are:

Founded in 2014 as a manufacturing startup and headquartered in Maryland, Xometry has now raised a total of $113MM, leading us to wonder how they will designate these funds in relation to research and development—a question answered succinctly by Randy Altschuler, co-founder and CEO of Xometry:

“Xometry’s vast network, massive data sets and AI breakthroughs make it easier for engineers and designers to buy custom manufacturing and help manufacturers more efficiently operate their businesses. We’re planning to invest these funds behind growth initiatives, product development and global expansion.”

Allowing for everyone to benefit from custom manufacturing, Xometry has created a successful building model for being able to produce smaller, detailed numbers of parts for consumers rather than requiring mass orders due to profitability requirements like most product manufacturers today—and especially those still using more conventional methods aside from 3D printing and additive manufacturing. The Xometry team is able to meet on-demand needs for parts to a customer base spanning from startups to Fortune 100 companies.

“Xometry has quickly become a key player in the $80B custom manufacturing market,” said Hunter Somerville, General Partner for Greenspring Associates, who will also join Xometry’s Board of Directors.. “We’re thrilled to invest in helping them expand the reach and breadth of their marketplace and the services it offers.”

Xometry maintains a network of over 3,000 partnering facilities for manufacturing, allowing them to produce parts for companies like BMW, Dell, NASA, and GE through:

  • 3D printing services
  • Traditional CNC machining processes
  • Sheet metal fabrication
  • Injection molding
  • Die casting
  • Stamping
  • Extrusion
  • Urethane casting

“Xometry is yet another example of how machine learning based intelligent software is driving huge efficiency gains across many different industries,” said Daniel Docter, Managing Director Dell Technologies Capital. “We look forward to helping Xometry expand into new verticals that leverage the expertise of Dell Technologies.”

Their growth has continued at rapid speed, with revenue doubling in just the past year. The Xometry team has also created a spin-off with Xometry Supplies—meant to offer Xometry customers with materials and tools for manufacturing more rapidly, and affordably.

We have been following Xometry’s 3D printing progress for years, since they transformed from NextLine Manufacturing into their current and dynamic state, as the largest custom manufacturing marketplace available to consumers today. From streamlining the way engineers order 3D printed parts to changing the rules in manufacturing and even guiding us in choosing the best 3D printing materials, Xometry is geared toward making life easier for engineers and designers, catering to their specific needs.

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: Xometry]

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3D Printing News Briefs: December 4, 2018

We’re sharing stories about events, business, and metal 3D printing in today’s 3D Printing News Briefs. To start, the second annual Iran 3DShow is coming up, along with IQPC’s fifth Additive Manufacturing for Aerospace & Space event in London. Moving on to business, Carbon has an announcement about a new executive, Sigma Labs has joined an R&D collaboration with Fraunhofer IAPT, and Xometry is now offering instant quotes on parts 3D printed with HP’s Multi Jet Fusion technology. Finally, Markforged is presenting a closer look at the process behind the Metal X.

Second Annual Iran 3DShow

Last year, the country of Iran hosted its first 3D printing trade show, originally called the Additive Manufacturing Symposium before the name was changed to Iran 3D Show. Now, the country is gearing up for the second annual event, which will be held at the Book Garden in Tehran from December 5-7. The Vice-Presidency for Science and Technology of Iran is holding the event, with the Iran Institute of Additive Manufacturing acting as the execution team and organizer. There will be a 3D printing competition for teachers and students, and the trade show itself is made up of three additional sub-events, called “The 2nd Exhibition of 3D Printing Industry.”

“This event is not only good for the ones who are trying to observe the market here, but also suits the international companies to join and involve,” said Seyyed Amir Ghaffari, the Managing Director of Iran 3D Show.

Fifth Additive Manufacturing for Aerospace & Space

Aligned to support the UK’s national AM strategy, the fifth Additive Manufacturing for Aerospace and Space conference by IQPC will be held in London from February 26-28, 2019; last year the forum was hosted in Munich. The conference helps attendees take on the roadblocks to adopting 3D printing and other industrial digitalization practices. The event provides content that helps 3D printing users exploit economic returns and performance gains provided by the technology. In addition, Airbus will be hosting a visit to its nearby Space Systems facility during the conference.

“Now entering its 5th year,  the conference has fast established itself as the premium forum for AM users, R&D experts and industry partners within the aerospace and space industry,” Olivia Timmins, Senior Marketing Manager for IQPC, told 3DPrint.com. “This year is no different with expert speaker line up from Thales, MTC, ESA, Airbus, Safran and more.”

If you register by Saturday, December 15th, you can even save up to £300 of the total cost.

Carbon Announces New Company Executive

Dara Treseder

Silicon Valley-based Carbon has announced a new executive, as Dara Treseder joins the company as the Chief Marketing Officer (CMO). The former CMO for GE Business Innovations and GE Ventures, Treseder is charged with finding new ways to showcase the company’s story at scale; with her excellent record, this should not be too challenging. This year, Treseder, who is also the co-founder of consulting firm NeuBridges, was featured by Forbes as a CMO Next, and in 2017, she was recognized on AdAge as one of the Women to Watch and by Inc. as one of the 30 Inspirational Women to Watch in Tech. Additionally, she is a sought-after speaker and writer on many subjects, including marketing, growth, innovation, and creating more diverse workplaces.

“I am deeply inspired by Carbon’s vision and values and excited to be part of a trailblazing team that is redefining digital manufacturing and creating the industry’s future. As chief marketing officer, I am looking forward to advancing Carbon’s brand, strengthening our customer connections, and rapidly scaling our global growth,” Treseder said.

Treseder is coming on board as Carbon works to strengthen its leadership team, and will support the growing company’s mission to keep driving the manufacturing industry’s digital transformation.

Sigma Labs Partners with Fraunhofer IAPT

John Rice and Prof. Dr.-Ing. Claus Emmelmann

This week, the Fraunhofer Research Institution for Additive Manufacturing Technologies (IAPT) and Sigma Labs, Inc., which provides quality assurance software under the PrintRite3D brand, announced a new collaborative research and development agreement that will focus on the industrialization of additive manufacturing. At last month’s formnext 2018 in Germany, John Rice, the CEO of Sigma Labs, and Prof. Dr.-Ing. Claus Emmelmann, the Managing Director of Fraunhofer IAPT, signed the joint agreement. As part of the agreement between the two, Sigma Labs will be upgrading Fraunhofer IAPT’s current PrintRite3D system.

“The aim of this collaboration is to test and validate the use of the PrintRite3D system to identify and quantify machine and process inconsistencies as well as flag defect thermal signatures during the laser melting process, and correlate them to CT scan results. Ultimately, this will allow users to reduce scrap, increase productivity and reduce post-process inspection costs,” said Rice.

Xometry Offering Instant Quotes on Multi Jet Fusion Parts

On-demand manufacturing platform Xometry has only been in business for five years, but it is releasing news at a fast clip. This summer, the company also introduced a new version of its Instant Quoting Engine, which included several new and enhanced features to offer customers instant quotes for CNC machining, sheet metal fabrication, urethane casting, and several 3D printing processes, including SLS, FDM, PolyJet, and DMLS.

Now, Xometry has announced that it will be offering instant quotes on custom parts made with HP’s fast Multi Jet Fusion technology. As always, simply drag and drop your 3D models into the Instant Quoting Engine, select your process and materials (if you so choose), and Xometry will do the rest, analyzing the model’s geometry and providing an instant price, design feedback, and delivery date.

Markforged Metal X 3D Printer Process

Last winter at CES 2017, Markforged introduced its Metal X, which is the company’s first 3D printer to leverage its Atomic Diffusion Additive Manufacturing, or ADAM, metal 3D printing technology. This spring, Markforged began shipping the Metal X to customers and resellers, and announced early last month that it had shipped over 100 machines, with an expectation of doubling that number by the end of 2018.

As we get closer to the end of the year, and Markforged works to achieve this goal, the company is giving the world a closer look at the innovative process behind its Metal X, with the publication of a time-lapse video on YouTube that shows all seven steps of the process, starting with the actual 3D printing of a part, removing and washing it, and ending with part manipulation, in less than two minutes. Take a look at the video below to see it for yourself:

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

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3D Printing News Briefs: July 27, 2018

We’ve got plenty of awards and other business news for you today in 3D Printing News Briefs. Sinterit and ViscoTec each received awards for their technology, while Arkema announced that it is opening a 3D Printing Center of Excellence at its Pennsylvania facility. Vectary and Sketchfab are integrating, and Xometry is now offering SLA 3D printing. Finally, OPEN MIND Technologies has introduced its latest hyperMILL CAM software.

Sinterit Lisa Receives Award from All3DP

Sinterit, one of the fastest growing manufacturers of SLS 3D printers, just received the “Best Desktop SLS 3D Printer Summer 2018” award for its Lisa 3D printer by All3DP. The award shows that the company is moving in the right direction, and confirms that the Lisa is the perfect choice for 3D printing professionals looking to upgrade to SLS technology without breaking the bank. Even better for Sinterit: the award was announced in the final week of a pre-order period for its upgraded Lisa model, which will feature better hardware, bigger 3D prints, and easier maintenance.

“All3DP is happy to present the Sinterit Lisa with the award for Best Desktop SLS 3D Printer on the market. We recognize the Sinterit team for their tremendous work in making SLS 3D printing technology more affordable and accessible,” said Tyler Koslow, Editor at All3DP. “Additionally, their recent update to the Sinterit Lisa and development of the new Sinterit Lisa 2 PRO suggests that they will remain a market leader for a long time.”

ViscoTec Awarded Special Title Two Years Running

Georg Senftl (holding certificate) and Martin Stadler (holding lion) accepted the award on behalf of all ViscoTec employees.

For the second year in a row, German company ViscoTec, which specializes in pump and dose technology and has 3D printing viscous liquid products for silicone and other materials was awarded the “Bayern’s Best 50” title. For 17 years, the Bavarian Ministry of Economic Affairs has honored the 50 most dynamic, medium-sized companies in Bavaria, and the jury considers criteria such as number of employees, turnover, and social and economic contributions. ViscoTec, and the other 49 winning companies were personally awarded the title, a certificate, and a Bavarian porcelain lion by Bavaria’s Minister of Economic Affairs, Energy and Technology Franz Josef Pschierer at a recent event in Schleißheim Castle.

“Our employees all over the world actively help us to be such a successful company every day and that we will continue to develop very well in the future. Special thanks also go to our partners and customers. Their partnership with ViscoTec is constantly driving us forward. This motivates us not to stand still, to open up new possibilities and to find solutions for the daily challenges,” said Georg Senftl, Commercial Director of ViscoTec Pumpen- u. Dosiertechnik GmbH. “Last but not least, the innovative climate in the Inn-Salzach region contributes to the continuous development of companies like ViscoTec.”

Arkema to Open 3D Printing Center of Excellence

3D Printers and Post-Processing Machines for UV-Cured Resins at Arkema Center for Excellence.

This Monday, July 30th, speciality chemical and advanced materials developer Arkema will be holding the grand opening for its new 3D Printing Center of Excellence. The center will be located at the Exton, Pennsylvania facility of its Sartomer subsidiary, which designs engineered resins for UV-curable additive manufacturing under its N3xtDimension brand. The 3D Printing Center of Excellence will work to advance 3D printing resins technology and be home to most UV-based 3D printing technologies, such as Digital Light Processing (DLP), stereolithography (SLA), and HP’s Multi Jet Fusion (MJF). It will offer a collaborative space for developing custom resins, and complete the company’s worldwide R&D network, which is dedicated to developing advanced 3D printing materials.

“Sartomer is a historic partner for 3D printing pioneers. We’re launching the 3D Printing Center of Excellence to deepen our support of the visionaries working to develop innovative 3D printed materials,” said Sumeet Jain, Global Director, 3D Printing at Sartomer.

Vectary Integrates Sketchfab

Online 3D design tool Vectary is giving its users access to thousands of new 3D models, as it has now integrated Sketchfab, the world’s largest platform for interactive 3D content. Vectary users can connect to the Sketchfab library and import hundreds of thousands of 3D models with one click, as well as export, publish, and even sell their own 3D work on Sketchfab. Vectary CEO Michal Koor, who co-founded the tool in 2014 with Pavol Sovis said, “Easily importing Sketchfab 3D models in the Vectary 3D tool can be a great way to create design concepts and bring more inspiration to their work. Exporting their Vectary models to Sketchfab gets them exposure to a larger audience, which can mean an increased customer base and new income possibilities by selling their work on one of the best 3D marketplaces available.”

Xometry Adds SLA 3D Printing to List of Services

3D printing service provider Xometry has added stereolithography (SLA) 3D printing to the list of 3D printing processes it provides. Versatile SLA technology offers higher resolution 3D printing, which will allow Xometry’s customers to achieve prints with good surface finish and fine detail – perfect for production parts and prototypes. The technology also enables you to print large products and parts and can create complex parts, to meet tolerances of +/- 0.004” or +/- 0.001” per inch, in a single operation.

Xometry also offers plenty of SLA-friendly materials, such as the Accura and Somos brands. Try it out today – upload your 3D CAD file to Xometry now to get an instant SLA quote.

New Version of hyperMILL CAM Software Released

3D Z-Level Shape Finishing

Germany CAD/CAM software solutions develop OPEN MIND Technologies AG has released the latest version of its advanced CAM software, hyperMILL 2018.2, which provides more machining efficiency and several new enhancements and features. 3D Z-level Shape Finishing, available in the hyperCAD -S module, now comes with automatic face extension to automatically extend selected milling surfaces during CAM programming, and can now also support conical barrel cutters.

This version also provides a “V sketch” command, which allows users to make easy changes to turning contours and milling boundaries by assigning geometric constraints to 2D contours. Other enhancements to the -S module include being able to measure and record distances between two shapes, like meshes, solids, and face models.

Alan Levine, Managing Director of OPEN MIND Technologies USA, Inc., said, “Keeping the hyperMILL suite at the forefront of CAM technology, we are pleased to offer our customers improved CAM strategies and enhanced CAD tools for even greater machining productivity through our new release of hyperMILL 2018.2.”

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

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Xometry Announces MakeTime Aquisition, $25M Funding, Updated Instant Quoting Engine

In the five years it has been in business, Xometry has grown to become the largest on-demand manufacturing platform, with 3D printing playing a significant role in its success. Now the company is growing even further as it has acquired MakeTime, another leading on-demand manufacturing company. Thanks to the acquisition, Xometry’s partner network of manufacturers will grow from 1,110 to more than 2,300. It will also benefit from MakeTime’s enterprise product expertise as well as its Autodesk Fusion add-in and Shop Advantage program.

Meanwhile, MakeTime’s customers will now have access to more manufacturing technologies, including 3D printing, injection molding and urethane casting. They will benefit from faster lead times, better pricing and more capabilities. The merger will create the manufacturing industry’s largest single platform, with more than 10,000 customers and offices in Maryland and Kentucky.

The combined company will continue to do business under the Xometry name. Drura Parrish, MakeTime Founder and CEO, will become Xometry’s Executive Vice President for Platform.

“We’re excited at the prospect of joining forces with Xometry,” said Parrish. “We’ve both been building the future of manufacturing, and now we will be able to offer small- and medium-sized manufacturers access to more jobs, more opportunities for growth and advanced products to power their businesses.”

MakeTime’s investor Foundry Group will lead a new $25 million funding round for the newly merged company. Additional participants in the funding include:

Xometry has now raised a total of $63 million, having secured $15 million last year.

“We’re thrilled to combine Xometry’s online manufacturing platform with MakeTime’s proven success in building a distributed network of over 1,000 manufacturers,” said Randy Altschuler, Co-Founder and CEO of Xometry. “This acquisition will provide our customers with access to massive capacity through the industry’s largest distributed manufacturing network as well enhanced product features.”

Foundry Group’s Seth Levine will also join Xometry’s Board of Directors.

“We are thrilled to help Xometry capture greater share of the $80+ billion on-demand manufacturing marketplace,” said Levine.  “By combining both MakeTime’s complementary technology and partner network to that of Xometry’s, we can accelerate platform development and revenue growth to the benefit of both our customers and network partners.”

Xometry has been seeing outstanding success lately; in the first five months of 2018, the company more than doubled its revenues and bookings compared to the same period in 2017.

It also recently introduced a new version – Version 3.0 – of its Xometry Instant Quoting Engine, with several new and enhanced features to provide customers with instant quotes for 3D printing, CNC machining, sheet metal fabrication, and urethane casting.

New features include:

  • A redesigned summary view, which helps users quickly review the process, material, finish, and other requirements for each part in their quote. If a requirement needs modification, users can change it with the “modify part” button.
  • Instant design feedback displayed directly on the 3D model. Users can also easily upload drawings to help identify manufacturing requirements such as tolerances, threads and critical dimensions.
  • Part specifications in one place: users can now use the right side of the modification screen to specify all part requirements and can scroll down to see all of their modifications in one place.

“We are focused on creating a seamless buying experience for our customers. Using customer feedback, we made our quoting interface even more intuitive and efficient,” said Hunter Guerin, Product Manager for the Xometry Instant Quoting Engine. “We want to make it as easy as possible for engineers and procurement managers to generate quotes.”

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