Sheffield University and Imperial College researchers are currently looking into the use of novel microstructures in prints to improve durability. They’ve uncovered possibilities in the use of crystallographic metamaterials for metal printing alloys with the use of computer atomic modelling. As a result of these crystal structures, the material itself comes out without grain boundaries, continuous […]
University Hospital of Basel, Switzerland, has entered into a 3D printing alliance with UK based medical technology firm axial3D. Focusing on quality control, the hospital is to introduce the axial3Dassure platform to its in-house 3D Print Lab. Through its application, axial3D promises to help to cut production times and maximize the efficiency of the facility’s 3D printed anatomical […]
The European Space Agency (ESA) and UK metallurgic company Metalysis have launched a €500,000-reward competition to devise systems that will aid space exploration. The competition is to design a process-monitoring system that works with Metalysis’s existing electrochemical cells. These cells convert refined oxides and ores into metal alloy powders, including those used in 3D printing […]
The award-winning, Belfast-based medical 3D printing and healthcare technology firm axial3D is focused on helping the global healthcare industry adopt 3D printing by using its patient-specific medical models to improve surgical outcomes, assist patients and doctors in better understanding ailments and treatments, and facilitate pre-operative planning.
“3D printed models have been shown to help surgeons complete complex life-saving surgeries that would be otherwise impossible,” axial3D’s Ryan Kyle told 3DPrint.com. “University Hospital Basel’s new collaboration with axial3D will help to deliver high-quality 3D printed models much quicker than before.”
The hospital, which has about 7,000 people on staff, is northwest Switzerland’s biggest healthcare facility. Its 3D Print Lab uses patient image data to fabricate realistic anatomical models, and other objects, using a variety of different materials and 3D printing methods. Now it will be using axial3D’s new cloud-based platform, axial3Dassure, to support its 3D printing program.
[Image: University Hospital Basel]
By using axial3Dassure, USB will optimize its 3D Print Lab in order to provide a greater level of performance and patient care. The software, which has an end to end workflow, provides features like processing and quality management, so that hospitals and medical centers can meet their expanding business needs through its powerful analytics. The new axial3Dassure platform will also help support collaboration within the hospital’s 3D Print Lab with such features as email notifications and task-driven workflows.
Daniel Crawford, axial3D
“We are very excited to be working with the team at University Hospital Basel. They are a leading force in medical 3D printing, not just in Europe, but globally, and this alliance will ensure the expertise they have developed can support our company’s growth by informing the ongoing development of axial3D’s software solutions,” said axial3D’s CEO and Founder Daniel Crawford. “With a growing requirement for 3D printing within healthcare, a centralized management platform is necessary for any 3D print lab, which plans to scale and grow in the coming years. University Hospital Basel has taken strides in its commitment to improving outcomes for patients through technology advances in the form of this collaboration.
“Our software will help the hospital gain insight into the statistics and figures usually hidden within data, ultimately allowing them to measure clinical impact and value 3D printing is having for patients. The workflow management capability will allow the hospital to speed up the creation, processing, and delivery of 3D printed models, while ensuring auditability, reliability and standardization.”
By using axial3Dassure software, USB will be able to increase efficiency and improve compliance and productivity. The hospital’s 3D Print Lab, which includes over 20 desktop and industrial 3D printers, will now be better equipped to manage communication, quality control, tracking, and workflow management.
In addition, USB will benefit from the company’s orthopaedic auto-segmentation software module, which is embedded within the axial3Dassure platform. This module will help lower the amount of time that is typically required during pre-production of 3D printing orthopaedic models.
Finally, by partnering with axial3D, USB will be able to speed up the creation, processing, and delivery of its 3D printed surgical guides.
“Our initial focus for the use of 3D printed surgical guides was within the Department of Cranio-Maxillofacial Surgery where 3D printing has now become routine,” explained Philipp Brantner, Senior Physician of Radiology and the Co-Director of the 3D Print Lab at University Hospital Basel. “Having access to onsite printing has revolutionized how we treat those patients, some who arrive with life-threatening injuries that require immediate action. The functionality that we now get provided will allow us to speed up production and treat patients more effectively and efficiently.”
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With all these new materials 3D printing is expanding into, it’s easy to forget the work done with the basics. Take PLA, for example: probably the most common and easy to use material on the market. There’s been a trend of taking PLA and giving it novel new characteristics and today’s story is no different. […]
New Years Eve Ball Drop
https://learn.adafruit.com/new-years-eve-ball-drop
Every Thursday is #3dthursday here at Adafruit! The DIY 3D printing community has passion and dedication for making solid objects from digital models. Recently, we have noticed electronics projects integrated with 3D printed enclosures, brackets, and sculptures, so each Thursday we celebrate and highlight these bold pioneers!
Have you considered building a 3D project around an Arduino or other microcontroller? How about printing a bracket to mount your Raspberry Pi to the back of your HD monitor? And don’t forget the countless LED projects that are possible when you are modeling your projects in 3D!
In a thesis entitled “Optimizing 3D Printed Prosthetic Hand and Simulator,” author Stephen Estelle discusses an investigation of the use of an upper extremity prosthetic simulator for those who are not missing limbs – for example, for schools or research facilities. No standardized prosthetic simulator exists for these facilities, Estelle says. He discusses using 3D printing to modify the existing Hosmer 5X Prosthetic Hook by adding newly designed trusses.
“To continue to raise prosthesis satisfaction, the professionals who are assisting the users with the prosthetics need to be able test, redesign, and optimize prosthetics for their clients,” Estelle states. “If issues arise for amputees, such as profuse sweating, and the working professionals had the most efficient technology, then they could bring new changes to the prosthetic as swiftly as possible. This is imperative so that the necessary changes to the devices can be made promptly, accurately, and correctly.”
Priorities for prosthetic users, according to a survey, include:
increased functionality
natural interaction with the environment
reduced weight
higher grasping speed and forces
low noise
better cosmetic appearance
Estelle 3D scanned an existing Hosmer 5X Prosthetic Hook and then used the scans to create a 3D model from which he 3D printed several redesigned prototypes, aiming to create a prosthetic that would work well with a simulator.
“The trusses on the side of the newly designed model of the Hosmer 5X Hook were inspired by bridges and the truss system used for them,” he explains. “The purpose of the truss is to reduce any form of displacement of the prosthetic hook, as well to disperse the stress and strain that the prosthetic encounters throughout the device more evenly. The truss was designed to reduce any bending or twisting moment due to a force on the tip of the hook. By doing so, the prosthetic is able to withstand higher forces and reduce the buildup of maximum stress in certain locations.”
Estelle also designed a prosthetic simulator that could be attached to a user’s arm, and a small sample population of volunteers participated in a study using the simulator. The prosthetics and simulators were 3D printed on the Stratasys F270 and the MakerBot Replicator in PLA material.
Simulator iterations
“The two simulator positions were in front of the hand and below the hand, while the two different prosthetics were the original stainless-steel
Hosmer 5X Prosthetic Hook and a PLA 3D printed replica,” Estelle continues. “The two prosthetics weighed 5.5oz and 2.5oz respectively, and the only difference being the material and the additional M12-1.25 hex screw connected to the 3D printed replica.”
The four testing groups were:
in front of the hand with the original prosthetic
below the hand with the original prosthetic
in front of the hand with the replica
below the hand with the replica
The participants were required to perform a “Box and Blocks test” to measure manual dexterity using the prosthetics. A box with a partition in the middle was placed in front of each participant, with blocks on one side and an empty space on the other. The participants were required to move as many blocks as possible from one side to the other in one minute.
The participants wearing the 3D printed prosthetic did slightly better with the test than those wearing the original, possibly because the 3D printed prosthetic was more lightweight. The bottom prosthetic position also may have allowed the wearer to reach the blocks more quickly.
“These preliminary tests that were done in this study not only gave us insight on the prosthetic simulator position and the material choice for the prosthetic, it also gave us a better understanding on performing more accurate and reliable tests as we move forward and continue with this study,” says Estelle. “In the upcoming trials, the addition of a tracking system will be added to help us understand the body movements that go along with the simulator positions and the prosthetics being used.”
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In making videos for my projects I have often wanted to get a smooth shot of a part, such as a pan of an Arduino Nano. I have seen about 3 projects where people made devices that could pan a camera, but they were either not internet-connected or they were very expensive. So I set out to improve them.
We #celebratephotography here at Adafruit every Saturday. From photographers of all levels to projects you have made or those that inspire you to make, we’re on it! Got a tip? Well, send it in!
If you’re interested in making your own project and need some gear, we’ve got you covered. Be sure to check out our Raspberry Pi accessories and our DIY cameras.
Welcome to the first edition of 3D Printing News Briefs in 2019! We took a brief hiatus at the beginning of the new year, and now we’re back, bringing you the latest business, medical, and metal 3D printing news. First up, Sigma Labs has been awarded a new Test and Evaluation Program Contract, and Laser Lines is now a certified UK Stratasys training provider. Michigan’s Grand Valley State University, and a few of its partners, will be using Carbon 3D printing to make production-grade parts for medical devices. Cooksongold is launching new precious metal parameters for the EOS M 100 3D printer, and VBN Components has introduced a new metal 3D printing material.
Sigma Labs Receives Test and Evaluation Program Contract
This week, Sigma Labs, which develops and provides quality assurance software under the PrintRite3D brand, announced that it had been awarded a Test and Evaluation Program contract with a top additive manufacturing materials and service provider. This will be the company’s fifth customer to conduct testing and evaluations of its technology since September 2018, and Sigma Labs will install several PrintRite3D INSPECT 4.0 in-process quality assurance systems in the customer’s US and German facilities under the program. It will also support its customer in the program by providing engineering, hardware, metallurgical consulting and support services, software, and training.
“Sigma Labs is deeply committed to our In-Process Quality Assurance tools, supporting and moving forward with them,” said John Rice, the CEO of Sigma Labs. “I am confident that this initiative, which marks our fifth customer signed from diverse industries in the past four months, will validate our PrintRite3D technology in commercial-industrial serial manufacturing settings. We believe that going forward, AM technology will play an increasingly prominent role in the aerospace, medical, power generation/energy, automotive and tooling/general industries, all areas which are served by this customer.”
Laser Lines Announces New Stratasys Training Courses
Through its new 3D Printing Academy, UK-based total 3D printing solutions provider Laser Lines is now a certified provider of Stratasys training courses. The custom courses at the Academy for FDM and Polyjet systems are well-suited for new users, people in need of a refresher, or more experienced users, and include tips and tricks that the company’s certified trainers have personally developed. One-day and two-day courses are available at customer sites, or at the Laser Lines facility in Oxfordshire.
“The training courses are an extension of the advice and education we have been providing to customers for the past 20 years. With our experienced team able to share their knowledge and experience on both the FDM and Polyjet systems and materials, customers who are trained by us will get the value of some real life application examples,” said Richard Hoy, Business Development at Laser Lines.
“We want to ensure that our customers get what they need from our training so before booking, our Stratasys academy certified trainers can discuss exact requirements and advise both content and a suitable duration for the training course so that it meets their needs entirely.”
Exploring Applications in Medical Device Manufacturing
Enabled by Michigan state legislation, the Grand Rapids SmartZone Local Development Finance Authority has awarded a half-million-dollar grant that will be used to fund a 2.5-year collaborative program centered around cost and time barriers for medical devices entering the market. Together, Grand Valley State University and its study partners – certified contract manufacturer MediSurge and the university’s applied Medical Device Institute (aMDI) – will be using 3D printing from Carbon to create production-grade parts, out of medical-grade materials and tolerances, in an effort to accelerate medical device development, along with the component manufacturing cycle. A Carbon 3D printer has been installed in aMDI’s incubator space, where the team and over a dozen students and faculty from the university’s Seymour and Esther Padnos College of Engineering and Computing will work to determine the “tipping point” where 3D printing can become the top method, in terms of part number and complexity, to help lower startup costs and time to market, which could majorly disrupt existing manufacturing practices for medical devices.
“We are thrilled to be the first university in the Midwest to provide students with direct access to this type of innovative technology on campus. This novel 3D additive manufacturing technology, targeting medical grade materials, will soon be the new standard, and this study will be a launch pad for course content that is used in curriculum throughout the university,” said Brent M. Nowak, PhD, the Executive Director of aMDI.
New Precious Metal 3D Printing Parameters at Cooksongold
At this week’s Vicenzaoro jewelry show, Cooksongold, a precious metal expert and the UK’s largest one-stop shop for jewelry and watch makers, announced that it is continuing its partnership with EOS for industrial 3D printing, and will be launching new precious metal parameters for the EOS M 100 3D printer, which is replacing the system that was formerly called the PRECIOUS M 080. The EOS M 100 builds on the powder management process and qualities of the PRECIOUS M 080, and the new parameters make it possible for users to create beautiful designs, with cost-effective production, that are optimized for use on the new 3D printer.
“We are proud to continue our successful partnership with Cooksongold, which was already established 2012,” said Markus Brotsack, Partner Manager at EOS. “The EOS M 100 system increases productivity and ensure high-quality end parts as we know them. Based on our technology, EOS together with Cooksongold plans to develop processes for industrial precious metals applications too.”
VBN Components Introducing New Cemented Carbide
Drill bits in Vibenite 480; collaboration with Epiroc.
In 2017, Swedish company VBN Components introduced the world’s hardest steel, capable of 3D printing, in its Vibenite family. Now it’s launching a new 3D printing material: the patented hard metal Vibenite 480, which is a new type of cemented carbide. The alloy, which has a carbide content of ~65%, is heat, wear, and corrosion resistant, and based on metal powder produced through large scale industrial gas atomization, which lowers both the cost and environmental impact. What’s more, VBN Components believes that it is the only company in the world that is able to 3D print cemented carbides without using binder jetting. Because this new group of materials is a combination of the heat resistance of cemented carbides and the toughness of powder metallurgy high speed steels (PM-HSS), it’s been dubbed hybrid carbides.
“We have learned an enormous amount on how to 3D-print alloys with high carbide content and we see that there’s so much more to do within this area,” said Martin Nilsson, the CEO of VBN Components. “We have opened a new window of opportunity where a number of new materials can be invented.”
Early adopters who want to be among the first to try this new material will be invited by VBN Components to a web conference at a later date. If you’re interested in participating, email info@vbncomponents.com.
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