Big Takeaways From Nano Dimension’s Electrifying Additive Manufacturing Survey

Israel-based Nano Dimension just announced the results of its Electrifying Additive Manufacturing Survey. The survey featured responses from a vast swathe of Engineers, Designers and Business Decision Makers. The leading Israel-based 3D printer company posted its findings, so here we are, summarising its key takeaways. While there are many interesting bits of info to mine out of […]

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imec Saves Time and Money with New 3D Printed Chip Cooling Solution

One of the world’s top research and innovation hubs in nanoelectronics and digital technologies is imec, headquartered in Leuven, Belgium with additional offices in Japan and India and distributed R&D groups in the US, Taiwan, China, the Netherlands, and at multiple Flemish universities.

A few years ago, the company used inkjet printing to output a transistor logic board with nearly 3,400 circuits, and is well known for its 2015 collaborative project resulting in a 3D printed EEG headset for the purposes of brain-computer interfacing.

The company creates innovation in applications ranging from healthcare, education, and smart cities to mobility, logistics, manufacturing, and energy, thanks to its excellent infrastructure and local and global partner network. Now, imec has turned its attention to efficient cooling solutions…which, if you’re living through a July heat wave like I am at the moment, sounds great. However, I’m not talking about a 3D printed fan, but rather an impingement-based solution for cooling chips at the package level.

The company recently announced that for the first time, it’s demonstrated a cost-effective, 3D printed cooling solution for chips, which is quite an achievement in a world of growing cooling demands for 3D chips and systems.

More and more, high-performance electronic systems are having to learn how to deal with increasing cooling demands. It would be the most efficient to introduce direct cooling on the chip backside, but unfortunately, most existing direct cooling microchannel solutions end up creating a temperature gradient across the surface of the chip.

Typically, conventional solutions combine heat exchangers, which are bonded to heat spreaders and attached to the back of a chip to achieve cooling. All of these parts are connected through thermal interface materials (TIM), which make a strong, fixed thermal resistance; adding more efficient cooling solutions will not overcome this resistance.

An impingement-based cooler with distributed coolant outlets, like the 3D printed one imec has created, is the optimal chip cooling solution, as it places the cooling liquid directly in contact with the chip, spraying liquid perpendicular to the surface of the chip. This helps all of the liquid on the surface is the same temperature, in addition to lowering the amount of contact between the chip and the coolant. But, most of these coolers are not cheap, because they’re silicon-based, and their use processes and nozzle diameters not working with the chip packaging process flow doesn’t help in keeping costs down.

imec’s new impingement chip cooler is more cost-effective, as it uses polymers rather than expensive silicon. The cooler is also a pretty familiar object, as Herman Oprins, a senior engineer at imec, explained:

“Our new impingement chip cooler is actually a 3D printed ‘showerhead’ that sprays the cooling liquid directly onto the bare chip. 3D prototyping has improved in resolution, making it available for realizing microfluidic systems such as our chip cooler. 3D printing enables an application-specific design, instead of using a standard design.”

The cooler’s 3D printed nozzles, made with high-resolution SLA technology, are only 300µm and match the heat map, as 3D printing gives companies the ability to customize pattern designs for these types of objects, in addition to producing complex internal structures. Additionally, production costs and time were decreased because 3D printing makes it possible to fabricate the entire structure in just one part, instead of several.

The 3D printed impingement chip cooler has a higher cooling efficiency – according to imec, the chip has “a temperature increase of less than 15°C per 100W/cm2 for a coolant flow rate of 1 l/min.” Due to its smart internal cooler design, the device has a pressure drop as low as 0.3 bar, and the impingement chip cooler is also much smaller than other solutions; imec says it actually matches the chip package’s footprint, which allows for much more efficient cooling and even a package reduction. The cost-effective chip cooler also performs better than benchmark conventional cooling solutions, which have thermal interface materials that cause temperature increases of 20-50°C.

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

[Images: imec]

 

GROWLAY 3D Printer Filament Allows You to Grow Plants, Mushrooms or Even Cheese

If you grew up in the 1980s or ’90s, you’re likely familiar with Chia Pets, those terra cotta figures shaped like animals, cartoon characters or people’s heads. All you had to do was put moist chia seeds in the terra cotta’s grooves, and they would quickly sprout and give you a green fuzzy “pet.” Chia Pets are still around today, though not as popular as they used to be. Now a German filament maker has designed a sort of Chia Pet for the 21st century. Kai Parthy of Lay Filaments has designed unusual 3D printing filaments in the past, and his latest, GROWLAY, brings to mind a technological Chia Pet, though you can use it to grow much more than just chia seeds.

GROWLAY filament is microcapillary, meaning that it has cavities that absorb and store water, dissolved nutrients or fertilizer. Place seeds or spores on the 3D printed material, and you can grow grass, moss, lichen, fungus, and even cheese or pharma-cultures. The material acts like a breeding ground, allowing for indoor farming without soil. Grass seeds can easily catch and sprout through the filament, while mold grows through the open-cell capillaries and forms a mycelium. The filament also has space for roots to grow, anchoring grass and other small plants to the 3D printed structure. Even fungal spores can germinate in the tiny cavities, so you can grow your own mushrooms. (Maybe not eat them, though – you can never be too careful with mushrooms.)

Above: Growing Gorgonzola; below: white cheese

GROWLAY can be sterilized for food or research purposes with liquid or gas, though not thermally. The material is an absorptive carrier for agents and comes in two different versions: GROWLAY White and GROWLAY Brown. GROWLAY White is fully compostable and has open capillaries, and is a more experimental filament designed for experienced users. GROWLAY Brown is easier to print, with higher rigidity, temperature stability and tensile strength than GROWLAY White. It also has open capillaries, but contains organic nutrients in the form of wood particles to help your plants or cultures grow.

If you want a different color option than white or brown, GROWLAY can also be colored with food coloring. There are many possibilities for a filament like this – adding some grass seed or moss to an intricate 3D print will provide some creative decor, or some alfalfa or broccoli seed will sprout into edible greens. If you’re brave, you can try growing your own cheese, or you can conduct your own research on mold or fungi.

Lay Filaments has a number of other unique materials, such as the lightweight LAYWOOD and the reflective REFLECT-O-LAY. GROWLAY is the latest addition to the filament line, and may be the most interesting yet – it’s not every day you encounter a 3D printing material that allows you to grow food or conduct scientific research.

Left: GROWLAY Brown, middle: GROWLAY with mold, right: GROWLAY with lichen

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

[Images: Lay Filaments]

 

 

3D printing the world’s oldest ham

The town of Smithfield, Virginia is famous across the United States thanks to one of its more unusual tourist attractions – a 115-year-old ham. Originally cured in 1902 by the food and beverage company, Gwaltney Foods, the world’s oldest ham will turn 116 this Saturday and received an early birthday present as students from the Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) 3D […]

Imperial College London Launches Summer Hackathon, Full of 3D Printing Activities and Grants

Over the last few years, hackathons have been rapidly growing in popularity, giving the maker community around the world ample opportunities to tinker with multiple technologies, such as computers, augmented and virtual reality, and 3D printing and design. Most hackathons typically have a challenge or two included, so participants can race to the finish line with their own hacking inventions.

Imperial College London, which has plenty of experience with 3D printing in the medical field, knows that hacking communities are important for inventions to bloom. For example, the College’s campus in South Kensington is home to several hackspaces, and Imperial even opened a bespoke workshop last year at The Invention Rooms in White City. This workshop – one of the largest of its kind in the world – offers state-of-the-art 3D printing, electronics, metalwork, and woodwork equipment, in addition to a fully equipped bio-lab.

Imperial has a unique community called the Imperial College Advanced Hackspace (ICAH), which is made up of over 2,500 entrepreneurs, inventors, and makers from across the College. Growing by 100 users each month, ICAH gives its community members free access to a network of other members, as well as specialist manufacturing equipment and training, so they can succeed in turning their ideas into viable prototypes and solutions.

Last week, ICAH announced that it is holding its own type of hackathon this summer.

Starting on July 3rd, and running through September 29th, the summer-long My Summer of Hack program will consist of multiple activities for hackers, innovators, and makers from the College.

“Imperial College Advanced Hackspace is a hotbed of creativity and innovation, where hackers, inventors, and entrepreneurs from across all corners of the College come together to turn their ideas into a reality,” said Professor Oscar Ces, the Co-Director of ICAH. “This summer is the perfect opportunity to get involved.”

My Summer of Hack includes all sorts of excellent options for the community, like a new competition, grants, and some hacker-in-residence opportunities, that will help them make their great ideas a reality.

First up in My Summer of Hack, the Level Up! hackathon competition challenges participants to develop innovative new exhibits, furniture, and installations, the winners of which will be installed in a new breakout office space above the Advanced Hackspace at the Invention Rooms that will open soon. The theme of the competition is “Moving up Levels,” from classic video games to dream inventions, and entries for the exhibit are encouraged to be interactive, though it’s not required.

Teams that make the cut will receive a consumable budget of up to £1,000 to use the Hackspace’s facilities in order to create their ideas, and in addition to having their work installed, the winners will also receive a cash prize: £300 for third place, £750 for second, and £1,500 for first.

The My Summer of Hack program will also include Summer Boost Grants from ICAH of up to £500. The grants will be awarded to staff and students who want to develop an idea for the program over the summer. In the past, these boost grants have funded multiple innovative projects, like a 3D ceramics printer, an inexpensive neonatal incubator made from cardboard, and a vaccine cooling and delivery system.

In addition, ICAH is also accepting summer applications for its Hacker-in-Residence program, which is only open to Imperial alumni. This program gives users opportunities to use the facilities and workshops of the ICAH, along with taking advantage of the expertise of other members.

The kick-off for the hackathon competition, and My Summer of Hack, will take place at 6:30 PM on July 3rd at the Invention Rooms, and begin with a networking event.

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

[Source/Images: Imperial College London]

 

Zero Gravity Bioprinter is Ready for Delivery to the International Space Station

An amazing thing happened two years ago, when Techshot and nScrypt worked together to 3D print a human heart – in zero gravity. Not a working heart, yet, but the two companies were the first to 3D print cardiac and vascular structures in zero gravity using adult human stem cells. Why would they do such a thing, you might ask? The reasoning is much more than “because they can,” as 3D bioprinting in zero gravity is actually easier and more effective than it is on Earth.

Earth-based bioprinting requires thick, viscous bioinks that can contain chemicals or other materials necessary for providing structural support. The lack of gravity in space, however, means that thinner, purer bioinks can be used, as well as thinner print nozzles, allowing for more precision and control. When the first viable human organ is 3D printed, it may very well happen in space.

After nScrypt and Techshot pulled off their successful zero-G bioprinting feat, they began work on the 3D BioFabrication Facility, or BFF, a 3D bioprinting system for the International Space Station. The BFF can 3D print thick tissue and organs using adult stem cells. The printing will happen on an nScrypt 3D Bio Assembly Tool, or BAT; the bioink will be printed into a specialized cell culturing bioreactor cassette designed by TechShot and conditioned in the TechShot ADvanced Space Experiment Processor (ADSEP). The BFF and ADSEP are scheduled to launch on their way to the ISS in February 2019.

The nScrypt BAT 3D printer features high-precision motion and extreme dispensing control, and will use nScrypt’s patented SmartPump, which has 100 picoliter volumetric control and uses super-fine nozzles, down to 10 microns, to dispense biomaterials. This enables the highly controlled and repeatable placement of bioink, which is necessary for printing the fine details of tissues and organs.

“Especially when dealing with something as important as tissue, it is vital to place the correct amount of material in the correct position every time,” said nScrypt CEO Ken Church. “This is what our machines offer and what has contributed to our success in bioprinting as well as other applications. This is an exciting time for discovery and more importantly a time of impact for those that are seriously seeking solutions to grow thick vascularized tissue, which is the basis for a fully printed organ.”

The first complete print, after the initial test prints, will be a cardiac patch for damaged hearts. Cells will be printed into the bioreactor cassette, and the bioreactor will then provide media perfusion to deliver nutrients and remove toxins from the tissue, keeping it alive while providing electrical and mechanical stimulus to encourage the cells to become beating heart tissue.

Rendering of the BFF in an EXPRESS rack [Image: nScrypt]

The BFF may truly be an astronaut’s BFF; in addition to 3D printing tissue for people on Earth, it can print pharmaceuticals and even food on demand for people on the International Space Station.

“We are very excited to see this project, and all that it can provide, come to life,” said Techshot President and CEO John C. Vellinger. “With the goal of producing everything from organs, to pharmaceuticals, to perhaps even food, the BFF has the ability to improve the lives of people on earth and help enable deep space exploration.”

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

 

Researchers Unveil New Method For Multimaterial Lithography Prints

Multimaterial printing is becoming somewhat of an arms race as of late. While companies are scrambling to find a method that works, researchers appear to be honing in on one. The method is a state of the art system that using light and photosensitive materials. The researchers have dubbed it SMaLL (Solution Mask Liquid Lithography). […]

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eSUN and Sindoh sign Global Strategic Cooperation agreement

eSUN, a China-based manufacturer of 3D printing filaments, and Sindoh, a 3D printer manufacturer based in South Korea have signed an agreement for global strategic cooperation at the Inside 3D Printing Conference, in Seoul, Korea.   The agreement, which was signed on June 27th, will enable both companies to use each other’s resources in order […]