Heart problems are one of modern society’s most common problems. Studies have indicated that it is the most common cause of death among men. So, it’s only natural that 3D printing companies (particularly in bioprinting) would want to tackle it. While a full 3D printed heart is still a dream, BioLIFE4D have developed a patch […]
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Merck is a global life sciences company that develops products such as medicines and vaccines and conducts other biopharmaceutical research. Its research has included 3D bioprinting in the past, but it also has an interest in 3D printing on a more general level, and this week the company announced that it has selected the 3D printing technology of Massachusetts-based company Rize to provide a wide range of functional applications for Merck’s stakeholders.
Merck has been using 3D printing heavily in its centralized additive manufacturing facility to design, develop and sell new products. It also has a 3D Tech Service that collaborates with internal clients to design and 3D print their parts.
“3D printing enables innovation,” said Tinh Nguyen-Demary, Merck’s Senior Lead Engineer of Additive Manufacturing. “It enables us to do what we couldn’t do otherwise.”
The 3D Tech Service team was looking for a more flexible 3D printing solution that uses a safe material and process and offers a combination of material properties suitable for a wide range of pre-clinical applications that their existing technology could not accomplish. They also wanted something faster than they currently were using. They looked into the Rize One 3D printer and liked what they saw: high chemical resistance, low moisture absorption, low surface energy and isotropic part strength that mimics injection molding.
“Our internal lab tests, ranks and recommends approximately 15 3D printing materials for internal stakeholders,” said Nguyen-Demary. “RIZE’s RIZIUM ONE material is near the top of the list.”
The Rize One is also an extremely convenient, easy-to-use 3D printer that requires virtually no post-processing, material management or venting. Nguyen-Demary wants to place a networked Rize One in several locations outside of the additive manufacturing lab so that they can print anywhere.
“We like to use RIZE ONE as often as we can because it’s easy and reliable, without any complexity or tech support,” said Nguyen-Demary. “RIZE’s ease of use is a big plus compared to other 3D printers. It’s super easy to place and print a part with one click. There’s no need to export, file fix and import. The convenience factor of RIZE’s zero-post-processing capability also makes it faster to get to the final part. We print the part and we can test it immediately after printing in case we need to make modifications. As a result, we use RIZE ONE very frequently – every day.”
Rize also offers a voxel-level printing process that enables the printing of part numbers directly onto parts. The 3D printer is also capable of embedding a marker, such as a QR code, into parts through its Digitally Augmented Part capability.
“Our RIZE 3D printing platform, with its clean process, clean materials and completely safe user experience, makes it very suitable for the life sciences industry,” said Andy Kalambi, President and CEO of Rize. “As a result, we are delighted to see the variety of functional use cases in pre-clinical applications developed by Merck. Tinh and his team continue to push the envelope and discover new ways to put the technology to use, cut costs and improve products in ways never seen before in the 3D printing industry.”
“We have a great working relationship with RIZE,” said Nguyen-Demary. “Their technical team is knowledgeable, responsive and integrates our feedback in a timely manner.”
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[Images: Rize]
3D printing company Titomic, headquartered in Melbourne, Australia and well-known for its innovative Kinetic Fusion technology, has recently been announcing multiple new collaborations, including agreements with a golf company and a mining and oil & gas engineering services company. Last month, the company announced a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the Australian division of Italy-based Fincantieri, one of the largest shipbuilding groups in the world; now, the two are expanding their partnership with the signing of a Material Science Testing (MST) agreement.
“The activities between Fincantieri and Titomic evaluate the benefits of applying the proprietary Titomic Kinetic Fusion technology to manufacture mechanical components for Naval and Merchant Ships,” said Dario Deste, the Chairman of Fincantieri Australia. “With over 100 ships on order around the world, Fincantieri has the size and strength to bring new technology to market.”
This MST agreement is the first step in the plan to evaluate Titomic’s proprietary Kinetic Fusion process, and see if it has the potential to augment the manufacturing activities currently being used in Fincantieri’s shipbuilding projects.
This is Titomic’s first MST agreement with Fincantieri, which has 20 shipyards across four continents, and it calls for the comprehensive testing of an alloy, specified by the shipbuilder, in accordance with the International Standards of ASTM, in order to attain the desired chemical and mechanical properties. The test capabilities will include chemistry analysis, hardness, porosity, and strength.
“We are pleased to kick off this first project with Fincantieri as part of our MoU,” said Jeff Lang, Titomic’s CTO. “We will be producing test samples at our new state of the art facility in Melbourne in order to conduct the stringent tests required. This is the first step towards manufacturing large marine parts on our metal 3D printers of limitless scale.”
The outcome of these tests will provide important technical information on the durability, cost efficiencies, material properties, performance, and strength of Titomic’s Kinetic Fusion process, which can 3D print complex metal parts without any size or shape constraints. The technology can also join dissimilar metals and composites in a structure for engineered properties, as well as create stronger structures without any bending, folding, or welding, and will hopefully help bring important shipbuilding jobs back to the country.
“Titomic’s technology combined with Fincantieri’s technology transfer program to Australia creates the potential to return Australia’s capability in mechanical componentry,” said Sean Costello, the Director at Fincantieri Australia. “Our aim is to return high-value jobs to Australia, reduce costs and become sovereign as a shipbuilding nation.”
Fincantieri, one of the shortlisted bidders for Australia’s Future Frigates SEA 5000 program, has built over 7,000 vessels in its more than 230 years of existence, and also maintains and refurbishes cruise ships, which is an international industry growing in leaps and bounds.
The analysis of the Kinetic Fusion tests that will be carried out as part of the MST agreement between Titomic and Fincantieri will also take into account the Australian capabilities for manufacturing processes, in addition to redesigning components so Titomic’s process can be used to help enhance material characteristics.
Riva Trigoso Shipyard [Image: Fincantieri]
As an additional part of the MOU the two companies signed in May, members of Titomic’s technology and operational team recently visited Fincantieri’s Riva Trigoso Shipyard in Italy, in order to gain a more complete understanding of the company’s mechanical components. This marks the first phase of a marine technology transfer to Australia.
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Designer Jun Kamei has recently unveiled his newest work of biomimicry: an underwater breathing apparatus. Unlike ordinary oxygen tanks the purpose of the “AMPHIBIO” is to mimic the action of gills. As a result, they let through oxygen, whilst keeping out water. Currently, the conceptual version is ready and printed but not fully functional. It […]
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Professor Michelle Bernhardt-Craig is looking to revolutionise the way we construct objects such as infrastructure or housing. The ambitious plan is to create a sort of high-strength “concrete” out of bacteria and soil. Professor Bernhardt-Craig has been using binder jet 3D printing technology and testing it with various agents and materials. She has, so far, tested the […]
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Australian hemp company Mirreco is creating a 3D printing procedure that utilizes hemp biomass as a material for the fabrication of building panels for houses. The company specialises in machines that can process an entire hemp plant and separate it into various items. As a result, the company can offer a sustainable and biodegradeable material option […]
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