News and Insights of 3D Printing and Manufacturing
Recently, Stratasys has introduced three new 3D printers that together address a large portion of the multibillion-dollar market opportunity in additive manufacturing of end-use parts. The systems collectively are aimed at accelerating the shift from traditional to additive manufacturing for low-to-mid-volume production applications underserved by traditional manufacturing methods.
BCN3D, a Spanish leading 3D printing solutions manufacturer, launched the new Smart Cabinet to complete the Epsilon ecosystem, which boosts the entire printing process with BCN3D workbench 3D printers Epsilon W27 and Epsilon W50.
Fortify has extended the Flux series product lineup to include two new printers and software to allow customers and partners access to develop new advanced materials. Funds from the company’s recent equity round will be used to scale up the manufacturing of these printers for end-use part applications.
XFeet, a manufacturer of custom foot orthotics, has adopted HP Multi Jet Fusion 5200 technology to produce its insoles and accelerate the growth of the digital transition of the podiatry sector in France.
Dyndrite added Essentium, a company that pioneered of High-Speed Extrusion (HSE) 3D printers and materials, and Xaar, a manufacturer of piezo-based inkjet technologies used in a number of industries, to the Dyndrite Developer Council.
The U.S. Air Force Rapid Sustainment Office (AFRSO) has awarded blockchain innovator SIMBA Chain a Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase 1 grant to develop a solution that will ultimately allow the Air Force to manufacture, test, and deploy critical replacement parts for aircraft and other weaponry on forward operating locations and bases around the world using advanced 3D printing supported and secured by blockchain.
Materials manufacturer Covestro and orthopedic service provider GeBioM, based in Münster, Germany, are expanding their cooperation in the field of orthopedic footwear. In addition to producing lasts and trial shoes, they now support orthopedic shoemakers in the production of custom insoles using 3D printing. A new Addigy FPU 79A thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU) from Covestro is used in the form of filaments. Together with Danish printer partner Create it REAL, the companies offer a novel and sustainable solution for the digital production of shoe insoles.
Additive Manufacturing Technologies (AMT) has received an £87,000 grant from Innovate UK to expand its portfolio of green technology for post-processing 3D printed parts. Innovate UK’s Sustainable Innovation competition was created to help all sectors of the UK recover, grow, and create new opportunities from the aftermath of the global health pandemic.
Even as the transition to metal and ceramic binder jetting for production has only but begun, it is clear that simply implementing fast binder jetting processes will not be enough to truly cater to production demands. Binder jetting materials and processes still present several challenges and bottlenecks that need to be addressed, from the limited number of available materials to the elevated number of highly complex post-processing steps, including infiltration and of course sintering. That’s exactly what UK-based Meta Additive intends to address with its uniquely advanced technology.
Researchers based at the Dutch Wageningen University (WUR) have developed a COVID-19 home test kit that can be 3D printed and constructed for less than 20p.