News and Insights of 3D Printing and Manufacturing
Barcelona-based 3D printing company BCN3D Technologies has signed a distribution partnership with Global 3D, a Polish reseller of 3D printing filaments and printers. The partnership establishes Global 3D as a distributor of BCN3D’s Sigma and Sigmax 3D printers as well as filaments and accessories across the Polish market.
German chemical company Covestro has revealed the first details about a new application for its TPU material for additive manufacturing: 3D printed orthopedic insoles for shoes. The company will be showcasing a prototype of the customizable insoles at the upcoming K 2019 plastics trade fair in Düsseldorf.
Aurora Labs is making headway towards the commercialization of its RMP-1 metal 3D printer. In a significant step ahead, the company this week announced that it has supplied its first RMP-1 Beta system to AdditiveNow Pty Ltd. The partnership between the two companies was formalized through a finance lease agreement.
Metal AM company Velo3D has announced a partnership with PWR Advanced Cooling Technology to develop materials for its Sapphire 3D printing system and to serially produce heat exchangers. Headquartered in Australia, but with offices in the U.S. and UK, PWR is a global supplier of cooling solutions for F1, NASCAR and other racing series as well as automotive OEMs and the military and aerospace industries.
Relativity Space, a company best known for its autonomous rocket factory and 3D printed rocket engines, has closed a Series C funding round worth $140 million. The funding round, which was led by Bond and Tribe Capital, will enable Relativity Space to advance towards its goal of becoming the world’s first company to launch an entirely 3D printed rocket into orbit for commercial service. The launch is planned for early 2021.
RIZE, Inc. has landed a significant first in the additive manufacturing industry: its RIZE One industrial 3D printer is the first in the world to receive UL 2904 GREENGUARD certification. The certification, which also extends to the company’s Rizium One filament and Release and Marking inks, marks a significant step ahead for RIZE and 3D printing in general, especially when it comes to safety and sustainability.
Plenum, a Brazil-based biomedical company, recently adopted two Lithoz CeraFab 7500 3D printers to support the production of next-gen bone implants. The purchase and installation marks an exciting step into Brazil’s AM industry for Lithoz, an Austrian specialist in high performance ceramic 3D printing.
Additive manufacturing has the potential to reach true industrial scale. Propelling it toward that goal are innovations in materials, hardware and software, but holding it back are regulatory and technical challenges yet to be overcome. These innovations and challenges will be the focus of the third annual Munich Technology Conference on Additive Manufacturing, MTC3, taking place October 8–10 at the Technical University of Munich in Germany.
Cubicure, an Austrian supplier of industrial polymers for additive manufacturing, has announced a strategic R&D partnership with specialty chemicals company Evonik through which they will develop and bring to market highly viscous polyester resins for Cubicure’s Hot Lithography (HL) technology.
Almost exactly a year ago, we covered an additive manufacturing case study involving Safran Electrical & Power, a France-based specialist in electrical systems for commercial and military aircraft, and British manufacturing firm Betatype. At the time, the companies were working together to redesign and optimize an electrical generator housing for aircraft and saw promising results with improved part strength and stiffness and weight reduction.