News and Insights of 3D Printing and Manufacturing
Barberio Colella Architetti (Maurizio Barberio and Micaela Colella) + Angelo Figliola, and Zheng Hui Chen designed a new footbridge to be installed over the Fuxi River in Moganshan Town, China. The project named Flowin’, set to be completed in 2023, will use robotically 3D printed thermoplastic formwork and 13 cubic meters of ECOPact concrete material from Holcim.
UK-based IPFL, experts in plastic machining, fabrication and 3D printing, has begun running the latest J850 Polyjet 3D printer from Stratasys. The machine will support the company’s compilation of 3D printing technologies and expand on its current polyjet capabilities with the J850’s latest advancements.
With a new, more stylish, logo and website, Orbital Composites has launched its latest product, Orbital e-, an affordable yet highly capable robotic additive manufacturing (AM) system tailor-made for education and research customers. Orbital is introducing this compact, single-robot system to democratize access to robotic AM, with a highly attractive starting price of just under $100,00 or a 24-month lease option at $4,000 per month.
Anycubic, a leading desktop 3D printing technology company, has launched the Photon Mono M5s, the company’s first consumer-grade 12K resin printer offering a leveling-free solution and a fast printing scheme.
Obayashi Corporation, one of Japan’s leading construction companies, has reported the completion of its 3D printed demonstration building, named ‘3dpod’ – a project that started in May 2022. 3dpod is a distinct type of structure that has been approved by the Minister of Land, Infrastructure, Transport, and Tourism under the Building Standards Act, in Japan. This reportedly marks its status as the first-ever building in the country to be constructed using 3D printers with cement-based materials.
According to Digital Building Technologies, researchers at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Zurich (ETH) and the University of Applied Sciences and Arts of Southern Switzerland (SUPSI) have developed a 3D printer designed to transform large quantities of stone waste from quarries into customizable architectural elements. The stone waste, or rock flour, in places like Ticino, can constitute up to 40% of total production. The printer was demonstrated in a case study, where it fabricated an optimized floor system using the byproduct of a marble quarry in Ticino.
Since they launched last year, HP’s latest Jet Fusion 5420W and Metal Jet S100 systems have significantly expanded the medical 3D printing potential of its portfolio.
Stratasys and CollPlant have announced plans to “transform healthcare with industrial scale bioprinting of tissues and organs.” To establish a method for bio-fabricating human tissues and organs utilizing CollPlant Biotechnologies’ rh-Collagen-based bioinks and Stratasys Ltd’s P3 technology-based bioprinter, the two companies have signed a cooperative development and commercialization agreement. The first project focuses on making a solution for CollPlant’s program for regenerative breast implants that can be used on an industrial scale.
In a medical 3D printing breakthrough, the first US surgeries featuring a revolutionary spinal implant made from Evonik‘s VESTAKEEP® i4 3DF PEEK filament biomaterial were conducted earlier this month. Developed by Curiteva, a US-based technology firm, the implant has been approved by the US Food and Drug Administration and is the first-ever 3D printed, fully interconnected porous polyether ether ketone (PEEK) implant of its kind for commercial use.
Scientists at the University of Swansea are developing a 3D printed vegan nose for those requiring artificial nose transplants, the Daily Mail has reported. This process offers a sustainable and personalizable option for patients, utilizing plant based materials and human cells to 3D print artificial nose cartilage.