News and Insights of 3D Printing and Manufacturing
axial3D, a UK-based medical 3D printing company is partnering with the University Hospital Basel in Switzerland to deliver advanced 3D printing solutions for improved patient care. Through the collaboration, the Swiss hospital will integrate axial3D’s cloud-based platform, axial3Dassure, into its 3D printing lab to improve its medical AM capabilities.
Relativity Space, an aerospace startup with a focus on 3D printed rockets, recently penned a deal with the U.S. Air Force to begin launching its rockets from the Launch Complex 16 at Cape Canaveral in Florida. Launch Complex 16, also known as LC-16, is something of a historic site: it was built in the late 1950s to launch LGM-25 Titan missiles, was used by NASA for some time and has not seen a launch since 1988’s Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty.
Based in Taiwan, ElementsLab is an innovative jewelry 3D printing service that introduced the use of 3D printing technologies in order to offer mass customized jewelry, primarily making silver and light jewelry. Founded by Ting Tang, the company entered the industry with an experimental spirit. “Following the changes and growth of the AM industry, we use more materials and apply them to many different industries,” she says. “These seemingly different industries, In fact, they all point to the same direction—the application of future manufacturing and customization.”
Though best known for its power tools, Dremel has branched out into the world of 3D printing in recent years, offering a growing range of 3D printing products, mostly aimed at the education and maker markets. Today, the company announced the release of its latest 3D printer model: the DigiLab 3D40 FLEX, an intuitive 3D printer with a flexible build plate for part easy part removal.
The U.S. Air Force has revealed that it installed a titanium 3D printed component on an operational F-22 Raptor fighter aircraft this past December. The 3D printed part, a secondary bracket component, enabled Air Force technicians speed up the replacement of a damaged part on the aircraft.
Plastic consumption and plastic pollution are key contributors to the globe’s climate crisis. A non-renewable material, plastic has become a ubiquitous part of our day-to-day lives, as we buy products made of it and too frequently throw it away. As plastic continues to take its toll on our environment, it is at least a little bit heartening to see how certain people and organizations are facing the problem head on, often in creative and innovative ways.
When exploring the new developments, opportunities and challenges of additive manufacturing, mass production and especially manufacturing dimensions represent a significant obstacle. During Formnext 2018, we had the opportunity to discuss such challenges with Dr. Ricardo Osiroff, VP Industrial Solutions of Massivit 3D.
Evonik has acquired Structured Polymers Inc., a US-based technology startup for 3D printing materials headquartered in Austin, Texas. A corresponding agreement and plan of merger were executed and the transaction has been closed recently. The acquisition will provide Evonik access to a new patented technology that will allow the company to expand its portfolio of specialty polymer powders in the additive manufacturing market.
Though we often write about how 3D printing is impacting automotive design, we don’t often see the technology being used to augment the display of a vehicle. As BMW recently demonstrated, however, 3D printing can be used to take an automotive unveiling to a whole new level.
Optomec, a leader in industrial metal additive manufacturing solutions, has announced a partnership with Phillips Federal, the largest supplier of manufacturing equipment to the U.S. government. The partnership will enable Phillips Federal to resell Optomec Laser Engineering Net Shaping (LENS) systems to government agencies.