News and Insights of 3D Printing and Manufacturing
Titomic Limited, an Australia-based metal AM company, has signed a $2.6 million deal with the Innovative Manufacturing Cooperative Research Centre (IMCRC), CSIRO and RMIT University to launch the Additively Manufactured Titanium Complex Structures Project. The project is aimed at establishing standards for the company’s Titomic Kinetic Fusion (TKF) technology.
3YOURMIND, a Berlin-based AM software company, recently updated its Additive Manufacturing Part Identifier (AMPI) tool in order to offer users a more advanced and accurate way of determining what parts are well suited for 3D printing. The software update is expected to simplify and improve the AM adoption process across a range of industries.
We know the common places. Compared to other countries in Italy there are fewer research funds, there is less coordination at the national level and it is difficult to emerge with new technologies. The visit to the AddMe Lab of the Polytechnic University of Milan, where Professor Bianca Maria Colosimo and her team of engineers from the Department of Mechanics work on some of the most innovative aspects of 3D printing of metals, has partially dispelled them. It also confirmed other clichés with more positive connotations, including how Italian ingenuity can make up for some organizational and macroeconomic weaknesses.
Carpenter Technology Corporation, a producer of premium specialty alloys, has acquired metal powder and powder lifecycle management solutions leader LPW Technology Ltd. for approximately $81 million. The acquisition could mark a major shift in leadership within the additive manufacturing powders industry, bringing Carpenter to the fore.
The CRIQ (also known as the “Centre de recherche industrielle du Québec”) is a research organization run by the Quebec government in Canada which undertakes over a thousand projects a year to push forward industrial innovation. In recent years, one of these projects has revolved around the adoption of additive manufacturing technologies for the development and production of next-gen implants and, specifically, lower jawbone implants.
HP Inc. has announced a collaboration with the Nanyang Technological University, Singapore (NTU Singapore) and the National Research Foundation Singapore (NRF) to launch the HP-NTU Digital Manufacturing Corporate Lab. The new lab, which cost $84 million, will support various areas geared towards accelerating the Fourth Industrial Revolution.
Biotech companies CollPlant and United Therapeutics Corporation have signed an agreement for the licensing, development and commercialization of 3D bioprinted lungs for transplant. The companies will leverage their respective specializations: CollPlant will offer its proprietary recombinant human collagen (rhCollagen) and bioink technology, while United Therapeutics will use its expertise in regenerative medicine and organ manufacturing.
Authentise, a California-based process automation software provider for additive manufacturing, has just announced a new partnership with Prosper3D, a company specializing in automatic quoting solutions for AM services. Through the collaboration, Authentise clients will now have the ability to access Prosper3D’s quoting engine tools for more accurate price quotes.
Many major companies, including Nike, Adidas, Reebok, Carbon and others, believe that the footwear industry could be the first major adopter of 3D printing technologies for mass production of consumer products. This is true in particular for mass customization applications. Until now, all of these companies have focused primarily on 3D printing the outsole and midsole. Voxel8, a startup with a fascinating history originating from Harvard University, is ready to bet on the rest of the shoe, the “upper” or top section, by introducing its unique ActiveMix® process for extrusion and coloring of advanced polyurethane materials.
Askja Audio, a French developer of audio systems, has revealed how its path to offering high quality sound was heavily reliant on additive manufacturing technologies, and specifically Stratasys’ Fortus 900mc Production 3D printer. The company says 3D printing played a critical role in realizing its flagship product, the Askja Origin.