News and Insights of 3D Printing and Manufacturing
Next March 8th, German high-end audio products brand Sennheiser is launching one of the most interesting 3D printed consumer products seen yet: the new Sennheiser IE 600. These 3D printed earphones will be integrating a housing serially additively manufactured on a Trumpf laser PBF system, using an amorphous zirconium from Heraeus, and then finished both automatically and by hand to achieve the perfect housing for the earphones’ transducer.
Using Additive Manufacturing technology, the Formula Student Racing Team E-Stall of the University of Applied Sciences Esslingen, Germany, improved cooling of the electric drivetrain and power electronics. Printed with the highest accuracy on the EP-M260 by Eplus3D, the aluminum-made parts were able to easily dissipate the generated heat and therefore improve the performance of the racecar.
Ultra Safe Nuclear Corporation (USNC), a leading developer of Micro Modular Reactors – MMR – systems for the production of safe, commercially competitive, clean and reliable nuclear energy, has adopted two 3D printers from the recently updated X-Series line of binder jetting systems, with two additional machines to follow this year.
Seiko Epson Corporation has developed an industrial 3D printer that can use commonly available third-party materials to produce strong, accurate industrial parts of various sizes and functions. 3D printers with these features will have uses in a far wider range of applications, including in the production of parts for final products, and will enable users to mass-customize their goods in support of small-batch production.
Finland-based bioprinting firm Brinter, together with extrusion technology developer Puredyne, has announced the launch of its new Visco Bio printhead for use with its 3D bioprinters.
KOHLER, an American manufacturing company, best known for its plumbing products, has collaborated with Daniel Arsham, a contemporary, New York-based artist, to create Rock01 – a 3D printed sink created using paste-based pneumatic material extrusion. Extrusion-based additive manufacturing (EAM), often used for the rapid production of metals and ceramics, works by extruding the metal or ceramic material in solid powder form and mixing the powder with an expendable viscous fluid. In this case, pneumatic extrusion nozzles were used.
The venture capital arm of German chemicals firm Evonik has invested in Nevada-based 3D printed pharmaceutical firm Laxxon Medical to bring the mass production of 3D printed tablets closer to reality.
French 3D printing company Prodways Group achieved a solid end to the year 2021, marked by the good performance of all its activities and major orders for machines and materials. Sustained revenue growth in Q4 (up 17% to €20.2 million) enabled the company to post annual growth of +23.7%, thus exceeding the +20% target communicated last September. Total revenue for the Prodways FY 2021 was €70.8 million, of which €44 million from systems and €26.9 million from services.
REFORM, the vehicle specialist, develops and manufactures special vehicles for year-round use in mountain agriculture and municipal areas. For flexible and innovative product development, the company relies on additive manufacturing and the Upper Austrian 3D specialist Prirevo.
Luxexcel, the technology leader for 3D printed prescription lenses and Lumus, the pioneering innovator of reflective waveguide displays for Augmented Reality (AR), have co-developed a demonstrator of an Augmented Reality prescription lens solution that enables OEMs to address users’ prescription requirements in their smart eyewear products and make the lens solution thin, durable, and to be worn like fashion eyewear lenses.