News and Insights of 3D Printing and Manufacturing
And that’s why you really should never say never in 3D printing. When Sarco was introduced a couple of years ago as a 3D printed assisted suicide pod to simplify euthanasia we wrote that off as a publicity—or at most an artistic—stunt (so much so that we did not even cover the story). But we should not have written it off. Now the Sarco pod has been OK’d by the Swiss authorities (one of the first nations to legalize euthanasia).
Nanoscribe and CELLINK, two BICO companies, today jointly unveiled the Quantum X bio, a revolutionary system as part of the Nanoscribe Quantum X platform providing researchers with a very accurate 3D bioprinter. The Quantum X bio is the first-of-its-kind bioprinter enabling submicron printing resolution. Powered by Two-Photon Polymerization (2PP), the Quantum X bio is the premier tool for miniaturizing bioprinting to redefine the development of complex tissue or cell scaffolds and of advanced biomedical applications.
DigiFabster has just released an eCommerce platform for manufacturing businesses to take their sales online. The plug-and-play, white-label, software-as-a-service allows customers to upload models and place orders, and it helps manufacturing shops of all sizes to increase their revenue in a rapidly changing industry.
Through a new partnership with French 3D printing specialist KREOS, Swiss SLS manufacturer Sintratec is expanding its sales and distribution network in Western Europe. As a result, KREOS becomes the first distributor for the Sintratec S2 system in the French market.
Industrial 3D printer manufacturer Stratasys has introduced a new software module, the Digital Anatomy Creator, for its Digital Anatomy 3D printers in order to enhance the production of 3D printed anatomic models.
Boston Micro Fabrication (BMF), one of the pioneers in microscale 3D printing systems, and UK-based 3D printing materials company 4D Biomaterials have jointly achieved the capability to print micro-scale geometries using 4Degra bioresorbable materials. This marks the first time a bioresorbable material has been printed using micro 3D printing and the two companies expect it will revolutionize the way implantable medical devices are manufactured in the future.
The medical 3D printing industry marked an exciting milestone in Canada this week: Health Canada (a government department tasked with national health policies) has approved a 3D printed medical implant made by LARA 3D in Quebec City. The 3D printed device, a patient-specific mandibular plate, is the first made by a Canadian manufacturer to be granted authorization for implantation.
Wayland Additive signed a partnership agreement with HTL Co Japan Ltd, which will see the latter operate as a distribution partner of Wayland Additive NeuBeam metal 3D printers in Japan, South Korea and Taiwan.
The integration of 3D printing processes into architecture is no longer a novelty. The advantages that additive manufacturing offers architects are also widely known. Complex geometries can be realized more easily, costs can be saved, and functionalities can be integrated directly into designs and construction plans. This integration of functions, however, can be taken even further. The Meristem Wall, a project at Lund University led by two Swedish innovative architects, David Andreen and Ana Goidea, who formed the bioDigital matter lab, uses voxeljet sand binder jetting technology to take the wall’s functionality to a new level, without compromising on aesthetics.
Over three billion people are expected to need affordable housing by 2030. This issue is most acute in Africa, with countries like Kenya already facing an estimated shortage of two million houses. With 3D printing, constructions giant Holcim wants to be part of the solution via the joint venture 14Trees.