News and Insights of 3D Printing and Manufacturing
Titan Robotics, a manufacturer of large-format extrusion 3D printers is partnering with Jabil Engineered Materials to qualify and integrate customized materials for use on Titan’s pellet-based Atlas 3D printers. The unit of Jabil Additive working with Titan develops polymer formulations and compounds at its ISO 9001 Materials Innovation Center.
3D Systems, one of the oldest additive manufacturing companies, announced that the American Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved its Vantage Ankle PSI for medical use. The product is a collection of patient-specific total ankle surgical planning and 3D printed instruments that guides resections in the tibia and talus for total ankle replacement surgery. 3D Systems paired its product with Exactech’s Vantage Total Ankle System to increase operation room efficiency and reliability. The product will also help preserve soft tissues around the affected joint. The system is in a pilot launch, with full market availability projected to occur in late 2021.
The Additive Manufacturer Green Trade Association (AMGTA), a global trade group created to foster and promote the environmental benefits of additive manufacturing (AM), published its first commissioned university research project, a literature-based systematic review of the environmental benefits of metal AM. The paper, titled, “State of Knowledge on the Environmental Impacts of Metal Additive Manufacturing” was written by Dr. Jeremy Faludi from Delft University of Technology and Corrie Van Sice from Dartmouth College.
3YOURMIND, a Germany-based software company that provides a software solution for end-to-end AM processes, is partnering up with 3D Alliances to accelerate the acquisition of new sales partners in North America, to support the company’s business expansion in the AM market. Founded by AM industry veteran Gil Lavi, 3D Alliances is an Israeli company specializing in the deployment of 3D printing channel networks.
Stratasys announced full KeyShot 10 rendering software integration with its J55 and J8 series printers, which allows the systems to accurately simulate color, material and finish in prototypes. The J55 and J8 are full-color and multi-material printers that have only been limited by design inputs. Luxion’s KeyShot software, which supports the new 3MF file format, can produce ready-to-print files with accurate colors and bump/displacement maps to three-dimensionally simulate textures like fabric and wood. Additional enhancements are planned for 2021.
TÜV SÜD will participate in the 10th Aviation Forum, presenting extensive services in fields including additive manufacturing (AM), certification, environmental and non-destructive testing (NDT). In addition to the above, AM expert Gregor Reischle will present his talk, “Digital part approval of 3D printed components enabled by advanced manufacturing solutions”, in the Tech Talks of the conference program. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the international exhibition and conference for the aviation industry will be held exclusively in a virtual format from 17 to 18 November.
Premium AEROTEC and GE Additive certified lasers used to additively manufacture titanium components, another milestone in the serial production of metal AM components for the aerospace industry. Premium AEROTEC will use the newly validated system to produce components for the Airbus A320 family.
Anouk Wipprecht‘s done it again. The international designer’s latest high profile collaboration brings together prosthetics maker Össur and videogame publisher Ubisoft France and the Just Dance team. Working out of the Össur workshop in Orlando with Michael Tuttle of Össur, Anouk created a prosthetic arm for Angelina Bruno, a dancer who is currently working for the Just Dance videogame team. She made her first appearance in Just Dance 2021 on the song ‘Blinding Lights’ by artist The Weekend.
On the evening (EST) of November 15th, NASA will provide coverage (see video above) of the upcoming prelaunch and launch activities for the agency’s SpaceX Commercial Crew-1 mission with astronauts to the International Space Station. In the meantime, you can sit back and enjoy the 3D printed replica of the 4-seat Commercial Crew Dragon capsule, created by Rolls Royce engineer An Duong on his Morethan3D portal.
Since it was developed in the 1980s, selective laser sintering (also known as SLS) has been recognized for its ability to print polymer parts with high-quality finishes and good mechanical and isotropic properties. However, the technology’s associations have not all been so positive: SLS 3D printing is also known to be expensive—often prohibitively so.