News and Insights of 3D Printing and Manufacturing
France-based company STELIA Aerospace has announced a new research project in collaboration with Canadian aerospace firm Bombardier. The project, which will be carried out by Bombardier and STELIA Aerospace’s two Canadian subsidiaries, will be focused on exploring advanced manufacturing processes such as 3D printing for the development of intelligent and lightweight wings for more efficient aircraft.
The medical AM segment is multifaceted, consisting of 3D printed medical devices, anatomical models, prosthetics and more. Within the industry, bioprinting has carved out a prominent position, gaining interest across the board for its huge potentials in drug development and screening, therapeutic treatments and regenerative medicine, to name but a few. While much of the excitement surrounding bioprinting is focused on the future, we want to look at what is happening now in the field that is exciting.
3D printing company RIZE, Inc. has announced a strategic partnership with Sindoh Co., Ltd., a South Korean multi-functional printer and 3D printer manufacturer. Through the collaboration, Sindoh will incorporate RIZE’s portfolio of sustainable RIZIUM materials for its desktop 2X and industrial 7X printers. Together, the partners aim to create new market opportunities and accelerate the adoption of safe and sustainable 3D printing. The partnership was announced today at 3DEXPERIENCE World in Nashville.
For our AM Focus Medical this month we continue to zoom in on the many possibilities that additive manufacturing is offering today to medical companies. We are now taking a closer look at Lima Corporate additive manufacturing activities. In the previous episodes, we looked at one of the largest companies to operate in this segment, Stryker, Texas-based Osseus, a very dynamic young medical AM firm. Upcoming episodes will continue to include many different types of players in this segment, ranging from highly innovative startups and SMEs to giant multinational corporations. Stay tuned: at the end of the month, all the best content will be featured in 3dpbm’s Medical AM Focus 2020 eBook.
Bioprinting company T&R Biofab has announced a new collaboration agreement with Ethicon, Inc., a Johnson & Johnson Medical Device Company. The aim of the partnership is to develop a 3D bioprinted soft tissue scaffold for wound treatments, reconstructive surgery and more.
3D Systems President and CEO Vyomesh (VJ) Joshi, 65, has notified the Board of Directors of his decision to retire and the Board has initiated a search for his successor. Joshi will continue to serve in his current role until a new CEO is appointed and will then transition to be a strategic advisor to the company. The company is partnering with executive search firm Spencer Stuart to conduct a search for Joshi’s successor.
During the company’s annual meeting – AM2020 – which was held this week within a very large dedicated space inside Florence’s Leopolda Station, energy giant Baker Hughes extensively discussed and showed new technological solutions that will enable to company to meet its decarbonization goals by 2030. It may seem almost paradoxical for an oil and gas giant to promise clean and sustainable energy however the exact opposite is true. Baker Hughes, with its partners and senior management teams, are entirely focused on identifying real solutions for clean energy, not the impossible promise of doing away with fossil fuels at once, but a clear strategy toward a sustainable energy mix, which includes all renewables and is enabled by technology. Clean energy does not just mean cleaner energy sources but also a more efficient and streamlined production of energy generating systems – across the entire system manufacturing, energy generation and energy distribution supply chains. And you guessed it: additive manufacturing is at the core of this strategy.
For three years in a row (2016 to 2018), the additive manufacturing industry has seen year-on-year increases in average salaries, above inflation level. That is no longer the case, as we see salaries decreasing as a result of the AM industry maturing.
French bioprinting company Poietis has entered into a clinical research collaboration with the Assistance Publique – Hôpitaux de Marseille (AP-HM) to pursue a clinical trial for bioprinted skin tissue. Through the partnership, Poietis and AP-HM aim to carry out a Phase I clinical trial for an Innovative Advanced Therapeutic Medicinal Product (ATMP) for skin healing issues. The timeline for this phase is two years.
Over 400 kilometers from Earth, advances are being achieved in the field of bioprinting. In November, the 3D BioFabrication Facility (BFF) was delivered to the International Space Station, where it is being used to test how bioinks and printed human cells react in a microgravity environment. As it turns out, the bioprinter’s output isn’t the only thing being evaluated: the performance of 3D printed ceramic components for bioprinting applications is also being tested.