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3D software solutions: the first step in implementing 3D printing for manufacturing Editorials

by Design

Recently, many new 3D software startup companies entered the market offering various solutions mainly for industrial users. It goes from decision-support solutions for better utilization of 3D printing, generative design/topology optimization, to workflow management and parts IP protection. Each of them seems to be focused on specific challenges heavy users face, challenges that will only increase in the foreseeable future as 3D printing moves from prototyping to manufacturing.

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APWORKS and Additive Industries advance to series production of certified parts Aerospace

by Aerospace

Recently acquired by Premium AEROTEC, APWORKS is one of the firms carrying out some of the first and most advanced research on materials and applications for AM, especially in the aerospace segment. Located at the Airbus headquarters close to Munich, the company was Additive Industries’ first customer and has extensively tested the MetalFAB1 Beta system since its installation in March 2016. Now the time has come to scale up.

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Copper 3D and Toylisto collaborate to produce antimicrobial 3D printed toys for sick children Medical

by Medical

In Santiago of Chile, Copper3D Inc., the company that develops antimicrobial materials for 3D printing, has partnered with Toylisto, an online platform to turn 2D drawings into 3D printable designs called “Art Toys”. Combining these two technologies, Copper3D and ToyListo developed these antimicrobial 3D printed toys, in a beautiful project that seeks to ease the emotional well-being and recovery of children suffering from complex illnesses and immunosuppression. These children are often placed in clinical isolation and thus have no access to conventional toys, which by their characteristics (porous polymers and complex geometries), harbor a high bacterial burden that can be very dangerous for their health.

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Added Scientific 3D printed vacuum systems could be a breakthrough for quantum technology Industrial Additive Manufacturing

by Design

For quantum technologies to fulfill their promise, the systems that support them need to shrink. Laurence Coles from Added Scientific, an AM consultancy service which spun off from the University of Nottingham, wrote an article for Physics World (full article here) on how advances in additive manufacturing are bringing miniaturization within reach and heralding a wider revolution in vacuum system design, which could represent a breakthrough for quantum computers.

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Automotive manufacturer Musashi partners with KeraCel to accelerate 3D printed solid-state batteries AM Industry

by Automotive

Musashi Seimitsu Industry, a Japanese automotive manufacturing company, has announced a partnership with battery developer KeraCel to develop and bring-to-market 3D printed solid-state batteries for the automotive sector. As a strategic partner, Musashi will support the accelerated development of KeraCel’s additive manufacturing technology for solid-state batteries in order to scale it for high-volume production.

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SYMPA consortium to develop composite SLA 3D printing materials for automotive sector Additive Manufacturing

by Automotive

German chemical company Henkel has joined an R&D project called SYMPA in partnership with Rapid Shape GmbH, cirp GmbH and others. The project, which is supported by the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF1) and the Federal Ministry Republic of Austria Transport, Innovation and Technology (BMVIT2), aims to develop new materials, printing methodologies and post-processing technologies for stereolithography products. The joint SYMPA project, which launched at the end of 2018, will specifically focus on developing durable SLA parts using DLP processes for the automotive industry.