News and Insights of 3D Printing and Manufacturing
German automaker Audi has announced it will be expanding the use of polymer 3D printing in its production lines. The technology will be leveraged to produce custom designed auxiliary tools on demand. As part of the expansion, Audi will be establishing a separate department to oversee the integration of polymer AM at its Neckarsulm site.
The Innovation for Manufacturing SMEs (I4MS) program has announced the availability of €300,000 in EU funding to accelerate the competitiveness of small and medium-sized businesses in the 3D printing sector. The funding will be allocated based on an AMable call which invites SMEs from across Europe to submit “proposals that bring forward an innovative idea of functional products that needs Additive Manufacturing.”
NASA engineers are consistently achieving innovative breakthroughs with additive manufacturing. Most recently, they tested a 2,400 lbf 3D printed copper rocket thrust chamber with a composite overwrap to determine whether the part had the necessary heat and structural load resistance.
The Siemens gas turbine business in Finspång, a pioneer in the development of additive manufacturing, has entered into a collaboration with Swedish company Interspectral. The two companies will work together to develop AM Explorer, a 3D visualization tool that will accelerate the industrialization of metal additive manufacturing.
The construction sector has always been very close to the heart of the Belgian BESIX Group and forms the company’s core activities. In recent years, the construction sector has been working hard on catching up with regard to digitization and innovative tools. This technological progress is mainly in the design and design of buildings and structures. By introducing 3D concrete printing via a KUKA KR QUANTEC robot, BESIX Group has now been taking the next steps towards a digital implementation of projects.
To follow up on the launch of its AlphaEdge 4D 3D printed sneakers last November, Adidas recently unveiled its first AlphaEdge 4D footwear model designed specifically for women. The shoes, which integrate Carbon’s 3D printed midsole, were designed in collaboration with major English fashion designer Stella McCartney.
Sydney-based machine tool distribution experts John Hart ply is now the Australian distributor of EOS metal 3D printers. For over seven decades John Hart has been providing Australian industry with advanced manufacturing technologies including CNC machine tools, automation and robotics, additive manufacturing systems, CNC lasers, CAD/CAM software and accessories. The company will now be in charge of EOS Australia distribution.
German engineering conglomerate thyssenkrupp announced its plans to open an Additive Manufacturing TechCenter Hub in Singapore this year. The facility, supported by the Singapore Economic Development Board (EDB), aims to bring additive manufacturing, as well as thyssenkrupp’s engineering capabilities to new customers in the Asia Pacific region.
AM software company Dyndrite Corporation this week emerged from stealth mode with the release of its Dyndrite Accelerated Geometry Kernel (AGK) and the software’s first application, the Dyndrite Additive Toolkit. The software, marketed as the world’s first fully GPU-native geometry engine, has been in development for three and a half years.
Just weeks after 3D printer manufacturer Markforged reported an $82 million investment, the company has announced a significant expansion with the opening of its first official European headquarters. The new HQ is based in Dublin, Ireland and is being launched in cooperation with the Irish Government through IDA Ireland.