News and Insights of 3D Printing and Manufacturing
Metal AM company GKN Additive announced the opening of its first customer center in China. The new facility, located in Danyang, will house cutting edge 3D printing equipment and will enable the company to teach its clients about the technology and design and produce metal components through hands-on prototyping workshops.
Chinese additive manufacturing company Farsoon Technologies is teaming up with Airbus Beijing Engineering Centre Co., Ltd. (ABEC) to establish an R&D program for polymer 3D printing in civil aviation. The partnership agreement signals the first time that the aerospace giant has collaborated with a polymer AM specialist from China.
3D printer manufacturer VELO3D has announced a series of upgrades to its print preparation software Flow, enhancing the platform’s capabilities and enabling SupportFree metal additive manufacturing, predictable part outcomes and more.
Additive manufacturing company Norsk Titanium and engineering standards association SAE International have introduced the first specifications for direct energy deposition (DED) 3D printing. The new specifications establish the minimum requirements for the procurement of Norsk Titanium’s Rapid Plasma Deposition (RPD) Preforms by aerospace (or non-aerospace) customers.
German automotive manufacturer BMW is rolling out a new M straight-six engine, the BMW S58. The innovative engine, which will replace the S55 engine as the face of the M Division, integrates a number of exciting features including a cylinder head made from a 3D printed core.
Aerospace startup Relativity Space has been granted a new patent for its autonomous 3D printing technology. The patent covers the company’s innovative machine-learning metal additive manufacturing platform which it leverages to produce rockets and launch vehicles for space.
Dutch 3D printer manufacturer FELIXprinters has introduced two new large-format 3D printers for industrial applications: the FELIX Pro L and Pro XL. The announcement further reinforces the company’s commitment to meeting the FDM-related demands of the industrial 3D printing market.
Airbus will stop production of its giant Airbus A380 models due to low demand for the huge and hugely expensive aircraft. This is not something directly related to 3D printing but it does affect the AM industry indirectly as Airbus is Europe’s largest user of AM technologies and the A380 did feature a number of 3D printed parts.
Typically, when one thinks of additive manufacturing in the aerospace industry, it is of cutting edge metal AM technologies, used to fabricate complex parts. However, the vast number of applications within the aerospace field also calls for other AM processes, including FDM polymer capabilities. To fulfill this need, leading aircraft manufacturer Airbus has partnered with desktop 3D printing company Ultimaker.
In time for the New York Toy Fair next week, 3Doodler has announced the addition of a range of new products to its 3D pen portfolio. The new products—which include 3Doodler’s first mobile app as well as its 2019 3Doodler EDU, Create+ and Start product lines—signal the company’s continued dedication to education through play.