News and Insights of 3D Printing and Manufacturing
NASA Nebraska Space Grant office provided funding to examine the development, validation, and mechanically characterization of antimicrobial 3D printed medical devices for astronauts. The objective is to test the antimicrobial properties of Copper3D’s PLACTIVE filament material on the International Space Station.
Connect 4.0, a Liverpool-based startup, has been granted a £2 million contract for its Co-Fabrico platform. Introduced one year ago, the platform is an online marketplace that enables the automotive industry to design vehicle parts using augmented reality and purchase the parts as market-ready 3D printed products.
Carbon just made highlights all over the planet with its new L1 system and upcoming 3D printed football helmets (just in time for the Superbowl). Helmets could be the next battleground for 3D printed consumer products, as Hexr Helmets just announced a new 3D printed custom bicycle helmet produced using powder bed fusion (laser sintering) technology. This time the helmet is made using laser sintering and focuses more on customization rather than mass production. But the results are similar: better performance through geometry.
SafKan, a Tucson-based startup, has developed an innovative pair of 3D printed headphones—only they’re not for listening to music. The company, which was awarded Protolabs Cool Idea! award for its concept, has created a pair of medical headphones which can professionally clean a person’s ear in just 35 seconds.
French AM company AddUp and ESI Group, a virtual prototyping software firm, are deepening their existing partnership with the joint development of a new ergonomic simulation module for metal 3D printing. The program, called Distortion Simulation AddOn, will be released in spring 2019 and will offer a range of enhanced functionalities for AddUp Manager users.
Since its founding in 2013, Carbon has set out to become a leader in polymer 3D printing. So far, the company seems to be on a steadily upwards path—having introduced a breakthrough resin production process known as CLIP and Digital Light Synthesis platforms, which have been adopted by high profile companies such as Adidas and Ford. Today, the company expands its hardware offering with the launch of the L1 3D printer.
Spain is now home to one of the world’s largest metal hybrid manufacturing systems. The new machine, the Large Additive Subtractive Integrated Modular Machine (LASIMM), has been in development for some time through a collaborative, Europe-wide effort. Now, the large-format system is ready for operation at industrial equipment supplier Loxin’s facilities in Pamplona and will be used for applications in the construction industry.
At this point, we all know that additive manufacturing is a go-to technology for prototyping. Still, that doesn’t mean we don’t like hearing about case studies, especially when they’re as interesting as this one. CRP Technology, an Italian developer of 3D printing materials, and Leonardo Helicopter Division 3D printed a model of the LEONARDO tiltrotor AW609 aircraft for wind tunnel testing. The impressive test model was 3D printed using CRP’s high-performance Windform composites and selective laser sintering (SLS).
Are you a stringent follower of Pantone’s colour of the year as I am? Then, like me, you’ll be very excited to hear that the hue expert has teamed up with Italian filament company FiberForce to launch a line of Pantone Matching System (PMS) 3D printing materials.
Ackuretta, a manufacturer of professional DLP 3D printing solutions, has introduced its newest 3D printer model, the FreeShape 120. Available as of today for $2,499, the new 3D printer offers an accessible yet professional desktop 3D printing solution for the dental and jewelry markets.