News and Insights of 3D Printing and Manufacturing
Though best known for its power tools, Dremel has branched out into the world of 3D printing in recent years, offering a growing range of 3D printing products, mostly aimed at the education and maker markets. Today, the company announced the release of its latest 3D printer model: the DigiLab 3D40 FLEX, an intuitive 3D printer with a flexible build plate for part easy part removal.
Plastic consumption and plastic pollution are key contributors to the globe’s climate crisis. A non-renewable material, plastic has become a ubiquitous part of our day-to-day lives, as we buy products made of it and too frequently throw it away. As plastic continues to take its toll on our environment, it is at least a little bit heartening to see how certain people and organizations are facing the problem head on, often in creative and innovative ways.
The U.S. Air Force has revealed that it installed a titanium 3D printed component on an operational F-22 Raptor fighter aircraft this past December. The 3D printed part, a secondary bracket component, enabled Air Force technicians speed up the replacement of a damaged part on the aircraft.
When exploring the new developments, opportunities and challenges of additive manufacturing, mass production and especially manufacturing dimensions represent a significant obstacle. During Formnext 2018, we had the opportunity to discuss such challenges with Dr. Ricardo Osiroff, VP Industrial Solutions of Massivit 3D.
Evonik has acquired Structured Polymers Inc., a US-based technology startup for 3D printing materials headquartered in Austin, Texas. A corresponding agreement and plan of merger were executed and the transaction has been closed recently. The acquisition will provide Evonik access to a new patented technology that will allow the company to expand its portfolio of specialty polymer powders in the additive manufacturing market.
Though we often write about how 3D printing is impacting automotive design, we don’t often see the technology being used to augment the display of a vehicle. As BMW recently demonstrated, however, 3D printing can be used to take an automotive unveiling to a whole new level.
Optomec, a leader in industrial metal additive manufacturing solutions, has announced a partnership with Phillips Federal, the largest supplier of manufacturing equipment to the U.S. government. The partnership will enable Phillips Federal to resell Optomec Laser Engineering Net Shaping (LENS) systems to government agencies.
Copper3D Inc. a Chilean/US based company that developed and commercialized a range of antibacterial filaments for 3D printing has signed a distribution agreement for the European market with UK-based 3D GBIRE, which, incidentally, says a lot about the current status of the “Brexit” process.
Shanghai has officially unveiled its latest piece of innovative architecture: a 15-meter-long 3D printed footbridge. The pedestrian bridge, 3D printed in partnership with Polymaker, a Chinese developer of 3D printing materials, is the first of its kind in China.
With the 2019 North American International Auto Show (NAIAS) in full swing in Detroit this week, it was only a matter of time before there was some additive manufacturing-related news. 3D printing company Carbon and the Ford Motor Company presented a series of digitally manufactured polymer parts at the Additive Manufacturing for Automotive Workshop today.