News and Insights of 3D Printing and Manufacturing
Whether or not you consider vinyl to be “back” (or whether it ever “died”), there is no question that audio equipment manufacturer Lenco and Dutch 3D printer company RepRap Universe are up to something interesting in their latest Kickstarter. The parties have pooled their respective expertise in hi-fi equipment and 3D printing to introduce a modular, 3D printed record player.
Proponents of construction 3D printing say the technology could be disruptive in the industry, offering a more flexible and cost-friendly way to quickly construct housing. These benefits, along with the ability to construct buildings in remote locations (by working with local building materials), have apparently caught the attention of the Conference Board of Canada which will explore construction 3D printing for building homes in Canada’s northern and indigenous communities.
UNYQ, a company specializing in custom 3D printed medical devices and wearables, announced that it has appointed the former Head of Design at IKEA, Marcus Engman, as its new Vice President of Design. Engman served as IKEA’s Head of Design for six years; he left in September 2018 to found his own design consultancy business.
As it is becoming a tradition, the Additive Industries breakfast meeting planned early in the morning on the first day of the exhibition represented the ideal kickoff for Formnext 2018.
Industrial additive manufacturing company EOS today announced a collaboration with Etihad Airways Engineering, the predominant maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) services provider in the Middle East. Together, the companies will accelerate and expand applications for industrial 3D printing in the aviation sector.
3D printing giants are working together for the common goal of advancing AM for the production of medical models. Materialise—through its FDA-approved Materialise Mimics inPrint software—has validated Stratasys 3D printers and materials for the manufacturing of anatomical models. The validation marks the establishment of what the companies call the “most versatile 3D printing system for point-of-care across hospitals and physicians.” Materialise also certified the Ultimaker S5 3D printer.
Adidas launched the new ALPHAEDGE 4D, its unique sneaker engineered with the ADIDAS 4D midsole, for controlled energy return and breathable cushioning during intensive training runs. The popular German sports brand has been working with AM industry “unicorn” startup Carbon on mass production of generatively designed midsoles for its FUTURECRAFT brand.
We often talk about the potential of additive manufacturing to revolutionize the medical industry through implants, but there is one healthcare area where 3D printed implants are already having very real impacts: in the veterinary field.
With all the excitement of Formnext, we missed an important date this week: November 19th, otherwise known as World Toilet Day. No, World Toilet Day isn’t akin to World Pancake Day, it is a real event organized by the United Nations as a call to action to overcome the world’s sanitation crisis. To mark the observance day, SPARK Architects, a Singapore, Shanghai and London-based architecture firm introduced its Big Arse Toilet concept, an easily transportable 3D printed toilet.
The European Space Agency released details about a series of 3D printed ceramic objects it made using a simulated lunar regolith. The parts, consisting of small gears, screws and other components, demonstrate how 3D printing could one day be used on the moon’s surface, using local materials to print details parts to support a lunar base camp.