News and Insights of 3D Printing and Manufacturing
Lufthansa Technik, a supplier of maintenance, repair and overhaul services (MRO) for aircraft and engines, has opened an Additive Manufacturing Center. The new center will enable the company to expand and accelerate its use of 3D printing for its services and leverage the benefits the technology offers.
It’s been a bit of a wild ride for Russian company 3D Bioprinting Solutions this past week, but things seems to be on the upswing now. Late last week, Sputnik News reported that the first 3D bioprinter bound for space was destroyed after the Soyuz spacecraft it was cargo on crashed during a liftoff malfunction. In the aftermath of the disappointing crash, 3D Bioprinting Solutions says it is now preparing to send a duplicate machine to the ISS.
3D Systems today introduced its latest system for 3D printing investment casting wax patterns: the ProJet MJP 2500 IC. The newly launched system, which follows on the company’s existing ProJet MJP 2500W machine, enables manufacturers to produce wax patterns more rapidly and at a lower cost than traditional manufacturing processes.
When you see an incredible looking and innovative device of any kind today, it is almost certain that it was developed and prototyped using 3D printing technologies. If it comes from former Tesla and BMW engineers—two of the most vocal adopters of these technologies—those chances increase. So when the UrmO electric self-balancing scooter was launched and successfully funded on Kickstarter, it did not take long to confirm that the “prototype 0” was 3D printed. The only question was how much and which parts.
Rolls-Royce is best known as a luxury car maker based in the UK. What some may not fully realize, is the the British multinational also plays a significant role in the aerospace industry, designing and manufacturing power systems for aircraft. As part of its effort to ring in new innovations in civil aerospace, the company has increasingly turned to additive manufacturing.
October is known for a few things: autumnal foliage, Halloween and—of course—the launch of Stratasys’ annual Extreme Redesign Challenge. The contest, which has been sponsored by Stratasys for the past 15 years, aims to promote the use of 3D printing for reinventing and radically redesigning existing objects.
Jumbo Group, a UAE-based electronics company, announced today it is launching a new additive manufacturing division, Jumbo 3D Manufacturing. In parallel with the new unit, the company has also opened what it called the first 3D printing facility in the Jebel Ali Industrial Area. The new 3D print farm is reportedly equipped with HP 3D printing technologies and will be producing products for the dental and architecture industries, among others.
In a time where connected devices and IoT are becoming increasingly mainstream, the idea of an object that tracks information is not wholly surprising. If, however, I told you that the object tracking the information did not integrate any electronics or batteries, I’d certainly expect some quizzical looks. But that’s exactly what researchers from the University of Washington have achieved in a recent research project involving 3D printed objects that can monitor how they are used.
GE is preparing to begin the mass production of 3D printed parts for the GEnx jet engine that powers Boeing 747s. The 3D printed GEnx part, a rib-sized bracket that holds the engine cover open during servicing, will mark the first program certified by GE for its Concept Laser metal AM system. GE Aviation will begin producing the parts this month at its factory in Auburn, Alabama.
Boeing and Thermwood are collaborating on employing additive manufacturing technology to produce a large, single-piece tool for the 777X program. The project is based on a new process going by the acronym VLP (vertical layer printing) and is demonstrating that additive manufacturing is able to generate production-quality tooling for the aerospace industry.