News and Insights of 3D Printing and Manufacturing
Typically cracks or fissures in concrete are a sure sign that a structure is compromised or weakened. A team of researchers from Purdue University, however, are turning that idea on its head with the development of 3D printed cement structures that are actually made stronger by the material’s inherent weaknesses, especially during moments of extreme stress, like in a wildfire or earthquake.
Lumi Industries, an Italian manufacturer of resin-based 3D printers, will be unveiling its latest product, the New Lumifold, at the upcoming Maker Faire in Rome. At the event, held from October 12 to 14, Lumi Industries will showcase its new system, which it calls the “most compact 3D printer ever.”
Direct metal and polymer part 3D printing may still require several years to establish itself as a true production technology. PBF systems – especially the metal ones – still have to overcome several challenges limiting their productivity while production-ready binder jetting technologies still need to hit the market entirely. On the other hand, there are almost no real reasons why sand binder jetting technologies for mold-making and tooling are not yet widely adopted (other than a general and still widespread lack of awareness). This may finally be changing as one of the leading manufacturers of said technology, voxeljet, closed a major deal with a German automaker to bring up to 20-30 VJET X systems in-house over the next ten year period, starting with two in 2019 and three more shortly thereafter.
Carbon, a Silicon Valley-based digital 3D manufacturing company, today announced the addition of partners Bright Plastics, Dependable Plastics, Diversified Plastics, Element Packaging, Gallagher Plastics, Nicolet Plastics, Prattville Machine & Tool, and Resolution Medical to its Carbon Production Network, which now includes more than 20 U.S. partners and is rapidly growing.
Stratolaunch Systems Corporation, a space transportation company founded by Microsoft co-founder Paul G. Allen, has released the latest update about its PGA liquid rocket engine. The engine, named after the billionaire business magnate and philanthropist, is being developed with the help of additive manufacturing and could offer an innovative solution for launching vehicles into space.
What’s better than one 3D printing construction robot? Scientists from NTU Singapore would likely say two construction robots. And seeing what the research team has been capable of, I can’t say I disagree.
Despite having released its first resin-based 3D printer last month, Polish 3D printer manufacturer Zortrax has not forgotten its roots in the deposition world. In fact, the company has just released its newest 3D printer model, the M300 Plus, a large-format desktop machine. With a build capacity of 300 x 300 x 300 mm, Zortrax’s new 3D printer boasts the same build volume as its existing M300 model with a handful of new features.
Frustum, a Boulder, Colorado-based software company, is releasing Windows OS Frustum GENERATE, its industry-leading interactive generative design solution. Previously available as a web-app or add-on, GENERATE represents a new paradigm for design, interactive generative design, which fundamentally alters how products are modeled for manufacture by allowing engineers to interact and iterate in real time with generative design models. As a result, engineers can develop multiple perfectly designed and optimized models to identify the best solution in a matter of minutes versus hours or days previously.
Ingersoll Machine Tools, Inc. long-awaited “largest 3D printer in the world” is now ready. With a gargantuan work envelope measuring W 23’ x H 10’ x L 46’, the WHAM composite 3D printer was originally announced as a partnership with Oak Ridge National Laboratory in 2016. The goal was to develop massive 3D printers leveraging the Department of Energy’s Manufacturing Demonstration Facility at ORNL.
Most industries would agree that there is no going back on additive manufacturing. The technology, which is opening up new avenues and possibilities for manufacturing across the board, is here to stay. Still, that doesn’t mean that there aren’t still hurdles and challenges that manufacturers have to overcome, including driving costs down for the technology, establishing standards and, perhaps most crucially, increasing process automation.