News and Insights of 3D Printing and Manufacturing
Silicon Valley-based additive manufacturing company Carbon has announced a number of new appointments to its board of directors. Most notably, Ellen J. Kullman, the former Chair and CEO of DuPont (who has sat on Carbon’s Board of Directors since April 2016) has been named as the Lead Independent Director of the Board.
In the summer of 2015, Edwin and Liesbeth were making dinner. When they tossed away another packaging, it was the straw that broke the camel’s back. Why is it now ‘worthless’? They emptied their trashcan and were confronted with their personal habits and widespread plastic consumption and waste. One thing lead to another and the Clean2Antartica dream was born: using that recycled plastic to 3D print a solar-powered vehicle that could take them to the cleanest place on Earth: the South Pole.
GE Additive has announced yet another step forward for GE Aviation’s GEnx-2B aircraft engine for the Boeing 747-8. A 3D printed bracket has been approved by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) for the engine, replacing a traditionally manufactured power door opening system (PDOS) bracket.
Stem cell research firm Celprogen Inc. has been working on something quite exciting for some time now, which has remained largely under the radar until very recently. The California-based company announced it has successfully 3D printed a human brain organelle using brain stem cells. The bioprinted brain could have applications in studying neurological diseases.
Custom 3D printed eyewear is something of a trend in the industry, with a range of startups promising to deliver bespoke frames to customers thanks to AM. If there is one brand you’ll want to keep your eye on, it is probably King Children, a New York-based company that recently secured $2 million in funding for its launch.
Austrian motorcycle, bicycle and sports car manufacturer KTM is a major adopter of AM technologies. Today many of the company’s R&D activities with additive manufacturing take place through its KTM Technologies division, which in turn includes several different companies and AM service bureaus. KTM was among the first clients of HP’s 3D printing technology and has carried out some fascinating experimental development on the X-Bow sportscar. The latest case study is more closely related to the company’s core business: motorcycles. Specifically, on a brake lever for its top of the line Duke 1290. The lever was generatively redesigned for topology optimization, 3D printed by powder bed fusion in different materials and “hybridized” with continuous fiber reinforced plastics(CFRP) composites in a truly unique application case.
Thermoplastic resin distributor M. Holland Company has entered into a distribution partnership with 3DXTECH, a manufacturer of advanced 3D printing materials based in Michigan. As per the agreement, M. Holland will add 3DXTECH materials to its 3D printing product portfolio, offering its clients access to over 24 new materials, as well as expanded commercial and technical support resources.
The maker community is constantly creating new, fun and often innovative things using 3D printing, but it can sometimes be hard to keep track of all the amazing things going on, especially with so much happening on the industry side of things. At this time of year, however, I always find myself drawn back into what makers are up to, because the creative juices really seem to get going around Halloween.
Though it is somewhat morbid to think about, death faces all of us and along with it, funeral planning and costs. According to Liverpool-based startup Koffin, funeral costs have gone up over 70% in the past 10 years. These high costs, along with the unsustainable nature of traditional coffins were what inspired artist Gina Czarnecki to found Koffin, a company dedicated to creating sustainable, 3D printed eco-coffins.
3D model marketplace CGTrader is partnering with Canadian e-commerce company Shopify to introduce a new immersive and 3D online shopping experience. The collaboration will see CGTrader work with the e-commerce platform to integrate 3D modeling and augmented reality (AR) for better customer experience.