News and Insights of 3D Printing and Manufacturing
NASA recently added a new 3D model to its database of space-themed 3D printable files. The latest addition is a miniature model of the Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy, also known as SOFIA. The newly released model falls directly in line with our August Industry Focus on additive manufacturing and space exploration.
Speaking as someone who had a brief stint dancing on ballet pointe shoes: they are not comfortable. Not in the slightest. The rigid shoes, comprised of a hard “box” in the toe and a stiff sole, do make ballerinas look amazingly ethereal when they dance, but anyone who has ever used them will tell tales of horror and woe at the discomfort they cause.
After nearly three years serving as editor-in-chief to 3D printing news site 3DPrint.com (and almost four years writing for it), Sarah Goehrke recently announced she was leaving the website. Fortunately, the experienced additive manufacturing journalist still has her eyes on the industry and is launching into a range of new projects and partnerships. Excitingly, one of these projects entails Sarah joining the 3dpbm team as a contributor.
Though spinal cord injuries can be a life changing issue—resulting discomfort, extreme pain and even paralysis—new 3D printing research coming from the University of Minnesota could take us one step closer to treating and helping people with long-term spinal cord injuries.
“Imagine a completely robotic being consciously controlled by a biological brain,” YouBionic’s Federico Ciccarese tells us. And though my mind goes almost directly to the massive Jaegers from Pacific Rim, there is a real world example of Ciccarese’s idea that could soon become a reality.
Sometimes bigger is better—at least that what California-based 3D printer manufacturer Airwolf 3D would have us believe. The company has just released its latest product, the EVO 22 Additive Manufacturing Center, a machine that boasts a significantly larger build volume than its flagship EVO 3D printer.
Italian service bureau ZARE, based near Bologna, has installed the country’s first ProX SLS 6100 3D printer from 3D Systems. The ProX SLS 6100 3D printer employs selective laser sintering to produce durable prototype and production parts in a wide range of industrial-grade nylon materials. The system features fast build times, automated production tools including automated material handling, and a lower total cost of operation compared to similar 3D printers.
New Zealand-based titanium additive manufacturing company Zenith Tecnica has partnered with Air New Zealand to investigate the use of electron beam melting (EBM) for manufacturing aircraft parts and tools.
For the past several weeks, 3D printing has been making headlines around the world, and primarily in the United States. To the frustration of most of the industry, this significant media attention has been grabbed by the ever-notorious 3D printed gun debate, re-ignited by the U.S. government’s recent decision to legalize the proliferation of 3D printable gun files. “A 3D printed gun is downloadable death,” reads a CNN headline by actress Alyssa Milano. “Newly-legal 3D printed gun blueprints are a looming catastrophe,” reports the Telegraph.
Aconity3D, a German developer of metal 3D printing systems, has announced it will be expanding its global reach with the establishment of a North American base of operations. The new base will be located at the University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP). There, Aconity3D will further develop its metal AM business for the production of complex metal parts for the aerospace, automotive and medical industries, to name just a few.