News and Insights of 3D Printing and Manufacturing
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.
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.
There is no question that 3D printing has increased the possibilities of design in a big way, opening the doors for more innovative and original products. Here at 3dpbm, it’s not only the innovative design projects that catch our eye—as sometimes it’s the funnest, most tongue-in-cheek ones that showcase 3D printing’s potential.
It’s not just cutting edge startups helping NASA achieve its 3D printing in space goals; students and universities are also playing an important role. At South Dakota State University (SDState), a team of mechanical engineering students have been developing new 3D printing materials for use aboard the International Space Station.
As additive manufacturing gradually improves its viability as a manufacturing process, its role as a prototyping technology can sometimes be overlooked or underemphasized. Rather than seeing its prototyping potential as a limitation, however, there are some who are looking to shine a spotlight onto this particular application of 3D printing.
With Mars nearer to us than it’s been in over a decade, it’s no wonder that space exploration and Mars missions have felt more palpable than ever. But it’s not only because the red planet could be seen by the naked eye this past week, it’s also because space organization NASA has been making some important inroads.
Stryker’s Spine division today announced the publication of a pre-clinical animal study comparing the performance of spinal implants made from a variety of materials, which illustrated the bone ingrowth and biological fixation capabilities of its 3D-printed Tritanium cages. The study, titled “Bony Ingrowth Potential of 3D Printed Porous Titanium Alloy: A Direct Comparison of Interbody Cage Materials in an In Vivo Ovine Lumbar Fusion Model,” was published in the July issue of The Spine Journal.
Engineers from the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) have successfully developed an artificial neural network using 3D printing. The physical device is reportedly capable of analyzing large amounts of data and identifying objects at the speed of light and could have important applications in autonomous vehicles and more.
Beginning in 2014, the NASA 3D-Printed Habitat Competition has been challenging teams from around the world to propose effective solutions for colonizing the red planet through robotic building systems (which are now generally understood to be different types of 3D printers). After two stages where NASA awarded a total of over $1 million to competitors, the final prize was awarded to the top 5 projects.