News and Insights of 3D Printing and Manufacturing
From a purely commercial point of view, the biggest news to come out of the HP Innovation Summit in Barcelona, is that 3D printing services ZiggZagg (Belgium) and IAM 3D Hub (Spain) just bought and installed six and eight HP Jet Fusion systems respectively, while Protolabs upgraded its seven current HP Jet Fusion 4200 systems to the newer 4210 versions for increased productivity.
In an effort to accelerate the proliferation of the FitStation powered by HP platform for custom 3D printed insoles, HP Inc. is partnering with Materialise and 3D printed insole specialist RSPrint. Through the agreement, the end-to-end 3D footwear solution will integrate software by Materialise for 3D design automation, print preparation and production management. The AM giant says footwear brands will now have the “opportunity to express their unique brand proposition” through the ability to produce custom insole products on-demand.
Today at the HP Innovation Summit in Barcelona, Spain, HP announced expanded installations of its HP Jet Fusion 3D printing solutions with digital manufacturing innovators Protolabs, Materialise, and ZiggZagg. As a leader in helping the world take advantage of digital technologies in the 4th Industrial Revolution, HP also showcased its collaboration with the International Additive Manufacturing (IAM) 3D Hub and highlighted numerous applications of 3D printing in action, including new lighter-weight helmets for the Pontifical Swiss Guard, custom merchandising for PepsiCo, airflow manifolds for high-performance auto racing, industrial machinery used in the construction of skyscrapers, and orthosis devices improving the quality of life for patients, amongst others.
PostProcess Technologies, a Buffalo, NY-based leader in post-processing solutions for the industrial 3D printing market, has announced a significant expansion within the North American market through channel partner agreements with AdvancedTek, Cimetrix, Fisher Unitech and Tech-Labs.
Led by innovative architect and designer Neri Oxman, MIT’s Mediated Matter lab is responsible for some of the most inventive and avant-garde additive manufacturing research out there. From 3D printed glass technology to its responsive and bioinspired mask collections, Mediated Matter has a complex vision for 3D printing and digital fabrication which it continually brings to the table in compelling ways.
From Star Wars to the Royal Wedding, it seems like cars are the new hottest trend in promotional merchandising. MINI, the British automotive company now owned by BMW, recently unveiled a custom-designed MINI Hatch inspired by the much-hyped wedding of Suits actress Meghan Markle and Prince Harry. Why do we care? Well, the Royal Wedding car features some custom 3D printed accents.
Led by innovative architect and designer Neri Oxman, MIT’s Mediated Matter lab is responsible for some of the most inventive and avant-garde additive manufacturing research out there. From 3D printed glass technology to its responsive and bioinspired mask collections, Mediated Matter has a complex vision for 3D printing and digital fabrication which it continually brings to the table in compelling ways.
Oracle – the giant software and data services company – has been making moves in 3D printing. In particular, it has been looking at how the technology will affect the future of supply chains. To learn about final part production, Oracle partnered with Carbon last year both by providing software for the connected 3D printing company’s cloud infrastructure and by using Carbon technology to produce some end-use components for its servers. But how exactly will the Oracle 3D printing supply chain affect the future of manufacturing? An interview published by Supply Chain Digital has shed some light on this topic.
Chimak3D, a leading Argentinian manufacturer of professional grade 3D printers, presented life-size a tribute sculpture of Lionel Messi at the Fimaqh exhibition, an international machine fair that takes place in Tecnópolis, Buenos Aires, Argentina.
The recently fired up Ignus-II is the second iteration of the Ignus-I engine, the first 3D printed engine launched by a student organization. Ignus-II builds upon UCSD’s research and data gathered, featuring many improvements to optimize efficiency.