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3D printing filament industry leaders discuss opportunities and challenges AM Industry

by Business

Although it started almost as a game, today 3D printing filament manufacturing for low-cost 3D printers is an industry. So much so that even giants such as SABIC, Verbatim (Mitsubishi) and others have begun to target it, while other large companies such as Covestro (Bayer) and Eastman Chemical partnered directly with companies operating in the low-cost 3D printing arena. Not to mention that NatureWorks, the largest producer of PLA in the world, has recently begun focusing specifically on 3D printing.

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Work Starts on Dutch Zero Footprint 3D Printed Hotel Building by De Vergaderfabriek Professional Additive Manufacturing

by Architecture

Construction 3D printing using cement materials has been at the center of a few experiments in recent years. Commercial applications have been centered mainly in China, Russia and wealthy Middle East nations such as Saudi Arabia and the UAE. In Europe most activities are University-based, with advanced projects at Iaac in Barcelona and ETH in Zurich. One commercial project is now close to being completed in Denmark, and another one is now getting underway in the Netherlands: the 3D printed hotel building by De Vergaderfabriek.

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Kwambio launches Ceramo OneTM ceramics 3D printer 3D Printer Hardware

by Technologies

Professional ceramics 3D Printing is starting to take hold as stereolithography, extrusion and binder jetting processes are being optimized and adapted for working with ceramics materials. The latest announcement in this sense comes from Kwambio: the NYC-based startup developed its very own high precision 3D printer, the Ceramo OneTM, specifically for 3D printing of ceramic objects. They are going to present it at CES in Las Vegas in early January.

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GE Successfully tested Its advanced turboprop engine with 3D printed parts Aerospace

by Aerospace

Stephen Erickson was just 13 years old when he fell in love with planes — inside a Boston movie theater. He was watching aircraft mechanic Joe Patroni, played by George Kennedy in the original “Airport” movie, extricate a Boeing jet full of worried passengers from a snowdrift. “That moment was the spark that changed my life,” he says. “I wanted to build aircraft engines.” He enrolled in a technical school and joined GE Aviation, where he has become an ace test engineer — a real-world Patroni.

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MINI launches MINI Yours Customized for online customization and 3D printing of automotive parts 3D Printing Processes

by Automotive

BMW-owned British premium automobile manufacturer MINI launched the MINI Yours Customized service to offer its customers the opportunity of providing selected upgrade products with a design they have selected themselves. They can then transform their own vehicle into a personally styled customized special. The innovative package will become available in the course of 2018 for lots of MINI models in Europe and other large markets. The MINI Yours Customized product range will include the indicator inlays known as side scuttles, trims for the passenger side in the interior, LED door sills and LED door projectors.

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Mass customized, automotive 3D printing production is coming in 2018 Additive Manufacturing

by Automotive

During the past year, we’ve seen several successful test cases leading to a significant increase in the adoption of 3D printing for production of aircraft and aerospace parts. Today’s MINI Yours Customised announcement from British-German automaker MINI, coupled with other underlying trends in mobility that have emerged in recent months, indicate that 2018 will likely be the year in which the automotive industry will begin mass adoption of 3D printing for production. Additive manufacturing mass production technologies are ready both in terms of speeds and surface quality. Digital material properties – both for metal and polymer/composites – are now up to par for end-use parts, costs are rapidly dropping and industry awareness is high. The benefits of automotive 3D printing have been largely established and the race is on.

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First 3D Printed Starbucks Coffee Bar Opens in Shanghai Construction 3D Printing

by Architecture

Cement-based construction 3D printing is finding commercial applications in more and more segments. After bridges and houses, it is now time for a 3D printed bar, inside Shanghai’s newest and gigantic Starbuck’s Coffee. This is the first non-US roastery concept store and also the world’s largest Starbucks, not to mention the first (particularly) 3D printed Starbucks in the world.

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E3D Releases Liquid Cooled Titan Aqua 3D Printer Extruder 3D Printer Hardware

by Technologies

The primary case for 3D printing with a water-cooled HotEnd like the new Titan Aqua from E3D is related to the use of heated chambers or passively-heated enclosures. Heated chambers use an active heating element and are necessary when printing with some engineering and high-performance filaments. Passively-heated enclosures simply use heat generated from the print bed to warm the air inside a 3D printer, in order to prevent materials like ABS and ASA from warping due differences in air temperature.