News and Insights of 3D Printing and Manufacturing
In a deal worth €75 million, ESA ArianeGroup signed a contract last week to develop a full-scale demonstrator of the new, ultra-low-cost, reusable rocket engine known as Prometheus. The engine is set to power Europe’s future launchers and makes intensive use of advanced manufacturing technologies, including 3D printing, to keep costs down and performances up.
As further proof that binder jetting technologies are living through a new renaissance, GE Additive has released the first image of a prototype of a brand new additive machine, named Project H1, based on binder jet technology that will eventually challenge the need for castings. Further iterations of this machine will be made in early 2018 with the first production machines being shipped mid-2018.
Remember Spark? The Autodesk software and fund born to seamlessly integrate 3D printing into AM processes and CAD software? While the overall structure has now been absorbed into other projects like Netfabb and Fusion 360, the experience and vision live on in many other ways. One is Bots101, an online platform, now open for beta access, created by former Autodesk Spark exects and developers. I caught up with Eyal Nir, co-founder of BOTS101, who showed me exactly how far bots and artificial intelligence could go in helping more people create 3D content for AR, VR and – of course – 3D printing.
Create it REAL secured a 3D print pilot project with Green Ship of the Future consortium in Denmark. The project is part of the Green Ship of the Future project portfolio: The maritime opportunity space of 3D print, and specifically explores onboard printing and related challenges in the current supply chain, as well as existing technology. Accordingly, the partners represent the majority of the supply chain around spare parts and include J. Lauritzen, Maersk Line, Maersk Tankers, Maersk Drilling, MAN Diesel & Turbo, DNV GL, Copenhagen Business School and Create it real. The project is financed by the Danish Maritime Fund.
Stratasys Ltd. announced that Spanish aerospace and engineering company, Indaero, has secured new business with several Tier 1 and Tier 2 Airbus suppliers following the use of Stratasys FDM 3D printing for the production of complex tools.
Professional 3D printing users can now purchase DuPont Hytrel thermoplastic elastomer and DuPont Zytel nylon-based filaments for 3D printing in China through Shenzhen eSUN Industrial Co. Ltd. DuPont 3D printing products allow users to achieve true benefits of 3D printing (greater design freedom, light weighting, reduced product development cycle times) allowing for rapid functional prototyping, parts production, tooling and customization in all sectors of the industry, such as automotive, electronics, footwear, consumer goods, and others.
Stratasys is teaming with SSM Health Cardinal Glennon Children’s Hospital in St. Louis, Missouri to launch an advanced 3D printing “Center of Excellence” – designed to accelerate innovation in pre-surgical preparedness, medical research and patient treatment. Open now, the center leverages Stratasys 3D printing technology to develop and share best-practices throughout a range of specialties including neurosurgery, orthopedics, cardiac treatment, as well as hand and cranial maxillofacial reconstructive surgery.Listed by U.S. News and World Report as a “Best Children’s Hospital,” this nationally-ranked pediatric academic medical center fully invests in the latest technologies to serve medical needs of children today and tomorrow. At the foundation of this commitment is Stratasys 3D printing technology, encouraging SLUCare (the physician practice at Cardinal Glennon Children’s Hospital) doctors and surgeons to explore new approaches for advancing patient well-being. SSM Health Cardinal Glennon currently leverages the Stratasys J750 3D Printer – the world’s only full-color, multi-material solution delivering unmatched material versatility and realism.
Formlabs is announced a new Color Kit, the first integrated color mixing solution for stereolithography 3D printing. Anyone using the new Color Kit has the ability to create custom Color Resins with uniformly colored, high-resolution 3D prints with the smooth surface finish SLA technology is known for. Formlabs has a library of Standard Resins they have developed alongside the new Color Kit. These are the general purpose materials for the Form 2 and have shown to be great for rapid prototyping and creating concept models to bring your ideas to life. Professionals from various departments across industries have been consistently impressed with the various materials available, noting their high detail, smooth finish, and minimal post-printing cleanup.
In a recent article I wondered whether CEO Magnus René’s decision to leave the company was the result of the company’s failure to introduce high profile new products over the last year or other conflicts arising following the acquisition by GE. Mr. René kindly agreed to discuss these issues clarifying that business has never been better at the company and that he chose to leave only because he felt his cycle was complete, after bringing Arcam from a startup to a major global player.
The FDA, the American Food and Drug Administration, has been paying attention to the growth of additive manufacturing for some time now. In order to further provide guidelines to implementing 3D printing of medical devices, promotion their further development and benefits, the US-based institution has developed the first comprehensive guide to provide the Agency’s initial thinking on technical considerations specific to devices using additive manufacturing. The complete guidance is available here to download: FDA AM Guidance