News and Insights of 3D Printing and Manufacturing
Lockheed Martin Corporation, (NYSE: LMT), and Sintavia, LLC, have entered into a collaboration to expand research of metal additive manufacturing (AM) opportunities as an alternative to castings and forgings. AM, also known as 3D printing, has the capability to improve efficiencies in existing castings and forgings supply chains and provide parts with a higher level of detail and greater design opportunities.
Hexagon’s Manufacturing Intelligence division and Stratasys have applied Hexagon’s simulation technology to capture the behavior of Stratasys’ high-performance, ultra-lightweight Antero-reinforced polyetherketoneketone (PEKK) materials and its additive manufacturing processes. These rigorously-validated simulations offer Stratasys customers unique insight – enabling them to lightweight components and introduce new sustainable aircraft and spacecraft, faster.
Mikrocentrum and Brainport Development have entered a partnership with the focus on ‘bringing the value chain of additive manufacturing to a global market’. Bert-Jan Woertman and Paul van Nunen have signed a joint declaration of intent on behalf of both parties during the recent Precision Fair.
3D Systems has entered a partnership with Wematter, a Swedish 3D printer manufacturer, that will broaden 3D Systems’ Selective Laser Sintering (SLS) portfolio. Wematter designed and introduced the Wematter Gravity in 2020, which brought an affordable, turnkey SLS solution to the market in the EMEA region. Through this partnership, 3D Systems will become the exclusive worldwide distributor of the Gravity – helping Wematter expand its total market.
Autodesk Fusion 360 has entered into a new partnership with EOS, with the aim of taking additive manufacturing capabilities ‘to the next level’, according to an article written by Pooria Sohi, Product Marketing Manager at Autodesk. EOS metal and polymer machines are already available in the Fusion 360 Machine Library, but the partnership intends to improve things.
Stratasys, a leader in polymer 3D printing solutions, has appointed Christian Alvarez as the company’s new Chief Revenue Officer, where he will report to Statasys’ CEO, Dr. Yoav Zeif.
SLM Solutions recently launched the NXG XII 600E and a flexible manufacturing solution, which provided an answer to some of the biggest challenges regarding build envelope limitation. However, the lack of material options still lingers and is key to unlocking high-performing parts with high-performance material requirements.
ICON, a leader in advanced construction technologies and large-scale 3D printing, received a contract awarded under Phase III of NASA’s Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) program. The nearly $60 million contract builds upon previous NASA and Department of Defense funding for ICON’s Project Olympus to research and develop space-based construction systems to support the planned exploration of the Moon and beyond. ICON’s ‘Olympus’ system is intended to be a multi-purpose construction system primarily using local Lunar and Martian resources as building materials to further the efforts of NASA, as well as commercial organizations, to establish a sustained lunar presence.
GUtech, the German University of Technology in Oman and a pioneer in construction 3D printing, completed the 3D printing of 3 new buildings in Duqm, 540 km from the capital of Oman, where GU Tech is located. The construction took just 8 days and it represents a performance nobody has matched before for this type of on-location 3D printing.
The University of Maine (UMaine) Advanced Structures and Composites Center (ASCC) has unveiled ‘BioHome3D’ – the first 3D printed house made entirely with bio-based materials. BioHome3D was developed with funding from the US Department of Energy’s Hub and Spoke program between the UMaine and Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL). Partners included MaineHousing and the Maine Technology Institute.