News and Insights of 3D Printing and Manufacturing
Conflux and GKN are set to cooperate on the development, design, and production of 3D printed heat exchanger solutions in Europe. 3D printed heat exchangers have been shown to improve the cooling of critical components in the electronics, automotive, aerospace, and packaged goods industries by utilizing the design freedom made possible by 3D printing.
Oqton, a software provider, acquired by 3D Systems last year, that helps manufacturers increase innovation and efficiency by intelligently automating production, and Eplus3D, a leading global supplier of metal 3D printing solutions, have entered a strategic dental 3D printing partnership. Through this collaboration, both companies intend to enable dental laboratory professionals to increase productivity and provide a better service to their customers. This will be made possible by making Oqton’s AI-powered Manufacturing OS platform available to users of Eplus3D’s metal 3D printers. The combination of Oqton’s Manufacturing OS, and Eplus3D’s printing technology, as well as both organizations’ deep dental expertise, is intended to result in dental solutions that include full traceability and automation.
The Australian National Fabrication Facility – Queensland Node (ANFF-Q) based at the University of Queensland, Australia has purchased Multiphoton’s recently-launched MPO 100 two-photon polymerization tool. The system, developed by Multiphoton Optics GmbH, and manufactured by its parent company Heidelberg Instruments Mikrotechnik GmbH, will provide cutting-edge micro- and nano-fabrication fabrication capabilities to ANFF-Q.
Calcasieu Parish School Board has invested in 200 MakerBot SKETCH Classroom sets, totaling 400 SKETCH 3D printers, to further advance its STEAM education and build critical skills among its students. The addition of SKETCH 3D printers brings the latest technological innovations to students to enhance classroom learning across grade levels and better prepare them for the future.
Thought3D is set to release its new in-line filament dryer for FFF 3D printers, Drywise (previously only available in Europe), in the US. Drywise ‘unlocks the true potential’ of printing with engineering materials as it eliminates the guesswork of 3D printing with hygroscopic materials. The patent-pending, active, in-line drying technology ensures the material is in the best possible conditions throughout the duration of the 3D printing job. Drywise will be unveiled and officially released in the U.S. at Rapid+TCT 2022, in Detroit.
Vibrations during 3D printing either slow down the process or warp the parts, but a new software developed by University of Michigan spinoff Ulendo could enable manufacturers to keep up the speed without sacrificing accuracy. The product is being launched at North America’s largest additive manufacturing conference, the RAPID + TCT Conference.
Remember the ‘SMART PASTA – 3D Shapes with a Purpose’ contest orchestrated by Barilla in 2015? The winners of this contest produced some really interestingly-designed pasta forms – for example, the ‘Water Lilly’, designed by Cornelius Comanns. Now, after several years of research & development, the first 15 designs of 3D printed pasta are commercially available on the BluRhapsody website’s shop and are already being used by chefs – especially in Italy to create high end custom dishes.
Nozzle flow filters are used to prevent contamination, as a result of melted plastic, that causes blockages or interruptions to the injection process. These contaminations can cause damage to hot runner systems – resulting in extended downtime and increased maintenance costs. The design of voestalpine’s flow filter X, and flow filter V, both capitalize on the unique capabilities of 3D printing to create additional benefits for the injection molder by integrating a static mixer, or significantly reducing the pressure drop and shear stress.
PLATINIUM 3D, a consulting and service provider in the field of industrial additive manufacturing, has officially joined the Roboze 3D Parts network to increase the adoption of AM and to create value for French companies with one of the world’s most industrialized FFF 3D printing solutions for super polymers and composite materials.
Stratasys has been named an official partner of Toyota Racing Development (TRD). Through the partnership, TRD is expanding its use of AM, from prototyping to end-use parts. The partnership is set to make its debut with 3D printed production parts on the forthcoming Toyota GR86 for the GR Cup – a new single-make racing series sanctioned by SRO America.