News and Insights of 3D Printing and Manufacturing
The Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT) recently purchased and installed a Xerox ElemX 3D printer from Xerox Elem Additive Solutions at their AMPrint Center in Henrietta, NY. RIT will utilize the printer in their collaborations with manufacturers for research and product development as they focus on next-generation metal 3D printing technologies.
Several years ago, Kirby Morgan began researching additive-manufacturing technology to advance its dive helmets with components that are light, durable and comfortable. As part of this process, Pete Ryan, engineer at Kirby Morgan, partnered with Diversified Plastics, Inc. (DPI), to manufacture parts for one of their newest dive helmet models via the company’s Acceleration Station.
An M1 Metal AM System from Dutch company MX3D is going to be installed at the Additive Manufacturing Campus of BMW Group in Munich, Germany. With the M1 Metal AM System, BMW Group has acquired one of the most advanced setup the market has to offer with respect to Robotic Wire Arc Additive Manufacturing (WAAM). This will allows the company’s engineers to explore the potential of this highly flexible and productive method of metal additive manufacturing.
Formlabs introduced the new BioMed Black Resin and BioMed White Resin, two highly opaque medical-grade materials targeted for use in biocompatible applications.
Equispheres, one of the metal AM materials companies that our sister company, 3dpbm Research, has been closely following for some time, just inked two important deals to advance the adoption and distribution of its innovative aluminum AM powders with Taiyo Nippon Sanso and Aconity. Regular readers will remember that we were the first media to offer a deep dive into Equispheres aluminum AM powders in our AM Focus 2020 eBook on Metal AM (article on page 43), as these materials first entered the market. Since then, Equisheres has been steadily growing, by offering specialized powder with unique attributes for additive manufacturing that can achieve 3x faster build rates than legacy aluminum powders.
Regenerative medicine specialist CollPlant (NASDAQ: CLGN) has revealed that the 3D bioprinted breast tissues it’s developing are set to enter animal trials in the very near future.
Bharat Fritz Werner Ltd (BFW) and m2nxt (a BFW subsidiary), India’s leading CNC and Industry 4.0 machines and solutions companies, launched the PHOTON 4000G Laser-DED machine, made in India and available worldwide in 2023.
A 3D printing network in Michigan is rushing to aid Ukrainians during wartime by printing parts for tourniquets. The humanitarian effort is being led locally by Automation Alley’s Project DIAMOnD, a 3D printing network of 300 small and medium-sized manufacturers, which is working with Makershelp, a 3D printing organization in Denmark, to fulfill a request from the Ukrainian Defense Ministry to supply tourniquets to help those in need of medical assistance during the Russian assault on Ukraine. Project DIAMOnD will activate its emergency mode to mobilize all printers in its network to print tourniquet clips before final assembly in Denmark.
GE Renewable Energy today held a ribbon-cutting ceremony to inaugurate a new research and development facility that will conduct research on how to 3D print the concrete base of towers used in wind turbines. The research will enable GE to 3D print the bottom portion of the wind turbine towers on-site at wind farms, lowering transportation costs and creating additional employment opportunities at the wind farms where the technology will be used.
Lithoz GmbH, one of the global leaders in advanced ceramic 3D printing, recorded its best Q1 performance to date with 8 machine sales since the start of the year. Not only this has been the company’s strongest start in terms of machine sales in its history but it also means that Lithoz LCM ceramic 3D printers are now installed in every inhabited continent, highlighting the company’s impact in the global growth of ceramic additive manufacturing as an established manufacturing technique.