News and Insights of 3D Printing and Manufacturing
A rural house in north China’s Hebei Province has been catapulted into fame recently for being the first 3D printed house in this rural area of China, built “scan by scan” with giant construction 3D printers.
A Moorfields Eye Hospital NHS Foundation Trust patient was the first person in the world to be supplied solely with a fully digital 3D printed prosthetic eye on 25 November 2021. He first tried his eye on 11 November alongside a traditional acrylic prosthetic. By going home on 25 November with just his printed eye, he is the first patient to use a 3D printed eye as their sole prosthetic.
Pipelife is the first company to apply automated 3D printing and software to produce customized manhole and inspection chamber flow profiles for drainage systems. After a great deal of development work since the first printer was introduced 1.5 years ago, Pipelife is preparing to roll out 3D printing to the whole Group. This will significantly improve efficiency and precision in the production of polypropylene (PP) flow profiles, ensuring clients increased availability and product quality.
Stratasys continues to enhance anatomic modeling solutions for healthcare providers through the introduction of a new software module, Digital Anatomy Creator, for Stratasys Digital Anatomy 3D Printers. The new software allows users to easily manipulate material formations and customize the internal structures of their prints to achieve patient-specific anatomic models that are a direct replication of a patient’s pathologic and biologic anatomy.
PrinterPrezz and Uniformity Labs have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to utilize Uniformity’s technology in laser powder bed fusion and binder jetting for medical device applications.
A robotic, dinosaur ghost, that shoots fire out of her 3D printed jaw. That’s Ghost Raptor for the 2022 season of BattleBots but it could be pretty much any maker’s dream bot. Team Raptor (Chuck Pitzer, Eric Diehr, Sabri Sansoy) teamed up with Designer Anouk Wipprecht and Xo Wang for the 2021 BattleBots competition. Team Raptor has been participating in robotic fighting tournaments since 1999 and this year, to add even more style and badassery to the terrordactyl (cit.) bot, the team worked with Wipprecht and metal DED 3D printing company Formalloy to create a metal 3D printed jaw that opens to spit fire at its enemies. Thanks to Anouk’s participation in this season, we had the opportunity to sit down with her and Team Raptor’s Team Captain Chuck Pitzer to learn more about if and how 3D printing is making a difference.
ŠKODA AUTO revealed it is now employing 3D printing for the production of components, spare parts and tools. The Czech car manufacturer is making its production and logistics more flexible and efficient by using a 3D print farm based on systems from local material extrusion 3D printer manufacturer Prusa, founded by the industry legend Josef Prusa. The Confederation of Industry of the Czech Republic (Svaz průmyslu a dopravy České republiky) recognized the ‘More flexible with 3D print farms’ project, considering it one of the five most innovative Industry 4.0 applications from the past year in the country.
Sparks flew as Bugatti tested its generatively designed 3D printed brake caliper, additively manufactured with SLM Solutions technology. Volumetrically this part is the largest functional titanium component built with SLM technology.
Advancements in additive manufacturing have the potential to significantly improve health care, allowing for surgical implants to be custom designed for each patient. Lauren Judkins, a graduate student in the Penn State Department of Mechanical Engineering, is adapting these advancements to enhance the recovery of patients who experienced rib injuries.“To create designs specifically for each unique patient, 3D printing is a necessity,” Judkins said. “I’m really motivated by the impacts my work could have on human health in the future.”
Concrete 3D printing of building shells has grown considerably in the last few years, with more and more building shells being 3D printed, even buildings with up to 3 floors and windmill towers. However, the high cost of 3D printing mortars has prevented more widespread and large-scale application on multi-unit projects, including large-scale affordable housing projects. This is about to change as CEMEX, in cooperation 3D construction printer supplier COBOD, developed the new D.fab solution for rapid development of cost-effective concrete 3D printing materials.