News and Insights of 3D Printing and Manufacturing
Eplus3D, a Chinese manufacturer of industrial-grade 3D printers, has opened its first European office in Ludwigsburg, Germany. The opening was commemorated in a ribbon-cutting ceremony with the company’s executives, customers, partners, and employees in attendance.
Rapid Shape, a German manufacturer of modern, technologically advanced 3D printers, has opened its North American headquarters at NC State University, in Raleigh.
After entering the AM market both directly (with internally developed solutions, including metrology) and through major acquisitions (aerospace AM service provider Morf3D and laser PBF hardware manufacturer SLM Solutions) Nikon Corporation has now acquired its first AM application developer, Optisys, Inc. The Utah-based company is a global leader in the design and manufacture of metal printed antennas for commercial and government applications where high performance, size, and weight are critical. The Optisys IP portfolio includes many proprietary antenna designs as well as revolutionary RF solution design improvements that support mass customization capabilities.
In July, earlier this year, news broke that Markforged was set to acquire Digital Metal. This was to be the second acquisition this year for Markforged, after the company bought Teton Simulation Software, back in April, and whose technology was integrated into Markforged’s Eiger 3D printing software.
6K Additive, a division of 6K, a leader in the sustainable production of engineered materials for additive manufacturing and lithium-ion batteries produced from its UniMelt plasma technology, has entered into a strategic AM powder supply agreement, and recycling partnership, with NY-based Incodema3D, a production supplier in metal additive manufacturing.
3D Systems has developed CuNi30, a corrosion-resistant, copper-nickel alloy for use with its DMP Flex 350 metal 3D printer. This material resulted from the company’s collaboration with HII’s Newport News Shipbuilding division, which focused on developing materials and process parameters for laser powder bed fusion additive manufacturing. The companies’ deep domain expertise facilitated the development of CuNi30 and is allowing Newport News Shipbuilding to use additive manufacturing in place of its traditional casting technologies. Direct metal printing parts using CuNi30 to meet Newport News Shipbuilding’s low-volume, high-mix hardware needs can improve supply chain efficiency – with an anticipated 75% reduction in lead times as well as lowered inventory costs.
Materialise, a global leader in 3D printing solutions, has acquired Identify3D, a company that develops software to encrypt, distribute and trace the flow of digital parts across complex supply chains. Data security and integrity have become top of mind for companies that want to retain control over their design and production data, as they transition from a centralized production model to multiple digital production sites, closer to their customers. The acquisition of Identify3D is intended to make Materialise’s CO-AM platform the most secure platform for distributed manufacturing.
Australian company AXT has been appointed the official distributor for Exaddon, a Swiss-based manufacturer of metal additive micromanufacturing (µAM) technology. Their systems are ideally suited to printing complex metal geometries in the range 1 to 1000 µm with sub-micrometer resolution.
MakerVerse, the additive manufacturing platform for sourcing industrial grade parts on demand, has appointed Ward Ripmeester as the company’s Chief Operations Officer. Ward Ripmeester brings a decade of additive manufacturing supply chain and operations experience to this newly created role.
The LEHVOSS Group has further expanded its presence in one of the world’s most important high-tech regions, with the founding of the company’s Shenzhen, China, branch. LEHVOSS (Shanghai) Chemical Co. Ltd. Shenzhen is already the fourth branch of the group in China. In addition to the headquarters in Shanghai, and the production site and technology center in Kunshan, there is also a representative office in Dalian.