News and Insights of 3D Printing and Manufacturing
Tethon 3D has received a grant from the Nebraska Department of Economic Development to develop a new ceramic and metal 3D printing system. The newly funded project, entitled “A novel DLP 3D printer optimized for ceramics and metals,” is to begin development immediately and is set to become the first commercially available desktop DLP printer for ceramic and metal AM.
After nearly three years serving as editor-in-chief to 3D printing news site 3DPrint.com (and almost four years writing for it), Sarah Goehrke recently announced she was leaving the website. Fortunately, the experienced additive manufacturing journalist still has her eyes on the industry and is launching into a range of new projects and partnerships. Excitingly, one of these projects entails Sarah joining the 3dpbm team as a contributor.
Italian service bureau ZARE, based near Bologna, has installed the country’s first ProX SLS 6100 3D printer from 3D Systems. The ProX SLS 6100 3D printer employs selective laser sintering to produce durable prototype and production parts in a wide range of industrial-grade nylon materials. The system features fast build times, automated production tools including automated material handling, and a lower total cost of operation compared to similar 3D printers.
Aconity3D, a German developer of metal 3D printing systems, has announced it will be expanding its global reach with the establishment of a North American base of operations. The new base will be located at the University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP). There, Aconity3D will further develop its metal AM business for the production of complex metal parts for the aerospace, automotive and medical industries, to name just a few.
Swiss 3D printer manufacturer Sintratec signed L.corporation as a distributor for South Korea. Sintratec’s compact SLS 3D printers are now being sold in the world’s 8th largest market for 3D printing.
3D printer manufacturer Ultimaker has just announced the opening of a new office in Singapore. The new facility will cater to the APAC region in response to an increasing demand for Ultimaker 3D printers there. The news marks an important expansion for the Dutch 3D printing company, which has been manufacturing desktop machines since 2011.
German chemical giant BASF and Belgian 3D printing company Materialise will be expanding an existing partnership to advance materials and software for the additive manufacturing market. BASF has also announced it will be investing $25 million into Materialise.
As part of an initiative to develop next-generation advanced materials and manufacturing processes, Lockheed Martin and Arconic, signed a two-year Joint Development Agreement (JDA). Together, the companies will develop customized lightweight material systems and advanced manufacturing processes, such as metal 3D printing, to advance current and next-generation aerospace and defense solutions—including new structures and systems not currently in existence.
On one hand, the acknowledgment by the EU Parliament of the growing impact that 3D printing is having on just about every segment of manufacturing can be welcomed as a positive evolution. On the other hand CECIMO – the European Machine Tool Industry Association – is warning against the risk that EU 3D printing regulations may hold if not properly thought out.
Prodways Group has acquired the US 3D printing maker Solidscape Inc., a subsidiary of Stratasys. The moves further marks French 3D printer manufacturer Prodways as a leading player in industrial 3D printing. The company has been posting the highest revenue growth rates among the major publicly listed industry players. Although it has not enjoyed a very high visibility, SolidScape has been a major player in 3D printing for over two decades as its wax 3D printing technology is a jewelry industry favorite.