News and Insights of 3D Printing and Manufacturing
Luxexcel – the company that pioneered material jetting technology for ophthalmic lens production – is preparing to meet the demand for prescription smart lenses for the next phase of growth in the smart glasses market. This just as Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg announced a high profile partnership with Ray-Ban owner Luxottica on the production of smartglasses starting in 2021.
Almost a year ago, we got wind of an immense 3D printing undertaking in Nevada: the new Allegiant Stadium, soon to be the home of the Las Vegas Raiders (formerly Oakland Raiders) NFL team, was installing a giant 3D printed structure to commemorate the late Al Davis, a long-time owner of the Raiders team. The planned structure, an 85-foot-tall memorial torch, was even slated to become the world’s largest 3D printed structure.
HP senior exec Edward Ponomarev showed off a pair of HP-3D printed, HP-branded running shoes prototypes that he just used on a 5 Km run. The shoes are the latest example of 3D printing applied to custom midsole and insole production: they are the first functional running shoes with 3D printed parts from MJF. The shoe weight under 200grams, featuring lightweight uppers (similar to adidas’ Futurecraft), ensuring excellent energy return and cushioning.
Apart from a few exceptions – like SHINING 3D and Farsoon – Chinese 3D printing companies are not easy to reach from this side of the Great Wall. Likewise, it’s not easy for them to make their products known in the West. It’s usually a gradual process. The most successful companies are able to gain enough of a foothold in the – very large – domestic market that they can start to invest in global expansion with initiatives that go beyond the hiring of armies of business developers sending out messages on social media. Kings 3D may be one of the next companies to make the jump. And even if it’s not, the company has been able to stand out enough to be noticed, especially for its vibrant activity in the footwear AM segment, a business that is expected to grow significantly over the next decade.
With Facebook Connect 2020 scheduled to take place next week, the company's Reality Labs team announ ...
We tend not to write articles in the first person on 3D Printing Media Network, however, I will make an exception in this case, as I’m writing about my latest project: the new edition of my study on footwear additive manufacturing, which was just published by SmarTech Analysis. In this new footwear AM 2020 report, I looked at the latest trends in terms of hardware technologies, new materials and new applications of additive manufacturing for footwear serial, mass and mass customized production.
Hockey is an extremely physical sport, where players are checked into sideboards and a dense puck made of vulcanized rubber is launched across the ice and into the air at dizzying speeds. To keep players as protected as possible in these circumstances, they are equipped with heaps of gear, from shin pads and elbow pads, to jock cups and neckguards. The head, of course, is protected too, with a helmet and often face guard or shield.
Stratasys‘ 3D printing technologies have a wide variety of applications, but one area we’ve been particularly interested in in recent years is its creative collaborations in the fashion world. Leveraging its multi-color and multi-material PolyJet technology, Stratasys has worked with designers to not only create some truly interesting pieces but to invent whole new types of garment production. Last year, for instance, fashion collective threeASFOUR debuted striking clothing pieces with details 3D printed directly onto the fabric at NYFW. Stratasys also worked with fashion house KAIMIN to 3D print onto denim, with amazing results.
For nearly a thousand years, the Venetian island of Murano has been home to some of the most beautiful and finest glassmaking in the world. Today, the finely honed skills of Venetian glassmakers are still inspiring and in some cases are being combined with new technologies and processes to amazing effect. Such is the case with architects Arturo Tedeschi and DesignMorphine’s Michael Pryor and Pavlina Vardoulaki, who have combined glass craftsmanship with 3D printing to come up with a new and fascinating glass lamp design.
A research team from the Harvard John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences (SEAS) has drawn inspiration from hair to develop a 3D printable textile that changes its form based on moisture exposure using a shape memory concept. As even the most coiffed hair often becomes curly or frizzy when exposed to water or moisture, the 3D printed material can be engineered with its own shape memory.