News and Insights of 3D Printing and Manufacturing
One of the most important weeks for the additive manufacturing industry is kicking off, and the excitement is palpable. Companies—big and small—are readying to unveil new or upgraded products and technologies at Formnext 2018. And though the big event officially launches tomorrow, news is already streaming in.
Global sciences company Royal DSM has added four 3D printing grades to e-Xstream’s Digimat-AM simulation solution. The combination of DSM’s high performance polymers with e-Xstream’s 3D print process simulation software will provide businesses with the ability to better identify potential manufacturing problems and rectify those issues for a specific material.
3D model marketplace CGTrader is partnering with Canadian e-commerce company Shopify to introduce a new immersive and 3D online shopping experience. The collaboration will see CGTrader work with the e-commerce platform to integrate 3D modeling and augmented reality (AR) for better customer experience.
Sigma Labs, Inc., a provider of quality assurance software under the PrintRite3D brand, will launch the newest configuration of its PrintRite3D quality control solution—incorporating PrintRite3D SENSORPAK 4.0 hardware and PrintRite3D INSPECT 4.0 software—at Formnext 2018, the leading trade fair for additive manufacturing, in Frankfurt, Germany on November 13-16. The company will be exhibiting its technology and meeting with potential customers at Booth 3.0-H77.
Makerbot is celebrating the 10th anniversary of its 3D model sharing platform Thingiverse. The online platform, which now includes over two million users, is the largest free and open 3D printing community in the world.
3YOURMIND, a Berlin-based AM software company, recently updated its Additive Manufacturing Part Identifier (AMPI) tool in order to offer users a more advanced and accurate way of determining what parts are well suited for 3D printing. The software update is expected to simplify and improve the AM adoption process across a range of industries.
Authentise, a California-based process automation software provider for additive manufacturing, has just announced a new partnership with Prosper3D, a company specializing in automatic quoting solutions for AM services. Through the collaboration, Authentise clients will now have the ability to access Prosper3D’s quoting engine tools for more accurate price quotes.
London-based luxury watchmaker Uniform Wares recently introduced its latest collection of wristwatches, PreciDrive M-Line. What we’ve just learnt is that the sleek watch collection was actually made possible thanks to additive manufacturing. Working in collaboration with London-based manufacturer Betatype, Uniform Wares was able to design and develop a unique strap for its watch collection 3D printed from a T5 titanium alloy.
Some of the biggest concerns surrounding the proliferation of 3D printing technologies have to do with the possibility of 3D printed weapons and of counterfeit 3D printed goods. Though many solutions to the counterfeit risk involve hidden identification codes within 3D models, a team of researchers has developed a slightly different approach.
October is known for a few things: autumnal foliage, Halloween and—of course—the launch of Stratasys’ annual Extreme Redesign Challenge. The contest, which has been sponsored by Stratasys for the past 15 years, aims to promote the use of 3D printing for reinventing and radically redesigning existing objects.