News and Insights of 3D Printing and Manufacturing
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.
3D Systems today introduced its latest system for 3D printing investment casting wax patterns: the ProJet MJP 2500 IC. The newly launched system, which follows on the company’s existing ProJet MJP 2500W machine, enables manufacturers to produce wax patterns more rapidly and at a lower cost than traditional manufacturing processes.
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.
Lumi Industries, an Italian manufacturer of resin-based 3D printers, will be unveiling its latest product, the New Lumifold, at the upcoming Maker Faire in Rome. At the event, held from October 12 to 14, Lumi Industries will showcase its new system, which it calls the “most compact 3D printer ever.”
Frustum, a Boulder, Colorado-based software company, is releasing Windows OS Frustum GENERATE, its industry-leading interactive generative design solution. Previously available as a web-app or add-on, GENERATE represents a new paradigm for design, interactive generative design, which fundamentally alters how products are modeled for manufacture by allowing engineers to interact and iterate in real time with generative design models. As a result, engineers can develop multiple perfectly designed and optimized models to identify the best solution in a matter of minutes versus hours or days previously.
Despite having released its first resin-based 3D printer last month, Polish 3D printer manufacturer Zortrax has not forgotten its roots in the deposition world. In fact, the company has just released its newest 3D printer model, the M300 Plus, a large-format desktop machine. With a build capacity of 300 x 300 x 300 mm, Zortrax’s new 3D printer boasts the same build volume as its existing M300 model with a handful of new features.