News and Insights of 3D Printing and Manufacturing
Just weeks after GE Additive announced the 600+ primary and secondary schools awarded with 3D printing packages as part of its Additive Education Program (AEP), the company has announced the universities that will be receiving industrial metal additive manufacturing systems from it. The announcement marks the conclusion of GE Additive’s 2018/19 cycle of the AEP.
VormVrij, a Dutch manufacturer of clay 3D printers, has introduced its latest model: the LUTUM v4. The new machine, unveiled as a prototype at Fabcon+RapidTech in Messe Erfurt earlier this month, integrates a number of upgrades for more versatile and overall better clay prints.
Aleph Objects, Inc., makers of LulzBot 3D Printers, will be releasing the LulzBot Mini 2 3D Printer on June 20th from LulzBot.com and official LulzBot resellers. The Mini 2 builds on the original LulzBot Mini’s reputation for high performance 3D printing and easy operation in a rugged and portable package, but adds new features like tetherless operation, updated electronics, and a re-engineered Z-axis drive system for even better print quality. Of course, the LulzBot Mini 2 also maintains Aleph Objects’ commitment to Free, Libre, and Open Source development. The new hardware is complimented by the release of Cura LulzBot Edition version 3.2 software which adds new slicing options, interface updates, and big performance improvements over the previous version.
Aleph Objects, Inc., makers of LulzBot 3D Printers, will be releasing the LulzBot Mini 2 3D Printer on June 20th from LulzBot.com and official LulzBot resellers. The Mini 2 builds on the original LulzBot Mini’s reputation for high performance 3D printing and easy operation in a rugged and portable package, but adds new features like tetherless operation, updated electronics, and a re-engineered Z-axis drive system for even better print quality. Of course, the LulzBot Mini 2 also maintains Aleph Objects’ commitment to Free, Libre, and Open Source development. The new hardware is complimented by the release of Cura LulzBot Edition version 3.2 software which adds new slicing options, interface updates, and big performance improvements over the previous version.
Founded in 2015 by RenJie Huang and HanYuan Tsao, Architchen is a Taiwanese architectural design studio that has developed a particular affinity for 3D printing ceramics. What sets Architchen apart from many of the other designers working with 3D printed ceramics is that it is not just interested in using the technology for producing pottery and homewares. Rather, it has leveraged ceramic AM to express and create parametrically designed tiles which fulfil an architectural purpose.
Aerospace and defense company Lockheed Martin reported that it has doubled its venture capital fund to $200 million. The sizeable increase in funding will be used by the company to invest in startups and early-stage companies pursuing innovation in autonomy, advanced manufacturing, sensor technologies, artificial intelligence and cyber.
John Briscella is a former Autodesk Pier 9 resident designer (like Anouk Wipprecht and other 3D printing celebs) who has been experimenting with some advanced generative design capabilities for a growing range of consumer products. He has since launched Aminimal, his and his design partner’s Lana Blum’s online shop for parametrically designed 3D printed jewelry, and his own design studio for generatively designed 3D printed furniture. This generatively designed shoe, built using nTopology software, is one of John Briscella’s latest concepts and shows the direction that his design style is taking for a growing range of consumer products.
ParaMatters, one of the newest players in design for additive manufacturing (DfAM) software, might also be one of the most exciting. Founded by Michael Bogomolny, the two-year-old company promises to revolutionize design-to-manufacturing processes with its advanced design and topology optimization software.
Additive manufacturing giant 3D Systems has just released two new entry-level metal 3D printers based on its Direct Metal Printing (DMP) technology: the DMP Flex 100 and and DMP Dental 100 3D printers. Both machines are said to offer high quality and good throughput and are available for order immediately.
French 3D printing company Prodways Group, a subsidiary of Groupe Gorgé, has announced the launch of a new 3D printer, the compact ProMaker LD-3, for the dental, jewelry, education and prototyping markets. Introduced in partnership with W2P, the new 3D printer is based on Prodways’ UV-LED DLP technology.