News and Insights of 3D Printing and Manufacturing
Minnesota-based digital manufacturing company Protolabs is partnering with additive manufacturing consultants from Wohlers Associates to bring the industry an immersive course focused on design for additive manufacturing (DfAM). The exclusive event is aimed at accelerating DfAM by helping engineers and designers develop practical methods and strategies for exploiting 3D printing to the fullest.
Printing and cutting specialist Mimaki today introduces a new desktop 3D printer, the Mimaki 3DFF-222. The new FFF 3D printer, co-branded with South Korean AM company Sindoh, is designed for production applications, such as functional prototypes, end-use jigs, signage and more.
3D printer manufacturer Markforged has raised $82 million through a Series D investment round led by Summit Partners. The funding round also saw participation from existing investors Matrix Partners, Microsoft’s Venture Fund M12 and Porsche SE. The multi-million dollar investment will enable Markforged to accelerate its product roadmap—including the release of mass production printers and a range of new materials,—to ramp up its global expansion and to reinforce the company’s position in the global manufacturing industry.
AstroPrint has announced a partnership with Stanley Black & Decker to connect, control and optimize their fleet of 3D printers across multiple facilities. With AstroPrint’s Enterprise Cloud, Stanley Black & Decker will effortlessly automate their additive manufacturing systems and workflows on a single platform, ensuring that resources are properly shared and optimized, while gaining actionable intelligence on productivity and growth opportunities.
Behind the doors of the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL), there is always something innovative going on. From the development of a new volumetric 3D printing process to the creation of new metamaterials. Recently, a team from the lab revealed it had achieved a breakthrough in the development of the first research-grade, open-architecture multi-beam metal 3D printer.
On March 7th, the Stratasys User Conference took place. The event, organized by the 3D printing giant, showcased some interesting use cases for Stratasys‘ AM technologies. The main purpose of the event was to highlight, through the direct experience of its customers, the competitive advantages offered by the Stratasys’ technologies, both in the prototype phase and in the production itself. Judging by the response, it was a winning idea.
Israeli startup Nanofabrica has introduced a new micro 3D printing platform that addresses many of the challenges typically associated with nano-printing processes: cost, limited size, speed and mass production. The company says its new platform will open up numerous applications in the areas of optics, semi-conductors, microelectronics, MEMS, microfluidics and life sciences.
With the International Dental Show (IDS) well underway in Cologne, there hasn’t been a shortage of dentistry-related additive manufacturing news. Already, Prodways introduced a new modular solution for mass producing dental aligners and Carbon announced a partnership with Keystone Industries through which it will 3D print clear nightguards and splints. Now, Delaware-based 3D printing company Mogassam has unveiled the new DentCase 3D printer, designed specifically for dental applications.
Sintratec, a Switzerland-based SLS 3D printer manufacturer, has expanded its reseller range in Southern Europe with a new partnership with CMF Marelli. The Milan-based machine instruments supplier will now be distributing Sintratec’s additive manufacturing solutions to the Italian market.
Optomec, a specialist in metal additive manufacturing, has announced the launch of two new Directed Energy Deposition systems, the LENS CS 600 and CS 800 Controlled Atmosphere (CA). The new systems, which expand upon Optomec’s LENS series, were developed with the aim of maximizing the process’ build envelope while reducing the machine’s chamber volume and overall footprint.