Stifels Global Technology Investment Banking: Never Been a Better Time to Be in 3D Printing6/30/2021
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Stifel’s Global Technology Investment Banking: Never Been a Better Time to Be in 3D Printing https://ift.tt/3y85Cg3 (3DPrint.com PRO is available only to subscribers) The 3D printing industry is currently undergoing another growth spurt. Though it bears some resemblance to the stock boom that occurred circa 2013-2014, the technology and the market are much more mature, according to Stephen Butkow and Bryan Dow, Managing Directors in Stifel’s Global Technology Investment Banking Group. In 2021, Stifel has been involved in nine major deals, with nearly 30 deals in advanced manufacturing over the last decade. 2021 deals include Shapeways’ upcoming SPAC merger, the sale of 3D Hubs to ProtoLabs, and advising the buyer on the acquisition of 3D Systems’ On-Demand business, QuickParts plus raising equity capital for Exone, Stratasys, and most recently Materalise. With some 20 years in banking and almost a decade covering the sector, Butkow and Dow have been able to participate in and witness some significant changes in the industry, including who is generating most of the major deals and IPOs. Subscribe to read the remaining PRO Analysis.SubscribeAlready a subscriber?You are set to receive premium content directly to your inbox twice a month. Printing via 3DPrint.com | The Voice of 3D Printing / Additive Manufacturing https://3dprint.com June 30, 2021 at 10:54AM
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“World’s First” 3D Printed School Opens in Malawi, Africa https://ift.tt/3juCuLO The first 3D printed school has been inaugurated in Malawi, thanks to 14Trees, joint venture between LafargeHolcim and the CDC Group, and a BOD2 3D printer from COBOD. The news follows the use of COBOD machines to produce the first 3D printed one-, two-, and three-story buildings in Europe. According to UNICEF, Malawi lacks some 36,000 classrooms, which 14Trees estimates would take about 70 years to build using traditional methods. Instead, the company proposes the use of 3D printing to produce the same number of rooms in just 10 years. For this reason, the firm took the BOD2 3D printer to the southeastern African country and built what it is calling the “world’s first” 3D printed school. The walls for the building were 3D printed in only 18 hours. Using the BOD2 model 4-4-2—which can print structures up to 10 meters long and wide and three meters high—14Trees 3D printed a 56 m2 facility. Lessons have already begun at the site and Juliana Kuphanga Chikandila, the Primary Education Advisor to the country’s Director of Education, Youth and Sports, was pleased with the result:
There has been some media attention drawn to a proposed 3D printed school in Madagascar; however, COBOD International pointed out in its press release that this project has not yet initiated construction. In contrast, the facility in Malawi has already been completed. This serves as a reminder to be wary of any claims of “firsts” in this industry or any. Whereas the organization behind the Madagascar project has little experience in additive construction, COBOD has created numerous projects around the world at this point. So, while I might be skeptical about the school in Madagascar taking off, COBOD’s proposed project in Saudi Arabia seems more viable. In the case of 14Trees, which aims to 3D print buildings across the continent of Africa, the partners behind the joint venture are both established, as well. LafargeHolcim is a publicly traded French-Swiss multinational with nearly $29 billion in revenues and about 72,000 across 70 countries. With a focus in building materials like cement, asphalt and mortar, it was the 280th-largest public company in the world in 2020 according to Forbes. As far as I know, the only firm bigger than LafargeHolcim in additive construction is Saint-Gobain. 14Trees’ other joint owner, CDC Group, is a U.K. government-owned financial institution that has spent over 70 years investing in Asia and Africa. In our discussion with an affordable housing expert, we learned that, in the U.S., the housing crisis has less to do with construction technology and more to do with policy and the commodification of homes. Though this obviously cannot be extrapolated to the countries of Africa, I can imagine a similar situation with regard to schooling there. However, it does seem that, if 36,000 classrooms could be 3D printed in 10 years, rather than conventionally built in 70, that would have a significant impact on construction and the state of schooling on the continent as a whole. 14Trees is continuing its work on the continent, with Miljan Gutovic, Region Head of Europe, Middle East and Africa at LafargeHolcim Group, pointing to where the joint venture is headed next:
Printing via 3DPrint.com | The Voice of 3D Printing / Additive Manufacturing https://3dprint.com June 30, 2021 at 08:36AM Flight Freedom: Gravity Industries Upcoming Electric Suit Gets 3D Printed Parts from Ricoh6/30/2021
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Flight Freedom: Gravity Industries’ Upcoming Electric Suit Gets 3D Printed Parts from Ricoh https://ift.tt/3y3yztq The new gravity-defying Jet Suit by UK-based jetpack manufacturer Gravity Industries, will be 3D printed with thermoplastic polymer polypropylene and assembled in just days, thanks to a partnership with 3D printing specialist Ricoh 3D. Since 2017, Gravity has been focused on making human flight possible by pioneering aeronautical innovation and building the world’s first propulsion suit. After the success of its original Jet Suit, Gravity is reimagining its design and is working with the Ricoh 3D team once again on its next vision, the Gravity eSuit. This upcoming electric version of the Jet Suit will be revealed at the July 2021 Goodwood Festival of Speed in West Success, UK, where visitors will surely be wowed, just like they were in 2019 after seeing its flagship version soaring through the skies. Usually compared to Iron Man’s “super energy-powered” battle suit, Gravity Industries’ Jet Suit was truly inspired by the fictional character’s unique flight system. The company’s Founder and Chief Test Pilot, Richard Browning, established the company to challenge perceived boundaries in human aviation. Although his journey began as an oil trader and Royal Marines Reservist, with a strong connection to flight and a long family tradition in the aviation space, Browning’s dream was to reimagine an entirely new form of human flight. Browning’s Jet Suit relies on two mini fuel-powered jet engines on each arm, and one larger jet carried on the back to propel both pilot and gear off the ground. When fully fueled, it weighs about 30 kilos and can travel at speeds of up to 136 km per hour. The suits can be commissioned for roughly $40,000 or tested in a safe, controlled environment at Gravity’s Flight Facility at the Goodwood Estate, located just 90 minutes outside London. The sleek suit has already been tested by special forces worldwide, including the Netherlands Marine Corps and the Royal Marines in the UK. For example, the elite commandos can use them to board an in-motion military ship for rescue missions or as a quick option to board a ship taken over by pirates. In fact, the last four years have already seen Gravity take its Jet Suit from an idea on a page to over 115 public events in 33 countries, search and rescue trials, commercial flight training, and even racing on British motor show Top Gear.
Browning’s team had already been working on leveraging 3D printing with Ricoh 3D for its pioneering Jet Suit and is now developing components for the launch of Gravity’s upcoming eSuit. Gravity wanted to build Jet Suits that blended mind, body, and machine, which ultimately required a material that mimicked organic matter and would enable a flight experience that was both comfortable and safe. Ricoh’s flagship material, polypropylene, ticked every box. Characterized by its strength, chemical resistance, lightweight, and flexibility, the 3D printed polypropylene is a unique product that enables manufacturers to prototype in the end-use material, providing Gravity with much-needed design freedom. According to Browning, the design freedom of 3D printing reduces the Suit’s part count significantly by consolidating several assemblies into one, with far fewer components to glue and bolt than would be necessary with other manufacturing methods. Polypropylene also makes it possible to create multifunctional components, with lots of internal flow parts which move air through the Suit to keep it cool.
3D printed polypropylene is 90% recyclable, lightweight and flexible while still incredibly durable, making it ideal for “taking to the skies,” indicated Mark Dickin, head of Ricoh’s European 3D printing operation. The company’s innovative team helped develop and support advanced manufacturing techniques to custom build the core Jet Suit structure in just 24 hours, a process that previously involved more than two weeks of custom building the core out of aluminum riveting and bolting it together manually. With 3D printing, assembly time has moved from two weeks to two days. By harnessing the unique properties of polypropylene and pushing the boundaries of 3D printing, Dickin says that Ricoh and Gravity are showcasing the disruptive possibilities of the technology: “The Jet Suit is testament to the tenacity of engineering.” The engineer also stated that through their continuing partnership, they are looking to develop components for the launch of Gravity’s forthcoming eSuit. For Gravity’s Chief Designer, Sam Rogers, the joy of 3D printing is being able to incrementally tweak the design between iterations without commissioning all new moldings and without any of the repetitive, time-consuming delays of starting from scratch. Without the need to produce hundreds of prototypes, the process was much simpler, enabling the Ricoh team to focus on overcoming the “impossible” and creating a suit that “perfectly augments” the human body.
Like with the original suit, bringing Gravity’s ambitious novel electric version to life means leverage cutting-edge additive technology. Using Ricoh 3D polypropylene and its capabilities to print large parts, the partners create lightweight and durable components for unique Jet Suits and significantly reduce part count by consolidating several assemblies into one. This fascinating collaboration is making human flight possible very fast. Printing via 3DPrint.com | The Voice of 3D Printing / Additive Manufacturing https://3dprint.com June 30, 2021 at 08:06AM
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3D Printing News Briefs, June 30, 2021: IDM Lab, Weerg, Monocure3D, Carpenter Additive & Link3D, SABIC & Local Motors, Neotech AMT https://ift.tt/2Tlbu70 From a new 3D printer and new materials to integrated software and more, read on for all the interesting stories in today’s 3D Printing News Briefs! IDM Lab Launches PicoFAB 3D Printer Italy-based IDM Lab, formerly known as Lumi Industries, has officially launched its new PicoFAB resin 3D printer, which we first heard about last winter, at the recent Arab Health event. The company created the PicoFAB system with a specific purpose in mind, and that was to offer bioprinting researchers, material developers, and research laboratories a better tool for photopolymer testing. Typically, commercial resin 3D printers require a larger amount of resin to print, but the PicoFAB, which includes a stainless steel, sterilizable, and removable resin tank, has this covered.
IDM Lab says that several universities and laboratories are already interested in using its PicoFAB for materials testing. Weerg Adds Metal Replacement Material to Portfolio Speaking of materials, another Italian company, Weerg, has introduced the latest addition to its range of 3D printing materials, the Extreme Carbon Fiber+PA12 formula for metal replacement. This thermoplastic polymer is the result of an exclusive formulation developed by the platform’s R&D department, and optimizes all the advantages of two the materials it’s made of, offering excellent chemical resistance, dimensional stability, and advanced mechanical properties. The material, available in a natural black finish, has a performance similar to aluminum 5083, and has higher stiffness and XYZ flexural strength than PA12 alone, thanks to the addition of the carbon fiber, and also absorbs very little moisture, which helps it deliver optimal performance in all conditions. Weerg has implemented six FDM 3D printers dedicated to producing this new Extreme material.
The release of Weerg’s new Extreme Carbon Fiber+PA12 is supported by a promotional campaign, complete with discounts for customers looking to test out its performance, and the company also announced that it will soon add additional materials to its range. Monocure3D Introduces DEEP BLACK to Pro Materials Another company, Monocure3D, also has a new material it’s introducing: DEEP BLACK, for its PRO range. Once parts and models printed with this material have been cleaned and post-cured, they’ll have a smooth matte finish, and even with super-thin 2 mm walls, will feature a solid, dense, ABS plastic look. The resin was formulated with the company’s in-house urethane base for improved longevity and durability, and is supposedly easy to print, with a low failure formula of 4 x 30s base / 3s normal layers settings on its Mono printers and 4 x 60s base / 10s normal for the RGB printers. Because this is a new material, stock is currently limited, but you can also order direct from the company’s resellers: FEP Shop in the Netherlands, 3DDeliver in Germany, and Atome 3D (soon) in France. Quote request Are you looking to buy a 3D printer or 3D scanner? We're here to help. Get free expert advice and quotes from trusted suppliers in your area. Powered by Aniwaa
Carpenter Additive Integrates Link3D into Daily Workflow Moving on, Carpenter Additive has integrated Link3D into its workflow to help refine its team communications and project management; the latter detailed the news in a case study. Because Carpenter Additive experts support customers with a variety of end-to-end manufacturing services, including specialty alloy atomization, metal 3D printing, powder lifecycle management, heat treatment, and services focused on materials data generation, the company was in need of a good way to consolidate its data. Integrating Link3D into its daily workflow allowed Carpenter Additive to develop a more centralized digital thread and data hub, resulting in 22% productivity improvement at manufacturing centers, 14% first print quality improvement, and over 12 hours a week in project management efficiencies.
SABIC & Local Motors: 3D Printing Recycling Study Next-generation vehicle manufacturer Local Motors and chemical company SABIC partnered up to complete a joint study on the feasibility of recycling leftover thermoplastic parts and shavings in order to improve the circularity of large-format additive manufacturing (LFAM). At the moment, there isn’t an established value chain—locating, collecting, and transportation—for reclaiming and reusing post-print LFAM scraps and parts, and degradation from multiple heat cycles is a possibility when it comes to reusing LFAM materials, which breaks down polymer chains, reduces fiber length, and generally affects performance. In the study, SABIC and Local Motors looked into more sustainable ways to landfill these large 3D printed parts, which included analyzing the post-print mechanical properties of SABIC’s LNP THERMOCOMP AM reinforced compound, which Local Motors uses. They found that material from post-production parts and scrap could potentially be reused in LFAM or other manufacturing processes, like injection molding, up to 100%, and help determine a path to circularity and a longer life for LFAM materials. But, gaps in the recycling value chain must be filled to make this a viable option, which will require a collective effort from the overall LFAM community.
You can check out the full case study here. Additionally, SABIC will be putting together a report of detailed data from the study. Neotech AMT’s Project for AM Methods of Producing Mechatronics 3D printed electronics company Neotech AMT GmbH announced the launch of EU Penta Project AMPERE, in which a consortium of research and industrial partners from Germany and the Netherlands will develop scalable hybrid 4D manufacturing processes for the production of multifunctional mechatronic systems. The consortium partners for this project, which runs until March 31st, 2024, will work together to develop and combine 3D printing technologies for scalable manufacturing of these smart 4D mechatronic products, first for small series and then mass-customized products, while working towards scaling up to high volumes of over 10,000 parts. Smart processes will be used to create novel products that have a combination of integrated electrical, mechanical, and optical functionalities, and by the end of the project, the team will present three product cases—LED luminaires, signal/power electronics, and medical devices—in order to demonstrate their hybrid manufacturing approach.
Printing via 3DPrint.com | The Voice of 3D Printing / Additive Manufacturing https://3dprint.com June 30, 2021 at 07:36AM Greg Morriss Vertex Manufacturing Adds VELO3D Sapphire to Increase Productivity of 3D Printed Parts6/30/2021
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Greg Morris’s Vertex Manufacturing Adds VELO3D Sapphire to Increase Productivity of 3D Printed Parts https://ift.tt/2URW7n0 Industry newcomer Vertex Manufacturing continues to add some of the best 3D printing equipment to its growing facility in Cincinnati, Ohio. The advanced manufacturer and full-service machining shop announced the addition of its first VELO3D Sapphire additive manufacturing (AM) solution to support the growing demand for 3D printed, production-ready metal parts. The full-stack machine will be installed in July 2021 and set up to print metal parts in Inconel 718, a nickel-based superalloy known for its superb tensile strength when subjected to extreme pressure and heat. The Sapphire system will join Vertex’s robust lineup of advanced manufacturing systems, like GE Additive’s M2 metal printer and Stratasys’s Fortus 400mc FDM printer, as well as other CNC machining and manufacturing devices, like the Makino a61nx CNC machining center or DMG Mori CMX 1100 V. Vertex also revealed plans for additional VELO3D solutions based on feedback from existing customers, who value the quality, efficiency and productivity benefits of the production line. Demand for 3D printing “impossible” metal parts is on the rise. As a result, service bureaus capable of producing complex designs that cannot be made with traditional manufacturing techniques are witnessing exponential growth. This is due to an increased demand for customized production parts and on-demand services from several industries, like aerospace and defense, healthcare, oil and gas, and automotive. Moreover, adding VELO3D metal AM solutions aligns with Vertex’s vision to become the premier global supplier of additive metal printing services and capabilities. Driven by co-founder Greg Morris, a pioneer in the metal 3D printing industry, Vertex has achieved some major milestones since its founding in 2020. However, Morris’ history with 3D printing dates as far back as 1994, when he founded Morris Technologies (MTI), also in Cincinnati. The company introduced the first metal sintering 3D printer to North America, and along with its sister company Rapid Quality Manufacturing (RQM), they were pioneers in the field of metal AM. Driving adoption of this disruptive technology is not new to Morris. After GE Aviation acquired both MTI and RQM for their technical capabilities in 2012, they became one of the building blocks of what is now GE Additive. Morris remained with GE through 2018, where he was one of their additive technology leaders. He now serves as CEO of Vertex Manufacturing, born out of the desire of Morris, and fellow AM pioneers Steve Rengers and Tim Warden, to leverage their AM and technology backgrounds to help companies solve some of their most difficult problems. Where Morris Technologies primarily focused on prototyping use cases, Vertex was created with a mission to help customers who need advanced manufacturing solutions for both development and production programs, offering a range of services, including advanced multi-axis CNC machining, AM, rapid castings, and final inspection of manufactured parts. Vertex’s manufacturing facilities were recently certified in record time as ISO13485 for medical device quality management systems. In addition, it had previously been awarded AS9100 aerospace quality certification and was approved for defense articles under the International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR), ideal considering Vertex’s customers include the Department of Defense (DoD). Quote request Are you looking to buy a 3D printer or 3D scanner? We're here to help. Get free expert advice and quotes from trusted suppliers in your area. Powered by Aniwaa The startup’s latest addition from VELO3D is expected to provide the capability to create production parts that would be “impractical or impossible using other methods,” said Morris. In addition, the veteran 3D printing expert believes the new AM solution from VELO3D means “customers will have even more freedom to design and engineer some of the most complex geometries imaginable.” After all, helping customers leverage the most advanced manufacturing technologies and push the boundaries of what is possible is why Morris teamed up with Rengers and Warden to create Vertex Manufacturing.
As one of the leading AM solution providers of high-value metal parts, VELO3D is known for engineering previously impossible geometries so businesses can make mission-critical parts without compromise. Therefore, VELO3D’s metal laser powder bed fusion technology is very attractive. The California-based company has earned a good reputation with its Sapphire technology and working with high-profile customers like Honeywell Aerospace, Boom Supersonic, and Aerojet Rocketdyne. In March 2021, VELO3D announced plans to go public via a SPAC merger with JAWS Spitfire Acquisition Corporation and released the Sapphire XC large-format 8-laser 3D metal printer. Founder and CEO of VELO3D Benny Buller revealed he was inspired by the founding members of Vertex when he founded the company back in 2014 and even tried to work with them, but said, “we were too early and had not proved our place in the market yet.” Nevertheless, Vertex’s decision to use VELO3D’s product today “speaks to the real and transformational capabilities of the 3D printing company” in the metal manufacturing industry, concluded Buller. Printing via 3DPrint.com | The Voice of 3D Printing / Additive Manufacturing https://3dprint.com June 30, 2021 at 07:18AM
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Andi Rosenthal https://ift.tt/3ycYHlZ After studying Sociology and Graphic Design, Andi Rosenthal, currently a Vienna-based artist, focused his output on drawing, painting both canvas and walls, and some “crazy” animation projects before he landed on the planet of print. “In my opinion Print is a very down-to-earth kind of art. It has always been used to tell stories, give people information and illustrate stuff. Print is less exclusive than abstract paintings or sculptures which seem to get their worth as symbols of distinction and investment for the rich few. Print is not made for the rich few – it is not such an asset class – so it’s not an art form confirming inequality.” Andi makes art about the people and for the people; expressing his thoughts about the state of the world, society, and human nature in a fairly simple way so that the art can be easily understood. He comments; “…for me Printmaking is just the technical consequence of my thoughts on society”.Having created everything from digitally animated and 3D collage music videos, to Risograph-printed zines, and copper engravings, Andi certainly doesn’t stick to one style or discipline. His output can be described as a mixture of abstract Expressionism and Comic Art. However, these identifications are not important to him, as he describes; “I was always fascinated by different techniques and for me its not possible to adopt one specific style in every technique. I prefer to stay open for new experiences and to see how different techniques are influencing my artwork. There’s nothing more satisfying than to be surprised by yourself. That’s more important to me than satisfying expectations following a certain understanding of what is art.” After printing a lot of linocuts in oil over recent years, Andi is currently experimenting with monotype, mezzotype, lithography, and copper engraving. He concludes; “I’m writing down my thoughts and the topics I want to tell, draw some sketches to find an expression for them, continuing experimenting, discover new techniques and see what will happen. Surprising results are always welcome!” www.andreas-rosenthal.at Printing via People of Print https://ift.tt/2DhgcW7 June 30, 2021 at 05:56AM
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Weird Euros https://ift.tt/3ybil1o As the Euros rumbles on, the age-old marriage between beer and football seems stronger than ever—even in the face of unusual circumstances like enforced pub table service and not legally being allowed to belt out Three Lions. For this year’s European Championships, artists and designers including David Shrigley, Chris Simpson and Pentagram have created beer mats that illustrate the “weird, funny and esoteric moments” from the tournament’s history. The project, Weird Euros, has seen 20 individual creatives and studios creating beer mats, including Jack Renwick Studio; illustrator, author and podcast host Ben Tallon; Barcelona-based Hey Studio; illustrator and printmaker Aleesha Nandhra; animator and illustrator Dan Woodger; textile artist Robyn Nichol; football-crazy illustrator Isobel Mehta and artist, co-founder of Juicy Food Porn, Hungry Castle and Cool Shit, Kill Cooper. The mats are being sold to raise money for grassroots football charity Goals 4 Girls under the Adidas Football Collective, which aims to open up the game and use football as a catalyst for change in local communities. Weird Euros is the brainchild of graphic designers Gordon Reid and Callum Stephenson. Reid heads up London-based studio Middle Boop, and has worked with the likes of record label 4AD, Red Bull, Warp records and Google; while Stephenson runs an eponymous collaborative studio based in West London with previous and current clients including men’s health start-up Manual, Wizkid, Native magazine and Adidas. The genesis of the project began in 2018 when the pair were discussing their favourite World Cup moments, including Diana Ross missing the penalty in 1994, and John Barnes rapping. Noting that there was a fair bit of weird stuff that accompanied what actually happened on the pitch, they wanted to make something that celebrated those stranger bits of football history. Reid and Stephenson decided to celebrate those little snippets of sort-of-sporting-related history and invite 20 of their favourite designers to create beer mats, dubbing the project Weird World Cup, and selling the collection. Weird World Cup went on to raise around £20,000 for charity. This time, we’re promised that the collection illustrates even “weirder moments from previous European Championship” printed onto beermats and “an even stranger list of artists.” The entire collection of 20 beer mats is on sale for £27.50; 10 mats with either David Shrigley or Chris (Simpsons Artist) are on sale for £15 per set. You can buy them here. The full list of artists participating is as follows: David Shrigley, Chris (Simpsons Artist), Genie Espinosa, Dan Woodger, Ben Tallon, Maaike van Neck, David Oku, Raj Dhunna, Astrid Stavro/Pentagram, Jack Renwick Studio, Aleesha Nandhra, Hey Studio, Mina Owen, Isobel Mehta, Israel Kujore, Bratislav Milenkovic, Robyn Nichol, Justin Poulter, Marcus Møller Bitsch, and Kill Cooper (Cool Shit). Printing via People of Print https://ift.tt/2DhgcW7 June 30, 2021 at 05:12AM
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Swiss Chemical Giant Sika Introduces Concrete 3D Printer https://ift.tt/3x6sdth If there was any doubt that additive construction was becoming a serious sector, those doubts should be eliminated now. Sika Corporation has unveiled its own concrete 3D printing technology. Tackling this emerging market, Sika has introduced its own concrete 3D printing system, including material supply, mixing technology, patented print head, printer, and software control. With annual revenues of nearly $9 billion, Sika AG is a multinational chemical company headquartered in Baar, Switzerland. It employs over 25,000 people across more than 100 countries, manufacturing products related to bonding, sealing, reinforcement and more. The firm has among the earliest and largest to get involved in concrete 3D printing, with projects dating back to at least 2017, when it was involved in the additive construction of a concrete canoe. By 2018, it was winning awards for its concrete 3D printing technology and, in 2020, it partnered with Pikus Concrete to introduce its technology to the U.S. Founded in 1999 in Utah, Pikus has developed a significant amount of experience related to casting concrete before taking the bold step to adopt additive construction technology with Sika. Now, the firm’s 3D printing subsidiary, Pikus3D will be the first to deliver Sika’s finished product in the U.S. market. Sika lists its technology as capable of 3D printing up to five meters in size at a rate of one meter per second, with accuracy of less than one millimeter. Using the technology, the company has delivered a number of projects that range in scale from tables and benches to a “learning garden” at a Galloway Elementary School in Jackson, Mississippi. Though they have yet to (publicly) jump into the construction of complete homes, one interesting detail to note is that the Pikus projects have much more refined detail than many structures fabricated with other concrete printing techniques. The layer lines look to be an intentional design feature, rather than an unfortunate byproduct of the construction method. As Sika expands in the U.S. by commercializing its technology, it has added two members to its 3D Concrete Printing team, which is currently led by Kyle Loyd, Executive Vice President of Concrete & Waterproofing for Sika. Lyndsay Castle will be joining the division to manage sales and marketing, while Noah Callantine will manage field service activities and process improvements. Sika is one of the few established materials and construction firms involved in the 3D printing space. After accomplishing a number of firsts in Europe, PERI Group, which owns a minority stake in COBOD, has been taking its activities to the U.S. PERI Group has annual revenues of nearly $2 billion and employees about 9,500 people. However, both Sika and PERI are dwarfed Saint-Gobain, a $41-billion, 350-year-old firm that recently took over a concrete 3D printing factory from its partner BAM in the Netherlands. We’re still at a phase in additive construction where firms are more about showing off their chops than deploying the technology in a very meaningful way. For that reason, we’re seeing projects geared toward “firsts”, including “first entirely 3D printed community”, and other applications that are sure to garner media attention. When we see more practical, impactful uses, such as larger wind turbine bases than can traditionally be cast, for the technology is when the real value of additive construction will be discovered by builders on the whole. Given the experience of Pikus in concrete casting, they may be a valuable partner for demonstrating these useful applications. Printing via 3DPrint.com | The Voice of 3D Printing / Additive Manufacturing https://3dprint.com June 29, 2021 at 08:33AM
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GE’s 3D Printed Heat Exchanger Survives Unbelievable Temperatures https://ift.tt/3A5QZff In 2019, through the Advanced Research Projects Agency (ARPA-E), GE Research and several partners embarked on the use of metal 3D printing to produce more efficient heat exchangers. These devices, designed to efficiently transfer heat from one matter to another, are increasingly made with 3D printing nowadays due to such technological benefits as better design customization and reduced corrosion. Now, GE Research and its partners have reached a major milestone in the $3.1 million Ultra Performance Heat Exchanger (UPHEAT) project, 3D printing a heat exchanger capable of operating at temperatures of 900°C (1,652°F). Lana Osusky, Lead Engineer at GE Research, believes that new material and design breakthroughs enabled by 3D printing are partially to thank for this achievement. “The design freedom afforded by 3D printing processes and design tools is allowing us to more rapidly develop, build and test new heat exchanger designs that were previously not possible,” stated Osusky. Heat exchangers perform crucial functions in our daily lives that one might not even be aware of, such as reducing the temperatures of your computer, car engine, and other assorted electronics. They’re also key to conditioning the air you breathe when on an airplane. GE and others require heat exchange devices for large-scale jet propulsion and power generation in efficient, clean ways. A major objective of this interdisciplinary project through ARPA-E’s High Intensity Thermal Exchange through Materials and Manufacturing Processes (HITEMMP) program is to create a high-pressure, high-temperature, and super-compact heat exchanger. These devices need to handle excessive heat in order to enable cleaner, more efficient power generation in power plants and jet engines. If you can run jet engines and power turbines at hotter temperatures, you get higher efficiency levels, which also reduces costs overall. Now, the project experts from GE Research, Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL), and the University of Maryland have announced that the subscale heat exchanger they created with 3D printing has been successfully tested at temperatures more than 200°C (nearly 400°F) higher than conventional state-of-the art devices, and meets the project’s goal of 900°C (1,652°F). Not only would a heat exchanger like this help to reduce carbon emissions in large-scale power generation and flight, but it could increase efficiency as well. What’s interesting about the final geometry is that, after the team designed, simulated, built, and tested a variety of subscale prototype devices, the selected unit resembles a cluster of grapes. This unique design was able to handle the higher temperatures and pressure that the project required, ultimately achieving nearly half the target pressure of 3,626 psi.
Actually, it’s not the heat exchanger itself that resembles grapes, but rather the design’s composition of thin-walled cells, which you can see in the video below: Osusky said that the UPHEAT project team is on track to build and demonstrate its final 3D printed heat exchanger prototype, which is supposed to operate at full temperature and pressure—over 1,650°F and 3,600 psi—by the end of the project in Q1 2022. (Source: GE Research) Printing via 3DPrint.com | The Voice of 3D Printing / Additive Manufacturing https://3dprint.com June 29, 2021 at 08:33AM
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PASSAGE: Printmaking Solo Exhibition by Kelly Belter at CSB Gallery (Busan) https://ift.tt/3x4nxEd Illustrator and printmaker Kelly Belter’s first solo exhibition opened in Busan this month at CSB Gallery, running from June 5th to the 30th. The exhibition, titled Passage, explores the stages of the creative process through various forms of printmaking. The gallery is broken up into several distinct sections, which seek to reflect different parts of the creative cycle: initial ideas, first experiments, frustrations and successes, and finally the recycling of old work in efforts to begin all over again. Likewise, each section of the gallery tells its own small story. The left side focuses on the cyclical try-fail-rest-repeat that coincides with new ideas. Meanwhile, the long, central wall bears spreads from a picture book that tells an original creation myth. The installation on the right-hand side depicts the process of overcoming final creative hurdles and the excitement of calling a piece of work finished. Finally, a wall of Risograph prints encompasses the idea of recycling old work into new as the creative process starts all over again. As the gallery is an open space, without interfering walls, visitors are encouraged to circle back on the process themselves and to begin again, finding themselves back where they started: the initial idea. The process represented by Passage is exploratory. Kelly communicates this through her own explorations of form. She includes several mixed-media pieces and a collection of different printmaking processes and materials. Screen prints on linen, archival, and traditional Korean papers are featured as well as large-scale monoprints that are accented by patterned paper weaving. Textile artwork and ceramics also find their way into the gallery in the form of a long tapestry or a series of collages-turned-prints, respectively. Passage means to move through, journeying between one place and another. Similarly, the exhibition emphasises that the process, not the product, is at the centre of our creative experience. ‘Passage’ wanders through the inner creative landscape […] before cycling through the process all over again. The exhibition explores the evolving relationship between the creator and their creations through various forms of printmaking. Together, silkscreen, Risography, mono-printing, and collage narrativize different parts of that constant journey. Organised through local culture and arts magazine, Angle Magazine, Passage is taking place until June 30th at CSB Lounge and Gallery in Busan, South Korea. Printing via People of Print https://ift.tt/2DhgcW7 June 29, 2021 at 08:03AM |
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