We’ve got plenty of business news to share in this week’s 3D Printing News Briefs, but first we’ll start off with something fun – the winners have been announced for this year’s Additive World DfAM Challenge. Moving right along, BeAM is now a Tier 2 member of the ARTC, and PostProcess Technologies has announced improved processing times for SLA resin removal. Protolabs is offering new anodizing services, in addition to teaming up with Wohlers Associates, and Arkema will soon open a new PEKK plant in the US. Continuing with new things, a new AM digital career growth platform just launched, and there’s a new open project call for the European AMable project. Finally, GoPrint3D is the new UK distributor for Mayku and its desktop vacuum casting unit.

Winners Announces for Additive World DfAM Challenge 2019

This week during an awards dinner at the Additive World Conference in Eindhoven, Ultimaker’s Steven van de Staak, Chairman of the 5-member jury for this year’s Additive Industries’ Design for Additive Manufacturing Challenge, announced the two winners and their “inspiring use cases of industrial 3D metal printing.”

Obasogie Okpamen from The Landmark University in Nigeria won first place, and an Ultimaker 2+ 3D printer, in the student category for his Twin Spark Engine Connection Rod. While the connection rod that he redesigned for an Alfa Romeo 75 Twin Spark Turbo engine has not yet been fully tested, he won “because of the example it sets” for distributed localized manufacturing of spare parts with 3D printing. Dutch company K3D took home first place, and an Ultimaker 3, in the professional category for the Dough Cutting Knife it developed for Kaak Group, a leader in the bakery equipment world. The team integrated mechanical parts into the design, which can be 3D printed without any support structures and has improved functionality. The knife sits in a dough extrusion line and due to its light weight less knives and robot arms can do the same amount of cutting. This means that the extrusion line itself is cheaper. Furthermore the knife has been optimized for a cleaner cut with less knife sticking to the dough.

BeAM Joins Advanced Remanufacturing and Technology Centre

Membership agreement signing ceremony held in ARTC

France-based BeAM, which has subsidiaries in the US and Singapore and was acquired by AddUp this summer, is now partnering with the Advanced Remanufacturing and Technology Centre (ARTC) as a Tier 2 member in an effort to expand its research activities in southeast Asia. The center provides a collaborative platform, which will help BeAM as it continues developing its Directed Energy Deposition (DED) technology with companies from the aerospace, consumer goods, marine, and oil & goods sectors.

This summer, BeAM, which also became a member of the Aachen Centre for Additive Manufacturing earlier this month, will install its Modulo 400, featuring a controlled atmosphere system, at ARTC, so other members can safely develop non-reactive and reactive materials. The two will also work to develop process monitoring systems that can expand DED’s range of applications.

PostProcess Technologies Announces New Solution for SLA Resin Removal

A new and improved solution for SLA resin removal by PostProcess Technologies vastly improves process times by 5-10 minutes – quite possibly the fastest on the market. The system can clean up to five times as many parts before detergent saturation when compared to solvent resin removal, and is part of the company’s automated AM post-print offering. The patent-pending solution, which also reduces environmental hazards and preserves fine feature details, was validated with eight different resin materials in several production environments, and uses the company’s proprietary AUTOMAT3D software and SVC (Submersed Vortex Cavitation) technology in the DEMI and CENTI machines.

“PostProcess’ latest innovation of the most advanced SLA resin removal solution in the world reinforces our commitment to providing the AM industry with transformative post- printing solutions enabling the market to scale. SLA is one of the most popular 3D printing technologies in the world. No matter what volume of printing, any SLA user can benefit from the remarkable efficiencies of our solution’s decreased processing time, increased throughput, increased detergent longevity, and improved safety,” said PostProcess Technologies CEO Jeff Mize. “PostProcess has designed the world’s first complete SLA resin removal system, available only from the pioneers in forward-thinking 3D post-printing.”

The new SLA Resin Removal technology will be on display at PostProcess booth P21 at the upcoming AMUG Conference in Chicago. You can also read about it in the company’s new whitepaper.

Protolabs Offering Aluminum Anodizing; Partners with Wohlers Associates

As part of its on-demand production service, digital manufacturer Protolabs is now offering aluminium anodizing in response to demand from customers in need of a single-source solution. Anodizing forms a protective oxide layer by applying a thin, protective coat to the part, which increases abrasion resistance and creates a barrier against corrosion. The company will be offering two levels of this service for Aluminum 6082 and 7075: hard anodizing to ISI 10074 for parts requiring protection from harsh environments, and decorative anodizing to ISO 7599 for parts that need an aesthetic finish. All parts will be sealed, unless they need to be painted post-anodizing.

“Talking to our clients, we realised that if they needed to anodise an aluminium part it was often difficult for them to source and then manage a supplier. They not only have to do all the research and then raise a separate purchase order, but often find that the supplier only accepts large quantities of parts in an order, which isn’t great for low volume runs,” explained Stephen Dyson, Special Operations Manager at Protolabs.

“Keeping the entire production process with a single supplier makes perfect sense for manufacturers. It means they can get their finished parts shipped in a matter of days and our technical team can advise them through the entire process, right from the initial design of the part to the best approach for the final anodising finish.”

In other Protolabs news, the company is partnering up with AM consultants Wohlers Associates to jointly hold an immersive course on DfAM. The class, which is invitation-only, will take place over the course of three days near Raleigh, North Carolina, and will end at Protolabs’ 77,000 sq. ft. 3D printing facility. Olaf Diefel, Associate Consultant at Wohlers Associates, and Principle Consultant and President Terry Wohlers will lead the discussion, in addition to being joined by several Protolabs engineers who are skilled in polymer and metal 3D printing.

“Designing for AM offers unique challenges and opportunities not found in traditional design methods. Protolabs brings tremendous depth of expertise and leadership in 3D printing. We’re thrilled to work together to equip attendees with technical skills and manufacturing knowledge needed to unlock the full potential of additive manufacturing,” said Wohlers.

Arkema Opening New PEKK Plant

Arkema, one of the largest specialty chemical and advanced materials developers, has been busily producing polyetherketoneketone, or PEKK, in France. But this coming Monday, March 24th, it is celebrating its new Kepstan PEKK plant near Mobile, Alabama with a ribbon-cutting ceremony.

The durability and customizable abilities of PEKK make it a good material for a variety of 3D printing purposes. Monday’s event will take place from 10:30 am to 1:30, and will also include VIP comments and lunch. The increased volume of this PEAK material will shake up the high-performance polymer market making PEKK a viable alternative to PEEK and PEI.

New AM Digital Career Growth Platform Launched

A free interactive platform to help AM professionals enhance their skills and fulfill career opportunities is now launching. i-AMdigital, which counts HP as one of its backing partners, is a joint venture between AM industry recruiter Alexander Daniels Global, digital venture company TES Network, and web and UX design company De Wortel van Drie. The platform was created to develop a growing AM talent pool, and uses smart matching and AI to offer customized career advice, courses, training, and job opportunities.

“There just isn’t enough talent out there. At the same time the learning and development landscape for additive manufacturing is very fragmented. This makes it difficult for individuals and organisations alike to access courses that can help them upskill. i-AMdigital solves both problems through our digital career growth platform,” said CEO and Co-Founder Nick Pearce of Alexander Daniels Global.

“It is an essential tool for the AM industry that will allow talent to grow their career and make an impact in additive manufacturing. It will provide organisations access to a growing and educated talent force to address their hiring needs and a marketplace for learning and development that can help them upskill their existing workforce in the latest technologies.”

AMable Launches Second Open Project Call

The AMable project, which receives funding from the European Union Horizon 2020 research and innovation program, has just launched its second project call for proposals and ideas that can be applied to AM. The project is continuing to look for new ways to innovate on services for mid-caps and SMEs in the EU, and chosen teams will receive support from the AMable unit.

AMable is a Factories of the Future (FoF) project participating in I4MS (ICT for Manufacturing SMEs), and is working to increase adoption of AM technologies through the EU. The project will build a digital model that will provide unbiased access to the best AM knowledge in Europe in an effort to support this adoption. For more details on the call, visit the AMable site.

Express Group Appointed New UK Distributor for Mayku

GoPrint3D, a division of Express Group Ltd, has just been named the new UK distributor for London startup Mayku. The startup created a desktop vacuum casting unit called the FormBox, which is a handy partner for your 3D printer. Once you create a 3D printed mold, you can put it inside the compact FormBox, which is powered by any vacuum cleaner and works with many materials like wax and concrete, to cast a series from it – putting the power of making in your own hands.

An architect forming a dome template on the FormBox.

“We are thrilled to have partnered with Express Group on our UK and Ireland distribution, building on our existing servicing and repair relationship,” said Alex Smilansky, Mayku Co-Founder and CEO. “When we founded Mayku, our goal was to bring the power of making to as wide an audience as possible. The partnership with Express Group will allow us to deliver a first-class making experience to more people than ever before.”

Another dynamic collaboration is in the works as General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, Inc. has selected GE Additive as a consultant in their latest mission for accelerating and strengthening their metal 3D printing and additive manufacturing processes.

GE’s consultancy division, AddWorks^TM will be teaming up with GA-ASI as they begin reaping all the benefits of 3D printing with metal to include the ability to make extremely strong, powerful, reliable parts that may not have been possible previously.

“This is a great fit for us, because GE has already been through a similar journey. We get where GA-ASI is at and where it wants to go. By offering our learnings and in-depth knowledge of the aerospace and defense industry, we will be able to assist them in leveraging metal additive with our methodical, systematic approach, that meets the exacting requirements of the sector and their aggressive goal to grow the impact of additive within their application space,” said Jason Oliver, President & CEO, GE Additive.

GE Additive AddWorks is comprised of over 200 team members specializing in engineering and manufacturing. As consultants to GA-ASI, they will use their knowledge in AM processes, advising the Poway, California-headquartered company in:

• How to introduce AM into their business overall
• Related industrialization issues
• Part certification processes
• Materials characterization
• Production readiness strategies

“Some of our AddWorks consultants are responsible for designing and then industrializing many of the additively manufactured aerospace parts that are in service today. So, they are very well-placed to accompany GA-ASI in accelerating their additive journey. We’re honored to secure this engagement and look forward to helping them drive successful outcomes and their competitive advantage,” he added.

Many other industry leaders are making similar forays into both investing and committing to progressive new ways of manufacturing such as AM. Although there may be a significant initial investment for large companies engaged in industrial manufacturing, actual parts usually cost exponentially less, and can be both designed and produced on demand in low-batch volume.

While larger companies such as GE and GA-ASI may already have firm control in-house for research and development, design, and production, AM processes at the ready mean that engineers can use scanning technology to replace parts that may have become difficult to procure or are actually obsolete and impossible to find. Changes can be made quickly, and new iterations can be fabricated and tested immediately, meaning there is little interruption to workflow—whether products may be created for maintenance and replacement or are completely new innovations.

While GE is known for their own additive manufacturing facilities and innovations, GE Additive has been behind many exciting projects where they offer their expertise to other industry leaders and researchers, to include working with University of Sydney in metal 3D printing, Vera in securing 3D printing workflow, and partnering with automotive leaders like Honda.

What do you think of this news? Let us know your thoughts; join the discussion of this and other 3D printing topics at 3DPrintBoard.com.

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3DPod is a unique, entertaining and hopefully thought-provoking podcast about 3D printing and Additive Manufacturing. We look at the 3D printing market in the broadest sense and hope to give you new 3D printing insight. In this episode we discuss the Fourth Industrial Revolution. What does this term mean? How realistic is it? And what is happening now?

3DPod is brought to you by Joris and Max: 

Joris Peels is the Netherlands-based Editor in Chief of 3DPrint.com, the #1 source for 3D printing news and industry resources.  Joris has more than a decade’s experience working for 3D printing companies including Shapeways, Materialise, Formlabs, Ultimaker, MakePrintable, Hewlett Packard. Joris lives, eats, sleeps and dreams 3D printing and tries to give a dose of realism and truth to the hype surrounding 3D printing.

Maxwell Bogue is Co-Founder and Inventor of the 3Doodler, the world’s first 3D printing pen and one of the most successful Kickstarter projects of all-time.  Once described by the Huffington Post as “the happiest man at CES” Maxwell has been invited to keynote and speak at events worldwide including LeWeb, Tech+ and CE Week, both on the 3D printing industry and getting companies off the ground.

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Podcast (podcast-audio): Play in new window | Download

University of Missouri thesis student, Christopher John Glover, explores the use of 3D printed structures in bioprinting, outlining his findings further in ‘In Situ Polymerizing Collagen for the Development of 3D Printed Tissue Engineering Scaffolds.’ Extolling the virtues of collagen while also discussing challenges in using it, Glover explains that this natural material has been a favorite in tissue engineering, demonstrating excellent protein structures for ventures in the lab.

“Nearly all tissues in the human body contain collagen including skin, muscle, nerves, vasculature, tendons, ligaments, and even bone. Skin, for example, is 80% collagen by mass. Due to this abundance, collagen is extremely biocompatible and versatile,” states Glover. “With the proper mechanical and chemical stimuli, stem cells seeded on collagen scaffolds have the potential to differentiate down a myriad of cell lineages and become nearly any tissue in the human body.”

There can be difficulty in using collagen for some types of tissue regeneration though, and other disadvantages such as the amount of time it takes to progress from a gelatinous state to a solid.

For this project, Glover studied the manufacturing of 3D collagen-based scaffolds which he enhanced with a variety of anti-inflammatory agents such as gold nanoparticles and curcumin. Specifically, he used in situ polymerizing collagen (IPC), a unique material derived from Type 1 porcine collagen. In experimenting, he performed different post printing treatments on the test groups. Some were just left in their basic 3D printed state, which others were crosslinked without AuNP or curcumin or with either 1X or 2X AuNP or curcumin. Characterization was performed in evaluating stability of each scaffold and then noting its viability, along with which types of treatment were most successful.

Tasks for ascertaining viability were as follows:

• To 3D print uniform and reproducible collagen-based scaffolds
• To examine the thermal properties of the crosslinked scaffolds
• To verify and quantify the presence of gold nanoparticles in the crosslinked scaffolds
• To evaluate the cytotoxicity and anti-inflammatory capabilities of the gold nanoparticle and curcumin scaffolds

The six experimental groups were:

• Uncrosslinked
• Crosslinked
• AuNP
• Curcumin
• 2X AuNP
• 2X curcumin

“The uncrosslinked group exists to examine the effects of crosslinking alone; the AuNP and curcumin groups exist to determine the effects of each bioactive agent; the 2X AuNP and 2X curcumin groups exist to exacerbate those effects, for better or for worse,” stated Glover.

Glover customized his own 3D printer, assembled from a CNC milling machine, with translational stages manipulated by three stepper motors. Mach3 Mill software was used in design and editing. The two most common 3D prints made during the study were a grid pattern and circles used for cell assays. Glover found that resolution was not optimum with his hardware but thought it could be finer on a higher-performance printer.

The 3D printer features a 3D printed holster to house the syringe pump and is seen here printing a circular grid pattern

The Mach3 Mill software interface features many functions not utilized in
our 3D printing process, such as the tool information and spindle speed boxes.

Crosslinking with EDC or genipin proved to enhance both stability and durability of the 3D printed scaffolds.

“By comparing the application of EDC crosslinking during printing versus post printing, it was found that crosslinking post printing yielded significantly greater stabilities than crosslinking during printing,” stated the researchers.

The collagen-based scaffolds crosslinked with EDC exhibited ‘superb cell viability,’ although Glover pointed out that gold nanoparticles seemed to decrease success in viability somewhat. Genipin also decreased viability, which plummeted further with the addition of curcumin.

“As previously stated, collagen alone is a fragile material and even after crosslinking can deteriorate if over-handled. If this platform is to be utilized to produce implantable scaffolds, the durability of the collagen would need to be markedly improved. This could be accomplished by printing the IPC along with another material or by further post-print manipulation of the collagen other than simply crosslinking,” concluded Glover, who goes on to state that printer resolution would need to be improved, along with enhancing of the anti-inflammatory capabilities of the printed products.

3D printing with collagen has been of great interest to researchers lately, including uses in artistic masks, bioink, and skin grafts. Read more about collagen in tissue engineering here. What do you think of this news? Let us know your thoughts! Join the discussion of this and other 3D printing topics at 3DPrintBoard.com.

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“Solar energy is by far the largest resource, amongst renewable energy sources, providing our planet with more energy in one hour than all of the energy consumed by humans in an entire year.” [1]

3D printing and energy combined create a lot of excitement in the research realm, with obvious and vast potential to be tapped—all at a fingertip’s reach within the lab. In ‘Additive manufacturing of photoactive polymers for visible light harvesting,’ authors Adilet Zhakeyev, John Tobin, Huizhi Wang, Filipe Vilela, and Jin Xuan delve further into the possibilities, 3D printing photosensitizing structures for singlet oxygen generation.

In their recent work, the authors developed customized photoactive resins for SLA 3D printing of continuous flow reactors—made from photoactive polymers. They were able to demonstrate how the addition of a photoactive monomer in SLA resin can allow for more advanced 3D printing, resulting in reactors for generation under visible light irradiation.

As the team of researchers point out, being able to use solar light in chemical synthesis is a common goal among scientists.

“In recent years, it was demonstrated that conjugated porous polymers (CMPs) are well suited for light (solar energy) harvesting applications, such as photogeneration of singlet oxygen,” state the researchers. “By incorporating a photoactive material into a polymer backbone, self-quenching effect can be potentially mitigated due to reduction of the concentration of photoactive material (when compared to the CMPs).”

With the use of continuous flow microreactors, challenges in batch photochemistry can be overcome, with 3D printing presenting itself at the perfect time for eclipsing more conventional methods that are holding science back currently, including:

• Soft lithography
• Injection molding
• Etching (glass and silicon)
• Hot embossing

Traditional techniques are more limited, require more labor on the part of the user, and are more time consuming and expensive. As further research evolves in microfluidic applications, SLA has proven itself ‘promising,’ especially because it allows scientists to make complex geometries with freedom not only in design but production too.

As is common in 3D printing, however, the materials for specific projects are not yet always available. Because of this, materials science is expanding significantly as manufacturers and scientists create new materials and methods. Currently, there are just a small number of polymers available in commercial SLA materials.

“It was reported that the use of light absorbers, tailored to the light source of a SLA printer, can result in improvements in resolution of the prints and allow flow channel miniaturization, without the need for any changes in hardware, making it useful for microfluidic device fabrication,” say the authors.

CMPS can be used to improve resolution, as well as adding photocatalytic functionality, say the researchers, who focused on creating bespoke photoactive resins for expanding the use of SLA 3D printing further. They used a Form 1+ SLA 3D printer, testing the prepared 0.5 wt% St-BTZ resin and printed samples created with a layer thickness of 25 μm. They also customized the Form 1+ so that the resin tank’s tilting motion and build platform were removed. The CAD file (Creo Parametric 3.0) was created with 25 panels, ranging from 50 to 1250 microns.

“This work provided an insight into how development of bespoke photoactive resins can enable the application of SLA in fabrication of continuous flow photoreactors, where a photo-active unit is directly incorporated within the polymer matrix,” concluded the researchers. “St-BTZ was successfully incorporated into a commercially available SLA resin, which was subsequently used to fabricate a 3D photosensitizing continuous flow reactor prototype for singlet oxygen generation.”

“Results indicate that even with a small concentration of St-BTZ (0.5  wt%),  SLA  fabricated  small  scale  (0.1  ml)  photoactive  continuous  flow  reactor  shows  activity  in  photosensitization  of  singlet  oxygen  synthesis  under  visible  light irradiation (420 nm). 5.7% conversion of 2-furoic acid to 5-hydroxy-2(5H)-furanone via the photosensitization of singlet oxygen was achieved after 5 hours cycling of reaction solution.  Future work will involve design and fabrication of larger volume photoreactors with intricate flow features and development of SLA resins to produce organic solvent resistant structures.”

a) working curve displaying measured panel thicknesses for a given energy exposure dose for curing Formlabs Clear resin with and without St-BTZ; b) liquid state UV/vis absorption spectra of Formlabs Clear resin with and without St-BTZ.

You may be surprised to find out how integrated 3D printing has become in areas like energy and chemistry, with researchers making use of the technology for affordable flow systems, oscillatory baffled reactors, and 3D fluidic devices. Find out more now about customized photoactive polymers here. What do you think of this news? Let us know your thoughts! Join the discussion of this and other 3D printing topics at 3DPrintBoard.com.

solid state UVvis absorption spectra of 3D printed films with and without St-BTZ; b) SEM image of a 3D printed sample containing 0.5 wt% St-BTZ.

a) CAD image of 0.1 ml photoreactor; b) image of a 3D printed 0.5 wt% St-BTZ 0.1 ml photoreactor; c) 1-NMR spectra of the mixture of 2-furoic acid irradiated at 420 nm with cycling for 5 hours (NMR conversion: ~ 5%) in D2O, peaks at 7.73, 7.31, 6.63 ppm attributed to 2-furoic acid, 7.48, 6.32 ppm attributed to the 5-hydroxy-2(5H)-furanone.

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3D printing is starting to break into the mainstream, and in 2018, the global additive manufacturing market was estimated to have generated revenues of $9.3 billion. By 2020, it could grow to nearly $14 billion. 3D printing is gaining popularity due to its ability to enable rapid prototyping, reduce production costs, increase supply chain efficiency and manufacture unique items. It also has the potential to be a more sustainable method of manufacturing.

Reduced Shipping Needs

With mass manufacturing, materials, parts and final products are often shipped long distances, creating significant levels of carbon emissions. With 3D printing, however, you can manufacture goods closer to the end user. Retailers can produce items in stores, manufacturers can make replacement parts for machinery on-site and consumers can even print items directly in their homes. This dramatically reduces the distances goods must be shipped.

Reduced Waste

Another major benefit of 3D printing is its ability to help companies reduce their waste. In CNC manufacturing, up to 70 percent of the materials used to fabricate parts can end up as scraps. With additive manufacturing, rather than cut away parts of a larger piece of material, you create the product by laying down material layer by layer. This means there’s no scrap and no waste. Reducing the amount of resources used has a positive environmental impact and also helps reduce costs.

Sustainable Material Options

Manufacturers that use 3D printers can choose among various sustainable, recyclable and environmentally friendly solutions, particularly with the evolving. While plastic is a common material for 3D printing, some researchers are developing printing methods using natural materials, primarily water- based or cellulose-chitin material.  

Two of the most common materials used for printing plastic items are ABS and PLA. These materials become soft and malleable when they’re heated, meaning you can reuse material from old products to create new ones using a 3D printer. Regrinding ABS and reusing that as a 3D printing material is already being done. ABS is not nearly as environmentally friendly as PLA being a petroleum-based material. It can be reused multiple times, however. PLA is made from plants, most often corn. PLA is not perfect, seven liters of water are needed to make the material and corn is a food source. A PLA made from agricultural waste would be far superior. In other materials such as PET 3D printing materials have been successfully made from post-consumer recycled plastic bottles (mixed with around 10% new PET). Researchers are also looking into ways to use other natural substances as 3D printing material, such as algae, coffee grounds and cellulose, which is a structural component of plants’ primary cell walls.

Reduced Energy Use

Although exactly how 3D printing adoption on a large scale would impact energy use is still uncertain, some studies suggest that it may reduce energy consumption over the lifecycle of a product. In one study, researchers from Michigan Technological University analyzed the energy required to print objects with a 3D printer compared to what was needed to manufacture them in a factory overseas and ship them to the U.S. The researchers found that printing the items took between 41 and 64 percent less energy. Part of this reduction was because 3D printing doesn’t require as much material, and part of it was due to the reduced need for shipping.

Not only that, but additive manufacturing also offer the opportunity to produce renewable energy sources. Sandia recently 3D printed solar cells that receive solar power up to 20 percent more effectively than current technology using high-termperature nickel alloy Iconel and a powder bed fusion. Sandia is only one example of applications for additive manufacturing in the energy industry.

Environmental Challenges

There are also some environmental challenges associated with 3D printing. Using a 3D printer results in the emission of nanosized particles that could be harmful. The emission rate is similar to activities such as cooking on a stove, burning scented candles or smoking a cigarette indoors, one study noted. It’s advised only to use a 3D printer if you have proper ventilation.

The environmental impact of 3D printing an object is also significantly influenced by the type of material used. If you use plastics that are environmentally harmful, the impact will be much higher than if you use a sustainably produced material. Fixing this issue will require a broader change in the materials used in manufacturing.

The additive manufacturing sector is still young, but it has a lot of potential to help manufacturing become more sustainable. Companies and consumers must make a conscious effort to make sustainability a priority in matters related to 3D printing.

Bio:

Emily is an environmental and manufacturing writer. You can read more of her work on her blog, Conservation Folks.

3D printed polymers could potentially replace metals in multiple applications, such as in the aerospace and medical fields. However, expensive material waste issues are slowing down the development and widespread adoption of high-performance plastics. Belgian startup Aerosint has a very different approach to multi-material powder deposition, in that it selectively deposits powder material from a rotating drum that passes over a build area. This mechanical system replaces the normal powder recoater in SLS and SLM 3D printers, so that two or more ceramic, metal, or polymer powders can be deposited in one layer with spatial selectivity.

Last month, Aerosint partnered up with Aconity3D to advance multi-metal 3D printing applications, and now it’s announced a new research collaboration agreement with advanced materials and specialty chemicals company Solvay, which is also headquartered in Belgium. Together, the two companies will work to develop an SLS 3D printing process for specialty high-performance polymers that’s economically viable.

“SLS machines that can process high-temperature-polymers are carefully designed and assembled with sophisticated and expensive components. However, at present, there is a significant operating cost disadvantage during the build, which is the excessive waste of up to 90 percent of ‘used-but-unfused’ powder. Our patented spatially-selective, multiple-powder deposition system under development incorporates a non-fusible support material in each layer where expensive high-performance polymers are not required, thereby reducing material waste to very low levels,” said Edouard Moens, the Managing Director of Aerosint.

Aerosint, established in 2016, employs seven people, and is a spinoff company from the startup studio M4KE.IT Group. So it’s a big step up for the company to partner with the Brussels-based Solvay, which employs about 27,000 people in over sixty countries around the world.

Solvay is deeply committed to developing chemistry that will address important societal challenges; for example, its performance chemicals improve air and water quality, while its formulations optimize resource use and its lightweighting materials promote cleaner mobility. At last year’s RAPID + TCT event, the company launched the first high-performance filaments – PEEK, PPSU, and CF – for FFF 3D printing, which was a big step forward for high-performance 3D printing.

High-performance polymers from Solvay, like its Ryton polyphenylene sulphide (PPS) and KetaSpire PEEK, could potentially lead the way in introducing demanding applications in 3D printing. But, the adoption of these materials with important powder fusion processes, like SLS, is still limited.

“As with all innovative, ground-breaking technologies there are many challenges to overcome. One of them is to develop and fully optimize high-performance AM polymer powders for use at high temperatures alongside non-fusible materials in a multi-powder deposition process. Not only will this technology make 3D printing of high-performance polymers more affordable, it also will open up its enormous potential to become a competitive industrial process for AM system manufacturers in the medical, aerospace and automotive sectors,” said Brian Alexander, the Global Product and Application Manager for Additive Manufacturing at Solvay’s Specialty Polymers global business unit.

Aerosint and Solvay have actually already been cooperating for more than two years to offer each other support, along with advanced fusion, material, and process expertise, in their ongoing joint efforts to develop this high-performance material technology. This newly announced research collaboration agreement is just the next step.

Discuss this story and other 3D printing topics at 3DPrintBoard.com or share your thoughts in the Facebook comments below.