When you love someone, you want everybody else to be able to see them as you do; to appreciate their beauty, personality, fun loving nature, or whatever other characteristics you admire. This is especially true of the love you feel for your children. Not only do you want others to love them because you do, but you want others to love them so that they are surrounded by that love and grow up in its warm embrace. It can be devastating to find out that somebody else can’t see how wonderful your child is and particularly so when the other person is unable to see the child for who s/he is because of a physical difference.

It was this desire to help others look past a physical difference that inspired father Ryan Weimer to make a particularly fantastic costume for his three-year-old son Keaton, who has Spinal Muscular Atrophy. The costume incorporates Keaton’s wheelchair and used it to build a mobile boat around the child’s wheelchair. The reaction to the costume was immediate, as Weimer explained:

“People seemed to look past his ‘disability;’ they looked past his wheelchair and saw this cool kiddo cruising around in a pirate ship.  Where normally other kids who didn’t know Keaton would stare from a distance, this costume created an immediate and intense level of inclusion. Kiddos swarmed him in his pirate ship costume! That experience was amazing for all of us. As a dad, I looked with tears in my eyes as I finally was able to see people looking at my son like I do.”

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It was in that moment that Weimer had an flash of inspiration: there are all kinds of children out there who could benefit from these kinds of amazing costumes that he had created for Keaton. This led to the development of the non-profit Magic Wheelchair with the goal of, “building epic costumes for kiddos in wheelchairs – at no cost to families.” That’s an idea that’s hard not to love and the folks on the Gigaprize judging panel were no exception.

re:3D is a company that produces and sells Gigabot 3D printers, capable of printing at enormous sizes, with build volumes starting at about eight cubic feet — their printers create objects up to 30 times larger than typical desktop 3D printers. So it comes as no surprise that they are no strangers to thinking big. The company is also devoted to using the power of 3D printing for good. Each year for the past three years they have reviewed numerous applications from a variety of compelling contenders for the next winner of a free Gigabot 3D printer. This printer will help provide even more awesome costumes for kids in wheelchairs, such as the dinosaur and fighter plane that the organization has already created.

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And the awesomeness just keeps on coming, as 3D printing is the easiest way to fabricate these kinds of getups. This past year they created a series of Justice League inspired wheelchair costumes and this year they are planning on working with a Star Wars theme.

But the organization is bigger then just Weimer, it’s a network of DIYers and tinkerers who use plans and resources provided by Magic Wheelchair to help spread the idea wherever it needs to be. That’s another benefit of 3D printing: the files can be disseminated and used wherever there is access to a machine. Weimer already has big plans for his new printer:

“This [3d printer] allows us to do so many things in house: from building kits, to making builds easier, to being able to do really specific detailed pieces and duplicating them for future builds. It really adds to that epic quality that we can kick out. 3D printers are quickly becoming commonplace in fabrication and special effects, so it’s going to be incredible having such an amazing printer in our hands. We have already had some 3D artists reach out to help, and we have a solid connection with Pixologic and the Zbrush community. Sky’s really the limit here!”

This group helped a couple of kids who some might have seen as ‘just’ disabled children not only participate in Halloween, but actually be dragon riders. In fact, they get to do some things that kids without wheelchairs won’t, and turning the table a bit gives both sides an opportunity for the development of empathy, something sorely needed. It’s wonderful to see such an impactful organization get the recognition they deserve and get a helping hand making kids with differences get positive attention for who they are in such a magical way.

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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No one wants to get braces on their teeth. At least, I don’t think so – there may be someone out there who truly enjoys having metal wires and brackets glued to their teeth, but I don’t know anyone. Braces are painful, especially when they’re put on and when they’re tightened. They’re obtrusive, especially if you want to eat certain foods like apples or corn. And they’re embarrassing, especially if you’re a child or adolescent. I speak from experience. There’s another option though: aligners.

Aligners are made from clear plastic that slips over and molds to your teeth, gently straightening them. They’re more comfortable than braces, they’re much less visible, and they’re easier to fabricate than braces traditionally have been. When I got braces and then a retainer, I had to bite down on a tray full of horrible glop to make an impression, which was then hardened and used as a model for my dental gear. Now, all dentists have to do is take a 3D scan of the patient’s mouth in order to create custom aligners.

Aligners themselves haven’t been 3D printed yet; manufacturers are still working on a safe and effective 3D printing material for long-term dental use. But 3D printing is frequently used to produce molds with which the final aligners are formed. One company using this technique is Alignwise Smile Technologies, a Delhi, India-based company that produces clear aligners using advanced technology, as founder Sanjay Pathak fills us in.

Alignwise makes aligners that are nearly invisible, according to the company, and painless to wear. The product line, which is called 32 Watts, is designed by top CAD/CAM designers for fine detail and excellent comfort, as well as effectiveness. The team has a stringent quality control protocol to make sure that the best possible product gets to the customer.

Several companies are involved in the manufacturing process: a 3Shape Trios 3 Oral Scanner is used to take 3D scans of patients’ teeth, while 3Shape software is used for models and planning. Models are 3D printed on a 3D Systems MultiJet Printer, and 3D Systems post-processing equipment is used as well. A Ministar S from Scheu Dental is used for thermoforming, and patient names and product numbers are marked using equipment from SPI. Finally, finishing kits from NSK and Scheu Dental are used to finish the aligners.

Alignwise uses high-grade materials and operates under strict protocols, so customers can be assured that they’re getting a high-quality final product. The 3D scanning and 3D printing process ensures that patients are getting a perfect fit and a piece of dental equipment that will gently guide their teeth into place, without the discomfort of traditional braces. More and more orthodontists are turning to 3D printing for the manufacturing of dental aligners, so companies like Alignwise are seeing a lot of business. Aligners are one more example of how 3D technology is transforming the dental industry, making treatments more effective and patients more comfortable.

Alignwise has been conducting research with universities and has initiated a clinical case study that is showing good progress, according to the company. Although it’s based in India, Alignwise thinks globally and plans to reach other markets eventually. It’s still a brand new company and is in the progress of reaching out to dental and orthodontic offices to make its product available to as many people as possible.

Medical 3D printing is very frequently in the headlines, as it should be, and specifically dental 3D printing is rising to greater prominence. 3D printing is making a difference in many lives through its dental and orthodontic applications, and aligners are one way in which the technology is making a huge day to day difference. There are many wonderful applications of 3D printing, and in my opinion, the elimination of braces is right up there.

Discuss this and other 3D printing topics at 3DPrintBoard.com or share your thoughts below. 

[Images: Alignwise]

NASA and Aerojet Rocketdyne have been working together for several years now to make RS-25 engines for the Space Launch System (SLS) heavy-lift rocket. Numerous updates have kept us intrigued, along with December’s eighth and final hot-fire test.

While the RS-25 was already extremely powerful, engineers have made some high-tech modifications to the engine for NASA, to include a 3D printed pogo accumulator assembly. This is their largest 3D printed rocket component so far and is similar in size to a beach ball.

The RS-25 engine is a design that has been functioning for over 40 years by NASA, used previously as main engines on space shuttles with 100 percent thrust. These levels have continued to rise due to requirements for launch. Now, NASA reports that they have powered the RS-25 to its highest level, at 113 percent thrust. Once again, this third full-duration test took place on the A-1 Test Stand at Stennis Space Center in Bay St. Louis, MS.

The test lasted for over 260 seconds total, and the SLS engines were at 113 percent for over half the time. NASA plans for four of the RS-25 engines to be used (providing two million pounds of thrust), along with two solid rocket boosters (with eight million pounds of thrust).

“Through the years, the engines were modified to provide additional thrust to 109 percent of its original designated level. For the larger, heavier SLS rocket, the engines are being modified again to operate at 111 percent of their original power level. Increased engine performance is crucial for enabling SLS missions to deep space as the rocket evolves to be larger and carry astronauts and heavy cargo on a single flight,” states NASA.

As plans for Mars continue, the SLS rocket is slated to carry both crew and ship’s cargo there, as well as to future trips to the moon. The original weight configuration for traveling as far as the moon is 26 metric tons, but that will be expanded to 45 metric tons.

“Increased thrust requirements for the RS-25 are just one of the many changes in the SLS rocket’s performance that will facilitate our nation’s deep space exploration goals and objectives. While we can analytically calculate engine performance and structural capabilities at these higher power levels, actually demonstrating that performance with an engine hot fire provides the added confidence that these engines will meet all specification requirements demanded of SLS,” said Dan Adamski, RS-25 Program Director at Aerojet Rocketdyne.

[Photo: NASA]

Currently, engineers are busy in New Orleans at

. There, the four RS-25s are attached to a core stage that stands 212 feet high.

“In addition to achieving the higher thrust level, the Feb. 21 hot fire also featured a test of an RS-25 flight controller, as well as a 3D printed engine component,” states NASA. “The new flight controller is a major part of the RS-25 modifications, operating as the ‘brain’ of the engine to help it communicate with the SLS rocket and to provide precision control of engine operation and internal health diagnostics.”

NASA has been enjoying the benefits of 3D printing for decades, long before it hit the mainstream and the public was aware of the value of the technology, along with most other industrial leaders, engineers, and designers. And considering the astronomical costs of going into space, savings on budget with 3D printed parts is definitely one of the most enticing aspects—not to mention the ability to create super durable, lightweight parts, and often some that would not be possible otherwise. Along with the 3D printed pogo accumulator assembly, both NASA and Aerojet Rocketdyne will be continuing to test numerous 3D printed components for the RS-25.

“The recent hot fire provided a key maximum flow level test of the current 3D component. Each RS-25 test moves the agency closer and closer to its return to deep space exploration, to such destinations as the moon and Mars,” states NASA. “Earlier this month, the space agency completed testing of all four new RS-25 engine flight controllers needed for the second flight of the SLS rocket. The Exploration Mission-1 (EM-1) flight will test the new rocket and carry an uncrewed Orion spacecraft into space beyond the moon. Exploration Mission-2 (EM-2) will be the first flight to carry humans aboard the Orion spacecraft, returning astronauts to deep space for the first time in more than 40 years.”

NASA and Aerojet Rocketdyne Test the RS-25 Engine for NASA’s Space Launch System at Stennis Space Center [Photo: Aerojet Rocketdyne]

During further testing, NASA also has plans to:

• Evaluate the SLS core stage for the EM-1 mission at the south Mississippi site.
• Install the flight stage on the B-2 test stand.
• Simulate a true launch, firing all the RS-25 engines at one time.

While Aerojet Rocketdyne is the contractor for the RS-25 engines, testing at Stennis is also performed by teams from NASA and Syncom Space Services (the Stennis facilities and operations contractor).

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 or share your thoughts below.

At the end of January 2018, Type A Machines announced that it was closing its doors for good. DesignBox3D CEO Preet Jesrani shares his perspective on what happened, having worked closely with the company for years.

[Image: Type A Machines]

At 1 cubic foot, the Series 1 offered serious build volume for the money. Back then the printer was priced at $2,295 if memory serves me correctly. After a lengthy email exchange and a few calls, I ordered our demo unit for DesignBox3D. It arrived with 4 spools of an unknown pink PLA and we set to work getting to know the machine.

That first demo unit was a disaster for us. Main problems were related to the hot-end they were using at the time – sourced from a 3D printer manufacturer in Ohio, this was simply not a good fit for a machine that was otherwise extremely well designed.

After several email exchanges with tech support, I emailed Espen Sivertsen (Type A CEO) and received an email and then a call back. Espen had a new Series 1 shipped out to me immediately, fitted with the new, all metal G2 extruder that became a core component of the upgraded Series 1’s reliability. There were several product iterations along the way and DesignBox3D sold so many Series 1s in 2015 and 2016 that we became their best performing channel partner.

Along the way, we also became fast friends. We worked closely together and I got to know a majority of the team at Type A Machines. The company was growing and there was a great deal of interest in the Series 1 platform from industry and clients in higher education. A crucial component to ensuring continued success at this stage for any growing company is liquidity and in this area, Type A had a problem. Given that the printers were all actually assembled in their main office/factory from mostly (with the exception of electronics and linear rails, belts, etc.) locally sourced parts, the cost of each machine was too high in relation to the MSRP. Type A revised their pricing for the Series 1 with the G2 extruder to around $2,799 and then again to $3,300 with the launch of the Series 1 PRO.

We loved the printer – a solid and reliable workhorse, it became our benchmark machine for evaluating both new materials and other printers we were considering offering. Given the relationship we had with Type A, we did not experience too many hiccups in terms of lead times on orders placed with them and almost always had our needs fulfilled with minimal delay (there were exceptions of course, but none worth noting). Lead times continued to be high for printers being ordered by end users and there never seemed to be enough cash on hand to order parts to produce machines and make payroll.

I still recall a couple of calls quite well – one was to place an order for stock if I needed any as soon as possible or to buy a set of upgrades/parts in order to help make payroll that was due in a few days. We were happy to oblige whenever we could and those “make or break” moments passed.

At some point in 2016, a new CMO was brought on to join the team and the MSRP was once again raised to help with the continuing cash flow problems. I strongly advocated against such a dramatic increase – the new pricing was $4,095 (a 33% hike) for a machine that didn’t change at all.

Over the course of 2016, Type A moved to contract manufacturing. A company in California took over the manufacturing function and Type A then immediately reduced head count, cutting all manufacturing and assembly staff. Many friends left the company – Espen and Stefani, followed by many others we had worked closely with over the course of the past two years.

Type A Sales dropped like a stone and having seen the problem unfolding in real time, we were ready with a few new additions to our product offerings and did not notice any appreciable hiccup in our operations at DesignBox3D. In December 2016, Type A went through another round of layoffs and while actual headcount was not officially disclosed at that time, I believe that they were down to C-Level staff and some marketing staff. Since manufacturing had already been outsourced, next on the chopping block was R&D staff. Developers responsible for Type A’s ground-breaking version of Cura were let go at the same time as key support personnel.

By 2017, Type A Machines had moved from their spacious offices in San Leandro to a second location with the remainder of their staff. A good friend that had overseen manufacturing worked feverishly to add new features and upgrades to a now aging, but still solid Series 1 Pro – auto bed leveling, an upgraded heated bed, and a reseller designed enclosure as well. It was too late.

Features and functionality of the core platform were no longer a value and competitors had pulled far ahead of the Series 1, which was no longer competitive or current.

A lack of funding had prevented further development of new printers and any meaningful upgrades to the existing Series 1 Pro, which was still being produced by their contract manufacturer.

Type A had stalled. 2017 interactions with the company amounted to nothing more than a series of conference calls and emailed spreadsheets detailing variants of the same machine at different price points and promises of a new machine that was promised in beta form by Q1 2018.

Did Type A Machines have promise? It did.

Did they make a great product? The Series 1 Pro was and still is a great machine.

As an outsider that was very close to the team, there were two key problems at Type A Machines:

First and foremost, there was never enough funding to truly invest in R&D and marketing.
The fatal blow came when absent all the critical ingredients for continued success, the marketing function was allowed to make critical decisions at the company.

This is one partner that we will truly miss.

Discuss this and other 3D printing topics at 3DPrintBoard.com or share your thoughts below. 

[All photos unless otherwise credited: Preet Jesrani]

Preet Jesrani is the Founder and CEO of Ohio-based 3D printer reseller and distributor DesignBox3D.

Albuquerque-based Optomec focuses on additive manufacturing for production with its two patented 3D printing technologies: Aerosol Jet, used to 3D print electronics, and LENS, for high-value metal 3D printing. The busy company has been developing and providing resources on its technologies, as well as growing in size — now with more than 100 employees — and investment, with more than $40 million put into new technologies over the last decade. Optomec has just announced its newest system, the Aerosol Jet HD, the dispense industry’s first 20-micron resolution machine for high density electronics packaging.

While Aerosol Jet technology has been capable of micron-scale innovation for some years, this new system offers an advancement in precision and scalable production solutions that Mike O’Reilly, Director, Aerosol Jet Product Management, told me is intended to “fill in the gaps” in existing production line offerings, as the company continues to work with both “bleeding-edge customers and high-volume users” and is working to “develop additive manufacturing technologies from the lab into the fab.” Speaking last week to O’Reilly ahead of the announcement, made at this week’s IPC/APEX, I had the opportunity to dive into the technology behind the newest offering in Aero Jet.

O’Reilly, who has been with Optomec for nearly a dozen of its 21 years of operation, noted that over the last decade-plus, “We’ve had a lot of developments, a lot of small steps. This is a big step for us, entering the mainstream production market. Those pushing next-generation additive manufacturing will be those adopting this first, and big companies have big needs. A lot of customers come through our labs testing our machines’ capabilities, and I can’t think of one who hasn’t left our lab excited about bringing the tech into their facilities.”

The Aerosol Jet process

This big step is designed to bring Aerosol Jet technology, which saw its first commercial installations in 2004, come to full-scale production operations. While many installations for Aerosol Jet remain geared toward lab and R&D applications, the new Aerosol Jet HD system reflects a “dynamic change we’ve seen over the last two or three years,” O’Reilly explained.

“Our products have matured, and we have more access to more material sets. Large commercial customers were running into challenges for high-volume advanced manufacturing,” he said. “This is a good inflection point where the market was in search of new solutions.”

That inflection point represents a major opportunity for a solutions provider — and Optomec is ready to seize that opportunity.

“I don’t feel shy about saying that our technology is going to be production-worthy in this platform,” O’Reilly told me with confidence.

The technology underlying that confidence represents what he named as the fourth iteration of Optomec’s high-volume platform to hit the market, ready to fit inside standard manufacturing line operations for use in mainstream electronics production. The Aerosol Jet HD is actually a configurable series of in-line digital dispense systems, offering a variety of options to suit a customer’s exact needs in digital dispensing. The HD System works with electronics materials, depositing down to a 20 micron feature size but also capable of larger feature production, from hundreds of microns to millimeters, and can print wide-area confromal coatings in thicknesses from 100 nanometers to tens of microns.

The company is, said O’Reilly, “introducing a next-generation set of capabilities for Aero Jet technology that is plugged into a standard automation platform that is used day in day out at major companies.”

Companies using dispense technology for the production of printed circuit boards (PCBs), printed circuits, flexible circuits, and more could benefit from the industrial plug-and-play offering that is set to integrate directly into an existing production line without disrupting that line, he explained.

The new HD System goes down to 20 microns and allows for the definition of thin layers for coating applications as well as the ability to scale up to wide features.

“In-situ scaling means, in a practical sense, that there are no major overhauls to get from one size feature to the next, just different commands of software and different printhead sizes,” he added.

“Our technology is really about filling the gaps in current production solutions; we’re not trying to displace what’s there. Dispense has been used for many years, and that’s not going anywhere. But packages keep getting smaller, and dispensers have trouble keeping up with those smaller needs. Dispense technology might still work for 80-90% of work for printed or flexible circuits, and Optomec will fill the gap for fine features that customers just can’t get with the current technologies. This all allows us to help our customers get to the next generation of production products.”

The relatively quick changeover in capabilities may come into play in production, though O’Reilly noted this feature may not be as important in these applications as customers are often “running the same materials 24/7,” but for R&D and lab work for large production customers developing their own processes, the easy swap-out capabilities allows for a smooth transition in testing different materials and processes on their own.

In addition to the scalability of the system, a major benefit of the Aerosol Jet HD is its small size.

“The design is pretty compact, which is key in this marketplace. There’s more and more of these systems being installed, and companies are running out of footprint space — so the smaller you can make a design, the better off you are,” O’Reilly said.

The small package offers a big impact in small-scale precision; while competitive systems might put down 150 microns of material, this system puts 20 microns, which allows for less material usage. Additionally, the system was developed to operate for “long periods of time without user interference,” saving on operations costs as well, as rather than a typical run time of one or two hours before switching to a clean syringe system with traditional technologies, this system has been tested at up to four hours running time with the material sets Optomec will be introducing.

“This new generation of dispense capabilities leverages all the work we’ve put into this technology over the last ten years,” O’Reilly told me. “Today we are running in high-volume areas, like smartphone antennas, we have multiple systems putting strain gauges on gas turbine engine blades. We also have lower-volume for folks who want to scale up to higher-volume. All of these have been production-proven — we’re feeling very confident in our technology. Now, real, mainstream production is a big leap for us.”

Strain gauges 3D printed using Optomec technology offer high-performance sensitive operation, expanding on the capabilities of traditional equipment. As Optomec continues to advance its offerings, precision-based applications will continue to benefit.

Enhancing their offerings further is Optomec’s positioning as both a hardware and a software supplier. O’Reilly noted that in his opinion, “It makes sense for the industry and for Optomec to be a process-oriented company, more than just a hardware-oriented company.”

Designed with high reliability in mind, the Aerosol Jet HD System is planned to start (for the standard 100-micron configuration) at a bit less than $150,000, a price that will rise with different configurations. Customer shipments are planned to begin in late Q2 of this year.

Optomec will also be introducing a non-in-line system, which they aren’t focusing on as much during this release; the batch system is targeted at R&D users who can leverage the capabilities of this system as a standard R&D tool, as O’Reilly noted, “There will be some customers who will want the capabilities associated with this platform but don’t care about it from a production standpoint, but for R&D in advanced circuitry and state-of-the-art electronics.”

Additionally, Optomec is working with Micronics for automation. That company is installing Optomec’s Aero Jet technology into their current production automation platform through a partnership, a relationship O’Reilly pointed to as “a real big deal” for Optomec. They’re expecting “good things to come” from this partnership, as Micronics is a recognized name with a global established presence and footprint and Optomec will be able to fill in the gaps their customers are asking for in addressing next-generation problems.

Finally, in this busy season for Optomec, the company has also announced a partnership for their LENS technology. Through a new partnership with HUSUN Technologies, Optomec will be entering the metal additive manufacturing market in China. HUSUN, which has been focused on promoting industrial 3D printing in China for the last seven years, will now operate as a reseller for Optomec LENS Systems in the country. The company has already sold two systems, and Optomec is optimistic the partnership will continue to be frutiful.

Optomec is present in San Diego this week at IPC/APEX at booth #3800. O’Reilly will be presenting a session at 3:30pm today, the 27th, in Hall A, titled “3D Printed Electronics: Are You Ready to Take Your Company to the Next Dimension?” as well as on tomorrow’s “Additive Printing Panel” at 10:30am. Live demos of the Aerosol Jet HD System will be ongoing throughout the expo at the company’s booth.

Discuss scalable 3D printing, production solutions, and other 3D printing topics at 3DPrintBoard.com or share your thoughts below.

[Images provided by Optomec]

Danish R&D company Create it REAL specializes in additive manufacturing, and uses its unique development platform to create 3D printers on-demand for companies interested in disrupting and driving their industries with 3D printing. Create it REAL, well-known for developing the first real-time processor dedicated to 3D printing back in 2013, was founded in 2009 in the Danish Silicon Valley of Aalborg. In its efforts to bring about faster, expanded 3D printing production options, the company has integrated both the MyMiniFactory 3D library and an augmented reality feature into its REALvision slicing software.

Today, the company announces that it has just closed a successful €1.3M investment financing round (DKK 10 million).

“Our goal is to make people more creative thanks to better 3D printers and to build a safe platform where makers, designers, companies will be able to value their creations,” Create it REAL Marketing and Sales Director Ghislain Gauthier told 3DPrint.com.

“There is a strong competition in the 3D printing market where all the startups and larger companies fight to grow. We believe we can help them to overcome their R&D issues so they can focus on selling and support their customers.”

The Danish Growth Fund (Vækstfonden), which provides expertise and capital to burgeoning Danish companies, led the investment funding round. Create it REAL says that the funds raised will be used to speed up and secure 3D printing.

“Create it REAL technology and business model is helping companies worried about using 3D printing to make the jump safely,” said Stig Poulsen, Partner and Area Director at Vækstfonden. “They are solving the intellectual property issue so many companies are afraid of. File integrity, security and quality is at the heart of this project.”

The company sells its platform to corporate end-users and 3D printer manufacturers for various ad-hoc projects, and the major benefit from the patent-pending technology behind the platform is a print speed that’s up to five times faster than that of most standard FDM 3D printers currently on the market.

“This is a strong argument when customers realize how slow 3D printers are, and of course we can print faster with the same quality, no trade-off. Better speed means better ROI and productivity,” explained Create it REAL Founder Jeremie Pierre Gay. “But most important, we recently added an end-to-end encryption allowing our customers to secure 3D files and protect their integrity and IP rights. Files are decrypted only in the printer making sure nobody can access them. It is as easy as listening to music on Spotify where end-users can browse a catalogue and 3D print as much as their subscription allows it.”

The Create it REAL platform was developed and produced in Denmark, and is compatible with both FDM and SLA 3D printers. The most recent version is, according to Create it REAL, “now as competitive as a high end open source board.” The company’s REALvision slicer supports STL and G-code files, and also offers end-to-end encryption support to help solve 3D printing copyright issues and secure designers’ intellectual property.

“The strong interest we are seeing from large companies in the maritime industry looking for a secured platform, confirms our approach is the right one and will appeal to other industries as well. Further solutions under development will soon make 3D printing even simpler, limiting user interaction to a few clicks,” said Gay.

“For the moment, Create it REAL need to expand its 3D printer manufacturers portfolio to meet corporate customers demand in different segments. We have requests for large printers, PEEK printers, Metal FDM printers… so we are looking for manufacturers willing to work with us on these new challenges and open new markets.”

According to Create it REAL, which is always looking to develop strong, long-term partnerships with other companies, the funds raised in the successful investment round will help with efforts to expand its development team, along with its visibility outside of the 3D printing industry.

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

[Images: Create it REAL]

Global oil & gas company Petrus has announced a cooperation agreement with aerospace and underwater robotics company the ECA Group. The partnership will bring together the vast industrial knowledge of Petrus with the technical expertise of ECA to begin offering state of the art underwater inspection and survey capabilities to the Oil & Gas sector using the A18D Autonomous Underwater Vehicle (AUV). The agreement is the largest of its type ever signed by ECA and is the result of several years of research and technological development that the French robotics firm has been conducting in the industry.

The ECA Group designed the A18D AUV to dive to depths as far down as 3000m where it could be programmed to work autonomously for up to 24 hours. Primarily working to carry out inspection missions or to survey and 3D map an area, the A18D can be fitted with a wide variety of sensors, making it extremely adaptable and versatile for a wide range of uses. It can be configured to determine the seabed conditions before beginning construction on large underwater structures, deployed to inspect underwater pipelines or cables, search for wildlife or even document archaeological sites. The A18D is also used by naval forces in search and rescue operations.

The A18D AUV

The A18D mid-size Autonomous Underwater Vehicle is primarily used for deep water applications, specializing in gathering highly accurate 3D survey and scanning data. They can be deployed using airplanes or on-site support ships, and retrieved using standard automatic underwater recovery support vessels. The drone can rage in length from 4.5 meters to 5.5 meters and weigh as much as 690 kilograms. Beyond 3D mapping the A18D can also be equipped with Synthetic Aperture Sonar, as well as a variety of sensors or Sub Bottom Profiling (SBP) systems.

Major advancements in robotics, 3D scanning and drone technology are beginning to make underwater drones much more desirable in undersea operations. While UAVs and other airborne drones and aircraft have been used extensively throughout the Oil & Gas industry to inspect and survey potential drill locations or in use sites for decades on land, the use of autonomous underwater drones is just starting to take off. Not only do drones offer higher-quality data, but they significantly reduce operations cost when compared with traditional industry practices that require larger vessels, more manpower and longer missions. Drones also reduce the risk posed to diving personnel and other underwater operations.

As part of their contract with Petrus, the ECA Group will be leasing several AUVs to them while also providing on-site operational support. For their part, Petrus will primarily be carrying out the mission preparation and data processing side of the scheme. The partnership includes a cumulative turnover of €6 million over a four-year period, with the possibility of increased rates with increased drone usage. Petrus can also commission more A18D AUVs as needed, including other underwater robots in the ECA Group line of products. This includes the A9 portable AUVs (A9-S or A9-E) or the cleaning and inspection ROVING BAT ROVs.

Advanced technologies are continuing to be adopted in the Oil & Gas sector as 3D scanning, 3D printing and more impact business.

Here is a promotional video from ECA Group detailing the wide variety of uses and applications for the A18D AUV:

VIDEO

You can find out more about the ECA Groups line of underwater drones and robotics here, and you can learn more about Petrus here.

Let us know what you think of the growing use of underwater robotics and other 3D technology at 3DPrintBoard.com or share your thoughts in the Facebook comments below.

[Images: ECA Group]

By Otto Madelung – O. W. Madelung: Die spontane Subluxation der Hand nach Vorne. Verhandlungen der deutschen Gesellschaft für Chirurgie, Berlin 7: 259-276 (1878)

The flexibility, ease of use, cost efficiency, and precision of 3D printing has turned it into a power player in the medical world. Every day we read new stories about its use in medicine ranging from the now commonplace to the particularly tricky; there seems to be no corner of medical practice that it has left untouched. Now it’s in the headlines again for having passed another goalpost. This past week marks the first time that 3D printing has been used in orthopedic surgery in the country of Israel.

The patient, a thirteen-year-old Israeli girl, underwent surgery at Jerusalem’s Shaare Zedek Medical Center, to correct a problem in her right hand that resulted from Madelung’s deformity. The condition — named for Otto Wilhelm Madelung, the German physician who first provided its comprehensive, clinical description — is characterized by malformed bones in the wrists, either one or both, that can both be a hindrance to movement and cause radiating pain. Madelung’s deformity can be associated with dwarfism and X-chromosome mutations, though not exclusively.

In this case, the girl arrived at the hospital experiencing pain and restricted movement, and the decision was made to operate after CT scans showed the presence of two distortions in her right arm and one in the left arm. The surgical procedure calls for the creation of an incision in the axis of the bone, followed by the bone’s reconstruction, and then finally ensuring that the bone remains fixed in its new form.

Innovation Lab at the 7th annual Exponential Medicine Conference. [Photo: David Fratto / Media Posse]

In order to aid the surgeons in their creation of the four necessary incisions and in the fixation of the repaired bone, the surgical team worked with

, a company with a proven track record in the production of 3D printed pieces for surgical interventions. The capability of this technology to aid in medical interventions first came to the team’s attention when it was used in Israel to create the tools required to remove a cancerous growth from a young girl’s kidney. Having seen the success in an operation so close to home, Dr. Gershon Singer, head of the Hand Surgery Unit, decided it was just the tool he needed to perform the operation. As Dr. Singer explained:

“We performed four incisions at very precise angles, including the placement of three screws that entered perfectly without deviation from the joint or incision. This is very difficult to complete without 3D printing.”

In order to prepare the 3D printed component, the girl’s arm was scanned in order to create a digital model that would allow the medical team to analyze the areas of concern from all angles. After careful study, planning for the needed surgical guide and brace were undertaken. The information for the form of the surgical tool was then passed on to the company so that they could build the appropriate file to be printed and ready for use in the operating room. The guide was then placed on the arm during surgery using magnets, providing invaluable assistance in the creation of a nearly foolproof procedure.

The surgery on the girl’s right arm having gone successfully, plans are now underway to correct the deformity in her left arm. In the meantime, the girl reports increased movement capability and a reduction in pain, making it likely that this will become the new standard method for undertaking procedures such as this one.

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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The industrial 3D printing technology direct metal laser sintering (DMLS) is a powder bed fusion process that could potentially change the way parts are manufactured. The process can be used to help engineers and product designers reduce assemblies with multiple parts into single components, and it works well when printing many objects with similar geometries, like implants and dental crowns. DMLS is a good method for applications in the aerospace and medical fields, and has been used to print everything from bike parts to hydraulic components.

However, it’s not foolproof – supports have to be designed and later removed, due to the thermal stresses the part is under during the process, and it can be tough the first couple of times to get a totally new geometry to print properly. Additionally, part costs can be higher, and build volumes are limited when comparing DMLS with DED technology.

That’s why Indiana-based Atlas 3D worked with the technology group at ITAMCO (Indiana Technology and Manufacturing Company) to develop and commercialize Sunata software, which is designed to take all of the trial and error out of metal additive manufacturing, particularly when it comes to DMLS 3D printers. Sunata automatically selects the optimal orientation for a part, and generates support structures as well, getting rid of the long and expensive simulation process.

The secure, cloud-based software software helps 3D metal printing designs quickly and accurately evolve into successful builds, thanks to its patent-pending Thermal Circuit Network (TCN), which breaks the print design into layers that are thermally similar, before then dividing these layers into thermally similar segments.

[Image: Atlas 3D]

Then, the TCN uses its thermal modeling algorithm to ensure the optimal orientation and support structure for a given design. While other orientation and simulation programs make users input their own estimates for the best supports and orientation, Atlas 3D’s TCN figures these out ahead of time, so users can have a successful 3D build each time.

The joint ITAMCO and Atlas 3D team recognized the unfilled need of balancing reduced print times with minimal distortion, and wanted to profitably 3D print viable components, instead of only prototypes. So they developed Sunata, which allows users to scale their requirements from less distortion and longer print times to tolerable distortion and reduced print times.

Simply download the .STL file for your design right into the program to automatically receive the best orientation and support structures.

The software also helps users print their designs profitably, as it can provide the total print time and amount of sintered material a certain design will require – this results in an accurate cost-to-print data.

[Image: Atlas 3D]

Sunata software streamlines the DMLS process, and can be used with many different metal feedstocks. Now, it’s the first AM software platform to test out the newest metal powder, high-strength

(AMS 6509), from Integrated Computational Materials Engineering (ICME) company 

.

“ITAMCO is a long-time manufacturer of high-quality gears and is an early adopter of Ferrium C64 steel powder for Additive Manufacturing applications,” said Jeff Grabowski, QuesTek’s Manager of Business Development. “Atlas 3D’s incorporation of Ferrium C64 steel into the Sunata system will enable others interested in C64 to more efficiently begin building components with this high-performance steel.”

The material can achieve a surface hardness of 62-64 Rockwell C (HRC) through vacuum carburization, and is high temperature- and fracture-resistant. Ferrium C64 steel powder could potentially be used to make more lightweight, reliable, and temperature-resistant transmission gearboxes for industrial companies like Sikorsky and Bell Helicopter, both of which are evaluating the material as a replacement for Alloy X53 (AMS 6308) under an Army-funded Future Advanced Rotorcraft Drive System (FARDS) program.

ITAMCO, which already uses Sunata software and the EOS M 290 3D printer to manufacture components and open gearing for many heavy-duty industries, is also interested in the steel powder, which can help lower maintenance costs for industrial products like racing transmission gears that value compactness, durability, and high-surface fatigue resistance.

[Image: QuesTek Innovations]

“As metal additive printing continues to grow, so too does the need to add new printable powders. The thermal characteristics of these new powders; however, present their own unique set of challenges. ITAMCO is one of many Atlas 3D customers to benefit from our forward-looking move to add this exciting new material to the list of available metals in Sunata,” said Chad Barden, CEO of Atlas 3D. “As with all of the other materials, our customers can successfully print their designs with the touch of a button…every time. Without question, Sunata bring certainty to the arduous, trial-and-error process associated with the introduction of a new powder.”

Under an Army-funded SBIR Phase I program, QuesTek is also evaluating and demonstrating Ferrium C64 for possible use in 3D printing aerospace gears and fatigue-driven applications.

To learn about how ITAMCO is working with America Makes to help the next generation of engineers develop skills like inspection, additive manufacturing, and 3D software like Sumata, watch the video below.

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The last known thylacine, photographed here in captivity in 1933. [Image via Wikipedia]

In 1936, the last known Tasmanian Tiger died in captivity at Hobart Zoo; locked out of its shelter, it was unable to survive the extreme daytime heat and below-freezing nighttime temperatures of Tasmania to which it was subjected. Since that time, much like Elvis, there have been sightings of the animal in the wild, but none confirmed, and an exhaustive survey conducted between 1967 and 1973 was unable to confirm the existence of a single one of these singular creatures. Their extinction was brought about by a combination of overhunting – a bounty was placed on the animals by the Van Diemen’s Land Company and sentiment against the animal was whipped up with doctored images showing it stealing poultry – the invasion of its territory by humans, competition with wild dingoes, and the introduction of domestic dogs.

The Tasmanian Tiger was actually not related to its feline namesake, but was given the name because of the stripes that ran across the lower half of its back. And while very closely resembling a dog, the last time the two animals shared an ancestor was approximately 160 million years ago. Its scientific name is Thylacinus cynocephalus and it is commonly referred to as the thylacine. Joining the ranks of some of Oceania’s most famous creatures, the thylacine was a marsupial, meaning that it carried its young, known as joeys, in a pouch. In fact, both the male and female had pouches, but the male’s pouch was designed to protect his genitalia as he moved through spiky brush. In addition, the animal had a stiff tail, like a kangaroo, and an impressive maw, which it could open wider than its own head.

Joey specimens. [Image: University of Melbourne]

Museums have a small collection of specimens of this now extinct animal, and because they are marsupials, a small number of those examples have had joeys in their pouches. The number of these joeys though is extremely limited, with only 13 known to exist in collections around the world. Over the years there have been numerous requests to dissect and otherwise study the the little beasts, but all requests have been declined due the damaging nature of such invasive study techniques. However, with the development of non-invasive X-ray micro-CT scanning, it is now possible to take a look inside the babies without doing them the least amount of harm.

The benefits were immediately obvious, as explained by Senior Curator of Vertebrate Zoology, at the Tasmanian Museums and Art Gallery (TMAG) Kathryn Medlock:

“By examining their bone development, we’ve been able to illustrate how the Tasmanian tiger matured, and identify when they took on the appearance of a dog. One of the major advantages of this new technology is that it has enabled us to do research and answer many questions without destruction of the sample specimens.”

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One of the first discoveries that was made when researchers from Museums Victoria and the University of Melbourne began to examine the known specimens was that two of them, from the collections of the TMAG, very likely weren’t thylacine at all, but rather some other form of marsupial baby with a similar early development trajectory. The data gathered from this scanning project has been released in a paper and covers the five critical stages of pouch development for the extinct joeys.

The contents of the paper provide important information about this animal’s development that was not previously available, as described by lead author and University of Melbourne PhD student Axel Newton:

A scan reveals the internal structure of Tasmanian Tiger joeys. [Image: University of Melbourne]

“Our 3D models have revealed important new information about how this unique extinct marsupial evolved to look so similar to dogs, such as the dingo, despite being very distantly related. The digital scans show that when first born the Tasmanian tiger looked like other marsupials like the Tasmanian Devil or the kangaroo. These scans show in incredible detail how the Tasmanian tiger started its journey in life as a joey boasting the robust forearms of other marsupials so that it could climb into its mother’s pouch. But by the time it left the pouch around 12 week to start independent life, it looked more like a puppy with longer hind limbs than forelimbs.”

The digital files for the 3D scans have been made available freely for anyone who wishes to use the data as part of their research or who has simply had their curiosity piqued. 3D technologies are helping scientists to better understand extinct species, as 3D scanning can exactly reproduce anatomies into 3D models that can then be 3D printed to allow for handling and a closer look without damaging delicate bones or fossils.

Unfortunately, the great care being taken now not to damage an animal whose end so clearly came as a result of not just carelessness, but active malice, is too little, too late for the animal, however, there is some hope that we can at least learn something from our recklessness.

[Image: University of Melbourne]

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