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Facebook Page vs. Website: Which One Should You Pick? https://ift.tt/3sJWUmG Social media networks started with the simple goal – connect people with their friends, colleagues, and family. But, this has changed a lot in the last few years. Businesses have become key players in the modern social media experience. That’s particularly true for the case of Facebook. With billions of active monthly users, no business can afford to overlook Facebook. But then, the popularity of this social media platform has led to several debates. One of them is whether websites are still important for businesses, given the traction that Facebook pages can generate. The short answer is yes – you still need a website. Below, I’ll share six reasons why your business needs a website as much as it needs a Facebook page, if not more. You also want to stick around until the end, where you will discover a tool that can create a professional business website without any coding. Table Of Contents 1. A website gives you more control over customer experienceRelying on a third-party site like Facebook comes with many perks. There’s no doubt about that. However, there is always a tradeoff, and one of the most significant ones is the lack of control. No matter how much you customize your Facebook business page, they control how customers see and interact with your brand. You can customize your Facebook business page all you want. But at the end of the day, the Facebook blue will still dominate whatever branding styles you’ve chosen, and they always define the layout. That means that you will never be able to tell your story the way you want to on Facebook. Another issue you may find is that Facebook’s centered on posts and comments. If you’d rather run a blog instead, Facebook posts with their limited organic reach are not going to be sufficient. Of course, none of this will be an issue when you build your own website. With a website, you can present your brand however you want. Customizing customer’s interactions with your company becomes so much easier as well. More importantly, you will never have to worry about the Facebook terms of service or algorithm affecting your company’s performance. The need for control is, in fact, one of the biggest reasons why you really need a website. You simply cannot have enough control when you’re operating on someone else’s platform. 2. A website builds your business’s credibilityThere’s a good reason why even small businesses go to the trouble of building a website – they want the credibility that comes with owning one. The truth is, anyone can create a Facebook page, populate it with fake data, and even buy thousands of likes or reviews to make us believe they’re a legitimate company. But if you’re deciding whether or not to put your credit card details in, you’ll likely look up the company name before placing an order. And if you find nothing other than their Facebook page, the chances are you won’t trust them with your money. A well-designed website showing off the branding and providing detailed information on the company about us and contact us pages would on the other hand serve as an instant credibility boost. 3. Google has the biggest share of online searchesAs of 2018, Google accounted for roughly 69.03% of online searches in the United States. Do you know what percentage of searches were made from Facebook? It was 1.05%. Don’t get me wrong, 1% is pretty impressive, considering Facebook is a social network first, not a search engine. But do you really want to ignore the over 90% of searches done through Google, Bing, and DuckDuckGo? Can you even scale your business without the traffic from these search engines? Having your own website allows you to target and try to rank for search terms that are relevant to your business. Through your marketing efforts, you can increase brand visibility, generate leads, and grow your sales. You won’t be able to tap into that search traffic with a Facebook business page. 4. Facebook terms of service can affect your businessOnce you decide to operate your business page on a third-party site, you have to work within their terms of service whether you like it or not. What’s even worse is that platforms like Facebook update their terms of service, and the algorithms that make your content appear, all the time. So the policies that appeared conducive when setting up your business page could change at any moment. What happens if the terms no longer favor your business model? Well, your only options are to continue with the unfavorable terms or shut down your page altogether. And you know what? Facebook will still make billions whether you choose to stick around or close your page. Running your own website puts you in charge of the terms and conditions. No longer will you be tied down or subjected to the ever-changing policies of third-party websites. That means you can worry less about the policies and focus on giving your customers the best experience. 5. The competition on Facebook is stiffThe competition on Facebook is high. First, you have to battle it out with other businesses for customer’s attention. As more companies create Facebook pages, the competition becomes even hotter, forcing brands to invest in ads. Now, you would think that paying for an ad is enough to capture the customer’s full attention. It isn’t. The other form of competition comes from the fact that Facebook is a social network. People are primarily on the site to connect with friends and family. So while you may get your ad on someone’s screen, there’s always a possibility that they will scroll right past it to watch their friend’s latest post or story. There’s little to nothing you can do about that. If that’s not bad enough, you also have to worry about Facebook algorithms. Organic reach on the Facebook platform has been dropping for years now. One of the reasons this is happening is to encourage businesses to subscribe to the pay-to-play model of social platforms. Bigger companies may have no problem with this. They have the financial muscles to pay for ads throughout the year. But for small business owners with limited budgets, running ads round the clock is far from ideal. So, how is owning a company website different? First, know that getting your website to rank is not an easy feat. It takes a powerful SEO strategy and lots of patience. However, once your site starts to rank and the traffic comes in, you’ll command more attention from your visitors. Also, people will end up on your website because they are looking for something you have to offer. That means they’re likely to give you more attention. The same can’t be said for Facebook, where users want to catch up with their friends’ Facebook posts and not click on unsolicited ads. Finally, you can capture those leads on your site. Once a subscriber is on your email list, you’ll never need to pay a third-party site to connect with that person again. 6. You need more than one marketing channelLastly, you need a website simply because you can’t rely on your Facebook business page alone. Look around you; every forward-thinking business is taking a multichannel marketing approach. Why? Because they want to maintain a commanding online presence. But do you know why a company website is particularly crucial in a multichannel marketing campaign? A website is a perfect centerpiece for all your marketing channels. Use paid ads, podcasts, youtube, Facebook, and other social media platforms to drive traffic to your website. The site should then showcase your products and services. It should be the ultimate place where your leads convert to paying customers. To help make my point, I will use the following two images – the Facebook page and Rory’s Story Cubes website. By looking at these images, where do you think it’d be easier to convince a visitor coming from a paid ad to buy their product? For sure, having the ability to customize the website’s layout, along with the placement, copy, and color of the call to action, would help get a better return on ad spend than if they were to send off users to their Facebook page. Facebook page vs. website – is this the question you should be asking?I hope that by now, I’ve made it clear that the Facebook page vs website question doesn’t make much sense. You should have both, not one or the other. Facebook offers too many benefits for you to ignore it:
At the same time, it limits you in ways that make it a risky move to put all your eggs in one basket:
A website is a need for your business. It helps you overcome the above-mentioned issues and provides many more benefits, like access to detailed analytics data with information about how people interact with your site, who referred them to you, or how long they stay on each page. Setting up your business websiteA few years back, one could have argued that a Facebook page was better than a website simply because creating a page is easier and cheaper. The argument doesn’t hold any water anymore. is easy and cost-effective. Modern website builders provide tools like drag-and-drop editors that have simplified the process. With these builders, you won’t need to write even one line of code. Everything is so intuitive, meaning virtually anyone can set up a professional website with powerful landing pages. A good example of a website builder that fits the description is GetResponse. GetResponse Website Builder is a code-free website creator powered by AI. It provides various tools that will help you set up your site in minutes. You will, for example, get templates that you can customize extensively using a simple drag and drop editor. They also have templates for different industries ranging from restaurants and real estate to law firms and affiliate websites. Finding the perfect fit for your needs should, therefore, be a straightforward task. Check out this video showing just how easy it is to create a website with GetResponse: It’s also worth noting that GetResponse is more than just a website builder. It also provides marketing tools of all kinds that can help you promote your business. It has tools for email marketing, paid ads, marketing automation, pop-ups, live chat, and so much more. Bottom lineLook, a Facebook page is vital for every business. The social media platform has billions of active users that you simply cannot ignore. And besides lead generation, Facebook also provides a channel to engage with your target audience and build meaningful relationships. But does that mean a Facebook page should replace your business website? No, it doesn’t. You still need a website for the many reasons we’ve covered in this post. So, do not put yourself in the position of having to choose one or the other. Just crash the whole website vs Facebook page debate because your company needs both. And the fact that Facebook is free and you can build a professional website without breaking the bank means that there is really no reason not to have both. Now, what are you waiting for? Printing via GetResponse Blog https://ift.tt/2Xap2TD August 25, 2021 at 07:45AM
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ICON’s Concrete 3D Printing Tech Receives $207M in Funding https://ift.tt/3gyFlRT Within the same month, ICON unveiled a 3D printed Martian habitat and the largest 3D printed structure in North America, a barracks for the Texas Military Department. Now, the additive construction startup has been infused with another $207 million to push the boundaries of its technology even farther. With the new Series B raise, the company has garnered a combined $266.5 million in funding over the course of six rounds.
Among U.S. additive construction firms, ICON has demonstrated some of the most success. It has 3D printed over 24 homes and structures in the U.S. and Mexico, more than other businesses in the space. In 2021, it put its first 3D printed houses on sale in the mainstream housing market via U.S. developer 3Strands. ICON has also released its most recent Vulcan 3D printer, which can print up to 1.5 times larger and two times faster than its predecessors. The system can produce structures up to 3,000 square feet in area. Additionally, the company unveiled its Exploration Series of homes, including the energy efficient “House Zero”. In total, ICON has experienced 400 percent in revenue growth almost every year since it was founded in 2017.
The Series B was led by Norwest Venture Partners, whose managing partner, Jeff Crowe, will be joining the startup’s Board of Directors. Participating in the investment round were 8VC, BIG-Bjarke Ingels Group, BOND, Citi, Crosstimbers, Ensemble, Fifth Wall, LENx, Moderne Ventures and Oakhouse Partners.
Obviously, the startup is experiencing significant momentum, but the massive investment demonstrates the excitement around additive construction as a whole. ICON faces competition from firms domestic and abroad. Flashy startups like Mighty Buildings in the U.S. are gaining a great deal of media attention, while construction giants such as Saint-Gobain and LafargeHolcim explore the technology, as well. We also can’t forget the PERI Group, COBOD, and China’s WinSun. Fortunately, not only does ICON have a new infusion of funds, but also the support of the U.S. government, which has partnered with the Austin startup through NASA and the Department of Defense. As it continues to grow at its rapid pace, ICON promises more exciting projects, ranging from social housing and disaster relief to mainstream homes, as well as technology for 3D printing habitats on the moon and Mars. Printing via 3DPrint.com | The Voice of 3D Printing / Additive Manufacturing https://3dprint.com August 25, 2021 at 07:36AM
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AM Investment Strategies Profile: Shapeways https://ift.tt/3gzb4lN The week before RAPID + TCT 2021 kicks off in Chicago, the half-day SmarTech – Stifel AM Investment Strategies 2021 summit will be taking place virtually on September 9th, 2021, focused on 3D printing market activity and the industry’s current investment environment. AM experts from 3DPrint.com, SmarTech Analysis, and Stifel will be discussing topics such as venture and private equity, investments, and M&A in the public and private markets with other industry leaders, such as Shapeways CEO Greg Kress, who took over leadership of the New York City-based 3D printing service and marketplace from co-founder Peter Weijmarshausen in 2018. The company, a spin-out of the lifestyle incubator of Royal Philips Electronics, was first founded in 2007, and made major headlines when it announced in April of this year that it would be publicly listing on the market with special purpose acquisition company (SPAC) Galileo Acquisition Corp., with help from strategic investor Desktop Metal.
With ISO 9001-compliant manufacturing facilities in Eindhoven and Long Island, Shapeways uses automation, digitization, and innovation to make 3D printing accessible to everyone, offering a varied selection of materials and technologies--additive and otherwise—purpose-built software, and speedy, cost-effective delivery of 3D printed products. The digital manufacturing leader is continuously working to improve and expand its marketplace and partner network, as well as streamlining and making improvements to its design platform, adding features like an embed code widget for 3D printed products, a 3D model scaling tool, currency conversion, and making it easier for designers to customize their models. Due to the fact that it’s on a mission to “democratize creation for everyone,” with its on-demand 3D printing and design service being used to make everything from jewelry, TV prop weapons, and gaming merchandise to surgical models, electric shavers, and more, obviously the legal side of things is very important to Shapeways. The company’s bread and butter is based on user-developed content, and it has spoken out on multiple occasions in support of net neutrality, and also published a whitepaper a few years ago about the various ways copyright protections do and do not exist for 3D scans. Shapeways has provided input several times to the US Copyright Office about copyright infringement, and made its feelings known about infringement accusations on models from their 3D design marketplace. It also teamed up with several other organizations that regularly deal with intellectual property (IP) issues, including Formlabs, and asked the Supreme Court in 2016 to come up with one clear test for determining what can and can’t be copyrighted, citing the now infamous Star Athletica v. Varsity Brands case as the reason this type of IP law needed some clarification. The company has not only partnered with many of the biggest names in our industry, but also some of the most recognizable brands and businesses in the world, including Target, Google, Hasbro, Etsy, and others. Shapeways has also continued to raise funds and venture capital over the years, and has a lot of strong investor support, in addition to a scalable financial model.
Shapeways CEO Greg Kress will be speaking with several other industry experts during the second half of the day at the upcoming SmarTech – Stifel AM Investment Strategies 2021 summit, discussing topics such as his firm’s SPAC merger. You can register for this free virtual discussion here. Printing via 3DPrint.com | The Voice of 3D Printing / Additive Manufacturing https://3dprint.com August 25, 2021 at 07:06AM
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Orange-ade https://ift.tt/3B9HvPB Orange-ade, aka Adrian Read, is an illustrator, graphic designer, and printmaker based in Aberdeen, Scotland. Through his pseudonym Adrian provides companies and businesses with branding solutions in both digital and physical form. Much of his inspiration for personal projects comes from a mixture of life experiences, travelling, people met, and stories shared. Adrian’s designs and ideas are brought to life through prints, greetings cards, writing sets, tote bags, and even enamel pin badges. Orange-ade’s graphic design work predominantly focuses on the creation of bespoke logo designs, stationery, packaging, and promotional materials. However, with the illustration side of his business Adrian has the opportunity to work in a much more fluid way: “people commission me to create pieces with no limits or restrictions, giving the freedom to explore my ideas and experiment with concepts to push things that bit further”. For example, his piece, Attractive, was originally a commission to produce artwork on a public canvas, as part of Aberdeen City’s Painted Doors project. “The brief was completely handed to me as an independent illustrator to create something that was true to my signature style and subject matter,” says the designer. All of Adrian’s work begins organically in sketchbooks; rough graphite drawings of multiple ideas and annotations then turn into more refined biro pen prototypes of the final outcomes to follow. These are then scanned in and brought to life through digital software using geometric shapes, block colours, typography, and various textures. His work utilises a variety of media and printing techniques including screen print and his newly acquired hot foiling machine. This crossover between digital and analogue processes is one of the main driving forces behind his work.
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GE Aviation Announces 100,000th 3D Printed Fuel Nozzle Shipped from Auburn Plant https://ift.tt/2XUd2H1 GE Aviation has been busily 3D printing fuel nozzles for jet engines since 2015, reaching a total of 30,000 3D printed fuel nozzles at its Auburn, Alabama additive manufacturing center in 2018. But now the company has announced a new milestone—it’s officially shipped a total of 100,000 3D printed jet engine fuel nozzles out of the Auburn plant, which was the first mass-manufacturing site to use AM technology in fabricating aircraft engine parts when it first began printing the nozzles back in 2015.
GE Aviation explains that the fuel nozzles 3D printed at its Auburn plant are subsequently installed in the CFM LEAP (Leading Edge Aviation Propulsion) engine, a product of GE and Safran Aircraft Engines‘ joint venture CFM International. The engine, which celebrated 10 million flight hours earlier this year and is designed to power commercial aircraft that require 20,000-35,000 pounds of thrust, first began flying in 2016, and offers operators 15% better fuel efficiency than earlier jet engines were able to achieve. Each engine, depending on the specific model, features 18 to 19 3D printed fuel nozzles that are complex, yet completely dense, and created much faster, with less material waste, than traditional methods could allow.
GE Aviation was able to use 3D printing to reduce the number of parts in the tip of one fuel nozzle from 20—which were welded and brazed together in the past—down to a single piece. Additionally, the technology was able to achieve 25% weight reduction of the nozzle tip as well.
As SmarTech Analysis explained in its “Opportunities in Additive Manufacturing for Civil Aviation Parts Production, 2019-2029” report, there are a wide variety of application cases for 3D printing in civil aviation parts, and the aerospace industry is continuing to see large investments in AM hardware and materials. This growth is driven by major suppliers including Safran, GE Aviation, and more.
The LEAP fuel nozzle is just one of several 3D printed aircraft parts that GE Aviation makes. For instance, its Avio Aero company uses the technology to create components and subsystems for the Airbus RACER helicopter hybrid, in addition to parts for the Catalyst turboprop engine and the GE9X engine. Its first ever 3D printed component was a sensor housing for the GE90 engine, and the company also printed a turbine rig for the Future Affordable Turbine Engine, or FATE. Printing via 3DPrint.com | The Voice of 3D Printing / Additive Manufacturing https://3dprint.com August 24, 2021 at 09:03AM
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Luxury Aircraft Parts 3D Printed with Markforged Systems https://ift.tt/3ze8cCn While the aerospace giants, like Airbus, are working to get 3D printed components into the largest of jumbo jets, additive manufacturing (AM) in aerospace is continuing apace across the industry. This includes the use of 3D printing for maintenance, repair, and overhaul (MRO), where a variety of firms, from Air New Zealand to Lufthansa, are exploring the use of the technology to produce on-demand replacement parts. So far, these have been the projects of larger airlines, but Cabin Management Systems (CMS) is using Markforged machines to 3D print parts for its own MRO services for luxury aircraft. CMS is a comparatively new company, founded in 2019. It works alongside MRO companies and individual aircraft owners to create cabin control and entertainment systems for luxury, private, and business jets. Using two Markforged X7 3D printers, the company is 3D printing parts for maintenance, upgrades, and replacements of cabin management and entertainment systems. Key to the operation is the use of Markforged Onyx FR material, which offers the flame retardant properties and FAA compliance necessary for in-cabin items. Additionally, the components made with Onyx FR are described as high strength and low weight. Altogether, the process speeds up the time it takes to make new parts for an aircraft, but also allows the company to repair or replace obsolete items. Jeff Pike, VP of Engineering at CMS, explained how the technology is ideal for their niche sector:
In one case, the CMS team 3D printed some 100 parts for an aircraft. These included 20 light switch panels, a cabin climate controller, and USB-C and drop-in USB-A chargers, as well as latches, release buttons, and adjustable touch screen brackets. To create a luxury finish, the parts may be customized with inlays, such as gold metal electroplating or wood veneer. At the moment, CMS must have its projects approved on a case-by-case basis; however, Markforged is in the process of qualifying aerospace-ready grades of its Onyx FR and Carbon Fiber FR materials by the National Center for Advanced Materials Performance. Once approved, Onyx FR-A and Carbon Fiber FR-A components will be able to be more quickly integrated into aircraft, allowing CMS to take on more jobs more quickly. Printing via 3DPrint.com | The Voice of 3D Printing / Additive Manufacturing https://3dprint.com August 24, 2021 at 08:33AM
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Hug the Panda, Part 7: Wide Body Aircraft https://ift.tt/386F6bY In the previous article, we saw how China’s current inability to make the best and newest jet engines was slowing its independence. In order to truly be its own master in defense and foreign policy, it has to free itself from its dependence on Russian jet engines to power its air force. Because 3D printing will play such an important role in the production of jet engines, it is extremely interesting and even strategic for China’s future. Rather than play catch up, 3D printing could allow China parity and perhaps even advancements vis a vis other countries. Simultaneously, there is an additional logic and opportunity that will cause the panda to love 3D printing: wide-body aircraft. For a number of decades, China has worked towards the rather elusive goal of developing its own large commercial aircraft that would be able to compete head on with Boeing and Airbus. In 2019, Boeing had $79 billion in sales, while Airbus took in around $70 billion. The large passenger aircraft market is a duopoly shared between the two almost exclusively. The pair have a market share of around 85%, In smaller passenger aircraft, Embraer plays a role, while personal planes see dozens of companies taking part. The prestige of having a true Boeing and Airbus competitor would be considerable. At the same time, the economies of scale that this would provide and the knock-on benefits that this would convey to their economy and military technologies would be considerable. China is now also the world’s largest aviation market. This provides it with a lot of market power to convince subsystems companies, avionics firms, and the like to work with them. Additionally, if you’re in the driving seat and will be spending more on aircraft than anyone else in the world, they may as well be your aircraft right? In 2019, China ordered $34 billion Airbus aircraft in one order. The nation’s entry into the long-haul space is COMAC, which shipped 20 passenger planes last year—a little more than Bombardier, Sukhoi ,and ATR, but only half of Embraer, one-seventh of what Boeing did in its annus horribilis, and one-27th of Airbus deliveries. COMAC, therefore, has quite a while to go. But its C919 is a credible aircraft, with subsystems by Liebherr and other world class companies. The 168-seat airliner has a range of 4,075 kilometers, so it is not yet head to head with the largest passenger aircraft that Boeing and Airbus offer. However, a future development of the C919 is sure to be a competitor to the Airbus 320NEO and Boeing 737. As this article points out, the NEO now has 2,000 kilometers more in range and there are over 10,000 320 planes flying worldwide. China Southern has ordered five C919s and many more orders will follow. It may take decades for COMAC to catch up, but, in the scheme of things, this isn’t a very long time. The benefits to China of ordering billions of dollars of its own aircraft, while strengthening its industrial base and furthering its capabilities in high-tech manufacturing are simply too great. The below quote showcases how the development of the C919 is intertwined with five-year plans, the future of the Communist Party, Xi Jinping’s leadership and impact, as well as the development of the nation of China.
I really wouldn’t want to be China Eastern’s maintenance chief right about now. The hope of a nation on your shoulders and perfection are all that is good enough. Coupled with the defense benefits of advancing China’s capabilities in aircraft manufacturing, we can see that the government’s interest and attention in this area are very high. And, in this case as well, we can see 3D printing becoming an emerging technology in many different parts of passenger aircraft from galley walls to brackets and other components. We can be sure that, in both civil aviation and 3D printing, China’s interest in 3D printing will be of the utmost importance to the nation. Printing via 3DPrint.com | The Voice of 3D Printing / Additive Manufacturing https://3dprint.com August 24, 2021 at 08:03AM
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Concrete 3D Printing and Robots: Diamond Age Receives $8M in Seed Funding https://ift.tt/3kf4y4K Yet another additive construction startup is joining the increasingly competitive, yet still niche segment. Diamond Age is presenting itself as a “full stack robotics” firm aiming to automate the construction of homes using 3D printing and a suite of robotic arms. The concept was enough to have a number of investors bite, leading to an $8 million seed round led by Prime Movers Lab and Alpaca VC. Other investors included Family Ventures, Calm Ventures, Gaingels, Towerview Ventures, GFA Venture Partners, and Suffolk Construction. Diamond Age is in the process of developing 26 end-of-arm robotic tools to reduce manual labor required to build a new home by 55 percent, in turn cutting construction time from nine months to 30 days. These are paired with a gantry-based 3D printing process for laying down concrete walls. The company envisions the use of numerous gantries that are deployed to a construction site, such as a development housing project. After 3D printing the walls of a home, a quality assurance scanning tool mounted onto the 3D printer performs an inspection. Then, a cutting tool is attached to make the openings for windows, doors, electrical and plumbing connections. Next, a texturing tool is deployed to spray the interior with plaster or gypsum dry wall material. The funding will be used to scale up the firm’s robotics platform and build a 1,100 square foot demonstration home. The future is on-demand home building, Diamond Age suggests.
It is interesting to note the lack of labor in this instance, given the fact that there was a 6.1% unemployment rate in the U.S. construction sector as of July 2021, similar to the national average overall. Dubai is also turning to additive amid protests from guest workers in the construction industry. While the construction industry in the U.S. has not seen large-scale work stoppages recently, the COVID-19 pandemic caused unprecedented interruptions in construction around the country, perhaps spurring further interest in automation technology. Moreover, the industry has its own significant migrant worker population (roughly 15 percent) that could lead to future political momentum for greater rights.
Like many additive construction companies, this one also claims that 3D printing could impact the affordable housing shortage.
While it’s possible that 3D printing may have some effect on the cost of homes, particularly for accessory dwelling units, the real solution to addressing home prices is the commodification of housing itself, according to the Co-director at the Council of Community Housing Organizations in San Francisco. However, before we can get to the point where we have some idea of the impact that 3D printing will have on the construction industry, we have to see the technology actually take off. There are numerous firms in the space at the moment, such as ICON and Mighty Buildings, promising many of the same things. A few, like PERI Group, have performed full-scale projects to showcase the feasibility of the technology. We’ve even seen a couple of 3D printed homes hit the market. But we’re still early stages and hearing a lot of promises from startups. At the very least, the technology has garnered interest from substantial construction firms, like Saint-Gobain and LafargeHolcim. GE is using additive construction for wind turbine bases. This seems to indicate that it could be a viable technology, particularly to complement or supplant concrete formworks. Will it be used substantially to 3D print entire buildings? If so, will it dramatically affect the housing industry? Will anyone address the massive carbon footprint of concrete? Printing via 3DPrint.com | The Voice of 3D Printing / Additive Manufacturing https://3dprint.com August 24, 2021 at 07:33AM
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3D Printed Liquid Crystals Open up Opportunities in Medical Sensors https://ift.tt/3msEshf Researchers from Eindhoven University of Technology have developed a groundbreaking liquid crystal ink that can be extruded with direct ink write (DIW) 3D printing. Cholesteric liquid crystals have been used as components in screens for smartphones and high-definition televisions. However, now with additive manufacturing, this material opens up applications in healthcare, energy, and technology. Cholesteric liquid crystals are a man-made material that have been inspired by iridescent materials found in nature—that is, materials that change color depending on the viewing angle. This includes the plumes of a peacock, the feathers of a pigeon, certain kinds of beetles, butterfly wings, and a pearl in a mollusks’ shell. Producing cholesteric liquid crystals requires advanced chemistry and are sensitive to heat. On a molecular level, the liquid crystals’ organic molecules have no internal planes of symmetry. The molecules stack on top of each other like cylinders, resulting in the helical structure that causes the material’s unique and interesting optical effects. In terms of industry, liquid crystals has been used as “smart” materials in light reflectors, switchable windows, and solar energy panels. Theoretically, they are ideal for applications; in healthcare for use in wearable sensors, soft optical sensing mechanisms in robotics, or even decorative lighting. However, the main issue has been that these cholesteric crystals are not viscous enough to produce a solid structure, let alone be extruded through a 3D printer. Eindhoven University of Technology has solved this problem by developing a custom light reflective liquid crystal ink which can be printed via DIW and programmed to produce complex color gradients. The study shows how the researchers were able to take this liquid crystal elastomer ink and manipulate conditions like writing direction and speed to selectively control the interaction of the material with different light polarizations. Lead author of the study, Jeroen Sol says, “To successfully print the new ink with DIW, we varied parameters like print speed and temperature. And to get the ink to print properly, we also made an ink containing low-molecular weight liquid crystals. Traditionally, this level of control is only possible with very specialized fabrication devices, so to do this with the new ink and DIW 3D printing is a real breakthrough.” The ink’s reflective qualities are dependent on the helical arrangement of its molecules, its molecules also self-assemble into mimicking natural iridescent materials, giving way to nature-inspired color changes. Fine-tuning the microscopic elements of a structure printed from this material will change its macroscopic elements creating a programmable iridescent object. In addition to these qualities, the material is also affordable, easy to make, easy to process, and is made with materials already developed by the research group. The study predicts the use of this technology in biomimetic optics for optical sensors, holographic displays, anti-counterfeit labels, intelligent skins, and wearable robotics. Though this material is a first, a similar material was developed last year by the University of Colorado Denver to mimic biological tissue and cartilage, paving the way to a future where it might be possible to grow cells and fix spines, giving people a new lease on life. There’s also this polymer, which is stronger, more lightweight, cost efficient, and recyclable compared to traditional 3D printable composites. Printing via 3DPrint.com | The Voice of 3D Printing / Additive Manufacturing https://3dprint.com August 24, 2021 at 07:03AM
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Isle of Riso https://ift.tt/3DcwdvR Growing up in the Highlands, Alice Prentice, a DJCAD graduate, felt like there was a lack of approachable and accessible artistic opportunities. Alice recently founded Isle of Riso, a Risograph studio based in Inverness, to encourage locals and creatives to approach Riso printing as a way of being freely creative and making duplicated work. The studio currently houses an EZ570 Riso printer with 4 colours; Teal, Fluo Orange, Yellow, and Black, as well as manual cropping and binding tools. Thus far, Alice and her team have had great responses from local artists of all ages and experience, who are delighted to have a medium that’s new and inviting to work with in their area. For the past 5 years she has been utterly obsessed with the Riso printing method, using it in her own work and encouraging others to do the same. Isle of Riso is inspired by many other great Riso printing studios across Scotland and the world. In particular, Alice highlights, Out of the Blueprint in Edinburgh, Riso Pop in Amsterdam (who she spent 2 months working with on a community project which resulted in an exhibition of hanging 3D riso prints), Yalla Riso in Dundee, Mono Print in Newcastle, and Riso Fort in Germany; all of which she would consider as friends of the Isle of Riso. “The Riso community itself is so inspiring with an incredible host of people who are willing to share their knowledge and skills. New works are being printed every day and between the artist and the printer, it’s an electric experimentation table.” Isle of Riso’s first project was a set of sample packs that customers could buy at a small cost in order to give them an introduction to the printing method. Each pack includes examples of illustrations, photographs, and colour charts plus a handy guide to help beginners understand the process and make their own artwork for the print method. The illustrations included in the sample packs are by artists who have experience of Riso printing before. These prints are exclusive to the sample packs and allow the artists to show their work to a new audience, people who may just be discovering their love for print and looking for inspiring creatives. Still a fairly new studio, Alice has big plans in the pipeline for Isle of Riso, including their first official workshop for the public in November. They are also taking part in the Northword Storytagging project, run by the University of Highlands and Island, Robert Gordon University, and The Northern Periphery and Arctic Programme. The project focuses on retelling stories of Northern Countries through Arts and Crafts products. “We are delighted to be working alongside other talented creative businesses and individuals in Scotland, Northern Ireland, Russia, Sweden, and Finland,” says Alice. She is currently researching the stories behind the Maids of Bute which will result in a Risopgraph animated flip book. Artists with all kinds of experience levels are welcome at the Isle or Riso, as they want to help people expand their skill sets. Alice tells us that their biggest goal as a studio, and one that they will never shy away from saying, is to have a mobile Risograph workshop, improving connections across The highlands and Islands to the greater art scene. “We want everyone to see the fun in Riso printing and continue to push the boundaries and discover the capabilities of the printing method.” Printing via People of Print https://ift.tt/2DhgcW7 August 24, 2021 at 05:21AM |
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