Indiana Smart Manufacturing Lab to Feature GE’s Binder Jet Metal 3D Printing https://ift.tt/2TxbnSe Next year, the state of Indiana’s economic development agency will launch a new smart manufacturing hub to support the long-term growth of its manufacturing industry, which is considered a key driver of the local economy. The new facility, known as the Emerging Manufacturing Collaboration Center (EMC2), will be home to GE Additive‘s state-of-the-art binder jet technology, allowing innovators, startups, and manufacturers to advance research and development, and 21st-century skills training in smart manufacturing. As part of a broader effort to further position Indiana’s manufacturing sector for long-term growth, the state’s Indiana Economic Development Corporation (IEDC) and GE Additive announced the formation of a metal binder jet public-private partnership. Through this new alliance, both partners have agreed to co-invest in R&D with a focus on additive manufacturing (AM), factory automation, advanced software development, and manufacturing readiness. The aim will be to identify additive innovation opportunities, both adoption and technology development, within Indiana supply chains. With 8,500 facilities and the highest concentration of manufacturing jobs in the nation, the Midwestern state has been successfully leading and expanding its manufacturing capabilities for decades. Manufacturers account for 28% of the total output in the state, employing 17% of the workforce. With more than 500 automotive suppliers and five original equipment manufacturer (OEM) companies, Indiana supports the second-largest automotive sector by GDP in the United States, producing more than 1.3 million cars and light trucks annually. Other manufacturers include pharmaceuticals and medical devices, electrical equipment, transportation equipment, chemical products, rubber, petroleum, and coal products.
First announced in May under the IEDC’s $10 million Economic Activity Stabilization and Enhancement (EASE) initiative, the new facility is designed to stimulate manufacturing investments that will position local operations, and the sector overall, for future growth and prosperity. The $3 million in funding for this facility will help provide a physical space located in the thriving 16 Tech Innovation District, on the northwestern edge of downtown Indianapolis, that is expected to open by summer 2021. EMC2 will allow new and existing manufacturers to use advanced equipment, including GE Additive’s binder jet technology, to train employees, conduct third-party pilot manufacturing, and increase awareness of products and software applications. Working closely with the IEDC to invest in binder jet and software technology, as well as driving innovation in key industry supply chains, GE Additive will make use of the new EMC2 as a physical focal point for the initiative. Quote request Are you looking to buy a 3D printer or 3D scanner? We're here to help. Get free expert advice and quotes from trusted suppliers in your area. Powered by Aniwaa GE Additive’s Chief Technology Officer Christine Furstoss said they were excited about this opportunity, mainly because binder jetting is one of the most dynamic areas within AM today and one that the automotive and mobility industry, in particular, is watching closely. Moreover, given Indiana’s strong automotive manufacturing focus, she expects this partnership will tap into its abundant seam of innovation and spark new forward-thinking applications – especially in automation and software development. According to GE Additive, binder jetting is a family of 3D printing technologies in which a print head moves across a bed of powder and deposits a liquid binding agent in the shape of a section to be built, bonding these areas together to form parts, one layer at a time. When complete, the bound parts are removed from the unbound powder. Depending on how complex the final component is, the technology is able to print parts 60 to 100 times faster than laser-based technologies. The company’s binder jet beta partner program continues to gain momentum, with six global technology and automotive sector players already partnering with GE Additive teams in Cincinnati, Ohio, to commercialize it. Indiana diesel engine maker Cummins was one of the first customers to invest in GE Additive’s binder jet technology, in order to focus on its high-volume production strategy, and recently GE Additive also welcomed Sandvik AM, which markets it’s gas atomized metal AM powder alloys under the Osprey brand.
To build up momentum until the facility launches, EMC2 and GE Additive will host a virtual industry day on December 8, 2020, to give interested manufacturers and stakeholders a first look at plans for tech space. The event will allow Indiana companies to witness demonstrations of the company’s binder jet technology, participate in industry-focused workshops, and discuss potential projects at the facility. Printing via 3DPrint.com | The Voice of 3D Printing / Additive Manufacturing https://3dprint.com October 29, 2020 at 08:32AM
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Arkema, Texas Instruments Back Adaptive3D’s 3D Printing Photoresins in Series B Funding https://ift.tt/3mLafXZ Texas-based additive manufacturing polymer resin supplier Adaptive3D wants to use optimized materials, such as its extremely high-strain photopolymer and flagship Elastic ToughRubber 90 elastomer, to empower high-volume manufacturing and 3D printing, and provides its specialty polymers to customers around the world in the consumer, healthcare, industrial, oil and gas, and transportation industries. This past winter, the company completed a Series A investment round, and has now announced the securing of Series B financing, which will help Adaptive3D continue on its mission.
The investment came from a syndicate that was led by the Arkema Group, which knows a thing or two about AM materials science itself, having announced an increased focus on 3D printing materials five years ago and living up to it ever since.
According to Adaptive3D, its versatile photopolymer resins have “unmatched” mechanical properties, and allow for the 3D printing of tough, tear-resistant, and strain-tolerant plastic and rubber parts, like what its Elastic ToughRubber 90 (pictured below) can achieve, that are created in open-air environments. The company has accumulated several patents that are focused on materials studies, and its photoresins have been enhanced for high-throughput 3D printing of complex parts. The Arkema-led syndicate that participated in this round of funding was joined by current investors of the company, including Applied Ventures and the founding family of Texas Instruments, along with new investors Clear Fir Partners and West Pharmaceutical Services. According to Adaptive3D’s press release, together West Pharmaceutical Services and the Arkema Group “exemplify the potential end points” of a total AM ecosystem, all the way from developing materials and scaled resin manufacturing to the completion of functional end-use parts.
(Source/Images: Adaptive3D) Printing via 3DPrint.com | The Voice of 3D Printing / Additive Manufacturing https://3dprint.com October 29, 2020 at 08:02AM AuMed’s Online Shop Offers Bespoke 3D Printed Medical Simulators https://ift.tt/3oD3id1 A new bespoke medical simulator company based in Singapore has announced the launch of its online store offering a range of models for healthcare professionals to plan surgeries and training challenges. AuMed, a subsidiary of 3D printing solutions provider Creatz3D, will initially be offering three different model series: ear, heart, and swab procedure training models for testing COVID-19, the infectious disease caused by the most recently discovered coronavirus.
Originally operating as a division within Singapore-based Creatz3D, a rebranding exercise saw AuMed being conceived in 2019 with a long term goal of assisting the medical industry and better serving the community with dedicated simulators. Today, AuMed specializes in offering high-fidelity simulators to support its customers in medical education, research, and development, as well as medical device demonstrations. The simulators which are derived from medical digital imaging and communications (DICOM) include unique features that existing traditional models lack. AuMed considers its medical models have an unprecedented cutting-edge realism for pre-surgical planning, enhancing medical device demonstrations, and carrying out realistic hands-on educational training. By bringing to market its innovative products, the company expects to help reduce patient risk, as well as the use of cadavers in medical courses and workshops. Through the newly launched shop, AuMed offers a series of heart models that can simulate everything from soft tissue and muscles, and are pathology-specific to accommodate a more realistic way of learning. These heart simulators can also reflect different congenital heart diseases, such as Double Outlet Right Ventricle (DORV), Atrial Septal Defect (ASD), Transposition of great arteries (including ccTGA), Hypoplastic Right Heart Syndrome (HRHS), among others. To create pathology-specific heart simulators for medical education and training, AuMed used a workflow that involved 3D digital reconstructions of the heart myocardium extracted from DICOM images. According to the company, prior to the 3D fabrication stage of these tangible simulators, a prototyping phase was introduced in order to curate 3D materials which enabled realistic tactile feedback for users. In response to training needs for COVID-19 identification and collection of respiratory specimens, AuMed also developed 3D printed medical manikin models for training of both nasal and throat swabs. The company’s Respiratory Swab Collection Training Simulator was originally designed to help swabbers in Singapore ramp-up wider swab testing efforts in unprecedented time. Swab tests are critical in the fight against COVID-19 to determine whether a person is infected and typically involve the collection of clinical test samples from the ack of the nose and throat by inserting a swab into the nostril. In Singapore, training for swab collection is carried out by many health professionals who have voluntarily taken time off, as well as civilians who often do not possess medical knowledge, and the existing medical manikins in the market were not enough to help them train for the essential procedures and very costly, with prices starting at US$3,000. Instead AuMed’s life-sized manikins that can simulate swab collection scenarios have targeted crucial anatomies specifically for respiratory swab collection. Using several anatomical 3D models derived from AuMed’s CT and MRI library, as well as Materialise’s software tools Mimics Innovation Suite (MIS) Medical, and Stratasys‘ J750, the company was able to produce the models in just four days including designing and 3D printing. Both the Respiratory Swab Collection Training Simulator, along with two other Nasal Swab Trainer sets are currently available for purchase in the online shop. Besides the sale of the COVID-19 swab collection training simulators and heart series, AuMed also offers ear models, of both adults and children. They come with replaceable and inexpensive simulated eardrums that enable effective myringoplasty procedural training, a surgery required to repair a hole in the eardrum. The website also provides registered users exclusive access to featured case studies and resources that AuMed has done over the past few years, and marks the first phase of the company’s efforts to reach out to customers in Singapore and beyond. AuMed has been actively working with doctors, educators, and researchers to improve patients’ lives. Partnering with organizations, academic institutions, and other businesses has so far proven a great way to grapple with the challenges of medical training and surgical simulation. Like many other MedTech companies, AuMed has turned to 3D printing technology for its cost and time-efficient way to resolve pressing issues that require quick and strategic solutions. The company also expects to add more models in the future. Printing via 3DPrint.com | The Voice of 3D Printing / Additive Manufacturing https://3dprint.com October 29, 2020 at 07:32AM Biome Renewables Cuts Wind Turbine Cost by 80% with Renishaw’s Metal 3D Printing https://ift.tt/3mzt7Ji Canada-based industrial engineering and design firm Biome Renewables, founded five years ago in Ontario, is on a mission to optimize the power of nature in order to ensure a sustainable future, and focuses specifically on wind turbines. According to the website, its PowerCone ocean turbine retrofit, inspired by the maple seed and the Kingfisher bird, increases annual energy production up to 13% by channeling wind onto the blades in order to address root leakage, which is a big airflow issue that draws power away from the blades. Recently, global engineering technologies company Renishaw and the Nova Scotia Community College (NSCC) partnered up to make two parts for the PowerCone ocean turbine using Renishaw’s metal additive manufacturing expertise.
Biome Renewables had decided to move into tidal wave energy, and reached out to NSCC for help creating a prototype due to its ocean-related technology and tidal wave energy expertise, as well as its engineering research facility, which has been used to build prototypes for multiple industries. However, the college typically worked with plastic 3D printing, and something stronger and more heavy duty was required for an ocean environment. The PowerCone turbine needed to be able to cope with strong tidal forces, stay standing in the wake of debris impact, and withstand corrosion and major loads, or it could be lost to the deep, polluting the test site and slowing the project. NSCC determined that a stainless steel PowerCone, featuring non-traditional designs, would be best, as it could then possibly avoid cavitation, which is turbine damage caused by rapid pressure changes in liquid. The college asked Renishaw for help due to its expertise in additive manufacturing, which has been used to fabricate components for wind turbines in the past.
Because of the unique project requirements, the turbine blades had to be lightweight, but not hollow, so they could tolerate a marine environment without being as likely to sustain debris impact. So NSCC and Renishaw thought that an off-the-shelf turbine, retrofitted with a 3D printed PowerCone, would be the best solution. An internal lattice structure was used to reduce the weight but maintain the turbine’s strength, and surface finishing decreased roughness to make the blades more hydrodynamic. The Renishaw AM250 3D printer was used to make the parts, and print time was divided between the college and Renishaw. The longest build lasted 150 hours, but all the parts were printed within one month. The PowerCone retrofit sits on the turbine’s hub, co-rotating with its rotor and featuring curved propellers to reduce drag and improve efficiency by up to 15%. Due to its large size, each blade of the retrofit was printed separately, and the parts were then welded together.
Renishaw, NSCC, and Biome Renewables used these 3D printed parts to build a prototype turbine, which was tested, with the retrofit and propellers, during the second month of the project at Strangford Loch in Northern Ireland. The testing showed that, after the turbine was submerged, the 3D printed modifications did indeed help produce much more power over a range of tidal velocities.
(Source/Images: Renishaw) Printing via 3DPrint.com | The Voice of 3D Printing / Additive Manufacturing https://3dprint.com October 29, 2020 at 07:02AM Orange 4K Hits Kickstarter with 4K Resolution and Subpixel 3D Printing Technology https://ift.tt/2HC1oZL We are increasingly seeing an influx of new, lower cost vat photopolymerization 3D printers that making such technologies as stereolithography and digital light processing more accessible than ever. While there are a number to choose from, not every low-cost system is capable of the same quality or even advancing the state of the art to a significant degree. However, there is a new 3D printer on Kickstarter called the Orange 4K that seems to bring something new to the table, both in terms of speed and resolution. In most cases LCD 3D printers on the market rely on a 5.5” 2K resolution screen, allowing them to achieve 47.25-micron resolution. Produced by Chinese 3D printer manufacturer Longer 3D, the Orange 4K introduces 4K resolution to vat photopolymerization printers, allowing it to reach 31.5-micron resolution and even finer. Not only does the use of an LCD screen allow the Orange 4K to be much less expensive than previous generations of SLA and DLP machines, but 4K resolution makes it possible to utilize the sub-pixels of the screen to achieve what may be unprecedented resolution. Currently on Kickstarter, the printer is available in two varieties, one which uses a color LCD screen and another that is monochrome. In this case, the Orange 4K mono is actually the more advanced of the two, as it is with this machine that subpixel rendering can be achieved and increase the resolution of the device. Subpixel rendering relies on the fact that each pixel on an LCD screen is made up of red, green and blue subpixels to anti-alias text, among other applications. Whereas both devices are capable of reaching 31.5-micron resolution standard, the Orange 4K mono can hit 10.5 microns across the Y axis through the use of subpixels for curing the photopolymer resin. The result is smoother prints with very fine details at a low price, given the fact that the first 50 Orange 4K Mono Super Early Bird customers only pay $299 for the system. This compares to the first 50 Super Early Bird customers for the Orange 4K Color, who pay $269. It’s worth mentioning that Color customers can upgrade to the Mono, which entails swapping out the LED screen on the system for the Mono screen and then updating the firmware. For backers who miss the early bird printers, a Color Upgrade Kit can be purchased by pledging $385 or more. Longer 3D is able to develop such technologies due to the fact that it has an in-house research and development lab, which is not the case for all of the manufacturers of low-cost DLP 3D printers on the market. In fact, the firm started in 2014 as a maker of industrial 3D printing systems, including polymer and ceramic DLP machines and laser powder bed fusion 3D printers. Because industrial equipment requires a hands-on, customer-focused relationship when it comes to training and maintenance, the company’s industrial division is centered within the boundaries of China. Quote request Are you looking to buy a 3D printer or 3D scanner? We're here to help. Get free expert advice and quotes from trusted suppliers in your area. Powered by Aniwaa To get its foot into the international market, Longer 3D began manufacturing desktop 3D printers. This began with polymer extrusion machines, like the U20 and U30 printers made under the Alfawise brand. Since then, the company has rebranded and advanced its extrusion line, as well as developed an LED DLP line that includes the Orange 30. These previous machines featured 2K LED screens, which led it to the development of the Orange 4K. We’ll be reviewing the Orange 4K in an upcoming post, but without hands-on experience, it appears to be a pretty phenomenal machine, especially for the price point. In addition to the high resolution, it is said to print at pretty remarkable speeds. The mono is able to print at 2s per layer, with the company claiming that updates will allow it to reach 80 mm/hr. For comparison, most standard DLP 3D printers print at rates of 100 mm/hr. Other details about the system include a CNC machined metal body with dual liner guide, meant to be more stable and reliable. The machine featured an integrated 2.8” touchscreen and plastic resin vat with scale. The print volume of the Orange 4K measures 118 x 66 x 200mm (4.64” x 2.6” x 7.87”). The system can achieve layer thicknesses as fine as 10 microns. The company suggests that the Orange 4K will be ideal for the jewelry and dental markets, as well as for producing miniatures. To learn more about the Orange 4K or to purchase, visit the printer’s Kickstarter page, where packages start at $269, for a single Orange 4K Color 3D printer and go up to $1,700 for five Orange 4K Mono 3D printers. That’s enough to start a complete print farm. Printing via 3DPrint.com | The Voice of 3D Printing / Additive Manufacturing https://3dprint.com October 29, 2020 at 06:45AM
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StfacatPrints https://ift.tt/3kQDXtG Stéphanie Catherine, aka StfacatPrints is a self-taught artist and linoleum engraver. The inspiration behind Stéphanie’s illustrations comes from dark and macabre iconography, and the culture surrounding black metal music. She takes further influence from Medieval Art, evoking legends of mythology from ancient gods, to the works of classical artists, ancient engravings and Flemish painting. While her passion for old paper and the heritage of ancient techniques is inspired by the world of tattooing, it also comes from anatomical, scientific study. “It reveals all the beauty behind the alchemy, all the charm of the occult” describes Stéphanie . Having tried various techniques throughout her career, she enjoyed practising painting on raw support (metal and slate) with mediums including oil, acrylic and others that she makes herself from pigments, binders, and bits of metal. After this abstract period and research of texture, Stéphanie turned towards figuration in painting, slowly developing her style and attraction to the the dark and the occult. At the same time, at the age of 20, Stéphanie set up her first associative structure, and began to run her first creative workshops. She learnt and taught in different techniques including mosaic, patina making, and clay modelling, and enrolled in an artist’s workshop where she practised painting and took classes in art history. After a few years, and time spent mastering a variety of techniques, Stéphanie had an urge to learn more, thus developed an interest in alternative photography: pinhole, photogram, and cyanotype. She transformed her illustrations into negative paintings, and printed them on postcards using cyanotype techniques. Stéphanie is currently expanding her repotoire, learning about lasagnography, monotype, drypoint engraving on tetra pack, on polystyrene, and on rhodoid; “I love the cheap and lower cost processes” explains the artist. The endless possibilities offered by lino carving then became an obsession for the printmaker. Stéphanie describes; “I obsess between the combinations of colours, paper etc … it is an endless experiment at the moment“. She quickly equipped herself with good tools and materials, and invested in a small press. Stéphanie engraves on Essdee linoleum sheets or on vinyl, and loves to use handmade cotton paper with fringed edges of 110g by German brand, Silberburg, as well as natural Lokta, or mulberry papers. Currently, she prints using Cranfield colours ink in A4 or A3, but is keen to expand her work to a larger format. To create an illustration, she begins with sketches, photo research, and creates digital collages of photos mixed with her drawings. Currently, Stéphanie is enjoying printing on fabrics by hand and in barren. After creating small collection of tote bags, she has now started printing sweatshirts, and will soon be launching a small collection of patches. She is also starting a printing project based on vintage photography, which will be released as a unique creation, and will soon be hosting her first introductory lino engraving workshops. You can apply to join our community of printmakers at www.members.peopleofprint.com. Printing via People of Print https://ift.tt/2DhgcW7 October 29, 2020 at 04:16AM 3D Printing: the Future of Sticks https://ift.tt/3oyrqO3 Sports equipment is a multi-billion dollar business operating globally at many price points. We can buy inexpensive gear at stores such as Decathlon, but, elsewhere, also super-premium tennis rackets, golf clubs, bikes, shirts, and balls. We’re living in an age where being a Pro is simply a question of how much you’d rather spend than how much time you’d like to put in. There are super affordable squash racket brands, premium ones that sponsor athletes, and mid-market brands for sporting goods retailers worldwide. I think that, in gloves and other gear, we will see 3D printed and mass customized products emerge. We already see a lot of 3D printing activity in safety gear as well, including mouth guards. Specifically, in helmets, products are also emerging. There has also been a lot of hype on shoes that are 3D printed. Additionally, there is a very good business case for handles of all kinds such as bike handlebars. We’re seeing a lot of bike parts emerging in a lot of categories, as well. I’m sure that 3D printing and the sports industry will be key to the futures of each across the board. But, just specifically for sticks and rackets, I think that there is a strong case to be made. Only in the racket and clubs category, we have polo mallets, badminton racquets, fronton paddles, paddle rackets, table tennis paddles, ice hockey sticks, field hockey sticks, baseball bats, and softball sticks. There are also ski poles and lots of gloves to go with them. A lot of these products are commodity items, which can be purchased for ten or twenty dollars, but there are also high-end versions for aficionados, those who have money or those very passionate about the sport. One brand, Wilson, sells tennis rackets from $26 to $1000 online. Table tennis paddles range from $3 to $260 and lacrosse sticks from $29 to $250. You can get a carbon fiber ice hockey stick for $660 or buy one for $18. At the same time, there is increased feature differentiation and a cosmetics/shoe industry buzz word differentiation: graphene, nano, carbon, FSI Sweet Spot etc. More categories are also emerging with kids’ rackets, power rackets, control rackets, and spin rackets, for example. In an evolving space such as this, mass customization is a logical endpoint. If one can differentiate and make significantly more margin with essentially the same product via the same brand and channel, the case for mass customization is especially powerful. 3D printing or mass customization can be expensive, especially for large parts. The great thing about customizing a racket or stick is that we can customize just the handle to get a better, more comfortable grip or control. We can also add small elements to the existing stick or racket to get more spin or to offset or enhance someone’s natural slice or spin effect, for example. This means that, for rackets and sticks, we can apply 3D printing and mass customization where it maters to parts that are relatively small but high value with high touchpoints for the consumer. The mass customized 3D printed part could be a feature that drives purchases. At the same time, a hollow, super-expensive, mass-customized item can also serve a bracketing effect that makes all of your other stuff look very quotidian in price by comparison, while driving online buzz and PR. Here are just a few examples of what types of features can be incorporated into sticks using 3D printing:
All in all, it is clear to me that 3D printing is coming to sporting goods. There are still some hurdles, as in shoes, equipment manufacturers will balk at the cost of 3D printed parts. Traditionally, soft and flexible 3D printed materials didn’t have the longevity needed for sports equipment either until recently. Newer TPU grades by BASF and Lubrizol and PP from HP are helping to ameliorate this. In bicycles and helmets, we are seeing products reach the market, but in the future, we will be able to mass customize even the simple stick. Printing via 3DPrint.com | The Voice of 3D Printing / Additive Manufacturing https://3dprint.com October 28, 2020 at 09:02AM Intelligent and Automated Post-Processing for Resin 3D Printing Launched by Nexa3D https://ift.tt/2HLB8Mc Nexa3D, known for its high-speed polymer additive manufacturing (AM) production systems (liquid resin and powder-based) has announced the launch of a post-processing solution, xCure, for photopolymer parts. The company had indicated in April this year that it would release its automated washing and curing systems in the summer. Following up on hardware from its NXT Factory subsidiary, this is the most recent hardware introduction the company has made this year. The curing system is designed specifically for the company’s flagship high-speed digital light processing (DLP) 3D printer, NXE400. It can cure three of NXE400 build plates simultaneously, or a single part up to 16 liters in volume, using simple, single click-rotate and push-button functionality. Interestingly, the washing station automates the length of wash by detecting part volume. Similarly, the curing station automates light intensity and distribution of its 365+405 nanometer LEDs by detecting the geometry and positioning of the parts on the build plate. The system aims to provide optimal curing through three operational modes—UV only, Heat only, and UV+Heat—and has a heating capacity between 30°-60°C with 1°C increments. It offers predictive and prescriptive capabilities for material-specific curing, resin-specific pre-sets for all NXE400 materials, and 360° of light and thermal coverage. Highlighting how tailored the system is to optimizing post-processing for each part or material, the company states:
The launch of xCure follows several new product announcements, including xClean, an eco-friendly washing solvent that can be used with resin-based 3D printers, and new materials xCE-Black and xCE-White, the fastest single cure material in the company’s portfolio. The xCure post-processing system can also be used with recently launched ABS and other biocompatible materials developed in collaboration with Henkel.
In June this year, early into the pandemic, Nexa3D continued to expand its network of partnerships beyond North America by announcing reseller agreements in five countries: Belgium, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal and South Africa. Later in August this year, the company acquired NXT Factory with its pioneering quantum laser sintering (QLS) systems, which immediately expanded its addressable market to over $10 billion. With high-speed production SLS, Nexa3D now offers highly complementary polymer additive manufacturing solutions distinct for their speed in production. Its Lubricant Sublayer Photo curing (LPSc), with a self-lubricating membrane, can produce upto 16 litres at 1Z centimeter a minute, making over 100 functional electric harness strain relief sleeves in under 10 minutes. The QLS system, launched by NXT in 2019, prints at 4X the speed of current sintering systems, with a print speed of 4200 cubic centimetres per hour. Following this, the company partnered with Siemens to integrate and standardize its newly acquired QLS machines into the conglomerates’ Industry 4.0 digital factory platform. The two companies had already worked together in serving automotive, aerospace, medical and industrial customers, and beginning in early 2021, will look to combine factory automation technologies, IoT connectivity, digital twin sensing and more, with Nexa3D’s additive manufacturing solutions. Kuba Graczyk, Head of Nexa3D’s Thermoplastics Additive Business saw this as the right time for such collaboration in additive manufacturing, saying,
In September, Nexa3D also partnered with DSM to add into the QLS-350’s material portfolio DSM’s supply-chain approved laser sintering material, Arnite T AM1210 (P) beginning 2021, which is aimed specifically at additive solutions for series production in industrial and automotive electronics. Printing via 3DPrint.com | The Voice of 3D Printing / Additive Manufacturing https://3dprint.com October 28, 2020 at 08:32AM Xerox’s PARC to Use AlphaSTAR Simulation to 3D Print Turbomachinery Parts https://ift.tt/3oyTCQF California-based Palo Alto Research Center (PARC), a Xerox-owned research and development subsidiary company, has selected AlphaSTAR technology to create a virtual additive manufacturing (AM) approach that will save both time and materials for 3D printed parts of turbomachinery applications. AlphaSTAR’s AM simulation solution GENOA 3DP will be used as part of one of the projects of the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE’s) Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy (ARPA-E) DIFFERENTIATE program. The DIFFERENTIATE program, short for Design Intelligence for Formidable Energy Reduction Engendering Numerous Totally Impactful Advanced Technology Enhancements, seeks to reinforce the pace of energy innovation by incorporating artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning into energy technology developments. Since being launched in 2019, the program has managed to raise up to $20 million in funding and incorporated 22 projects, led by top research U.S. universities, organizations, and businesses. One project, in particular, has been focusing on the development of design optimization tools for laser powder bed fusion-based AM of turbomachinery components, which are mainly used in electrical power generation, aircraft, and vehicular propulsion. Titled Design of Integrated Multi-physics, Producible Additive Components for Turbomachinery, the research project, which began in May 2020 and has been awarded $1.3 million, teams up leading partner General Electric (GE) along with PARC and the Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL). The aim is to reduce the timeline for designing and validating 3D printed components by as much as 65%. Achieving such unprecedented speeds would make it faster than some traditional manufacturing processes, paving the way for the much broader proliferation of AM to revolutionize turbomachinery product design. By integrating the latest advances in multi-physics topology optimization with fast machine learning-based producibility evaluations and AI, the team hopes to “beat the timeline for some traditional manufacturing processes by automating the entire process.” This is expected to ultimately enable the widespread use and benefits of 3D printing, by reducing the time it takes to create and validate defect-free 3D component designs. The integrated methodology will be used to demonstrate simultaneous improvements in the producibility and thermodynamic efficiency of a multi-physics turbomachinery component. According to the project description, improved turbomachinery efficiency is a competitive advantage for U.S. industry and will help ensure the nation’s energy security. The proposed manufacturing producibility-aware, multi-physics detailed design optimization tools are expected to help advance the use of AM within the U.S. PARC and AlphaSTAR’s new collaboration will aim to create a virtual additive manufacturing approach that will save both time and materials. AlphaSTAR’s predictive simulation technology can help map temperatures through the thickness of the parts, calculating residual stresses, strain, deformations, and curvature. While PARC’s topology optimization software optimizes material layout. The combination of the two allows PARC engineers to quickly tweak virtual models to improve and make printed parts more lightweight, which is critical to creating new opportunities for future applications of turbomachinery structures, especially in the aerospace sector.
Designed as a test validation simulation tool, AlphaSTAR’s GENOA 3DP can assess and predict shrinkage, warpage, and residual stress which are common to AM fabrication. Ultimately resulting in an optimized AM part, as well as reducing waste and testing time. The platform can simulate AM material and process parameters and assess the sensitivities of those parameters to find an optimized AM build solution. While GENOA 3DP was originally developed with thermoplastics in mind, the simulation tool has now been updated to add metal AM simulation capabilities. AlphaSTAR has used the platform in conjunction with research partners and commercial end-users to improve both new and existing AM designs. Recently, GENOA3DP was used in a study that focused on the application of AM technology to fabricate a prototype wing, reported Design News.
Once finished, the program will culminate in the demonstration of a defect-free, high-performance additively manufactured multi-functional design capable of withstanding high temperatures and stresses with improved performance versus conventional casting. According to Saigopal Nelaturi, manager of Computation for Automation in Systems Engineering area in the System Sciences Lab at PARC, the combination of model-based and data-driven AI to accelerate generative design is a key innovation that will dramatically reduce the time to synthesize and fabricate quality parts. Moreover, the incorporation of AlphaSTAR’s AM simulation technology can help accelerate the time of 3D print to validation, eliminating one of the largest barriers to more widespread adoption of AM technology. Printing via 3DPrint.com | The Voice of 3D Printing / Additive Manufacturing https://3dprint.com October 28, 2020 at 08:02AM
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“Print City” turns to traditional methods to support local creatives https://ift.tt/31Sm1HI The Yorkshire City of Bradford has become the first local authority in the UK to commission a Riso-printed zine as it looks to support its creative and cultural workforce amidst the challenges faced by covid-19. The City Council’s cultural partnerships team – led by Nic Greenan – initiated a rapid grant programme to support 55 artists, creatives, and community organisations during the initial Covid-19 lockdown phases. Now the Council has released a 12-page zine to showcase the activities funded by the programme, while backing traditional print methods. Response – the name of the zine, and also the name given to the rapid grant programme – was produced from home during lockdown by editor Si Cunningham and designer Jimmy Smith [of Smiths Workshop] and was printed locally using South Square Art Centre’s Risograph printer. It’s now hoped that Response will become a regular publication to showcase the city’s creative talent as the local authority rolls out more support programmes for the cultural and creative community. Jimmy Smith, the zine’s designer, says that it’s encouraging to see a local council supporting traditional print methods and using creative talent from within the city. “It’s been an absolute pleasure to work on Response and see how creatives and printmakers have stepped up to the challenges faced by lockdown,” states Jimmy. “It’s also very refreshing to find a council investing in local creatives and quite hands-on print methods, rather than just going to the big agencies like we sometimes see elsewhere.” Bradford has a significant global print heritage which can be traced back to the Industrial Revolution, and was once home to internationally renowned printers like W E Berry and Lund Humphries. The British International Print Biennale was launched in Bradford in 1968 and featured early works by David Hockney, Andy Warhol and Ray Lichtenstein among others. Today, the city’s Cartwright Hall art gallery houses an impressive print collection, and the nearby Bradford Industrial Museum is home to a significant collection of working printing and letterpress machinery. Bradford City Council is looking to further boost its cultural and creative workforce as it prepares a bid to be crowned UK City of Culture for 2025. Printing via People of Print https://ift.tt/2DhgcW7 October 28, 2020 at 07:36AM |
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