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3D Printing Webinar and Event Roundup: September 25, 2022 https://ift.tt/xVBUQEH We’ve got a busy week of 3D printing webinars and events ahead! Nanoscribe is attending the Biofabrication Conference, Stratasys, Velo3D, and Markforged continue their tours, and Formlabs will hold a webinar on mass customization. Other webinar topics include starting a 3D printing business, advanced DfAM, the live launch of SOLIDWORKS 2023, and more. Read on for all the details! September 25 – 28: International Conference on Biofabrication
This week in Pisa, the International Conference on Biofabrication 2022 will be held in-person from September 25-28. The idea is to bring together the top academic researchers and scientists to share their knowledge and results on all biofabrication aspects. There will be five plenary sessions, an oral and poster presentation, networking opportunities, and more. More than 500 participants from over 20 countries are projected to be there, including Nanoscribe.
You can register for the conference here. September 26, 27, & 29: The Experience Stratasys Tour Continues
The Experience Stratasys Tour continues across the U.S. this week, first at the ReUnion Brewery in Coralville, Iowa on Monday the 26th, hosted by AdvancedTek. The tour stays in Iowa on the 27th but moves to Bodine Electric Co in Peosta, again hosted by AdvancedTek. On Wednesday the 29th, the tour heads to Topgolf in Kansas City, Missouri, hosted by CATI.
You can register for the Stratasys Experience Tour here. Stay tuned for more dates and locations in the future! September 26 – 30: 3D Printing News Unpeeled
Our Executive Editor Joris Peels, who’s also the Vice President of Consulting at SmarTech Analysis, launched a daily news livestream called 3D Printing News Unpeeled. Each weekday at 9:30 am EST, Peels gets on LinkedIn Live and tells us, in 20 minutes or less, what he considers to be the top news stories from the 3D printing industry that day, and why they’re important. Some of the stories in his roundup are ones we’ve covered at 3DPrint.com, and some are not, but they are all equally interesting and impactful. The next 3D Printing News Unpeeled livestream will be this Monday, September 26th, at 9:30 am EST, and will continue the rest of the week at the same time. You don’t want to miss it! September 27 – 29: Forged Tour Part Deux
Markforged continues its global Forged Tour Part Deux tour, featuring the Digital Forge, pints, and snacks, across the Americas and in the EMEA and APAC regions this week. Things get started in Europe on the 27th, first with Sicnova in Zaragoza, Spain at 10:30 am CEST, and then on to Exeter in the UK with Mark3D at 9:30 am BST. On the 28th, the tour heads to Indianapolis, Indiana in the U.S. with GSC at 10 am EST, to Bangkok, Thailand with X3D TECHNOLOGY at 1:30 pm ICT, and also to Pontevedra, Spain with 3DZ at 10:30 am CEST. The tour stays in Spain on the 29th, heading to Barcelona with Sicnova at 10:30 am CEST, and ends back in the UK, in Nottingham, with Mark3D at 9:30 am BST.
Stay tuned for more dates and locations in the future! September 28 – 29: Design-2-Part Show
From September 28-29, the New England Design-2-Part Show is coming to the Royal Plaza Trade Center in Marlborough, Massachusetts. It’s the largest and longest-running design and contract manufacturing show in the Northeast, and will welcome over 225 exhibiting companies in more than 300 service categories, including castings, machining, forming, and 3D printing.
You can register for the free show here. September 28 – 30: GMIS Summit
The Global Manufacturing and Industrialisation Summit (GMIS), held at the David L. Lawrence Convention Center in Pittsburgh September 28-30, is the first cross-industrial, cross-functional platform for leaders to transform manufacturing and use technology as a tool for global collaboration to encourage greater investment in capabilities, foster innovation, and drive skills development. Delegates from international manufacturing and technology communities, including expert industry CEOs, government leaders, and specialist researchers, will attend GMIS America this week to discuss and shape the future of the manufacturing sector. Topics will include autonomous systems and robotics, open source manufacturing, additive manufacturing, and more.
You can register for the summit here. September 28 – 30: Advanced DfAM Certificate Course
Also from September 28-30, Wohlers Associates is offering a three-day, hands-on Advanced Design for Additive Manufacturing (DfAM) Certificate Course, hosted by America Makes in Youngstown, Ohio. Taught by Olaf Diegel, Terry Wohlers, and Ray Huff, topics to be covered include topology optimization, part consolidation, designing custom products, DfAM for tooling applications, growth trends and the future of AM, and more. The course provides foundational information, hands-on practice, presentations, and more.
You can register for the in-person course here. America Makes members can attend with an exclusive discount. September 28: Velo3D’s Seeing is Believing Tour Continues
Velo3D continues its Seeing is Believing Roadshow Tour with a stop in Salt Lake City, Utah this Wednesday, September 28th, at 8:30 am MST (3:30 pm EST). The roadshow will visit the GoEngineer headquarters, and visitors can learn how to advance their AM knowledge, whether they’re new to the technology or not, by having 1:1 discussions and Q&A sessions with Velo3D technical experts about how its end-to-end solution can help reduce costs and supply chain risks. There will also be real-world examples of parts 3D printed by Velo3D customers on hand.
You can register for the tour stop here. September 28: Making Mass Customization a Reality with Formlabs
If you’re interested in using 3D printing to quickly and cost-effectively achieve mass customization, you’ll want to tune in to this Formlabs webinar, “How to Make Mass Customization a Reality,” at 5 pm CEST (11 am EST) on the 28th. Formlabs experts Jessie Bergau, Applications Engineer Team Lead, and Gary Rowe, Global Head of Business Development, will discuss real-life case studies with in-house 3D printing, how 3D printing enables mass customization, material recommendations, and more.
You can register for the webinar here. September 29: Metal PBF-LB Certified Operator Overview
Together, ASTM international and EOS are presenting “ASTM Certified Operator for Metal PBF-LB: An Overview” at 11 am EST on Thursday, September 29th. Attendees will discover exactly what the operator program is, what it applies to, and why it’s important in this complimentary webinar, from Paul Bates of ASTM and Maryna Ienina of EOS. Other main takeaways will include why it’s important to qualify operators, what the certification means to a metal PBF-LB operator, how the program can support your QMS system, and more.
You can register for the webinar here. September 29: Live Launch of SOLIDWORKS 2023
Also at 11 am EST on the 29th, Dassault Systèmes will hold a live launch event so everyone can learn about “What’s New: SOLIDWORKS 2023.” During this exclusive live stream event, a team of SOLIDWORKS experts will share the latest and greatest enhancements in SOLIDWORKS, which will help you work faster by accelerating large assembly design, work smarter by reducing the workload when modeling, and work together by enabling mechanical design, quality, electrical, and manufacturing teams to work better together.
Tune in live via SOLIDWORKS.com, YouTube, Facebook, LinkedIn, and Instagram. September 29: AMNOW Metal Challenge Webinar
America Makes will hold an AMNOW Metal Challenge Webinar on the 29th at 2 pm EST. The challenge objective was to evaluate the repeatability and predictability of laser powder bed fusion technology, and maximize insights from the printing and post-processing data. Then, they had to apply AI and data analytics to the data set, including 39 316L builds across four machine models, six machines, three suppliers, two heat treatments, and more than 800 test coupons. Phase 1 focused on organizing, characterizing, and analyzing the data to create algorithms for predicting important results, and then comparing the predictions to the actual results. Then, participants had to list opportunities for improvement for the final two builds at one of three suppliers. Phase 2 was the collaborations between Applied Optimization/Innovative3D Manufacturing, Waterloo University/Penn United Technologies, and The Roux Institute at Northeastern University/ATI to validate the predictions, or improve the outcomes. Addiguru also organized all of the 316L data into a prototype schema and applied basic analyses. During this webinar, the project participants will each have 15 minutes to present on their approach, tools, challenges, results, and recommendations. You can register for the webinar here. September 29: Next Gen AM Design Methods
Also on Thursday the 29th at 2 pm, HP is holding a Design World webinar on “Leveraging Next Gen Design Methods To Unlock The Full Potential Of Additive Manufacturing.” Attendees will learn how to use computational design tools to solve for design complexity in mass customization, while also respecting industrial process restraints, and hear about innovative case studies, from speakers Nathan Shirley, Lead Computational & Industrial Designer for HP 3D Printing; Wes Kramer, Application Engineer for HP 3D Printing; and Leslie Langnau, Editor, Design World.
You can register for the webinar here. September 30: New 3D Printing Business Opportunities
Finally, on Friday, September 30th, Divide By Zero Technologies will hold a webinar focused on “Exploring New Business Opportunities with 3D Printing” at 3 pm IST (5:30 am EST). Topics will include the scope of 3D printing in different industries, factors to consider for a business, and more. Attendees will learn all about starting a 3D printing business from two entrepreneurs who built their own successful businesses in the AM industry: Swapnil Sansare, CEO and Founder of Divide By Zero, and Abhishek Shete, CEO and Founder of Positron Additive.
You can register for the webinar here. Do you have news to share about any future webinars or virtual and live events? Please let us know! The post 3D Printing Webinar and Event Roundup: September 25, 2022 appeared first on 3DPrint.com | The Voice of 3D Printing / Additive Manufacturing. Printing via 3DPrint.com | The Voice of 3D Printing / Additive Manufacturing https://ift.tt/2Og7mYQ September 25, 2022 at 08:15AM
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3D Printing News Briefs, September 24, 2022: Software, Metal 3D Printing, & More https://ift.tt/Fdl01CE We’re starting with software first in today’s 3D Printing News Briefs, and then moving on to ceramic and metal 3D printing and business. We’ll end with 3D printing being used to make scientific data more accessible. Desktop Metal Upgrades Live Sinter Software
The metal part on the left demonstrates how a metal part warps in the furnace after 3D printing, while the part on the right shows how a part design modified by Live Sinter delivers the desired result. In 2020, Desktop Metal first introduced its Live Sinter solution, a multi-physics simulation software application that automates sinter-ready, 3D printable geometries, supports, setters, and more to enable repeatable volume production of end-use metal parts. Now the company has announced significant upgrades to the tool, which is used by over a hundred companies around the world. After scan-based adjustments, Live Sinter makes it possible to correct complex distortion effects in as little as 20 minutes, so parts fall within 1% of target dimension and avoid warping, distortion, and other common sintering issues. Users can also fine-tune simulation results based on one or multiple scans to ensure further accuracy in metal binder jet parts production.
Xact Metal Brings Affordable Metal AM to South Korea with Partnership
Based in Pennsylvania, Xact Metal is working to establish a new level of price and performance in metal AM, and make the technology more accessible for small- to medium-sized companies. Now, the privately funded company has just announced an exclusive sales and service partnership with Prototech that will bring its affordable solutions to South Korea. The professional 3D printer provider also partners with Stratasys, TRUMPF, Desktop Metal, and other brands in the AM industry, in addition to offering reverse engineering and prototyping services.
Keselowski Advanced Manufacturing Installs Two EOS M400-4 Printers
Keselowski Advanced Manufacturing LLC installed two more EOS M400-4 3D printers this week for a total of twenty additive machines on the manufacturing floor. Continuing to speed up its integrated advanced manufacturing growth, Keselowski Advanced Manufacturing (KAM) has installed another two large-format printers from EOS. With the addition of the two M400-4 metal systems, KAM now offers five large-format EOS systems, in addition to 15 others, for a grand total of 20 3D printers installed at its North Carolina facility, in addition to 12 multi-axis CNC machine tools.
Divergent Technologies Signs SLA for SLM Solutions NXG XII 600 Fleet
Divergent Technologies and SLM Solutions have had a joint development partnership since 2017, working together to advance economical, serial production of complex 3D printed structures in automotive and defense applications. To secure its AM-based business model and resulting output, Divergent has now signed a long-term Service Level Agreement (SLA) for the entire SLM NXG XII 600 fleet of printers. This means that by the end of 2022, an installed base of six of these 12-laser systems will support the series production demands of the Divergent Adaptive Production System (DAPS), the company’s end-to-end digital production system. SLM Solutions defined a new type of SLA that’s based on not only the secured technical availability of its NXG XII 600 printers, but also the residual machine portfolio. This availability-based agreement covers all six NXG XII 600 assets, with a dedicated Field Service Engineer onsite.
The Barnes Global Advisors Team Welcomes Two New Members
L-R: Andy Davis, Ethan Clare The Barnes Global Advisors (TBGA), the largest independent AM engineering consultancy, has welcomed two defense and advanced manufacturing industry veterans to its ADDvisor team. Andy Davis, most recently the Deputy Program Director and Chief Technology Officer for the Industrial Base Analysis and Sustainment Program (IBAS) within the Office of the Secretary of Defense, is in the new role of TBGA’s Director of Government Programs. A founding member of the US Army’s AM Community of Practice, Davis will lead strategy and execution as the consultancy supports government customers with increasing resilience of the defense industrial base. Ethan Clare, who is joining TBGA as a Project Manager, previously held a distinguished role at Lockheed Martin Skunk Works to drive advanced manufacturing into production programs, and most recently worked at nTopology. He will focus on efficient execution of advanced manufacturing, government programs, and supply chain optimization.
3D Printed Lithophanes for Visually Impaired Chemists
The lithophanes are only half a millimetre thick and can be used both by blind and sighted scientists. Source: © Jordan Koone and Bryan Shaw A team of US researchers, led by Baylor University biochemist Bryan Shaw, is making it possible for blind and visually impaired chemists to “see” scientific images and charts. As they explain in a research paper, the team used 3D printing to convert the charts and images into lithophanes, which present this high-resolution data in a tactile way. Shaw’s son has tumors in both eyes, and while he can still see well, many of his friends don’t, which got Shaw thinking about how to make science more accessible. Starting out by converting pictures into tactile graphics using a home 3D printer, he eventually got his students involved as well, and they turned to 3D printing lithophanes of textbook illustrations, gel electropherograms of proteins, micrographs of a butterfly chitin scale, and more. Then, they compared how well groups of sighted, blindfolded students and researchers, and visually impaired ones, could interpret the data, and for the majority of the questions, the blind chemists scored at least as well as the sighted ones using the 3D printed lithophanes. Shaw hopes to improve the technology so visually impaired researchers can print the lithophanes themselves right from journal articles, but this is a great first step.
Youngstown Business Incubator Acquires XJet Ceramic 3D Printer
Northeast Ohio and ceramics making have long gone hand in hand, but in the traditional sense. Now, the Youngstown Business Incubator (YBI) is modernizing this tradition by acquiring an XJet Carmel 1400C ceramics 3D printer. Used to make small ceramic parts that are almost impossible to fabricate with traditional technologies, this is the first printer of its kind available for public use in the U.S. Barb Ewing, the CEO of YBI, called ceramics AM “the next frontier,” and says she sees this emerging technology as an asset to the city’s businesses, which can now commission the incubator to print ceramic parts. According to a delegation from Israel-based XJet, the Carmel 1400C can deliver great geometry and production materials at “no additional cost.” The system works by suspending ceramic material in liquid and printing one layer at a time, each about one-quarter the width of a single strand of hair.
The post 3D Printing News Briefs, September 24, 2022: Software, Metal 3D Printing, & More appeared first on 3DPrint.com | The Voice of 3D Printing / Additive Manufacturing. Printing via 3DPrint.com | The Voice of 3D Printing / Additive Manufacturing https://ift.tt/2Og7mYQ September 24, 2022 at 08:32AM
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3D Printing News Unpeeled: Hexapod 3D Printing, CERN Smart Pipes, Smooth Elastomers https://ift.tt/DGxvthW Today we look at CERN´s EU funded smart pipes that embed sensors in 3D printed pipe components to better manage heat. swarms of drones being used to build objects, Fraunhofer IWU develops a hexapod based 3D printing method that moves the build plate. A new technology allows for smooth thermoplastic elastomers that can be used for bellows. The post 3D Printing News Unpeeled: Hexapod 3D Printing, CERN Smart Pipes, Smooth Elastomers appeared first on 3DPrint.com | The Voice of 3D Printing / Additive Manufacturing. Printing via 3DPrint.com | The Voice of 3D Printing / Additive Manufacturing https://ift.tt/5E8zmho September 23, 2022 at 10:15AM Postmaster General DeJoy Addresses Nation’s Commercial Mailers https://ift.tt/hRSrH6k WASHINGTON, DC — In a keynote video address this week to partnership groups composed of Postal Service leaders and the nation’s commercial mailers, USPS Postmaster General and CEO Louis DeJoy said the Postal Service is a different organization now than when he arrived more than two years ago. Printing via USPS News https://ift.tt/k2CWSo5 September 23, 2022 at 09:22AM
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CT Scanning & 3D Printing Could Reveal New Dinosaur Species Inside Opalized Fossil https://ift.tt/YGmFTdC In order to get a closer look at, and learn more about creatures that died long ago, like dinosaurs, researchers and historians have turned to 3D printing and 3D scanning methods many times. The technologies have even helped reveal the discovery of a new species, like in the recent case of a small dinosaur that’s been preserved as opal in white sandstone rocks for over 100 million years. This opalized fossil is pretty rare, and paleontologists are using a micro-CT scanner at Flinders University, Tonsley in Adelaide, Australia, along with 3D printing, to study and reconstruct the dinosaur inside, and perhaps even discover a new species while they’re at it.  Scanning at the Micro CT Scanning Laboratory at Flinders University, Tonsley.
Researchers have determined that the fossilized dinosaur, found in Lightning Ridge, New South Wales, lived in forests not far from an inland sea, and is a plant-eating hypsilophodont—in layman’s terms, a small, running herbivore. According to the Palaeo Pictures documentary team, led by Flinders Associate Professor “Palaeo Paul” Willis, two miners found the fossil while they were searching for opal, which is Australia’s national gemstone; in fact, the country is said to be the world’s leading source of gem-quality opal. While opal miners find these opalized fossil shells often, they’re not seen as much in the rest of the world, and are chock full of important scientific data.  The bones are preserved as common opal, or potch, and are mostly embedded within a white sandstone. Photo courtesy Palaeo Pictures.
This particular fossil was saved for scientific purposes back in 2019. Lightning Ridge fossils are often preserved as colorless, valueless potch (common opal), though some are made of precious opal, which is obviously high in value. But all of them are historically and scientifically priceless to paleontologists, so study is imperative to understand more about the ancient creatures inside these fossils.
Once CT scanning and 3D printing are complete, the reconstructed dinosaur will be “salvaged and revived” so that other researchers, and future generations, can see it for themselves.  Artist’s impression of what the small dinosaur may have looked like. Credit James McKinnon
 One of the 3D prints taken from a scan of the fossilized skeleton rock.
The university researchers are working on the fossilized dinosaur reconstruction together with Palaeo Pictures and the Australian Opal Centre, a national museum in the opal mining town of Lightning Ridge to “preserve, display and research the greatest ever public collection” of Australian opal and opalized fossils. Only about 20% of the specimens have been scanned, so there’s still a long way to go, but recent scans of some of the pieces show that the bone inside the fossil has been preserved in extremely high detail. Associate Professor Willis says the team has already started 3D printing some of the most interesting specimens. Once micro-CT scanning is complete, the scan data will be used to help with a detailed study of the skeleton. Then, the team will be able to determine how it lived and died, as well as if it is actually a new species of dinosaur.  Section through a bone of the new opalized dinosaur fossil showing the play of color of precious opal.Photo: J. Brammall, Australian Opal Centre. The post CT Scanning & 3D Printing Could Reveal New Dinosaur Species Inside Opalized Fossil appeared first on 3DPrint.com | The Voice of 3D Printing / Additive Manufacturing. Printing via 3DPrint.com | The Voice of 3D Printing / Additive Manufacturing https://ift.tt/5E8zmho September 23, 2022 at 08:41AM
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Mantle Targets $45B Tooling Market with Unique Metal 3D Printing Technology https://ift.tt/YFx1f4D After six years of development, Mantle has finally released its commercial metal 3D printing system, which combines bound metal extrusion with CNC milling to achieve results so far unreached by the rest of the binder jetting segment. What’s more interesting than the technology, however, is Mantle’s business model, as the Bay Area startup is targeting first and foremost the $45 billion market for injection molding tools. To learn more, we spoke to Mantle CEO Ted Sorom, as well as Chief Commercial Officer Paul DiLaura and Director of Marketing Ethan Rejto. The P-200 3D PrinterAhead of IMTS, Mantle announced the commercial release of its P-200 3D printer, designed around a reliable CNC platform outfitted with an extrusion head for metal pastes. With a build volume of 200mm x 200mm x 150mm, the machine first prints a layer that is heated to dry the paste, evaporating some of the binder material. After 10 layers or so have been printed, a high-speed CNC mill trims the part, resulting in higher accuracy and smoother surface finish. Because it is machining dried paste, rather than solid metal, the cutting process is significantly faster. 
The P-200 metal 3D printer alongside the F-200 furnace. Image courtesy of Mantle. The green part is then placed in Mantle’s F-200 furnace, sintering them to near fully dense tool steel components. Due to the fact that some of the binder has already evaporated during the printing process, shrinkage during sintering is limited to below 10 percent, unlike traditional bound metal parts, which generally shrink around 20 percent. This makes it easier to predict the end result. The use of CNC also enables “best-in-class surface finish” of 1-3µm Ra. Even pre-sintering, the printed objects are extremely smooth. This not only means improved accuracy, but also little to no post-processing. So far, tool steels H13 and P2X (similar to P20) have been developed for Mantle’s TrueShape process. The future material road map features more tool steels because, as it stands, the startup is targeting the injection molding sector. By uniquely meeting the needs of precision tooling, the company is able to access the immense opportunity that lies in that sector. Dental Tooling: the #1 3D Printing ApplicationHighlighting a part on display at IMTS, Rejto noted, “This part from Tessy Plastics molds this piece for a deodorant core. It has been going for 1.4 million cycles and counting. It’s still in production.” The team couldn’t tell me which deodorant companies were using the parts injection molded with Mantle-made tooling, except to say that they were name brand products that could be found in any drug store. 
Mantle’s metal 3D printed insert and the deodorant parts molded with the Mantle insert. Image courtesy of Mantle. That immediately made an impact on me. Typically, additive companies are targeting mass manufacturers, but because they shoot for 3D printing end parts, the throughput and cost savings just aren’t there to see the technology used for all that many items that I might find in my daily life. By applying AM to indirect manufacturing, however, there is a butterfly effect that is undeniable.
Companies like Invisalign have created an entire industry through the use of indirect manufacturing with 3D printing. By 3D printing a model of a patient’s the teeth the way the orthodontist prescribes, it’s possible to thermoform clear aligners using stable, biocompatible materials. While firms are developing materials for the end 3D printing of dental aligners, they have only begun to hit the market. In the meantime, thermoforming models are being printed at a rate of 200 million units annually. Tooling: the $45B 3D Printing ApplicationTypically in the AM sector, machine salespeople are also application engineers and consultants. They don’t just try to unload a 3D printer onto a customer, but also have to co-develop a use case and aid the client in the design and production process. Mantle is trying a completely different approach. The tools presented at IMTS all looked like traditional tools. There were no lattice structures or consolidated assemblies. Instead, they were just as solid and sturdy as tools made with CNC machining. They were tools that a customer could trust, that operated like anything they’ve had their hands on in the past. To get 3D printing’s foot in the door of this legacy sector, which Sorom estimates to be worth $45 billion, Mantle isn’t trying to reinvent the wheel. The biggest difference between TrueShape tools and something made conventionally was that they were designed and manufactured in the course of a couple of weeks instead of several months and at half the cost. Mantle doesn’t sell the geometric freedom of additive as a reason for adopting its technology. In many cases, the very mention of “conformal cooling,” which can speed up the heat dissipation of an injection molding tool, can make customers nervous. The fear of mold flow software is enough to send traditional manufacturers running for the door. 
A mold designed with conformal cooling, 3D printed using Mantle’s TrueShape process.
Mantle’s strategy raised the possibility that other metal 3D printing companies highlight conformal cooling and other unique design possibilities to justify the extremely high cost for their machines. Typically, a powder bed fusion system can range well over half-a-million dollars. In contrast, the entire Mantle system, including the P-200 printer and F-200 furnace, is $350,000. TrueShape 3D Printing in the Larger MarketWhen looking at the user landscape, there are several routes that Mantle could go and it is apparently pursuing all of them. Specifically, the firm is targeting toolmakers, injection molding providers, and vertically integrated businesses that have toolmaking and manufacturing performed in-house.
3D printed metal molds made by Mantle for injection molding. The TrueShape process may be complementary to other 3D printing technologies, including those directly targeting tooling, such as those from Addifab and Fortify. While Addifab’s Freeform Injection Molding is meant for temporary tooling for short run injection molding, Fortify’s technology is meant to produce longer-lasting molds using technical ceramic materials. These processes could potentially be used for bridge tooling or prototyping before a manufacturer turns to a final metal mold. Regardless of how they stack up against one another, these firms could all aid in the reshoring of U.S. manufacturing. Sorom estimated that about $8 billion of tooling is made in the United States, while $26 billion is performed in Asia. Because the expertise to make tools has been exported overseas, it’s possible that new digital processes could reverse the process. With students, designers and engineers in the U.S. focusing more on CAD than on traditional toolmaking, 3D printing with technologies like TrueShape could allow domestic production to be digitized. This would be particularly beneficial during supply chain crises the likes of which were exposed during the COVID-19 pandemic and the war in Ukraine.
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China’s Deep Blue Aerospace Uses Farsoon Large Format Metal 3D Printing to Build Rockets https://ift.tt/7Ifr2Za We’re in for an eventful 2022 in the Chinese space sector. At least 95,000 space-related enterprises are booming; space tourism operators plan to lift off for the first time in 2025, and startups are attracting plenty of finance thanks to their robust growth, among them Deep Blue Aerospace. Focused on the R&D of reusable rockets, Deep Blue has already secured millions in funding and is using the money to accelerate the manufacturing process behind its rocket and engines. Boasting at least three 3D printing partners, the company has adopted additive design thinking since its foundation in 2016 and even plans to build an AM intelligent manufacturing base in Nantong by 2024. Deep Blue Races SpaceX with Metal 3D PrintingUsually comparing its R&D approach to SpaceX, Deep Blue has been fine-tuning its 3D printing focus, and that includes investing in Farsoon Technologies’ large-format metal system FS621M in 2022 to explore innovative manufacturing solutions for rocket engines. The commercial rocket manufacturer has gone on to produce rocket engine parts using Farsoon’s metal 3D printing technology. This year, Deep Blue enhanced its batch production of single-piece, large-sized rocket engine combustion chambers using Farsoon’s FS621M system. The company revealed that its additively manufactured Inconel combustion chamber measures 780 mm (30.7 inches) in height and 550 mm (21.7 inches) in diameter. While the space company has described a few challenges like the build size, function integration, and detail resolution, the advanced additive manufacturing process enabled many innovations, including consolidated design, lightweight lattice structures, and self-supported geometries. In addition, other rocket engine features, such as complex geometries with hundreds of internal cooling ribs and channels, were designed to promote the combustion efficiency of the rocket engine. 
Farsoon Technologies’ FS621M system. Image courtesy of Deep Blue Aerospace. Commenting on its latest 3D printing achievement, Deep Blue Aerospace’s head of AM, Tian Cailan, indicated that as a critical component of the rocket engine, the combustion chamber has to achieve the required performance, efficiency, and reliability under extreme operating conditions of heat and pressure.
As one of China’s first commercial rocket manufacturers to use industrial metal 3D printing for key components engineering, Deep Blue is capable of building parts at only a fraction of the cost compared to traditional technologies. In fact, at least 85 percent of the brand’s rocket engine components are built using metal 3D printing, which could increase in the future.
Rocket engine combustion chamber produced by FS621M. Image courtesy of Deep Blue Aerospace. China’s Burgeoning NewSpace 3D Printing SceneConsidered among the most recognized Chinese powder bed fusion companies, Farsoon has been operating in China since 2009 before becoming well known in Europe and America. Its FS621M was designed to allow economical production of oversized aerospace parts with an accelerated design-validation cycle of 80% compared to the conventional manufacturing processes. Deep Blue Aerospace’s rocket engine manufacturing technology is also unique in China. Its Thunder engine series – which includes the Thunder R1 and R2 – is the first liquid oxygen kerosene engine manufactured through 3D printing processes nationwide. In late June 2022, the ignition test of the 20-ton-thrust liquid oxygen kerosene rocket engine Thunder-R1, designed to deliver high performance while being economical for low volume production rockets, was completed. Rocket engines are just the tip of the iceberg for Deep Blue. The company has also been developing its medium-class orbital launch vehicle, known as Nebula-1, which will be powered by the Thunder engine and will complete its first orbital launch-recovery mission in late 2024. In the immediate future, Deep Blue will continue with vertical take-off and vertical landing (VTVL), launching tests at a high altitude––which will follow a previously successful VTVL 100-meter jump last October. The company is confident that combining its rocket engine designs with Farsoon’s expertise will keep pushing the boundaries in metal powder bed fusion technology for large-scale engine parts production. The post China’s Deep Blue Aerospace Uses Farsoon Large Format Metal 3D Printing to Build Rockets appeared first on 3DPrint.com | The Voice of 3D Printing / Additive Manufacturing. Printing via 3DPrint.com | The Voice of 3D Printing / Additive Manufacturing https://ift.tt/5E8zmho September 23, 2022 at 08:41AM
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BMF Launches New R&D Center to Incubate Products Made with Micro 3D Printing https://ift.tt/PniTZEO Since it began shipping 3D printers in 2018, Boston Micro Fabrication (BMF) has seen users advance the application of the company’s small-scale, high-resolution additive manufacturing (AM) process from prototyping to end-use parts. To further disrupt the way that sub-centimeter components are made, BMF is now opening a new research & development center in San Diego, Calif. There, not only will the firm’s projection micro stereolithography (PµSL) technology be matured even more, but new businesses and products utilizing PµSL will be incubated to drive micro-3D printing forward in the market. Micro-3D Printing at the BMF Research InstituteAccording to the company, BMF has shipped over 300 units since it began fulfilling orders in 2018. The technology has been used for such applications as prototyping, research and development, and production qualification in fields including electronics, optics/photonics, medical devices, microfluidics and life sciences. Now, because the ecosystem around micro-3D printing has matured to the level that end parts are being made with PµSL, BMF has entered a new phase, driven in part by its recent round of $43 million in funding. 
A micro stent 3D printed using BMF technology. Image courtesy of BMF. Led by Dr. Chunguang Xia, the company’s CTO and co-founder, the BMF Research Institute in San Diego will aid in the development and incubation of end-product concepts that are facilitated with PµSL. To do so, it will collaborate with other BMF engineering groups and research centers in Shenzhen, Chongqing, Tokyo and Boston. BMF CEO John Kawola explained:
Building a Market for Micro-3D PrintingAs novel production technology, AM doesn’t necessarily have the smoothest entry point into a manufacturing workflow. Its many benefits, such as the ability to introduce geometric complexity into parts that can be made on demand, aren’t immediately understood. At the same time, those most likely to grasp these benefits may not be in a position to facilitate the use of 3D printing to produce components. That is, entrepreneurs, designers and engineers might have ideas for additively manufacturing end parts, while executives and decision-makers may not. 
Microscopic screws. Image courtesy of BMF. This is even more the case with a unique 3D printing technology like PµSL. BMF’s platform addresses a niche in AM by producing parts that are a centimeter or smaller in scale, meaning that they’re utility may be for highly specialized applications. Therefore, to introduce micro-3D printing into a company’s production strategy is likely that much more difficult. In the AM sector as a whole, the sales, consulting, and engineering departments of a 3D printer manufacturer overlap such that a salesperson is also an applications engineer who consults with clients to aid a company in the use of their machines. They help them determine the best use case, parts, and materials for their 3D printing equipment. For these reasons, BMF has initiated what could be a crucial move for the adoption of its technology. There are several firms offering small-scale 3D printing, but the technology will remain in lab environments without greater stimulus. Micro-3D printing is utilized for such specialized and emerging applications, such as microfluidics, that simply introducing something like PµSL to the world isn’t enough. Rather than solely launch an advisory service or consultancy, BMF is actually creating the market for its products. The post BMF Launches New R&D Center to Incubate Products Made with Micro 3D Printing appeared first on 3DPrint.com | The Voice of 3D Printing / Additive Manufacturing. Printing via 3DPrint.com | The Voice of 3D Printing / Additive Manufacturing https://ift.tt/5E8zmho September 23, 2022 at 08:41AM
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Pernille Sand | Portraits on Black Paper – Reversed Reduction Print https://ift.tt/uLD1tFQ Pernille Sand first fell in love with reduction linoleum printmaking many years ago after some fantastic Havana artists in Cuba introduced her to the technique. The printmaker tells us; “I already knew how to do linoprints, but to do prints with more colours and with this complicated technique was new and very exciting to me. Now I can’t stop carving and printing! For me it’s like an addiction.”
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US Air Force Funds SLM Solutions via CTC to Build “World’s Largest” PBF Metal 3D Printer https://ift.tt/feSrXZ4 After already boasting one of the world’s most advanced, largest, and productive powder bed metal 3D printers, SLM Solutions has been enlisted to make something even bigger. Thanks to a $5.2 million contract from the U.S. Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL), Concurrent Technologies Corporation (CTC) will be working with subcontractor SLM Solutions to build “the world’s largest additive manufacturing (AM) machine.” The NXG XII 600 E Metal 3D PrinterIn order to address the U.S. military’s desire for 3D printing longer parts, CTC has chosen the U.S. office of SLM Solutions NA to develop a metal 3D printer with a z-axis of 1.5 meters. The new system would expand on SLM’s existing NXG XII, a 12-laser laser PBF 3D printer used by such companies as Divergent Technologies to 3D print metal auto parts. That machine has a build volume of 600 x 600 x 600. The new the NXG XII 600 E will feature the same “lightning-fast speed and productivity” as its predecessor, but with an extended, 1500 mm Z-axis. 
The original NXG XII 600 machine. Image courtesy of SLM Solutions
While the phrasing “the world’s largest additive manufacturing machine” may not be strictly accurate when applied to 3D printers generally, it could make sense if we compare the planned system to other PBF machines. Firms like Sciaky, COBOD, voxeljet, and Ingersoll produce among the largest 3D printers for metal deposition, concrete, (non-concrete) ceramics, and polymers, respectively. In fact, in the past, CTC has worked with Sciaky’s machines, capable of producing parts up to 19 feet long. However, when it comes to PBF, GE’s Concept Laser holds the record with the X Line 2000R, a massive powder bed machine with a build volume of 800 x 400 x 500 mm. Taller Metal 3D Printers for Rocket PartsThere is an emerging trend of PBF machine builders extending the vertical dimension of their 3D printers. Specifically, Velo3D and Eplus3D have new, taller machines. Altogether, this suggests that there is a specific type of part used in military applications that requires these sorts of dimensions. Given the prominence of companies like Velo3D in the NewSpace space (Velo’s largest client has historically been SpaceX), it’s safe to assume that these machines are being used for rocket engines. And because of the military involvement here, we might also consider that they are, specifically, missile-style rockets. SLM’s progress in the NewSpace sector has been less public. However, its development elsewhere has been quite apparent, demonstrated by a bid by Mistubishi’s Nikon to acquire the metal 3D printer manufacturer. If that deal were to go through, it could be significant for Japan’s space and military industries, the latter has continued to develop despite an ostensibly pacifist constitution. CTC is a U.S. applied scientific research non-profit that works with its technology transition affiliate, Enterprise Ventures Corporation, to conduct R&D, testing and evaluation work. While it offers a variety of services and works with numerous government-related organizations, CTC has been involved in AM for a number of years, often with U.S. military agencies. It boasts cold spray, hybrid manufacturing, and L-PBF 3D printing and has collaborated with the America Makes, AFRL, and the Army Rapid Equipping Force, among others. In addition to development and evaluation work, CTC assists customers in the 3D printing of complex parts and the repair of worn or damaged components. The news of the proposed machine adds to the narrative of what 3DPrint.com calls the “Laser Wars,” in which PBF manufacturers have been aiming to add more and more lasers to their equipment. Now, we see that they’re also expanding the heights of their machines. Moreover, the reason for it looks to be related to military applications, suggesting that a better name for what is unfolding might be the War Laser Wars. The post US Air Force Funds SLM Solutions via CTC to Build “World’s Largest” PBF Metal 3D Printer appeared first on 3DPrint.com | The Voice of 3D Printing / Additive Manufacturing. Printing via 3DPrint.com | The Voice of 3D Printing / Additive Manufacturing https://ift.tt/5E8zmho September 22, 2022 at 02:46PM |
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Currently, Pernille is focusing her practice into printing portraits on black paper. This project was started as a challenge to herself, as she normally prints on white paper and starts by printing the lightest colour. However, when using black paper, Pernille starts with the darkest colour. “I enjoy the challenge of doing things in a new way and I really love the effect on the colours when printing a light colour over a dark one – the darker colour shines through a tiny bit and gives it such a lovely graphic look,” states Pernille.
Pernille is based in Copenhagen, Denmark. She is a trained art teacher and teaches lino and reduction printmaking workshops. In her local community she shares a design shop with 9 other creatives, where she shows and sells her art and hosts workshops.
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