We’ve got a little business news to share with you in today’s 3D Printing News Briefs, followed by news about a new material. Then, it’s on to two stories about 3D technology being used to turn stunning pieces of art into awesome 3D printed versions. Read on for the details!

3DPRINTUK Maintains Strong Supply Chain

As the official Brexit date approached last year, government agencies and officials urged businesses to get ready for the changes that would come once the UK withdrew from the European Union, and the start of the COVID-19 pandemic didn’t help the inevitable disruptions. Many forward-looking companies, such as low-volume industrial 3D printing specialist 3DPRINTUK, began reassessing their supply chains, so that international customers wouldn’t see a break in services amidst the chaos. In some cases, companies that used international service providers had their orders refused; this is what happened to new 3DPRINTUK client Qontrol Ltd., which uses 3D printing to make instruments for use in quantum science R&D. One of the ways that 3DPRINTUK has continued service without supply chain interruptions is its use of UPS Express, as opposed to road freight, until the world settles down again. This allows its clients to receive their orders without delay.

“We have been long-time regular customers of a continental-European print service. Very simply, we needed to place an urgent order with them just before Christmas 2020, and they refused it down to uncertainty around Brexit,” explained Qontrol Ltd.’s CTO Dr Josh Silverstone. “Looking for alternatives, we stumbled on 3DPRINTUK, and we couldn’t be happier. 3DPRINTUK’s parts are at least as high-quality as our old supplier, with very competitive pricing and generally faster turn-around, without the new Brexit customs headaches. We’ve decided to use them as our main 3D printer, going forward, and we hope they keep up the good work!”

NADL Names Carbon 2021 Supplier Member of the Year

The National Association of Dental Laboratories (NADL) annually recognizes companies and individuals who have significantly contributed to the dental laboratory profession, and this year named Carbon its 2021 Supplier Member of the Year, due to its continued 3D printing innovations in the dental industry and the fact that these solutions offer accuracy, reliability, and throughput for a higher return on investment. In last year’s NADL 3D printer survey, the company was named #1 in customer satisfaction for the second year running, and was the most preferred brand by dental labs. A Carbon subscription includes all scheduled maintenance, in addition to service notifications, over-the-air software updates, and remote monitoring and trouble-shooting for a more proactive customer service offering. In addition, the company is continuing to advance its platform to meet the needs of dental laboratories, offering exclusive access to resins and workflows to print premium Lucitone Digital Print Dentures and Keysplint Soft Clear night guards.

“Our dental lab customers avoid the historical approach of making large investments to purchase equipment that is obsolete within a few short years. We reimagined and solved this frustration with a subscription model so that our printers improve over time,” said Todd Ames, Vice President, Oral Health, at Carbon.

“We are honored to be recognized by the National Association of Dental Laboratories for our continued innovation and contributions to dental labs. The evolution of our platform is a direct result of us listening to our customers and developing features that help them bring products to market in less time.”

Zortrax Introduces New Filament, Print Profiles for Endureal

Polish 3D printing solutions provider Zortrax has announced a new high-performance filament, polyetherimide blend Z-PEI 1010, that’s compatible with its industrial Zortrax Endureal 3D printer. This high-performance polymer has very high heat deflection temperature, mechanical strength, and rigidity, as well as being resistant to many chemicals. All of these properties combined make it a good choice for things like load-bearing parts, piping components, electronics housings, and industrial assembly jigs. Additionally, the company is adding an option to work with external materials based on ABS, PEI 9085, and PEI 1010; these new print profiles means that the Endureal is now an even better system for applications in the automotive, aviation, space, and chemical industries.

“Introducing Z-PEI 1010 is the next logical step in a wider process of pushing the Endureal’s capabilities even further in advanced 3D printing applications such as space, aviation, or heavy industry. But offering fine-tuned printing profiles for dedicated filaments is one thing, and leaving engineers and other professional users with freedom to choose the right materials for their specific applications is quite another,” stated Marta Shalima, the Business Development Director at Zortrax S.A. “To achieve that, we are also opening the Endureal to external high-performance polymers based on most commonly used blends of PEI.”

3D Scanning & Printing Used to Scale Down Sculpture

Canadian sculptor Timothy Schmalz used 3D technology to convert his own 20-foot clay sculpture into a scale model, in order to create ten true-to-size cast bronze statues, as well as many smaller 3D printed versions that are being sent to hundreds of international locations…one will even be presented to the Pope! The Vatican actually commissioned the original sculpture, called “Let the Oppressed Go Free,” to raise awareness about human trafficking—about 100 figures are represented in the statue, including a child bride and a child soldier, young victims of sex and organ trafficking, sex slaves, and more. Schmalz worked with Gold Certified Artec 3D partner Objex Unlimited to scan the statue in three hours over two days using the Artec Leo and its HD Mode. Two hours were then needed to upload all the data, and then ten hours to piece it all together and clean it up with Artec Studio software and ZBrush. The 65-70 cm versions of the statue are being 3D printed on Mimaki printers, and this smaller one makes the artwork so much more accessible to people.

“It’s very powerful to turn the large statue into a smaller size so that more people can see it. The detail in this printed statue is unbelievable. But not only the detail, even the human expression to be seen within this small scan. It’s just absolutely unbelievable,” Schmalz said in an Artec case study.

“[As an artist] I am completely thankful for this ‘little’ scan that has brought a 20-ft sculpture – which is very hard to move – to a smaller scale.

“Pope Francis said that human trafficking will always exist, if it’s kept underground. And this sculpture, and the small replica, brings awareness and it brings it out from under the ground.”

Monet’s Masterpiece Turned into 3D Printed Object

Image courtesy of Joseph Coddington

Victoria University of Wellington masters’ student Joseph Coddington used voxel 3D printing to help audiences better understand and reconnect with the stunning “Water Lilies” series of oil paintings completed by French Impressionist artist Claude Monet during the last 30 years of his life at home in Giverny. The series is his masterpiece, due to the panoramic display, use of color, and deep understanding of light and depth, and the fact that he painted most of the works while he was suffering from cataracts.  To turn the flat paintings into true three-dimensional objects, Coddington built up 15 layers of images in Adobe Photoshop, each of which had color applied based on observations of the original.

“Voxel printing can expose the 2D plane, and offer fragments of material to be dispersed through the crafted object,” Coddington explained. “When a backlight shines through the print we get a similar quality to light rays shining through a pond, as the light illuminates and is distorted by the material fragments. The voxel print has a type of cinematography quality to it, due to harness light within an object, which separates the print from most Stratasys J750 prints. The ability to harness light showcases the depth and 3D nature of crafted objects in ways Monet is unable to capture.”

Coddington used the Stratasys J750 printer to fabricate a small, handheld print, which reminds me a little of the Full-Color Voxel Woman, also printed on the J750 by a Victoria University of Wellington student.

We’ve got another packed week of webinars and virtual events for you, starting with Hannover Messe 2021 on Monday. What else is coming up this week: ASTM CoE’s personnel certificate course is coming to an end, TriMech will discuss various 3D file formats, Cellink is focusing on engineering ECM bioinks, and much more. Read on for all the details!

Virtual Hannover Messe 2021

Touted as the world’s largest industrial fair, Hannover Messe 2021 by Dassault Systèmes is a virtual event this year, starting on Monday, April 12th and running through the 16th. The major focus is supporting companies as they work to come back from whatever fallout they’ve suffered due to the COVID-19 pandemic, by discussing actionable solutions, such as Virtual Twins, to drive resilience, recovery, and sustainability, as well as adding necessary business transformations at scale. The event will focus on six different efficiency and value drivers for business, including circular innovation, connected systems, enterprise agility, equipment as a service, and more.

“Faced with the impact of major disruptions such as evolving client demands, new tech/digital revolutions as well as intensifying regulatory oversight, companies are having to rethink and reshape client relationships, product design, services, supply chains and go-to-markets.

“Virtual Twins empowered by the 3DEXPERIENCE platform can help offset these major challenges impacting eco-systems and transform them into growth opportunities.”

To join the live stream sessions at the digital Hannover Messe, you can request a free ticket here.

ASTM AM CoE General Personnel Certificate Course

ASTM International’s Additive Manufacturing Center of Excellence (AM CoE) completes its virtual training course this week. The comprehensive personnel certificate course, which began on March 23rd, covered the entire AM process chain from start to finish—including design and simulation, feedstock, AM safety, and more—over eight separate modules. Starting at 9 am on Tuesday, April 13th, the second to last module will focus on non-destructive inspection. The final module, Qualification and Certification, will be held in two parts, with the first beginning at 9 am on the 14th and the second at 9 am on the 15th.

“This course will equip attendees with core technical knowledge related to common AM practices and will allow them to earn a General AM Certificate that will serve as the foundation and pre-requisite for earning future specialized role-based AM certificates through the ASTM AM CoE. Attendees will complete a multiple-choice exam upon course completion.”

You can register for the course, as well as find the module schedule and list of presenters, here.

Materialise Discusses 3D Printing Automation

At 10 am EST on the 13th, Materialise is hosting a roundtable discussion, “Automating 3D Printing Production: Scale Up While Protecting Margins,” focused on why it’s so critical to have an effective automation process. The company’s Marketing Manager, Julie Kraemer, and Sales and Presales Enablement Manager, Lieve Boeykens, will be joined by FORECAST 3D‘s president Donovan Weber and Materialise Manufacturing Production Director Nico Roose to discuss how to prepare for growth in the AM industry, embrace efficiency to protect business margins, and benefit from the many advantages of automation.

“Recent studies from organizations, such as Jabil and Ernst & Young, found that the 3D printing industry will grow dramatically over the next 2-5 years and that the market will become more and more competitive.

“As a 3D printing service provider, how do you prepare your organization for successful growth while protecting your margins? We believe the key is efficiency. Efficiency that can be brought about quickly, easily, and affordably through automation.”

You can register for the webinar here.

SOLIDWORKS CAM and CAMWorks Webinar Series

To offer accessible training and educational materials to CAM industry professionals working from home, CAMWorks, an HCL Technologies Product, is launching a free webinar series about its advanced CAM programming software. The first webinar, “SOLIDWORKS® CAM and CAMWorks – Getting Started,” will take place at 11 am EST on Tuesday the 13th, and focus on how to use SOLIDWORKS CAM Standard. “SOLIDWORKS® CAM for Designers – A Path to Better Designs,” held at 2 pm the same day, will discuss how to use the Technology Database (TechDB) included in SOLIDWORKS CAM and CAMWorks. Speaking of the database, “SOLIDWORKS® CAM and CAMWorks – Getting Started with the TechDB,” will be held on Thursday the 15th at 11 am. The last webinar in the series, “Automation through Integrated Smart Manufacturing,” will be at 2 pm on the same day, and focus on automating part programming to save time and use CAM technologies.

“COVID-19 is affecting each one of us, and the situation continues to evolve. To serve and provide easily accessible training and educational material to the CAM industry professionals, we are launching FREE CAMWorks webinar series to help you utilize the extra time for gaining an advantage in the future. This webinar series will provide an opportunity to sharpen your CAM skills and possibly learn more advanced features and functionalities that might help you secure additional orders, helping maintain business operations.”

Additive Minds Academy Training Program

EOS offers a training program called the Additive Minds Academy, which is based on a blended learning concept that combines education with traditional classroom methods. At 11 am EST on the 13th, the company is holding a webinar, called “Grow Your Expertise with Online Trainings from Additive Minds Academy,” that’s meant to teach attendees how they can benefit from this online training program. During the webinar, EOS will present the series of digital education modules, and discuss the impact of both current and future learning trends, what it takes to become a certified AM Data Preparation or Application Specialist, how to optimize onboarding processes, and how to increase quality using Amphyon software from Additive Works. Additionally, attendees will receive a sample of the AM Application Specialist Metal course.

“The new Additive Minds Academy training program offers individual learning modules as well as more extensive learning paths to prepare engineers, designers, and aspiring creators to effectively serve in various additive manufacturing roles – ranging from machine operator to application specialist to production manager.”

You can register for the webinar here.

Live Panel Discussion on 3D Printing End-Use Parts

During an hour-long live discussion at 1 pm EST on April 13th, moderated by Additive Integrity Founder and former 3DPrint.com Editor-in-Chief Sarah Goehrke, four expert panelists will talk about their experiences in various areas such as early adoption of new technologies, how the path to volume production can be accelerated through collaborative development, and more. “Crossing the Chasm: What It Takes to Bring New AM Technologies to Market for End-Use Part Production” will see Fortify CEO and Co-Founder Josh Martin; Dan Healy, Sr., Director of Business Development for Fast Radius; Henkel‘s Head of Innovation for 3D Printing Ken Kisner; and David Woodlock, New Business Incubation, HP, discuss, and answer questions, related to the risks and payoffs of 3D printing adoption for end-use parts.

“For additive manufacturing to reach its potential as a mainstream production methodology, applications must be the primary driver. End-use part production means collaboration up and down the supply chain from hardware, software, and materials, as well as the companies putting them to use for customers. This panel discussion brings together some of the companies leading the way in application driven-success of additive manufacturing. Companies producing 3D printing hardware, software, and materials, as well as the companies putting them to use for customer use, join together in this conversation.”

You can register for the discussion here.

ASME’s VisualizeMED Virtual Event

Powered by ASME, the VisualizeMED two-day virtual event will take place on April 14th and 15th this week. Starting at 8 am EST each day, the focus of the conference will be on the use of modeling, simulation, and digital manufacturing in the medical field, and will include a digital marketplace experience, keynote presentations and panel discussions, innovation talks, and breakout sessions. There will be a wide range of topics covered, including digital dentistry, next-generation drug delivery systems, regulatory considerations, biomedical device development, and more.

“At VisualizeMED, ASME is enabling the transformation of modeling and simulation in medicine by bringing to you the trailblazers of technology and masters of technique who are effectively implementing it. The goal: increased application and adoption of modeling and simulation in medicine on a global scale.”

You can register for the event here. You’ll also be able to attend the pre-conference Cryopreservation & Supply Chain Workshop on the 13th and the post-conference Roadmapping Workshop on pharmaceutical and biotech modeling and simulation, and have on-demand access to the main conference sessions for 90 days after the event.

CELLINK on Creating ECM Bioinks

At 11 am EST on Wednesday the 14th, CELLINK will hold a webinar titled “Engineering ECM Bioinks to Biofabricate Microphysiological Systems for Disease Modeling and Precision Medicine,” hosted by Dr. Aleksander Skardal, member of and Assistant Professor of Biomedical Engineering in the Ohio State University’s Comprehensive Cancer Center. The bioconvergence company has created hydrogel bioinks, based on extracellular matrices (ECM), that are compatible with its BIO X and LUMEN X printers. CELLINK is deploying these materials in order to create several microphysiological systems, such as a blood barrier platform, metastasis-on-a-chip systems, patient-derived tumor organoid models, and more.

“Despite the prevalence of highly printable bioinks, many fail to present the necessary extracellular matrix (ECM) cues necessary to support heterogeneous cell populations in vitro to accurately model both healthy and diseased tissues. We have developed a series of well-defined ECM-based hydrogel bioinks that can be tuned both in terms of their biochemical and mechanical profiles to support a variety of tissue types.”

You can register for the webinar here.

TriMech and the Various 3D File Formats

Stratasys and SOLIDWORKS reseller TriMech will present a brief but important webinar on Thursday, April 15th, at 10 am EST, called “Understanding Your 3D File Formats.” If you thought STL was the only one, guess again…TriMech’s Lead 3D Printing Applications Engineer, Ricky Shannon, will take “a .STEP by .STP approach” (ha ha!) and go over some of the most common exportable file extensions in 3D printing, including OBJs, CMBs, and more, and when you can use them. Shannon will discuss topics such as what file types carry color data and which ones impact part accuracy, why a SOLIDWORKS file might be the best 3D print format, and why you shouldn’t only be relying on STLs.

“While he won’t be able to explore every obscure format out there, we will take the time to cover the most common file extensions exportable on leading modeling programs. We might even cover a few you didn’t know you can 3D print from. We’ll take the mystery out of when-to-use-what and maybe even debunk a few misnomers on the way. If you do any 3D printing or even just setup files of others to print, this webinar should not be missed.”

You can register for the event here.

Flexible 3D Printed Parts for Robotics & Automation

This week’s final webinar, “8 Robotic & Automation Applications Using Flexible 3D Printed Parts,” will be held at 12 pm EST on the 15th. Attendees will learn how HP’s Multi Jet Fusion technology, coupled with Lubrizol‘s ESTANE 3D TPU M95A material, make it possible to 3D print complex parts for automation and robotic applications. Additionally, you’ll hear about how Forerunner 3D Printing uses rigid PA12 and flexible TPU materials together in order to develop creative solutions to some tricky manufacturing problems.

Key takeaways:

– See 8 real-world applications that saved manufacturers time and money
– Hear how TPU in combination with PA12 are replacing more costly materials from conventional manufacturing processes
– Learn how the unique material attributes of TPU enable Forerunner 3D Printing to pursue new business opportunities

You can register for the webinar here.

Do you have news to share about any future webinars or virtual events? Please let us know!

The metal 3D printing industry is experiencing serious waves. If it isn’t new entrants introducing unprecedented quality, then its stalwarts unveiling unprecedented numbers of lasers, while bound metal printing begins to pick up speed. One area that had, until recently, been relatively stable had been electron beam powder bed fusion (E-PBF).

However, even that segment is undergoing a shift thanks to companies like JEOL Ltd. (TYO: 6951), which has announced the release of its Electron Beam Metal AM Machine JAM-5200EBM. The Tokyo-based firm claims that its machine relies on “the world’s highest level performance electron microscope and electron beam lithography system for semiconductor manufacturing” to create an E-PBF machine with “higher power, higher density and higher speed”.

JEOL also boasts the quality of its cathode, which it calls the “World’s Longest Life Cathode” for its ability to operate for 1,500 hours or more, in turn reducing downtime between cathode replacement. The machine does not require the use of helium gas, which is meant to maintain print quality over time and reduce costs.

JEOL’s e-Shield system prevents scattering, improving quality, repeatablity, and the longevity of the cathode. Image courtesy of JEOL.

Instead of helium, JEOL relies on its “e-Shield” system to prevent the scattering of powder during printing. In turn, the machine can also operate in a clean space, but the cathode is less susceptible to damage, according to the company. Additionally, the focus of the electron beam can be focused automatically to ensure high quality and repeatability. Finally, the JAM-5200EBM can be monitored remotely.

JEOL’s background in semiconductors has allowed for greater quality control over the electron beam. Image courtesy of JEOL.

E-PBF is a new product segment for JEOL, which brought in about ¥107.3 billion (US$ 952 million) in revenues in 2015 for its electron microscopes and other scientific, industrial and medical equipment. Now is a great time for it to move into additive, however, as there are very few competitors in the E-PBF space.

The JAM-5200EBM from JEOL. Image courtesy of JEOL.

Arcam (owned by GE) has for a significant period of time been the loan provider of E-PBF machines. More recently, FreeMelt has also emerged with an open E-PBF machine. There is also a Chinese company called Xi’an Sailong Metals with an electron beam system. JEOL’s closest competitor, however, may be Wayland Additive, as the company claims to overcome some of the same issues and has a similar background in semiconductors. It’s difficult to know how Wayland’s Calibur3 and JEOL’s JAM-5200EBM compare; however, Wayland claims, in addition to a lack of need for inert gases, that the Calibur3 produces parts that do not experience residual stress.

Regardless of the exact comparisons between the two machines, it is exciting to see another manufacturer produce E-PBF machines. JEOL aims to sell 10 units annually at a price of ¥180,000,000 (about USD$1.6 million). As a large manufacturer, it already has direct service locations in over 30 countries, and after-sales service for over 130 countries. So, it may have the existing infrastructure to really take the metal 3D printing industry by storm.

WASHINGTON, DC — The U.S. Postal Service celebrates America’s love of coffee today with the issuance of four new stamps. Whether milky, dark as night, sweetened, flavored or highly concentrated, many coffee drinks have one thing in common — they begin with espresso.

This booklet of 20 stamps features four unique designs illustrating popular espresso drinks — espresso, cappuccino, caffe latte and caffe mocha. It may be purchased at usps.com.

Capturing the inviting atmosphere of an early 20th-century café, artist Terry Allen created each digital illustration with the style of 1920s and 1930s advertising posters in mind.

The names of the espresso drinks appear in art deco-inspired lettering above or below each enticing cup.

Art director Greg Breeding designed the stamps with original artwork by Allen.

Espresso drinking in the United States is at an all-time high. With the growing popularity of artisanal coffee shops, extensive research on the roasting and brewing process, and continued innovation in machinery to make the perfect cup, specialty coffee is better than it has ever been.

When it comes to espresso, most Americans rely on a barista working at a coffeehouse to carefully craft their specialty drink, but at-home espresso machines are also growing in popularity. Whether a routine part of getting going in the morning or a reason to gather socially at a local café, drinking beverages made with espresso has become increasingly trendy.

Postal Products

Customers may purchase stamps and other philatelic products through the Postal Store at usps.com/shopstamps, by calling 844-737-7826, by mail through USA Philatelic, or at Post Office locations nationwide.

The Postal Service receives no tax dollars for operating expenses and relies on the sale of postage, products and services to fund its operations.

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Olaf Diegel, Professor of Additive Manufacturing at the University of Auckland, is well known for his 3D printed guitars. His students and he conduct many more experiments and projects, however. Recently he used a Mimaki 3DUJ-553 3D printer and a 3D scan to make a copy of his face to see if he could fool facial recognition. The $180,000 machine printed the face and two other models in 11 hours in acrylic using the standard quality mode, including 32-micron layer thickness.

Subsequently, Diegel, and his team then, “scraped off most of the soluble wax support material by hand, and then put it in the ultrasonic cleaning bath for about an hour, then rinsed it off with cold water while brushing it with a stiff brush (to remove any last bits of support material) and, finally, wiping it with isopropyl alcohol. Then I gave it about 3 or 4 coats of very matt clearcoat (45% matt), and hand painted the eyes with a gloss clearcoat to make them sparkle a bit.”

This seems to be quite an accessible task and the resulting 3D printed face is remarkable. The investment for such a machine is also foreseeable, as would be the part cost. You could order a face replica from a 3D print service, as well. This has some profound implications that we should address. People have been publicly playing around trying to fool facial recognition for years now. Cybersecurity firm BKAV tricked the iPhone X FaceID with a 3D printed mask in 2017, and made a better mask later on, while others have fooled Android face scanning. Artist Sterling Crispin made 3D printed datamasks which obscure your face from surveillance by the government and social media picture snappers.

One of Sterling Crispen’s data masks.

Facial recognition is a burgeoning field.  We use it to unlock our phones, as well as to make purchases using the same device. Facial recognition is also relied on for access control to buildings and sensitive installations. Casinos and retail chains take security images of shoplifters and casino cheats, continuously scanning crowds for them. Police can facial recognition to quickly identify suspects or victims. Your photo is compared to biometric data in your passport to gain access to countries. Facebook uses it to determine who is in your photos, In China, Ant Financial will spend over $400 million trying to convince people to use facial recognition for payments and schools use it to track attendance.

Apparently, “In China, toilet paper theft in public restrooms is a big problem. Luckily face recognition has come to the rescue. China has installed machines in public restrooms that scan people’s faces before releasing toilet paper. It won’t release more paper to the same person until after 9 minutes have gone by.”

China is a huge user of facial recognition for security, as well. Shanghai has 113 cameras for every 1,000 people, and the country has facial recognition files for all of its citizens. Counting those from commercial companies, the country has 200,000 million cameras. Megvii Technology, SenseTime and YITU are facial recognition startups that use AI and have received $1.4 billion, $2.6 billion, and $400 million respectively. Facial recognition is key to China’s plans for maintaining order in their country and beyond.

One journalist stated that, “What the Communist Party is doing with all this high-tech surveillance technology now is they’re trying to internalize control… Once you believe it’s true, it’s like you don’t even need the policemen at the corner anymore because you’re becoming your own policeman.”

The utopian view of this would be that facial recognition is a ubiquitous technology, running in the background of every social interaction and each of our moments and that it promotes good behavior and safety. A more negative view would be that Orwell was quite prescient indeed. While another view maintained by comedian Keith Lowell Jensen is: “What Orwell failed to predict is that we’d buy the cameras ourselves, and that our biggest fear would be that nobody was watching.”

So, if we take these views and combine them, we discover that the Orwellian surveillance state is probably a lot smarter and efficient than the one Orwell dreamed up, while Aldous Huxley‘s view that we’d sink into a morass of self-absorption is also correct, only the drugs are many not one.

Zcorp 3D print used to fool Android facial recognition.

We are seeing a collision course emerging that will affect our industry. Our cute little technology may just be a key for weakening a surveillance state, carrying out sophisticated crimes, fraud, terrorism, and regaining liberties in the future. 3D scanning and 3D printing are the easiest technologies to capture and replicate 3D surfaces, such as faces. Our technology could be used in the future to create veins and pores and other markers, as well as cornea. We can thank to Mimaki to do millions of colors and 3D printing could do capture textures, too. Our technology can evolve quickly and, like no other, we can iterate and improve to meet new challenges. At the core of our technology is the ability to quickly create new shapes. And this is exactly what you would need to do in order to continually outfox a surveillance state, for noble or criminal reasons.

As an industry, we need to be prepared for this. Do we take up the pen argument? You can write beautiful poems and hate speech with a pen. It is not our job to regulate what our customers do with it. Sadly, lawmakers have been quick to develop new laws specifically aimed at 3D printing in the past. Do we build in a security feature that would put a telltale sign on every print letting scanners know that it is an artificial copy? What would that mean for us? Do we take sides? As an industry, do we commit to quashing this? Or do we encourage a free exploration of this technology, since, after all, every technology—even a fork—can be dangerous? This is something that we shall need to think about because our technology, inventively and inevitably, will be used for evil and good to disrupt both evil and good.

Known for creating fashion designs that move, breathe and react to the environment, Anouk Wipprecht revealed her latest piece: the interactive 3D printed Meteor Dress. The outfit is packed with LEDs that light up every time a meteor hits the night sky and burns through the Earth’s atmosphere. Created in celebration of the virtual space party Yuri’s Night, the Meteor Dress runs a Python script driven by space data. From the signature aesthetics to the upscale combination of science, engineering, and fashion, Wipprecht’s piece is a creative challenge.

The dress weaves together illuminating, 3D-printed parts that light up when meteoroids fall through a sampling of real-life meteor data, generating meteors at the given rate and the correct brightness distribution as it would have been observed in the sky. Inspired by the Dutch designer’s technological couture DNA, the Meteor Dress showcases her know-how of engineering, robotics, science, and user interaction experiences designed to transcend mere garment appearances.

Since launching her work in 2007, Wipprecht has been partnering with tech giants like Intel, Autodesk, Google, Microsoft, and Audi, as well as leading 3D printing innovators Materialise and Shapeways, to research and develop how future technologically embedded wardrobes would look like. By combining robotics, sensors, machine learning, and artificial intelligence (AI), she is developing interactive couture, wearable devices, and smart textiles.

This latest addition to her collection is not just one of a kind, but genuinely resembles a vision of the night sky during a meteor shower. The Miami-based designer teamed up with Co-Founder of Yuri’s Night and Virgin Galactic advisor Loretta Hidalgo Whitesides to come up with the idea for the dress. Then she turned to Denis Vida, a meteor physics graduate researcher and software engineer at Ontario’s Western University who is building a global network of video meteor cameras called the Global Meteor Network. According to a Twitter post by Vida, the dress will be premiered during Yuri’s Night world space party on April 12, 2021, worn by organizer Hidalgo Whitesides.

Like every year since 2001, Yuri’s Night commemorates milestones in space exploration. The 2021 virtual event coincides with the 60th anniversary of Yuri Gagarin’s first trip to space. In honor of the event, an all-star cast of space heroes, scientists, artists, and musicians will honor the turning point in space exploration. The organizers will hold a free global livestream event beginning at 7:00 pm eastern time on April 10, two days before the actual anniversary.

Yuri’s Night Global Livestream 2021 on April 12. Image courtesy of Yuri’s Night.

With an interest in increasing garment digitalization, Wipprecht’s collection includes vanguard pieces imagined for the emerging field of fashion technology, which is characterized by niche segments like 3D printed couture, high-tech fabrics, and wearable technologies. The innovator has suggested that fashion currently lacks microcontrollers. To solve this challenge, she likes to embed sensors in her designs that monitor the space surrounding the wearer.

Similarly, body sensors included in her high-tech garments control the person’s stress levels, such as comfort or anxiety. A perfect example of this aesthetic is the laser-sintered Intel-Edison-based “Spider Dress.” It is one of her most publicized pieces since it incorporates sensors and moveable arms helping create a highly defined boundary of personal space. When these sensors notice the wearer’s respiration heightening and the looming proximity of another person, the mechanical limbs move up to an attack position and then retract.

Anouk Wipprecht’s 3D printed Spider Dress. Image courtesy of Anouk Wipprecht.

Projected as “host” systems around the body that tend towards AI, Wipprecht’s exceptional designs are inspired by nature. Even the names were chosen as a tribute to some of the most complex creatures on the planet, like spiders, octopuses, and pangolins. Although her latest Meteor Dress evokes streams of cosmic debris that light up the sky, it is not her first experience recreating a natural phenomenon. In 2020, the designer showcased a “Smoke Dress” that elicits “visions of interstellar nymphs frolicking in Neptune’s ice caves.” This time, Belgium’s natural underground caves inspired a unique piece that camouflages itself with smoke whenever someone is approaching.

Proximity is clearly one of the overarching themes for the tinkerer, along with advanced technologies and some of nature’s greatest defense mechanisms. Wipprecht’s futuristic take on fashion concepts is meant to redefine garment trends, intended to match advances in technology with 3D printable materials and fabrics. The space data concept behind her Meteor Dress could transcend time, as updates of new information about meteors is fed to the system. Moreover, the synchronous meteor tracking idea could be the start of a trend at the intersection of fashion and science.

Idaho-based company Continuous Composites owns the earliest granted patents on Continuous Fiber 3D Printing, or CF3D, which can reduce manufacturing lead time and manual labor and enable the production of complex geometries. The company just announced that its CF3D technology was used to complete a two-year Wing Structure Design for Manufacturing (WiSDM) contract for the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) through Lockheed Martin (NYSE: LMT). The project, with an end goal of manufacturing a Low Cost Attritable Aircraft (LCAA) wing, was extremely successful, as Continuous Composites reports that the carbon fiber 3D printed wing spars demonstrated a structural performance to “160% design limit load.”

“The successful work with Continuous Composites and AFRL’s focus on CF3D^® for this project not only advances new 3D printing technology but also offers the potential for aerospace-grade composite printing in high-performance industries. We recognize this process is paving the way for broader applications within both defense and commercial applications, and Lockheed Martin plans to be part of that future of advanced manufacturing,” John Scarcello, Senior Manager, Lockheed Martin Skunk Works^®, said in a press release.

The focus of the WiSDM contract and LCAA project was to majorly decrease the lead time and cost of building attritable airframe structures, by using a new structural design framework and corresponding manufacturing and materials; that’s why CF3D was chosen to print the wing assembly’s structural carbon fiber spars. However, several other manufacturing technologies were also used during the program, including:

• long fiber injection molding for the ribs
• automated fiber replacement for skins
• 3D printed tooling
• autodrill and robotic assembly

Continuous Composites’ CF3D technology was used to print two carbon fiber tapered C-channel spars, each weighing four pounds and measuring eight feet long.

“CF3D^® presents an innovative manufacturing technology that shows great promise to be both low cost and agile to the production rate and responsiveness requirements to realize attritable airframe structures,” said Ray Fisher, Air Force Research Laboratory Program Manager. “The success of this LCAA project shows great opportunity for additive manufacturing with customized CF3D^® material solutions that can orient structural fibers optimally. It is especially attractive to avoid expensive tooling in manufacturing aerospace structural parts. I look forward to additional opportunities to incorporate CF3D^® in increasingly complex structures that are further optimized for attritable enabling production.”

Low Cost Attritable Aircraft (LCAA) wing with CF3D® printed spars (Photo: Business Wire)

CF3D is, according to Continuous Composites, a “novel approach to composites manufacturing,” and is a fully automated, configurable process. A continuous dry fiber is impregnated in situ with a snap-curing, thermosetting resin delivered by an end effector, which is moved by a software-driven motion platform; to allow for variable part thickness and ply drops in the resulting structure, cutting and feeding are also used. Parts are precisely printed, and optimized for high performance with the continuous fibers, which then leads to the cost and lead time savings.

“This project is one application where CF3D^® showcases the significant cost reduction and design freedom while exceeding the stringent mechanical properties required for aerospace. Our team is very appreciative to Lockheed Martin, the U.S. Air Force, and other partners for including CF3D^® in this LCAA project. We are taking the next steps to select our long-term DoD prime partner while engaging the Air Force as evidenced by the upcoming announcements of our key involvement with AFRL PiCARD program in parallel to a five-year CRADA,” said Continuous Composites’ CEO Tyler Alvarado.

The final wing assembly delivered to the United States Air Force, where it was statistically load tested. The fully assembled wing gave a stellar performance: before the compression skin buckled, it achieved 160% design limit load (DLL). The 3D printed spars held, with no measured or visual damage, which demonstrated the component’s structural performance. Finally, the CF3D-fabricated carbon fiber spars were able to achieve a 60% fiber volume fraction with approximately 1% to 2% voids.

French landing gear manufacturer Safran Landing Systems teamed up with SLM Solutions (AM3D.DE) to 3D print a novel patented part design of a nose landing gear for a business jet. The joint objective of the project is to demonstrate the feasibility of producing a large main fitting part using selective laser melting technology for the first time. Known for its lighter, quieter, and cost-efficient landing and braking systems, Safran has pioneered and revolutionized the industry by using lighter materials and more electric systems. As for its new patented part design, it is meeting the company’s mass reduction objectives, as well as some ambitious resistance.

The component was printed in a special titanium alloy on SLM Solutions’ large-scale metal 3D printing SLM 800 platform which has a build area of 500 x 280 x 850 mm. The material was chosen mainly due to the stringent requirements of the part. The landing gear is designed to absorb and dissipate the kinetic energy of landing impact from the wheel to the aircraft structure, reducing the impact loads. Titanium alloy has high mechanical properties and is naturally resistant to corrosion so it does not require any surface treatment. Additionally, it helps increase part durability.

“Additive manufacturing contributes to save time in the qualification and certification phases by rapidly providing the parts for testing,” said Gerhard Bierleutgeb, Executive Vice President of Global Services and Solutions at SLM. “We were able to produce the main fitting in a few days on the SLM®800, versus a few months with the forging process.”

Landing gear production at Safran. Image courtesy of Cyril Abad/CAPA Pictures/Safran.

SLM Solutions worked side by side with Safran in the production of the part, which measures 455 x 295 x 805 mm and was redesigned for metal-based additive manufacturing (AM), allowing time-saving throughout the entire process, along with a significant weight reduction of 15 percent. The Additive Manufacturing project leader at Safran, Thierry Berenger, said the choice to partner with SLM was due to the pioneering company’s expertise in selective laser melting and their SLM 800 machine, which exactly met the size and reliability requirements they needed.

The SLM 800 features an extended z-axis perfectly adapted for large-scale part production. The machine is equipped with SLM Solutions’ proven quad-laser technology and innovative features, like the patented gas flow and a permanent filter, that ensure the highest reliability. One of the strengths of SLM technology is its flexibility, as design changes can be quickly modified, printed, and tested, meaning less time is spent during the prototype development. SLM 800 is also outfitted to fulfill industrial-scale production thanks to its multi-machine configuration option. Through the SLM HUB, an automated cylinder handling and powder management station, the company has opened up new possibilities for large-scale industrial metal AM.

SLM 800 platform. Image courtesy of SLM Solutions via Twitter.

The airline industry has been hit hard by the COVID-19 pandemic. Many airlines do not expect a quick return to pre-2020 operation levels for many years. According to aviation analysis firm Oliver Wyman, domestic travel revenue isn’t expected to return to 2019 levels until the second half of 2022, with international travel revenue not expected to get back to its 2019 level until 2023. Many airline companies have chosen to retire their planes altogether, like Delta. The Atlanta-headquartered company will be retiring its entire fleet of Boeing 777s by the end of the year. On a similar move, British Airways will withdraw its entire 747 fleet after travel downturn.

Due to the nature of the pandemic, commercial airlines could be planning to redefine travel over the coming decades by increasing seat capacity for more comfort and social distancing. While they sort out how they want their planes to look in the future, the business jet market is already returning to normal, and private jet sales are increasing. Recovery is being spearheaded by the U.S. in March 2021, with midsize jets flying more than in previous years. Europe is also witnessing an improvement, despite the ongoing pandemic. Private jet operator GlobeAir said there are nearly 700 fewer “touch points” and person-to-person interactions when flying by private jet compared with commercial aircraft.

Safran Landing Systems designs, produces and supports landing and braking systems for all types of aircraft. Image courtesy of Philippe Stroppa/Safran Landing Systems.

Aside from large commercial aircraft, military planes, and helicopters, Safran is a leading supplier of the world’s business jet programs, including Bombardier‘s Global and Challenger families, and the complete family of Dassault Falcon jets, supporting more than 4,000 business jets in service. Pioneered in the early 1990s, Safran provides fully integrated landing gear systems for business jet platforms.

The company has stated that the challenges of the business jet market require a holistic view of the product life cycle to supply reliable, easy to maintain, and increasingly weight-effective and sustainable landing gear systems. This manufacturing need fits perfectly with AM workflows. Actually, for this project, SLM Solution’s robust machines can help Safran optimize fast, reliable, and cost-efficient part production, working towards modernizing landing gear manufacturing for business jets.

Additive manufacturing is not immune to the thread that binds a team or company together. A thread better known as ‘company culture.’ Each business has one, each one is different.

Since 1983, when Charles (Chuck) Hall created the first 3D printer, an industry has exploded in advanced and additive manufacturing. We can see today that 3D printing is revolutionizing significant sectors such as the automotive, aerospace, or medical industries. It is clear that we have come a long way from that first printer prototype. With this growth, came a myriad of new businesses and organisations that have taken the technology and transformed it, in a global effort to charge forward industry 4.0 technologies.

Start-ups emerging in the industry, whether first-time businesses or part of a more experienced portfolio, all have one thing in common to kick-start their growth in the market: defining a strong company culture. It’s an element that is vital to the continued success of a new business idea, especially when it comes to securing the right team to propel the organisation forward.

This caused us at Alexander Daniels Global to question: “What makes great Additive Manufacturing company culture?” We put our heads together and identified what we consider to be the ‘3 Key Indicators of Great Company Culture’ specific to Additive Manufacturing. Read on to learn more:

A strong combination of academia and industry

Coming in at number 1, we considered that businesses within 3D-Printing which have successfully grown, have demonstrated a strong combination of academia and industry. By this we mean the businesses favour both strong knowledge of additive manufacturing processes and business acumen. They value employees that demonstrate a high level of specialized education and/or experience within AM, but equally recognise those who are entrepreneurial and contribute to the business efforts.

For a company to excel within additive manufacturing, there must be a level of respect and appreciation for all disciplines that contribute to the growth of the company. When this is understood and implemented, you have the fine beginnings for a great additive manufacturing company culture.

Realism about the technology

With additive manufacturing and 3D printing being such an adolescent industry and technology, respectively, it is important for businesses within AM to recognise the limitations that creates. Being realistic about what the technologies, and therefore employees, are able to achieve can go a long way to creating a great company culture.

It isn’t reasonable to expect the next industrial and technological leap to come from your warehouse tomorrow. Maybe with time, sure, but as with most things it is important to walk before you run. As such, companies that celebrate the small successes, that set realistic targets and recognise innovation and the strengths of their employees, are much more likely to see greater satisfaction in the workplace. In turn, when you create a great work environment by understanding these principles, you will start to see an increased level of employee retention. With employees staying on for longer periods of time, you may even have the chance to nurture the next technological break-through.

An adaptable approach leading to innovation

For our final key indicator, we want to present a real-life example of a company that was adaptable and therefore able to pursue an innovative, albeit obscure, project that led to recognition and revenue (two very important R’s). We’re talking about HP teaming up with Cobra Golf and Parmatech to launch the first 3D printed golf putters using HP’s metal jet technology. HP has been better known for their contribution to R&D since the launch of their 3D Printing and Digital Manufacturing Centre of Excellence in 2019. However, this didn’t stop them from being adaptable with their technologies to pursue a collaboration with Cobra Golf.

HP recognised the benefits of making this business and manufacturing decision, that strayed slightly from their usual work. They took a creative leap and gained new ground on the capabilities of 3D printing. Their adaptable approach led to innovation.

It is always admirable that a company believes in the work they do, but it should not be a trait of a business to allow it to stunt development and advancement.

To Conclude

In summary, at Alexander Daniels Global we speak to candidates daily that have entered the industry, who are led by a passion, drive, or conviction about the technology and/or its potential. We believe that for companies within the additive manufacturing value chain to really see the full potential of their employees, they need to focus on creating a work environment with our 3 key indicators somewhere in its core. Great company culture in additive manufacturing is fostered when employees are recognised, held accountable and given the scope to creatively problem solve. Most likely they joined your business because they love what you do and how you do it. Let’s aim to keep it that way.

If you wish to discuss any of the details within this article, don’t hesitate to get in touch.

Sophie Pontoppidan
Digital Marketing Executive
ALEXANDER DANIELS GLOBAL
[email protected]