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Velo3D ships seventh Sapphire printer to aerospace production customer

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Velo3D, a manufacturer of metal additive manufacturing systems or 3D printers, has delivered its seventh Sapphire printer to its largest production customer, which has already ordered a total of 12 systems in the past year.

All previously installed systems are in full production creating mission-critical parts for aerospace applications. The balance of the systems will ship before the end of Q1 2020.

The combination of 12 systems and their productivity makes this one of the largest concentrations of metal additive-manufacturing capacity in the world. [Read more…] about Velo3D ships seventh Sapphire printer to aerospace production customer

AREVO partners with AGC on 3D printing in Japanese markets

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AREVO, the Silicon Valley company specialising in composites manufacturing through digitalization – or 3D printing, has chosen AGC as its strategic business partner in Japan.

The two companies plan to provide “manufacturing-as-a-service” for the on-demand production of ultra-strong, lightweight 3D-printed composite parts for the Japanese market.

This service is based on AREVO’s “Aqua” platform, the world’s first industrial-grade continuous fiber 3D printing system capable of printing parts of up to one meter cubic volume. [Read more…] about AREVO partners with AGC on 3D printing in Japanese markets

Paperless offices: Pipe dream or near-future reality?

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A paperless office would be ideal for the environment, but could it be possible?

There are many ways of lowering your paperwork, and considering what you need to print would be a step into reducing paper consumption.

Reducing printing would also decrease the amount of money that comes out of the overall business budget. [Read more…] about Paperless offices: Pipe dream or near-future reality?

Siemens partners with ExOne for industrial 3D printing and Industry 4.0 initiatives

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ExOne, a specialist provider of industrial sand and metal 3D printers using binder jetting technology, has formed a partnership with engineering giant Siemens that the two companies say “will benefit industrial customers in the foundry, aerospace, automotive, energy and other markets”.

Siemens’ Digital Enterprise Portfolio of software and automation technology including MindSphere are fully implemented on the all-new S-Max Pro sand printer, which is said to be capable of achieving print speeds of up to 135 l/h (18 s/layer).

The S-Max Pro was launched at the 2019 GIFA International Foundry Trade Fair last week. [Read more…] about Siemens partners with ExOne for industrial 3D printing and Industry 4.0 initiatives

MHI Machine Tool produces commercial metal 3D Printer using laser beams

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Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Machine Tool Co., Ltd. has commercialised a metal 3D printer applying laser-based metal additive manufacturing technology.

The first unit was delivered in March to the Industrial Research Centre of Shiga Prefecture, in Ritto, Japan.

The commercial model is capable of laminating diverse metal materials at high speed, through use of a proprietary Directed Energy Deposition (DED) method in which metal powder material is continuously fed by nozzles to the laser fusing point.

[Read more…] about MHI Machine Tool produces commercial metal 3D Printer using laser beams

Smart vision inspection system cuts stoppages in packaging

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A collaboration between SICK and AutoCoding Systems has resulted in the launch of the first fully-automatic smart vision inspection system for printed coding and marking on food, pharmaceutical and other consumer goods packaging. 

The 4Sight Automatic Print Inspection System achieves significant savings in day-to-day production stoppages for producers. 

A breakthrough innovation achieved in the AutoCoding 4Sight software, operating on SICK’s Inspector P smart vision camera, enables direct closed-loop communication of the printed message from any brand of printer using standard inkjet, laser or thermal transfer technologies.

[Read more…] about Smart vision inspection system cuts stoppages in packaging

Formlabs launches new generation of 3D printers

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Formlabs, the designer and manufacturer of 3D printing systems, has launched two new advanced professional Low Force Stereolithography 3D printers to its hardware lineup: Form 3 and Form 3L.

LFS 3D printing is an advanced form of stereolithography (SLA) that delivers consistently flawless parts.

The LFS process uses a flexible tank to drastically reduce the forces of the peel process, providing incredible surface finish and detail, and linear illumination to deliver accurate, repeatable parts.

[Read more…] about Formlabs launches new generation of 3D printers

Xyrec painting robot to bring a world of colour to aircraft

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Dutch robot manufacturer Xyrec has successfully demonstrated a breakthrough in aircraft painting technology by printing a large digital image on an Airbus A320 fuselage. The demonstration took place in Hamburg, Germany.

This new and unique solution for decorating aircraft uses inkjet technology for digital printing and ink instead of paint.

The printer will be introduced in Xyrec’s Automated Paint Robot for aircraft, and will be the largest robot in the world, says the company.

[Read more…] about Xyrec painting robot to bring a world of colour to aircraft

Additive manufacturing or 3D printing? What’s the difference?

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“Additive manufacturing” is increasingly used interchangeably with “3D printing”, so they essentially mean the same thing. The only difference seems to be that “3D printing” is used more by maker communities – hobbyists and inventors – and still retains some sort of novelty value, whereas “additive manufacturing” – despite being the newer term – is more likely to be preferred in industry circles, perhaps because it has the sound of an established technology. 

But it’s not really an “established” technology in the sense that it’s only been around for a relatively short time.

According to 3DPrintingIndustry.com, it was only in 2007 that a 3D printer was available for less than $10,000 – from a company called 3D Systems, which is today one of the most well-known providers of the technology.

The most advanced 3D printers still cost quite a lot of money, especially those used by high-end manufacturers, but there are good-quality, entry-level machines available today for as little as a few hundred dollars.  [Read more…] about Additive manufacturing or 3D printing? What’s the difference?

Xerox launches new 3D printer featuring a nozzle ‘half the width of a human hair’

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xerox-3d-printer

New Xerox 3D printers sport a nozzle which is almost too tiny to see with human eyes

Xerox says it has developed innovative architecture featuring tiny, stainless steel nozzles inside its new Direct to Object Inkjet Printer.

The company says this means it has created a new, label-less, on-demand method of personalising three-dimensional objects.

The nozzles are contained in print heads – about the size of a deck of cards – that accurately spray ink on objects as small as bottle caps and as large as football helmets. The printer can print on plastic, metals, ceramics and glass, eliminating the need for costly labels.  [Read more…] about Xerox launches new 3D printer featuring a nozzle ‘half the width of a human hair’