printing

Guide to 3D Printing for Beginners: How to Get Started

May 1, 2020 by Polly Leave a Comment

Thinking of taking up 3D printing for yourself? Follow this guide to 3D printing or beginners.

Ever since 3D printing emerged in the 1980s, it has revolutionized our society. Businesses use it for a variety of reasons, from creating replacement parts to entirely new products. However, many consumers are now turning to 3D printing as a hobby or side hustle.

Thankfully, the 3D printing process is actually pretty simple once you understand it. If you are considering 3D printing for personal or business use, follow this guide to 3D printing for beginners. [Read more…] about Guide to 3D Printing for Beginners: How to Get Started

MakerBot adds specialty materials for functional 3D printing prototypes

April 28, 2020 by David Edwards Leave a Comment

MakerBot, a 3D printing company and subsidiary of Stratasys, has expanded the materials portfolio for its “Method” 3D printer with two new materials – PC-ABS and PC-ABS FR.

The addition of these new materials brings the number of MakerBot materials for Method to 10, underscoring the company’s efforts to deliver a wider range of industrial-grade solutions to open more additive manufacturing applications for engineers.

PC-ABS (polycarbonate-acrylonitrile butadiene styrene) has high heat resistant properties and high tensile strength, which make it optimal for use across automotive, rail, and electronics industries. [Read more…] about MakerBot adds specialty materials for functional 3D printing prototypes

nTopology and Oak Ridge National Laboratory partner to develop additive manufacturing technologies

April 22, 2020 by David Edwards Leave a Comment

nTopology has entered into a Cooperative Research and Development Agreement with Oak Ridge National Laboratory to advance the capabilities of additive manufacturing through integrated software toolkits and embed ORNL expertise into nTop software.

The plan is for these capabilities to be made available commercially to the broader advanced-manufacturing market.

The collaboration incorporates foundational nTopology software with ORNL-developed machine control capabilities on large-scale polymer additive manufacturing systems. [Read more…] about nTopology and Oak Ridge National Laboratory partner to develop additive manufacturing technologies

Mimaki expands portfolio with large-scale 3D printer

April 11, 2020 by David Edwards Leave a Comment

Mimaki Europe, a manufacturer of inkjet printers and cutting systems, has launched its new Mimaki 3DGD-1800 3D printer, facilitating large-scale production up to three times faster than with conventional Fused Filament Fabrication type 3D printers.

The Mimaki 3DGD-1800 3D printer connects the company’s 2D printing expertise and 3D technology innovations, providing customers with a cost-effective, total solution for 3D sign and display applications.

Capable of producing objects up to 1.8 metres tall in just seven hours – with its assembly-based design allowing for the creation of even larger designs – the innovative 3D printing system boasts a number of clever time- and cost-saving features, including dual-head configuration to enable the simultaneous output of two structures. [Read more…] about Mimaki expands portfolio with large-scale 3D printer

3D printing moving into mainstream manufacturing, says GlobalData

April 11, 2020 by Sam Francis Leave a Comment

3D printing technology is slowly cementing its role as a key part of the manufacturing mix, continuing its journey towards industry 4.0.

It has already lowered the barriers to entry for manufacturing, allowing enterprises across many industries to respond to customer demands while offering greater customization of products and speed to market, says GlobalData, a data analytics company.

Venkata Naveen, disruptive tech analyst at GlobalData, says: “3D printing has leaped from the proof-of-concept stage to a viable manufacturing alternative, demonstrating its potential in real-world environments, notably in industries such as aerospace and defense, construction, consumer and automotive.” [Read more…] about 3D printing moving into mainstream manufacturing, says GlobalData

Scientists develop ‘flexoskeletons’ that cost a dollar to 3D print

April 10, 2020 by David Edwards Leave a Comment

Engineers at the University of California San Diego have developed a new method that doesn’t require any special equipment and works in just minutes to create soft, flexible, 3D-printed robots. (See video below.)

The innovation comes from rethinking the way soft robots are built: instead of figuring out how to add soft materials to a rigid robot body, the UC San Diego researchers started with a soft body and added rigid features to key components.

The structures were inspired by insect exoskeletons, which have both soft and rigid parts – the researchers called their creations “flexoskeletons”. [Read more…] about Scientists develop ‘flexoskeletons’ that cost a dollar to 3D print

8 Trends in 3D Printing

February 3, 2020 by David Edwards Leave a Comment

HP has released its list of predictions for 3D printing and digital manufacturing in 2020.

Informed by extensive interviews with a team of experts, this year’s research identifies top trends that will have a major impact on advancing Industry 4.0 such as the need for more sustainable production, how automation will transform the factory floor, and the rise of data and software as the backbone of digital manufacturing.

Pete Basiliere, founder, Monadnock Insights, says: “The year ahead will be a time of realizing 3D printing and digital manufacturing’s true potential across industries. [Read more…] about 8 Trends in 3D Printing

Essentium and Vorum partner to develop 3D printing solution for prosthetics

January 29, 2020 by David Edwards Leave a Comment

Essentium, a provider of 3D printing solutions for manufacturing industries, and Vorum, a CAD/CAM processes company specialising in the orthotics and prosthetics market, have agreed an exclusive global partnership to develop 3D printing for the medical sector.

Essentium + Vorum, a 3D print solution for O&P customers worldwide, offers practitioners a “SurePath” to success for the production of mass-customized O&P devices at speed and scale, say the companies.

It also provides a proven transition methodology including proof of concept mapped to individual customer business goals, design, deployment path, training, installation and support. [Read more…] about Essentium and Vorum partner to develop 3D printing solution for prosthetics

ABB adds 3D printing capabilities to its RobotStudio simulation software

January 23, 2020 by Sam Francis Leave a Comment

ABB is introducing 3D printing capabilities to its RobotStudio simulation and offline programming software, which will enable users to program ABB robots for additive manufacturing “in just 30 minutes”. (See video below.)

Part of the PowerPac portfolio of RobotStudio, the new 3D Printing feature eliminates manual programming to allow faster prototype production.

The 3D Printing PowerPac supports a variety of processes, such as welding and printing with granules or concrete and is ideal for low-volume, high-mix printing. [Read more…] about ABB adds 3D printing capabilities to its RobotStudio simulation software

Velo3D ships seventh Sapphire printer to aerospace production customer

December 7, 2019 by David Edwards Leave a Comment

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