Change Is Additive—Week of 4/28/2017
CHANGE IS ADDITIVE—A 3D Printing News Series by Fathom
Desktop Metal 3D Printers, Lifelike Medical Simulation, Additive Manufacturing of End-Use Goods, Mass Customization for Footwear, GE Bets Big on Additive, Developing Industry Guidelines for Augmented Reality, New GrabCAD Software
With so many weekly developments in a fast-changing industry like additive manufacturing, the headlines can really stack up. To cut through the clutter of 3D printing news, check out these staff picks of the week. What do you think is the most impactful development?
Desktop Metal Reveals How Its 3D Printers Rapidly Construct Metal Objects
Desktop Metal recently announced pricing and other details for its new line of 3D printers, which can create objects from hundreds of different alloys. Desktop Metal CEO and Co-Founder Ric Fulop claims that the quality of the parts produced by the 3D printers are comparable to that of metal injection molded (MIM) parts. The two-step technique starts with layered printing of metal powders mixed in a soft polymer. After printing, the part is heated in a furnace using a technology called microwave enhanced sintering, removing the polymer and yielding a fully formed metal part / / Read More // Watch Video
A New Approach to 3D Printing Removes the Limitations of Gravity
Scientists at MIT, working with furniture maker Steelcase and materials researcher Christophe Guberan, developed a new 3D printing process that they claim negates the effects of gravity. The process takes place inside a vat filled with a thick gel, providing a constant support for the liquid material as it is extruded. Speaking with designboom, the lab’s founder Skylar Tibbits explained how the team had successfully reproduced a structure that would have taken 50 hours to print using a traditional 3D printer in just 10 minutes using their rapid liquid printing process // Learn More / / Watch Video
Japanese Researchers Create Medical Simulation Robot with Realistic 3D Printed Organs
Researchers at the Japanese Tottori University Hospital have joined with medical company tmsuk R&D Inc. to create a lifelike medical simulation robot, named Mikoto, the Japanese word for life. The robot is designed to express pain and features a number of natural human reflexes intended to give medical students and professionals a better simulation of the patient experience / / Read More / / Watch Video
Siemens Joins adidas SPEEDFACTORIES Project for Custom 3D Printed Sportswear
Siemens is collaborating with adidas to improve the SPEEDFACTORY project, a new production system that makes use of 3D printing and other modern technologies to produce high-quality sporting goods. With its stated mission of fast, transparent and individualized production” using additive manufacturing and other cutting-edge production techniques, the adidas SPEEDFACTORY concept could signal the start of mass-produced 3D printed footwear and other products / / Read More
Record-Breaking Campaign Further Validates Mass Customization 3D Printed Footwear Market
Wiivv, a custom sandal brand that leverages 3D printing for a direct digital manufacturing strategy, continues to validate mass customization in the consumer footwear market. The most recent campaign completed by Wiivv surpassed their goal by hundreds of thousands of dollars, illustrating substantial initial demand in the space / / Read More
Airbus Successfully Tests Metal 3D Printed Controlling Component of an A380
Through a collaborative effort led by Airbus, Swiss industrial engineering company Liebherr, and Chemnitz University of Technology in Germany, engineers 3D printed and successfully tested a controlling component of the A380 aircraft, an additively manufactured hydraulic valve / / Read More
GE Bets Big on Additive Manufacturing, Scouts for Additional Acquisitions
General Electric continues to bolster its investment in additive manufacturing, announcing a cash infusion surpassing $109 million into recently acquired German 3D printing company Concept Laser. According to GEs Vice President of Additive Integration, the company aims to turn the additive manufacturing business, currently still a part of GE Aviation, into a $1 billion external sales business by 2020 / / Read More
Manufacturers Unite to Develop AR Guidelines for Smart Factories of the Future
Chicago’s manufacturing innovation accelerator UI LABS and the Augmented Reality for Enterprise Alliance have announced the first global augmented reality guidelines for industrial use this month. 65 companies and organizations contributed to the inaugural release, which comprises information on AR hardware, software, machine assembly, inspection and repair, product design and many other areas. Three companies leading the charge for this group are Lockheed Martin, Procter & Gamble and Caterpillar / / Read More
New GrabCAD Print Software
Accompanying the launch of the Stratasys F123 3D Printer Series, new GrabCAD Print software simplifies the 3D printing process with an intuitive workflow, automatic file healing and native file imports / / Read More / / Download
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Imagery and News Sources: 3Ders.org, 3Dprint.com, 3D Printingindustry.com, Engadget, TechCrunch, adidas, Stratasys, Airbus, GrabCAD, Wiivv, Siemens, Tottori University Hospital, MIT, Steelcase, Desktop Metal, Yahoo Finance, GE, Concept Laser, UI Labs, Augmented Reality for Enterprise Alliance, Tmsuk R&D, designbloom, Liebherr, Chemnitz University of Technology
