Jun 2, 2016 | By Benedict
Summer may be upon us, but hot days and balmy nights aren’t enough to stop the wheels of the 3D printing industry from turning. In a week which has already seen a change of CEO at Stratasys, the introduction of cool new 3D printers like the Voxel8 Developer’s Kit, and a penguin named Bagpipes standing tall on a 3D printed prosthetic foot, here are a few more important stories of the hour, each condensed into bitesize form:
1. EOS North America opens a new additive manufacturing facility in Texas
EOS North America, a supplier of additive manufacturing systems for metal and plastic parts, yesterday opened its newest U.S. facility in Pflugerville, Texas, where it has established a customer-to-engineer innovations laboratory (iLab), a working showroom, and an AM Ventures division where startup ideas will be brainstormed, developed, and implemented. “The opening of our Pflugerville facility helps us deliver better and faster service and support to our regional customers,” said Glynn Fletcher, president of EOS North America.
2. Arcam builds new powder manufacturing plant
Jump 1,600 miles northeast of Texas and you’ll land in Montreal, Canada, where AP&C, a subsidiary of Arcam AB, recently opened its new powder manufacturing plant. The new facility will provide manufacturing redundancy, short term capacity increase, and long term potential for expansion. The development of the new facility was set in motion following an increase in demand for AP&C’s titanium powders for additive manufacturing. “The need for high end titanium powder is driven by the fast growth and adoption of Additive Manufacturing,” said Magnus René, CEO of Arcam. “Arcam is determined to serve the industry through cost efficient solutions, thus converting traditional manufacturing into Additive Manufacturing.”
3. DSM and Chemtrix sign distributorship on continuous flow reactors
3D printing is all about collaboration, and Chemtrix B.V and DSM Chemical Technology R&D B.V. just confirmed the old adage that two heads are better than one by signing an exclusive distributorship agreement over 3D printed metal continuous flow reactors. Chemtrix will continue to produce 3D printed flow reactors with its selective laser melting technology, with DSM set to expand the Chemtrix customer base through its network and expertise. “Thanks to the enabling technology of 3D printing of metal, the flexibility and cost level of industrial flow reactors are drastically improved, opening up a wide range of opportunities for the chemical industry,” commented André de Vries, business manager of DSM’s Innosyn Route Scouting Services.
4. Zinnov and Authentise Announce Strategic Partnership
Meanwhile, in California, another strategic partnership was being announced, this time between Zinnov, a multinational business enterprise headquartered in Bangalore, India, and Authentise, a security and big data software specialist with a focus on the 3D printing industry. The partnership has been established to help global companies through their digital manufacturing transitions in 3D printing, IIoT, and software automation.
Initially Zinnov will focus on providing Authentise's thought leadership in the space through established Zinnov channels. Subsequently the partnership will help companies into building out their additional digital manufacturing related value propositions through trainings, strategic support and thought leadership. Authentise has established success of providing strategic support to deliver integrated 3D printing and digital manufacturing strategies for some of the world's largest organizations, including Lowe's and Wipro; as well as leading process automation software provider to companies and manufacturers moving their additive manufacturing initiatives from lab to production scale.
“We're excited to be working with Zinnov to help spread understanding of the additive manufacturing technology and its implications,” said Andre Wegner, CEO and Founder of Authentise. “The partnership is the fastest way to help large organizations adopt 3D printing at the core of their companies.”
5. Nano Dimension Files U.S. Patent Application for Conversion of MRI and CT Scans for 3D Printing of Tissues and Organs
Outside of the boardroom and into the laboratory now, as Nano Dimension Technologies today announced it had filed a patent for a new stem cell 3D printing technique. Last week Nano Dimension announced their collaboration with Israeli biotech firm Accellta Ltd. through which they were able to successfully lab-test a proof of concept 3D bioprinter for stem cell printing.
The new patent describes a 3D bioprinting process which uses stem cells and inkjet technology to create tissue and organs. The patent application concerns converting MRI and CT scans and resulting images in order to create a 3D structure of organs, to be printed in a 3D printer adapted to biological materials. Moreover, the patent application also discloses the use of a new software which uses an algorithm to analyze the 3D structure of a tissue or organ. This analysis converts the 3D structure into two dimensional slices, a process required for 3D printing of the final structure.
6. Additive Orthopaedics Announces the 510(k) Clearance of Their 3D Printed Digital Fusion Implant
Good news for medicine as a whole then, but there was also some particularly good news for patients with bone problems: yesterday, Additive Orthopaedics announced that it had received FDA clearance for its 3D printed titanium digital fusion implant. "Additive manufacturing allows us to develop complex geometries at reasonable manufacturing costs not possible before now with traditional manufacturing," said Greg Kowalczyk, President and Founder of Additive Orthopaedics. "Design teams really need to think outside the box when considering this innovative manufacturing process. And where better to do that then the Global US Extremity Market valued at $1.3 billion and growing at over 10% per year. We are confident that the market will respond well to this, our patient specific products in development, and our other devices currently being reviewed by the FDA."
According to Dr. Selene Parekh, Professor of Surgery in the Department of Orthopaedic Surgery at Duke Orthopaedics and North Carolina Orthopaedic Clinic, "3D printing has a major role in the future of orthopaedics. In today's cost sensitive health care environment, 3D printing allows us to bring highly complex, lower cost technologies to the market very quickly, with patient specific features that will potentially improve patient outcomes."
Additive Orthopaedics has closed its initial seed rounds and recently announced the start of its 2nd round of financing.
7. Artec 3D debuts Artec Studio 11 software complete with first-of-its-kind Autopilot post-processing functionality
Bones and organs aren’t usually scanned with a consumer-level 3D scanner, but there are a billion other objects which can be. Artec 3D, a 3D scanning and processing specialist headquartered in Luxembourg, yesterday released its new Artec Studio 11 software, designed for use with Artec’s range of handheld scanners and sensors.
Designed for both beginners and experts, the handy, first of its kind “Autopilot” mode guides users through a few simple questions related to the characteristics of the object being scanned and the type of 3D model that is desired. Studio 11 then deletes any unwanted captured data, auto-aligns the scans with one click, and instinctively selects the most effective 3D algorithms for the data at hand. The result is a high precision 3D model that is of the same quality as those created manually by an experienced user.
Alternatively, manual mode gives complete control and access to the platform's full range of data manipulation tools. Artec Studio 11 speeds up workflow by automatically deleting the base an object was scanned on and auto-aligning scan data with total accuracy at the click of a button. Texture can also be added 10 times faster than before and can be mapped automatically where data is missing. Models can be further manipulated in a few quick clicks with user-friendly geometry editing tools.
With Artec's boosted real-time fusion scanning mode, users are able to move the scanner around an object and view the model as it is being built. Furthermore, this power hungry mode has been optimized for a smooth scanning experience even on tablets.
"It’s virtually impossible to tell the difference between a 3D model created using Artec Studio 11’s Autopilot mode and one that was created manually by an expert user,” said Artyom Yukhin, president and CEO of Artec 3D. “By making the process more intuitive, we are making the integration of 3D scanning easier among various professional industries ranging from entertainment and medicine to manufacturing, design and historical preservation. With Artec’s advanced algorithms built into the system, users can create a professional-grade 3D model in a matter of minutes.”
8. Graphene 3D Announces Changes in Board of Directors
Last but not least, Graphene 3D announced a boardroom shakeup earlier this week: entering the fray is Lomiko Metals CEO A Paul Gill, who was an early investor in Graphene 3D through Lomiko. Lomiko Technologies currently owns 40% of Graphene ESD, which focuses on research, development and commercialization of the next generation of graphene batteries and supercapacitors. As CEO of Lomiko Technologies, Mr. A Paul Gill has been involved in the strategic and implementation phases of this company’s development. He has extensive experience in corporate restructuring and executive management of publically traded companies.
The Company further announces that Messrs. Ian Klassen and Robert Coltura have resigned from the Board of Directors to pursue other projects. Mr. Klassen has also resigned from his roles as President, COO and Corporate Secretary of the Company. Messrs. Klassen and Coltura had been on the Board of Directors of MatNic Resources Inc., a Canadian publicly listed mineral exploration company which was acquired by Graphene 3D Labs, Inc., in a reverse merger transaction in August 2014. Messrs. Ian Klassen and Robert Coltura had stayed on the board after completion of the transaction until this date.
Posted in 3D Printer Company
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