Oct 1, 2016 | By Benedict
During the final week of September, Aurora Labs files patent, metal 3D printing specialist Sintavia acquired a Concept Laser 3D printer, Materialise added products to its Magics 3D Print Suite, and ASTM International introduced a new standard for 3D printed stainless steel alloys, DoE invests $1.2M in national lab. Here are the stories you might have missed.
1. Sintavia acquires Concept Laser 3D printer
Sintavia, LLC, a Florida-based developer of 3D metal printing solutions for the aerospace and defense industries, announced this week that it had acquired a Concept Laser M2 cusing 3D metal printer along with the related Quality Monitoring module for meltpool monitoring. Sintavia will use its new Concept Laser M2 cusing 3D printer to print metal parts, while the QM Meltpool 3D system will provide the necessary data insight to determine potential defects in the build process.
Sintavia has invested over $12 million in additive manufacturing technologies since the start of 2015, enabling the company to develop an end-to-end services portfolio, from design to production to evaluation. Following the purchase of the new Concept Laser 3D printing equipment, Sintavia can now boast of an in-house metallurgical lab, part production equipment (in the form of the M2 and a 3-axis CNC mill), in-house fatigue testing and Optical Emission Spectrometer (OES) hardness measurement systems, in-house post-processing, and in-house CT scanning for evaluation purposes. “Sintavia’s portfolio of capabilities may even exceed what a Tier 1 OEM has in-house,” claims John Murray, President and CEO of Concept Laser Inc.
2. Materialise announces new product releases in Magics 3D Print Suite
Belgian 3D printing software specialist Materialise announced this week new product releases and updates in the Materialise Magics 3D Print Suite, including a new flexible product for 3D printer manufacturers to offer data preparation solutions to their customers, automatic support generating solutions for DLP (Digital Light Processing) and bottom-up printing processes, and the automation of common 3D printing file preparation processes. The new releases are as follows:
- Materialise Magics Print: Using this new application, 3D printer manufacturers working with Materialise will be able to offer their customers professional data preparation software in combination with their machine. The new product will help to connect a wide variety of printers and technologies to exciting applications, and is one of the components of Materialise’s OEM solutions package.
- Materialise Robot: Materialise has optimized Materialise Robot, a user-configurable, automated solution that helps businesses run operations 24/7, decreasing lead times and reducing manual efforts. The new version has a stronger repair functionality, can be more easily customized, and improves production quality by automatically rejecting files with walls that are too thin or thick.
- Materialise e-Stage: Materialise e-Stage has been used for Stereolithography 3D printing for several years. With this suite update, Materialise’s patented automatic support generation software is made available to all resin-based technologies, including DLP (Digital Light Processing) and bottom-up printing technologies.
3. New ASTM standard for 3D printed stainless steel alloys
With some areas of 3D printing still in a relatively experimental stage, industry standards are required to ensure the safety and reliability of certain products. ASTM International this week introduced a new standard for 3D printed stainless steel alloys, describing the chemical and mechanical requirements of additively manufactured parts made from 316L (UNS 31603), a widely used grade of stainless steel.
“Among the companies that will find the standard most useful are manufacturers willing to replace cast or wrought 316L parts and components, especially those with complex geometries, high inventory costs, or long lead times,” said ASTM member Dr. Amir Farzadfar, Materials Process Engineer for Additive Manufacturing at Corning Inc. “Also, regulatory bodies such as the American Society of Mechanical Engineers will benefit, since the availability of this standard is the first step toward the ASME adoption process of additively manufactured parts.”
4. Proto Labs to open 3D printing hub on Manufacturing Day
Proto Labs, a rapid prototyping company based in Maple Plain, Minnesota, announced that it will open a 77,000-square-foot additive-manufacturing facility at its plant in Cary, North Carolina. The plant currently contains more than 70 3D printers, most of which are stereolithography systems, but that number also includes selective laser sintering and direct metal laser sintering printers. According to Proto Labs, there is enough space at the new hub for another 70 machines, and the company plans to make 170 new jobs at the facility over the next five years to add to the 150 currently employed there. The hub will open on October 7.
5. Sigma Labs to work with Honeywell Aerospace as part of “America Makes” program
From one lab to another now, as Sigma Labs, the New Mexico-based company behind the quality assurance software PrintRite3D, announced that it had received a contract from Honeywell Aerospace under the previously announced “America Makes” additive manufacturing research project with GE Aviation. The program, funded by the National Additive Manufacturing Innovation Institute (NAMII), uses Sigma Labs’ proprietary In-Process Quality Assurance (IPQA) software for advanced AM monitoring and inspection.
According to Mark Cola, President and CEO of Sigma Labs, the Honeywell Aerospace contract will enable Sigma Labs to “showcase the features” of its PrintRite3D software. Terms of the contract were not disclosed. In a separate project, Sigma Labs will work with Honeywell on its contract with America Makes for Design of Additive Manufacturing of Laser Powder Bed Production of Aerospace Components.
6. Royal DSM increases 3D printing power with expanded Michigan facility
Royal DSM, a global specialist active in health, nutrition, and materials, recently opened its expanded $5 million research and technology center for DSM Engineering Plastics in Troy, Michigan. The facility’s new features include 3D printing equipment for rapid prototyping, as well as mechanical and material testing systems and microscopy equipment. Part of the lab will be devoted to application testing, which will be carried out in partnership with the company’s various clients.
The Michigan facility is DSM’s first research and technology center in North America, adding to similar facilities in Europe, China, Japan, and India. According to DSM, the facility could be further expanded in 2017, since there is additional floorspace available. “The capabilities now available to our customers in this new facility enable us to further reduce the time to market for DSM innovations,” commented Jud Gibson, Vice President of Commercial Americas at DSM.
7. Aurora Labs files patent for 3D printing process
Since additive manufacturing is a relatively new technology consisting of many technological offshoots and unique printing processes, it is vital that innovative businesses secure their intellectual property in order to make money off their creations. Aurora Labs, an Australian company which makes additive manufacturing equipment, powders, and accessories, this week lodged a patent application for a metal powder production process for 3D metal printing. While the patent is still in the provisional application stage, Aurora Labs believes that the powder production method could be used to drastically reduce the cost of powders and thus the cost of metal 3D printing in general.
Citing a lack of private funding in Australia, Aurora Labs last month listed on the Australian Stock Exchange after raising 2.8 million AUD through an IPO. Shares were last trading at 1.24 AUD, a six-fold increase over the issue price of 0.20 AUD.
8. Jabil launches 3D printing service and other ‘Innovation Acceleration Services’
Jabil Circuit, Inc. announced the launch of a new set of Innovation Acceleration Services, intended to “compress the entire product lifecycle” while giving customers the chance to respond faster to changing product and market demands. According to Jabil, one of these services will be a 3D printing and additive manufacturing service to accelerate new product introductions for large-scale production.
Jabil’s 3D printing service for businesses will include materials development and qualification, process development, and validation, as well as supply chain integration. Jabil says that, by using 3D printing instead of traditional manufacturing methods, companies can expedite time-to-market by up to seven weeks. Furthermore, the customers of these companies can reportedly realize cost savings of more than 50 percent.
“3D printing changed the R&D landscape at Superfeet by enabling us to customize in ways we’ve never done before,” said Eric Hayes, VP of Marketing and Product at Superfeet, an insole and shoe insert maker that has taken advantage of Jabil’s new service. “It took us two years using traditional R&D to create a custom insole that could be produced in 15 minutes. Jabil, in just four months, proved how we could use 3D printing to produce custom insoles more efficiently, and with an extremely high degree of replication, at a fraction of the development cost of other methods.”
9. 3D printed heart model assists successful surgery on Dutch child
3D printing company Materialise this week revealed the role it played in a successful operation carried out on a Dutch child suffering from a heart tumor. The surgery was performed by Professor Viktor Hraska, a cardiac surgeon from the Sankt-Augustin hospital in Germany, who was initially contacted by the boy’s GP. With the young boy’s tumor situated near the mitral valve and the coronary arteries, the case presented a huge challenge to the surgical team due to the high possibility of damaging those delicate areas.
Hraska reached out to Materialise, asking if the 3D printing company could create a 3D printed model of the patient’s heart to enable the surgical team to discuss and visualize the size and shape of the tumor. Materialise obliged, and the 3D printed heart was used to help plan the surgery. Hraska performed the operation successfully, giving the child a chance to enjoy a long and happy life. “The 3D visualization significantly facilitates the planning of particularly complex cases,” Hraska said of the 3D printed model.
10. DoE invests $1.2 million in national lab partnerships with manufacturers
The U.S. Department of Energy announced three initial selections for the second group of its Technologist in Residence (TIR) Program. Three national laboratories will receive nearly $1.2 million in order to advance collaborative research and development focused on improving the manufacturing processes of industry partners. In one of the three partnerships, Oak Ridge National Laboratory will offer its additive manufacturing expertise to Pioneer Natural Resources, a petrol and gas company from Irving, Texas.
- Argonne National Laboratory and Kyma Technologies: The two parties will develop advanced semiconductor devices for use in advanced power electronics, optoelectronics, solid-state lighting, and photovoltaics. The researchers will investigate the manufacturing of ultrahigh-quality, bulk, single-crystal materials for semiconductor devices.
- Idaho National Laboratory and DuPont: INL and DuPont will focus on biofuel production and optimizing an integrated ethanol cellulosic technology pathway from feedstocks through bioconversion.
- Oak Ridge National Laboratory and Pioneer Natural Resources: The two parties will focus on advanced materials and coatings, smart parts and sensors, advanced material design, and additive manufacturing.
11. 3Diligent increases industry access to 3D printing
Additive manufacturing might involve building things up from bottom to top, but 3D printing companies still occasionally need to break themselves down into smaller parts. 3Diligent, a marketplace for professional and industrial 3D printing, this week announced that it is splitting its service in two in order to better support its growing customer base. The startup’s pre-existing Marketplace will continue to operate, but the company will introduce 3Diligent Direct, which will provide turnkey support for every step of the 3D printing process from the request for quote (RFQ) all the way through delivery. The 3Diligent Marketplace will also be divided into free and premium subscription levels.
For manufacturers who have confidential projects, less defined procurement needs, or simply require additional support, the new 3Diligent Direct service will, according to the startup, provide project management from start to finish, eliminating problems associated with managing all the providers needed to optimally complete various printing projects. Client RFQs will be reviewed by a 3Diligent expert to identify the optimal partner from 3Diligent's database of fabricators.
12. Sciaky's Electron Beam Additive Manufacturing (EBAM) process used by auto manufacturer
Last but not least, Sciaky, the company behind the EBAM metal 3D printing process, announced that a major automobile manufacturer is using its 3D printing technology to create and repair tooling and stamping dies. The manufacturer has reportedly used Sciaky's EBAM to deposit complicated tooling features and perform customized repairs and cladding operations for several high-volume parts. After a successful proof of concept (POC) engagement, the 3D printed tool was put into production.
Sciaky publicized the client’s activity in order to demonstrate the versatility of its 3D printing system in fields beyond aerospace. “Sciaky’s EBAM technology is not limited to titanium parts and aerospace applications,” said Bob Phillips, Vice President of Phillips Service Industries, Inc., parent company of Sciaky. “We have provided 3D printed solutions to customers in a variety of industries like automotive, agricultural, defense, nuclear, oil & gas, and sea exploration using a wide variety of metals like stainless steel, tantalum, tungsten, Inconel, and niobium.”
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