May 20, 2017 | By David

In another busy week for 3D printing we saw Organovo present data from its most recent research into 3D bioprinted liver tissue, Metalysis start research into producing a  cost-effective 3D printable aluminum-scandium alloy, and much more besides. Here's a summary of everything that might have passed you by recently:

1. Additive Industries’ MetalFAB1 3D printer purchased by Kaak Group

Kaak Group, a manufacturer of industrial bakery systems, has placed a follow-on order for a MetalFAB1 3D printer from Additive Industries. This comes within 9 months of the first order being placed. This upgrade to a 5-module, 4-laser system will double the speed and capacity of the company’s 3D printing output, which may still not be sufficient to keep up with growing demand for its bakery systems.

According to Jaap Bulsink, who is the senior R&D engineer at Kaak and in charge of the 3D printing facilities K3D at Kaak, '‘the MetalFAB1 has been used successfully to print a broad range of components for our systems offering improved performance, lighter weight parts and a substantial reduction of development lead-time.'’ This follow-on order signals to the market that MetalFAB1 system is performing at a high level, and underlines Kaak Group’s confidence in Additive Industries products.

2. Organovo presents new data on 3D printed liver tissue

Bioprinting expert Organovo demonstrated this week its latest findings from tests of 3D printed liver tissue in diseased animals. The occasion was the World Advanced Therapies and Regenerative Medicine Congress in London, and the data was presented by Benjamin Sheperd, Ph.D., Director of Therapeutics at Organovo. It showed that the liver tissue survived and was functional for much longer than in previous tests. The cells were functional through 60 days post-implantation, which was a significant increase in duration from the Company’s first preclinical studies, which demonstrated functionality through 28 days.

“With tens of thousands of patients being treated for inborn errors of metabolism (IEMs) in the U.S., and an annual cost per patient that exceeds $250,000 for drug therapy alone, Organovo is advancing novel therapeutic solutions for direct surgical implantation," said Eric David, M.D., J.D., chief strategy officer and executive vice president of preclinical development, Organovo. He identified the durability of the liver tissue and the production of key enzymes as showing great promise for the future of their bioprinting work. Clinical applications could be feasible within 5 years, as Organovo intends to apply to the FDA for certification sometime in 2020, pending further research.


3. CPRIT grant will allow Texas Medical Center to use 3D printed pelvic prostheses

A $5 million grant from CPRIT ( the Cancer Prevention and Research Institute of Texas), will allow Rice University’s Mechanical Engineering department to recruit expert researcher B.J Fregly. Fregly has 30 years of experience in building computer models and using motion capture to optimize surgical treatment for patients. He has won numerous research grants from NASA, the National Science Foundation and the National Institutes of Health (NIH), including an NIH R01 “Knee Grand Challenge” grant in 2010. His research has always been highly relevant to orthopaedic oncology, and his work at Rice will focus on patient-specific modelling for pelvic sarcoma surgery, which will hopefully enable much faster and more efficient rehabilitation.

“I am extremely grateful to CPRIT for giving me the opportunity to take the innovative personalized treatment design methods I have been developing for other orthopedic conditions and apply them to cancer surgeries, where every patient is truly unique and requires a truly unique treatment plan,” Fregly said. He and Rice will be working together with the Texas Medical Center. After taking detailed 3D models of patients anatomy, 3D printed pelvic prostheses will be made to help them walk again.

4. Metalysis launches new research programme for new 3D printable aluminum-scandium alloy

UK based metal 3D printing innovator Metalysis has just established a joint research programme to develop a new, highly disruptive aluminium-scandium alloy. The material is uniquely strong and lightweight, and is in high demand in the aerospace and automotive industries. Scandium has been in the past prohibitively expensive to use, due to its uncertain supply being dependent on mining. Metalysis’s research will hopefully discover new, more cost effective ways to manufacture the aluminium scandium alloy and offset this cost.

According to Dion Vaughan, CEO of Metalysis, “We are very pleased to welcome another international partner to our R&D project portfolio, and look forward to commencing a particularly exciting work programme together.Aluminium-scandium alloys are a huge subject of interest to Metalysis, and while their cost implications are well-known, so are their highly beneficial characteristics.We will use Metalysis’ process to explore opportunities to materially improve their cost setting and deliver a high-demand, high-spec product.’’ The research will be carried out at Metalysis’ newly opened Materials Discovery Centre in South Yorkshire’s Advanced Manufacturing Park Innovation District, UK.

5. Sandvik Osprey to provide metal powders for Desktop Metal’s 3D printer range

A partnership has been established between Sandvik Osprey Ltd and Desktop Metal, which will see Sandvik Osprey becoming DM’s preferred supplier of metal powders. The DM Studio and DM Production systems were recently released, and they deliver a highly-loaded powder/binder mixture to the print head to achieve higher density parts with low sintering shrinkage.

Sandvik Osprey boasts a huge range of metal powders for 3D printing, totalling over 3000 alloys. They are clean and spherical, which enables a uniform flow and high packing density when used in 3D printing processes. ‘We look forward to supporting the growth in demand for consumers of the new Desktop Metal technology who we expect to come from all major industrial sectors,’ said Richard J Park, managing director of Sandvik Osprey Limited.

6. RP Platform’s new software feature to allow integration of 3D printing technology with email systems

3D printing software specialist RP Platform has just launched a new feature that will allow its software solutions to be fully integrated with a client’s preferred email system. Its programs will be compatible with Gmail, Microsoft Office and Exchange, as the company is committed to streamlining workflows and managing customer communications as efficiently as possible.

“This new feature has been a long time in development,” Keyvan Karimi, Company Founder & CEO said. “Ever since we launched RP Platform, we’ve seen over and over again that email integration is a huge gap in most AM companies’ workflow management processes, with no solution available that offered the functionality or versatility that AM workflows demand’’. The feature went live last week after extensive testing with existing clients.

Integrating workflows with communication in an automated way will revolutionize a company’s project lifecycle, vastly improving efficiency at every stage, from inital quote to final product delivery. “Going forward, it will be offered as a standard part of our product for all new users’’, added Karimi. ‘’We’re confident this type of strategic automation will benefit all areas of AM operations, leaving companies perfectly positioned to deliver a better customer journey and uncover innovative new solutions to the sector’s evolving challenges.”

 

 

Posted in 3D Printer Company

 

 

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Tom wrote at 5/21/2017 9:16:03 AM:

coul you please put some links of your sources within the article? Would be nice to have a link to publictions and press articles! THX



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