Sep 15, 2017 | By David
Here's another roundup of recent 3D printing stories, in case you've missed out on anything lately. A lot has been happening, with EnvisionTEC starting beta testing on a new material for 3D printed footwear, a major bio-printing research collaboration between Canadian company Aspect BioSystems and German researchers, and more besides.
1. EnvisionTEC begins testing on new E-Shore A material for 3D printed footwear
Pioneering 3D printer company EnvisionTEC has announced a brand new material that is specifically designed for 3D printing footwear. The company, which has been at the forefront of new innovations in the 3D printing industry for 15 years now, will soon be commencing beta testing on the material, known as E-Shore A. This advanced engineering-grade material is a polyurethane-like material that produces a final material with a soft Shore A value in the 40-50 range. It will be tested for 3D print quality and reliability on EnvisionTEC’s Perfactory line of 3D printers.
E-Shore A has been in development for a while, with the EnvisionTEC’s materials team headed by 3D printing materials expert Dr. Vadim Nazarov. The material is durable and tear-resistant, as well as being waterproof and comfortable to wear. All these properties make it ideal for the manufacturing of customized 3D printed footwear, which is getting closer and closer to a reality after many years of false starts and promising prototypes from companies such as New Balance and Nike. The world of professional sports could be the first to take advantage of the new customization possibilities that 3D printed shoes present, with commercial retail being close behind.
2. Dental Crafters to adopt Prodways’ 3D printing technology
One of the U.S’s largest full service dental laboratories, Dental Crafters, is due to adopt 3D printing technology in order to offer the highest precision models possible to its patients and to other dental labs. Dental Crafters, founded in 1989, currently provides a full range of restorative products, including crowns, dentures, surgical guides, and many other products besides.
Moving into the next generation of manufacturing technology, Dental Crafters will be making use of 3D printing systems provided by French company Prodways. The ProMaker L5000D was specifically designed for 3D printing in dental lab, and it uses Prodways’ exclusive MOVINGLight technology, which is based on the polymerization of photosensitive resins using moving DLP (Digital Light Processing) UV rays.
According to Brad Slominski, co-owner of Dental Crafters, ‘’While searching for the ideal printer for our 3D model printing needs, we wanted to stay true to our high-quality standards. As a result, Dental Crafters chose the ProMaker L5000 D by Prodways Group for two simple reasons, high volume and precise accuracy sustained over time. With our internal testing we found that the Prodways machine consistently produced an accurate product regardless of volume, surpassing other machines on the market. With the Prodways ProMaker L5000 D we can consistently print 60 quadrant models per day, maintaining accuracy print after print.’’
3. Chemistry professor Joe DeSimone wins Heinz Award for work in 3D printing technology and other fields
The Heinz Award has been given to a chemistry professor at UNC-Chapel Hill and N.C. State University. The prestigious national prize, awarded by the Heinz Family Foundation in Pittsburgh, was given to Joe DeSimone for achievements in developing and commercializing green chemistry, nanoparticle fabrication, precision medicine and 3D printing. He won in the award’s technology, the economy and employment category, and received a cash prize of $250, o00.
DeSimone is a co-founder of Carbon, Inc., which now works with manufacturing partners in order to develop applications for new technology that will improve and accelerate 3D printing. The company currently employs 200 people, and has received around $220 million in investment from companies such as Google, GE and BMW. Carbon recently worked with Adidas, to create a new running shoe called Futurecraft 4D, which has a lattice midsole that can be printed in 30 minutes.
“Dr. DeSimone’s achievements as a polymer scientist and entrepreneur leading to singular breakthroughs in areas such as 3D printing, nanomedicine and green chemistry are many, and the positive effects on how we live, create, work and treat our planet are only just beginning to be seen,” said Teresa Heinz, chair of the Heinz Family Foundation.
4. Aspect BioSystems announces major 3D bio-printing collaboration with InSCREENeX and Fraunhofer ITEM
A major international research collaboration has just been announced by Canadian company Aspect BioSystems, a global leader in 3D bio-printing and tissue engineering. It will be teaming up with researchers from German company InSCREENeX and their compatriots at the Fraunhofer Institute for Toxicology and Experimental Medicine (ITEM), in order to further develop its current 3D bio-printing systems.
The collaboration is being supported by the National Research Council of Canada Industrial Research Assistance Program (NRC-IRAP) in Canada, and the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy’s Central Innovation Program for SMEs (ZIM). A huge range of potential applications can be expected, particularly in the field of toxicology, as Aspect BioSystems’ muscle tissue models are adapted for other organs.
“We are excited to work with high profile international partners with unique technologies like InSCREENeX and Fraunhofer ITEM to expand the applications of our 3DBioRing muscle tissue platform and develop models of other tissues including blood vessels, heart, and lung. Ultimately, this collaboration will enable us to apply our Lab-on-a-Printer bioprinting technology to create novel tissues that can be used to improve the reliability of pre-clinical toxicity testing and could lead to the development of improved therapeutics for a host of vascular, cardiac, and respiratory diseases.”, said Tamer Mohamed, President and CEO, Aspect Biosystems.
According to Dr. Tobias May, CEO, InSCREENeX, “Personalized in vitro test systems that recreate the disease in a dish will take future drug development and regenerative medicine approaches to the next level. Aspect Biosystems’ bioprinting technology is at the forefront to develop three dimensional tissue with unmatched in-vivo like functionality. By partnering with Aspect Biosystems and Fraunhofer ITEM, and with the support from ZIM and IRAP, we will join forces to develop unique personalized cell systems. These expandable and physiologically relevant cell systems will be used as building blocks to bioprint contractile tissues with unparalleled physiology. This combined approach leads to an easy scalable and consistent production process for bioprinting in vitro tissues of highest quality in unlimited quantity.”
Posted in 3D Printer Company
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