3D Printing News Roundup: 3D Systems, Type A Machines, BriteLab, Circuit Launch, CollPlant, BodyCad

Sep 18, 2017 | By David

The 3D printing world continues to expand, and it’s easy to lose track of developments. Luckily we’ve got another roundup of things you might have missed recently, including, amongst other stories, 3D Systems demonstrating its new software and CollPlant receiving its first order for 3D bioprinting ink.

3D Systems demonstrates new software

3D printing giant 3D Systems will soon be demonstrating its latest offerings to the 3D technology market. This year’s EMO Hannover show will be the occasion for it to reveal Geomagic Control X 2018 and GibbsCAM 12 to the public for the first time.

Geomagic Control X is one of the industry’s leading inspection software solutions. It is specifically designed to meet the needs of the aerospace and automotive industries, who can use 3D scanning technology in conjunction with this software to make huge improvements to their inspection and quality control processes.

The latest version of 3D Systems’ scanner-agnostic platform retains the easy-to-use tools from earlier iterations, and also provides integrated capabilities including simplified and automated airfoil analysis, surface-analysis tools to instantly identify corrosion and denting, and comparative analysis tools. Customers can also import legacy files from Geomagic Control 2015, allowing for improved support for existing customers and their projects. A 50 per cent increase in efficiency is promised.

As for GibbsCAM 12, the latest version of this product manufacturing CAM software offers an innovative user interface and increases productivity by 30 per cent over previous versions. Post-processing capabilities continue to give users "world-class" quality code for their CNC machines, and the MTM and UKM programming capabilities are more advanced than ever.

"We continue to listen to customer feedback to provide the highest standard of excellence in additive and subtractive manufacturing solutions," said Ilan Erez, Senior Vice President and General Manager, Software at 3D Systems. "Today's introductions emphasize our continuing pursuit to deliver industry leading software that makes customer's jobs easier, enabling them to be more productive with lower total cost of operations."

Type A Machines announces new collaboration with Brite Lab and Circuit Launch to provide scalable 3D printing services

A new service relationship has been announced between Type A Machines, Brite Lab, and Circuit Launch. This will enable more startups and established companies than ever before to take advantage of Type A Machines’ innovative Print Pod manufacturing platform, which offers scalable FDM 3D printing services. The announcement was made during the official ribbon cutting and grand opening of the Circuit Launch facility, a 30,000 square foot co-working space for hardware startups, and the new headquarters of Type A Machines.

“The Print Pod is a revolutionary product changing the way we design, prototype, and productize hardware products,” said Andrew Rutter, CEO of Type A Machines. “By connecting Circuit Launch and BriteLab, we effectively bridge the gap between an idea and full production, leveraging the same tools and technologies the entire way through the process.”

The new relationship will facilitate the use of the Print Pod technology in an unprecedented way. Circuit Lab provides space for different tech companies to collaborate, allowing creation, testing, and iteration to happen all in one place. BriteLab specializes in the realization of new products and factory automation. The collaboration will mean that production of parts in the tens of thousands can be done more quickly than at an offshore facility, with the final product being created closer to the end users, cutting down on shipping time and the potential IP issues associated with offshore manufacturing.

CollPlant receives first major order for 3D bioprinting ink

Israeli biomedical firm CollPlant has reached a significant milestone, receiving the first order for its collagen-based BioInk for 3D bioprinting. The order reportedly came from a major bio-technology company. A U.S. patent was filed earlier this year for the 3D bioprinting ink, which is based on recombinant human collagen.

CollPlant’s bio-ink product has the potential to be used for a huge range of medical applications, for growing proteins, polymers, tissues, or even entire organs in a variety of ways. It enables the 3D printing of scaffolds, which are then seeded with stem cells or other biological building blocks which can be stimulated to grow in particular structures and carry out organic functions.

Yehiel Tal, CollPlant’s Chief Executive Officer, said: "We are pleased to receive this initial work order, which is an important step toward our goal of becoming a significant player in the field of 3D bioprinting of tissues and organs. We are currently in discussions with a few leading companies that are active in development of 3D bioprinting technologies, and we are confident that these activities will yield tangible demand for our high quality bioInk, allowing the industry to achieve the required printing results. Given the key advantages of CollPlant’s rhCollagen technology, we are experiencing greater recognition and appreciation from the industry's leading players, and, as such, will continue to pursue additional collaborations."

BodyCad completes first 3D printed knee restoration

Based in Quebec City, Canada, BodyCad is a company that uses 3D printing technology to provide custom orthopedic restorations, contributing both at the design and manufacturing phases. It is the only provider of a custom CAD/CAM software application that is specifically designed for this purpose. The company announced that the first successful knee restoration operation was recently carried out using its platform.

"The personalized restoration allowed me to perform the procedure exactly as I do with minimal bone resection," said Brian Hamlin, co-director of the Magee-Womens Hospital Osteo-Articular Center and one of two orthopedic surgeons to have completed the procedure. "Reconstruction has resulted in a well-balanced knee and optimized follow-up while avoiding overcorrection "

While many companies are making use of 3D printing technology to provide personalized orthopaedic care for individual patients, BodyCad’s solution is one of the few that combines every stage of manufacturing and design. Its platform makes use of proprietary imaging algorithms that can process the 3D scans, in a way that can be seamlessly integrated with the PREP (personalized restoration evaluation process). This then results in a 3D knee restoration model to be printed according to operational and patient-specific requirements.

Posted in 3D Printer Company

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