3D Printing News Roundup: Thor3D, Materialise, Structo, EOS, Arup teams with 3Dealise, Stryker, more

Sep 20, 2017 | By David

Here's another 3D printing news round-up, keeping you up to date with the smaller goings-on in the 3D printing world. Stories include Thor3D releasing a new calibration tool, Materialise teaming up with Structo, and more besides.

Thor3D comes out with new calibration tool for its Drake 3D scanner

Users of Thor3D’s flagship Drake 3D scanning device will be able to vastly improve the quality of their work with a new tool that the company has just released. Designed for more accurate calibration of the Drake 3D scanner, the tool comprises both hardware and software that is easy to use and will allow users to calibrate the device in their own home.

Calibration, the process of adjusting 3D scanner hardware to its software using a standard scale, was previously factory-only for the Drake. The system would come pre-calibrated, which saved time and money for Thor3D and its clients, but it also meant that the accuracy of the scanning operations was limited.

The company decided that results would be improved for its clients if they were able re-calibrate before every use of the scanner, and this became a real priority as the Drake started to be implemented more for industrial applications. It was also a major money-saver, as it should mean fewer repairs will be necessary in future.

Thor3D’s new calibration kit is made up of two parts: the board and the base. The board varies in size and weight depending on which one of the three lenses the user needs to calibrate (Mini, Midi, or Maxi). The base is a way to tilt and stabilize the scanner in a specific manner, so that the calibration process is easy and precise.

Collaboration announced between Spatial Corp and Module Works for 3D software development kits

The ongoing collaboration between Colorado-based software development kit provider Spatial Corp and CAD/CAM software component provider Module Works is due to have even more success in the near future.

Spatial Corp is a subsidiary of Dassault Systemes and one of the manufacturing industry’s leading SDK providers, and has been making use of innovative software components provided by Module Works for many years now. Manufacturers can benefit from the integration of the two companies' vast library of components. The new CGM Polyhedra SDK will be their first joint foray into the world of 3D printing technology.

Polyhedra SDK is a powerful kit that is specifically designed for additive manufacturing processes and hybrid machining. It delivers a precise, watertight mesh, with sophisticated surface recognition and powerful checking and healing capabilities. This can be combined with CAD data and processed by Module Works components to develop complete, cost-effective workflows.

Ray Bagley, Product Manager for Modeling Products and Additive Manufacturing at Spatial, described Polyhedra SDK as ‘’an integrated software platform to empower 3D printing OEMs and ISVs to create a single, comprehensive application, covering all the additive manufacturing software tasks...This integrated solution combines the power of 3D InterOp, CGM Polyhedra, and ModuleWorks machining engines. Customers will be able to leverage this solution to deliver much more robust applications to their end users.’’

Materialise teams up with Structo for new dental 3D printing solution PrintWorks Pro

Leading 3D printing software company Materialise has announced a new collaboration with Structo, a Singapore-based provider of dental 3D printing solutions. The result of this partnership will be Structo PrintWorks Pro, an innovative new approach to 3D printing workflows in the dental sector. It’s a customized version of Materialise’s Magics Print, aimed at simplifying 3D print file preparation for dental professionals.

Structo’s proprietary Mask Stereolithography (MSLA) 3D printers are specifically designed for the dental industry and have been widely accepted, with sales in four continents. The long-term collaboration with Belgium-based Materialise is part of the "Powered by Materialise" program, which is supporting a number of other additive manufacturing pioneers in other fields. The partnership has already seen the launch of the Structo Build Processor in 2015, and Structo's PrintWorks software last year.

PrintWorks Pro will enable to users to print 3D models with less data preparation effort and lower build failure risk. The available features of Materialise Magics will enable semi-automatic support generation, which should reduce support removal time by up to 82 per cent compared to conventional software. The Build Processor will allow for unmatched slicing speed and accuracy, material-specific print profiles, unique slice-based processing algorithms that can handle the most complex files, and flexible export formats.

The improved performance lets users produce more detailed and accurate parts, and the MSLA 3D printing process is already significantly faster than standard stereolithography techniques.

EOS launches IPCM M Pro material handling solution for metal 3D printing

Leading 3D printer manufacturer EOS has announced a major new material handling solution for its well-established EOS M290 3D printing system. The EOS M290’s process chamber door can connect up to the new IPCM M Pro.

The new combination of system and periphery will enable users to convey material easily, quickly, and safely out of the system, sieve it, and refill it into the system. This will drastically simplify the industrial 3D printing process. A vacuum pump is used to convey unused powder out of the system and into the IPCM M pro, where it is sieved under inert gas within the module at a throughput of 120 kilograms of material in 30 minutes. This is up to 50 per cent faster than previous solutions, and the powder treated in this way can then be used for a new printing process.

The EOS M 290 industrial 3D printing system features a reproducible high part quality, a broad range of validated materials and processes, and extensive software solutions for data preparation and quality management. It has already been installed well over 500 times worldwide, and this new upgrade will only expand its range of services and make it even easier of manufacturers to enter the world of 3D printing at an advanced level.

Arup collaborates with 3Dealise on hybrid 3D printing process

Arup has been collaborating with 3Dealise in order to test a hybrid generation method for generative designs using both 3D printing and traditional technology.

Arup is the engineering firm behind the famous Sydney Opera House and many other global iconic structures. It has been looking to implement 3D printing technology into its operations for some years, but has had limited success, particularly due to building safety regulations not allowing 3D printed components.

A solution to this problem was found by reaching out to 3Dealise, which was able to 3D print large, complex sand molds which could then be used in regular metal casting. This approach combined the benefits of 3D printing, such as design freedom, short delivery time and digital accuracy, with the benefits of traditional technology, such as capacity to produce large products with regulatory approval.

The results were impressive for Arup, as the company saw a 90 per cent reduction in costs compared to standard 3D metal printing, as well as a 75 per cent weight reduction enabled by the complex 3D design.

Stryker gets FDA clearance for 3D printed spinal cage

Medical device manufacturer Stryker has been offering innovative orthopaedic, neurological, and other surgical products for many years now, and recently announced that its Spine division has received FDA clearance for another 3D printed titanium spinal device. The interbody fusion cage is intended for use in the cervical spine, and it has received 510(k) clearance from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

The Tritanium C Anterior Cervical Cage is engineered to be stable and adaptable, and it is constructed from Stryker’s proprietary Tritanium In-Growth Technology. This is a novel, highly porous titanium material designed for bone in-growth and biological fixation. Tritanium material may be able to wick or retain fluid, in contrast to traditional titanium material. It is inspired by the microstructure of cancellous bone. Construction of the device was enabled by AMagine, Stryker’s proprietary approach to implant creation using additive manufacturing.

Surgeons will be able to make use of the device, which is designed for treatment of patients with degenerative disc disease, from the fourth quarter of 2017.

Posted in 3D Printer Company

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