3D Printing News Roundup: Graphene 3D Lab, PyroGenesis, Rolls Royce, 3D printed headphones from Kalkul

Nov 6, 2017 | By David

Here’s another summary of some of the events from the 3D printing world that you might have missed recently. We’ve got stories about Graphene 3D Lab moving to a new location, some new 3D printed headphones, and more besides.

1. Graphene 3D Lab to move to a new location

3D printing materials company Graphene 3D Lab has announced that its headquarters will be moving from the current location in Calverton, NY, to a new address at 760 Koehler Ave., Ronkonkoma. The move should take place around the start of December.

The new facility covers around 8,000 square feet and is situated in a tech park near Long Island MacArthur Airport. It’s not a big move, as the new location is about 30 miles from the company's existing address. It is located on industrial property, and comes with a larger production floor, office and lab space.

"Despite the unavoidable distraction of the business related to location, management is doing its best to minimize the impact and keep the business running. The company has overproduced all products we currently offer, and we do not anticipate any significant delays in shipping of customers' orders," said Graphene 3D President and CEO Daniel Stolyarov. "In the new facility, Graphene 3D will be able to substantially increase the production volume of the existing products and introduce new ones."

2. 3D printing materials provider PyroGenesis signs non-disclosure agreement with Rolls-Royce plc for additive manufacturing powders

3D printing materials provider PyroGenesis has announced that it has signed a non-disclosure agreement with British industrial giant Rolls Royce. The purpose of the NDA is to encompass the evaluation and discussion of business opportunities, including proposal or offer generation, submission and evaluation, for the provision of providing powders to R-R plc. But nothing is set in stone just yet, according to P. Peter Pascali, President and CEO of PyroGenesis. “I must caution readers however, not to draw any premature conclusions from this announcement. Though it does signal the interest in our product, and that the interest comes from a very discerning, demanding, and sophisticated party, we are still at the very preliminary stages and there is no guarantee that anything, of any commercial value, will materialize form these efforts.”

PyroGenesis invented the Plasma Atomization technique, which enables it to produce high-quality materials for metal 3D printing processes. It makes use of plasma waste to develop small, spherical, metal powders, which have become a gold standard across the industry. The company recently developed the product further to produce even narrower particles at higher rates, which could be an even bigger breakthrough than the original patent. Rolls Royce's business covers the automotive sector, aerospace, defense and many other industries besides, and the partnership could prove lucrative for PyroGenesis, as well as expanding the British company's 3D printing presence and potentially influencing the growth of plasma atomization techniques across the manufacturing world.

3. Taurus 3D to bring 3D printing technology to remote clinic in India

An entrepreneur based in Ontario, Canada is intending to travel to India in order to allow people in a remote community there to gain access to the breakthroughs that 3D printing technology has brought to prosthetics.

Jerry Ennett, founder of Taurus 3D in the city of Stratford, is heading to the small village of Ayikudi in southern India, where he will be training staff at the Amar Seva Sangam rehab clinic. Departing from Canada on Nov. 14, Ennett will bring with him two 3D printers. The staff there will soon be able to use 3D printing technology to create custom-fitted prosthetics onsite, which should allow people in the region to continue employment in the dominant agricultural industry. He has also designed a special prosthetic attatchment that can enable farming tools to be used with the 3D printed devices.

“There will be five days of training, design training and technical skills training, and then a few days of case study work where we find a patient that could benefit and document the case study – hopefully two or three of those,” Ennett said. “I’m also brining a documentary filmmaker so we can document that and maybe distribute that film to other clinics.”

“The biggest problem in these remote regions is there are no printers and there’s no education there. So we’re bringing and donating the 3D printer for them and the materials, and then as patients come in, through emails they can send me photos and I can design a device and then email them the design file back, and then all they have to do is print it off,” Ennett said. “This clinic has to turn down about 16-20 amputees each month, who then have to take weeks off work to go to Chennai or Mumbai to where the nearest clinic is. So our goal is to initially serve those 16-20 patients every month.”

Ennett received $25,000 in funding for his initiative, by winning top prize in the World Vision Social Innovation and Design Challenge competition and an additional $8,000 from the University of Guelph. He is continuing to raise money by hosting 3D printing workshops for kids.

4. Kalkul introduces 3D printed headphones

Tokyo-based manufacturer Kalkul has announced the release of a pair of 3D printed wired headphones. Known as the Kalkul 1.1, the set makes use of the advanced professional dual Balanced Armature Driver technology and a strong noise-canceling memory foam. Its sound canal was 3D printed, after a long development process, to add to the optimized audio experience as well as the improved fit and comfort. Nylon11, a high-performance plastic with a denim-like touch, was used to enclose the whole design.

“We are lucky to have access to some of Japan’s best audio suppliers,” noted Mehdi Hamadi, CTO and co-founder at Kalkul. “We then designed our horn-shaped 3D-printed sound canal through endless iterations, resulting in a very wide immersive sound signature.”

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