Nov 14, 2017 | By David

Here’s some more stories from the 3D printing world you might have missed out on recently. This latest round-up includes news about Arkema and EOS teaming up, Identify 3D launching a new manufacturing process, and more besides.

1. Arkema partners with EOS for new 3D printing venture

Chemicals company Arkema has announced that it will be collaborating with pioneering 3D printing expert EOS in the development of new products that should advance the technology and increase implementation across the manufacturing eco-system. Arkema will be developing high-temperature powders that are designed for use with EOS’s latest industrial 3D printing platform, the EOS P500.

Arkema already boasts an impressive range of 3D printing powders, mostly part of the Rilsan Invent brand. These bio-sourced polyamide materials are the result of the synergy of their exclusive chemistries and decades of powder expertise. Key features of these materials include excellent processability, exceptional impact resistance, better ductility, USP Class VI compliance, and a deep matte finish.

The newest addition to Arkema’s materials portfolio will be PEKK Kepstan, a member of the PAEK (Poly-Aryl-Ether-Ketone) family. It is ideally suited for metal replacement thanks to its very high service temperature, chemical resistance, and excellent fire retardancy. These attributes, coupled with its mechanical integrity, have already made Kepstan PEKK the material of choice for 3D printing in the aerospace industry.

 

2. New material for SLS 3D printing launched by Prodways and A.Schulman

After establishing a new strategic partnership just under a year ago, French technology pioneer Prodways and advanced materials manufacturer A.Schulman, based in Ohio, have been working together on the development of advanced new 3D printing solutions. Their latest material product, PA612-GB 3800, is now ready for the market.

PA612-GB 3800 is part of the PA6-12T range of glass-filed plastic materials designed for laser sintering processes. Availability of this new material through Prodways should open up new possibilities for the 3D printing of high performance plastic parts, which are usually made of injected plastic or metal. It shows great potential in particular for the aviation, automotive and rail industries.

PA6-12T is a plastic material that is used with conventional plastic processing techniques to produce parts that require rigidity, impact resistance and a capacity to withstand high temperatures. PA612T is also characterized by its low sensitivity to moisture absorption, allowing it to maintain its mechanical properties in humid conditions. Using the new PA612-GB 3800 powder, it is now possible to 3D printed plastic parts that can deliver high performance mechanical properties, even with complex geometrical structures such as fuel circuits or pump bodies. Such structures are difficult, or impossible to produce with conventional injection techniques.

Its unique mechanical properties mean that, when used for high performance parts, PA612-GB 3800 can replace machined metal by printing lighter and more effective plastic parts with an optimized design. It can be used for casings, the top parts of motors, ballast systems, and all kinds of other important components.

 

3. Identify 3D to launch new security solution for industrial 3D printing

At this year’s Formnext trade show, software innovator Identify 3D is due to demonstrate its latest solution for security in digital manufacturing. Data protection is becoming increasingly important as 3D Printing is implemented into industrial manufacturing environments more and more. As a result, companies are looking for solutions to secure intellectual property and control their assets, and Identify 3D has responded to this need with a new initiative that offers security at every stage of the additive manufacturing process.

Developed in collaboration with Materialise, this advanced new software solution will allow users such as industrial designers, to encrypt and transfer design files with controlled access and authorization.

“As highly regulated industries like aerospace and healthcare embrace Additive Manufacturing technology as a way to optimize their production process, they also face new challenges such as data authenticity and integrity,” says Stefaan Motte, Vice President Software at Materialise. “Together with Identify3D, we are exploring new opportunities to deliver these enhanced security features to our customers.”

 

4. Spanish company Dynamical Tools to launch new 3D printer, the DT 600 +

Following up on the success of its previous 3D printing systems, the DT 600 and the DT +, Spanish manufacturer Dynamical Tools is due to announce the release of its latest FDM machine, the DT 600 +.

As the name suggests, this is a fusion of everything that made its previous two systems so great, along with some impressive new features to make it stand out in a crowded industrial FDM marketplace.The DT 600+ has a large print size of 600 x 450 x 450 mm, as well as a double extruder and automatic filament changing functionality.

Not only this, but the company is also set to release its first SLS machine sometime next year. Both products will be demonstrated at this year’s Formnext expo. The Zaragoza-based 3D printing manufacturer has already got some impressive clients from across the industrial 3D printing world, including the German multinational Mann-Hummel and Exide Technologies, both of which make use of the DT 600 on a regular basis.

 

5. Korean market for 3D bio-printing continues to grow

The number of patent applications for 3D bio-printing solutions in South Korea is growing at an impressive rate, according to recent figures.  According to the Office of Patent Administration on November 13, domestic patent applications in the field of bioprinting ran to only 6 cases in 2013, but increased every year and reached 50 last year.

Patent applications steadily increased every year to six cases in 2013, 16 cases in 2014, 31 cases in 2015, and 50 cases in 2016. 42 of these cases were transplants that go inside bodies, followed by bio-printing devices and materials (39 cases), dental prostheses (15 cases) and artificial prostheses (11 cases).

Reasons for this include the relative shortage of organ donors, as well as the fact that negative side effects of existing organ transplants such as immune rejection can be solved via the development of medical technology and convergence technology.

 

6. Stratasys releases new 3D printing software solution, GrabCAD Voxel Print

Global 3D printing leader Stratasys has announced the release of a software solution that should set a new standard for voxel-controlled 3D printing technology. GrabCAD Voxel Print, which is designed for use with its J750 3D printing system, will enable users to achieve 3D printed effects and properties not possible before and opens up a new world of Digital Materials and advanced structures for a range of demanding customer applications, including academic research and product design, as well as Art, Design & Animation.

Voxels are the microscopic building blocks of a 3D printed structure, and technology that enables their manipulation allows users to play with color gradients, structures, textures and material properties and concentrations that otherwise are impossible to determine. A 3D printed part can be designed and fabricated at an incredible level of detail, from the inside out. Users of GrabCAD Voxel Print can use their own model layer slicer tool to assign properties at the voxel level, slice by slice, creating the ability to go beyond boundary representation to volumetric modeling.

According to one user, Brian McLean, Head of Rapid Prototyping at animation studio LAIKA, ''With 3D printing, LAIKA is successfully reviving the age-old technique of stop-motion animation. The Stratasys multi-material PolyJet technology empowers our animators with the precise, voxel-level control necessary to build the most intricate, creative characters we can imagine. In shot-by-shot, custom animation, this level of detail is critical to bring these films to life. That's something LAIKA just couldn't achieve with other technology."

 

 

Posted in 3D Printer Company

 

 

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