Apr 9, 2018 | By David
Here’s another round-up of recent events from the 3D printing world, to make sure you’re up to date. Stories you might have missed include a new range of materials from BASF, an ERC grant for a project for 3D printed human joints, and many others.
1.BASF presents new range of 3D printing materials at this AMUG 2018
(source: BASF)
BASF 3D Printing Solutions is presenting a variety of new additions to its materials range, at this year’s Additive Manufacturing Users Group (AMUG) Conference from April 8 to 12. The conference is being held in St. Louis, Missouri. In partnership with Texas-based company Essentium Materials, BASF 3D Printing Solutions is gradually building up a global distribution network for plastic filaments. Both companies are pooling their filament materials together under the name Ultrafuse.
Besides its FDM/FFF products, BASF is also developing materials for more advanced 3D printing techniques. Ultrasint PA6 LM X085 is a new material made to be used in selective laser sintering (SLS) processes. It’s a grey polyamide-6-based powder, with a melting point around 193 degrees Celsius, and it’s easy to process on most commonly used SLS machines.
“These properties allow us to offer a PA6-based material to customers, especially those in the automotive and consumer goods industries, where today there is mainly only a choice between different PA11 and PA12 types,” explains Alexander Cochrane, Marketing Manager of BASF's 3D Printing Solutions.
BASF is also working on advancing its photo-reactive materials offerings, hoping to focus on this area in order to take advantage of the growth in 3D printed ceramics for engineering applications. The company’s Photo-Resin X004M material, which recently became available, has been specially optimized for stereolithography (SLA), digital light processing (DLP) and LCD printers.
2.Finnish start-up 3DBear secures $1.5 million investment for 3D app
(source: 3D Bear)
A software development company based in Finland has received a total of $1.5 million in investment, with the majority of the funding from LearnStart, a seed fund launched in partnership with Learn Capital. Rethink Education were one of the other investors in 3D Bear, 3D printing start-up that was founded in 2016 by CEO Kristo Lehtonen.
3DBear is based in Helsinki, and has developed an innovative app for tablets and smartphone that offers a gamified AR experience to users. It is intended to introduce the basic concepts of 3D printing, 3D modelling and robotics, giving users the ability to implement virtual 3D models into their real environment. It shows great potential for education, setting young people in particular on the path towards learning STEM subjects, and obtaining the skills they need to contribute to the growth of Industry 4.0.
Before this latest seed round, the company had already raised around $1.3 million in funding, primarily from angel investors back in its native Finland.
3.Abu Dhabi police launch new 3D printing initiative
(source: gulftoday.ae)
Police in Abu Dhabi will soon be implementing 3D printing technology into their operations, in an effort to improve the quality of criminal investigations and the reliability of evidence, as well as public relations and training applications. This is another of the U.A.E’s long-term 3D printing plans, of which the Dubai 3D Printing Strategy is a major part.
A whole range of different applications for 3D printing technology are being envisaged by this new police initiative. 3D printed replica versions of evidence such as bone fragments or murder weapons could be used as part of the trial process, to give a more tactile experience to jurors in order to give them a clearer picture of events. This process has been used successfully in the UK and the U.S.
Using 3D printed replicas would also be a way to avoid disturbing or upsetting the feelings of victims’ families or loved ones. 3D printed scale versions of crime scenes are also particularly useful when presenting cases or when examining evidence.
The development of training procedures is another area that could soon be improved by integrating 3D printing technology, such as 3D printed targets for weapons training.
4. Irish researcher gets major ERC grant for 3D bio-printing project
A researcher based in Ireland has received a highly prestigious €3m European Research Council (ERC) Advanced Grant for his project to develop 3D printed human joints. The project will combine 3D printing with stem cell and gene therapy technologies, in order to repair damaged joints in a groundbreaking new way that shows potential for treating a broad range of different conditions.
Professor Fergal O'Brien was awarded the grant, and he will be working with the RCSI (Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland) Department of Anatomy and AMBER, the Science Foundation Ireland-funded materials science research centre on this project. It is one of three ERC grants that have been handed out to Irish institutions this year.
The research team will be focusing on the development of a method for 3D printing bio-scaffolds, which can be used to grow tissue in order to repair bone and cartilage. This method will allow new tissue to integrate with the body’s cells in a much more effective way than artificial implants. The work is primarily aimed at improving the treatment of articular cartilage injuries, the ankle or knee problems that can often lead to osteoarthritis.
5. French company 3D Ceram-Sinto partners with German DORST Technologies
(source: 3D Ceram)
A major new partnership has been established between two key players in the 3D printing and manufacturing fields, with a particular focus on ceramics. 3D Ceram-Sinto, based in France, will be joining forces with DORST Technologies, based in Munich, Germany. The partnership will be officially announced at this year’s Ceramitec show in Munich. Ceramitec is one of the world’s largest conferences for ceramics manufacturing.
3D Ceram-Sinto is one of the leading 3D printed ceramics companies, bringing together expert knowledge from a variety of different sources on materials as well as processes. The company will be collaborating with DORST Technologies in order to further improve its presence in the market.
Founded over 150 years ago, DORST Technologies now has over 2,000 customers in more than 70 countries. The company focuses on technical ceramics, manufacturing complete machines and production systems for a variety of applications. The company specializes in processing, shaping and automating raw materials.
The collaboration will allow for compliance and quality standards to be ensured globally, and it will further 3D Ceram-Sinto’s technical ceramics offerings, with projects in the aerospace and medical sectors, and other industrial sectors such as automotive manufacturing.
6. Prodways receives order for two of its new Promaker 3D printers
(source: Prodways)
3D printing manufacturer Prodways, part of the Group Gorge, has announced the first simultaneous order of two of its new 3D printers by a major client. 2 ProMaker LD-10 3D printers will be delivered to a leading North American dental laboratory, sometime in the second quarter of 2018, and they are expected to consume several hundred kilos of 3D printing resin each year.
A double machine order like this is a sign of Prodways’ increasing reputation in the global 3D printing field, with its technology proving particularly valuable in the dental sector. Dental applications require an incredibly high level of precision and resolution as well as durable ceramics materials, and DLP 3D printing techniques are increasingly being adopted as way to achieve these goals.
Prodways released the new ProMaker LD-10 3D printer back in 2017 in order to target the growth of the dental market, in particular that section which requires industrial machines for less than 100,000 Euros. Prodways’ MOVINGLight technology is one of the most advanced DLP systems available, and it is having an increasing influence on the dental 3D printing sector and the broader manufacturing world.
Posted in 3D Printer Company
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