Our skin protects us from invading microorganisms and foreign substances, eliminates harmful toxins, helps to regulate our core body temperature, and is in charge of receiving both tactile and thermal stimulation. But, it’s fragile and easily damaged, which can lead to open wounds that get infected. Michelle Orozco-Brenes, José A. Jiménez-Chavarría, and Dagoberto Arias-Aguilar, researchers … Read more
Frequently Asked Questions What is wire-arc additive manufacturing with nickel aluminum bronze cu-9al-4fe-4ni-1mn? Quick Answer: What is WAAM with Nickel Aluminum Bronze. This topic is increasingly relevant in the 3D printing community as the technology continues to advance and become more accessible to hobbyists and professionals alike. How does this relate to 3D printing? This … Read more
The Additive Manufacturing industry boasts a wide variety of jobs and career paths, making it a popular industry to work in – both for new graduates looking for their first job, or professionals looking to make a career shift. Starting a new career can be challenging, and in a technical industry like additive manufacturing, finding … Read more
To conclude our series on the transformation of the maker movement, we’re going full circle to the place that inspired this series in the first place: Make: Community (previously known as Maker Media). As previously conveyed in our last two installments (part 5 and part 6), the maker movement is clearly not dead, and neither … Read more
US researchers delve further into soft robotics, outlining their findings in the recently published ‘Soft Somatosensitive Actuators via Embedded 3D Printing.’ Developing a new method relying on soft somatosensitive actuators (SSAs) embedded in 3D printed structures, the researchers focus on an effective way to combine conductive features with elastomeric matrices. Today, 3D printing, soft robotics, … Read more
Researchers Jakub Marchewka and Jadwiga Laska from AGH University of Science and Technology in Poland are working to process new material blends for FDM 3D printing in tissue engineering, outlining their results in the recently published ‘Processing of poly-L-lactide and poly(L-lactide-co-trimethylene carbonate) blends by fused filament fabrication and fused granulate fabrication using RepRap 3D printer.’ … Read more
A team of researchers from Switzerland’s Ecole polytechnique fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL) have demonstrated the ability to 3D print objects up to 2 cm in size in a matter of seconds. And, unlike every other 3D printing technology, their process prints the entire object at once. The researchers published their findings in the journal Nature … Read more
Markforged has announced the release of a new metal material for its Metal X 3D printer: copper. Due to the comparatively low-cost of the Metal X system, this makes Markforged technology the most affordable method for 3D printing copper in the industry. Copper has some very niche uses, mostly associated with its great thermal and … Read more
Stereolithography, widely known as “SLA,” is one of the most exciting forms of 3D printing technology on the market. It’s precise, it can produce smooth and detailed parts, and it can even be used to make parts indirectly via patterns for casting and injection molding. Much more than an obscure cousin to FDM, Stereolithography is … Read more
Quick Answer Box: Solvent Compatibility for 3D Printed Parts Key Finding: 3D printed parts behave very differently from traditionally manufactured plastics when exposed to solvents. Traditional compatibility charts don’t apply—3D printed parts are significantly more vulnerable to chemical breakdown due to their layered structure and porosity. Most Resistant Materials: Polypropylene (PP), Polyethylene (PE), Polyoxymethylene (POM), … Read more
Improving efficiency, optimizing technology, increasing awareness, even reducing costs and time, these are all traits that result from strategic road maps, and in the case of bioprinting, where the outcomes affect tissue engineering, bespoke outcomes for patients, regenerative therapy, and much more, having a blueprint for the entire industry seems like a bright idea. Especially … Read more
Bowman International is a small-to-medium-sized enterprise (SME) based in the U.K. that does something seemingly invisible, but crucial in the manufacturing industry and, well, throughout industrialized society. It makes bearings. Bearings reduce the friction between moving parts and allow for greater control over those parts. For instance, the hub of a car wheel features a … Read more
For the second year running, and its third year total, 3DPrint.com and SmarTech Analysis have brought the Additive Manufacturing Strategies summit to Boston. With a theme of “The Business of 3D Printing,” the event continues its established coverage of 3D printing in the medical and dental industries, but adds a new metals track this year. … Read more
Quick Answer: What is the 3DXTECH Gearbox HT2? The 3DXTECH Gearbox HT2 is a professional-grade high-temperature 3D printer designed for aerospace, defense, and industrial applications. Key specifications include: Build Volume: 18″ x 18″ x 32″ (457 x 457 x 813 mm) Extruder Temperature: Up to 500°C Heated Chamber: Up to 250°C Extruders: Dual extrusion system … Read more
I’m here in Boston, with the rest of the 3DPrint.com and SmarTech Analysis team, for our third annual Additive Manufacturing Strategies summit, titled “The Business of 3D Printing: Medicine, Dentistry and Metals.” A favorite part of the event is our Startup Competition, where seed-stage 3D printing startups focused on bioprinting, hardware, materials, or software can … Read more
The new year brings a fresh beginning, resolutions, and of course predictions. At Blueprint, we work with executives and engineers across the 3D printing industry and beyond. Based on our conversations and industry insight, here’s our perspective on what to expect in 2020. We’re at an interesting inflection point, where additive is no longer an … Read more
Researchers from Romania have recently delved further into materials associated with 3D printing, outlining their findings in ‘Polysaccharide-Based 3D Printing Inks Supplemented with Additives.’ In this study, they combined a variety of different polysaccharides to improve 3D printing inks. “A wide range of materials have shown potential in 3D printing but modeling these materials into … Read more
Researchers from Turkey and Romania have come together recently to finish a project as they evaluate patients in a follow-up study, outlined in ‘Eighteen Months Follow-Up with Patient-Centered Outcomes Assessment of Complete Dentures Manufactured Using a Hybrid Nanocomposite and Additive CAD/CAM Protocol.’ Initially, patients received 3D printed dentures made from a composite material, poly(methyl methacrylate) … Read more
Researchers Ei Cho and Thanh Tran, of Vietnamese-German University, explore the continually expanding science of 3D printing materials and how they are affected by material properties. In this study, the authors experiment with poly-lactic acid (PLA), outlining their findings in the recently published ‘Investigation on Influence of Infill Pattern and Layer Thickness on Mechanical Strength … Read more
After exploring the end users, manufacturers and service bureaus involved in the 3D printing of parts for general industrial applications, we’ll be taking a look at the metal materials that are powering that sector. Given its ubiquity in manufacturing and particularly general industry, we’ll start with steel. An alloy of carbon and iron, steel is … Read more
In today’s 3D Printing News Briefs, we’ve got materials news, then some collaborations and an education story to share. First, KRAIBURG TPE is examining if its thermoplastic elastomers are suitable for 3D printing use, and Formatec is expanding its capacity with ceramics 3D printing. ZVerse and Forecast 3D are partnering up, while STELIA Aerospace is … Read more
The entire aerospace industry has sensed the manufacturing sea change and is integrating 3D printing into production wherever it provides value. Like others, Honeywell Aerospace has been qualifying numerous additive manufacturing (AM) technologies for the production of aerospace parts. The latest comes from VELO3D, whose Sapphire metal 3D printer will now be qualified as a … Read more
At 3DEXPERIENCE World 2020, CAD giant Dassault Systèmes made a number of announcements related to its 3DEXPERIENCE suite and SOLIDWORKS CAD software. One piece of news in particular has particular relevance for the 3D printing industry: Xometry’s manufacturing platform will be tied into Dassault’s SOLIDWORKS and CATIA applications. Within the design environments of SOLIDWORKS and … Read more
Formlabs is expanding its portfolio of 3D printing resins. The latest is Tough 1500, a stiff and pliable polymer that can bend and return to its former shape. Formlabs is targeting the material at engineers, product designers and manufacturers who need pliable parts. In response to customer feedback, Formlabs developed Tough 1500 Resin as a … Read more
A new startup called Boston Micro Fabrication (BMF) has launched a high-resolution microscale 3D printer series dubbed microArch. BMF claims the system is the industry’s “most accurate and precise” microscale 3D printer. It should not be difficult to validate those claims due to the fact that over 40 microArch machines have already been operating across … Read more