Which country celebrated a century of freedom by sending a 3D printed gnome into space? How did one grandfather raise thousands to help his local school buy a 3D printer? How did 3D printing change one rescued dog’s life forever?
This edition of 3D printing news sliced features updates from Kodak, Zortrax, Octobre71, Sculpteo, Bhartiya Skill Development University, Aha3D Innovations, igus, the University of Missouri, Petrus, Energica, CRP Group, ECA Group, Group Gorge, University of Missouri, Materialise, Adafruit, BSDU, Amao Chan, Shisan, Bhartiya Skill Development University, the Snipes Academy of Arts and Design and Harrisburg University of Science and Technology.
Full-color 3D printing and new filaments
i.materialise, the service bureau arm of Belgium based 3D software company Materialise is now offering Multicolor+ high-quality full-color 3D printing to all customers, a technology from Mimaki that harnesses up to 10 million colors.
3D printer manufacturer EOS is adding three new materials, ALM HP 11-30 (Carbon reinforced Polyamide 11), ALM FR-106 (flame-resistant polyamide 11 material), and ALM PA 640-GSL (Polyamide 12 material filled with hollow glass microspheres and carbon fibers) to its portfolio.
Business
Learnbylayers, an educational resource for teaching 3D printing to school students has agreed to a partnership with Kodak 3D printing and will see its curriculum package offered alongside the Kodak Portrait 3D printer.
“This partnership with one of the most recognizable brands in the world will mean even more students will have access to a high-quality standards-driven curriculum,” said Learnbylayers founder Philip Cotton.
Petrus, a global Oil & Gas services group has partnered with ECA Group, a subsidiary of Group Gorgé, to offer inspection and surveying capabilities using an A18D AUV Autonomous Underwater Vehicle (AUV). This AUV is capable of carrying out 3D mapping missions and inspections without human guidance.
Italian 3D printer manufacturer Roboze has opened a new office in Naperville, near Chicago, IL, following a strong demand from the US market. The facility will be used for seminars, conferences and general business.
Software company 3YOURMIND is also expanding abroad with a new French office. The company’s new Paris site will support French customers and France’s move towards Industry 4.0.
CRP Group, an Italy-based rapid prototyping service bureau has partnered with engineering company Energica, and will help it develop the Ego Corsa electric racing bike for the FIM Enel MotoE World Cup.
Innovative designs for industry and fashion
The finalists of Additive World’s Design for Additive Manufacturing Challenge 2018 have been announced. In the professional category, the three finalists are the ‘Avionics System’ from India’s Intech DMLS team, the ‘Medical Part Gripper’ from France’s 3D-medlab team, and the ’Hydraulic Manifold’ from Italy’s Aidro Hydraulics team.
The finalists in the student category are the ‘Gasification Burner’ from Philipp Kaindl of the Technical University of Munich, the ‘Functionally Integrated Shaft and Gear’ from Yogeshkumar Katrodiya from Fraunhofer IGCV, and the ‘Ultimaker 2+ Hot End’ from Cassidy Silbernagel of the Silver Cannon Design team at the University of Nottingham.
Richard Grant, an engineering designer, has used a drylin W linear system x/y gantry from engineering company igus to create a 3D printer with an extended build volume of 450 by 450 by 1600mm.
“There is no doubt, the igus gantry is incredibly engineered and a rock solid start point for this application,” Grant commented. He now intends to manufacture custom furniture on the 3D printer.
Amao Chan’s 3D printable pangolin became an instant hit with the maker community last year by promoting the cause to save the critically endangered species from extinction. Now, with designs from David Shorey, animal rights activists and cosplayers can be their own pangolin, or other scaled animals by 3D printing onto fabric.
3D printing gets too hot to handle and goes out of this world
Designer Waldemar Plusa and the city of Wrocław commemorated 100 years of Polish independence by launching an SLS 3D printed “krasnal” (gnome), the symbol of peaceful resistance against the Polish communist regime into the Earth’s stratosphere. The project was undertaken with the help of Materialise and the Klub Łączności Ratunkowej.
Polish 3D printer manufacturer Zortrax has published a new out-of-this-world case study for its M200 and M300 systems. In-situ at the NASA Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas, the M-Series 3D printers have been used to prototype tools to be used on Spacewalks, including a custom-made mount for a GoPro camera.
Already dreaming of summer? French product design company Octobre71 has released a range of 3D printed sunnies in partnership with Sculpteo. The stylish CITY Collection is composed of four different styles, 17 different colors, and a €89 (approx. $100) price tag.
The Ruiz Bros, creators of the 3D printed mini-PC, have released a tutorial showing how to build a mini Thermal Camera that runs on Arduino. The necessary electronics can be purchased from Adafruit, while the online tutorial includes STL files for the 3D printed camera housing.
A hard graft and paws for thought
The Harrisburg University of Science and Technology in Pennsylvania is currently researching how to 3D print made-to-measure skin grafts with a mixture of collagen and the patient’s cells. Researchers hope to use the technology in conjunction with 3D scanners and to repair vital organs below the skin.
Students at the University of Missouri’s Mizzou 3D Printing Club have successfully made a prosthetic hind paw for Tucker, an Australian shepherd dog, who was born with missing bones in his back right leg. The prosthetic was designed using Autodesk MeshMixer and FFF 3D printed. It fits Tucker perfectly and now helps him to walk evenly.
3D printing and opportunities for creativity
Bhartiya Skill Development University (BSDU), in Rajasthan, India, has announced a deal with 3D printing startup Aha3D Innovations. The partnership will see Aha3D Innovations set up a 3D printing lab at BSDU to train students in all aspects of additive manufacturing, and eventually set up a 3D printing R&D center.
Shisan, a 3D printer manufacturer based in Cairo, Egypt, has announced that it will be running a 3D Printer Assembly Marathon at Maker Faire Cairo 2018. The marathon, between one of 4 teams will be set the challenge of successfully building a working a PLAKAT 3D printer.
And finally, Chris Brown, a Navy veteran and retired engineer has raised $3,500 for Snipes Academy of Arts and Design in Wilmington, South Carolina after cycling across the US over the course of 52 days. The money will go towards the purchase of a MakerBot 3D printer for the students of the school, 99 percent of whom come from low-income households.
Let us know about the most important 3D printing applications and make your nominations for the 3D Printing Industry Awards 2018 now.
For more stories about 3D printing in education and the maker movement, subscribe to our free 3D Printing Industry newsletter, follow us on Twitter, and like us on Facebook.
Featured image shows a krasnal gnome launched by the city of Wrocław in the Earth’s stratosphere.
