This week in Sliced, 3D Printing Industry’s regular news digest, we explore the latest additive manufacturing applications and business deals.
Stories featured include the new iPhone XS, HP, SHINING 3D, art in San Francisco, PyroGenesis, Roboze, Nano Dimension and more. Read on for a rapid update of all the latest events from across additive manufacturing, design and 3D scanning.
3D printing in space, art, radars, oil & gas industry and for Apple
Stratolaunch, the independent satellite launch venture of Microsoft co-founder Paul G. Allen, is heading for a liftoff with an 85% 3D printed engine. According to a company fact sheet, “The propulsion team is currently in the process of manufacturing and testing prototype subscale and full-scale hardware. The team has completed ignitor development, with injector testing currently underway. After this is completed, the team will perform a full-scale preburner test by the end of 2018.” The use of additive manufacturing to reduce engine development costs puts Stratolaunch in the company of SpaceX, Skyrora, Launcher and Reaction Engines that recently received a $37.6 million investment for rocket development.
A solo-exhibition by artist Amy Sol at San Francisco’s Spoke Art Gallery uses 3D printing to make figurative sculptures.
The launch of the iPhone XS was heralded by a launch event from iMakr and B9Creations and the O2 mobile network. To celebrate the iPhone XS’ focus on individuality, 150 O2 VIPs in London, Birmingham and Manchester, were given the opportunity to be scanned and 3D printed in miniature on the B9Creations B9 Core 550. Shon Anderson, CEO of B9Creations, comments, “When our channel partner iMakr reached out to collaborate on O2’s iPhoneXS launch, we leapt at the opportunity to power an unforgettable customer experience with our technology.”
Pragma Well Technology Ltd., an advanced production service provider for the oil and gas industry, has closed a $700,000 contract with Saudi Aramco – the Saudi Arabian Oil Company. In the terms of the new contract, Pragma will use additive manufacturing to develop a new kind of expandable tubing for Saudi Aramco.
And short range radar (SRR) sensor provider OmniPreSense, headquartered in San Jose, California, has released a 3D printed enclosure for its devices which contains a electromagnetic lens. The new enclosure focuses radar beamwidth and allows the detection of objects that are farther away. Rob Frizzell, CEO and co-founder of OmniPreSense, comments, “Our unique 3D printed design provides a flexible, low cost method of supporting different customer applications without the cost and time of spinning expensive board designs.”
Additive manufacturing business movements
G.W.Consultancy, the additive manufacturing and composite production consultancy firm of Gerard Winstanley, has become the official German sales representative of CRP Technology additive manufacturing services and Windform materials.
In the UK, Nottingham’s ArtSystems has become the official distributor of SHINING 3D scanners and 3D printers.
In a further industry partnership, prototyping and production service Caracol Factory, is working with Italian 3D printer provider Roboze to meet growing demands for fiber-reinforced materials.
Canadian spherical metal powder producer PyroGenesis has completed the first tranche of its non-brokered private placement. As such, the corporation is issuing and selling an aggregate of 3,448,276 shares, equating to gross proceeds of $2 million.
PCB 3D printer provider Nano Dimension has sold a further two DragonFly 2020 Pro systems to departments in the U.S. armed forces.
And the National Center for Defense Manufacturing and Machining (NCDMM) in the U.S. has announced the V4 Institute (V4I). Though not exclusive to design for additive manufacturing Ralph Resnick, Founding Director at America Makes and President and CEO of the NCDMM, says, “We established the V4 Institute in an effort to help manufacturers alleviate the burden of proof that comes with any new product design,”
“[…] our goal is to arrive at a point in which rigorous research, engineering principles, and scientific and mathematical data all merge together to significantly increase the impact of current physical testing and even reduce the necessity of physical testing to meet the burden of proof.”
HP get new FitStation partner, issues FY 2019 guidance
Custom orthotics 3D printing initiative “FitStation powered by HP” has formed a strategic alliance with Go 4-D. Under the terms of an agreement with HP Go 4-D, a company that speciliazed in custom 3D printed orthotics, will help distribute FitStation across North America.
In other recent news, HP has also issued earnings guidance for FY 2019. The company expects non-GAAP earnings to be in the range of $2.12 to $2.22. For comparison, HP’s outlook for FY 2018 was expected at non-GAAP EPS of $2.00 to $2.03.
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Featured image shows Sliced logo over an image of a Stratolaunch test vehicle. Original image via Stratolaunch
