3D Printers

Davide Sher's Top 2015 3D Printing Applications

I think that, until the end of 2014, it was still theoretically possible to discuss the top 5 3D printing innovations of the year. Today, I don’t find that possible any longer. There are just way too many things happening in the 3D printing industry and the crazy part is that we are still, really, at the very beginning. Only a couple of years have passed since the mass public discovered that 3D printing exists and, yet, this technology is now at the forefront in just about every industrial, professional, and artisan sector of manufacturing. So, more than on single achievements, I will focus on which trends have, IMAO, characterized some of the biggest advancements through 3D printing this year.

BIOPRINTING

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I think there are others who will agree that this has been the year of bioprinting. Even Gartner put bioprinting at the top of its hype curve. I must have written at least a couple of hundred articles on this topic and the achievements that most stuck into my mind are the progresses made with the 3D printed thyroid by Skolokovo-based 3D Bioprinting Solutions and the low-cost 3D bioprinter, consumables and biomodel network by Swedish startup CELLINK (as well as Jemma Redmond’s 10 material Ourobotics bioprinter). Along with these very forward looking projects, I have had the opportunity to report on some very real and amazing research in this field, accomplished through EnvisionTEC’s bioplotter in many well-established universities worldwide, including the work from Lorenzo Moroni at the University of Maastrich on timpanic membranes and Mercedes Vila with Carbon-nanotube filled bone materials. Several fascinating projects, such as this one from Fraunhofer Institute, also made bioprinting of blood vessels a little closer to reality.

MEDICAL 3D PRINTING, MWC15 AND IDBN

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The other sector that is booming with hype, with the difference that it is also beginning to grow organically into commercial applications, is medical 3D printing. The top applications in this field that I have reported on this year describe Arcam’s 3D printed trabecular titanium implants (like those I saw at Mt Ortho in Sicily) and the recently announced partnership between Materialise and Michigan Tech on 3D printed tracheal implants for tracheobroncomalacya. These are incredibly successful case studies that clearly demonstrate the usefulness of 3D printing in the medical field. In fact, literally dozens of amazing case studies were presented during the Materialise World Conference 2015 in April, which was, IMAO the best 3D printing related event of the year. I was also directly involved in the very successful IDBN (Italian Digital Biomanufacturing Network) launch event for the first association in Italy focusing on medical 3D printing (and bioprinting) applications.

XJET AND THE METAL AM FACTORY

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As far as real industry goes, this past year finally and definitively opened the floodgates for the serial implementation of metal AM, not just in the jewellery, medical, and dental sectors, but also in large industrial manufacturing for airspace and – possibly soon – automotive. This has been made clear by the big announcements at the formnext show in Frankfurt and, even before that, by the Rapid Manufacturing Forum that I presented in Milan, where many talks focused on topological optimization and automated production. Concept Laser, SLM Solutions, Trumpf-Sisma, Renishaw, and newcomers Additive Industries all announced bigger, faster, and more automated metal powder bed 3D printers for the factory of tomorrow. However, the biggest news in metal 3D printing so far will become clearer next year, when XJet will present its metal nanoparticle jetting system.

MY BOOK ON 3D PRINTING AND DESIGN WEEK EVENT

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As far as I, myself, am concerned, the biggest events of the year were the release of my book (unfortunately only in Italian for now) on all that I have learned about 3D printing. That happened at just about the same time as the Arthesis event I organised in collaboration with Autodesk for Milan Design Week. Both were discretely successful and I am quite happy with the quality of both “products”. My book enabled me to go on a “tour” of conferences on 3D printing throughout Italy, discovering many initiatives and raising awareness around this amazing technology. The event with Autodesk allowed me to introduce Autodesk to some of my favorite 3D printing designers and startups, including MHOX Design, Livrea26, ARTFICIAL, as well as some incredible jewellery designers like Paul Liaw, Eli5a and Growthobjects.

B2C 3D PRINTING AND PHYSICAL PHOTOGRAPHY

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The final top trend for me this year is that of consumer 3D printing. Although this trend does not yet exist in the sense of a 3D printer in every house, and it will continue to not exist for a while (although a little 3D printed bird told me some big news will hit CES), consumers are growing more aware of 3D printing. Two events gave me this indication. One is the intense traffic of consumers requesting both information and 3D print jobs (architects and makers are consumers too) through my friend Mauro’s new 3D print shop in Milan, Solid3DPrinting, where I spend most of my days when I am in my hometown. The other is also among the services offered by Solid3DPrinting, as well as many other companies (most of which were exhibiting at Euromold in Dusseldorf): photogrammetry. In B2C 3D printing, and with some help from full-color 3D printers, this translates into “physical photography studios”. Companies like DoobGroup, Twinkind and Staramba are at the forefront of this blooming consumer services sector, which now sees at least one photogrammetry studio in every major city.