Defense Innovation Lab, Inc. (DiLab), a New York-based accelerator program for defense and government focused technology, has announced it will support local 3D printer manufacturer R3 Printing in developing its proprietary technology. DiLab will assist R3 Printing using a Manufacturing Technology Assistance grant awarded by the Empire State Development’s Division of Science, Technology and Innovation (NYSTAR). As part of the grant, DiLab and R3 will leverage the expertise and equipment available at the Rochester Institute of Technology’s AMPrint Center for Additive Manufacturing and Multifunctional Printing. Here, DiLab will provide assistance in the design, prototyping and testing of an R3 extrusion-based 3D printer.
Tommy Hendrix of the DiLab commented:
“We are incredibly excited to work with the AMPrint Center for the development of the R3 Printer. As an organization, DiLab’s true north is providing support to early stage technology companies who are developing technology with a strong defense industry use case.”
“Empire State Development has a great team and we’re honored to work with them and their network in helping New York defense startups.”
Delivering 3D printing to the government
The DiLab supports entrepreneurs developing defense and national security solutions, with the intention of enabling early stage companies to “deliver transformative technologies to the Department of Defense (DoD).” It aims to assist commercial technologies from concept to prototype and low-rate production.
DiLab and R3 Printing will make use of the AMPrint Center to jointly conduct advanced manufacturing research and technology development for the R3 3D printer, ensuring that it is optimized for defense logistics applications, as well as commercial manufacturing.
Designed as a scalable on-demand manufacturing platform, the R3 Printer contains a patent-pending process that utilizes extrusion-based 3D printing technology. According to the company, it is able to produce plastic and composite 3D printed parts at speeds that are “90% faster than competitor 3D printers.” Other features includes an unlocked material platform, as well as the ability to disable cloud connectivity, which is useful for government agencies with strict security requirements.
R3 Printing co-founder and President Dan Downs stated “Faster 3D prints, increased printer bandwidth, monitored 3D printers mean more money made each day by on-demand manufacturers – the companies that produce 3D printed goods.”
“For the US military, these features mean the R3 Printer is a tool that helps our servicemen respond to equipment failure immediately and at the source with new operational components that otherwise may take months to arrive via traditional supply chains.”
Big lights inspire 3D printing startups in New York
New York has established itself as a burgeoning city for new companies in additive manufacturing. Two startups out of the ten companies that were announced for the 2019 STANLEY+Techstars Additive Manufacturing Accelerator program in Hartford, Connecticut, are based in New York. These companies are OCCO, a provider of organic spices and sustainable packaging, and WOMP, a women-led 3D startup based in enabling an all-in-one AI platform for 3D modelling and 3D printing.
Furthermore, Print Parts Inc., a New York-based additive manufacturing service provider, recently launched its new service for providing customers with 3D printed performance parts on demand.
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