CES 2024 is underway. Running until January 14, the consumer technology trade show includes leading companies spanning the entire tech sector, with global names such as Amazon, Google and Samsung in attendance. The expo has drawn criticism from within the tech industry, and is sometimes characterized as gimmicky. CES 2024 has certainly seen a focus on trendy and buzzword-heavy technology over practical innovations that meet industry needs.
For instance, Xpeng Motors has showcased its Xpeng AeroHY eVTOL Flying Flying Car, which is yet to extend beyond the concept stage. Elsewhere, Swarovski launched a pair of AI-powered bird watching binoculars priced at an eye-watering $4,799. The fact that CES 2024 is held in Las Vegas does little to foster an image of a serious industry and application focused technology expo.
From the 3D printing world Creality, Formlabs, Siemens, Goofoo, and Doser, are showcasing new 3D printers and manufacturing solutions at CES 2024. However, the 3D printing presence this year is below that of previous years. In the past companies including Lynxter, Revopoint, Handddle, and Anycubic have exhibited at the multi-venue show.
The decrease in 3D printing exhibitors does not seem to reflect trends in the industry. According to a recent report from market intelligence firm CONTEXT, Q2 2023 saw a 12% unit shipment increase and 22% YoY system revenue growth in Personal and Kit & Hobby 3D printers. This growth has been driven by the emergence of Desktop 3D printer manufacturers AnkerMake and Bambu Lab, with the latter taking “the personal 3D printer market by storm,” according to CONTEXT.
Therefore, the limited 3D printing presence is a reflection on CES itself, suggesting that exposure on the show floor does not justify the exhibiting fees, which can reach $60,000 for a 30’ x 30’ booth.
Formlabs bolsters resin 3D printing portfolio
On day one of CES 2024, resin-based 3D printer manufacturer Formlabs announced the launch of a new resin pumping system, as well as two new materials, Polypropylene Powder and Premium Teeth Resin. These new offerings have been released to bolster the efficiency, versatility, and scalability of the company’s 3D printing ecosystem which is centered around prototyping and in-house production.
“3D printing production is steadily increasing, and the introduction of Resin Pumping System, Polypropylene Powder, and Premium Teeth Resin are three big steps in our mission to provide professionals with a full ecosystem of the tools they need to bring their ideas to life,” commented Formlabs’ Chief Product Officer Dávid Lakatos.
According to Formlabs, its new Resin Pumping System can increase production with lower associated resin costs and reduced waste, allowing users in more industries to integrate 3D printing into their workflows.
This new offering is compatible with Formlabs’ Form 3 and Form 3L 3D printers. Dubbed as a ‘plug-and-play’ replacement for standard one liter cartridges, the Resin Pumping System delivers five liters of resin directly to the 3D printer’s resin tank. This new product is available to purchase for $199.
Formlabs’ new Polypropylene Powder adds to the company’s SLS 3D printing portfolio, and is designed to be used with its Fuse 1+ 30W 3D printers. This new material aims to enable efficient and low-cost production of products commonly made from polypropylene, the second-most widely produced commodity plastic in the world. These products include home appliances, electronics, sports equipment, custom lab equipment, prototypes, and manufacturing tools.
The Premium Teeth Resin from Formlabs is aimed at the dental 3D printing industry. Formlabs already possesses an ecosystem of over 15 million 3D printed dental parts within this market. This new resin is reportedly a nano-ceramic filled FDA-registered Class II biocompatible material which can be customized to mimic a patient’s natural teeth translucency and opalescence.
The DoserRx1: addressing the need for customized medication
CES 2024 saw Doser enter the 3D printed personalized medication field with the launch of the DoserRx1, a desktop 3D printer for the production of personalized pharmaceutical pils.
Leveraging semi solid extrusion (SSE) technology, the DoserRx1 is designed to meet high demand for custom dosing. The DoserRx1 can reportedly operate at low temperatures, and 3D print up to 100 tablets per hour. What’s more, Doser claims that its new 3D printer can produce around 80% of all medication available today.
The DoserRx1 has also been designed for ease of use, using refillable cartridges that come pre-loaded with the necessary ingredients and formulations for tablet production. The 3D printer is GMP (Good Manufacturing Practice) compliant, and possesses GAMP-5 (Good Automated Manufacturing Practice) aligned capabilities.
Besides the 3D printing of prescribed medication, the DoserRx1 has also been designed for the fabrication of personalized nutrient and vitamin supplements. Changing the color, taste and the dosage of pils are highlighted as some of the customization options available with the DoserRx1.
“Imagine a world where every pill or supplement is tailored just for you, ensuring you have the optimal dose during your treatment. That’s the future Doser is creating with DoseRx1,” stated Arjan van unen, Doser CEO.
Two new desktop 3D printers from Creality
CES 2024 saw a notable announcement within the desktop 3D printing world, with the launch of two new FDM 3D printers from Shenzhen-based 3D printing manufacturer Creality. During the show, Creality unveiled the K1C, a successor to the Creality and its new flagship 3D printer. Additionally, the company introduced the Ender-3 V3, a seemingly similar offering to the Ender-3 V3 KE.
The Creality K1C, much like the K1, is an enclosed CoreXY 3D printer with maximum 3D printing speeds of 600 mm/s. Notably, the “C” in the name of Creality’s new 3D printer stands for carbon, with the K1C capable of 3D printing with carbon fiber filament along with standard PLA.
Whilst the complete technical specification of the K1C are yet to be disclosed, this new 3D printer features an all metal hotend capable of reaching and maintaining 300℃, and sports a new build plate and improved motor system.
Details are also limited for the Ender-3 V3. However this new addition to Ender series has been confirmed to offer 600 mm/s 3D print speeds, as well as a 220 x 220 x 250 mm build volume.
Siemens’ launches new AI and VR offerings
During CES 2024, Industrial manufacturing firm Siemens has made a number of announcements relating to artificial intelligence (AI) and immersive engineering to enable the growth of an ‘industrial metaverse.’
One such announcement was between Siemens and Japanese tech giant Sony. This new partnership will see the two companies introduce a new platform that combines Siemens’ Xcelerator software portfolio with Sony’s new spatial content creation system, which features the company’s XR virtual reality headset.
Through the headsets 4K OLED Microdisplays and controllers, this new platform will allow designers and engineers to interact with 3D objects and create new design concepts in virtual reality. It is hoped that this new offering will kickstart content creation for what the companies are calling the ‘industrial metaverse.’ Called Siemens’ NX Immersive designer, this offering will be released commercially later in the year.
At CES 2024, Siemens has also announced that it is strengthening its partnership with Amazon Web Services. Through this collaboration, the companies aim to increase the ease at which business can build and scale generative AI applications.
Through this partnership, Siemens is integrating Amazon Bedrock with Mendix, a low-code platform part of the Xcelerator portfolio. Amazon’s bedrock service offers a choice of high-performance foundation models from various AI companies via a single API, as well as security, privacy, and responsible AI capabilities.
Finally, Siemens announced an additional update to its Siemens Xcelerator software portfolio, launching the Siemens Xcelerator Developer Portal. This new addition to Xcelerator is advertised as a ‘first-of-its-kind’ platform that consolidates all of Siemens’ APIs and developer resources.
The portal is designed to provide a unified platform for developers to access and explore Siemens and partner APIs. Siemens has also collaborated with Microsoft to add an AI chatbot to the portal, which it hopes will enhance the development experience.
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Featured image shows the 2023 CES Convention Center in Las Vegas. Photo via Lynxter.
