3D Printing

Sliced 3D Printing Digest: Concept Laser, Boeing, Bournemouth University, Feetz, Stratasys Direct Manufacturing and Bell Helicopter

In this week’s Sliced digest we feature 3D printing news from Burloak Technologies, GoEngineer, Concept Laser, Boeing, Feetz, Stratasys Direct Manufacturing, Bell Helicopter, and an IP event hosted by Bournemouth University.

Canadian Samuel, Son & Co moves into metal AM

Canadian metal manufacturers Samuel, Son & Co has signed an agreement to acquire additive manufacturing company Burloak Technologies.

Burloak Technologies is a metal additive manufacturing provider that operates from Ontario, Canada. Samuel will use this acquisition to enter into the metal additive manufacturing market.

DMLS additive metal manufacturing sample parts. Photos via Burloak Technologies.
DMLS additive metal manufacturing sample parts. Photos via Burloak Technologies.

Colin Osborn, President of Samuel Manufacturing, says,

We are very excited about this announcement and what it will mean to Samuel and its customers. Every indicator is pointing to additive manufacturing and 3D printing being a disruptive technology in many of the industries we supply.

Concept Laser partner with GoEngineer 

GoEngineer is a service and support provider of 3D printed and CAD/CAM solutions. In this partnership, the company are a marketing channel Concept Laser’s metal additive manufacturing systems such as the M2 Cusing machine.

Brad Hansen, CEO of GoEngineer, comments,

The relationship with Concept Laser presents a powerful opportunity for GoEngineer to understand and assist our customers as they develop strategies to move into the metals market while minimizing risk. While there are other 3D metal printing manufacturers, Concept Laser was the best choice based on global performance, market share and relentless innovation.

Feetz 3D print shoes for former world’s tallest teen

Broc Brown is 7ft 8in tall teenager from Michigan. Having a rare medical condition means that Broc grows an average 6 inches every year, a spurt which may last indefinitely.

With the SizeMe 3D scanning app from Californian company Feetz, Broc was able to personally design the perfect shoe for his size 28 feet. The shoes were then 3D printed by the company and delivered to Broc within 2 weeks.

Feetz CEO, Lucy Beard says,

We’ve never done a shoe this big before, but we’re just excited to get Broc some comfy shoes. We’re really just honored to do this.

Bric Brown (right) holds one of his custom 3D printed Feetz shoes next to an average sized Feetz on the left. Photo via Jackson Citizen Patriot
Bric Brown (right) holds one of his custom 3D printed Feetz shoes next to an average sized Feetz on the left. Photo via Jackson Citizen Patriot

Going for Gold: 3D Printing, Jewellery and the Future of Intellectual Property

Bournemouth University in the UK is holding an event to discuss the future of intellectual property (IP) in relation to 3D printing. The event is free to attend and will take place on Friday 24 March 2017 in the university’s Executive Business Centre.

Discussion will be led by academics from five of the UK’s universities and industry professionals such as Michael Weinberg from Shapeways Inc.

Gold jewelry Photo via Going for Gold: 3D Printing, Jewellery and the Future of Intellectual Property on Eventbrite
Gold jewellery. Photo via Going for Gold: 3D Printing, Jewellery and the Future of Intellectual Property on Eventbrite

Solvay supporting Oxford Performance Materials in 3D printing

Chemical company Solvay, headquartered in Belgium, has revealed its support of Oxford Performance Materials in the their development of 3D printed parts for Boeing’s Starliner.

Bernard Plishtin, Chief Business Development Officer at Oxford Performance Materials, says,

From the project’s inception, we needed to provide not only significant weight and cost savings but also a drastic cut in lead-times. This was made possible by Solvay’s reliable supply of high performance materials for our specific additive manufacturing processes for 3D printed aerospace structures.

A 3D printed part for the Boeing CST-100 Starliner. Photo via Oxford Performance Materials
A 3D printed part for the Boeing CST-100 Starliner. Photo via Oxford Performance Materials

Stratasys Direct Manufacturing 3D printing used to make spare parts for helicopters

Looking to reduce the cost and time spent to make spare parts for aircrafts, Bell Helicopter Textron Inc. have used laser sintering (LS) technology provided by Stratasys Direct Manufacturing.

A number of air ducts have been consolidated into one part and 3D printed using this method. The nylon parts are to be used in the air conditioning system of a Bell 429 helicopter.

A Fairfax County Police Department Bell 429. Photo via Bell Helicopter
A Fairfax County Police Department Bell 429. Photo via Bell Helicopter

Grant Shirley, quality manager at Stratasys Direct Manufacturing, comments,

After every build, we test for tensile and flexural properties. By following these checks, Stratasys Direct Manufacturing was able to execute the process with excellent repeatability and quality.

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Featured image shows the Sliced logo over a Bell 525 Relentless model. Original photo via Bell Helicopter on Facebook