In this digest of recent 3D printing news – Sliced we feature: PyroGenesis, Etihad Airways, Diehl Aerosystems, Penn State, Canada Makes, P&G, Additive Metal Manufacturing, Stratasys, the University of New South Wales, LulzBot, Zortrax, Artec3D, MachineWorks, Type A Machines, Peking University People’s Hospital, Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Northwell Health, Megumi Igarashi and Gulliver’s Gate.
Etihad Airways signs 3D printing agreement
United Arab Emirates’ (UAE) Etihad Airways has announced an agreement with Diehl Aerosystems to create 3D printed parts for their aircraft. The printed part is a cover plate for the in-flight entertainment system in their economy classes. According to the airline, this part will save costs by up to 20 to 30 percent and could therefore add up to huge savings considering the large number of batches that would be produced for a fleet of aircraft.
This is the second time Etihad Airways has looked to 3D printing for interior parts in recent weeks. The second largest airline in the UAE signed a deal with Strata Manufacturing and Siemens to 3D print in flight entertainment housing for their aircraft.
Penn State University to offer additive manufacturing degrees
Beginning fall 2017, Pennsylvania State University will offer additive manufacturing and design degrees. The university will offer both residential degrees and online courses.
The degrees will be run by the Department of Mechanical and Nuclear Engineering and Karen Thole, head of the department, explains,
The faculty involved in delivering these courses at Penn State are anxious to advance the education of new graduates as well as practicing engineers in the rapidly expanding field of additive manufacturing. In developing this graduate degree program, we included design for additive, based on the strong guidance from our industry friends. Industry wants to make sure engineers think differently about designs to capitalize on the opportunities that additive manufacturing allows,
Tim Simpson who was recently appointed Paul Morrow Professor of Engineering Design and Manufacturing will be the director of the new program. He was naturally excited, “to launch the first multidisciplinary graduate-level program in additive manufacturing and design in the country, and in the world as far as we can tell.”
Canada Makes partners with Proctor & Gamble (P&G) and Additive Metal Manufacturing (AMM)
United States multinational P&G has announced a partnership with Canada Makes and Toronto-based metal 3D printing bureau Additive Metal Manufacturing. The project has been funded as part of Canada Makes’ Metal Additive Demonstration Program and will see P&G introduce metal 3D printing into their supply chain.
This program has been developed to encourage Canadian industries to incorporate 3D printing and raise awareness to the technology’s benefits. The program has also invested in in micro metal 3D printing by Shimifrez.
P&G Engineering Technical Manager, Haixia Jin, commented on the announcemnt,
Metal 3D printing offers an exciting alternative to commercial off-the-shelf parts that cannot achieve complicated design requirements or internal cavity geometry. Even in cases where commercial customization is available and able, it usually comes with significant additional cost or an unbearable long lead-time.
Stratasys shares upgraded to overweight
An analyst from North American investment firm Piper Jaffray has upgraded shares in 3D printing company Stratasys from neutral to overweight.
According to Piper Jaffray analyst, Troy Jensen, “we believe it is time for investors to revisit the 3D printing space.” Jensen has analyzed the company, that manufacturers a number of 3D printing machines, through its resellers and noted it had outperformed expectations for the first quarter of 2017.
Australian university launches 3D printed satellites
The University of New South Wales, in Sydney has announced two satellites developed at the university have been successfully launched into space. The cubesats weigh just over 1kg and have been created with 3D printed thermoplastics. The two satellites were launched from Florida as part of a larger group of 36 cube satellites in order to perform the most extensive measurement of the earth’s thermosphere. There are a number of companies exploring the growing satellites industry with 3D printing production, such as Polish company SatRevolution.
Innovate UK pre-conference on ‘The Industrial Realities of Additive Manufacturing’
Innovate UK will host a full-day pre-conference event ahead of their International Conference on Additive Manufacturing & 3D Printing in Nottingham, in July. This year’s event will be the 12th annual edition of the conference that will now feature a pre-conference session ahead of the two-day event. The session is titled ‘The Industrial Realities of Additive Manufacturing’ and will attempt to clear up misconceptions of the technology and set the scene for the event.
Lulzbot releases enclosure for TAZ 6 3D printer
Colorado-based 3D printing company LulzBot, has announced the release of an enclosure for the LulzBot TAZ 6. The optional addition will keep prints safe and maintain temperatures.
Zortrax announces Z Suite will now support external materials
Polish 3D printing company Zortrax has incorporated external materials into their Z-Suite software. The company state they have listened to customer demand and added the feature into the advanced settings of the software.
PyroGenesis announces first order for metal 3D printing powders
In industrial 3D printing material news, PyroGenesis has has signed its first contract, and received the down payment, for an order of titanium powder (Ti-6Al-4V) and Inconel from a multinational conglomerate. “We did not expect this type of interest before ramp-up was complete, and we would have considered any sample orders (i.e. up to 500kg) made before such time to be very significant as this further validates our strategic decision to enter into powder production,” said P. Peter Pascali, President and CEO of PyroGenesis.
Artec3D releases new Studio software
Russian 3D scanning hardware and software creators, Artec3D has released updated Artec Studio 12 software. The scanning software will increase speed and the overall user experience with a new user interface.
MachineWorks releases Polygonica v2.1
Elsewhere, British company MachineWorks has announced an update to their Polygonica software. The new release will be unveiled during the RAPID+TCT 2017 conference in Pittsburgh. 3D Printing Industry held an interview with the organizers of the show recently as preview to the event.
Type A Machines releases Series 1 Pro 3D printer
North American company, Type A Machines has announced the release of a new FDM 3D printer, the Series Pro. The device adds Adaptive Auto-Levelling and BuildTak® bed platform.
Type A Machines’ founder Andrew Rutter, said,
Reliability and accuracy are the hallmarks of the Series 1 Pro 3D printer. With today’s announcement, we add ‘simplicity’ to the list of reasons to own a Series 1,
3D printed pelvic implants
Producing prosthetic limbs has become a significant area of application for 3D printing and a Chinese University has studied the use of the technology to create pelvic implants. Peking University People’s Hospital has shown that 3D printing can be used to create endoprosthesis during a study which lasted several years.
3D printed heart valves
Elsewhere in Asia, the Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU) has invested in a new machine which uses 3D printing in treating specific heart treatments. The Transcatheter Aortic Valve Implantation (TAVI) simulation system allows doctors to produce patient-specific heart valves which can be used as training tools.
The fin, 3D printed amphibious prosthesis
New York healthcare company, Northwell Health has 3D printed an artificial limb that can be used by amputees to swim. The amphibious prosthesis has been designed especially to be used both in the water and out. Marine Corps veteran Dan Lasko has been given the limb and subsequently enabled to return to his love of swimming.
Megumi Igarashi obscenity charges upheld for 3D printed vagina
Japanese artist Megumi Igarashi has had her fine for obscenity charges upheld in court. The artist was prosecuted by Japanese authorities for 3D printing her vagina. Her case has been ongoing since 2014, when she was arrested in her home. Igarashi is now required to pay a ¥400,000 ($3,600) fine following unsuccessful appeals to the court.
Since the beginning of the case, Igarashi has written a book about her experiences and the nature of Japan’s obscenity laws. While artist Igarashi fell foul of the law, other public display’s appear exempt.
Gulliver’s Gate 3D printed
New York has just officially opened its 3D printed miniature world in Times Square. Known as Gulliver’s Gate, the full city block wide area contains an interactive miniature world depicting areas from Europe to Latin America. The team behind the project used a variety of techniques to create the intricate details, including 3D printing.
Make sure to cast your votes in the 3D Printing Industry Awards, which takes place next month.
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Featured image shows the Sliced logo over one of Megumi Igarashi’s marvellous works of art.
