Our Easter edition of Sliced 3D printing news in brief features: Victrex, Zyex, Iron Range Makerspace, Autodesk, Plastics Today, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, North China University of Technology, and N-O-D-E.
Victrex acquires plastics company Zyex
British polymer company Victrex has acquired fellow British company and leading PEEK manufacturer Zyex in a £10 million deal. Zyex, based in Gloucestershire made £7 million in the last financial year, ending March 31. The acquisition is part of Victrex’s strategy to expand into the 3D printing material market which they announced last year. David Hummel, Victrex CEO said,
The acquisition of Zyex is compelling for Victrex, enabling us to not only drive future growth opportunities within well-aligned markets and developing application areas, but to also secure some incremental revenue today.
Maker space gets $100,000 grant
The Iron Range Makerspace, based in Minnesota has received a $100,000 federal grant which will go towards setting up a maker space in Hibbing, MN. The space will grant people access to a number of tools and equipment, including 3D printers, for a monthly subscription fee. Iron Range Makerspace is intended to encourage and aid entrepreneurship in the area.
Autodesk showcases young makers
At a showcase event hosted by Autodesk, Popular Science has profiled three young makers and their innovative creations. Aged between 11 and 17, the trio have created 3D printed inventions that range from a prosthetic arm that shoots glitter to a emergency mask pod for protecting the lungs in a fire.
Plastics Today warns readers not to be complacent about 3D printing
Our friends the plastic news publication, Plastics Today are advising its readers their readers 3D printing should be on their radar.
Livermore Innovation Fair brings in the crowds
An estimated 5,000 attended the first Livermore Innovation Fair which included presentations from Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory’s (LLNL) Nick Williams. The LLNL recently unveiled the results of research into a new metal 3D printing technique.
Automated apple juicer research
Researchers at the North China University of Technology in Beijing, in collaboration with the University of Science and Technology in Bydgoszcz, Poland have used 3D printing to create an automated robot for peeling, coring, slicing and juicing apples. The team successfully created a 3D printed robot which they believe could be implemented in crowded places such as schools, restaurants or hospitals. The paper, ‘A Fully Automatic Fresh Apple Juicer’, has been published in the MATEC Web of Conferences.
N-O-D-E’s ‘Zero Terminal’ Raspberry Pi device
N-O-D-E has developed the third iteration of the handheld Linux terminal which uses 3D printing to house a Raspberry Pi computer.
Don’t forget to vote in the 3D Printing Industry Awards, and if you’d like to attend the event tickets are available here.
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Featured image shows the Sliced logo over an image of chocolate eggs. Photo by Kelly Parker McPherson, kellymcpherson on Flickr.
