3D Printing: The Stories We Didn’t Cover This Week — November 7

This week’s 3D printing news is all about business and product development. In business news, 3D Systems has partnered with the US Army to develop  products for multiple sectors such as aerospace and medicine. GoPrint3D is selling Zortrax products, and Israel-based Nano Dimension added a new board member and applied for an application with NASDAQ. Buenos Aires is hosting Argentina’s first national 3D printing congress this weekend, and Materialise’s new 3DPrintCloud has a new wall thickening analyzer function to help you avoid bad prints. Finally, it’s a good week for materials, as Polymaker releases its PC-Plus filament and Sculpteo now offers color and raw or polished finishes for its Alumide material.

3D Systems and US Army Collaborate on 3D Printing Lab

The Aberdeen Proving Ground in Maryland is now home to a new 3D printing collaboration between 3D Systems and the US Army. This project will be a 3D printing lab which plans to develop technology and materials for medical, automotive, aerospace, wearable, and other defense and commercial applications. Larry (LJ) Holmes, the Army Research Laboratory’s Principal Investigator in this effort, says this about 3D printing:

“Additive manufacturing is redefining what is possible. Novel materials research will enable areas like 3D printed electronics and multi-functional structures. The development of hybridized manufacturing technologies will allow in-field manufacturing, efficient depot-level repair and a reduction of the Army’s overall logistics burden. Equipping our soldiers with the most cutting edge technology requires innovations throughout our supply chain. We are pleased to embark on this cooperative R&D agreement, which will undoubtedly unlock new scientific discoveries and industrial innovation.”

This is quite a powerful partnership that will no doubt take the technology in new and interesting directions.

GoPrint3D Now Sells Zortrax Products

GoPrint3D, an online 3D printer retailer that connects companies and individuals to the best 3D printer for their own needs, is now carrying the Zortrax line, including the very popular Zortrax M2000 3D printer.The Zortrax M200 is used by thousands of customers because of its accuracy, ability to copy detailed models, affordability, and reliability. NATO is using the printer to help with aircraft upgrades — it’s that reliable. GoPrint3D will also stock all of the related products and materials related to this popular desktop printer.

Israel’s Nano Diemension Expands Business to US

Israel’s Nano Dimension, which was founded in 2012, develops advanced 3D printed electronics systems. It uses three different advanced technologies — 3D inkjet, 3D software and nanomaterials — to produce its products. Nano Dimension made the first ever 3D printer that prints multi-layer PCBs (printed circuit boards) and “advanced nanotechnology-based conductive and dielectric inks.” Now the company announces it is broadening its reach by adding Ofir Baharav, of Stratus Venture Group, to its Board. In other company news, Nano Dimension has also launched a conductive ink product, a utility patent, and it has filed an application to be listed on the NASDAQ. You can read more about all of this latest company news here.

Buenos Aires to Host Interacción 3D– a 3D Printing Congress

On November 7-8, 2015 Argentina will see its largest gathering of 3D printing related business and enterprises come together for the Interacción 3D event in Buenos Aires. This event is held at the Cordoba Cultural Center and is the first nationwide 3D printing conference, and it will feature representatives from the entire cross-section of Argentinian 3D printing: product developers, engineers, makers, and manufacturers, and the event will also include speakers and a showroom of 3D printers. The event is organized by I3D Magazine, which is the first 3D printing related Spanish language magazine, and it is sponsored by the Embassy of Spain and the Network of Cultural Centers of Spain in Buenos Aires. You can check the event page on Twitter and the Facebook page here.

Materialise Announces New Wall Thickening Analyzer Tool for its 3DPrintCloud

Materialise has already released its 3DPrintCloud, which we covered here. The software driving this cloud service fixes
3D model design and file problems for you, and it is an invaluable service for both novices who are making some of their first designs as well as more seasoned 3D print designers who could still use some support on a tough model. Users have been asking Materialise to add a function that analyzes wall thickness. Wall thickness is a crucial element in successful 3D prints because getting the thickness correct usually results in a good print, while getting it wrong can result in, well, a printing disaster.

Materialise likes to emphasize that its 25 years of 3D printing experience puts the service in a unique position to help customers build the models they want without reinventing the wheel. The 3DPrintCloud definitely reinforces the company’s expertise and dedication to helping users, and now that wall thickness can be tested for before printing, even higher quality prints will be possible.

Polymaker Releases PC-Plus Polycarbonate Filament

Shanghai-based Polymaker has released a new filament it is now shipping. Focusing on extrusion-based desktop 3D printing filaments, Polymaker’s reputation for producing high quality materials is ongoing as the new PC-Plus filament brings the polycarbonate material to a wider audience than the expensive industrial style 3D printing niche. Polycarbonate is heat resistant, provides optical clarity, and is naturally translucent — it’s available in either true black or true white, also.

Polymaker also announces that the company has completely redesigned the packaging for all of its products. This redesign includes transparent spools, measurements on the label, and newly designed labels for a cleaner look. Available for $39.99/reel, you can try it out for yourself if you are eager to experience printing with polycarbonate materials at a more affordable price for more people.

Sculpteo Adds New Color and Polishes for Alumide Prints

Sculpteo does not slow down when it comes to providing customers more options for its 3D prints. Alumide, composed of aluminum and polyamide, is one of the materials that Sculpteo has developed for printing. It has the metallic feel of aluminum while maintaining  polyamide properties. And now, Sculpteo broadens its Alumide option by offering colors  — blue, red, black, and green– and raw or polished finishes.

This is a notable change since before, if you chose to print models in Alumide, it would automatically print in grey with a raw finish. Now, you need to choose the Alumide option, then select a color and your polishing option too. If you don’t select these specific properties, it will print in the default raw grey version. If your goal is to get the aluminum in the Alumide to really “pop” — then select the polished finish. Sculpteo also reminds us that the new polish option will take anywhere from 4 to 8 days to ship, adding one more day on for the color option.