This week’s news starts with a Kickstarter campaign and a design competition, and it also covers news from i.materialise and Materialise blogs, business news from Norsk Titanium and Premium AEROTEC, and another business update from CGHT (Changing Technologies). Finally, the ESA has announced that a lunar village could potentially replace the International Space Station. Really?
Kickstarter Campign Launched for CNC combo 3D Printer Controller
MyMiniFactory Hosts Lotion Dispenser “Ideas Only” Competition
“We want to see you get creative and inject new life into this classic object! Anything goes, monster heads for the plunger, hooks for the shower, clips to link your bottles together, parts to administer dosage effectively, go wild! Let loose and show us what you’ve got!”
It’s true that this classic object, although used numerous times a day, sometimes by many people, is a little boring. So why not take a few minutes out of your busy day to draw up some alternatives that will make you smile or uplift your lotioning experience? You can get all the competition details here.
Get 10% of Ceramic Prints with i.materialise
3D Printed Phits Insoles Wins Sporting Goods Award
“…These tech-savvy orthotics and awards are in itself utterly meaningless if it wouldn’t serve the real heroes in this story: all the experts that help people to achieve their goals by providing the right pair of Phits™ for them, day in, day out. Our orthotics conquered the London Marathon, faced the horrors of the Lanzarote Ironman and even completed the Vuelta a Espana for professional cyclists, but more important, they helped people with real difficulties to make their move again.”
Congratulations to everyone on the Phits and Materialise teams for this award!
CHGT to Develop 3D Printing Curriculum
CHGT CEO Marco Valenzuela summarizes the company’s interest in education:
“This course would give students a valuable head start on an important manufacturing process and artistic medium… We’d like to work in conjunction with area high schools, trade schools and colleges to get students interested in 3D printing and give them some hands-on experience using the technology. This will not only give us positive publicity, but ultimately lead to new customers and revenues for our printing business and online portal.”
When a company like CHGT announces plans to get into the growing 3D printing education sector, this tells us to expect growth in this market.
Norsk Titanium and Premium AEROTEC on Fast-Track Qualification Program
Dr. Joachim Schmidt, Head of Parts Production at Premium AEROTEC Varel Plant, praises Norsk Titanium’s efficiency in printing parts:
“We ordered samples of two of our proprietary Airbus A350 XWB parts and were pleasantly surprised how quickly they arrived and how efficiently we were able to machine Norsk’s near-net-shape RPD™ components into finished test pieces.”
The joint qualification program is acknowledged as the “next step to develop full industrial technology maturity” for the 3D printed titanium parts market.
3D Printed Moon Village to Eventually Replace the International Space Station?!
“I looked into the requirements I see for a project after ISS. As of today, I see the moon village as the ideal successor of the International Space Station for (space) exploration…If someone else comes up with a better idea, so be it…But so far there is no competing proposal on the table.”
Why the moon? Woerner has been dedicated to a moon mission since he took over at the ESA because he feels that it is a key step to humans flying to Mars. We can think of worse visions for the future than a lunar village with robots and 3D printers, can’t we? What was your favorite story that we (almost) missed this week? Tell us about it in the From New 3D Printers to 3D Design Contests forum over at 3DPB.com.