3D Printing: The Stories We Missed This Week — August 13, 2016

Another week, another set of 3D printing stories from around the world that we’ve yet to have the chance to cover. For starters, Wanhao USA has continued their North American expansion with the opening of their new service center in San Diego, California. The dental digital tech company Argen Corporation has enlisted Concept Laser’s Mlab cusing machines to help them 3D print with high noble, noble, and non-precious metal alloys. Derek Mathers, the director of R&D at Worrell Inc., has applauded the US Food and Drug Administration on their efforts to be ahead of the curve when it comes to 3D printing for medical purposes. Kodak’s second quarter financial report shows that 3D printing technology is playing an increasing role in their business model. The investment group Concourse Capital Management has just purchased a whopping 70,509 shares of 3D Systems Corporation, amounting to a $1,011,804 stake in the recently faltering company. Stratasys India has appointed the electronic systems solutions provider CoreEL Technologies as their authorized channel partner to help expand their market outreach in India. Lastly, adidas will be giving their sponsored Olympic medal-winning athletes a pair of 3D printed shoes.

Wanhao USA Continues North American Expansion with New Service Center

Coming off of the recent July release of their newest 3D printer, the Duplicator i3 PLUS, Wanhao USA is continuing to expand their reach in the large North American 3D printing market. This past week, the Miami-headquartered company announced the opening of a new service center in San Diego, California, which is their second official location in the US. The new service center will assist all West Coast customers, as well as customers in Mexico. In order to gain full access to the Mexican market, the 3D printing company plans to work with smaller local shipping companies that can access parts of Mexico that are not normally serviced by larger postal companies. Wanhao USA also plans to open a third service center and warehouse in the midwest, which is slated to open in the Spring of 2017. With the continuous expansion, the 3D printing company hopes to achieve the same success they have found in the growing Chinese 3D printing market.

“Beyond the advantage of proximity to our Mexican customers, San Diego presents an opportunity to shorten shipping times between our facilities and West Coast USA customers. Our goal to have a different service center in all 3 North American shipping zones will lower our shipping costs for replacement parts and machines requiring repair. This cost savings will allow us to keep offering top-quality machines with less markup for our customers,” said Jose A. Rivera, the CEO of Wanhao USA.

Argen Corporation Turns to Concept Laser as Premium Supplier for 3D Metal Printing Solutions

The dental digital technology company Argen Corporation has announced that they will continue to utilize Concept Laser for their 3D metal printing of high noble, noble, and non-precious alloys. The San Diego-based dental manufacturing company will use Concept Laser’s Mlab cusing machines; they currently possess nine of them within their 40,000-square-foot manufacturing facility. Argen uses metal powder-based materials to produce digitally fabricated dental restorations with high-quality resolution and surface finish. The small build volume of the Mlab cusing machines is ideal for Argen’s production purposes, and will continue to allow their manufacturing team to work with precious metal alloys in smaller batches.

“Our digital outsourcing business has continued to double each year. The Concept Laser Mlab cusing machines have given us the flexibility to grow at a rapid pace, while continuing to innovate with new materials. The smaller build plate allows us to utilize high cost precious metals in a lean work flow”, says Anton Woolf, CEO of Argen.

Worrell Inc R&D Director Gives Credit to FDA for Their Handling of 3D Printed Medical Products

Derek Mathers, the Director of R&D for Worrell Inc.

Generally, when the US Food and Drug Administration is brought up in light of the medical technology sector, they’re usually seen as behind the curve on a new products or innovations that could potentially serve the world for the better. But, according to Derek Mathers, the Director of R&D for the industrial design and product development company Worrell Inc., this is not the case for the 3D printing industry. According to Mathers, the FDA’s recent draft guidance on a 3D printing framework for metal and plastic components is both adequate and encouraging for the medical sector. The Worrell R&D Director particularly credited three individuals with the FDA’s recent success, including Steven Pollack, who left the administration after 10 years to become a Research Scientist for the revolutionary 3D printing company Carbon; Matthew Di Prima, who heads the FDA’s 3D printing initiatives; and James Coburn, a Senior Research Engineer. All in all, the FDA draft guidance, which is entitled “Technical Considerations for Additive Manufactured Devices”, has helped set forth crucial guidelines for companies looking to implement 3D printing technology into the medical sector.

“Some people in our industry like to think of the FDA as a part of the problem as opposed to the solution when it comes to medical product development,” Mathers told PlasticsToday. “But the recent draft guidance that the agency put out on a 3D-printing framework for metal and plastic components for devices was a well-orchestrated move to encourage medical innovators to think about their additive manufacturing programs with a new lens.”

Kodak’s Second Quarter Report Shows Increased Focus on 3D Printing Technology

With the release of their second quarter financial report earlier this week, the film pioneer Kodak has shown that 3D printing technology is playing an increasing role in their massive business model. For instance, their Micro 3D Printing and Packaging Division (MPPD) brought in $35 million revenue, a $2 million increase from the same period last year. Their Micro 3D Printing sector has placed a keen focus on copper mesh touch sensors and shipped products to an All-in-One OEM customer, and will likely keep expanding as they become more involved with the 3D printing market. Additionally, their recent partnership with the 3D printing company Carbon, which entails material research, will help improve profitability for their 3D printing division in the near future. Kodak’s overall revenues in the second quarter of 2016 were $397 million, which is a 9% decline from the second quarter of 2015.

Concourse Capital Management Purchases $1,011,804 in 3D Systems Shares

Although the Rock Hill, South Carolina-headquartered 3D printing company 3D Systems has been struggling a bit in the financial department, one investment group appears to see a potential upswing in their near future. The group, Concourse Capital Management, holds a whopping 70,509 shares from 3D Systems (DDD), which currently amounts to approximately $1,011,804 in value, following their recent purchase of 43,343 additional shares. While other hedge funds, such as Quantbot Technologies, have been selling their stake in 3D Systems, Concourse Capital has decided to include the struggling company in their portfolio, now amounting to about 0.62% of their total holdings. This past Monday, 3D Systems opened up for trading at $14.89 and eventually ended the day at $15.36, an overall gain of 3.99%. It’s certainly a bold move by Concourse Capital Management, but it’s also one that will pay off major dividends if 3D Systems and their recently appointed CEO Vyomesh Joshi can continue to steer the company in the right direction.

Stratasys Appoints CoreEL Technologies to Help Expand Market Outreach in India

This past week, Stratasys India, a subsidiary of the 3D printing company Stratasys, announced that Bangalore-based electronic systems solutions provider CoreEL Technologies will be the authorized channel partner to help expand their market outreach in India. CoreEL will join the ranks of Stratasys’ extensive network of partnerships, and will help the 3D printing company to offer their professional 3D printing solutions, additive manufacturing application consultations, and local customer service throughout the massive country. CoreEL is well recognized across India for their products and solutions relating to aerospace and defense, research and higher education, and digital media broadcasting industries. With their reputation and wide reach, CoreEL is the ideal partner for Stratasys India to grow their customer base and expand their 3D printing services. According to the recent appointment, CoreEL will market the entirety of Stratasys’ 3D printing solutions and ecosystem.

“We are committed to enhancing local accessibility to Stratasys’ professional 3D printing ecosystem through a customer-centric strategy,” commented Rajiv Bajaj, Managing Director of Stratasys India. “With CoreEL’s renowned reputation in offering technology solutions and mapping customers’ application needs, we believe this partnership will help customers leverage 3D printing especially in Aerospace & Defense and Academia which are key focus areas for CoreEL.”

Victorious adidas-Sponsored Olympians to Get First-Ever Pair of 3D Printed Shoes 

After training endlessly for what is the biggest moment in so many athletes lives, all Olympians are are aiming for gold at this year’s Rio Olympics. For those who are adidas-sponsored athletes participating in the games, the sportswear company is giving them yet another reason to shoot for a gold, silver, or bronze medal. adidas will gift tailor-made 3D printed shoes  to a select group of medal-winning athletes. The 3D printed running shoes are the first made by the adidas brand be the brand’s first, and, as an added bonus, the laces will come in either gold, silver or bronze to represent the athlete’s Olympic placing.The 3D web structure enable adidas to go through their typical production process without the need for gluing or stitching. The heel is also 3D printed, bringing it into the upper of the shoe which is also made up of new, highly-breathable Primeknit. Thus far, there’s no news on when these 3D printed “Winners Shoes” will be released to the public. Discuss further in the Missed 3D Printing News forum over at 3DPB.com.