In 3D Printing News Briefs today, Gilmour Space Technologies has secured Series A funding to develop its hybrid-engine rockets that use 3D printed fuel, while Oventus Medical signs a manufacturing agreement with Modern Dental. colorFabb is named the exclusive material partner for BlackBelt 3D, and Triton3D launches its new Stratasys-compatible materials. Finally, Dürr Systems will use the CETOL 6σ Tolerance Analysis software solution by Sigmetrix, while the newly introduced Rolls-Royce Sweptail features a 3D printed lower grille and Ultimaker introduces its Education Challenge.
Gilmour Space Technologies Secures AUD 5 Million in Series A Funding
“Today’s smallsats are getting smaller, cheaper and a lot more capable, and they are changing our perception of what’s possible in space,” said Adam Gilmour, the Founder and CEO of Gilmour Space Technologies. “Unfortunately, what is severely lacking is the means of getting these innovations to where they need to be, and that’s where Gilmour Space comes in – to meet the growing demand for more affordable and reliable transportation to space.”
With the help of its recently secured Series A funding from Australia’s Blackbird Ventures and Silicon Valley-based global venture capital firm 500 Startups, Gilmour Space Technologies plans to launch its first commercial rockets to suborbital space by 2018, and launch to Low Earth Orbit (LEO) by 2020. Additionally, the startup, which currently employs 20 engineers and other staff in its Australia and Singapore locations, is looking to add more employees in the coming year.
Oventus Medical and Modern Dental Sign Manufacturing Agreement
“We are very pleased to have entered into a manufacturing agreement with Modern Dental. The agreement allows us to focus on the manufacture of our unique differentiating feature – the Oventus Airway Technology that distinguishes us from all other appliances in the market,” said Oventus Managing Director and CEO Neil Anderson. “Our strategy is to commercialise a range of oral appliances with our proprietary airway design that have the various lower jaw advancement mechanisms. To date this includes three custom made appliances. Modern Dental will be able to manufacture the volumes required to meet the future demand for our products and at relatively short notice.”
The agreement, which will allow Oventus to rapidly scale up its manufacturing for a lower cost, will just be for smaller volumes in the Australian market before moving to the US market later this year.
BlackBelt 3D Printer Kickstarter Campaign Launching Soon, colorFabb Named Exclusive Material Partner
The colorFabb team wrote, “This brand new 3D printer company revealed its concept a little over a month ago on Twitter and has gained a following of nearly 700 3D printing enthusiasts ever since. We were among the first followers and strong advocates. And this is not without reason.”
colorFabb materials were exclusively used in the testing phase for the BlackBelt 3D printer, and colorFabb has just announced that it is BlackBelt’s official materials partner. The BlackBelt 3D printer’s Kickstarter campaign, which will go live this Thursday, June 1, at 3 pm CET, offers a super early bird discount of €5,500 for the desktop version of the BlackBelt 3D 3D printer. If you can’t swing that much, a pledge of €35 will get you a BlackBelt t-shirt.
Triton3D Launching New Line of Stratasys-Compatible Materials
The company’s material offerings for Stratasys’ Fortus 360, 400, and 900mc systems include Ultem 9085 model and support, Ultem 1010 model, black/white polycarbonate, and black/white PC/ABS. Triton3D also plans to expand its range of Stratasys-compatible materials, and will be offering value-added grades that can be used with existing Stratasys chip settings. Additionally, the company has developed several specialty formulations of ABS filaments, which have been adapted to work on standard M30, P430, and P400 settings; these formulations include:
- ESD-PC and ESD-ABS: available June 1
- CF-ABS, Transparent ABS, and ASA: available July 1
- ABS: available August 1
Dürr Systems Will Use CETOL 6σ Tolerance Analysis Solution by Sigmetrix
“Because Dürr’s mission is to provide our customers with cost-effective products that are superior in design, quality, and reliability, we employ CETOL 6σ to derive optimal designs. CETOL 6σ gives our engineers a comprehensive understanding of the relationship between assembly components. It gives us the ability to recognize the components with the greatest effect on overall quality, and an understanding from a variety of statistical perspectives the effect tolerance changes will have on product quality,” said Dürr Systems AG Project Manager for Tolerance Analysis, Mario Schäfer. “Another important CETOL 6σ feature is that the analysis is retained with the model so that downstream product development time is reduced. The direct interface with the 3D model provides analysis capabilities that exceed spreadsheet calculations, with a higher level of confidence in the accuracy. CETOL 6σ has become a key engineering tool at Dürr Systems AG. It complements our advanced engineering abilities in energy efficiency technology and our commitment to satisfy our customers’ demands for innovative products that are always reliable in a very fast-changing marketplace.”
One-of-a-Kind $13M Rolls-Royce Sweptail Features 3D Printed Lower Grille
“We were very eagerly but quietly waiting for somebody like this to come along. We’ve worked for the last four years to realize this particular vision with a fully coach-built Rolls-Royce,” said global director of communications for Rolls-Royce Richard Carter.
The manufacturer worked closely with the client during the process, along with close to 40 designers, testers, craftspeople, and engineers. Aluminum panels were hand-hammered and installed, except for the hood, and the car also features a 3D printed lower grille, which is framed by a brushed aluminum surround. The sculptural car has floating headlights, and the Pantheon grille was milled from a single block of aluminum, replacing its conventional, multi-piece stainless steel construction. Its custom interior cabin has a complex rear deck, framed by a glass roof, and a minimalist instrument panel. Additionally, a hinged champagne and crystal flute dispenser, which presents a bottle of 1970 Dom Perignon, is between the front seats, so it’s not surprising that the Sweptail is rumored to have cost $13 million.
Ultimaker Launches Education Challenge for Teachers
- Australia
- China
- Hong Kong
- India
- Japan
- Malaysia
- New Zealand
- Philippines
- Singapore
- South Korea
- Taiwan
- Thailand