3D Printing News Briefs: June 10, 2017

We’re running the gamut for news stories today in 3D Printing News Briefs, bringing you news about 3D printing education and business, important partnerships, 3D printers, and 3D printing materials. Materialise is hosting a 3D Printing in Medicine course next week, and the former CTO of Boeing joined the board of directors at 3D Systems. Sigma Labs is expanding in Asia, while both VECTARY and DyeMansion have announced partnerships with Shapeways. Desktop Metal is debuting its new Studio System metal 3D printer at a California conference, EnvisionTEC introduces its new material tray, and together with its new Science Director, Aether has released a line of bio-inks.

Materialise Hosting 3D Printing in Medicine Course

Surgical teams have an increasing accessibility to 3D printed anatomical models, so they are able to plan for and treat complex cases. In order to address the demand for 3D printing, and demonstrate to US hospitals how they can implement the technology, 3D printing solutions provider Materialise will be hosting a 3D Printing in Medicine Course at the Inn at St. John’s in Plymouth, Michigan. The class, which will be held from June 11-13, will teach attendees how to develop their own in-house 3D printing programs, learn about the future of 3D printing in hospitals, visit Materialise’s North American headquarters in Plymouth, and get hands-on training in the company’s 3D printing software.

Bryan Crutchfield, vice president and general manager of Materialise North America, said, “This event will demonstrate the benefits that esteemed medical institutions such as the Mayo Clinic, Boston Children’s Hospital and The Ottawa Hospital have experienced since implementing in-house 3D printing solutions. Those attending will learn how to develop in-house 3D printing programs and how this technology has been implemented in the medical field to revolutionize patient care.”

Frank Rybicki, MD, PhD, of The Ottawa Hospital, will deliver the keynote speech; other speakers include Nicole Wake, PhD, of New York University; Dee Dee Wang, MD, cardiologist with Henry Ford Health System; and Shi-Joon Yoo, MD, PhD, cardiac radiologist and head of the Division of Cardiac Imaging with The Hospital for Sick Children.

Former Boeing CTO Joins Board of Directors at 3D Systems

John J. Tracy

A new member has joined the 3D Systems‘ Board of Directors, bringing aerospace, engineering, and technology expertise and experience with him. The company just announced that Dr. John J. Tracy, the former CTO of Boeing, had been added to the board. Dr. Tracy has nearly four decades of experience in the aerospace industry, and during his many years at Boeing, Dr. Tracy led engineering teams to achieve several important aerospace projects, including the Boeing 787 Dreamliner commercial plan. He was most recently the CTO and Senior Vice President, Engineering, Operations, and Technology at Boeing, and has also served in positions at Boeing companies Phantom Works and McDonnell Douglas Corporation, as well as with the Hercules Aerospace Company.

“We are a technology company focused on key verticals and the addition of Dr. Tracy to our Board reinforces our commitment to enhance management and the Board in line with our customer-centric strategy to drive profitable growth through focused execution. We expect that his invaluable experience and deep knowledge of technology and aerospace will be a valuable addition to our Board,” said Vyomesh Joshi (VJ), the president and CEO of 3D Systems.

Sigma Labs Signs Two Agreements in Asia Pacific Region

Sigma Labs, which provides quality assurance software under its PrintRite3D brand, is expanding its reach in Asia’s metal additive manufacturing market. The company announced this week that, due to strong customer interest in PrintRite3D throughout the region, it had entered into non-exclusive agreements with two sales agents in the Asia Pacific region. Enervision Inc., which distributes 3D printing and AM solutions in Korea, will target the rising growth expectations in the South Korean AM market, which center around the South Korean government’s announcement that $37 million would be invested to accelerate 3D printing development across the country. Metal AM reseller Beijing Yida Sifang Technology Co., Ltd. will help Sigma Labs expand into the AM market in China. Both of these new agents will receive a commission from Sigma Labs, which will be tied to the revenue the company generates through customers that both sales agents identify.

“We are pleased to progress in expanding our footprint in the Asia-Pacific region with two new sales agents in connection with our PrintRite3D technology as a result of anticipated interest by new regional customers for PrintRite3D,” said Mark Cola, president and CEO of Sigma Labs. “The growth of AM is international in scope and we are pleased to position Sigma Labs to capitalize on this growth with two new prominent agents.”

VECTARY Announces App Integration with Shapeways

Free online 3D modeling tool and community platform VECTARY has announced its first app integration with 3D printing service Shapeways, which will allow designers and DIY makers to turn their original ideas into a VECTARY 3D design for free on the platform, order a 3D print of their design on Shapeways from VECTARY, and receive a high-quality end product a few days later. The plugin, part of VECTARY’s long-term plan to democratize 3D modeling, also features a printability check, auto-fix, and and instant price estimate on the over 60 materials that Shapeways offers.

“This integration is part of our long-term plan to democratize 3D modeling and empower an even larger community of makers,” said Michal Koor, VECTARY CEO and co-founder. “It will make people realize just how easy and fast it can be to get from a simple idea and 3D design to a usable end product. Having a partner like Shapeways, with its state-of-the-art 3D printing technologies, also guarantees that the printed objects will reflect the quality and authenticity of the design.”

VECTARY plans to add many other useful plugins, and will soon offer more options for makers who want to commercialize the 3D models they make on VECTARY and sell them on Shapeways.

Shapeways Using DyeMansion Technology for Beta Program

Speaking of Shapeways, the 3D printing service just launched a beta program for surface finishing its Strong & Flexible 3D prints. In addition to the beta program, Shapeways also launched an official partnership with DyeMansion, and will be finishing its nylon prints with the company’s automated Powershot S System. The high surface quality offered by the Powershot S will initially only be available for nylon prints in black, red, and blue, though Shapeways wrote in a blog post that as long as positive feedback is received from the beta group, it plans to expand it to all of the colors in the Strong & Flexible plastic family. DyeMansion’s finishing technique is compatible with every geometry and offers both functional and visual improvements to the properties of a part. It gives parts a matte, glossy look, and offers high scratch and dirt resistance.

“Shapeways is excited to announce a partnership with DyeMansion which is solving the post-production challenges for powder based 3D printing systems,” said Blair Georgakas, Product Manager, 3D Printing Materials, Shapeways. “With the Powershot S system, we are now getting closer to the quality level expected from traditional manufacturing for end-use products.”

Desktop Metal Introduces Studio System at California Symposium

3D printer reseller and distributor Purple Platypus will be holding its second annual Additive Manufacturing Symposium in California later this month. The conference will be held at LACI’s La Kretz Innovation Campus in Los Angeles from June 20th to the 21st. One of the most exciting attractions at the symposium is Boston-based Desktop Metal, which will be debuting its new metal 3D printer, the Studio System, in Southern California for the first time. The Studio System was designed as an end-to-end solution, and is touted to be the only metal 3D printing system that’s cost-effective for engineering teams. In addition, Desktop Metal’s co-founder and CTO, Jonah Myerberg, will be giving a presentation about the company and its systems on the first day of the conference.

In addition to Desktop Metal, several Stratasys experts will be on hand at the symposium, presenting on topics ranging from aerospace and automotive to tooling and medical; Stratasys will also bring its J750 printer and its newest system, the F370, which was just introduced at SOLIDWORKS World in February. There will also be three customer panels, with companies like Ford, Raytheon, Myotek, Qalo, and more.

EnvisionTEC Announces New Disposable Material Tray

At the JCK Las Vegas jewelry industry trade show this week, professional 3D printing solutions provider EnvisonTEC unveiled a new cost-saving, disposable material tray for its desktop Micro and Vida 3D printer lines. The M-Type tray, which features optical glass coated in a Mylar-like film, will soon be available as an optional replacement for the current Pre-Stretched Assembly (PSA) tray system. While the PSA has to be professionally replaced by EnvisionTEC, the M-Type is disposable, and allows for the easy separation of each exposure layer during a build. Flexible silicone makes up the tray’s outer perimeter, and it’s estimated to last up to 3-4 months with routine use.

EnvisionTEC CEO Al Siblani said, “This new material tray system makes using EnvisionTEC desktop 3D printers easier and more affordable. Our company has offered a similar tray for years on our original desktop models, such as the Aureus and Apollo, as well as some Perfactory models. And although the PSA still has benefits for many applications, we decided to bring this cost-saving approach to our Micro and Vida lines, too.”

The M-Type tray will be available in North America this summer, and pricing varies by global market.

Aether Develops Bioinks with New Science Director

Actual photo of 6 UV reactive materials inside syringes

MIT and Stanford researcher Karen Dubbin was recently named the Science Director at San Francisco technology startup Aether, which developed the Aether 1 3D bioprinter. The company just announced that Dubbin will spearhead the company’s development of a new line of breakthrough bioinks. Aether believes that the growing bioink market is ready for disruption, and staying true to its philosophy, the company will develop high-quality bioinks and sell them at the lowest price on the market. Dubbin will receive her PhD from Stanford at the end of this summer, and will then join Aether full-time; currently, she is working with the company as a consultant to “build the foundation for Aether’s upcoming bio-ink research and bio-ink product launch.”

“I’m very excited to join the team at Aether,” said Dubbin. “I believe Aether’s bioprinting technology can make a substantial positive impact on medical research, and I’m looking forward to contributing to this thrilling field.”

She will work with Aether CEO Ryan Franks, and the company’s team of engineers, to launch an introductory bioink line; the company expects the line to be available later this year. It appears that at least some of these bioinks will be UV reactive materials.

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