Welcome to the Friday edition of 3D Printing News Briefs, where we are all business, all the time…except for a little news on 3D printing materials, that is. BASF acquires the Solvay polyamide business, OMNI3D names its new CEO, and AP&C has received an important ISO certification. Sculpteo is starting a 3D printing consulting service, while Airwolf3D begins its new 3D Printer Buyback Program and AstroPrint launches an equity crowdfunding campaign. Finally, colorFabb introduces its newest material, and Prusa has announced that its multi-material pre-orders for the i3 MK2 should begin shipping next month.
BASF Continues 3D Printing Material Expansion with Solvay Acquisition
Both companies will be entering into a binding purchase agreement and plan to close the final transaction in Q3 2018, once the customary regulatory approvals are obtained and they’ve received formal consent from a joint venture partner, which has already committed to grant consent upon delivery of the definitive documents. Solvay will be integrated into BASF’s Performance Materials and monomer divisions, complementing its engineering plastics portfolio and giving BASF access to important growth markets in Asia and South America.
OMNI3D Names New CEO
Polish 3D printer manufacturer OMNI3D, which unveiled its flagship industrial Factory 2.0 3D printer two years ago, has announced that financier Paweł Robak will be the company’s new CEO and Managing Director, as founder and former Co-CEO Konrad Sierzputowski leaves the company to work on developing other businesses. Robak spent the last four years as the managing director at Meyra GmbH in Germany, and has 20 years of experience as a manager and financier in Poland and abroad. Sierzputowski says that OMNI3D will be in good hands with Robak, whose transition has already brought about many positive changes, including expanding the company’s range of filaments, developing a new sales strategy, and continued development of the Factory 2.0.
“Thanks to the experience gained in various industries, I understand the needs of the business customer. Increased productivity, higher profitability and quicker satisfaction of end-customer needs are elements that combine both the needs of our customers and our owners,” Robak said. “For this reason, at the request of the Speed Up Innovation Fund, I decided to support the further development of OMNI3D, which needs further impulses, a new strategy and its implementation after an initial development phase. The new approach offers each customer added value, as the production and sale of 3D printers are just tools to achieve this. The use of 3D printing to produce tooling, prototyping and the production of short series of personalised products can improve the efficiency of operations and bring enormous savings to any industrial business.”
AP&C Receives Important ISO 13485 Certification
“The ISO13485 certification proves our firm’s commitment in producing quality powder to the industries we serve,” said Alain Dupont, President of AP&C. “With the certifications and our recently inaugurated new state of the art powder manufacturing plant we are well positioned to serve our customer’s needs.”
Sculpteo Announces New 3D Printing Consulting Service
Sculpteo writes, “With Sculpteo Studio, we want to share our expertise in 3D printing and laser cutting with you, in order to help you undertake the challenges of manufacturing. Thanks to our experience in the field of digital manufacturing, we help you understand the benefits these technologies could bring to your business and we support you in each step of their implementation, with training services, design services, and consulting services.”
Airwolf 3D Begins 3D Printer Buyback Program
“The program is designed for customers who’ve found that they desire higher functionality from their machines — namely printing high-performance materials like polycarbonate, polypropylene, TPE, and TPU,” Airwolf 3D employee Jazmin Casing told 3DPrint.com.
For a limited time, you can get up to $2,500 in trade-in credit when turning in your old 3D printers, so long as the machine is in good working condition when Airwolf 3D evaluates it. The program is only good for the following 3D printers and credit amounts:
- [easyazon_link identifier=”B0185REAEG” locale=”US” tag=”3dprint09-20″]Makerbot Z18[/easyazon_link] ($2,500), [easyazon_link identifier=”B01LZSUQKL” locale=”US” tag=”3dprint09-20″]Makerbot Replicator+[/easyazon_link] ($1,500), [easyazon_link identifier=”B0183TP806″ locale=”US” tag=”3dprint09-20″]Makerbot 5th Gen[/easyazon_link] ($1,000), [easyazon_link identifier=”B00FJ5KXH6″ locale=”US” tag=”3dprint09-20″]Makerbot Replicator 2[/easyazon_link] ($800)
- [easyazon_link identifier=”B01M66TXYD” locale=”US” tag=”3dprint09-20″]Ultimaker 3[/easyazon_link] ($1,800), [easyazon_link identifier=”B01AVF6EN0″ locale=”US” tag=”3dprint09-20″]Ultimaker 2[/easyazon_link] Series ($1,500), Ultimaker 1 ($500)
- [easyazon_link identifier=”B01DLU3M3M” locale=”US” tag=”3dprint09-20″]LulzBot TAZ 6[/easyazon_link] ($1,500), [easyazon_link identifier=”B01143UJK2″ locale=”US” tag=”3dprint09-20″]LulzBot TAZ 5[/easyazon_link] ($900)
AstroPrint Launches Equity Crowdfunding Campaign
“The idea behind Equity Crowdfunding is very similar to the idea behind ICOs (Initial Coin Offerings). In the past, only the wealthy could invest in startup companies, and the general public was specifically excluded,” explained AstroPrint CEO Drew Taylor. “The goal of portals like equity.Indiegogo.com is to democratize investment in startups allowing anyone to become an investor. In addition, we’re really excited about our super-fans and other 3D printing enthusiasts finally having the chance to come onboard as owners of AstroPrint!”
The campaign requires a minimum $100 investment.
colorFabb Introduces New nGen_LUX Filament
“At colorFabb we are always looking to meet our customer’s needs and offer filaments with added value,” colorFabb wrote. “The aesthetics of nGen_LUX allow for a new step in production and prototyping, especially for cosmetics, packaging, interior parts, electronics housings and many more applications.”
The filament has been thoroughly tested in colorFabb’s print lab on several popular printers, including the LulzBot TAZ 6, the [easyazon_link identifier=”B071JMB4ZG” locale=”US” tag=”3dprint09-20″]Robo R2[/easyazon_link], and the [easyazon_link identifier=”B015GDDXJA” locale=”US” tag=”3dprint09-20″]Prusa i3[/easyazon_link]. While it’s not yet available for purchase, it will be featured for the first time at next week’s TCT Show in Birmingham in Hall 3, Stand H39, and at the Helian Polymers Stand 13 at the Kunststoffenbeurs.
Prusa i3 MK2 Multi Material Pre-Orders Shipping Soon
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