3D Printing News Briefs: September 26, 2017

We’re starting with a little bit of business in today’s 3D Printing News Briefs, then moving on to 3D printers and 3D printing technology, and finally some news on 3D printing filaments. Sharebot has joined the open innovation program at Techniplas, and RP Support named the first German distributor for its NEO800 production stereolithography system, while Titomic Limited is granted a US patent for its Kinetic Fusion 3D printing technology. DuPont’s filaments are available for purchase in the US, Canada, and Mexico, and Mass Portal is introducing its filament drying solution for open material 3D printers.

Sharebot Joins Techniplas Open Innovation Program

The Sharebot XXL+ at work in Techniplas Digital’s Ventura, Calif. offices.

Professional-grade 3D printer manufacturer Sharebot, headquartered in Italy, has joined the open innovation program at Techniplas, a global design and manufacturing provider of automotive services and products. The partnership emphasizes Techniplas’ digital transformation strategy – Sharebot will add several of its large format Sharebot XXL+ 3D printers to Techniplas’ new Additive Manufacturing Center, making it easy for the company to use specific, high temperature and conductive materials to make 3D printed tools, fixtures, and jigs through Sharebot’s open 3D printing platform. This allows Techniplas to follow through with its plan to develop cost-effective, next generation flexible manufacturing cells and increase its operational yields.

“Sharebot’s printers are the ideal complement to our additive manufacturing strategy. As part of our open innovation initiative, we look to attract and work with partners that can deliver the necessary resources, technology and capabilities required toward making the connected world a reality,” said Avi Reichental, Vice-Chairman, Techniplas and CEO, Techniplas Digital. “Sharebot provides Techniplas with the advanced manufacturing proficiencies that we seek to roll out throughout our network of partners and factories.”

RP Support Appoints First German Distributor for NEO800

As part of a long-term plan to drive business growth in Europe, RP Support (RPS) announced that it named Germany-based LSS Laser-Sinter-Service GmbH as the first distributor for its NEO800 production stereolithography system, which was launched at last year’s TCT Show. LSS supplies both plastic laser sintering and metal laser sintering equipment and materials, now including the open resin NEO800 system. The production system, with a print area of 800 x 800 x 600 mm, offers excellent part sidewall quality and a scanning resolution to within 1 micron – this reduces finishing time by up to 50%.

“Appointing LSS as our first distributor is a very positive step and we are ramping up production of the NEO800 units in line with market share expectations,” said RPS Director David Storey. “We see this as a strong distribution partnership. Like RPS, the company has been operating in the 3D printing market for over 10 years and has in depth market knowledge and customer relationships already in place so we are very positive about where this will lead.”

RPS and LSS will have a joint exhibit at the formnext show in November – you can find them at stand number E31 in Hall 3.1.

Titomic Limited Granted US Patent for Kinetic Fusion Technology

Metal additive manufacturing company Titomic Limited, located in Melbourne, Australia, has been granted a US patent for the application of its Titomic Kinetic Fusion technology, a unique cold-gas dynamic spraying of titanium or titanium alloy particles onto a scaffold to make a load-bearing structure; the patent is for part of the process. Titomic already has patents for the technology in Japan and New Zealand, with patent-pending approval in Australia, China, Europe, Hong Kong and South Korea, but this latest will help the company expand its reach into one of the largest manufacturing economies in the world – the US. Titomic now holds exclusive rights to commercialize the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation’s (CSIRO) proprietary and patented process, which forms part of its Kinetic Fusion.

“This US application has been pending since March 2013, so to date we’ve only slowly progressed any discussions with potential major US customers until our intellectual property was protected,” explained Titomic CEO Jeff Lang. “We’re excited that this patent has now been granted in the US, enabling us to advance our initial discussions with potential US customers in what is one of the largest additive manufacturing markets in the world.”

DuPont Filaments Available for Purchase in the US, Canada, and Mexico

DuPont Performance Materials has announced that its customers in the US, Canada, and Mexico will now be able to purchase its high-quality Hytrel thermoplastic elastomer and Zytel nylon-based 3D printing filaments through a partnership with Wisconsin-based 3D printer filament and coil binding supplier Coex LLC. Hytrel is available in two different hardness levels for 3D printing, so customers will be able to produce functional, flexible parts that are resilient, durable, and heat and chemical resistant. Zytel 3D1000FL allows customers to make strong and stiff functional parts, which will have low warpage and moisture sensitivity, high heat deflection temperature, and great surface aesthetics.

Rahul Kasat, business development leader, DuPont Performance Materials, said, “We are very excited that customers in North America can now purchase DuPont high-performance materials in filament form for 3D printing through Coex LLC. We continue to get very positive feedback on ease of printing and performance of these products from customers across multiple industries.”

You can purchase a kilogram spool of DuPont filament through the Coex website for $84.99-$89.99.

Mass Portal Introduces Filament Drying Solution for Open Material 3D Printers

3D printer manufacturer Mass Portal is at the TCT Show in Birmingham this week, introducing its newest product line: professional-grade filament dryers for open material 3D printers, like its own Pharaoh series. It’s necessary to dry raw materials in the polymer processing industry to help get around cosmetic defects and performance issues that crop up in manufactured parts – water deteriorates polymer melt stability, along with the properties of 3D printed parts. But with access to Mass Portal’s new filament dryers, desktop 3D printer owners will be able to improve mechanical and part surface qualities, as well as the overall look of the parts, and reduce moisture-related processing issues; the dryers even allow for the use of moisture-sensitive materials that are typically unprintable, or deliver poor results.

Mass Portal’s filament dryers are compatible with most 3D printers and widely used open material spool sizes, as well as 1.75 and 2.85/3 mm filament diameters. They have touchscreen software, so you can connect to an online materials database and choose the correct drying process, and utilize a two-step process: drying the filament, then feeding it at a stable process temperature. Visit Mass Portal at the TCT Show this week in Hall 3, Stand G26.

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