We’re starting off with the business end of things in today’s 3D Printing News Briefs, followed by some software news, a 3D printing handbook, and a new 3D printing material. The Dubai RTA has introduced new 3D printing initiatives, while Optomec announces a sales partnership with CNC Software and ESUN enters a strategic sales and R&D partnership with ZYYX. 3D Systems’ QuickParts e-commerce platform has expanded to the EMEA region, and Autodesk expands its Generative Design software preview. Finally, 3D Hubs has launched its new 3D printing book, and Prodways introduces a new 3D printing material.
New 3D Printing Initiatives Unveiled by Dubai RTA
“The new initiatives the RTA intends to implement using the 3D printing technology will span various projects such as a pedestrian bridge, Hatta Gates, bus stop, and marine transport station,” explained Abdul Reda Abul Hassan, Executive Director of Rail Projects Planning & Development at the Rails Agency and Chair of the Dubai 3D Printing Strategy Implementation Committee at the RTA. “Using 3D printing technology in implementing these projects will help developing innovative methods capable of contributing effectively to promoting Dubai as the smartest city; a global hub for tourists, visitors, investors and businessmen and a leading financial, tourism and service centre in the world.”
“The 3D printing technology is advancing at a rapid pace across the world and RTA is strongly inclined to be a forerunner in this generation of technology. It seeks to optimally utilize the technology by applying the world’s best practices of public transport industry and associated infrastructure. We are proud of this leading regional role in widening and upgrading the 3D printing technology in Dubai in line with the emirate’s vision of becoming the smartest city in the world. To realize our projected objectives, we have engaged in joint ventures with flagship companies. We are fully confident that this digital technology will revolutionize the way Dubai’s mass transit projects are implemented.”
Optomec and CNC Software, Inc. Begin Sales Partnership
Dave Boucher, Director of Product Development, CNC Software, Inc., said, “Partnering with Optomec allows Mastercam to provide our award-winning technology to a specialized area of the additive market. The combination of subtractive machining that we have provided for over 35 years, along with newly developed technology to drive metal additive machines, allows Mastercam and Optomec to provide a solution for the hybrid manufacturing market. We are excited to work with Optomec and their LENS technology to provide users with a truly versatile machining solution.”
Shenzhen Esun Industrial Co., Ltd. and ZYYX Announce Strategic Partnership
“We have worked with ESUN for some time developing new tailored materials for the ZYYX pro, and we are honored to be able to say that we now will work even closer to offer more materials, all with a clear application within professional printing,” said Mats Moosberg, CEO of Magicfirm Europe AB and the creator of the ZYYX 3D Printer.
“For example our customers have asked us for glass fiber filled nylon since this is a good engineering plastic for mass production of strong parts by injection molding, and they want to prototype as closely as possible with their ZYYX pro units. The proGlass gives them this possibility, as well as giving them another strong engineering material to choose from in tooling and jigs production. The market for desktop 3D printers is getting tougher and tougher, and it is crucial to have a clear ambition, and our ambition is to provide our customers a complete toolset for functional prototyping and production of jigs and fixtures. The materials are at the center of such offering and we are very happy to say that we are now working closely with the leading supplier of 3D printing materials in the world.”
QuickParts Platform Expands to EMEA
Phil Schultz, senior vice president, On Demand Manufacturing Services and Plastics, 3D Systems, said, “Many of our customers need instantaneous help with design challenges, materials, and processes, while others need a simple way to validate their design. We are very pleased to offer this new e-commerce experience to our customers in the EMEA region; enabling them to quickly and easily bring their designs to life and move from prototyping to production.”
Autodesk Expands Its Generative Design Software Preview
“We subscribe to the ‘design thinking’ philosophy where quantity is valued over quality in the ideation phase and we think AGD is a HUGE leap forward in design. With AGD, we have brought that philosophy to our CAD work and we can now identify form and function early on and use the natural synthesis from a multitude of design options to find the best path forward,” said Kenny Cornett, Owner of Innovation Forge and an early Netfabb Ultimate user.
“Autodesk Generative Design has opened up new worlds to us. We are now able to evaluate hundreds or even thousands of designs in the time it would have previously taken our design team to come up with ten. The results have been beyond our imaginations with organic-like forms that are difficult – or even impossible – to conceptualize with our previous tools. Autodesk is ahead of the curve with the first product like this on the market. Just like when AutoCAD was introduced 30 years ago, this new paradigm in design is just the beginning of an exciting era of new possibilities and outrageous results.”
You can also check out the technical updates to AGD that will be available beyond the tech preview expansion.
3D Hubs Publishes 3D Printing Handbook
“With over 300 pages of actionable design advice and decision making tools, it reads unlike any other engineering book, full of easy-to-understand diagrams and inspiring visuals,” George Fisher-Wilson, 3D Hubs Communications Manager, told 3DPrint.com.
“With contributions from Volkswagen, The University of Oxford, Desktop Metal, Carbon, Ultimaker, ExOne, Boeing, Markforged, Stratasys, Concept Laser, Envisiontec and others, we aimed to make this the most comprehensive book on 3D printing currently available.”
You can purchase The 3D Printing Handbook on [easyazon_link identifier=”9082748509″ locale=”US” tag=”3dprint09-20″]Amazon[/easyazon_link], though as of right now, it is out of stock due to, unsurprisingly, high demand; Amazon says it will be restocked this weekend. To take a look at how the book was made, check out this 3D Hubs blog post.
Prodways Launches New 3D Printing Material
At the moment, the laser sintering market is dominated by fast prototyping materials, but the new PA612-GB 3800 powder makes it possible to use 3D printing more often to produce small and medium final parts. According to beta testers, the material is easy to use, and it’s proposed for single use, which will all but guarantee a similar performance for each use in mass production.
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