3D Printing News Briefs: March 6, 2018

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We’re jumping right into business news in today’s 3D Printing News Briefs, followed by a new study and a grant announcement. Roboze signed a distribution agreement with a new reseller in France, and Additive Industries is moving into a new factory that’s got a lot more space than its current facility. Sculpteo is partnering with a startup accelerator program, FMI Instrumed is expanding its additive manufacturing activities in the medical device industry, and Renishaw is presenting its 3D printed prototype orthopedic implants at the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons’ Annual Meeting. Finally, Ampower published a study on automotive 3D printing, and 3D Hubs is launching its Student Grant 2018 program today.

Roboze Signs Distribution Agreement with SCEI 3D

Italian 3D printing company Roboze is partnering with French distribution company SCEI 3D, a leader in the aerospace sector. The two companies have signed a distribution agreement for SCEI 3D to introduce Roboze to its service solutions for customers and SMEs in France. Roboze is committed to developing 3D printing solutions for the production of functional parts with high-performance polymer materials, like PEEK, that could replace metals in the aerospace industry, which goes hand in hand with the main industries that composite materials and aeronautics leader SCEI 3D works with.

“The aeronautical and space sector is recognized as a hub of economic excellence and innovation in France. France has become one of the strongest players in Europe with the most extensive aerospace skills from research to final assembly,” said Alessio Lorusso, CEO and Founder, Roboze. “I am confident that Roboze solutions will help the aeronautical and space sectors achieve further significant success in terms of research and production. Having a partner in SCEI 3D, with their skills, reputation and know-how can only accelerate the dissemination of features and innovative products to meet the current and future production needs of our customers.”

Roboze and SCEI 3D will be exhibiting together at booth Q39 in Hall 5A during this week’s JEC World 2018 in Paris, the largest international show dedicated to composite materials.

Additive Industries Moving to New Home

Last year, Netherlands-based Additive Industries announced its intention to grow into one of the Top 3 positions in metal 3D printing by the year 2022. To continue working towards this goal, the company will soon move its headquarters to a new factory nearby in Eindhoven next month. The factory, located in a former Philips Electronics building, will be completely in line with modern standards once the full renovation is completed. The site will consolidate the company’s headquarters, Development and System Assembly & Test Operations, all of which are currently spread out over two locations, and will offer room for expansion, with approximately seven times more floor space than the current combined facilities. The official opening of the new building will take place after the summer holidays.

“We are proud to again move into a great example of Dutch industrial heritage where we have been able to preserve the great architecture of the past and simultaneously add a touch of modernism,” said Daan A.J. Kersten, CEO of Additive Industries. “This makes a fantastic home for a fast growing digital manufacturing technology company like us.”

Sculpteo Partnering with FOCUS Startup Accelerator Program

3D printing specialist Sculpteo is partnering with a startup accelerator program, FOCUS by Usine IO, to ramp up the pace of hardware manufacturing with 3D printing. The program is located at Station F, a former railway station in France that’s now the largest startup campus in the world, and this year is centered around the theme of Industry 4.0. Sculpteo is an exclusive 3D printing partner for this second edition of FOCUS; the first was dedicated to smart autonomous vehicles. Starting in April, the company will spend four months selecting, coaching, and helping the chosen startups learn how to integrate 3D printing technology to overcome the challenge of hardware manufacturing.

“Usine IO plays its role of accelerator and innovator with an all-in-one manufacturing service integrated with Sculpteo,” said Clément Moreau, Co-Founder and CEO of Sculpteo. “Startups can develop better, and faster. The factory in the cloud allows startups to overcome the constraints of manufacturing, such as the fees of the dedicated engineering departments or the round trips to the offshore factories. Hardware startups can develop functional products and test their real-world usage at a much higher pace!”

FMI Instrumed Installs Fifth Metal 3D Printer

Recently, FMI Instrumed, part of mechanical systems, modules, and components supplier FMI, announced that it would be significantly expanding its additive manufacturing activities in the medical device industry by installing a fifth metal 3D printer. The ISO 13485 and 9001 certified company company recognizes that it’s critical for medical devices to have guaranteed reliability and quality, and so, along with being FDA compliant, has validated all of its processes, including 3D printing. The company uses 3D printing technology to create products like knee implants, the titanium cup of a hip implant, and its new generation of spinal implants, and the new Concept Laser 3D printer will help with this.

“The increasing contribution of additive manufacturing in the medical device industry endorses further developments within our company,” said Henk Jansen, Managing Director at FMI Instrumed.

“At FMI we don’t see additive manufacturing as a standalone process, but as an integral part of our production process.”

Renishaw Attending American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons Annual Meeting

UK metrology company Renishaw is attending the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons (AAOS) Annual Meeting in New Orleans this week, and will be exhibiting a range of its prototype titanium orthopedic implants, 3D printed on the company’s own laser powder bed fusion systems. Dr. Jonathan Jeffers of Imperial College London will also be at the meeting, in order to present data from an ongoing project that’s investigating the development of load bearing lattice structures for orthopaedic implants; Renishaw and the UK government are jointly funding the project.

“The partnership between Imperial College London and Renishaw is creating really exciting data on new materials that can control the way bone repairs itself,” said Dr. Jeffers. “These materials could change the way orthopaedic implants are designed in the future, and certainly provide an opportunity to improve patient outcomes by repairing the musculoskeletal system with materials that can invoke a desired response in bone.”

In addition, London-based Betatype, a technical collaborator in the research project, is also attending the AAOS meeting, and will be exhibiting its portfolio of 3D printing builds, including complex lattice structures, manufactured on the Renishaw platform.

Ampower Publishes Study on Automotive 3D Printing

German consulting firm Ampower, which specializes in 3D printing, has just published the second issue of its Ampower Insights series, available for download here. While the first covered the cost structure of 3D printing metal components, this new issue contains a technology study on additive manufacturing in the automotive industry, specifically the production of 3D printed high-performance metal components for sports cars. The study analysis is centered around an exhaust tail pipe blend for a super sports car, describing the design optimization and production steps, examining the component for different quality criteria, and considering laser beam melting and electron beam melting processes.

If you’d rather not download the 30-page study, you can also request a hard copy.

3D Hubs Launching Student Grant 2018

Today, 3D Hubs is kicking off its Student Grant 2018 program, and is officially on the lookout for the next big creative talents, inventors, and problem solvers who “push the boundaries of 3D printing” in STEAM subjects. Last year’s program had more than 500 applicants from 300 universities, and this year the grant will be offered to students showcasing the best use of 3D printing in the same fields of architecture, engineering, and product design. 3D Hubs has increased the grant amount from $500 to $1,000 this year, and ten runners up in each category will receive a free copy of The 3D Printing Handbook.

“We had an amazing response to the first 3D Hubs Student Grant, and the level of projects that we received was above and beyond anything we could have expected,” said 3D Hubs CEO Bram de Zwart. “Supporting students is important to us and something we will continue to do, whether it’s through the grant, the 25% student discount or the wide range of educational materials we release. We can’t wait to see what the next generation of designers and engineers are working on and giving it the exposure it deserves.”

Applications will close on June 30, with award recipients announced on July 18th. 3D Hubs will be highlighting the top submissions throughout the rest of this month and into June, so keep an eye on its Instagram page.

Discuss these stories, and other 3D printing topics, at 3DPrintBoard.com or share your thoughts in the Facebook comments below.

 

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