3D Printing News Briefs: September 18, 2019

We’re talking about an award, a little business news, and metal 3D printing in today’s 3D Printing News Briefs. 3D printed fine jewelry brand BOLTENSTERN won big at the 2019 European Business Awards, and ZVerse and Shapeways have announced a partnership. Desktop Metal has launched H13 tool steel for its Studio System, and TRUMPF is improving manufacturing for heat-resistant Inconel.

BOLTENSTERN Wins Big at Prestigious European Competition

At the recent 2019 European Business Awards (EBAS), fine jeweler BOLTENSTERN was named the National Winner in Austria. Chosen from over 2,500 other businesses to be listed as ‘One to Watch’ in July, then selected as a National Winner, the jewelry brand – which has launched 3D printed collections in both sterling silver and 18k gold – was named the best Austrian business in the ‘Digital Technology Award with Turnover €0-25 million’ category. In December, BOLTENSTERN will travel to Poland to complete the final round of judging and attend the Gala Ceremony.

“We are thrilled to have won this EBA award in the ‘Digital Technology Award with Turnover €0-25m’ category, and to be representing Austria at the next stage of this European competition. This award serves as recognition for our innovative design and production process. Technology is at the heart of our business, and we aim to shape the future of fine jewelry with our innovations,” said Marie Boltenstern, Managing Director & Head of Design at BOLTENSTERN.

“At BOLTENSTERN, we believe jewelry is the smallest form of architecture. It is only by thinking in multiple dimensions that we can create pieces that are desirably complex yet effortlessly simple.”

ZVerse and Shapeways Partnering Up

ZVerse, which developed the only CAD as a Service (CADaaS) platform for digital manufacturing, and 3D printing service Shapeways have announced an integration partnership. In order to deliver expert 3D design solutions at scale to its customers, Shapeways will offer the CADaas platform, through an integrated custom-branded portal, to make the user experience simpler. Users will then have access to ZVerse’s AI-driven design platform and its network of certified 3D designers, both of which they can use to create new 3D files, optimize existing ones, or convert a 3D file to a different format – all from the comfort of the Shapeways website.

“Our CADaaS platform bridges the 3D design gap, which in turn opens the sales pipeline for Shapeways and others in on-demand manufacturing. Typically, ODMs reject up to 40 percent of job requests because customers don’t have the manufacturable 3D files they need. Instead, we turn this gap into business by taking care of their customers who don’t have files or need them optimized, and deliver them back through a fast and seamless experience,” said John Carrington, the Founder and CEO of ZVerse.

Desktop Metal Launches H13 Tool Steel for Studio System

Extruder die

Today, Massachusetts-based Desktop Metal announced that it is expanding its materials portfolio with the launch of H13 tool steel for its office-friendly Studio System metal 3D printer. The material features abrasion resistance, exceptional hot hardness, high toughness, and stability in heat treatment, making it a good choice for both hot and cold work tooling applications in a variety of industries, such as medical, industry, and fashion. Some early instances of DM Studio System 3D printed H13 parts include an injection mold core for an asthma inhaler mouthpiece, an extrusion die, and a die casting mold for a zinc clothing zipper.

“Expanding the Studio System materials portfolio to include H13 tool steel enables designers and engineers to print mold inserts, extrusion dies, forging dies, and sheet metal tooling, including stamping, embossing, bending, and countersinking. This is a key competitive advantage to enable rapid iteration and refinement of tools requiring H13, and the reduction of manufacturing lead times. Teams will also be able to achieve complex geometries that have not been possible with traditional manufacturing methods like machining,” said Ric Fulop, CEO and co-founder of Desktop Metal.

TRUMPF Demonstrating 3D Printing of Heat-Resistant Inconel

Using 3D printing, TRUMPF fabricated the impeller for a gas compressor in just half the time it would normally take to produce. [Image: TRUMPF Group]

At the current EMO Hannover, which continues until September 21st, TRUMPF is showing how its TruPrint 3000 3D printer is a great, sustainable production process when it comes to manufacturing heat-resistant materials, such as nickel-based alloy Inconel. This capability is perfect for fabricating power generation components, and at the metalworking trade fair, TRUMPF is presenting some, such as an aircraft vane segment and a drone’s gas compressor impeller, that have been 3D printed using its TruPrint 3000, which can fabricate multiple parts at the same time and features automated quality assurance solutions, like melt pool and powder bed monitoring.

Volkan Düğmeci, a member of the industry sector management team for aerospace at TRUMPF Additive Manufacturing, said, “Heat-resistant materials play a key role in many industries, including aerospace and the power generation sector. We’re hoping that the applications we showcased at EMO will encourage companies from those sectors and job shops to start using this technology.

“This is an important value-adding factor in industries with high product reliability standards, such as the aerospace sector.”

Visit TRUMPF at EMO Hannover through September 21st in hall 9, booth K02.

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