3D Printing News Briefs: March 4, 2020

Business comes first today in 3D Printing News Briefs, as ANSYS and 9T Labs announce a partnership and Sinterit and Prima Powder Laserdyne are both opening new facilities. Moving on to education, RAPID + TCT has extended the deadline for its AM Student Challenge. Finally, an interesting hybrid makerspace is welcoming visitors in Rome.

9T Labs and ANSYS Partnership

Final part manufactured by 9T Labs in collaboration with industry partner Setforge and Arts et Métiers Institute of Technology.

Engineering simulation company ANSYS and system provider for digital composite production 9T Labs, a spin-off of ETH Zurich in Switzerland, are partnering up to provide an integrated design and simulation workflow, so that engineers can achieve improved designs through the use of more complex geometries; this, in turn, can also lower part weight, material waste, production time, and costs. This release allows the creation of lightweight parts with pre-testing, as it combines ANSYS’ Composite PrepPost (ACP) and 9T Labs’ fibrify software.

fibrify lets ANSYS users connect to 9T Labs’ equipment, begin the print process, and monitor the job. Additionally, a new interface in ACP lets users directly import complex fiber lay-ups from fibrify, and automatically convert them to a finite element model. To learn more, visit JEC World in Paris this May, as 9T Labs and ANSYS will present this new solution at the event. 9T Labs will also launch its new product line, the Red Series, this Thursday; register for the webinar here.

Sinterit Opens New Production Facility & HQ

SLS 3D printing solutions provider Sinterit has opened a new production facility, in addition to its new headquarters, in Kraków, Poland. Everything was designed explicitly for building SLS 3D printers, and has allowed the company to increase its production capacity threefold. The new facility and HQ, paid for without external investments, are located in the industrial zone near one of the region’s most important logistics hubs, which makes it easier to ship products and organize customer training. This move out of the city center signals the end of the company’s startup phase.

“We designed everything on our purpose. The new factory is entirely adapted to the needs of SLS printers production and new products development, from warehouse, through assembly, products testing areas, and the R&D space. The brand new offices allow us to welcome and train our partners,” said Maxime Polesello, Sinterit’s CEO. “With our new facilities, we have additional means to further deliver our ambitious strategy: increase adoption of AM by making SLS technology accessible to all professionals.”

Prima Power Laserdyne’s Relocation

Prima Power Laserdyne’s new facilities in Brooklyn Park, Minnesota. The new facility includes all manufacturing, engineering, customer demonstration, training and administrative operations.

Recently, Minnesota-based Prima Power Laserdyne, which has developed proven laser processes for multiple materials, moved from its location in Champlin to a new facility in Brooklyn Park, in order to support its continued growth. The new facility features user training and machine demonstration areas, along with dedicated places for customer service, manufacturing, and research, and is in the process of being converted to fit the specialized production requirements for the Prima Power Laserdyne systems.

“The enlarged manufacturing space will provide the operations team with the capacity needed to meet increasing demand while also improving operational efficiency,” said Dr. Aaron Montello, the company’s Operations Senior Manager. “Prima Power Laserdyne is a technology leader and key supplier in the precision 3D laser processing market.  Now, including the addition of DED additive manufacturing machine production, we have the space required to support our customers with an even wider range of laser processing solutions.”

Deadline Extended for RAPID + TCT’s Student Challenge

This year’s RAPID + TCT is coming up next month in Anaheim, California, and it’s just been announced that the deadline to submit abstracts for the Additive Manufacturing Student Challenge Discovery Pitch has been extended until March 9, 11:59 pm. This challenge offers undergraduate and graduate students the chance to present 5-minute pitches on their applications in advanced manufacturing, case studies, and research. Both individual and team abstracts are accepted, and students may use visual aids and present one PowerPoint slide. They should be prepared to answer one to two questions from judges after the pitch.

The pitches will be judged on April 22 from 2-3:30 pm, and there will be two first place awards (undergraduate and graduate), along with two second place awards (undergraduate and graduate). Winners will be recognized at SME’s RAPID + TCT Awards luncheon event on Thursday, April 23, and awards include a certificate of achievement, complimentary one-year membership to SME, recognition letters, and cash prizes; second place winners will receive $500, and first place winners will receive $750. For information on possible topic areas for the pitches, as well as the factors student presentations will be judged on, visit the website.

Ex-lavatoio Hybrid Makerspace Opens in Rome

There are many different kinds of makerspaces all around the world, and a new hybrid one just opened up in the attic of an Umbertine-style building in the heart of the Esquilino district in Rome. The top floor of the building now houses Ex-lavatoio, a poly-dynamic workshop that can be used as a multifunctional space for photographic sessions, while also combining creativity and the pursuit of quality. Roman photo editor Antonella Sava and her husband worked with an architectural firm to renovate the space so it was more open and flexible, but still features callbacks to the past, with the original wooden ceiling and 19th century iron staircase. Additionally, it features a large terrace that looks over the roofs in Rome and the Piazza Vittorio – a great place for inspiration, indeed.

“Ex-lavatoio has the intimate atmosphere of a private top floor, while maintaining a strong professional vocation. At a time when work is increasingly autonomous and exchanges between professionals are often reduced to virtual relationships, I thought of giving them back a physical space. I want to eliminate the separating line between home and work, adding training, business and networking elements, in a well-finished yet informal context, in which to share and create experiences,” said founder Sava.

Part laboratory and part showcase, Ex-lavatoio is opening its doors to the public on Saturday, March 21st, to present its unique offerings.

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