3D Printing News Briefs: April 30, 2020

We’re starting today’s 3D Printing News Briefs talking about some new products – SHINING 3D is announcing its new desktop 3D inspection system, and Recreus has launched a new polypropylene material for 3D printing. Moving on, Sandvik received an important aerospace certification for its metal powder plant, and ADDere is printing some really big rocket parts. Finally, we get to take a virtual tour of the MCT’s National Center for Additive Manufacturing facility.

SHINING 3D Launches AutoScan-Inspec System

This week, SHINING 3D is releasing a new product – its Automatic Desktop 3D Inspection System AutoScan-Inspec, or Inspec for short. This automated system integrates 3D inspection and accurate 3D scanning in order to more efficiently and quickly scan small, complex parts, and be used for multiple applications, including reverse engineering, quality control, product design, and inspection. The Inspec system is easy to operate, has 3 axes for multi-angle scanning and an intuitive user interface, and features an AI intelligent scanning algorithm.

This new system uses a dual-camera of five mega pixels to get very detailed 3D scans, and also offers metrology-grade accuracy. Its advanced blue-light 3D scanning technology helps with this last point, bringing the scan accuracy to within 10μm. Finally, SHINING 3D’s powerful Ultrascan software, specifically developed for industrial applications, makes it simple for users to get started with the AutoScan-Inspec and export their 3D data to CAD/CAM systems like Zbrush and Geomagic Control X.

Recreus Releasing New PP·3D Material

Spanish company Recreus just launched its new polypropylene 3D printing filament, PP·3D. This thermoplastic, developed together with multinational company Respol, is a chemical-resistant, durable, high-impact material that’s easy to print and features excellent stability and processability. Recreus says that PP·3D is the only polypropylene solution on the market that comes with a cutting-edge primer, which can be applied pre-print to achieve maximum adhesion and great results that they say are similar to injection molded parts. It’s good to use in applications like packaging, automobile parts, industrial tools, mechanical components, end-use products, and parts that need low friction and heat resistance, sealing, high electrical resistance, and resistance to acids, fats, oils, salts, and solvents.

“Actually, we are very happy with the reception and interest that the material is having, and also, it is curious, because we are very grateful that it has coincided that this material is being an ideal solution against COVID-19, creating two success cases with 3D printing (adapters for Decathlon masks, #skuba project, and adapters, #splitter project, to divide the pulmonary ventilation circuit). So it is launched at a good time,” Cristina Hernández, Recreus Marketing Manager, told 3DPrint.com.

Sandvik’s Metal Powder Plant Achieves AS9100D Certification 

AM metal powder leader Sandvik has achieved the important AS9100 Revision D certification for aerospace deliveries at its new Sweden-based plant for Osprey gas-atomized titanium and nickel-based superalloy powders. The plant was inaugurated in Sandviken, next to the company’s AM facility, at the end of 2019, and work has been ongoing since then to qualify the powder for excellent quality, morphology, and consistency in 3D printing. The reward for this is the new aerospace certification, which will help the company accelerate adoption of 3D printed titanium parts. Osprey Ti-6Al-4V Grade 5 and Ti-6Al-4V Grade 23 are the first titanium powders produced at the plant, while the nickel-based superalloys are Osprey Alloy 625 and Alloy 718; other alloys are available upon request.

“Sandvik is a world leader in metal powder for additive manufacturing with the widest alloy program on the market. Titanium powders represent the latest application of 158 years of materials knowledge and R&D – and more than 40 years in-house powder manufacturing capabilities,” stated Kristian Egeberg, the President of Sandvik Additive Manufacturing. “With the AS9100D certification together with all our experts in materials, metal powder and additive manufacturing, we can now help our customers succeed even faster in this high-growth area.”

ADDere 3D Printing Large-Scale Rocket Parts

3D printed thruster cone

Midwest Engineered Systems Inc. (MWES) division ADDere is showing off some really big 3D printed rocket parts it’s been making – a nozzle and a combustion chamber. The company’s control system and laser wire additive manufacturing capability make it possible to merge the two seamlessly into a single full-size rocket thrust chamber assembly, building the large-scale parts with metallurgical qualities that are close to billet grades and reducing the part count. The stainless steel rocket nozzle assembly measures 42″ in height and 24″ in diameter, and took only 20 hours to print. Then, the nozzle was machined to the final shape, with a 3 mm sidewall on the body of the thrust in the combustion chamber. This is a great example of what kinds of innovations ADDere can offer to the aerospace industry.

“It’s so rare that we get to show some of the capabilities we have, especially one that has gone through finish machining. I think it gives a new perspective to what is possible with the technology,” said Scott Woida, President of ADDere.

Virtual Tour of UK’s National Centre for Additive Manufacturing

The UK’s National Centre for Additive Manufacturing (NCAM) is part of the Manufacturing Technology Center (MTC). To help support continued development of the country’s AM aerospace supply chain, NCAM is now home to a new metal additive manufacturing facility. As part of the MTC DRAMA team’s weekly Additive Hour webinars, they’re offering a virtual tour of the new NCAM facility, as an in-person visit is not possible during this time of COVID-19. An MTC senior research engineer who typically works on 3D printed aerospace production projects leads the tour, which can be found in video form on YouTube. He takes viewers through the collaboration space and and the reconfigurable, open area build space, but early on shows a changing room, which you might not think would be very important.

“This is where, of course, we have to get changed into the relevant PPE and RPE that is vital to ensure safety is maintained within the process,” he narrates. “I’ve just walked across an adhesive mat and that’s just to minimize any powder travel, and that’s one of the areas that the National Centre has been really interested in.

“What is powder travel? What’s the relevant safety measures that you should be taking?”

You can watch the rest of the virtual tour of the NCAM’s new AM facility in the video below:

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