3D Printing News Briefs, March 4, 2021: INTAMSYS, Teton Simulation, Hyperganic, McLaren Automotive

In today’s 3D Printing News Briefs, we’re telling you about a new 3D printer and updated software first. INTAMSYS is launching its new FUNMAT PRO 610 HT 3D printer, and Teton Simulation has introduced SmartSlicer 20.2. Moving on to business, Hyperganic has received $7.8 million in its first round of financing. Finally, the engine for the 2022 McLaren Artura hybrid sports car features 3D printed cores.

New INTAMSYS FUNMAT PRO 610 HT 3D Printer

Industrial 3D printer manufacturer INTAMSYS recently launched its newest system, which it calls the next level in large-scale FFF 3D printing: the FUNMAT PRO 610 HT, with a print volume of up to 610 x 508 x 508 mm, a Servo control system for better positioning accuracy, and the ability to handle the necessary requirements for high-performance thermoplastics like PEEK and PEI. The printer features a special modular, dual-nozzle design, which is able to bear temperatures up to 500°C and uses up and down movements to support 3D printing of complex structures, and the chamber temperature is set at a constant 300°C, so materials won’t warp.

The new FUNMAT PRO 610 HT meets the D safety level for the CE Machine Directive regulation thanks to its optimized design safety locks and safety PLC, and it also has several user-friendly features, including auto-nozzle calibration, automatic cleaning, and filament jam detection. The printer also has an active drying system for the filament chamber, so that the high-performance materials it uses are kept free from moisture for enhanced print quality. It should be a good system for printing large parts, or multiple smaller parts for low-volume production runs.

Teton Simulation’s SmartSlicer 20.2

Teton Simulation has released the latest version of its SmartSlice software, with updated features and enhancements chosen based on pervasiveness and customer value. The main functionalities added for SmartSlice 20.2 are view displacements, identifying part regions that may need modification, tooltips, sorting optimized results by cost, and new materials. Displacement Viewing is a way for users to see how their part deflects under the prescribed Use Case, and if Anchors and Loads have been correctly applied in this case. In Teton’s version of Design for Additive Manufacturing (DfAM), users are now informed as to what logical steps they need to take if a printed component doesn’t meet requirements, such as changing the material or manually modifying the slice parameters. Tooltips are now available on all SmartSlice buttons so users know exactly what they do, and tutorials have been embedded directly within the toolbar. Finally, users can enter material costs so they’re able to price their prints from that perspective, and ten new supported materials have been added in this release, including MatterHackers NylonG, Polymaker PolyMide, PA6-CF, and Jabil PETg 0800 ESD.

“Version 20.2 delivers a lot of capability to our users, and we’re proud of our accomplishments. Yes – we know the release is named in the year 20, not 21. We started developing the functionality in 2020, and we planned to release the technology in 2020, but we just didn’t feel the experience met your expectations, so we iterated until it felt right,” Doug Kenik wrote in a Teton Simulation blog post.

“Our team is committed to constantly delivering new functionality and enhancements as they come available. We do not adhere to time-based release cycles (where you can expect a new product at certain times during the year). We release functionality when it can solve a problem for our customers. This allows us to iterate very quickly and release multiple versions of our technology throughout the year.”

You can try SmartSlice 20.2 for free here.

Hyperganic Receives $7.8 Million in Funding Round

Hyperganic’s software is completely rethinking 3D printing by precisely planning every tiny printable element instead of the previously lined up squares.

German AM software company Hyperganic, which has been providing AI-based software solutions for 3D printing complex, functional, sustainable objects to companies in multiple industries since 2015, just announced that it has received a total of $7.8 million in its first round of financing. Founder Lin Kayser, who sold his successful Iridas startup to Adobe in 2011 before starting Hyperganic, says that 3D printing needs to become faster and more precise, and plans to use the funding to scale the company’s platform, as well as increase the team from 22 to 60 total employees by the end of 2021. Vsquared Ventures and HV Capital led this round of funding, while US lender Converge and investor Hermann Hauser also participated, and jewelry manufacturer Swarovski provided a strategic investment.

Graham Hench, who’s responsible for innovation at Swarovski, said, “We are thrilled that Lin and his team at Hyperganic are bringing together a strong group of investors to support a common goal with Swarovski, which is to drive sustainable manufacturing for a sustainable future.”

3D Printed Cores for 2022 McLaren Artura Engine

McLaren is certainly no stranger to 3D printing, and its new 2022 McLaren Artura hybrid supercar, which features a powertrain chimney, tri-clutch transmission, and axial-flux motor among other innovations, uses the technology to make Formula 1 casting cores for the vehicle.

According to Frank Markus of MotorTrend, “McLaren’s not quite ready to 3D-print an engine block, but the next best thing is 3D printing the intricate cores used to cast the block. These extremely precise cores permit the cooling passages between cylinders to be just 0.08 inch wide—that’s just four to 13 times the diameter of a grain of foundry sand.”

The Artura, which is McLaren’s first “Super Series” hybrid vehicle, has a lot of other pretty cool features as well, including two mono-scroll turbos that rotate in opposite directions, which reduces exhaust pressure losses in order to increase efficiency. Additionally, in something called a powertrain chimney, the exhaust flows through a particulate filter, catalysts, and mufflers and exits between the taillamps, rather than right through the middle of the full-width rear deck diffuser. Sawing off two cylinders reduces the Artura engine’s weight and length for maximum agility, and the eight-speed tri-clutch transmission not only handles the typical “eight ratio swaps” but also allows the electric motor to power the car by disconnecting the engine from the transmission.