3D Printing News Briefs, October 16, 2021: STEM, 3D Printing Patents, & More

Kicking things off in today’s 3D Printing News Briefs, the STEM Careers Coalition has launched new resources, together with some industry-leading partners, and Digital Metal and Etteplan have entered into a 3D printing design partnership. Moving on, Stryker has established an R&D 3D printing lab in Queensland. Finally, nScrypt received a patent for controlling heat around a 3D print build.

Celebrating MFG Day with STEM Careers Coalition

A national STEM initiative anchored in schools by Discovery Education and powered by corporate leaders, called the STEM Careers Coalition, launched new free resources in celebration of the recent Manufacturing (MFG) Day. Held on October 1st and created by The Manufacturing Institute, MFG Day helps inspire students to become the manufacturing industry makers, creators, and doers of tomorrow, and coalition’s new standards-aligned content, sourced from partnering top organizations like Microsoft, Boeing, and the Caterpillar Foundation, include hands-on student activities, manufacturing-focused career profiles, and classroom activities, which feature important STEM skills and guides for classroom implementation.

“Connecting students to success means meeting them where they are – there is incredible untapped potential all over the country that just needs a bit of nurturing to flourish. STEM can be the tool to do so. Alongside our partners, we are proud to again present high-quality and standards-aligned no-cost resources focused on the wide-world of manufacturing to educators, students, and families,” said Marla Wilson, the Executive Director of the STEM Careers Coalition.

Design Partnership between Digital Metal and Etteplan

Christian Lönne, CEO, Digital Metal; Riku Riikonen, SVP, Engineering Solutions, Etteplan; Tero Hämeenaho, Department Manager, AMO, Etteplan

Global engineering company Etteplan has entered into a strategic additive manufacturing Design Partnership with Digital Metal, which develops and manufactures industrial metal binder jet printers. Through the partnership, the two companies plan to offer design optimization solutions with Digital Metal’s binder jetting technology, putting Etteplan’s knowledge in designing components for 3D printing to use in order to speed the transition from traditional methods to additive manufacturing.

“Together with Etteplan we will be able to offer a stronger value proposition, covering a complete design and manufacturing process, to our customers,” said Digital Metal’s CEO Christian Lönne. “The partnership gives us access to a world-class design team that complements our business very well.”

Stryker Establishes Medical R&D Lab in Queensland

A new R&D Lab in Brisbane will help ensure Stryker has the capacity to manufacture patient-specific implantable devices, and progress strategic research priorities in areas including robotics, additive manufacturing, digital health and infection control.

With support from the Queensland Government, The University of Queensland (UQ), and Queensland University of Technology (QUT), global medical technology group Stryker will establish its first Australian research and development lab in, you guessed it, Queensland, specifically at the Herston Health Precinct. Having made this investment in what the Head of the Queensland Digital Health Research Network, UQ Associate Professor Clair Sullivan, calls “world class digital health capability,” the university is looking to work with Stryker in a variety of areas as part of this partnership, such as infection control, digital health, medical imaging, new biomaterials, orthopaedics, and more.

“With the establishment of this new R&D lab, we now have a global corporate partner on our doorstep, with the resources and the scale to help transfer our leading research into real-world outcome,” said Associate Professor Sullivan.

“Together, we will lead change in Queensland, and globally via a powerful, comprehensive and contemporary health research capability, while at the same time harnessing UQ’s clinical, public health and data science expertise.

“Through this partnership, we will be able to build infrastructure to drive globally significant research, healthcare innovation and improved patient and population health outcomes over the next decade.”

nScrypt Receives Patent for Heat Controlling in AM

Finally, 3D printing OEM nScrypt, which designs and manufactures microdispensing, 3D Manufacturing, and biomanufacturing equipment for industrial applications, has been awarded a patent for controlling heat in metal or plastic 3D printing. US Patent No. 10,500,830, “Apparatus and Method for 3D Fabrication,” actually contains 17 dependent claims and two independent claims, and covers controlled melting, cooling, and extruding of high-temperature metal, plastic, or powder, while also keeping high temperature from spreading to areas of the print where it shouldn’t be. The patented invention, which is available for licensing under mutually favorable terms, also includes easy removal of different nozzles or pen tips, which could be conical or ceramic to decrease pressure or heat radiation, and various types of heating units, including an ultrasonic wave generator, laser, or infrared heat source.

“This patent addresses the problem of controlling the heat around the build, confining it and controlling it where you need it. A cool part of this invention is to use 3D printing to accomplish this goal, by printing the wiring or heating element on the nozzle or the nozzle holder. This is a great addition to our patent portfolio,” stated nScrypt CEO Dr. Ken Church.