3D Printing News Briefs, November 6, 2021: Business & Off-Road Vehicles

Today’s 3D Printing News Briefs will be especially brief today, as we discuss business first. 6K has appointed a Chief Financial Officer, and PrintParts has shipped its first SmartParts. Then, B9Creations partnered with the South Dakota School of Mines and Technology to 3D print parts for an off-road vehicle. Read on for all the details!

6K Announces Chief Financial Officer

6K, which produces sustainable advanced materials for AM powders and energy storage applications, announced that it has appointed Gary Hall as its Chief Financial Officer. Previously, he was the CFO for ultra-broadband solutions provider Casa Systems, Inc., and helped lead the company through a period of major growth, which resulted in an IPO in 2017. Hall, a certified public accountant, has over 20 years of experience leading operational and finance teams at fast-growing technology companies and helping them generate major shareholder value. At 6K, he will report to CEO Dr. Aaron Bent and be responsible for HR and IT strategies, staffing, and all financial aspects of the company, including accounting and control, tax, treasury, and financial planning and analysis.

“I’m honored to join the team at 6K during such an important time in the company’s evolution. The opportunity to contribute to the financial, investment and operational work already underway is exciting, and the possibilities of what 6K can achieve is truly inspiring,” Hall said. “I look forward to partnering with not only the leadership team, but investors, board of directors, employees and customers on our journey of transforming the way performance materials are manufactured in an environmentally friendly way.”

PrintParts Inc. Ships First SmartParts to Production Customers

New York City-based AM service and technology provider PrintParts Inc. announced that it has started shipping SmartParts, which it calls an industry-first, to select production customers. The company announced it was developing the new authentication, and traceability AM solution earlier this year, and the integrated SmartParts platform mixes materials, software, and hardware to embed a scannable signature in each 3D printed part, allowing customers to easily manage their own AM processes and trace their parts throughout the entire supply chain; especially important when you’re dealing with production parts that need certified materials or full traceability.

“Many of our customers are looking to adopt additive for production, but have legitimate concerns around verifying materials, managing suppliers, and how to authenticate manufacturing data. If our industry wants to move further into production applications, we need to introduce technology that solves these problems and provides the security, as well as traceability, that companies expect,” PrintParts CEO Robert Haleluk said.

PrintParts will demonstrate its new SmartParts solution at Formnext in Germany later this month, at booth 12 B81B.

B9Creations & SD School of Mines 3D Print Off-Road Vehicle Parts

Finally, global 3D printing solutions provider B9Creations partnered with the South Dakota School of Mines and Technology‘s Baja Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE) team to make 3D printed parts for its competition off-road vehicle. The team, made up of SD Mines students, competes annually against other university teams at the Baja SAE Competition, including a brake check and tech inspection and a four-hour endurance race. Using the company’s Core 5 Series XL 3D printer and its Rugged – Nylon 6 3D printing resin, the team, could cost-effectively prototype critical vehicle parts, like spline inserts, as well as create strong end-use components like spacers and bushings, a 4wd activation lever, electronics mounting, and gas and brake pedals. The team ended up placing 10th worldwide and has already begun designing and building next year’s vehicle, which will feature parts 3D printed on the B9 Core Series platform.

“We are proud to partner with the School of Mines’ Baja SAE team on this project, and on future projects as well,” said B9Creations CEO Shon Anderson. “It’s exciting to see our technology being used in a new way, and we can’t wait to see how the team leverages it to design and build their competition vehicles for years to come.”