3D Printing News Briefs, August 10, 2022: Events, Awards, & More

First up in today’s 3D Printing News Briefs is Formnext + PM South China, which returns to Shenzhen next month. Next, Lithoz won an award from Licensing Executive Society International. Funds have been awarded to an EU project that’s 3D printing cooling system components. Finally, Mutiny Shaving has introduced what it says is the first fully 3D printed steel razor.

Formnext + PM South China Fair in Shenzhen Next Month

From September 14-16, the Formnext + PM South China fair, jointly organized by Guangzhou Guangya Messe Frankfurt Co Ltd and Uniris Exhibition Shanghai Co Ltd, is coming to Shenzhen to showcase the latest innovative trends in forming solutions. More than 150 companies have already registered for the event, with exhibitors coming from the powder metallurgy, advanced ceramics, and additive manufacturing industries in order to scale up their presence in the Chinese market. Some of the first-time participants attending the fair include YinXuan (powder metallury), Orient Zirconic (advanced ceramics), and Evonik, Digital Metal, eSUN, and BASF Forward AM (additive manufacturing).

Several concurrent events will be held during Formnext + PM South China to highlight the latest applications in these industries, including the Binder Jetting Additive Manufacturing Technology Forum on the 15th, which will include topics such as the “Current Development of Mass Binder Jetting Metal AM Technology” and “Applications of Binder Jetting Metal AM Technologies within the Manufacturing Industry.” The 3D Printing Venture Capital Investment Conference will take place on the 14th, and welcomes a group of 3D printing startups to introduce their latest services and products to a panel of investors. Finally, several researchers and industry specialists will be speaking at the Shenzhen International Medical Ceramic 3D Printing Application Summit on the 15th. Several other interactive programs at Formnext + PM South China include Discover 3D Printing – ACAM; 3D Printing Technologies in Mould Making Summit; New Energy Vehicle Additive Manufacturing Application Industry Summit, and more.

Lithoz Wins “Small Enterprises” Category of LESI Award

Ceramics 3D printing company Lithoz GmbH announced that it had been voted the winner of the 2022 LESI Innovation Award’s ‘Small Enterprises’ category. The TU Wien spinoff is a leader in the global ceramics market, and its LCM 3D printers are used for a variety of applications, including dental, medical, and industrial, while its new LIS 3D printers are meant for printing dark ceramics and voluminous parts. The LESI (Licensing Executives Society International) Innovation Award is meant to recognize outstanding innovative approaches in licensing technology that lead to long-term market innovations, and to showcase recent studies in innovations and licensing. Lithoz’s winning submission was presented to the 300 attendees at the recent LESI Annual Meeting in Venice, and was voted as the ‘Small Companies’ winner by the LESI Innovation Trends Committee and LESI Board; Northrop Grumman won the ‘Large Enterprises’ category.

Regarding Lithoz’s win, Co-Chair Dr. André Gorius, on behalf of the Committee, said, “The submission, with its solid invention value creation process, impressive collaborative teamwork and partnership strategy, and clear identification of roadblocks along the whole value chain, aligned perfectly with our focus on the best way to detect and manage trends in innovation.”

Funding for CERN Project to Develop 3D Printed Cooling Parts

CERN, operators of the Large Hadron Collider, are behind a new project to use 3D printing technologies to produce cooling system components.

The European Union’s ATTRACT research and innovation scheme is committing €28 million in funding to finance 36 projects from over 20 countries. One of them is the R&D&I project AHEAD, which is working to develop 3D printing technologies to fabricate components for cooling systems. The project is backed by a consortium of nine partners, including CERN, which joined with five other partners to form AHEAD in order to find a new way to make components for next-gen cooling systems. CERN, which is the European nuclear research organization and operator of the Large Hadron Collider, has used 3D printing in the past to produce complex parts, so the organization is certainly familiar with the technology.

There’s not much information available about the AHEAD project, but it’s said that the project partners—CERN, Thales Alenia Space France, CSEM SA, LISI Aerospace, InanoEnergy, and the Norwegian University of Science and Technology—will combine multiple 3D printing methods in an effort to produce cooling systems with less components that are also smaller and more lightweight, so they can be placed closer to areas that require cooling. In addition to working on better performing complex cooling systems, CERN will also be studying the potential for applying the product to “natural” refrigeration systems.

3D Printed Stainless Steel Razor by Mutiny Shaving

Finally, Welsh startup Mutiny Shaving, which specializes in 3D printed reusable razors, has introduced what it calls the first fully 3D printed, stainless steel reusable razor, the R1. The startup says the R1 was created with zero manufacturing waste pollution and 100% transparency, 3D printed from sustainable materials and totally carbon neutral. Bound metal extrusion technology was used to 3D print the new R1, which helps majorly reduce the cost of 3D printing the metal parts. Mutiny is working to break the barriers in consumer products and not only create awesome razors, but also become the world’s most eco-friendly shaving company. Plus, the startup says its R1 razor is the first commercially available consumer product to be made using bound metal extrusion.

While the R1 is pretty impressive, Mutiny Shaving also offers a range of plastic and recycled plastic 3D printed razors, such as the Rainbow Edition Hybrid. This razor features a 3D printed handle made from recycled cornstarch, which is biodegradable, and it was also designed to stand upright. The Ocean Waste hybrid razor features a handle and blade shield 3D printed out of materials made from recycled fishing nets donated by Cornish fleets. In addition, the Mutiny Hybrid, created as part of a collaboration with Newport County Football Club, is 3D printed using recycled PLA, and designed, created, printed, and packaged locally in South Wales.