3D Printing News Briefs, October 13, 2022: New 3D Scanner, New 3D Printer, Relocation, & More

We’re starting today’s 3D Printing News Briefs today with a new 3D scanner by SHINING 3D, and a new DLP 3D printer from Intrepid Automation. Moving on to business, Adaptive3D has relocated its local headquarters, and Sigma Additive Solutions has appointed the founder of 3YOURMIND as its General Manager of European Operations. Finally, Stratasys introduced an FDM certification program, and the YouTube Tested team, led by celebrity maker Adam Savage, looked at 3D printed midsoles by adidas.

SHINING 3D Launches Handheld EINSTAR 3D Scanner

3D technologies provider SHINING 3D has officially launched its new EINSTAR, an affordable, handheld 3D scanner that makes it easy for all users to access high-quality 3D scan data. The scanner can easily and quickly capture clear, stable details, thanks to three infrared VCSEL projectors, two stereo depth cameras, and an RGB color camera. Additionally, it features built-in enhancement technology that can optimize the point cloud for complete data acquisition, an ergonomic design and high scanning speed, and multiple data output formats, which makes it good to use in multiple applications.

“Our mission at SHINING 3D is to make quality 3D digitizing technology accessible to everybody, helping enterprises and individuals to enter the realm of the digital world,” said Rebecca Khoo, Product Manager Professional 3D Digitizing, SHINING 3D. “Einstar has been developed, allowing everybody to digitize the world around them like never before.”

Intrepid Automation Introduces Valkyrie DLP 3D Printing System

The Valkyrie system, with a build area of 660 x 760 x 560 mm, has customer-validated print speeds of up to 44 mm/hr using IntrepidCast LF resins, allowing customers to produce end-use parts up to 10x faster than legacy SLA processes

San Diego-based Intrepid Automation, which develops custom, industrial-scale AM solutions for high-volume production, has launched the large-format Valkyrie printer. The industrial-grade, modular system uses patented mDLP technology to achieve scalable production for customers producing printed molds, patterns, and parts. The Valkyrie features a 660 x 760 x 560 mm build area, print speeds up to 44 mm an hour in the Z axis, automatic calibration, proprietary software, and is easily customizable for application-specific resins. Intrepid’s mDLP process uses multiple highly-calibrated digital light sources to project a single, high-accuracy image at once, instead of tracing image outlines like with legacy SLA methods.

“Most 3D print manufacturing processes today are slow, expensive, deliver inconsistent accuracy, and are difficult to scale. Our systems solve for all of these challenges,” said Ben Wynne, CEO of Intrepid Automation.

Adaptive3D Relocates Local Headquarters to Birthplace

Walter Voit holds samples of mini automotive seat cushions at the IQ HQ during its grand opening in September. His company is working with OEMs to build full seat cushions that could have one of the world’s highest strength-to-weight ratios. (Photo: Dallas Innovates)

Born in 2014 out of research conducted at UT Dallas and acquired by Desktop Metal last year, Adaptive3D produces photopolymer elastomers for 3D printing. These DuraChain materials separate into two parts at the nano level, which makes them more durable. The company has now gone back to its roots, relocating its local headquarters from Plano, Texas to Richardson’s Innovation Quarter, which will quadruple its footprint for manufacturing new materials. The Richardson IQ is a 1,200-acre development that aims to make the city a global player by attracting hundreds of small companies and startups that may one day go public.

“This new facility gives our team the capacity to serve customers more effectively around the world…to make their products stronger, lighter, greener, and more functional. It also positions us to take advantage of the incredible intellectual ecosystem of Richardson to help pioneer the next generations of manufactured goods and products,” said Walter Voit, Founder and CEO of Adaptive3D and associate professor of materials science & engineering at UT Dallas.

Sigma Additive Solutions Hires 3YOURMIND Founder Stephan Kuehr

Sigma Additive Solutions, Inc., which develops quality assurance software for the commercial 3D printing industry, has announced the appointment of industry veteran Stephan Kuehr as General Manager of European Operations. Kuehr co-founded Berlin-based 3YOURMIND, a top manufacturing execution system (MES) software provider, and spent the last decade as its CEO, leading the company’s budget, funding, structure, and development efforts. In his new role, he will help take AM quality assurance to the next level, with responsibility for all direct and channel revenue activities in the European region, including managing the company’s global OEM and independent software vendor (ISV) network programs.

“It is an honor and privilege to be part of Sigma Additive Solutions. Over the past decade as Co-founder and CEO of 3YOURMIND, I have been heavily involved in promoting the digital manufacturing future and have witnessed Sigma’s positive impact in the marketplace. As the market moves more to serial production, quality assurance becomes paramount to industry success and scale. I believe a digital quality infrastructure is a key component of this future and Sigma is positioned to lead this space,” said Kuehr. “I look forward to deepening relationships with our customers, OEMs and ISV partners, as well as establishing new partnerships and growth paths for the additive industry as a whole.”

Stratasys Announces Certification Program for FDM 3D Printer Users

First of a series of comprehensive certification programs to enable customers to increase 3D printer utilization and accelerate time to value on their additive manufacturing investments

In the first of a series of announced comprehensive certification programs for Stratasys 3D printer users, the company has introduced a new certification program for operators and engineers of its FDM systems. The available program offers Stratasys 3D printer customers a comprehensive education to support their adoption of 3D printing through the FDM process, and will allow them to increase 3D printer utilization, gain expertise in everything from software-based design and printer operations to post-processing parts, and learn to accelerate the time to value on AM investments. Those who complete the courses, which will be soon be available for the company’s additional AM technologies like PolyJet and SAF, will receive official Stratasys Academy certificates that certify their skills and mastery level in the specific process.

“With this new certification program, Stratasys Academy is helping our customers successfully adopt Stratasys technology, shorten time to value, and maximize the utilization of their 3D printers. Leading companies growing their additive manufacturing footprint need the confidence that their employees bring a proven level of knowledge in industrial 3D printing. Our certification program goes beyond a single remote class. We’re providing a blend of self-paced, remote and in-classroom learning opportunities that bring users up to a proven, certified level of skill,” said Jeff Mandl, Head of Knowledge Management for Stratasys.

Adam Savage’s “Tested” Looks at adidas 3D Printed Midsoles

Finally, celebrity designer, animator, special effects creator, and maker Adam Savage, formerly of Mythbusters, is the Editor-in-Chief of Tested.com, which frequently experiments with 3D printing, and Savage himself is a big fan of the technology as well. For a recent video on the “Tested” YouTube channel, Savage and the rest of the team visited Carbon headquarters to learn more about the unique 3D printed midsoles the company created for the adidas 4DFWD running shoe. The “Tested” team had the opportunity to speak with Carbon’s material scientists about how adidas engineers designed the lattice specifically for 3D printing, and how they made the design a reality, so adidas could produce the shoe at scale. As Iain Hannah, Senior Manager, Interacting Engineering for adidas, explained, the company is really building a toolbox so it can eventually pick the best tools and lattices needed to deliver different functionalities for different sports shoes, such as tennis and basketball, where players move sideways.

“We here at Tested have been following this technology since its inception, and we have long looked forward to the day when it moves out of being simply a prototyping technology and becomes a real at scale manufacturing technology,” Savage said in the video. “Well, turns out, that’s already happened. This is the adidas 4DFWD, a unique sneaker with a 3D printed midsole made by Carbon.”

Check out the episode below: