3D Printing News Briefs, April 19, 2023: Movie Magic, Distribution Agreement, & More

We’re starting with some 3D printed movie magic in today’s 3D Printing News Briefs, as Marvel Studios called on WASP for help with “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever.” Moving on to business, Cevotec signed a distribution agreement with Multistation. Mantle introduced a High-Precision Shaping package, and Essentium released a high-impact, high-temperature thermoplastic. Finally, Photocentric will be exhibiting its large-format AM skills at RAPID + TCT.

Marvel Studios Works with WASP for “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever”

Italian 3D printing company WASP (World’s Advanced Saving Project) was founded 10 years ago, in order to “answer human needs,” like housing, food, energy, health, arts and culture. The company works to provide benefits to people through research and technological innovation. The latest example of this is on the arts and culture side—in the summer of 2021, Marvel Studios called on WASP to use its 3D printers for its movie “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever.” Specifically, its printers featured in scenes in the super high-tech laboratory of Riri Wililams, aka Ironheart.

WASP shipped three of its 3D printers to Marvel Studios to be used in the scenes, which were set near MIT in Boston. Marvel chose two WASP 4070 pellet 3D printers, and one Delta WASP 2040 industrial printer, due to their, as WASP put it, “innovative technological strength.” The studio also appreciate the design of the printers, and the fact that they could print with recycled plastic materials. “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever” was released in Italy in early November of 2022, and won the Oscar for Best Achievement in Costume Design

Cevotec and Multistation Sign Distribution Agreement

Automation specialist Cevotec, which develops production systems and software based on Fiber Patch Placement (FPP) technology for complex composites, has signed a distribution agreement with Multistation, welcoming it as a commercial partner to expand its presence in the French market. The French industry is, according to Multistation, “at the forefront of composite materials development,” especially as these materials are used to construct aircraft, and strong R&D funding in the area also means that specialized, well-financed R&D institutions have been created there. Multistation has plenty of expertise in both the aerospace industry and AM solutions, so it’s a great partner to help Cevotec support local French manufacturers with its FPP technology.

“We are happy about our new partnership with Multistation to better serve French manufacturers with Fiber Patch Placement technology. Their extensive experience in the aerospace industry, combined with their local presence in the market, make them an ideal partner for us,” said Thorsten Groene, CEO and Co-Founder of Cevotec.

“We are confident that this partnership will enable us to reach new customers and expand our business in France. Together, we will provide manufacturing solutions that support manufacturers to optimize their production processes and increase efficiency.”

Mantle Introduces High-Precision Shaping Capabilities

6 thou ball endmill with printed part

A leader in metal 3D printing for toolmaking, Mantle has released a new High-Precision Shaping package to automate precision toolmaking. The package features 0.006” and 0.010” ball mill cutting tools and automated toolpathing software, which gives tool rooms the ability to produce sharp edges and corners without using EDM operations. This enables a 75% reduction of the time needed to produce mold tools, as well as a 70% improvement in feature sharpness. The company’s TrueShape technology combines CNC machining with 3D printing of tool steel pastes, and by expanding the capabilities of its hybrid technology, the company not only allows for finer features, but also expands the geometries compatible with its process. Mantle has updated its TrueShape software with these new High-Precision Shaping capabilities.

“At Mantle, our goal is to help tool rooms increase the number of complex mold tools they produce while reducing the time, cost, and labor to produce them. By deploying our new High-Precision Shaping capabilities, our customers can produce steel tools faster than ever – without requiring programming, setup, and operator time from overworked toolmakers,” said Ted Sorom, Mantle CEO and Co-Founder.

Essentium Launches High-Impact, High-Temperature Thermoplastic

Industrial 3D printing solutions provider Essentium Inc. has launched a unique material, which it calls the industry’s first high-temperature, high-impact thermoplastic. Duratem is a versatile, high-performance material, comparable in price to PEI 9085 but with five times the impact resistance, and able to withstand temperatures up to 150°C, while also resistant to Flame, Smoke, and Toxicity (FST). The open material complies with the company’s certificate of conformance, and can be used on high-temperature 3D printers, including, of course, the Essentium High-Speed Extrusion (HSE) 180 HT and HSE 280i HT 3D printing platforms. Essentium worked with partners to develop Duratem using a multi-layered filament technology, and is currently working with the U.S. Air Force to qualify it for flightworthy parts. Other applications for this high-temperature material are in the automotive and railway industries, as well as maintenance parts like switch covers and clamping block replacements.

“Innovative advancements in materials are fueling the adoption of AM in transportation industries. The expanding variety of materials, including Duratem, enables the production of high-performance parts suitable for diverse applications,” said Nirup Nagabandi, PhD, Vice President, Materials Engineering, Essentium. “Our focus on open materials reflects our dedication to providing customers with breakthrough materials and technologies that allow them to explore new possibilities in additive manufacturing.”

Photocentric Exhibiting Large-Format 3D Printing at RAPID

Finally, North America’s largest and most influential AM event, RAPID + TCT 2023, will be here before you know it, and Photocentric will be exhibiting there next month, showcasing how its ecosystem is “pushing the limits of large-format 3D printing.” Its technology will be shown in various ways at booth #1715 in the West building of Chicago’s McCormick Place; for instance, the reliable workhorse LC Magna and open-source LC Opus 3D printers will be on display, along with several UV and daylight durable, flexible and rigid resins and the co-developed BASF Forward AM Ultracur3D EPD Daylight product line. Additionally, the company has been working with BASF Forward AM to collaborate with a Tier 1 automotive manufacturer in order to optimize DfAM and printing of very large parts, and a propriety door panel 3D printed on its LC Titan will show the kind of excellent textured surface finish and intricate lattice design this large, accurate LCD-based 3D printer can offer. You can also hear Merit3D’s Spencer Loveless and Photocentric’s Sally Tipping discuss how to scale up production from 50 to 1,000,000 parts in a RAPID discussion at 10:30 am CT on Thursday, May 4th.

“We experience the results first-hand; we gain immediate feedback from our printed parts and adjust any part of the printing process accordingly. This is extremely advantageous for our customers and a rare position to be in. Our vision is to create automated 3D printing systems and transform the future of mass manufacturing,” said Paul Holt, Founder of Photocentric.

You can register for RAPID 2023 here!