3D Printing News Briefs, August 3, 2024: Thangs, CADchat, Metal Inks, & More

In 3D Printing News Briefs, we’re starting with some good news for Thangs, which is now the world’s largest 3D community. Moving on, CADchat announced a significant upgrade to its platform, and IDS is partnering with Electroninks for printed electronics. Finally, Futurewave revealed a metal 3D printed electronic bike with a unique assembly process, and Nothing released documentation about its CMF Phone (1) so DIYers can make their own accessories.

20 Million Monthly Active Users for Thangs 3D Community

Thangs announced that it has become the world’s largest 3D community by surpassing 20 million monthly active users. Its core technology drives unmatched collaboration capabilities and a search engine that makes 3D content more discoverable. The platform also automatically protects creators’ intellectual property (IP). All of these features are reasons that 3D creators and fans are switching to the community to find, share, and sell their 3D models for both the real and metaverse worlds.

“Due to our underlying geometric search engine, models are more discoverable on Thangs which result in higher revenue for our users. Some designers who started only a few months ago already earn well over $500K a year via Thangs, and many are already tracking to exceed $1M a year within the coming months,” said Paul Powers, Co-Founder and CEO of Physna, the world’s leading geometric search engine and owner of Thangs.

CADchat Update Streamlines 2D CAD Collaboration with DXF Support

CADchat, which specializes in digital workspaces to change how teams collaborate on physical product development, announced a major update to its platform that will streamline 2D collaboration: native DXF support. User feedback about pain points in traditional 2D CAD collaboration, like slow rendering and disjointed communication, was incorporated into this efficient solution, which uses the DXF support to integrate high-performance 2D CAD rendering directly into CADchat’s digital workspaces. Some of the enhancements include real-time user interaction, advanced markup tools, and high-performance rendering, and all the new features are integrated into CADchat’s existing framework. This means they’re accessible in the same digital workspace for 3D CAD, so teams can easily switch between different types of content for maximum productivity.

“We’ve seen how challenging it can be for teams to work with 2D drawings, especially when dealing with large files that bog down performance. Our new features are designed to eliminate these obstacles, making collaboration instantaneous and seamless,” said Graham Bredemeyer, CADchat CEO.

“We’re already receiving an excellent response from our beta users. From architects reviewing detailed floor plans to engineers revising complex machinery layouts, our platform supports a broad range of use cases, making it the tool of choice for industry leaders.

“Even if all a user has is a PDF, we’re developing the capability to transform it on our servers into a renderable 2D CAD format, providing the same seamless experience as with native DXF or DWG files.”

IDS Partnering with Electroninks on Advanced Printed Microelectronics

Electroninks has entered into a business partnership with leading aerosol printing technology manufacturer IDS, Inc. (Integrated Deposition Solutions), which will use its metal complex inks for advanced printing on 3D surfaces and printed microelectronics, like antennas and sensors. IDS needed a partner with inks that are suitable for low-temperature applications, are super stable, won’t cause nozzle clogging, have a high aspect ratio, set up once without additional recalibration, and be able to print microelectronics with less than 10um line printing. Electroninks is a leader in metal complex inks for additive manufacturing and advanced semiconductor packaging, and its silver inks, formulated for applications with low curing temperatures and high conductivity, will fit the bill. Plus, its new particle-free gold ink was specifically designed for non-contact aerosol jet printing of high-conductivity traces on 3D surfaces. 

“We are proud to collaborate with IDS to support our mutual customers. The combination of Electroninks’s revolutionary metal complex inks and the cutting-edge precision of IDS Nanojet system brings a broad array of solutions for the advanced packaging and additive manufactured electronics. This is another example of Electroninks working hard with our ecosystem printing partners to bring total solutions to customers,” said Yuan Gu, Director of Applications at Electroninks.

Futurewave Leverages Metal 3D Printing for Alyx Bike

Alyx bike uses metal 3D printing to revolutionize bicycle manufacturing

Traditional methods for building bicycles have many challenges, including complex part replacements, expensive tooling, and design limitations due to welding. So rather than using welding techniques, product agency Futurewave, founded by designers and engineers, leveraged metal 3D printing to fabricate its new electric bike, called Alyx, which features a sort of ‘plug and play’ assembly system with standardized but organic junctions. Generative design tools were used to create the organic shapes in the metal 3D printed junctions, which were inspired by biomimicry and optimized for technical performance. This unique system makes it easy to replace parts and maintain the bike; for example, it can be transformed from a child’s bicycle into one for an adult just by replacing a few parts. The bike’s aluminum frame, also optimized through biomimetic shapes, gives Alyx a streamlined, minimalist aesthetic, while also integrating several functionalities. Its exposed battery is not integrated into the frame, which gives the bike a distinctive look.

“This technology allows us to design parts with precise and elegant junctions while maintaining standardization,” Futurewave said about its electric bike.

Nothing Encourages DIY Accessories for its CMF Phone (1)

3D render of CMF Phone (1) basic back cover. Image credit: CMF by Nothing.

Nothing, the UK company behind the modular Nothing Phones and CMF Phone (1), is encouraging DIYers to make their own accessories for the latter. To help in this creative endeavor, it’s released detailed documentation of the phone and its physical dimensions, as well as an .STL and .STP file of the basic rear cover. The CMF Phone (1) is especially ripe for this kind of innovation, as it features replaceable back covers and an Accessory Point for plenty of user customization. Members of the Nothing community are already making their own 3D printed back covers for the smartphone, including a version that’s 2mm thicker but encloses a Qi charger. Others have shared ideas for 3D printed card wallets and ergonomic camera grips, so clearly the sky is the limit!

“As a CMF Phone (1) owner myself, I am eagerly waiting the release of some more backplates, either by a third party or official ones by Nothing,” wrote Johanna Romero for Phone Arena. “For my own use, I envision a CMF Phone (1) with either a clear or translucent back, so the innards of the phone can be seen. It would be similar to having an X-ray skin, only this would be the real thing. So many possibilities.”

Nothing does state, however, that it’s not responsible for any damage or compatibility issues that are caused by unofficial accessories, and that users create and use them at their own risk.