How is 3D scanning saving heritage sites? How can 3D printing help survivors of human trafficking? Which city has the most active 3D printing scene? All this and more in the latest edition ofSlicedincluding news from Ultimaker, Renishaw, NASA and Identify3D.
Saving archaeological wonders, Electron rockets, and celebrating Earth day
It is always interesting to see the ways 3D printing is influencing popular culture. The latest trailer for upcoming movieHotel Artemisfeatures a short clip of actor Sterling K. Brown 3D printing a gun. Besides the film’s questionable portrayal of 3D printing, we’re looking forward to seeing Jeff Goldblum play a criminal overlord.
Free-Dis a company offering training in 3D printed jewelry design for women and girls who have been trafficked and sold into modern-day slavery.
Katherine Prescott, co-founder of the company, describes the difficulties faced by survivors of trafficking, “They don’t have a high level of skill or literacy skills, which means that job opportunities are really low, and it’s through the search of trying to find employment that many get taken advantage of.”
Google andCyArk, a non-profit established to ensure heritage sites are available to future generations, are producing an archive of threatened archaeological wonders.
CyArk was started by Ben Kacyra, after he witnessed the Taliban’s televised destruction of Buddhist statues in Bamiyan, Afghanistan. CyArk has primarily been using a combination of photogrammetry and LiDAR 3D scanning to build images of archaeological sites.
空中客车, in cooperation withAltran, an industrial engineering consultancy, has won the2018 Crystal Cabin Awardin the Material & Components category for a 3D printed aircraft info panel. The Crystal Cabin Award is the only international award for innovative aircraft cabin products.
A reportfrom theStartup Genome和theGlobal Entrepreneurship Networkis claiming that New York City has the most active 3D printing community in the world. James Patchett, president of the city’sEconomic Development Corporationsaid “New York City’s vibrant tech industry is booming with record highs in companies, jobs and investment. There’s never been a better time to expand or start a company in New York City.”
Wondering what you can do to celebrateEarth Day在April 22?Robo 3Dis running acompetition in celebration of Earth day。挑战，如果您选择接受，它“想出一个想法，我们可以做出的事情和设计，如果我们团结在一起并印刷3D，可以帮助改善这个星球。”
Rocket Lab, a California-based aerospace manufacturer, is pushing back the first commercial launch of its light-class Electron rocket in New Zealand, to address fuelling problems.在Twitter上, the company announced that the team “saw some unusual behavior with a motor controller.”
FUSEDshoes are entirely 3D printed, using no glue or stitching. In addition, each shoe can be customized to a customer’s satisfaction on thecompany’s website。“We realized that 3D-printing offered advantages for footwear that went well beyond traditional footwear. It’s an exciting opportunity to realize both a totally new product and a circular retail concept.”
F1 in Schools and new MakerBot and Stratasys certifications
350,000 people descended on Washington, D.C., on April 6-8, for theUSA Science and Engineering Festival。Engineers from the U.S. Marine Corps Systems Command (MCSC) took part in the three-day festival promoting interest in STEM subjects amongst the event’s college and high-school aged attendees. Karrin Felton, Engineering Competency manager at MCSC said “Many kids think [STEM] is boring or hard, but it’s a lot of fun. From [designing] the material in a helmet, to 3D printing replacement parts, to [information technology], there are so many opportunities for them to use their talents, interests and creativity to make our world better.”
MakerBot,that already has it 3D printers installed inover 7,000 schools, has launched a comprehensive3D printing certification program for educators。MakerBot’s parent company, Stratasys, has also released a new certification program, designed to fulfill industry needs in North America by bridging theskills gap in additive manufacturing。
An all-girl student team from Edinburgh, at the ScottishLinlithgow Academy,made it through to the final of the2018 “F1 in Schools” STEM competition。The competition culminates in a 20m track race, and is intended to foster interest in science and engineering amongst students. The team used CAD and 3D printing to design and produce their car.
Advancing 3D printing in Singapore, 3D printed Moto2 bikes
Singapore’sNational Additive Manufacturing Innovation Cluster(NAMIC) and Maritime Port Authority (MPA) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding to collaborate on the digitalization and advancement of manufacturing in the maritime sector, specifically with 3D printing. Kenneth Lim, MPA’s Director said “Singapore is well-poised to leverage our R&D capabilities and serve as a test-bed for 3D printing technology.”
NASA’s Johnson Space Center(JSC) has recognizedMade In Space Inc.（MIS）与他们的小型企业年度最佳承包商奖。MIS是一家太空制造公司，在过去两年中一直在国际空间站上经营增材制造工厂。MIS联合创始人迈克·斯奈德（Mike Snyder）表示：“我们很荣幸获得享有声望的奖项，并感谢NASA对我们的团队的信心，并期待在未来多年的AMF和其他计划中取得成功。”
German specialty chemicals companyEvonik Industries在新加坡开设了亚洲研究中心。该枢纽正在进行资源效率研究，重点是3D打印。它还将从事3D生物打印的组织工程。Evonik董事会副主席Harald Schwager表示：“我们正在积极寻求新的机会来促进我们的国际研发活动，而这项研究中心的开放是对这些努力的重要贡献。”
Sciaky Inc., a provider of metal 3D printers, has delivered an Electron Beam Additive Manufacturing (EBAM) 110 system toHitachi’sGlobal Research & Innovative Technology (GRIT) facility in Kumagaya, Japan. The EBAM 100 features a dual wirefeed configuration, allowing users to combine two metal alloys into a single melt pool creating custom alloy parts.
Identify3D, a San Francisco-based 3D printing software company is collaborating withSLM Solutions, a producer of metal 3D printers. Identify3D will provide data protection and contractual and manufacturing licensing for SLM’s 3D printers. This will secure all data involved in the engineering phase, protecting SLM’s digital IP, whilst providing traceability in the digital supply chain.
UK-based engineering firmRenishawhas renewed its sponsorship of the French Moto2 team,TransFIORmers。TransFIORmers is the only Moto2 team to use 3D printing for structural components. A 3D printed titanium “wishbone” forms a crucial part of the bike’s suspension. Chris Pockett, Renishaw Head of Communications said “In high-speed, high-performance applications like Moto2, the America’s cup and even the supersonic car, BLOODHOUND SSC, Renishaw’s additive manufacturing expertise has allowed teams to maximise performance and gain a competitive edge.”
Customised mouth-guards, carbon fiber prosthetics
BASF和Essentium MaterialssubsidiaryTriFusion Deviceshave used BASF’s Ultramid carbon fiber reinforced polyamide, to produce 3D printed prosthetic leg sockets. Ultramid material enables small adjustments in increments of around 2-3mm throughout the life-cycle of the prosthetic, without weakening it. Traditional sockets do not easily accommodate modifications in the same way.
Dutch multinationalDSMoperating in the fields of health, nutrition and medical materials, has partnered with Dutch 3D printed mouth-guard producer,3Dmouthguard。The companies are creating 3D printed custom-made mouth-guards on-demand. 3D scans of customers’ mouths are used with FFF,Ultimaker和Mass Portal3D printers to create mouth-guards on the spot.
New 3D printing survey from Filaments.directory
Asurveyconducted byFilaments.directory, the largest 3D printing materials database, has found a 217 percent increase in the number of professional 3D printer users compared to 2016. There are many interesting findings in the survey, including that men made up 92 percent of the survey’s respondents, and 64 percent of users reported using 3D printing primarily for prototyping. The survey results should only be taken as a reflection of the Filaments.directory user-base, though the results hint at broader industry trends and demographics.
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Featured image shows 3D models of the Chichén Itzá created using a combination of photogrammetry and LiDAR scanning. Image via CyArk.
