Digital Manufacturing and 3D Printers Today

3D printing shaves time-to-market for water heater manufacturer

3D systems zprinter helps water heater manufacturer reduce design time

Using a ZPrinter® to create prototypes in-house, A. O. Smith, a leading global manufacturer of water heating equipment, is shaving weeks off product development, saving substantial cost as well as time. Through the use of this 3D printer, they iterate more productively and thoroughly refine designs, according to the R&D team. “Instead of commissioning aluminum molds or sending out to busy contractors for plastic models, we can produce our own high-resolution color prototypes... Read More


DoD, Stratasys, and 3D printers–continuing to invest in students

Stratasys and 3D printing

The Department of Defense’ (DoD) STARBASE youth program has placed a $1 million order for Stratasys uPrint SE 3D printers. This latest equipment order brings the total to more than 100 Stratasys 3D printers used as classroom technology by the nationwide program. The 3D printers help the program raise interest in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) careers for at-risk youth. Stratasys says one-half of the 3D printers have shipped to DoD STARBASE, and it expects... Read More


The ATOS Compact Scan – A New Breed of 3D Scanner

3D scanner from Capture 3D inc.

The ATOS Compact Scan accurately scans with detailed resolution at high speeds. This modern 3D scanner combines the latest ATOS Blue Light Technology and software into a compact design with an affordable price. Quickly measure and inspect castings, design models, forms, injection molded parts, interiors, prototypes, vehicles, and much more. Capture 3D, Inc. www.capture3d.com    Read More


Konica Minolta 3D Scanning Labs Expands its Services to Include 3D Printing

KONICA MINOLTA SENSING AMERICAS LOGO

Konica Minolta 3D Scanning Labs announced its new rapid prototyping service. The company is now offering 3D printing services with the addition of 3D Systems’ Projet™ HD 3000 3D Production System. The Projet™ suits a range of applications including concept development, design validation, form and fit analysis, molding and casting patterns, investment casting of jewelry and other fine feature applications. In addition to the new rapid prototyping service, 3D Scanning Labs... Read More


Submit entries to the Stratasys 2012 Extreme Redesign 3D Printing Challenge

ERC2012_Poster-thumb

Students and educators, you have just three weeks left to submit a design for the Stratasys (NASDAQ: SSYS) Dimension brand’s eighth annual Extreme Redesign 3D Printing Challenge. Submissions are due Feb 2, 2012. This global contest encourages students to submit an innovative new product design, a redesign of an existing product, or an original work of art or architecture. Educators worldwide have recognized the annual design and 3D printing contest for its positive impact on... Read More


UK-based service bureau highlights simultaneous multi-part 3D printing

3D printing service bureau, Objet

Industrial Plastic Fabrications (IPF) bought its first Objet 3D printer four years ago, and now the company has 360 customers. Today, IPF offers a range of machining and fabricating services using varied technologies, but all its rapid prototyping/3D printing work is produced by its two Objet 3D printers – an Objet Connex500 multi-material 3D Printer for printing parts and assemblies made of multiple different materials on the same print job and for simultaneously printing of... Read More


Use a smart phone to share digital microscope images

Proto Labs cool idea winner

This is an innovative design—a plastic mount that connects smart phones to microscopes to digitally capture and share scientific images. This is such an innovative idea, that Proto Labs made the co-founders, Andy Miller and Tess Bakke, winners of the Proto Labs Cool Idea! Competition. Miller and Bakke think SkyLight, will have a big impact on global healthcare and science education. Winning this award will help them launch their product internationally. The SkyLight mount connects... Read More


Tips on Clips Part 2: Make it Snappy

molding snap clips tips

Plastic’s ability to flex without permanently deforming allows molded parts to incorporate a variety of snap fasteners other than the common hooked cantilever clip. These include: • annular (round) snaps • torsional snaps, which store return force by twisting rather than bending • compressive snaps, which work by compressing and then returning to hold the fastener in place. Annular Snaps
 Annular snaps are used in a variety of everyday applications, from the tiny snaps... Read More


And the winner is…

3D systems wins in 3D printing competition

For the past several years, Make Parts Fast parent magazine, Design World, has held a Leadership In Engineering competition among various companies in various industries.  Winners are chosen by you, our audience. The guidelines for your choice are simple, yet complex. A real leader in an engineering environment, whether he is the CEO or an engineering manager, requires traits of passion, commitment, and a genuine interest in the welfare of each employee in the organization. This... Read More


Reality show involves 3D printing in competitive mountain bike design

3d printing design contest

Reality Redesigned is a new reality show contest sponsored by Z Corporation that uses 3D printing technology. This student-focused design competition and online reality show will “spawn daring new mountain bike designs created by inventive riders.” The show bills itself as “the ultimate design contest … what happens when the biggest names in North American manufacturing, design and engineering throw open the doors and allow both mountain bikers and designers alike to “have... Read More


3D printing used to “print” blood vessels

3D printing technology used to make blood vessels

One of the more interesting aspects of 3D printing technology is how science is using it to spark a number of potential developments, for example, its use in medical application. Some scientists have “printed” non-functioning organs out of human-tissue like material. Now, a group of scientists from Five Fraunhofer-institutes are using 3D printers to develop biocompatible artificial blood vessels through a project known as the BioRap project. This project used 3D printing technology... Read More


Fast prototyping speeds development of breakthrough vision screening

Quickparts helped develop the Spot vision system through rapid prototyping

PediaVision® is a medical device company that provides comprehensive vision assessment technology for use on adults and children as young as 6 months old. Their latest innovation, Spot, is a patent-pending device that can assess a child’s vision quickly (in less than 1 sec) and objectively, eliminating the subjective analysis that results from many of today’s vision screening tools. Geared toward children, the wireless, handheld, screen-anywhere device makes vision screening... Read More


Unique additive manufacturing process for building metal parts–electron beam direct manufacturing

Sciaky logo

Sciaky, Inc. is a Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Business (SDVOSB) that provides advanced welding systems and services. It has recently entered a U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) Mentor-Protégé Agreement with the Aeronautics business area of global security giant Lockheed Martin. With assistance from the DoD Small Business Innovative Research (SBIR) program, Sciaky, a subsidiary of Phillips Service Industries (PSI), has developed an innovative manufacturing process to... Read More


Latest Economist story on 3D printing

If you’ve been wondering about the Maker movement in the 3D printing world, especially the what and why of it, here’s an interesting article from the Economist.  Some of the big “take aways” from this piece include: “The maker movement is worth watching.” Noted the Economist: The parallel with the hobbyist computer movement of the 1970s is striking. In both cases enthusiastic tinkerers, many on America’s West Coast, began playing with new... Read More


Using 3D printing to create “Velcro”

3D printed image of a velcro like "material"

Here is a fascinating story from an i.Materialise blog on a graduate student’s use of 3D printing to create panels that adhere, connect, and interconnect is a manner similar to Velcro.  Read More


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Reverse Engineering

The ATOS Compact Scan – A New Breed of 3D Scanner

3D scanner from Capture 3D inc.

The ATOS Compact Scan accurately scans with detailed resolution at high speeds. This modern 3D scanner combines the latest ATOS Blue Light Technology and software into a compact design with an affordable price. Quickly measure and inspect castings, design models, forms, injection molded parts, interiors, prototypes, vehicles, and much more. Capture 3D, Inc. www.capture3d.com  

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Machining / Milling

Additive “printing” of metal

Electron-Beam-Welding v1

Sciaky, Inc. is a provider of an innovative form of additive manufacturing. Its Direct Manufacturing (DM) technology achieves near net-shape parts using state-of-the art electron beam welding. Its equipment produces production parts and functional prototypes at a fraction of the cost of traditional manufacturing methods. Starting with a 3D model from a CAD program, the [...]

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3D Printers

3D printing shaves time-to-market for water heater manufacturer

3D systems zprinter helps water heater manufacturer reduce design time

Using a ZPrinter® to create prototypes in-house, A. O. Smith, a leading global manufacturer of water heating equipment, is shaving weeks off product development, saving substantial cost as well as time. Through the use of this 3D printer, they iterate more productively and thoroughly refine designs, according to the R&D team. “Instead of commissioning aluminum [...]

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Software

Artec and Rapidform join forces to provide 3D scanning

rapidform logo

Artec Group, Inc. and INUS Technology, Inc., recently signed a common sales agreement combining Artec’s affordable, easy-to-use, handheld 3D scanners with INUS’ industry leading scanning software Rapidform. This agreement enables the two companies to offer a complete and extensive reverse engineering system for the 3D industry. INUS Technology, Inc. is a leader in the 3D [...]