3D Printer

Hyper-accurate 3D models of the human body

June 5, 2007 With multimedia technologies maturing, we are beginning to see some quite remarkable media tools emerging so that experts and educational publishers can more easily develop new ways of displaying information and furthering understanding. Going one step further, Zygote Media Group used its expertise in those fields to create hyper-accurate 3D models of the human body. The models are available to anyone but will find most application with companies in the biomedical, entertainment, athletic gear, and video gaming industries to ensure the term “anatomically correct” applies to the products they develop. The models are incredibly detailed (skeletons, heart, arteries, nerves, and muscle tissue) and have already been used in the development of new products such as back braces, shin guards, sports shoes and stents to place in damaged arteries. Read More

micro-MIM - micro metal powder injection molding

May 9, 2007 Modern advanced production techniques are fast moving into the realms of the fantastic. We've regularly marveled at some of the modern advanced production techniques such a 3D printing and now there's a new one - micro metal powder injection molding (micro-MIM). Until now, the production of tiny metal parts using techniques such as etching or milling has been a very complex and time-consuming process, and not suitable for many types of metal. It has been possible for a long time to produce very small parts from stainless steel, but with micro-MIM, it is now possible to combine and shape different types of material such as this (pictured) biocompatible titanium stirrup, a replacement for the small bone in the human ear. Read More

Rapid prototyping to be used for human implant development

December 31, 2006 Colorado-based Medical Modeling is set to begin using an EBM (Electron Beam Melting) Metal Rapid Manufacturing and Prototyping System to design and build titanium implants for insertion into the body. The company is also planning to provide surgeons and medical device manufacturers with titanium models for improved surgical planning and implant development. Using data acquired from CT or MRI (Computed Tomography or Magnetic Resonance Imaging) scans, Medical Modeling creates highly accurate, three dimensional anatomical models of bone structures – such as the skull, pelvis and spine – and soft tissue – such as the brain and organs. Using its Arcam EBM system with titanium material, Medical Modeling can create fully dense, fully functional models of surgical instruments, guides and potentially implantable devices. The rapid manufacturing and prototyping system is a Stratasys Arcam EBM S-400, which manufacture real parts or prototypes from metal. Read More

Desktop device prints six colours on cylindrical objects

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May 18, 2006 With desktop colour printers now under US$100, we constantly marvel at what we'll be able to do a few years from now. In recent times we've enthused about desktop cutters, and we regularly write about printers that can print three dimensional objects (here, here and here), and one that can even print metal parts. Well now there's a printer that can print on any cylindrical object. Croatian desktop printer company Azon specializes in printers that print on unconventional objects and materials, such as fabrics and textiles, and fingernails. Unbelievably, the company now offers several models that print on 3D objects such as pens, mobile phones, metal products, acrylic, fomax ad infinitum. Now the company has released a 10,000 Euro desktop printer that will print on any cylindrical object up to 17 cm long and with a a diameter of 2-14 cm for the cylinder. Like a coffee cup, f';rinstance - cool heh! The AZON MICRO CYLINDER uses Piezo inkjet technology with a two-level ink filter system to ensures the printhead doesn’t get clogged and anti-scratch technology ensures an extended life life for the printhead, reducing the cost of printing. Read More

World’s first fully customised football boot

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April 11, 2006 Rapid manufacturing and rapid prototyping machinery is not new, and has been written about many times across these pages – in essence, these machines print 3D objects in the same way an inkjet printer works. Each time we run such a story, it is extraordinarily well read as a high proportion of our readers explore the latest developments in the process. Now it seems, the rapid manufacturing concept will yield a new era in manufacturing products for individuals based on three dimensional scans of their body – garments, helmets, or boots that fit just one person perfectly. British company P2L has announced a football boot designed uniquely for the individual player using selective laser sintering. The Assassin is the name of the new soccer boot featuring laser sintered outsoles and hand-crafted one-piece leather uppers. Each boot is sculpted to the individual's foot. The upper is made of exclusively sourced calfskin from Italy which can be manipulated using sophisticated technology to adapt colour, appearance and function to the athlete's needs. Read More

Layered fabrication now growing solid metal parts

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March 6, 2006 A new rapid manufacturing and prototyping system that makes 100 percent solid metal parts has been introduced to the market - the ARCAM EBM S400. Employing a patented CAD-to-Metal process, which is based on Electron-Beam Melting (EBM), the highly efficient system produces parts from titanium powder and does so between three and five times faster than other additive fabrication methods. In contrast to laser sintering (SLS), the electron beam fully melts the metal particles to produce a void-free part. The process occurs in a high vacuum, which ensures the part is completely solid, without imperfections caused by oxidation. Read More

New design process results in Lincoln concept wheel

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January 5, 2006 Blending the latest digital design technology and rapid prototyping with a method as simple as child’s play, Lincoln designers have developed an exquisite luxury wheel with high-performance attributes which will be one of the more interesting aspects of the company’s stand at next week’s 2006 North American International Auto Show. The substantial 20-inch wheel, with its five/five spoke configuration and multiple finishes, will turn heads whether the wheel is turning or not. Designers know because they decided on the ultimate design after attaching miniature models of their six favorites on a wall and spinning them to see which looked best in motion. Read More

The Viper: an advanced, flexible, high-capacity stereolithography manufacturing system

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October 16, 2005 When English physicist, futurist and science fiction master Arthur C. Clarke wrote “any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic” (in “Profiles of the Future”,1961), he may well have been describing the type of rapid 3-D printing, prototyping and manufacturing solutions available today. We’ve already written about Renault F1’s use of a Sinterstation in developing parts for its 2005 cars, InVision’s HR 3-D Printer and the array of 3-D printing solutions from Z Corporation but we can't help but be enthused about the ability to design a three dimensional part and manifest it from thin air. All of these systems reduce the time and cost of designing products and facilitate direct and indirect manufacturing by creating actual parts directly from digital input. These solutions are used for design communication and prototyping as well as for production of functional end-use parts. A new 3-D machine that caught our eye during the week is the Viper Pro SLA from 3D Systems. Read More

How Renault F1 uses Advanced Digital Manufacturing to enhance competitiveness

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July 3, 2005 Renault’s Formula 1 team has made massive headway in recent years, coming from a distant third place in the 2004 Formula 1 constructors title to dominate the 2005 title to date. Now before you skip over this story thinking it’s about motor racing, it’s not – it’s about Advanced Digital Manufacturing. Renault’s F1 budget is considerably less than Ferrari or Toyota yet it has won six of ten races this year. Earlier this week it was revealed that the team had installed a Sinterstation Pro SLS rapid 3-D printing, prototyping and manufacturing system at its Advanced Digital Manufacturing (ADM) Centre in Enstone, England. This is the first of these systems to be installed in Europe and Renault has found that it has reduced the time taken to manufacture a part for the F1 car by an incredible 90% - quite an advantage in a world where a tenth of a second a lap can make the difference between winners and losers. Read More

InVision HR 3D Printer can print jewelry parts in a day

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November 2, 2004 The development and availability of three dimensional printing systems is creating new opportunities - to demonstrate the capabilities of it's new InVision HR 3D printer, 3D Systems has been showing jewelry manufacturers how to use the system to print fine-feature, highly detailed parts in a day, reliably and at an affordable price. The response has been positive with many companies that were planning long-term to adopt 3-dimensional CAD (Computer Aided Design) software, accelerating their strategy to move to digital design and manufacturing in a matter of months as a result of the business advantages of the InVision HR 3D printer. Read More

New printer produces 3D objects on demand

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Imagine a machine which accepts CAD drawings, then produces a three dimensional prototype within a few hours for $100 - it now exists. The successful implementation of the technology points the way to this technology eventually finding its way into local bureau which produce while-you-wait samples as a service, and eventually to the home where designs could be downloaded from the internet and manifested at whim. Read More