Researchers from the University of Delaware (UD) have released a new research paper exploring ways of economically upcycling biomass into new 3D printing materials. Funded by the National Science Foundation Growing Convergence Research (NSF GCR) program, the paper focuses on lignin, a waste product left over from making paper products, and demonstrates that it is possible to efficiently turn it into bio-based 3D printing resins in an approach they claim is competitive with similar petroleum-based products. “The ability to take something like technical lignin and not only break it down and turn it into a useful product, but to do it at a cost and an environmental impact that is lower than petroleum materials is something that no one has really been able to show before,” said Thomas Epps, NSF GCR lead at UD. One of the end-products the UD researchers and colleagues are investigating is the creation of bio-resins… read more
Alex
Meltio, a developer of metal 3D printing hardware, has announced the launch of its own wire-based 3D printing materials range for the first time. The company has historically boasted an open materials platform for its wire Laser Metal Deposition (LMD) technology, so the new product line is a change in gears. Nevertheless, Meltio’s 3D printing technology remains compatible with third-party commodity welding wires. As it stands, LMD is compatible with most stainless steels, mild steels, tool steels, titanium alloys, and nickel alloys. Additionally, invar, cobalt-chrome alloys, and precious metals like gold have shown great results in customer-led projects. Named Meltio Materials, the new materials range currently includes Stainless Steel 316L, Stainless Steel 308, Mild Steel ER70S, Titanium 64, and Nickel 718 (Inconel). Materials like copper, aluminum, and refractories continue to be under development. Open Materials vs Meltio Materials So what new benefits will the Meltio Materials range actually provide? To… read more
Last year, the Treviso, Italy-based fashion design house Maison 203 awed the fashion world with the Armure, a 3D printed clutch designed with a unique mixture of organic and geometric characteristics, taking after the spherical nature of the cypress fruit. Since then, Maison 203 has kicked off 2016 with their new Kalikon jewelry collection, featuring six different 3D printed pieces at the Maison et Objet fair this past January. Now, Maison 203 is refocusing back on the clutch bag, and have created the tropical-inspired Ivy, their newest 3D printed clutch designed by Odo Fioravanti. Once again, Maison 203 has used 3D printing and design to explore the dialogue between nature and artifice, creating a flowery and hypnotic clutch bag. The Ivy clutch is first printed in laser sintered nylon, and is then redefined and hand-colored in powder blue, soft white, brick red, and jungle green. Fioravanti’s design features overlapping surfaces… read more
January 22, 2022 Leave a Comment In-situ monitoring of the status of feedstocks is a popular topic among researchers, regardless of the type of printer being used. Inroads are being made towards greater quality control and repeatability by use of various sensors in the printing process in both metal and plastic printing, and these technologies may very well end up in consumer products…especially if there isn’t too much expensive hardware involved. One team at Penn State University is carving one such inroad in the area of FFF printing, and they have published details about their research into computer vision aided filament measurement in the Manufacturing Processes and Systems section of the Materials journal. Using a microscope camera, an FFF printer and a whole bunch of code, researcher Rakshith Badarinath set about using computer vision to detect the width (and hence, volumetric flow rate) of the extruded filament as it was… read more
Polish 3D scanner manufacturer Evatronix has announced the launch of its latest eviXscan 3D scanner, the 3D Optima+ M. The eviXscan 3D Optima+ M 3D scanner replaces the company’s Heavy Duty Optima model for which production ceased earlier this year, and is designed for the precise scanning of medium-sized objects. Compared to its predecessor, the Optima+ M’s scanning time is four times shorter at 1.2 seconds, and the scanning area is increased by 43 percent. The Optima+ M is designed to be integrated into robotized measurement systems and can also be used in reverse engineering, non-contact quality control and rapid prototyping. “We designed Optima+ M to make it as versatile as possible in various industries,” said Szymon Ścibik, leader of the R&D team at Evatronix. “Thanks to the proper selection of components, we managed to create a measuring device that achieves high accuracy results while maintaining a large scanning area.”… read more
- Shimizu Corporation Develops Spray-Based 3D Concrete Printing System for Large Structural Components
- Cobra Golf Expands 3D Printed Iron Lineup with MB and X Models
- Airtech and Alpha Additive Create 3,000 lb LFAM Structure
- Continuum Powders Launches Copper-Nickel Alloys for High-Performance, Sustainable AM
- MPI Develops XRD System for Industrial and Academic Research
