3D Printing Materials

IperionX, a North Carolina-based advanced materials enterprise, has announced a collaboration with the U.S. Department of Energy’s (“DOE”) Oak Ridge National Laboratory. The work concerns improving the utilization of low-cost alloys using IperionX-developed spherical powder based on its titanium processing technology. With a mission to become “a leading developer of US-based sustainable critical mineral and critical material supply chains, ” IperionX hopes the collaboration accelerates a “new age of American industry.” Anastasios (Taso) Arima, IperionX’s CEO and Managing Director, said, “We are extremely pleased to be working with ORNL. The laboratory is an ideal partner for IperionX, with expertise in additive manufacturing, along with a strong interest in identifying new powder feedstocks that lower costs and increase energy efficiency, particularly in transportation.” The user agreement was signed to facilitate the work of ORNL and IperionX within the DOE’s Manufacturing Demonstration Facility (MDF) located at ORNL. The MDF is a 110,000…    read more 

Selecting the right material for security drones is crucial. This is an area CRP Technology, a provider of 3D printing services and materials, specializes in as it’s long been a player in the 3D printed surveillance drone market. CRP has created a whole range of Windform TOP-LINE fiber-reinforced composites dedicated to selective laser sintering (SLS) technology. The mechanical performances and durability offered by Windform materials improve the operations of premium surveillance UAVs by adding a whole new range of vital capabilities.  The firm also sees a synergistic relationship between industrial additive manufacturing and drone technologies, with both spheres evolving at rapid rates. Product designers are finding 3D printing to be an extremely valuable tool when it comes to fabricating custom end-use drone parts that provide bespoke functionalities for unique scenarios. Windform can provide a whole host of benefits to 3D printed drone products. Image via CRP Technology. The power of…    read more 

3D printer manufacturer Desktop Metal has debuted FreeFoam, a new 3D printable photopolymer resin family that contains heat-activated foaming agents. Invented by Texas-based materials specialist Adaptive3D, a Desktop Metal subsidiary acquired in 2021, FreeFoam can be programmed to expand anywhere between 2 to 7 times its original printed size without any tooling. The result is the production of tunable and durable closed cell foam parts, which are expected to see extensive use in sectors such as automotive, furniture, sporting goods, footwear, and healthcare. Initially available exclusively on the ETEC Xtreme 8K DLP 3D printer, FreeFoam will be showcased at Foam Expo North America in Michigan from June 28-30. The Expo will feature a 3D printed FreeFoam car seat developed in partnership with Camaco. “FreeFoam is one of the most exciting and commercially significant photopolymer solutions to come to market in the industrial printing space in years,” said Ric Fulop, founder…    read more 

Multinational polymer manufacturer igus has released a new Digital Light Processing (DLP) 3D printing material that’s said to last up to 60 times longer than those of its competitors.  Developed using igus’ proprietary ‘tribo-technology,’ iglide i3000 is tribologically-optimized in a way that enables it to produce accurate, highly wear-resistant parts. When DLP 3D printed, the firm says that its resin is ideal for creating tiny, detailed components like 0.2mm-tooth module gears, as well as any others that usually require filigree recesses or ultra-fine drill holes.  “We were able to prove in laboratory tests that the service life of iglide i3000 is at least 30 times longer than 10 tested commercially 3D printing resins,’’ says Tom Krause, Head of Additive Manufacturing at igus. “In some applications, we even expect an increase in service life by a factor of 60.” A bottle of the new igus iglide i3000 DLP 3D printing material….    read more 

With more and more green initiatives popping up around the world, the market for materials making environmentally-sustainable claims seems to be exploding. This week alone, there’s been a whole slew of developments regarding biopolymer-based 3D printing filaments. Over in Canada, materials firms BOSK Bioproducts and Filaments.ca have launched the country’s first entirely bio-based, compostable line of 3D printing filaments. Named ‘Made with REGEN’, the PHA-based biopolymers contain no fossil fuel oils or chemical additives. Elsewhere, in London, the Otrivin Air Lab exhibition is showcasing how photobioreactors can be used to turn CO2 waste into 3D printing materials. Created by Claudia Pasquero and Marco Poletto of the ecoLogicStudio, the exhibition features a set of 12 photobioreactors capable of photosynthesis, which use CO2 to produce biomass that can be harvested to make 3D printable biopolymer filaments. In the research sphere, scientists at EPFL have developed their own biopolymer using non-edible plant material,…    read more