Expect some interesting developments in metal 3D printing after EOS has provided some of their technology to Additive Industries.
metal
The Other Way Of 3D Printing Metal
Most commercial metal 3D printers use powder-based techniques, but there’s another approach: deposition welding.
Ibarmia’s Hybrid Metal 3D Printer and Mill
Spain-based Ibarmia has partnered with researchers to create a very intriguing hybrid metal manufacturing machine.
A 3D Printing Pen – That Prints In Metal!
The 3DMetalCreator is a unique device: it’s a pen that can print in metal.
China Set for 3D Printed Hip Joint Mass Production, and The West May Suffer For It
China’s State Food and Drug Administration recently approved use of 3D printed artificial hip joints, opening up the possibility of mass production. And some other effects, too.
i.Materialise Offers Black Steel 3D Prints and Lowers Pricing
Popular consumer-oriented 3D print service i.Materialise just added a very interesting new material: Black Steel.
SWISSto12 Produces 3D Printed Antennae
A company uses a combination of 3D printing and electroplating to produce lightweight microwave and millimeter-wave transmission components.
The Cosine AdditiveMachine1 Large-Format 3D Printer
The number of very large plastic-extrusion technology 3D printers is increasing. Today we’re looking at the Cosine AdditiveMachine1, which definitely qualifies for that list.
The Skylon Spaceplane’s 3D Printed Injector
You may not have heard much of the Skylon spaceplane project, but you soon will hear more, partly due to 3D printing technology.
Arcam’s Q10 EBM Printer Answers the Need for Customized Metal Implants
Sweden’s Arcam has been in the metal additive manufacturing (AM) business since 1997, and has established itself as a leading manufacturer of electron beam melting (EBM) metal AM machines.
Concept Laser M3 Linear
Germany’s Concept Laser has been a leader in the field of laser metal melting since the debut of its M3 Linear system in 2004.
Time For a Breakthrough in 3D Metal Printing?
3D metal printing is an expensive proposition, and it may be that this expense is holding back adoption by industry. Is there anything that can be done?
3D Systems Announces Additive Manufacture of Heat Exchangers with Honeywell International
3D Systems announced its part in a $1.3 million contract to design, build and test an aircraft heat exchanger that is to be 3D printed.
Is Metal 3D Printer Filament Dangerous?
We’re wondering whether using metal-infused filaments in personal 3D printers is actually a safe thing to do.
Perceptron’s Green Laser 3D Scanner
Perceptron announced a new style of 3D laser scanner that overcomes several issues.
Fabrisonic Hybrid Metal 3D Printing
Fabrisonic, a company based in Columbus Ohio, has a different approach to metal 3-D printing.
Electroplate Your 3D Prints with the Orbit1
Tired of plain plastic 3D prints? A new device can electroplate your prints in metal: The Orbit1.
NASA 3D Prints Copper Rocket Part
US space agency NASA has 3D printed a full-scale rocket engine part in copper.
3D Printed Component To Blast Off On The Atlas V
As 3D printing technology continues to improve, more industries and companies are analyzing how they can incorporate it into their existing production processes.
3D Printed Metal Pricing Analysis
A reader recently asked us how much it would cost to print an item in metal. We said, “Lots”, but there’s more to the story.
Why Would You Need Tungsten 3D Printer Filament?
We’ve noticed MakerGeeks sells spools of tungsten infused filament. Is this something you could use?
Filamet Hopes To Provide Artist-Quality Metal Filament
A small project has launched to provide a new kind of metal filament for personal 3D printers that is specially designed for use by artists.
NanoSteel Makes Another Breakthrough in Metal 3D Printing
Metal 3D printing materials supplier Nanosteel has developed a method of 3D printing a gradient of metals in a single part.
First 3D Printed Jet Engine
A team of 3D print researchers has managed to 3D print an entire jet engine.
New Quality Control Techniques For EOS Metal 3D Printers
EOS manufactures high-end industrial 3D printers, some of which can print in metal. But how do they maintain quality control?
Research May Lead to Low Cost 3D Metal Printing
Research on aluminum 3D printing has discovered ways to potentially lower operational costs.
MakerBot’s Unusual New Materials
MakerBot did not announce any new machines this week, but they did announce some rather unusual filaments.
SLM’s Highly Capable Metal 3D Printers
We took a close look at SLM’s line of metal 3D printers and found several very interesting features.
Crazy New 3D Printing Filaments Available
We noticed several rather unusual 3D printing filaments are now available for you to try out.
An Update on Arcam’s 3D Metal Printing Progress
One of the key metal 3D printing vendors is Arcam. How have they been doing lately?
Prodways’ Viscous Solution
Prodways, the company that made a massive high-resolution DLP 3D printer, now has a viscous material printer.
First Copper and Bronze: There’s Now Brass 3D Printer Filament
The ingenious chemists at colorFabb have developed yet another metal-infused 3D printing filament: brassFill.
Solidscape’s Hold on the 3D Printed Jewelry Market
Solidscape claims they hold some 75% of the 3D printing market for jewelers.
Hands On With uformit’s Personalized 3D Print Service
We spent some time testing the new uformit generative 3D model service and found some amazing results.
Another Method to Smooth 3D Prints
Tired of endless hours of sanding your rough 3D prints? There is a better way to make your 3D prints smooth: XTC-3D.
China Also Has a Space 3D Printer! Or Do They?
We’ve reported on NASA’s currently on-orbit 3D printer and also ESA’s project to develop their own. Now we see China has one, too.
Could Metal Plated 3D Prints Answer Your Needs?
3DDC’s “Metalise It” process could provide relatively strong parts for a lot less expense than printing in metal.
Tanaka Develops Platinum, Nickel-Based AM Powder Materials
Tanaka Holdings has announced that it has succeed in the development and formation of platinum-based metallic glass powder supporting selective laser sintering 3D printers.
Additive industries Introduces… Something?
Down a central aisle at Euromold we discovered a mysterious box from Additive Industries. We stopped by to find out what’s in it.
Challenges Coming for 3D Printing In Space
NASA has launched an experimental 3D printer into orbit, but what challenges lay ahead? We believe there could be significant challenges to overcome.
EuroMold 2014: Year of The Metal 3D Printer
When we first attended EuroMold, the 3D printers by and large were plastic. Now that’s changed. Significantly.
What To Make With Metal 3D Printers?
Earlier this week we saw a 3D printed branding iron. Could this be the beginning of a new class of 3D prints?
New Process Could Lead to Consumer-Priced 3D Metal Printers
We’re checking out a proposed new 3D printing process that could significantly lower the barriers to metal 3D printing: Selective Inhibition Sintering.
Quasicrystalline Alloys Could Improve 3D Print Materials
Researchers at the University of Lorraine in France have been working on new methods of creating powdered alloys.
ORNL Reveals the Unique Capabilities of 3-D Printing
Researchers at the Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory have demonstrated an additive manufacturing method to control the structure and properties of metal components with precision unmatched by conventional manufacturing processes.
Concerning the Weight of 3D Print Material
How much filament should you buy for your personal 3D printer? A kilo? Wait, that doesn’t work anymore.
Refining the Lost-PLA Burnout Process for 3D Printed Metal Casting
The folks at the University of Washington’s Mechanical Engineering Department have been refining the process of metal casting using 3D printed PLA.
What Beats bronzeFill? copperFill, Obviously
ColorFabb announced a new experimental material: copperFill.
NanoSteel For Your 3D Metal Printer
With the announcement this week of a personal 3D metal printer, we thought we’d mention a new option for metal material from NanoSteel.
An Affordable Metal 3D Printer?
On Kickstarter we see the launch of the “S” series of 3D metal printer by Australia-based Aurora Labs.
Silver and 3D Printing: A New Source of Demand?
At the end of July, The Silver Institute released a report called The Outlook for New Electrical and Electronic Uses of Silver. Prepared by Metals Focus, it looks at three potential areas of growth for the white metal: flexible electronics, light-emitting diodes and interposers.
NASA Takes Another 3D Printed Step
We’ve written previously of NASA’s experiments with 3D printed rocket components. It seems they’ve taken another key step forward with 3D printing.
How to 3D Print in Metal – At Home!
Extraordinary 3D printing experimenter Cosmo Wenman has come up with a feasible technique for producing metal objects using a personal 3D printer.
What’s MatterFab Developing?
Startup company MatterFab is said to be developing a new kind of 3D metal printer. We spoke with CEO Matt Burris to find out more.
Researchers Develop Method for 3D Printing Gradient Alloys
Industrial 3D printers have long been able to print metal objects, using a variety of techniques, but now researchers from NASA, California Institute of Technology and Penn State are working on printing “gradient alloys”.
Sciaky’s Scary Electron Beam
Sciaky makes an industrial 3D metal printer that has some pretty scary specifications.
i.Materialise Explains Silver 3D Printing
Have you ever wondered how 3D printing of silver or other precious metals is done? i.Materialise explains how they do it.
Design of the Week: Karl Hoenshell Bust
This week’s selection is the Karl Hoenshell bust by none other than Karl Hoenshell himself.
ColorFabb’s Metal Filament: bronzeFill
ColorFabb has made a habit of introducing new and unusual plastic filaments for personal 3D printers, and now they’ve made a breakthrough with a metal filament: bronzeFill.
More Details on SpaceX’s 3D Printed Rocket Engine
We’ve found some additional details on SpaceX’s surprising 3D printed SuperDraco rocket engine.
SpaceX Takes a Huge Step with 3D Printing
If you are like us, you would have been watching SpaceX unveil their astonishing new spacecraft, the Dragon V2.
ECN Develops A DLP Metal Printing Technique
Researchers at the Energy Research Center of the Netherlands (ECN) have developed a new technique for 3D printing that can create metal parts without melting its mineral material.
A Visual Tour of Lost-PLA Casting
There’s a gallery of images available that demonstrate the process of lost-PLA casting to create a metal object using 3D printing.
NASA’s 3D Printed Instruments
NASA is experimenting with 3D printing techniques to develop not one, but at least three different solutions to space instrument manufacturing issues.
Metal Powder Gets Cheaper
Metal producer Metalysis has invented a much more efficient method to make fine metal powder. Currently the price of titanium powder ranges from USD$200-400 per kg as it is made through a complex multi-step process. Metalysis’ new process involves a single step and should reduce the price accordingly. While this is quite important for… Continue reading Metal Powder Gets Cheaper
The Newton3D Metal 3D Printer
Personal 3D printers have a limitation: materials. Typically used with plastic, many people would like to 3D print in metal. Now there seems to be an option for personal metal 3D printing: the Newton3D, “built from the research of Esteban Schunemann, PhD student at Brunel University”. We don’t know very much about this mysterious… Continue reading The Newton3D Metal 3D Printer
Solid Concepts’ Printed Metal Gun on Sale
In just short of two months 3D printing firm Solid Concepts has introduced, and will now sell a 3D printed metal gun. While the model M1911 semi-automatic pistol is made from stainless steel and Inconel 625 it’s going to cost you a bit more than your standard issue US Army pistol. According to… Continue reading Solid Concepts’ Printed Metal Gun on Sale
Design of the Week: Spider Table
This week’s selection is the “Spider” table created by UK designer Daneil Widrig, who produced this work as a private commission. It’s made from 3D printed titanium, using an SLM process, and a slab of glass. The table is quite large by 3D printing standards; it’s 2.05 x 1.0 x 0.73 meters, but just… Continue reading Design of the Week: Spider Table
Miniature DMLS Prints Tiny Metal Parts
A joint venture between 3D-Micromac AG and EOS Gmbh has created a new micro-laser sintering technology (MLS) that can be used to create miniature metal components. While the two firms have been developing MLS technology since 2006 under the name of 3D MicroPrint, it was only last year that the technology was mature enough… Continue reading Miniature DMLS Prints Tiny Metal Parts
A Personal 3D Metal Printer: In Progress
We’re checking out a project that’s listed on the RepRap Wiki: MetalicaRap. The goal is to produce a: Open 3D metal & home solar cell printer, based on the principles of electron beam welding and vapor deposition. No, it isn’t ready yet – the project is still in the planning stages. While the… Continue reading A Personal 3D Metal Printer: In Progress
Personal 3D Printing In Gold
Can you 3D print in gold at home? Not exactly. But we have found an example of how you can use 3D printing technology to cast gold. In a now-old post on the Ultimaker blog, jeweler Paul Steenbrink (a.k.a. Cardillac) experimented with a technique for preparing gold jewelry: The 3D print is invested… Continue reading Personal 3D Printing In Gold
Open Source Metal 3D Printing
We ran across an interesting project that’s attempting to create a system for 3D printing metal at very low cost. The idea is to do for metal manufacturing what was done for plastic manufacturing with current open source 3D printers. The project, by Andreas Bastian, is entitled “An Open Source Selective Laser Sintering 3D… Continue reading Open Source Metal 3D Printing
ESA’s Launch into Metal 3D Printing
The European Space Agency has launched an initiative to develop complex metal 3D printing techniques for space missions. The Amaze initiative (standing for “Additive Manufacturing Aiming Towards Zero Waste and Efficient Production of High-Tech Metal Products”, somehow) brings together 28 different organizations that have a stake in the process, either by research (Universities) or industry… Continue reading ESA’s Launch into Metal 3D Printing
Your Rocket Is Now 3D Printed
Aerojet Rocketdyne has been working with NASA to develop a way to 3D print rockets. Well, not the WHOLE rocket, but certain critical parts, namely an Injector Assembly. They’re working on a completely integrated manufacturing process with Selective Laser Melting technology that will be capable of rapidly producing “highly critical rocket engine components”. We… Continue reading Your Rocket Is Now 3D Printed
Optomec’s Mini Metal Printer
In the world of 3D printing, bigger really is better, but New Mexico-based Optomec plans to take things in a different direction. The company will bring selective laser sintering down to the micro scale with their new Laser Engineered Net Shaping printer. Originally created at Sandia National Labs for use by the military and… Continue reading Optomec’s Mini Metal Printer
3D Systems Acquires Phenix Systems
3D Systems continues its acquisition run with the announcement they’ve agreed to take on Phenix Systems, a manufacturer of metal 3D printing devices. France-based Phenix Systems uses the “Direct Metal Selective Laser Sintering” process, which uses high-powered lasers to fuse layers of metal powder into solid objects at very fine resolutions. The process is… Continue reading 3D Systems Acquires Phenix Systems
GE’s Making 3D Printed Jets
The prestigious MIT Technology Review has named General Electric’s work on 3D printing as one of its “10 Breakthrough Technologies 2013”. Specifically, GE is developing a metal nozzle for its LEAP jet engine. They will use 3D metal printers to produce the nozzles, which will be lighter in weight due to an advanced design… Continue reading GE’s Making 3D Printed Jets
UMT Develops 3D Printing Metal Smoothing Technology
We had a brief encounter with Alexander Lobovsky, P.E., who is a partner with United Materials Technologies of New Jersey. Lobovsky’s company is developing a new method for smoothing 3D metal prints. The problem with metal 3D prints is the same as plastic: printing by layer causes visible ridges on the object. These can… Continue reading UMT Develops 3D Printing Metal Smoothing Technology
Companies to Explore the Next Generation Concepts for 3D Metal Printing Machinery
Sigma Labs Inc. announced that it has signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with Interactive Machines, Inc. (IMI) of Southwick, Massachusetts. The MOU sets forth the parties’ intent to explore the formation of a joint venture or other arrangement for the purpose of developing and commercializing next-generation 3D printing devices designed to produce an increased… Continue reading Companies to Explore the Next Generation Concepts for 3D Metal Printing Machinery
Metal 3D Printing Everywhere
In addition to the major plastic 3D printer manufacturers appearing at Euromold 2012, quite a few metal 3D printer manufacturers also exhibited. Metal printing might be unfamiliar to many of our readers who focus on more inexpensive plastic machines. Metal-capable machines are typically quite expensive and are varied in features and abilities. At Euromold… Continue reading Metal 3D Printing Everywhere
Running Out of 3D Printing Companies to Invest In?
The big two stock-based 3D printing companies are of course, 3D Systems and Stratasys/Objet, now known as merely Stratasys. We’ve covered their massive stock price increases over the past few years and investors have been buying because of that rise. It seems that investors now want even more. An article on Seeking Alpha investigates… Continue reading Running Out of 3D Printing Companies to Invest In?
3D Printed Electronics Demonstration
Optomec and Stratasys are set to demonstrate their hybrid technology that permits a type of 3D printed electronics. We’ve written about this before, but now they intend on demonstrating the process to the public. The process does not involve a mutant plastic-and-metal 3D printer. Instead it simply is a way for the two companies… Continue reading 3D Printed Electronics Demonstration
NASA’s Space Launch System is 3D Printed
Yes, the venerable Space Shuttle is now retired and host to gawking tourists across the United States, but that doesn’t mean NASA is sitting idle. In fact they’ve embarked on the development of a massive new rocket to take on the task of heavy lifting to outer space: The Space Launch System or “SLS”. … Continue reading NASA’s Space Launch System is 3D Printed
Microscopic Metal 3D Printing
Scientists have invented a way to form 3D metallic objects at nanoscale. While it’s not 3D printing, per se, it is quite interesting. The approach was to mimic traditional methods of forming metal: bending, shearing, etc. They’ve found a way to deform portions of a microscopic metal object in a controlled manner. Using… Continue reading Microscopic Metal 3D Printing
High Detailed Stainless Steel Prints at i.Materialise
3D print service i.Materialise now offers “high detailed stainless steel” materials for prints. As you can see in the sample print above, there is indeed a lot of detail visible. i.Materialise says that the new material is “between silver and titanium”. In other words, it’s shiny but still strong. The detail is such… Continue reading High Detailed Stainless Steel Prints at i.Materialise
Transmuting PLA Into Metal
You can’t transmute lead into gold, but these days it is apparently possible to change a part, 3D printed in PLA plastic, into a metal part. The method used by maker Jeshua Lacock of 3DTOPO, emulated the eternal lost-wax casting method. He printed parts in PLA on his Ultimaker 3D printer and then surrounded… Continue reading Transmuting PLA Into Metal
ExOne’s M-FLEX 3D Printing System
ExOne announced a new metal 3D printer, the M-FLEX 3D Printing System. This device is capable of printing metal parts within a rather large build chamber of 400mm x 250mm x 250mm (15.75 x 9.8 x 9.8 inches). The M-FLEX prints in metal, but it appears it will be able to do a lot… Continue reading ExOne’s M-FLEX 3D Printing System
3D Printing Titanium Bike Parts
There’s a detailed story on Road.cc describing the process of producing a metal dropout bike part using DMLS – Direct Metal Laser Sintering. Producing bike parts is much like any other product; prototypes must be tested and final versions become mass produced. The problem is that producing prototypes has been time consuming and wasteful… Continue reading 3D Printing Titanium Bike Parts
NASA Testing 3D Printers For Space Use
NASA is taking their Electron Beam Freeform Fabrication (EBF3) technology to the next level, according to a report in The Daily Mail. EBF3 is a type of 3D printing that uses a high-power electron beam to instantaneously melt metallic wire. The fluid metal is then positioned incrementally to build up arbitrary solid metal objects.… Continue reading NASA Testing 3D Printers For Space Use
The Brass at i.Materialise
They’re at it again. i.Materialise has now launched a trial of Brass 3D printing. Shortly after launching Bronze, we now see Brass on their materials sheet. It’s not a permanent thing, however, as i.Materialise terms this a “summer trial”. 3D print service providers often experiment with new materials in this way, as they are… Continue reading The Brass at i.Materialise
Bronzed by i.Materialise
i.Materialise, one of the popular online 3D print services, now offers an experimental Bronze 3D printing capability. This isn’t bronze plating – it seems to be solid bronze. However, during this experimental phase they limit the size of your bronze prints to 5 x 5 x 5 cm. We think that’s quite appropriate as… Continue reading Bronzed by i.Materialise
EOS Teams Up For Metal 3D Printing
3D printer manufacturer EOS has signed an agreement with Cookson Precious Metals to jointly develop a variety of applications related to metal 3D printing. According to the press release, “Under this agreement, both companies will introduce and further develop precious metal-based applications to the jewelry and watch industry”. But what does this mean, exactly?… Continue reading EOS Teams Up For Metal 3D Printing
3D Printing Plastic AND Metal
Whoa – 3D printing plastic AND metal at the same time? There are many kinds of 3D printers in the world these days, most printing only plastic and some able to print metal. But printing both? That’s exactly what a joint initiative between ABS plastic 3D printer manufacturer Stratasys is doing with metal 3D printer… Continue reading 3D Printing Plastic AND Metal
Optomec’s LENS 3D Printers
Is that 3D object you just printed weak? Does it bend, break or snap loudly if you give it a loving squeeze? If so, you might consider 3D printing it in metal instead of wimpy plastic. But how, you say? My printer can’t do metal! If that’s the case, you might want to… Continue reading Optomec’s LENS 3D Printers
A 3D Printed Jaw
This was bound to happen: a person receives a transplant of a major body part made specifically for them by 3D printing technology. In this case the body part was the lower jaw of an 83 year old woman from Europe, which had become infected and required removal. 3D scanning techniques captured the precise… Continue reading A 3D Printed Jaw