Rapid Ready Roundup: Manufacturing Innovation Institutes, MakerBot, 3D Medical and Zelda
In the course of my diligent efforts to keep you good people up to date on the state of additive manufacturing (AM), I come across many interesting news items. I’ll gather them up every so often and present them in a Rapid Ready Roundup (like this one). You can find the last Roundup here.
Let’s start this Roundup with an update from the US government about its manufacturing initiative. Apparently NAMII has been considered a success, as the White House has announced the launch of competitions for three new manufacturing innovation institute sites. This represents $200 million in additional funding for the project and President Obama has continued to call for congress to approve the investment of $1 billion to complete 15 sites nationally. Continue reading
US Navy Investigates the Potential of Additive Manufacturing
Nearly every industry can find a use for additive manufacturing (AM) without looking very hard. Even if the technology is only put to use for rapid prototyping, a 3D printer can quickly pay for itself with faster return times on development. Defense is one industry that is turning to AM more and more often for the flexibility it offers.
The US Army has already found novel methods of deploying AM assets, and now it appears the Navy is setting course to join its brother service. As you might expect, the Navy will put 3D printers to work on prototyping as its opening move, but it has other, bigger plans in store for the technology. Continue reading
NAMII Awards $4.5 Million to Seven Additive Manufacturing Projects
Additive manufacturing (AM) has taken some great strides in the two plus decades the technology has been around, but there’s always room for innovation. Continuing research and development will ensure that AM keeps pace with the demands of an evolving industry. National defense also has a stake in AM, and any improvements have the potential to save lives.
It was with those two areas primarily in mind that President Obama pushed ahead with his plan for a National Network for Manufacturing Innovation. The pilot program for the Network, the National Additive Manufacturing Innovation Institute (NAMII), was founded in Youngstown, OH and has become a center for advances in AM. Last November, NAMII and the National Center for Defense Manufacturing and Machining (NCDMM) sent out a call for projects, and now seven programs have been selected to share $4.5 million in funding. Continue reading
Rapid Ready Roundup: State of the Union, DNA, Autodesk and A Game of Thrones
In the course of my diligent efforts to keep you good people up to date on the state of additive manufacturing (AM), I come across many interesting news items. I’ll gather them up every so often and present them in a Rapid Ready Roundup (like this one). You can find the last Roundup here.
We’ll begin today’s Roundup with some presidential enthusiasm. With NAMII up and running, President Obama is eager to continue pursuit of his vision for manufacturing innovation. In his 2013 State of the Union address, AM was part of the program, and the attention caused a boost to 3D printer manufacturer’s stock.
Sciaky’s Direct Manufacturing Process Goes Big
To quote a song you may remember from the early ’80s, “Everything counts in large amounts.” This sentiment certainly seems to be the case in additive manufacturing (AM). One dominant trend in new AM systems is that of size. We’ve covered a number of the emerging giants of 3D printing, and the build envelopes just continue to increase.
Sciaky’s Direct Manufacturing (DM) process has moved from being able to print large parts to printing out entire wing boxes of fighter jets. DM boasts a build area of 19 ft. x 4 ft. x 4 ft., and is flexible enough in design that the build area could be increased to tackle larger jobs. Continue reading
