Titan 1 Desktop SLA 3D Printer from Startup Kudo3D
It wasn’t all that long ago that if you wanted a desktop additive manufacturing (AM) system, you were limited to material extrusion printers like those offered by Stratasys. Then came Formlabs and the first desktop stereolithography (SLA) printer, the FORM 1. It didn’t take long for other companies to follow Formlabs’ lead and now consumers have a choice of desktop SLA models to choose from, including a new model from 3D Systems.
Startup Kudo3D has spent the last couple years developing its own SLA printer, which it has named Titan 1. Rather aiming the digital light projector at the top of the resin tub, Titan 1 works with a bottom up model. Continue reading
Researchers Bioprint a Trachea
Additive manufacturing (AM) has created mechanical marvels and produced technological triumphs, and while you might appreciate what the technology has done for industries such as aerospace, no use of AM is more valuable to humanity as a whole than what has been accomplished in the medical field. Low-cost prosthetics are only the tip of the iceberg for medical 3D printing. The future is in biology.
Bioprinting is the future of medical technology, and researchers at Mount Sinai have produced what may be the first feasible bioprinted transplant. In late January, the research team built a trachea using 3D printing and a biological membrane. The team seeded the membrane with a stem cell solution, and primed the stem cells by adding growth factors that transform the cells into cartilage precursors. Continue reading
3D Printed Pre-fab Housing Erected in Shanghai
With enough ingenuity, almost anything can be built using additive manufacturing (AM), including houses. Ever since 3D printing hit the consciousness of the mainstream, various inventors and organizations have been dreaming of 3D printing a house. Even NASA has investigated construction through additive manufacturing.
Now, it seems, Chinese company WinSun Decoration Design Engineering Co has succeeded in using AM to erect pre-fab housing units in Shanghai. While this doesn’t represent a true effort at printing a house in situ, it is still a leap forward. All the pieces for the pre-fab units were built off-site using 3D printing. Continue reading
3D Systems Reveals Lineup for Inside 3D Printing NYC Conference
More than a few eyebrows were raised when 3D Systems (3DS) first embarked on its growth through acquisitions strategy. A number of industry insiders wondered (privately) if the company would be able to successfully incorporate all the businesses the company had been picking up under one umbrella and make them work together. Time has shown the strategy to be sound with 3DS taking a lead position in additive manufacturing (AM) and 3D printing related properties.
Not even the speculation surrounding HP’s stated intent to enter the AM field has been able to dent 3DS’ push to promote itself as the top AM company, and its announcement of its plans for the Inside 3D Printing NYC Conference showcases its drive. 3DS calls its agenda “3D Printing 2.0,” and it includes the announcement of its newest AM system, the ProJet 1200, along with its full lineup of 2014 3D printers. Continue reading
Rapid Ready Roundup: Materialise, Canalys, Netflix, and Tattoos
In the course of my diligent efforts to keep you good people up to date on the state of additive manufacturing, 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.
