Reading Between the Layers of the Stratasys-Objet Merger
Some unions just make sense: Think Disney-Pixar, Exxon-Mobil, or Bogie and Bacall. Others seem doomed to failure from the start. Did anyone think AOL-Time Warner, Daimler Chrysler, or Kardashian and Humphries were really going to work out?
So when Stratasys and Objet announced they intended to merge to create a giant in the 3D printing arena, it was only natural for design engineers to wonder whether it was a good match—and, more importantly, “What does it mean for me?”
Rapid Ready Roundup: RedEye, AM Center, Objet, Lego and Lincoln Logs
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 once every few weeks and present them in a Rapid Ready Roundup (like this one). You can find the last Roundup here.
Lots of announcements in this week’s Rapid Ready Roundup. First, we have RedEye. The Stratasys (read our company profile here) operated service provider has received AS9100 certification. The certification indicates that RedEye meets with the aerospace industry’s requirements for service safety, quality and reliability. Along with being attractive to customers, the certification also reduces 2nd and 3rd party audits, and offers access to industry best practices.
Rapid Ready Roundup: Music, Cube Odyssey, AMF and RedEye
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 once every few weeks and present them in a Rapid Ready Roundup (like this one). You can find the last Roundup here.
Let’s start this Roundup with a little bit of music. Musician and inventor Onyx Ashanti has created a wireless system he calls Beatjazz that allows him to create music using gestures, rather than picking out beats on a computer. His original prototype used cardboard, pressure sensors, accelerometers and an iPhone to make music, but the end design makes extensive use of 3D printing. Beatjazz uses repurposed saxophone fingerings and a sensor that captures breath exhalations. Continue reading
Smithsonian Adopts 3D Printing
Part of what is so interesting about covering 3D printing is seeing how different people and companies use the technology. From chefs who make 3D meals to architectural experimentation, every industry that takes notice of 3D printing finds some way to incorporate the technology. A new case in point for this is the manner in which the Smithsonian has put 3D printing to work for them.
The Smithsonian Institution has been around since 1846 and consists of 19 museums and galleries, along with the National Zoological Park and a number of research facilities. For nearly as long as it has existed, the Smithsonian has been adding pieces to its collection.
3D Printing Company Profile: Stratasys Inc.
Editor’s note: In an effort to help our readers differentiate the companies providing rapid technologies, we will be profiling them on Rapid Ready Technology. If you are a rapid technology manufacturer or service provider and would like to be considered for a profile, please contact us.
Anyone ever sat through a geology class recognizes the word “strata” as describing layers of rock lying atop each other to create an aggregate whole. In nature, these formations take years to develop as sedimentary material is laid down and covered over again and again. This elementary process of creation also forms the basis for the name Stratasys, a 3D printer and service supplier.
No doubt inspiration for the name came from the process that Stratasys has built its company on, namely fused deposition modeling (FDM). The devices that use this process heat and extrude a filament of thermoplastic material and layer it into the desired shape, along with any necessary support structures. Support structures are often designed to be soluble so they wash away in a water-based solution. Frequently used materials for this process include ABS thermoplastics, polycarbonates and polyphenylsulfone.
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