Bringing you up to speed with the week that went by in the world of Additive Manufacturing.

The key Additive Manufacturing highlights of the week are the development of 3D printed prosthetic legs by researchers from IIT Madras, the development of technology to reduce the size and cost of 3D laser printing, a partnership between Boeing and Titomic for 3D printing of titanium, Thermwood receiving thirty-two patents for additive manufacturing and many more. 

TriMech Acquires Industrial 3D Printing Firm InterPro

InterPro, a Connecticut-based provider of industrial 3D printing services, has been acquired by TriMech. TriMech, based in Richmond, stated that the acquisition of InterPro Additive Production Group will broaden its customized 3D printing capabilities, which include prototyping, tooling and production aids, end-use components, and low-volume manufacturing.

Compact desktop 3D printers for manufacturing micro-and nanostructures

Compact desktop printers may soon replace large, expensive laser printers for creating 3D micro-and nanostructures. Researchers at Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) and Heidelberg University developed a two-step 3D-printing technology that uses blue laser diodes and may be applied on small, low-cost printers. 

Researchers develop 3D printed Nanomagnets

A worldwide team of scientists led by Cambridge University’s Cavendish Laboratory created a fresh set of minuscule Nanomagnets using 3D printing technology. The Nanomagnets are in the shape of a DNA-inspired double helix and were created using a proprietary 3D printing process. According to the researchers, this unusual structure allows for substantial magnetic field interactions between the helices in a previously unseen manner. The 3D-printed helices, in particular, exhibit tiny topological textures in the magnetic field they generate by twisting around one another.

Boeing and Titomic partner to develop sustainable 3d printed titanium

Boeing has partnered with Titomic, the Melbourne-based startup responsible for the Titomic Kinetic Fusion (TKF) 3D printing method, to advance additive manufacturing in the space industry. The companies will work together to investigate the use of sustainable titanium powders for 3D printing space system parts. Titomic has been awarded a $2.325 million Modern Manufacturing Initiative grant by the Australian government, which will be used to develop and manufacture components for space vehicles and satellites using a local titanium mineral deposit. 

3D printed robotics grippers for Packaging Industry

Igus 3D printed robotics grippers manufactured from 3D printing and which are 85 percent and 70 percent less expensive than the majority of competitors in the packaging business. The low cost grippers can also be manufactured rapidly in case of urgent need. 

Thermwood receives 32 patents in Additive Manufacturing

Thermwood often seeks patent protection for the additive manufacturing technologies it creates for its LSAM large-format additive systems. They acquired electronic copies of patents that were granted under COVID, but the official hard copies were withheld. They received a package carrying the official hard copy of 32 additive manufacturing patents a few days before Christmas 2021. This was unquestionably a one-day high for Thermwood. 

Vallourec produces a 3D-Printed Lifting Plug for Weatherford using WAAM

Vallourec recently created two lifting plugs using Wire Arc Additive Manufacturing (WAAM) in order to address Weatherford’s pressing operating needs. Lifting plugs are critical safety components that act as a link between the rig elevator and the pipes. They are used on the surface of the rig to allow operators to safely handle and carry long tubular items. Creating lifting plugs also ensures an effective supply chain. 

Researchers develop WAAM 3D printer at $1000

Researchers create a $1000 WAAM 3D printer, marking a new advance in the field of metal additive manufacturing. The system costs roughly $1000 and comprises open-source fused deposition modeling (FDM) 3D printer parts, a microcontroller, a TIG welder, and custom-designed manufactured pieces such as a torch holder. 

Naval Surface Warfare Center invests to develop additive manufacturing prototypes

The Naval Surface Warfare Center’s Crane, Indiana, sector is investing in six additive manufacturing prototypes to project. The additive manufacturing technology will help to protect the assets of the military.  

Researchers develop flexible 3D printed OLED display

Researchers at the University of Minnesota Twin Cities utilized a modified printer to fully 3D print a flexible organic light-emitting diode (OLED) display in a pioneering new study. The breakthrough could lead to low-cost OLED displays that can be mass-produced at home using 3D printers rather than by technicians in expensive microfabrication facilities in the future.

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