TCT NA 3.1 by TCT Magazine

NORTH AMERICAN EDITION VOLUME 3 ISSUE 1 www.tctmagazine.com

MAG N.AMERICA EDITION

FEEL THE FORZE FIRST HYDROGEN ELECTRIC RACE CAR GETS A COMPETITIVE EDGE THANKS TO SOMOS

ACCELERATING 3D technologies

Somos

Not just for prototyping anymore... With a portfolio consisting of a wide variety of category-leading materials, you are sure to find a Somos® material that will fit the needs of your next project - even for final production! If you need some extra help or have a job that you can’t handle in-house, we can connect you with a service bureau that will quickly turn your projects into a reality. Get connected with Somos® at www.dsm.com/somos

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VOLUME 3 ISSUE 1

ISSN 2059-9641

EDITORIAL HEAD OF CONTENT

James Woodcock e: james@rapidnews.com t: 011 + 44 1244 952 391 GROUP EDITOR

Daniel O’Connor e: daniel.oconnor@rapidnews.com t: 011 + 44 1244 952 398 DEPUTY GROUP EDITOR

Laura Griffiths e: laura.griffiths@rapidnews.com t: 011 + 44 1244 952 389 EDITORIAL ASSISTANT

Samuel Davies e: samuel.davies@rapidnews.com t: 011 + 44 1244 952 390 NEWSDESK

+44 (0) 1244 680222 REGULAR CONTRIBUTORS

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PRODUCTION Sam Hamlyn Tracey Roberts Gareth Williams

M ANAGEMENT C.O.O. / PUBLISHER

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ACCELERATING 3D TECHNOLOGIES

FROM THE EDITOR Fake News Free Zone

n comparison to the topsy-turvy world of current affairs, the trade press may seem like a breeze. Undoubtedly, deciphering a press release claim is hardly investigative journalism to match that of Woodward and Bernstein but one of the first things I learned at Rapid News is that TCT didn’t just stand for Time Compression Technologies but it stood for integrity and diligence. Fact checking is of the utmost importance, there was a pretty significant story that was all set to go in this magazine to do with FAA approval, even though we’re 80% sure of the accuracy of the claim we couldn’t get it verified so it ends up on the cutting room floor. We’re fortunate in this industry as despite hyperbole creeping into the odd press release the bursting of the hype bubble means most companies substantiate their PR claims. And thanks to our prevalence at shows everywhere from Birmingham, UK to Shanghai, China we often get to see the tech first hand. This issue is packed full of our findings from such events. Since the last issue of 2016, the team has been to formnext, CES, Solidworks World for the Stratasys launch and I’m just back from a trip to Tokyo to see how the hightech Japanese are adopting AM (quickly, for your

information). Though this is the first issue of the third volume of the North American edition of TCT Magazine its sister edition in Europe is celebrating the 25th volume in 2017. It’s been an opportunity to delve into the archives and read through the first ever editions from what was then Rapid News. They feature some people that the TCT Group is looking to recognize at the inaugural TCT Awards in September this year at Birmingham Town Hall, Birmingham, UK. Alongside the TCT Hall of Fame, which seeks to salute the pioneers of 3D technologies, will be ten awards acknowledging the best of the industry today. While it may seem easy to throw an awards ceremony together, we have, as a team, been back and forth over the categories making sure that we have all bases covered. We didn’t want to throw in the obvious categories like “3D Printer of the Year”, that simply doesn’t work, most people who use the technology have access to maybe one or two machines, so how can you quantify “best”? Instead, we’ve asked, not what is the best technology but what is the best use of the technology no matter what the price. What are the projects that are achieving optimum results of 3D technologies and how are they doing it? It’s not necessarily about what technology you use but how you use it. I urge you if you have a project, no matter how big or small, find a category and enter it into the awards over at tctawards.com. Druck On

Daniel O’Connor Group Editor

VOLUME 3 ISSUE 1 www.tctmagazine.com

Cover Story

AMUG

How the team behind the world’s first hydrogen-electric race car turned to Somos to gain a competitive edge.

How a combination of 3D technologies were used to accurately reproduce a scaled down model of the Roberto Clemente Bridge in Pittsburgh for RAPID + TCT 2017.

FEEL THE FORZE

09 NEWS

A roundup of all the latest news from www.tctmagazine.com

AEROSPACE FOCUS

MENTORING THE MACHINES

Group Editor, Daniel O’Connor meets with Autodesk’s Chief Technology Officer, Jeff Kowalski to talk about how the software giant is impacting the development of bionic structures for aerospace.

PUTTING ADDITIVE INTO ORBIT

How SENER, an international leader in the space industry, turned to 3D printing to reduce its prototyping costs in the manufacture of satellite components.

REVERSE ENGINEERING

BRIDGING THE GAP

PREVIEW

A look at what we can expect from this year’s Additive Manufacturing User’s Group Conference in Chicago.

BASF OPENS UP

A MARK IN THE SAND

Dan takes a look at MarkForged’s new Metal X 3D printer, the first metal system available on the market for less than $100,000.

Laura speaks to chemical giant, BASF about how it’s working on material collaborations with major players to open up the AM landscape.

HOW GE WILL ACCELERATE THE AM REVOLUTION

Laura takes a closer look at GE’s venture into the AM market following the launch of its dedicated GE Additive vertical and education-focused initiative.

RIZE AND SHINE

Rize showed the Rize One 3D printer for the first time at SOLIDWORKS World in Los Angeles. Head of Content, Jim Woodcock was there to take a look.

27 31

NEW MACHINERY FOR 2017

SERVICE PROVIDER MAP

The ever-popular, annual 3D printing service provider locator is back for 2017.

39 39

THE GREAT AMERICAN 3D PRINTING ROAD TRIP

Editorial Assistant, Sam Davies reports on how The British Museum teamed up with ThinkSee3D to put a face to the name of one of the seven Jericho Skulls excavated by Dame Kathleen Kenyon in 1953.

Deputy Group Editor, Laura Griffiths provides an overview of Stratasys’ latest machine launch, the F123 Series designed to address the needs of the professional rapid prototyping market.

A FACE TO THE NAME

ACCELERATING 3D TECHNOLOGIES

CONTENTS

TCT | VOLUME 3 ISSUE 1

Laura heads to California to go behind the scenes at two of the most active 3D printing service bureaus in the U.S.

EASY AS 123

THE CHANGING FACE OF CAD

Laura explores how innovations in virtual reality and mobile technology are influencing a new era of CAD software.

REGULARS

03 19 48

EDITOR’S letter GUEST COLUMN

TODD GRIMM COLUMN

VOLUME 3 ISSUE 1 www.tctmagazine.com

COVER STORY

ABOVE: The Forze VII

hydrogen-electric racecar

Feel the Forze

First hydrogen electric racecar gets a competitive edge thanks to Somos

ORZE HYDROGEN ELECTRIC RACING is one of the world’s leading university based projects at the forefront of hydrogen-electric racing car technology. The team is continually enhancing their car’s performance to win the Supercar Challenge and they recently turned to 3D printing to accelerate design changes. 3D printed parts made with high performance Somos materials were used on the car to quickly implement new designs, saving time and money, which is crucial to maintaining the competitive edge in the racing community. Each year, since 2007, approximately 50 students, mainly from TU Delft (Delft University of Technology) in the Netherlands, take over running Forze as a commercial entity to design and build zero-emission racing vehicles. The Forze hydrogen fuel cell technology is among the most advanced of its kind in the world and the students are constantly working to improve engine capacity and car performance. Their first vehicle, Forze I, had a top speed of 55mph and acceleration of

VOLUME 3 ISSUE 1 www.tctmagazine.com

ACCELERATING 3D TECHNOLOGIES



LEFT: 3D printed inlet manifold for Forze VII made with Somos ProtoTherm 12120

0 to 60mph in 5.5 seconds. The latest vehicle, Forze VII, has been designed to achieve 130mph and goes from 0 to 60mph in just 4 seconds. The main challenge for the current Forze team was to enter Forze VII into the Supercar Challenge at the TT Circuit Assen in the Netherlands. To continue being successful in the Supercar Challenge, the team needs to continually refine vehicle performance. To help improve the speed and acceleration of the Forze VII, the team reconfigured system components to reduce space and weight. Specifically, the humidifier unit was repositioned which meant a moisture inlet manifold had to be new. Designed with compressed air, the humidifier injects moisture into the fuel cell unit. To operate effectively, a hydrogen fuel cell needs moisture to prevent highly critical elements from drying out. This new inlet value had to be able to withstand compressed air pressure of 0.9 t/o bar and temperatures up to 10°C. Sjoerd van Empelen, one of the Fuel Cell Chiefs at Forze Hydrogen Electric Racing, says, “Initially we’d considered using aluminium to make the new inlet manifold, but it’s an intricate shape and it had to be fitted into a very confined position and aluminium didn’t give enough accuracy or flexibility. We needed an alternative solution and 3D printing offered the best way of producing the part to exact specifications with a material that was strong and heat resistant.” A colleague of van Empelen’s, who had experience with the technology, suggested contacting Somos, one of the leading developers of high-performance materials for 3D printing. Forze created a CAD design and specification for the new inlet manifold that was presented to the Somos technical team. They recommended Somos ProtoTherm 12120, a 3D printing material designed for complex and demanding automotive and aerospace applications. Forze moved forward with using Somos ProtoTherm 12120 due to its heat resistance capability, stability in high humidity environments and extremely accurate precision for small details. All of these performance requirements, plus a

smooth surface, were required as the part would be fit directly on the car and used as an end-use part. Proform, a service bureau using Somos materials in Switzerland, was commissioned to produce the inlet manifold. Printing the part took approximately 20 hours and due to the high quality surface a limited amount of finishing was needed. “The goal for Forze Hydrogen Electric Racing is to show the world that hydrogen is a viable alternative to other energy sources and demonstrate this in an attractive way through racing. Forze is also giving students at Delft TU the opportunity to experience the application of technical education in the real world,” says van Empelen. Somos has played an essential role in enabling the Forze team to develop and build the latest and most powerful vehicle. Van Empelen says, “Somos ProtoTherm 12120 was crucial to the development of the fuel cell system in Forze VII. Without it, we would have struggled to re-fit the system components and would have spent more time and effort changing and moving parts and re-designing a whole section of the car.” The new inlet manifold has now been fitted into the Forze VII engine and is undergoing testing in preparation for the Supercar Challenge. The Supercar Challenge is a motor racing series open to various classes of touring cars, GTs and sports cars. Forze VII is expected to be the first and only zero-emission car competing in the competition. Van Empelen says, “We have already had successful start-ups with the fuel cell system running at 50 percent capacity and with experience of the previous car, the Forze VI, we are definitely positive about increasing the power to 100 percent. The Supercar Challenge is an important milestone for Forze Hydrogen Electric Racing because we believe the Forze VII is currently one of the very few hydrogen electric racing cars in the world capable of competing against petrol-powered vehicles. We feel confident to compete in the next race and 3D printing with Somos materials made it possible.”

The goal for Forze Hydrogen Electric Racing is to show the world that hydrogen is a viable alternative to other energy sources and demonstrate this in an attractive way through racing.

VOLUME 3 ISSUE 1 www.tctmagazine.com

Growing a world with limitless potential Introducing GE Additive At GE, we’re passionate about the transformative power of advanced manufacturing. That’s why we’re committed to leading the additive industry through world-class machines, materials and services. Together, we can accelerate innovations across industries and help the world work smarter, faster and more efficiently. See how we’re expanding the boundaries of what’s possible at geadditive.com.

NEWS ROUNDUP ACCELERATING 3D TECHNOLOGIES

STRATASYS SIGNS DEAL WITH MCLAREN TO BRING 3D PRINTING TO FORMULA  Stratasys has signed a four-year partnership deal with McLaren Racing to bring its 3D printing expertise to Formula 1. The agreement sees the additive manufacturing leader named as the Official Supplier of 3D Printing Solutions to the McLaren-Honda Formula 1 team as it ramps up its rapid manufacturing capacity at the McLaren Technology Centre in Woking, UK. Under the agreement, Stratasys will supply McLaren Racing with its latest FDM and PolyJet-based 3D printing solutions and cutting-edge materials for visual and functional prototyping, production tooling including composite tooling, and customized production parts. 

3DCERAM LAUNCHES COMPACT CERAMAKER 100 

3DCeram has unveiled the Ceramaker 100 3D printer, the younger brother of the Ceramaker 900. Smaller in stature, the Ceramaker 100 boasts an equally vast skillset and maintains the same technological capacity. These include a reliable design, the ability to produce high-quality ceramics, a large printing surface relative to the machine’s size, settings open for modification and the offer of free link support technology. 3DCeram’s latest machine also encompasses laser technology, enabling ceramic components to be directly manufactured from a CAD file, without any break in the digital chain. 

NEWS

SLM SOLUTIONS REMOVE CEO MARKUS RECHLIN 

FOR THESE STORIES IN FULL CLICK TO WWW.TCTMAGAZINE.COM

DESKTOP METAL EQUITY FUNDING UP TO $97M AFTER INVESTMENT FROM GV, BMW AND LOWE’S

Desktop Metal, an emerging start-up with ambitions to bring metal 3D printing to all design and manufacturing teams, has announced it has raised a total of $97 million in equity funding since its founding in October 2015. The announcement comes as the result of the latest Series C investment of $45 million, led by GV (formerly Google Ventures), as well as BMW i Ventures and Lowe’s Ventures. Desktop Metal will use the funding to continue to develop its technology and scale production as the company prepares for its product launch later this year. Having previously received financial backing from the likes of GE Ventures and Stratasys, Desktop Metal is committed to accelerating the adoption of metal 3D printing in design and manufacturing through innovative technology capable of producing complex parts.

MATERIALISE AGREES DEAL WITH SIEMENS PLM TO ADVANCE ADDITIVE MANUFACTURING 

Belgian additive manufacturing company, Materialise has announced that it has signed an agreement with Siemens’ PLM software business. Through this deal, the two companies will work together to integrate Materialise’s industry-proven AM software technologies with Siemens’

German 3D printer manufacturer, SLM Solutions has removed Dr. Markus Rechlin from his position as CEO and management board member with immediate effect. Uwe Bogershausen, the company’s chief financial officer, has taken over the CEO’s responsibilities, while his place on the board has been left vacated. In a brief statement, SLM thanked Dr. Rechlin for his ‘many years of dedicated and committed contribution to the company’, but did not explain the reason for his departure.

digital solutions. The agreement will help Materialise create a seamless process for designing and manufacturing parts using 3D printing technology. Already working together for several months, the aim of the partnership is to explore the integration of Siemens’ world-leading PLM software with best-in-class Materialise additive manufacturing technology to accelerate the adoption of 3D printing for industrial production. VOLUME 3 ISSUE 1 www.tctmagazine.com

Jeff Kowalski on stage with the Bionic Partition.

Mentoring the

Machines A

WORDS : DANIEL O’CONNOR

I was

ushered

into a private room in the Ritz Carlton in Berlin, resplendent with fruit platters, pastries, French press coffee, and premium bottled waters, the interview that I’d arranged with Autodesk’s Chief Technology Officer began to feel more like I was interviewing Jeff Bridges than Jeff Kowalski. Those initial intimidations were washed away when I was introduced to Jeff, an unassuming man dressed in sneakers and comfortable clothing. Jeff speaks of complex subjects with a clarity that makes you believe he would have been the greatest teacher you never had. As soon as I left the interview with the man so passionately behind Autodesk’s push towards generative design, I felt more intelligent, such is Jeff’s ability to explain concepts like how slime mold networks maintain contact when moving from food source to food source and how that

010

VOLUME 3 ISSUE 1 www.tctmagazine.com

ABOVE:

Build of partition parts in Scallmalloy printed on an EOS M400.

can be applied to manufacturing today. This is what makes Jeff such an engaging speaker; hours after our interview the man who joined Autodesk in 1993 and assumed the role of CTO in 2006 is due on stage presenting a keynote on “The Shape of Things to Come.” Jeff is a man comfortable with his subject, even in the face of pointed questions like “Can you talk about the downside of technology in the context of Adorno and Horkheimer’s Dialectic of Enlightenment?” he was able to respond with a smile. “On Star Trek, Captain Kirk was able to call the Enterprise from his hand before we had any such technology. When that technology started to materialize, we already knew what to do with it, and we welcomed it. I think that the stories that we tell have the power to manifest themselves in the careers that we pursue and the things we put on the planet.” DIVIDE AND CONQUER Before I sat down with Jeff, I had the chance to talk to Bastian Schaefer, Innovation Manager at Airbus. Bastian’s work on designing an entirely 3D printed partition wall has been featured in mainstream media like Wired Magazine and Fox News. The “Bionic Partition” is 45% lighter and just as strong if not stronger than the current iteration of the wall flying in every

Aerospace

single A320 in the world. By applying this design throughout the cabin on the backlog of A320s, Airbus estimates a saving of up to 465,000 metric tons of C02 emissions per year, the equivalent of taking about 96,000 passenger cars off the road for one year. The partition structure is entirely 3D printed, but because it represents one of the biggest components of an aircraft it was printed in 162 individual parts across eight builds using a mixture of the EOS M400 machinery and Concept Laser’s M2 platform. 122 of the parts were printed in Airbus Group’s second-generation aluminummagnesium-scandium alloy, Scallmalloy, with the further 40 being printed in titanium. NEXT GEN DESIGN 3D printing is only one step of the process; the key to the partition’s ability to be both lighter and stronger than the traditional counterpart is in the design. David Benjamin, the Founder, and Principal of The Living design studio in New York, which was acquired by Autodesk in 2014, met with Bastian Schaefer at Autodesk University’s gathering, the Design Symposium. David’s research into slime mold networks and bionic design intrigued Bastian. “They’re both passionate about changing the bulk head design that is used for aircraft, submarines and pressure vessels, which has been around for centuries,” explains Jeff Kowalski. “Moving past that design concept and mental constraint by reenvisioning the airplane of the future. At the same time at Autodesk, we had a desire to reapply

what we found to be an overabundance of computing and experiment with the idea of generative design, using the computer as the tool for exploration as opposed to just documentation and analysis, those two seemed like a natural fit.” Another natural fit is generative design and additive manufacturing; I asked Jeff if he felt that the two were creating a perfect storm towards Industry 4.0. “We’re trying to get to forms and design objects that really exploit the power of additive manufacturing. Every area of the volume can be addressable, objects don’t just have to be the solid shapes that you could have done on the mill. The types of things that generative design has been creating seem to be pretty well exploitative of that.” It is evident from Jeff’s forward thinking why he makes such a good CTO, why he’s entrusted with Autodesk’s long-term technology vision. He is equally adept at seeing current limitations as he is to seeing the future solution. Take the Airbus design for instance; it has been mooted before that as much as 80% of an aircraft could be 3D printed. If that were the case could we build it with generative design? “Today’s generative design software solves structural problems very well,” explains the CTO. “Issues of structure, strength vs. weight vs. cost vs. manufacturability are in the realm of trivial for generative design to now solve, computational fluid dynamics, the aerodynamics of the plane aren’t something I would want to be tackling using the software today.” Though according to Jeff the software’s ability to compute aerodynamics is just a matter of time, one issue that is causing a bottle neck for the adoption of new technologies, particularly in the realms of aerospace, is that of qualification. Only perhaps in the medical world, particularly in the U.S. where FDA approval is notoriously difficult to attain, is it harder to get a part to market, but difficult isn’t a word Jeff shies away from. “It’s one of the reasons why we picked working with Airbus as a partner. There’s

a lot of qualification that has to go into Scalmalloy as a material. Certification is a rate limiting step but when aerospace pioneers it gets adopted more quickly in other sectors.” THE DEVIL IS IN THE DESIGN As Jeff says, the fact that “you can pull a car to the side of the road” means that the trickle down effect of certification from aerospace to automotive and even further down the industrial hierarchy is a lot quicker. So once we have cracked it in the sky, everything on the ground will be generatively designed, right? “One of the biggest challenges we have is a little bit more,” Jeff pauses for thought, “…sinister. We can create objects that engineers no longer have a way of mentally relating to. When we make things like this chair leg out of a solid bar, you and I both know how a solid bar performs; as I’m sitting on this chair, under compression, it also happens to perform well, by accident, under torsion. If I’m (generatively) designing a chair I’m going to tell the software that it needs to perform well under compression, but I might not ask for it to perform well under torsion. Generative may very well design me a chair that as soon as I rock back on it, it folds underneath itself. It would have a design that is sophisticated enough as I look at it that the torsion issue is not immediately apparent to me as an engineer, there’s something insidious in that, something we need to overcome.” Autodesk is pumping funds into researching how they close that gap between what designers ask for and what that objects needs to be. But it is a third technology at the intersection of innovation and application, that could have exponential ramifications; machine learning. “Every single analysis ran by any engineer on the planet up until now has fallen to the floor,” Jeff bemoans. “Last summer we generated synthetic bodies and subjected them to computational fluid dynamics. “We just made an object and stuck it in the wind tunnel and kept doing that over and over under the supervision of a machine learning system. After 10,000 iterations we were able to show an object that the machine learning system had never seen before and it would give us the flow field within 2 per cent. That’s pretty damn good! “We’re going to end up as mentors to these tools because they’re going to be remembering what kind of work they’re performing.” 

VOLUME 3 ISSUE 1 www.tctmagazine.com

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ACCELERATING 3D TECHNOLOGIES

Where the Bionic Partition fits on a commercial plane.

Aerospace

produced several parts for the Gaia project, which aims to construct the largest and most precise 3D space catalog ever made

PUTTING ADDITIVE

INTO ORBIT

HE RANGE OF FORECASTS for the size of the additive manufacturing (AM) industry in the next ten years varies dramatically from Siemens predicting the global market will be worth $8.3B in 2023 to the Wohlers Report’s $21B by 2020. Apparent astronomical numbers that are eclipsed when compared to the likes of the satellite industry. The 2015 state of the industry report by the Satellite Industry Association says that, in 2014, revenues were more than $203B with the manufacturing of equipment worth $15.9B. Satellites, like anything we need to stick up in the air, require lightweighting and AM has proved proficient at that particular task. SENER is an international leader in the space industry, with more than 270 pieces of equipment and systems successfully supplied to satellites and space vehicles for NASA, ESA, JAXA and Roscosmos. Institutes and companies such as CNES, Airbus Space & Defense, Thales Space, OHB, RUAG, SELEX and CSIC also number among its clients. After several years of outsourcing its prototyping requirements, international engineering specialist, SENER, found itself incurring high costs and that it was limited in design choice. As a result, the company introduced 3D printing in-house to improve efficiencies and widen the gamut of 3D printable parts. Using its Stratasys Dimension 1200es 3D Printer, the company has halved its prototype costs and reduced its turnaround time by around two months compared to the four-month lead times associated with using traditional methods. Since investing in 3D printing technology, the company has the means to 3D print complex, prototype satellite components using Stratasys FDM thermoplastic material that withstand extreme functional testing in space and launch conditions. In a recent project, SENER developed satellite components for the Gaia project, an ambitious mission to chart a three-dimensional map of the Milky Way. Complex satellite manufacturing necessitates the design of complex

RIGHT: 3D

printed wiring device using Stratasys ABSplus material known for being tough and heat-resistant.

VOLUME 3 ISSUE 1 www.tctmagazine.com

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ACCELERATING 3D TECHNOLOGIES

RIGHT: SENER

components, therefore when it comes to prototyping, SENER required technology that can deliver accurate, precise parts. Fundamental to its prototyping process is the employment of its Dimension machine in the production of functional prototypes, including the ground holding, antenna pointing mechanisms, satellite structures and fasteners. According to German Jaio, Designer Team Manager at SENER, after several years of utilizing 3D printing, the technology has become integral to achieving optimum efficiencies in the product development cycle. “To create the parts required for the Gaia project, we developed them in just two months. In this time we were able to produce eight to ten iterations of the design – from 3D printing to assembly, testing the functionality of the system, and using the learning to improve the following design. Without our 3D printer, we could have only done half of the iterations and would have needed four months instead of two. “As a result, we have halved our prototyping costs as 3D printing enables us to develop these designs ondemand. This in itself eliminates costly iteration expenses further down the production line,” Jaio adds. For the Gaia project, SENER utilized Stratasys’ FDMbased capabilities to produce full-size prototypes of components that hold the blankets of the deployable sunshield during launch, including 3D printed bracket supports and the guiding pieces. The key to designing such parts is producing functional prototypes that can withstand functional tests so that the final manufactured parts can be deployed into orbit with minimal friction. When developing the sunshield, SENER had to determine the best structure to attach it and fasten it to the satellite, so that it was robust enough to resist launch vibrations, when being deployed into space. The robust, light-weight prototype parts of the sunshield were 3D printed in Stratasys’ FDM thermoplastic, ABSplus, and combines complex geometries with mechanical strength and heat-resistance. This is essential to perform rapid tests of the aperture, improving the process of reviewing the opening of the sunshield. “Using Stratasys 3D printing solutions enabled us to produce more complex, customized designs than our previous outsourcing methods allowed. In this particular project, we were able to slash our turnaround time to just two months, which ensured the product was ready on time. Having access to 3D printing in-house has totally transformed the way we work,” concludes Jaio. 

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Reverse Engineering ACCELERATING 3D TECHNOLOGIES

TCT’s Sam Davies delves into the world of high-tech archaeology as academics seek to solve a 9,500 year old mystery with scanning and 3D printing.

A FACE TO THE NAME RIGHT: 3D printed reconstruction of Jericho skull

man’s entire head. Image courtesy of the British Museum.

T’S BEEN 64 YEARS SINCE ARCHAEOLOGIST, Dame Kathleen Kenyon, excavated seven human skulls in the Palestinian City of Jericho at the site of Tell es-Sultan. Having passed away in 1978, Kenyon hasn’t been around to see one of her most revered discoveries undergo a complete facial reconstruction with the help of a 3D Systems Inc ProJet x60 3D printer – A reconstruction so successful, the leading minds steering the project believe they have an incredibly accurate portrayal of what this human looked like. Amazing in itself that a skull, thought to be up to 9,500 years old, had survived so long, the British Museum and its partners wanted even more. Covered in plaster, filled with soil and with seashells to represent the skull’s eyes, the fossil only just resembled that of a human head. Yet, there was a real human, and an untold story, within the remains of this skull. In the early stages, Alexandra Fletcher, who led the reconstruction project for the British Museum, and her colleagues, did not know whether they were dealing with a man or a woman. Among these colleagues were Jessica Pearson, a specialist in human osteology and University of Liverpool, UK, academic, and later Crispin Wiles, a professional anatomist at the Imperial College London. Yet it was a CT scan which would tell the team not only that the skull belonged to a man, but a host of other things too. Fletcher’s team could derive that the man had abscesses in his

jaw where his rotting teeth had caused an infection, and also that he had undergone artificial cranium modification when he was younger, perhaps in an attempt to make him look better or mark his status, according to Fletcher. Then 3D printing was introduced in a bid to find out what this man actually looked like – a tough ask since its lower jaw on one side was missing. At this point, ThinkSee3D were brought in to 3D print replica skulls. “We used a 3D Systems Inc ProJet x60 which is perfect for bone models as it uses a gypsum-based powder and reproduces the surface color too,” Steven Dey of ThinkSee3D told TCT. “A human skull has complex internal and external geometry, so 3D printing on a powder-based printer was the best option as there are no issues with supporting structures.” A power cut midway through one of the replicas meant a half-printed skull, which fortunately resembled a medical cross-sectional view. This, and one other complete skull model, have recently been exhibited in the British Museum, while a second complete replica was used as the starting point for the reconstruction team. Creating a replacement lower jaw by replicating the bone structure on

the other side of the skull, as well as referring to the skulls it was found with and consulting data of average jaw sizes in humans from that time period, the reconstructionists were ready to find out what this human looked like. Fusing an acrylic resin in gypsum, a soft sulfate mineral, before building muscles on the base and tissue on the face of the skull, a reconstruction of such accuracy was carried out that Fletcher believes the man would be recognizable, but for the non-existence of time travel. “This technique was developed from the police having unidentified human remains that they needed to match to their missing person’s list. They had an immense success rate in being able to have family members recognize their relatives” she told TCT. “So this technique is a real tried and tested technique. We can be confident that if we were able to travel in time, bring people who lived (in Jericho) around 9,500BC into the room of our reconstruction, they would recognize this person.” 

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The City of Bridges, Pittsburgh hosts the inaugural edition of our partnership with the SME. RAPID + TCT 2017, May 8-11, drops anchor at the David L. Lawrence Convention Center on the banks of the Allegheny River, right next to the Three Sisters Bridges.

Bridging the Gap 016

VOLUME 3 ISSUE 1 www.tctmagazine.com

Reverse Engineering ACCELERATING 3D TECHNOLOGIES

OT ONLY ARE THE THREE SISTERS BRIDGES unique for the fact that they’re the only trio of near identical bridges in the U.S. but they are also the earliest working examples of selfanchored suspension bridges on the planet. It is, therefore, apt that a trade show focusing on ingenuity in engineering should honor these feats of construction by making one of the bridges the centerpiece of the longrunning feature - The Puzzle Challenge. The Puzzle Challenge helps attendees explore the different additive manufacturing technologies and materials represented on the show floor. You’ll have the opportunity to collect the pieces of a puzzle and assemble them into a complete design. The design will be 3D printed by RAPID + TCT 2017 exhibitors. At TCT Towers we use previous years’ Puzzle Challenge to demonstrate the many different technologies to new starters. This year’s Puzzle Challenge is a scaled down model of the Roberto Clemente Bridge and in order to model it, the SME had to enlist the help of Faro Technologies, Direct Dimensions, and the NextManufacturing Centre at Carnegie Mellon University. The collaboration was required to take the firstever 3D scan of the most westerly of the Three Sisters Bridges, reverse engineer it, split into puzzle pieces and dole out to the relevant additive OEMs. SME Event Manager, Maria Conrado, expressed her delight at recreating city landmarks with additive technology for the

showcase event. She said: “Rapid + TCT 2017 showcases the latest growth and advancements in the additive manufacturing and 3D printing industry. The manufacturing industry is important to Pittsburgh, and it is exciting that we are using additive technology to reproduce 3D models of a special landmark in this city.”

A Faro Technologies Focus3D Laser Scanner was used to conduct the scan of the iconic bridge. Direct Dimensions will be converting the raw laser scan data into a 3D CAD model. It will then be in the correct format needed to make the 3D-printed physical models. Michelle Edwards, the Applications Engineering Manager of Faro Technologies, believes the scanning of the Roberto Clemente Bridge can spur other innovators on to create similar models. She said: “3D scanning technologies allow physical objects to be captured and transformed into 3D digital models with incredible detail. Scanning something as recognizable as the Roberto Clemente Bridge can spark many conversations. “People have never seen this bridge as a 3D point cloud. Once they see that, they begin to question their own processes. That’s how innovation happens.” Sandra DeVincent Wolf, the executive director of the NextManufacturing Centre at Carnegie Mellon University, was present when the scan took place and noted that it symbolizes the region’s current position as a hub for 3D printing and other advanced manufacturing technologies.  For more information on and to register for RAPID + TCT 2017, head over to www.rapid3devent.com

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A GLOBAL LEADER IN METAL AM Sintavia is the global leader for Independent Metal AM for critical industries, including Aerospace & Defense, Oil & Natural Gas, Automotive, and Ground Power Generation. By leveraging Design for Additive Manufacturing while offering elite powder analysis, postprocessing, and mechanical testing on-site, Sintavia offers unprecedented manufacturing services to these important industries.

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THE STATE OF ADDITIVE MANUFACTURING IN 2017 WOR DS : G or don St yl e s , f o u n d e r a n d Pr e s i d e n t o f S ta r R a pi d

W According to SmarTech Publishing, annual shipments of metal additive manufacturing systems will grow between 20 and 25 percent in 2017.

HILE 2016 PROMPTED a more widespread use of 3D metal printing, this year we can expect to see varied applications of this process as it comes to the forefront of manufacturing for production. According to SmarTech Publishing, annual shipments of metal additive manufacturing systems will grow between 20 and 25 percent in 2017. We will also see a rise in using 3D printing for conformal cooling cores in toolmaking and new post-processing techniques for plastic and metal parts.

THE 3D METAL PRINTING DESIGN LEARNING CURVE

3D metal printing is unlike 3D plastic printing so the industry is experiencing a learning curve when it comes to designing for this process. 3D metal printing requires the ongoing education of designers on how to design parts to avoid excessive support structures. There are two factors hindering the adoption of 3D metal printing: topological optimization and part weight/volume reduction. Topological optimization improves material layout within a given design space, but with metal parts, this presents a challenge. Manufacturers have to EDM wire the build off the plate, with all the supports still attached to the part, and then spend hours using robust engineering tools to remove each support, one at a time. Go through this process a few times and you are desperate for parts that can be oriented where only one or a few supports are required. That’s why there are key rules that designers must abide by to help reduce costs associated with support removal. These include: overhangs need to be less than 0.5mm; all downward facing structures must be designed so that they can be built on at least a 45-degree angle from horizontal; horizontal holes cannot be less than 0.5 mm and holes greater than 10 mm need supports. Weight/volume reduction will also drive adoption of 3D metal printing. To do this, one must consider making hollow or highly-optimized and organic designs. Programs such as Altair’s OptiStruct, AutoDesk’s Within or Dreamcatcher are helping designers create extremely organic and highly

evolved structures that optimize the weight to performance ratio dramatically.

RAPID TOOLING THROUGH 3D PRINTING GOING MAINSTREAM

3D printing of tooling in both metals and polymers is simpler and creates fewer barriers to adoption. The use of 3D printing for conformal cooling cores (CCC) in toolmaking can improve the accuracy and aesthetics of the resulting injection molding. First, it allows the tool to be cycled between hot and cold for each molding right at the surface of the core or cavity. The capillary cooling channels are very close to the surface of the core or cavity and therefore the entire mold does not have to be cycled. Having a hotter mold surface during injection allows the melt to flow further, have fewer gates, and/or reduces the effects of weld marks. It also reduces the effect of sink marks and improves the quality of textures on the part. Secondly, you can improve cycle time by being able to remove the energy from the part much faster since efficient cooling is so close to the surface of the tool face. This can reduce cycle times by as much as one-third of the regular time.

POST PROCESSING OF 3D PARTS

For plastic and metal, post processing improves the quality of parts and ensures that they meet the design specifications. PVD coatings and vacuum metallization creates stunning finishes for plastics and metals including gloss parts, various colors, and textures. One post-processing method that is truly cutting-edge is the texturing of 3D printed parts directly by Mold-Tech. Manufacturers can have any pattern from their library or a special design directly onto the prototype part. Although this texture can be applied directly to the model, it is common that the plastic or metal part is first sanded or painted to improve the quality of the texture or pattern applied. These three trends present an exciting future for the additive manufacturing industry so we’ll just have to wait and watch.  For more information visit www.starrapid.com

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test,

analyze, characterize for

additive manufacturing

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New Machinery for 2017 ACCELERATING 3D TECHNOLOGIES

A Mark in

BELOW: Parts printed on the machine after the sintering step

the Sand

WOR D S : DA N I E L O ’C O N N O R

where the little spheres of the metal N 2014, MARKFORGED made a splash are just starting to bond to each other at Solidworks World by launching a and hold the shape. Then when you 3D printer capable of embedding a ramp up to the sintering temperature continuous carbon fibre into plastic atoms from outside spheres will pull parts for added strength. In the three years into each other and mass will fill in the since, Greg Mark’s company has developed gaps.” new software, hardware, and materials like When described in this manner, the the chopped fiber filament, Onyx, gradually ADAM process shares similarities to evolving into one of 3D printing’s mainstays. that of XJet’s NanoParticle Jetting, At CES 2017 that evolution went revolution which uses an inkjet print head to with the launch of a more affordable metal 3D lay down metals that have been printer, the Metal X. suspended in a liquid bubble that Markforged is using what it is calling Atomic evaporates in the build chamber Diffusion Additive Manufacturing (ADAM) to leaving an unsintered metal part. It make, with a further sintering step, fully dense, also shares similarities with a less wellfunctional parts in materials like stainless known project by a company called steel, Inconel and titanium. MIT graduate, the Virtual Foundry. founder, and CEO, Greg Mark tells TCT that The Virtual Foundry successfully the technology his firm has developed would funded its range of filaments called allow for the manufacturing of metal parts with a “Filamet”, through Kickstarter back solidity of 99.7% at a fifth of the current cost. in February 2015. The Canadian firm “When you look inside powder-bed fusion claimed and did show that it could machines everything is stainless steel, create pure bronze, copper and everything functions at a super high temp and brass materials using any desktop 3D sometimes vacuum sealed,” Greg told TCT. printer capable of printing PLA and a “Because we don’t have to build our geometry ABOVE: sintering oven. Much the same way inside a furnace we don’t have to worry about The Metal X was launched at CES as Markforged is doing. The marked moving parts in such a harsh environment.” 2017’s 3D Printing Marketplace difference between Virtual Foundry is The manufacture is two-fold; first, the Metal execution, not only is the Metal X printing in materials that its X machine takes the material in the form of filament that is customers have requested but it has features like in-process 60% metal 40% plastic, melts and extrudes in the same way metrology and its feature packed software. all FDM printers do. Once the part is completed on the Metal Filamet has not struck a blow to companies like Renishaw, X it is transferred to a sintering oven (sold separately) where SLM Solutions, Concept, EOS, 3D Systems or Arcam and the plastic is burnt off and the part binds. It shrinks from the Greg Mark admits that “If you can afford a million dollar metal print to final part by 20% and Markforged’s software, Eiger, 3D printer, buy one. For the rest of the world, this is for you.” can be set to automatically adjust the size. “It is like printing a negative of a film,” says Greg. “You print But with Markforged’s ever-growing reputation for quality and companies like Vader Systems and Desktop Metal the negative and then you’re developing it into the positive. joining the fight, 2017 is shaping up to be an interesting year “The first thing you’re doing is burning off the plastic in the fight for affordable metal 3D printing.  binder and the metal particles do what is called necking

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The most influential 3D manufacturing event in North America The two industry leaders in 3D technology events, SME and The TCT Group, are teaming up to bring you RAPID + TCT. The event will be the premier destination for innovation, education, collaboration and networking in 3D manufacturing.

Why attend? Learn how to use 3D technologies to reduce time to market, produce stronger and lighter parts, improve efficiency, and create complex geometries. Consult with industry experts before you make equipment decisions. Visit hundreds of 3D technology manufacturers in one room. Network with thousands of attendees and see how theyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re addressing challenges.

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New Machinery for 2017 ACCELERATING 3D TECHNOLOGIES

Rizeand Shine

RIGHT: Rize One 3D printer

WOR D S : Ja m e s Woodc oc k

OLIDWORKS WORLD is a user community event that brings together 5,000 or so designers and engineers every year. It is becoming something of a hot-bed for the AM/RP/3D printing crowd: Stratasys unveiled full-color there (and this year unveiled the F123 series, more on page 24) and Markforged premiered the Mark one. This year, Rize took advantage of the captive audience to show for the first time its Rize One 3D printer ‘in the flesh’. So I dutifully dropped by for a poke around. On the outside, it is a serious, sturdy looking system that could be dropped into any office without ruffling any feathers. Inside, the most immediate piece of the puzzle is the single extrusion head fed by a single filament of proprietary plastic material ($99/kg) — the reasons for this decidedly closed ecosystem start to become clear once you start looking around inside. Nestled behind the extruder head is a second print head, this time of the inkjet variety. The two methods work in tandem to deliver what Rize have dubbed Augmented Polymer Deposition (APD), opening up huge possibilities for what is, in reality, the simplest 3D printing technology on the market.

RIGHT: Support removal of Rize One part

PLEASE RELEASE ME, LET ME GO

IN the part; in between the extruded layers. In this first iteration of Rize’s hybrid tech, This means it’s there for good. It won’t rub the extruder-inkjet combo work together away or wash off as parts are handled, it’s to overcome the problem of same-material an indelible feature of the part straight off supports to produce one of the lowest effort the machine. If you’re running off dozens of post-processing workflows I have seen. iterations of a part for analysis and need to Where model and support meet, the Rize track them through, this alone could save One inkjet deposits a solution, called Release you time, energy and sanity! One, between the two faces. For the time being, the Rize CEO, Frank Marangell printing is monochrome and explained: “To get the best blue is the color. Look a little results, the filament and inkjet closer at the innards of the material must be developed in Rize One however and you’ll tandem. The properties each see a trick familiar to anyone must have are dependent on that bought from Objet the properties of the other, so (a company that formerly concurrent development is employed a proportion of the the only solution. For Release Rize team); there’s too much One this means we get kit in there. There are more enough adhesion between inkjet heads than you need faces, but never too much. for monochrome ink and It’s complex materials science Release One and too many that allows the user the loading bays for inkjet-able simplest experience possible.” material. In fact there are ABOVE: Text labels applied not two but six possibilities The test part consisted of a as part of 3D print reasonably simple geometry for simultaneous jetting. with part-material base and supports for Essentially the Rize One is future-proofed for overhangs, which I was instructed to remove. the next round of developments. The supports don’t fall off, you need a decent “The current system is ready to use and pressure to shift them, but when they come offers huge improvements over current single away the ‘break’ is clean and accompanied process extruding systems, both in part quality, by a pleasing ‘pop’, the surfaces are smooth post-processing and color printing,” says Frank. and the part geometry is true. “We are working on the next updates to the system which may include part smoothing [where the inkjet material would ‘blend’ the THE WRITING’S IN THE WALL layers of build material in process]; CMYK The test part also had colour [hence the extra heads and bays]; a second invaluable or even one day manipulating the filament feature that is enabled materials characteristics across the part, for by the hybrid approach. example in terms of hardness or transparency.” A part number was The first updates — CMYK colour — clearly printed on are expected to be shown for the first the part in blue ink. time at TCT Show in Birmingham, UK this Well, actually that’s September, and we may even see innot true – the part process part smoothing to boot.  number is printed VOLUME 3 ISSUE 1 www.tctmagazine.com

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NEW MACHINERY FOR 2017

Easy as 123 WOR DS : L A U R A G R IFFIT HS

Stratasys has been consistent over the last 12 months with a string of product launches including CAD-to-print, full color prototyping, and large-format 3D Demonstrators that literally flip additive manufacturing (AM) on its head. a month into 2017 and the AM colossus showed no signs of putting the brakes on innovation with the launch of a new series of machines aimed at addressing the needs of the professional prototyping market.

AUNCHED AT THE annual SOLIDWORKS World event, which took place in Los Angeles last month, the new FDM-based F123 Series has been built from the ground up for office, lab and classroom environments with Designworks, a BMW Group Company. Aimed at professional users, the series, which consists of F170, F270 and F370 machines, is designed to make rapid prototyping more productive for design workgroups. A report by Gartner in October stated that, as 3D printer machine sales increase over the next four years, “prototyping will remain the primary enterprise use”. The application area is one of the most fertile for the industry with the potential for businesses to save significant levels of capital and time during the development of a new product. Stratasys believes there is a $10-$15 billion global market for prototyping and that’s not even close to being exploited. Design workgroups are a major part of that value chain and according to a recent Stratasys survey, top priorities on their list are accessibility, ease of use and material choices, all of which the company hopes to address in this latest release.

024

VOLUME 3 ISSUE 1 www.tctmagazine.com

BELOW: Motorcycle helmets

“Today there is a vast market opportunity in product prototyping that we feel is not being addressed by current 3D printing systems,” Zehavit Reisin, Vice President, Head of Rapid Prototyping Solutions, Stratasys explained. “The launch of the Stratasys F123 Series targets these product design workgroups, industrial designers, engineers, students and educators who demand a professional quality rapid prototyping solution that’s simple to use, produces reliable, engineering-quality results, integrates perfectly within an office or lab setting, and is affordable to own and operate.” Though aimed at the pro user market, usability is key and Stratasys claims the machines can be used by virtually anyone, regardless of 3D printing experience, to build durable and accurate prototypes. The units are available in three different build sizes ranging from 25.4cm to 35.56cm and can produce parts at a layer accuracy of +/- .002mm. The design is sleek and they operate with minimal noise to blend into a regular office environment. Functions are performed using a touch screen but can also be done remotely from any networked computer in a shared office environment or

produced by Center for Advanced Design are tested for design validation

monitored via mobile. The machines also accept up to four material types, PLA, ASA, ABS and PC-ABS, available in 10 colors to support a wide range of modes and applications, all of which Stratasys says can be switched in and out of the machine in under a minute. “Our inspiration for the design of the Stratasys F123 Series was advanced robotics. Just as robotic tools of the future will adapt to their envisioned usage environment, we worked with Stratasys to create a look, feel and ergonomic design for the F123 Series that would offer expertly crafted user interactions,”

ACCELERATING 3D TECHNOLOGIES

LEFT: Stratasys F123 Series

Stratasys believes there is a $10-$15 billion global market for prototyping and that’s not even close to being exploited

BELOW: Stratasys F123 Series touch



ABOVE: Stepper assembly prototype alongside final product

screen interface

said Andre de Salis, Creative Director, Designworks which helped design the machine’s exterior. “The Stratasys F123’s striking metal cladding expresses the performance, durability and refinement of the 3D printer to bring a new level of excitement and accessibility to professional 3D printing.” The F123 Series is described as an “end-to-end rapid prototyping solution”, which allows users to start with fast and economic draft models in PLA and move through the design cycle to verify form and functionality using production-grade materials. It’s speedy too, with build times

up to 25% faster than the current Stratasys Dimension series and up to 50% faster in “Fast Draft” mode. Having a machine like this readily available within a design team, gives product developers the ability to work through all of the necessary stages of product substantiation to shorten lead times and reduce costs before moving onto full scale production. Ten beta Stratasys customers have contributed to 90,000 hours of testing the machines since September, one of which is the Center for Advanced Design. “The key for us to fast-track product development is getting physical samples in front of our customers as soon as possible,” Jesse Hahne from the Center for Advanced Design, commented. “With our new Stratasys F370, we’re able to get brand new iterations in a matter of hours. This rapid prototyping solution has truly become a member of our team.”

The series is supported by Stratasys Insight and GrabCAD Print design-to-print software, which was launched last May to simplify STL preparation by giving users the ability to print directly from CAD. Stratasys acquired GrabCAD, the world’s largest community of mechanical engineers, back in 2014 and has since been working hard to enhance its software offering to streamline the 3D printing process. Connected by the cloud, the compatibility of GrabCAD means that anyone on the design team can schedule and monitor prints. In addition to this, as a long-time member of the SOLIDWORKS Partner Programme, Stratasys has announced a GrabCAD Print AddIn for SOLIDWORKS. Providing greater access to the SOLIDWORKS professional user-base, the add-on allows users to estimate and print parts for a range of Stratasys machines, including the F123 Series, without leaving the SOLIDWORKS environment. The F123 Series is available to order now and will begin shipping globally in March 2017 with prices starting at less than $20,000 for the F170.

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The Additive Manufacturing Users Group (AMUG) has grown into one of the most important dates on the calendar. The 2017 edition of the event by users for users, held March 19-23 at the Hilton Chicago, continues that upwards trend with an expanded expo and conferencing program.

CONFERENCING

HE FAMED AMUG conference will, this year, feature over 300 presentations, panel discussions and workshops in 22 concurrent sessions. During each sitting, users will be able to gain in-depth insight into all areas of the additive manufacturing (AM) process, from material handling to post-processing and all that comes in between whether your interest is in plastic or metal-based AM. Accompanying the conference is a stellar keynote line up. Todd Grimm, president of T. A. Grimm & Associates and AMUG’s AM industry advisor, will open the conference on Monday, March 20. Grimm says that he will use highlights of the changing additive manufacturing landscape to shed light on where the industry is going and offer guidance on how attendees can get there. 2017 will be his seventh appearance as an AMUG keynote speaker. Stacey DelVecchio, additive manufacturing product manager for Caterpillar, will step onto the AMUG stage on Tuesday, March 21, to discuss how Caterpillar’s strategy to bring 3D printing from prototype solution to manufacturing method has evolved. Stacey will also share how Caterpillar is leveraging its innovative incubator to “think big…start small…act fast”. As product manager, Stacey’s team focuses on deploying AM technology within product groups. She also manages the company’s Additive Manufacturing Factory. She holds a B.S. in chemical engineering from the University of Cincinnati and proudly served as the 2013-2014 president of the Society of Women Engineers. Jason Lopes, of Legacy Effects, returns for his fourth AMUG keynote appearance. Lopes work in special effects has used AM in movies and television series including Avatar; Ironman 1, 2, 3; Avengers 1, 2 and the upcoming third; Pacific Rim and Jurassic World. AMUG President, Steve Deak said, “For Jason’s keynote, we have a new twist this year. He will begin his visual journey of his use of additive manufacturing for special effects on Monday; continue with video shorts on the following days, and then wrap up on Thursday with a Q & A session. The goal is to illustrate the amazing things the company does and how it selects the right technology for the job.” One of the highlights of the 2016 edition of AMUG was the Innovator Showcase featuring a fireside chat with Stratasys’ Scott Crump. Todd Grimm hosted the revealing and entertaining interview with the inventor of FDM technology in which he revealed how he finds his optimum creativity outside of his comfort zone. In 2017 Todd will be using that same style, which elicited such interesting responses from Crump, to interview Carl Deckard, inventor of Selective Laser Sintering (SLS) and chief technology officer for Structured Polymers. 

W O R D S : Da n O ’C on n or

AMUGExpo

N SUNDAY (19TH) AND MONDAY (20TH) OEMs, vendors, and suppliers dedicated to the AM industry will showcase their wares to attendees. With a high-level of conversation expected here are just a few exhibitor highlights: 

SLM Solutions: Booth D6 SLM Solutions is proud to support the Additive Manufacturing Users Group (AMUG) as a Diamond Level Sponsor again in 2017. In its suite, SLM Solutions will premiere the SLM 280 2.0 to the North American audience. Advancing the successful first generation of the metal 3D printer, the new generation system, which made its world debut at formnext powered by tct last November, features upgrades to increase power with dual 700W lasers available and advanced gas circulation and filtration. Additionally, the SLM 280 2.0 combines dozens of smaller changes such as redesigns for convenience, ergonomics, throughput, worldwide industrial standardization and ease of use incorporated in both the hardware and software. The new developments aim to further reduce build times while guaranteeing high-quality standards, even in production processes. During the week SLM Solutions will also host an array of seminars and customer training. Presentations including how to metallurgically evaluate a 3D printed part, SLM Solutions Software, customer case studies and a User Group will all take place during the annual conference. 

RIGHT:

SLM 280 2.0

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ACCELERATING 3D TECHNOLOGIES

AMUG 2017 PREVIEW

AMUG PREVIEW

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Aristo Cast: Booth #41

An award-winning investment casting service provider with in-house printing equipment and software capabilities, Aristo Cast says there is nothing it cannot produce, “faster, cheaper and in a greater selection of alloys” compared to alternative metal printing processes. Aristo Cast will be at AMUG 2017 to discuss how investment casting gives customers the ability to jump straight from prototyping into production. 

3D Systems: Booth #D8

ABOVE: D Systems’ Figure 4 Technology

Somos: Booth #D9

Renishaw: Booth #D1

Something of a hometown show for Somos, the materials company, has hinted that it may well show a new product at AMUG. During AMUGExpo Somos encourage attendees to stop to informally talk about your 3D printing needs and enjoy some Chicagan eats and drinks. 

Three guest speakers, users of Renishaw metal AM, will present in the Diamond Suite on their experiences. Dr. Sarat Babu, founder of Betatype, talks about architecture materials; Mathieu Brochu of McGil University presents the advantages of pulse laser powder and Brian Slocum of Lehigh University looks at the effect of laser power on part strength. There are further talks from Renishaw experts on Renishaw-developed software for industrial and medical build files and part preparation, with product software demonstrations available to delegates across the week. 

ExOne: Booth #D3 ExOne will be featuring several customer presentations that focus on a variety of topics from process to materials. Two major highlights of the week will be the Washout Tooling demo and the ExOne Users Group, both on Wednesday. The Washout Tooling Demo will be a hands-on demo that will provide attendees with the basics about the process. After the demo, Jeremy Senne from San Diego Composites will discuss how his company utilizes Washout Tooling to lower manufacturing costs. 

3D Systems will provide attendees with a glimpse of 3D production solutions across industries and use cases, from metals to plastics. Following 3D Systems’ recent acquisition of Vertex-Global Holding B.V., a global provider of dental materials under the Vertex and NextDent brands, the company will highlight its progress in digital dentistry and demonstrate the impacts and advantages it anticipates from combining its Figure 4 engine with NextDent materials. In addition to these demonstrations and daily, expert-led information sessions, 3D Systems’ will showcase its end-to-end digital workflow designed to enable fast and accurate design and manufacturing. The company will feature new capabilities in hardware and software that will help customers transition from prototyping to production. 

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ABOVE: Core 12 Architectured metal foam designed by Betatype.

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ACCELERATING 3D TECHNOLOGIES

Last year, the Under Armour Architec Training Shoe was a technical award winner for Advanced Concepts. The Technical Competition returns in 2017 with both the Advanced Concepts and Advanced Finishing categories up for awards that are displayed at the conference’s AMUGexpo and judged by a panel of five DINOs. Winners will be announced during the Awards Banquet.

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ACCELERATING 3D TECHNOLOGIES

BASF opens up

AMUG PREVIEW

BASF: BOOTH #D11 HP: BOOTH #D5

HEMICAL GIANT BASF is known for providing some of the world’s biggest industries with the materials that make them possible. With a 150 year history spanning industries such as energy, to pharmaceuticals and plastics, the company has most recently turned its attention to the demand of the additive manufacturing (AM) sector by establishing a dedicated AM business and extending its expertise to AM-specific materials. Speaking to TCT, Kara Ann Noack, who joined BASF’s 3D printing effort in 2015 as Head of 3D Printing North America, said that customers across markets are looking to apply the polymers they’re already operating with to 3D printing applications. “It’s very varied across markets, across technologies. I would say the common thread is we want more, more choices, and we want better materials that are going to be able to enable functional parts,” Kara explained. “3D printing started off primarily being a prototyping technology but now people want to be able to make functional parts that go ABOVE: HP Jet Fusion into production or enable material them to go further through cartridge their testing lifecycle. The robustness and functionality of the parts have to be greatly improved and they need material innovations for that.” Collaboration appears to be key in this industry and BASF has been developing integrated individual system solutions for customer applications together with industrial partners such as Prodways, Laser Sinter Service (LSS) and Farsoon. Most notably, last May BASF was one of the first big names announced as part of HP’s Jet Fusion Open Platform, which invites materials manufacturers to collaborate on the development of new materials for its Jet Fusion 3D printing technology. The focus is being driven by the “low-hanging fruit” application demands of end-users

to produce industry specific and general material offerings. “We believe that open platform strategies are going to really help 3D printing explode,” Kara commented. “It’s great to be able to directly engage with end-users on what their material needs are and then also work with the HPs of the world to optimize those materials on their technologies. I think everyone wins in that kind of situation so we’re really excited about that.” BASF has established a new dedicated business unit within BASF New Business GmbH (BNB), which identifies and develops long-term trends into new ventures. The company has also invested in an Application Technology Center for 3D printing in Heidelberg, Germany dedicated to developing customized material solutions and downstream applications with some of the world’s leading AM firms, such as Farsoon with whom the company co-developed a polyamide-6 powder for laser sintering. Inside the center they’ve got just about every major additive technology on hand, ready to be put to the test with new material formulations. BASF will attend this year’s Additive Manufacturing Users Group Conference as a Diamond Sponsor. In addition to presenting its own conference track, the company is keen to show fellow additive

Kara Ann Noack, Head of 3D Printing North America

users how BASF materials can be useful in their projects through a Design Contest. The contest goes hand in hand with BASF’s acknowledgement that education is one of the primary factors, coupled with machine and peripheral innovations, that needs to be addressed in order for this industry to move forward. “It’s kind of a perfect storm of more open material platforms, more material innovations from companies like BASF,” Kara added. “It’s really also about the technology innovations from the equipment manufacturers and perhaps one of the most important things too is the education build up of the design engineers knowing how to implement 3D printing and not think in just traditional manufacturing ways. I think when all those things start snowballing we’ll see a real escalation and tipping point in 3D printing and its applicability to production and functional parts.”  Visit BASF at the AMUG Conference on booth D11.

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LFFT: Working gear mechanics printed in BASF’s Ultrasint PA6 X028 in one piece.

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Renishaw Solutions Centers... lowering the barriers to Additive Manufacturing

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Renishaw Solutions Centers provide a secure development environment where you can build your knowledge and confidence using metal AM technology. Equipped with the latest metal AM, machining and metrology systems, and knowledgeable engineers, Solutions Centers offer you a fast and accessible way to deploy additive technology in your business. Renishaw will support you throughout your development process, helping you to optimize your design, build confidence, and gain the evidence you need to make sound investment decisions.

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FORMNEXT REVIEW



LEFT: LEAP fuel nozzle

WORD S : L A U R A G R I F F I T HS

T FORMNEXT POWERED by tct 2016, General Electric made its intentions clear: it is going big with additive manufacturing. That should come as no surprise, since 2010 the company has invested $1.5 billion in manufacturing and additive technologies at its Global Research Center (GRC) in Niskayuna, New York and at the Frankfurt event, Mohammad Ehteshami, Vice President and General Manager at the recently launched, GE Additive addressed the crowd with bold plans to lead the additive revolution and grow its new additive business to $1 billion by 2020. When a major player comes into the industry, there’s a worry we will be spoonfed the benefits of additive manufacturing (AM) for the hundredth time whilst trying desperately not to shout “we already know this”. With GE, the tone is a little different as the company is keen to endorse its external efforts (the goal is to install 10,000 machines outside of GE, around the world, in the next 10 years) rather than pushing why its offering is the first or better than its counterparts. That’s largely a product of how this new venture came about with the highprofile acquisition of two major metal AM companies laying the foundations for a new subsidiary, GE Additive. In case you missed the recent headlines, which were responsible for two consecutive “stop the presses” moments at this very magazine, GE announced in September it was to acquire both SLM Solutions and Arcam for the impressive sum of $1.4 billion. Whilst the industry was quietly celebrating a deal that many believed would finally rubber stamp the technology, behind the scenes the SLM agreement fell through due to GE failing to meet the terms after activist investor Elliot Advisors, who have a 20% stake in SLM, rejected the bid making it harder for GE to reach the 75% minimum threshold. Without wasting a second, enter another German metal AM leader, Concept Laser, which agreed a $599 million deal to give GE a majority stake in the company. So now GE has two

metal technologies at its disposal and a new vertical, which aims to take additive to the next level. In the same way Avio Aero is branded as a GE Aviation business, the idea is that Concept Laser and Arcam will, in time, be known as GE businesses, meaning their technologies will continue to serve their current customers but GE will be able to influence and expand their respective technologies. With both Arcam’s electron beam melting (EBM) and Concept Laser’s powder bed-based laser additive processes, GE Additive is fully focused on becoming a leading supplier of additive machines, materials and software.

Our goal is to produce 10,000 machines over the next 10 years for our customers around the world, in addition to 1,000 or so for internal consumption of GE.

INVESTING IN FUTURE TALENT

In a press briefing at formnext, Mohammad explained how GE wants to make AM as intrinsic to the next generation as using an iPhone. Similar to how smartphones have become second nature, GE wants to provide the necessary tools in schools and colleges to educate young people about AM so that they grow up with a thorough understanding of the technology. That’s a big ask, but it’s making a serious $10 million investment in two education programmes, under the GE Additive Education Program (AEP), aimed at developing future AM talent to ensure that it happens. GE is planning to spend $2million in the first two years to subsidize up to 2,000 desktop polymer printers for primary and secondary schools, of which it has formed an agreement to do so with education focused 3D printing company, Polar 3D. The remaining chunk of investment will be spent on implementing metal 3D printers in colleges and universities across a five-year period. Schools can now apply to be a part of the GE AEP. “We have to make sure that children get exposed to technology at an early age,” Mohammad explained. “If you look at my son versus my generation, my son got his ›› iPhone when he was five years old, I didn’t have an iPhone

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ACCELERATING 3D TECHNOLOGIES

How GE will accelerate the additive manufacturing revolution

FORMNEXT REVIEW ACCELERATING 3D TECHNOLOGIES

RIGHT:

Inside GE Additive part

until I was 40-50 years old so when they grow up with it, it becomes second nature. We are committed to give $10 million over the next few years to both elementary and grade schools, and also higher education, universities and colleges around the world to print both plastics and metals so students get used to AM and this becomes second nature and something that we can collectively collaborate and push forward.” Mohammad has been a GE man for over 30 years. During the same briefing he explained how he was all set to retire from the company but put his plans on hold when the GE Additive opportunity came knocking and it’s easy to understand why. Mohammad’s enthusiasm for the technology is palpable, describing it as a “totally different game” for the manufacturing industry after first coming into contact with it in 2007 and then in 2011 when working on the LEAP engine in one of those ‘Eureka’ moments you hear about when the team was so excited they stayed at the office all night. Now he’s passionate about the ways in which GE can take the technology further. “We want to make sure we can continue to print larger and larger parts, more and more accuracy, faster speeds,” Mohammad continued. “It’s all about speed, size and ability to change the game and I believe that AM is transformational, it will be the next industrial revolution, I truly believe it.” GE has invested significantly in AM technologies building dedicated facilities across the globe focused on R&D, metal powders, machines, engineering and production. It already has 12 Arcam machines running non-stop at Avio Aero and is planning on pushing additive in all verticals of the business such as power, medical and automotive, to find out where it can add real value. At the very start of this year, GE

Additive announced it will collaborate with GE Capital to sell and finance additive manufacturing through a range of customized financial solutions that will make it easier for businesses to adopt additive technologies. Mohammad’s keynote address at formnext centred on “accelerating the additive revolution”, which for some will be a contradiction to the epiphany that additive hasn’t exactly been the industrial revolution it set out to be. Yet with increased investment and GE’s credentials, maybe being bold is a good thing and a welcome reminder about how revolutionary additive can be when used effectively. As deals are finalized and investments are put into action, GE Additive will certainly be one to keep a close eye on over the coming months.

It’s all about speed, size and ability to change the game. I believe that AM is transformational, it will be the next industrial revolution.

Head over to tctmagazine.com to watch Mohammad Ehteshami’s keynote in full or download the audio version with the TCT podcast.



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We create chemistry that helps imagination love 3D printing.

Visit us at AMUG 2017 to learn how BASFâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s innovative solutions are helping to unlock the true potential of 3D printing. When imagination becomes reality, itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s because at BASF, we create chemistry. To learn more, please contact us at 3D-printing@basf.com. www.basf.com

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US MAP ACCELERATING 3D TECHNOLOGIES

3D Printing & Additive Manufacturing

SERVICE PROVIDER MAP

The ever-popular annual TCT 3D Printing & Additive Manufacturing U.S. Service Provider Map is back for 2017. For our digital subscribers, the map is also available to download for free on the TCT APP.

EATURING SERVICE BUREAUS from all over North America, this bumper pull-out is designed to provide you with all of the information you need to find a local manufacturing partner that fits the needs of your project. Whether you’re looking for a first prototype or to manufacture products that are ready for your customers, use and keep this handy guide as your go-to point of reference for your upcoming projects to help you find the technology you want and the lead times you need. 

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Service Bureaus ACCELERATING 3D TECHNOLOGIES

Deputy Group Editor, Laura Griffiths takes a trip to California to visit some of the most prolific 3D printing bureauS in the U.S.

The Great American 3D PRINTING Road Trip We utilize our technical expertise and in-depth understanding of each technology’s benefits to determine which applications these technologies are best suited for

(Almost)

N JUST ANOTHER EXAMPLE of how it’s to Dinsmore’s toolset, two a hard life being a journalist in this industry, Carbon M1 3D printers. The after this year’s CES, fellow TCT’er, Carol technology, which stole much of the industry’s Hardy and I decided to shake things up on limelight in 2016 for being fast, we now know is in our annual trip to Las Vegas and hit the open road fact less about speed and more about the myriad in search of some of North America’s biggest 3D of engineering grade materials it supports, and printing service bureaux. Dinsmore is keen to take advantage of that as We figured we would head West to California one of only a handful of bureaus in the country (told you, it’s a pretty tough gig), believing the four to offer the service. During our visit, a Carbon hour drive filled with road tunes from TV shows set representative was on hand discussing projects in The Golden State with customers would be something over the phone checked off the and carrying out bucket list. Instead, maintenance on the dream was the machines, abandoned when so it’s clear the the reality of having Silicon Valley never driven in the start-up is up for U.S. and choosing getting stuck in the notorious LA to make sure the traffic as a test drive technology is as had us questioning big a success as our sanity. A short it’s been hyped plane ride and Uber up to be. saved the day. Dinsmore is ABOVE: Stratasys Fortus 900mc machines at Stratasys Direct Manufacturing Our first stop resolutely all was Dinsmore, an Irvine-based company that’s about the customer-focused approach, as is declared been helping products come to life with additive in its mission statement that it’s “not an automated 3D technologies since 2002. Headed up by Jay printer”. The idea is that the bureau is an extension Dinsmore, there’s a cool and casual atmosphere as of the customer’s team and its engineers will work we enter the office but that doesn’t mean the team with clients to discuss a project from design to finish, isn’t working flat-out on the thousands of orders depending on each unique case. that come through the door on a weekly basis. “At Dinsmore our focus is always on the At the facility machines are running 24 customer,” Jay explained. “Recurring or new hours a day with a staff of 25 “cranking it out” customers are all treated the same way. Our team as Jay describes, on a range of technologies is committed to guiding customers through the including SLA, SLS, FDM, DMLS, PolyJet, CNC, entire process of their project execution, from quote injection molding and the most recent addition generation to design, iteration, production and final ›› VOLUME 3 ISSUE 1 www.tctmagazine.com

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product delivery, we are in constant contact with our customers and always ensure that their expectations are met.” The bureau covers just about every technology including both plastic and metal. Right now there’s no metal 3D printing machinery in-house but Jay says Dinsmore has its eye on a few things that could change that in the near future. Working mainly with Somos materials, it’s also adding more materials to its kit, particularly with the M1 platform to offer customers the biggest range of choice whether they’re looking to for those first prototypes or products that are customer-ready. “Our focus on an expanded technology offering allows us to meet all our customers’ needs, from rapid prototyping to final part production. Our customers trust us to get the job done,” Jay commented. “The rate of innovation across manufacturing technologies, and particularly 3D printing, has increased exponentially in recent years. Our customers trust us to be their go-to subject matter expert across an array of new and developing technologies.” Our conversations and the prints we see in the office spanned everything from automotive parts to medical devices and it was great to see the Oakley Angel which

ABOVE: Rows of SLA machines at Stratasys Direct Manufacturing



RIGHT: Production floor at Stratasys.

featured on the cover of this very magazine a few years back taking pride of place up on the wall. They’ve got all kinds of orders coming through and it’s very unpredictable, the bureau can have a relatively quiet day on the agenda and can then be completely slammed within a matter of hours but Jay says the overall industry is getting back to some kind of normalcy after that initial 3D printing hype. “As pressure for shortened product design and production timelines continues to grow, the role of the service bureau or contract manufacturer is more important than ever before.” Jay added. “Customers expect their service providers to be the most knowledgeable about new technologies and their application opportunities. Remaining focused on our customers’ needs, and ensuring that we continue to be experts in new technology and applications has ensured our continued growth and success.” Precisely one hour and 20 minutes in the other direction, in what our driver commented was the longest job he had ever booked, we headed to Stratasys Direct Manufacturing. With eight facilities across the States, two in Valencia alone, it’s the biggest 3D printing bureau in North America. We arrive just as a startup is picking up some prints before we meet with Scott McGowan, VP of Marketing and Jacqueline Vaughn, Marketing Communications Manager, for a tour. Stratasys Direct has been in action for two years after Stratasys completed the acquisition of both Harvest Technologies and Solid Concepts in 2014 and combined them with its own 3D

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Service Bureaus

“Our customers trust us to be their go-to subject matter expert across an array of new and developing technologies” 3D printing at the Dinsmore Lab

Part finishing at Dinsmore

understanding of each technology’s benefits to determine which applications these technologies are best suited for,” Scott commented. “Stratasys Direct Manufacturing is a solutions provider, and our customers rely on us to provide the best solution to meet their project’s requirements.” At the second facility, just a moment’s walk away, the floor is filled with FDM equipment ranging in size from Fortus 400 to 900 machines and there are over 100 across the bureau. As far as any new machine installations on the horizon, Scott is tight-lipped but says the company has its eye on “anything you can think of”. Screens are placed up on the wall, like an airport departures board, detailing the numerous jobs in the print queue. Typically a customer will start with a quote from Stratasys’ rapid quote service or direct contact with the sales and project engineering staff based on their design, material, size and finishing specifications. Once approved by the customer, the project goes into production, which can include manufacturing, quality control, post-processing and inspection, all of which is done in-house. Most parts we were able to see were part of bigger projects, and as is often the way with product development, mostly confidential. “Every project is unique, so we feel that individualized attention is crucial should there be any questions or need to rely on internal expertise,” Scott commented. RIGHT: Bureaus are a massive part of the Dinsmore offers AM ecosystem with many product Carbon’s CLIP technology developers choosing to outsource

their manufacturing requirements to service providers that can provide multiple technologies rather than perhaps say one or two that they alone may be able to invest in. In fact when I first wrote on the current state of the service bureau market back in 2014, one of the comments made by a UK service bureau was that they’ve seen businesses purchase their own AM systems as a result of getting caught up in the hype, only to get rid and go back to outsourcing. Scott says this initial influx has resulted in different types of users; customers that believed 3D printing could do anything, and more industrial users who have come on board due to heightened awareness in blue chip boardrooms. “What we have also seen in recent years is a higher level of engagement from industry leading companies and OEM’s. For a long time, the proliferation of 3D printing was a ‘grassroots’ effort pushed forward by individual contributors and engineering and design teams,” Scott, commented. “Now, there is also a push from the top. CEO’s and high-level managers have seen the impact 3D printing is making in their company or have recognized its potential, and they are passing down the desire to assess and integrate this technology into their product development and production portfolios.” As awareness continues to grow, service bureaus like these are ramping up their capabilities and keeping their eyes out for new technologies to ensure they’ve got the most comprehensive toolkits and expertise at hand for whatever any industry throws at them. It’s hardly news anymore that there’s no one-size-fits-all for AM but these guys are showing you can be a one-stop solution and doing so with an impressive number of traditional and additive technologies under their belts. As we waited for our last Uber ride back to the hotel, our would be-road trip came to an end, but I get the feeling there will be much to return for in the near future with more technologies to see, and hopefully for us, a few more land miles in the bag.  To find a 3D printing service provider near you, check out our 3D Printing & Additive Manufacturing Service Provider Map inside this issue and on the TCT app

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ACCELERATING 3D TECHNOLOGIES

printing service, RedEye to form one giant super bureau. Though Stratasys-owned, the bureau is completely “technology agnostic” as Scott explains taking us through the first facility, which is filled with an army of stereolithography (SLA) machines. You’ll probably be thinking, “but Stratasys doesn’t do SLA?” and you would be right – the rows of machines are in fact from 3D Systems of which there are 40 company wide. “We utilize our technical expertise and in-depth

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SOFTWARE ACCELERATING 3D TECHNOLOGIES

The Changing Face of

CAD



LEFT: New Leopoly ShapeLab app allows users to create models in VR.

Deputy Group Editor, Laura Griffiths takes a look at a new era of CAD software.

.S. COMPUTER SCIENTIST, Patrick J. Hanratty is widely regarded as the father of what we now know as Computer Aided Design (CAD). In 1957, he invented PRONTO (Program for Numerical Tooling Operations), the first commercial numerical control system, and while working at the General Motors Research Lab helped to develop DAC (Designed Automated by Computer), one of the earliest graphical computer aided design systems. Soon after in 1961, fellow computer scientist, Ivan Sutherland presented a thesis at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, which detailed another groundbreaking technology “Sketchpad”, the first tool to allow users to manipulate objects with a light pen on a CRT monitor, blazing the trail for modern CAD and the development of computer graphics. Advancement continued and by the end of the Sixties, Pierre Bezier, a French engineer, introduced UNISURF, a system developed to assist car body design and tooling, marking the first steps into 3D. Years later, many lessons learned and versions created, a more condensed, but all the while far superior version of CAD is now commonplace on desktops in engineering and design firms all over the

world. But the idea of what CAD is continues to evolve as other forms of design and technology shake up what users want and need from their digital toolbox, particularly in the case of additive manufacturing.

VIRTUAL REALITY

Virtual reality (VR) and mobile applications are just two formats which have broken past the boundaries of simply being cool to offer up a new mode of design that can be quicker, more hands on and accessible. At the end of last year, software developer, Leopoly launched a new set of tools to allow businesses and individuals to create 3D models in VR. The new app, named ShapeLab allows users to draw with digital sculpting and painting tools in a virtual environment and makes it easy for objects to be brought back into the physical world with 3D printing. Describing content creation as “one of the most exciting things” about VR, Roland Manyai, CEO at Leopoly, explained how it allows users to view and experience products as if they were real. “We are entering a new wave of digitization changing the way we view, design, share, manufacture and distribute products. This phenomenon has ››

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SOFTWARE

BELOW: Shapr3D drawing on iPad Pro.

It’s not the first time we’ve seen freehand modeling in VR, Google’s VR drawing app Tilt Brush already lets users paint in the space around them and Oculus Medium allows users to model organic looking shapes using touch controllers and then 3D print them. It’s not designed for precision engineering but for beginners it provides a tangible way of making models that feels akin to drawing and simplifies design for 3D printing. Away from VR for direct design, the technology is being used for validation and collaboration as Dassault Systèmes’ showed at CES 2017 with its 3DEXPERIENCE platform, which now allows users to view, explore and validate product designs with the HTC Vive Business Edition VR system. The idea is that during product development, industrial designers, mechanical engineers, marketers and project managers can use a VR headset to access a virtual model on the 3DEXPERIENCE platform and gain a deeper understanding of an object’s depth, solidness and design.

PORTABILITY

From the huge UNIX systems of the 1960s down to tiny tablets, mobility is something that’s causing developers to adapt their systems so that users can create, view and edit their designs on the go. We saw an example of this a while back in an update from Adobe which now allows Photoshop users to export 3D PDF files and view them in Adobe Acrobat, making it much easier to share and review 3D models without requiring access to the full software. For Budapest-based startup, Shapr3D, their aim is to make CAD as accessible as possible by bringing around 30% of the features of full-scale CAD packages to the iPad. Available in both

ACCELERATING 3D TECHNOLOGIES

multiple layers, including 3D printing, scanning, new types of CAD software, marketplaces and supply chains,” Roland explained. “VR and AR bring whole new dimensions to how we can benefit from our new digital worlds. They provide not only fun experiences but real added value to view, modify, create products not yet produced in a real life-like environment and also to engage customers and makers in a very new way.” ShapeLab has been successfully Greenlit on the Steam platform and will be available to HTC Vive users soon. The current version is limited to a single user experience with a reduced number of features but new design tools and a co-creation experience are set to be on the horizon. Already working closely with companies such as HP, Lowe’s and Bosch on tailored software solutions, Leopoly is intent on bringing these new capabilities to business-orientated VR solutions designed for 3D printing, retail, health care, toy and interior design industries. Offered as white label solutions, products include VR experiences for shopping, customization of video game characters, and simple view and assembly applications for components. “I see three major trends in CAD software development. The first one is to offer more tools and smart algorithms for handling files for 3D print-ability,” Roland commented. “Second, there are more and more tailor-made CAD solutions to a particular problem to make or prepare digital files for manufacturing or just for presenting. Third, as more and more people joining this great new wave of digitization, tools have to be easier and it is not surprising that more and more big and small companies talk about the disruption of CAD by offering easy-touse solutions. And the extra layer now is the VR that makes it very exciting for the industry and us too.”

ABOVE: Leopoly Product customisation in VR. free and subscription-based packages, Shapr3D allows anyone from beginners to professionals to create and modify 3D models using an iPad Pro with Apple Pencil. Describing what he envisions as the next wave of “the mobile revolution”, the company’s Growth Marketer, Gabor Papp believes the demand for portable and accessible design tools is only going to grow. “There will be a lot of new applications that are specifically designed for tablet use because these tablets will eventually overtake the PC market,” Gabor explained. “What we are doing at the moment is not only bringing CAD to tablets but also trying to be a leader in this shift and show people that you can actually use your tablet for productive work, for actual serious work and not just for watching YouTube videos or playing games. But you’ve got to build software specifically for these devices.” Even with the iPad Pro’s professionalgrade computing power, you might not want to trade in your desktop just yet. Currently Shapr3D runs only around 10% of the functionality of a full CAD programme, how far they take it is really only limited by the power of the hardware but the company hopes to introduce more advanced features such as simulation tools in the near future. A company that’s already tackling the simulation process is SimScale. Founded in 2012, the product is designed to make simulation easier and less costly by offering a browser-based cloud platform that can perform simulation of structural dynamics, fluid dynamics, thermodynamics, acoustics and particle phenomena. Taking a webbased approach, users are able to leverage data from completed simulations in Public Projects, meaning you don’t need to start from scratch.

CAD TO MANUFACTURING

The impact of 3D printing on software has been substantial. CAD programmes have had to re-learn what a 3D shape constitutes, which can mean complex, multi-faceted, lattice-like forms that you wouldn’t have seen in production a few years ago. This has gone hand in hand with generative design, which mimics nature’s approach to structure based on specific design parameters to produce weird and wonderful shapes that ››

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SOFTWARE

We are entering a new wave of digitization changing the way we view, design, share, manufacture and distribute products.

RIGHT: Mars Rover model from Shapr3D.

can’t easily be manufactured in any other way. However, as the software has gotten more sophisticated, there’s a pull from the opposite end of the spectrum from makers and hobbyists who are crying out for a simple software solution that will allow them to create and print their own designs. “What we see with 3D printing is that as more and more people have access, there is a very big difference in people downloading something off the internet and printing it out versus you sitting down and creating it,” Gabor added. “When you actually hold that thing for the first time, that’s when you have the revolution that I created it and the machine printed it. That is very important and we usually try to focus on the second part. What has been one of the biggest struggles is that there has been no winner in an entry level product that is intuitive to use but still professional, not a kid’s toy.” Throughout CAD’s lifespan, four main players have remained consistent including Autodesk, which this year is celebrating 35 years in the industry since the launch of AutoCAD. As one of the biggest providers of design software, Autodesk boasts an extensive portfolio of products covering just about every form of design and manufacturing technology you could imagine (AutoCAD itself now exists in 17 different versions) all intended to give designers and manufacturers more power over the production lifecycle and embrace innovations like VR to provide a more immersive experience. “With the evolution of VR technology, manufacturers can now also easily transfer their CAD models into a virtual

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environment for even further optimisation and development,” Asif Moghal, Senior Manufacturing Industry Manager at Autodesk. “Through VR goggles, they can see real-sized virtual prototypes of their designs, allowing them to explore detailed models for quality checks and reach decisions at the earliest stage possible, before their concepts are brought to life with a physical prototype.” Moving onto manufacturing, Asif also notes how developments in CAD have enabled better cohesion with CAM (Computer Aided Manufacturing) software to overlap stages of the making process and keep production lines running smoothly. “Thanks to improvements in accessible visualization, modeling, maintenance and data analytics, CAD now allows engineers to create products faster and with higher precision and quality than ever before,” Asif added. “What’s even more exciting however,

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is that to keep up with the manufacturing demand, we are now seeing CAM being integrated with CAD. Such integration is enabling manufacturers to have even better control over additive manufacturing or CNC machines and to connect the entire product development process.” Monochrome to color, desktop to tablet, 2D to 3D, linear to additive manufacturing, CAD has changed dramatically since its invention. Whilst doing some reading for this article I came across an old blog post, which highlighted remarks made by SOLIDWORKS at their annual event back in 2009 about how CAD might look in ten years time. Key predictions included touchscreen interfaces, viewing in VR and access to design from anywhere on any device. If these predictions are anything to go by, it looks like we’re already ahead of schedule, who knows what another ten years could bring? 

BELOW: SimScale simulation

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JOINT VENTURES – DON’T GO IT ALONE WOR DS : T O D D G R I M M

Some may consider collaboration with those outside of your organization to be optional, but collaboration within is a necessity.

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ITH THE PACE of additive manufacturing (AM) advancement and the breadth of possible applications, there is much to discover, investigate and learn. In the last issue of TCT Magazine (2.4), I suggested that companies appoint a “Sherpa” to monitor changes and guide activities. This month, the call to action is even greater—join forces to accelerate your AM success. This message of collaboration was sparked by two events, one past and one coming soon. A few weeks ago, I participated in a meeting of CEOs and CTOs, representing large, global companies. We enjoyed discussions of additive manufacturing successes from the aerospace, medical and energy industries. Although the participants were sharing their triumphs, these conversations served only to fuel the primary reason for the meeting: discuss collaborative efforts that can accelerate victory in each company’s AM ventures. These companies have varying degrees of measurable AM success, yet all were supportive of efforts to collaborate. Their rationale was straightforward—AM is too big, too dynamic and too important to tackle alone. While all the companies shared that rationale, the motivation varied. Some of the attending companies feared that they were falling behind while others yearned to accelerate innovation. Collectively, these companies can create a body of knowledge, one that is not readily available today, that offers direction coupled with practical science and technical instruction. This knowledge improves the odds of success of all contributors. If large, global companies with AM successes see the need to collaborate, what does that say for all those without similar resource availability? Quite simply: Small and mid-sized enterprise can advance by pooling resources and sharing knowledge. The coming event that turned my thoughts to collaboration is the Additive Manufacturing Users Group (AMUG) Conference. Annually, those that use AM come together to share their experiences and exchange knowledge. Those exchanges—the collaboration at the user level— are what make the AMUG Conference unique and what justifies return visits year after year. The discoveries at the AMUG Conference— which range from practical tips to insights on stealth technologies to strategies for advanced applications—allow companies to do more

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with, and get more from, AM. Listen in on the conversations in the hallways and dining areas and you will witness new ideas and better solutions being born from the back-and-forth banter. These two events illustrate the extremes of collaboration. The AMUG Conference is individual and informal. The C-level meeting envisioned a structured, corporate venture. Between the two, there are many other collaboration opportunities for your teammates, departments and organization. Certainly, there is an option that fits your needs, your plans and your AM vision. Some may consider collaboration with those outside of your organization to be optional, but collaboration within is a necessity. With few exceptions, organization have pockets of AM information. Even companies that are in the spotlight for using AM in advanced and creative ways have internal factions that struggle to understand and use the technology or beg for the funds to properly equip and staff an AM lab. Knowledge and understanding are lacking in these situations. Those that have the insight have contained it within a silo. It is time to free that information so that others across the organization can capitalize on it. It is time to free the knowledge through collaboration between departments, locations and business units. You would also be wise to consider collaboration along the supply chain. As illustrated by the C-level meeting, virtually all organization are in need of guidance, insights, research and data. Since there is already some degree of information transfer, why not extend that exchange to AM? Make AM excellence a joint venture between suppliers and manufacturers, a venture that can make the output better, faster and cheaper. There is so much to learn and discover, and that body of knowledge will continue to expand as the future for this dynamic technology unfolds. Collaboration, in any form, will play a positive role in deploying practical applications today and building roadmaps to tomorrow. 

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