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Cover story

6

06. DREAM IN COLOR DyeMansion and HP on the opportunities opened up by the combination of the DM60 coloring station & HP 5420W printer.

HEALTHCARE 9

09. A KIT FOR BETTER CARE

Sam Davies talks to the University of Nottingham about the development of a 3D printing toolkit for sophisticated medical applications.

13. STACK THE ODDS

We explore an aortic root CTO surgical planning model with patient-specific arteries created using 3D printing.

26 EMERGING MARKETS

26. FLEXIBLE ELECTRONICS

Voltera CEO Jesus Zozaya talks to us about the potential of 3D printed flexible electronics.

32. REINVENTING ADDITIVE

The University of Nottingham's Richard Hague talks multi-functional & multimaterial AM.

29 EXEC Q&A

29. PERSONALIZATION AT SCALE restor3d CTO Cambre Kelly discusses achieving the scaled personalization of medical devices and meeting FDA regulations.

AMUG

31. AMUG CHECKLIST

BUSINESS CASE

35. WHAT DO YOU NEED TO KNOW?

Industry experts share their advice on how best to integrate additive into your business.

40 POST PROCESSING

15. TESTING, TESTING

15

Laura Griffiths looks at the capabilities of Theta Technologies’ RD1-TT nondestructive testing solution.

25. IT’S ELECTRIFYING Oli Johnson catches up with GPA Innova to discuss its DLyte eBlast technology.

EXPERT COLUMN

40. ROCKY ROAD

35 9

Sartorius’ Head of Additive Manufacturing Jeremy Pullin on the key considerations to make when adopting AM.

FROM THE EDITOR

LAURA GRIFFITHS

A 3D printer isn’t just forChristmas

My dad sent me a photo the other day of a 3D printer looking very sad and unloved in the window of a trade-in store on our local high street. I won’t mention the brand just that it was a basic, polymer extrusion-based desktop system, hardly used, with a bright yellow discount sticker stamped on the build plate.

I guess we could take it as a compliment. Has the general public become so nonchalant about 3D printing that it's now just seen as another piece of tech, like a tablet or a smart watch you swore you'd get more use out of? Who knows what the original owner had intended to do with that machine before ultimately retiring it to a dusty fate next to an overpriced set of speakers and a weathered guitar from some brand you’ve never heard of – and who knows where it will end up next. But given this is our business case issue, it got me thinking about all those AM machines purchased with the best intentions that now stand redundant in workshop corners, classrooms, and garages. Which 3D printing dream did they buy? What considerations need to be made when thinking about making that hardware investment and adopting 3D printing into a business? On page 35 we ask a range of experts, people that have spent their careers building machines and using them, exactly that.

In our healthcare focus, an industry in which the case for additive is a no brainer (improving people’s lives) but the business side a challenge (lack of funding, complex infrastructures and slow regulatory progresses), Sam Davies finds out how an EPSRC

grant for Nottingham University could help get 3D printing technology into UK hospitals much faster. We also have a case study from MedScan on developing an aortic root CTO model using 3D printing, and an interview with Cambre Kelly, co-founder and Chief Technology Officer at restor3d, who you can hear more from on an upcoming episode of our Additive Insight podcast.

When it comes to making an AM business case, emerging markets are hugely attractive. They’re new, they’re exciting, and they allow AM to flex its capabilities as an enabling technology for previously unimaginable applications. On page 26, Oli Johnson speaks to Jesus Zozaya, Co-founder of Voltera about the potential of 3D printed flexible electronics, and I have a great chat with Richard Hague at Nottingham’s Centre for Additive Manufacturing (CfAM) about reearching multi-material, multifunctional AM, and the challenges around commercializing such projects into meaningful applications.

As this issue goes to print, we’re just weeks away from the 2023 AMUG Conference – if you’ve picked up your copy of the mag on-site, nice to have you here. I haven’t been to the conference since 2019 so I’m excited to be making the trip to Chicago, to mingle with real end-users and, I can’t lie, make the most of that free-flowing coffee. Looking at how busy those five days are shaping up to be, I’m going to need it. Check out my quick AMUG survival guide on page 31 and see you there?

DyeMansion & HP introduce vibrant color options for HP Multi Jet Fusion white parts.

New possibilities and huge potential.’

The excitement was palpable. Of Henrik Lundell, Senior Business Development at Prototal Industries, and many other HP Multi Jet Fusion (MJF) users too. Prototal is Northern Europe’s biggest supplier in 3D printing, vacuum casting, aluminum tools, and injection molding, and was among the first recipients of the HP Jet Fusion 5420W system launched at Formnext.

This new HP solution, when paired with the HP 3D HR PA 12 W material, can yield components printed in white. The platform promises the high-quality production of parts, providing much the same benefits as HP’s other robust, manufacturing-ready MJF platforms. But it’s the company’s partnership with DyeMansion – which complements MJF's industrial-grade reliability, low cost per part and enhanced manufacturing predictability –where, according to Lundell, the possibilities and potential become new and huge.

Back in April 2020, DyeMansion introduced its first vibrant color dyeing options for grey components manufactured on HP’s Multi Jet Fusion platforms, and an extension of their collaboration has seen them do the same for white parts made on the HP 5420W.

“Specific to the new HP Jet Fusion 5420W, HP is working closely with DyeMansion to demonstrate advanced post processing options for customers using the new HP Jet Fusion 5400 to produce white parts,” said HP Global Head of 3D Polymers François Minec.

This collaboration aligns with the ecosystem ethos that Minec emphasized when speaking to TCT in November. Then, he spoke of creating a seamless workflow to integrate, for example, post-processing elements, while also noting the results that can be achieved when pairing

the 5420W with DyeMansion’s well-regarded finishing and dyeing technologies.

In 2020, 17 vibrant color options were made available by DyeMansion for users of MJF and its DM60 coloring station, four years after the launch of HP's 4200 series.

“Our technologies have the potential to set a new benchmark.”

This time, as HP unveiled its 5420W machine, DyeMansion immediately made available an initial ten vibrant color options.

Proffering its Print-to-Product workflow, DyeMansion is supplementing the additive manufacture of white parts with its range of post-processing options. Users can clean parts with the Powershot C, finish them with the Powershot S or Powerfuse S, but by offering the DM60 coloring station, they can also breathe life into their products. The DM60 platform is backed up by 170 RAL and standardized colors, while also facilitating color matching and custom color development to cater for corporate colors, seasonal trends, and individual skin tones.

Of the ten standard ISO certified colors already available to users of the HP 5420W, shades such as Peony Pink and Eivissa Blue can be incorporated into products, with more in development. DyeMansion and HP expect to showcase these additional color options at RAPID + TCT in May.

Among the many industries HP is targeting by enabling the printing of white parts, it anticipates a greater play in the healthcare market, with white being the industry’s standard color. But by working with DyeMansion to provide coloring capabilities, the company can also facilitate more embellished solutions in the consumer medical sub-sector.

“The introduction of the HP Jet Fusion 5420W has already shown great interest and traction in the polymer/powder bed market and we look forward to seeing what new ideas and applications can be realized when combined with our post-processing technology,” shared Markus Josten, Director Global Business Development & New Markets at DyeMansion.

While Prototal harnesses HP and DyeMansion technology to serve an array of industries, the 5420W and DM60 combination has already been leveraged by OEMs in healthcare and consumer goods. ED Lighting has used the technologies to develop its Icon collection of desk lamps with increased productivity, while Castomade has developed patientspcecific upper limb casts for twist fractures that benefit from an increased ‘color freedom’, which is considered ideal for skin tone matching. With regards these applications, HP describes the printing of white parts as a ‘blank canvas for new ideas and creations’

– both products are available in white or in the color options provided by DyeMansion.

Invent Medical is another to take advantage of the Jet Fusion 5420W and DM60 offerings. This company is using the technologies in the development of its cranial remolding orthotics, which are made up of two assembled printed components. These parts, which serve to improve the shape of a baby’s skull as they grow in their early months, are finished using DyeMansion’s Powerfuse S both before and after color is added with the DM60 station.

“The possibility of printing white parts with the new HP Solution unlocks even better and more personalized offerings from companies such as Invent Medical to their patients,” Minec said.

Consumer medical has been identified as a key field for the blend of HP’s white parts offering and DyeMansion’s coloring options. In the case of Invent Medical’s cranial remolding orthotic, HP’s printing technology facilitates a custom-made, light, breathable helmet, while DyeMansion’s DM60 color station enhances it with personality and character. Invent Medical has also reported faster and costeffective scalability by harnessing an additive manufacturing workflow.

“Color and aesthetics are key, so we are excited that with white MJF parts, we can enhance our offering for pediatric patients further,” offered Jan Rosicky, co-founder of Invent Medical Group.

“I am happy that we were able to collaborate closely together with HP in the run up to the launch of their HP Jet Fusion 5420W printer and showcase the bold and vivid colors that can be achieved with these parts,” added Felix Ewald, CEO and Co-Founder of DyeMansion. “The combination of our technologies has the potential to set a new benchmark in the industry.”

DyeMansion (Booth #54, Salon D) and HP (Booth #53, Salon D) will both be exhibiting parts printed with the HP Jet Fusion 5420W and dyed with the DM60 station at the AMUG Conference between March 19-23. Both companies (DyeMansion – booth #3518; HP – booth #4618) will also showcase additional vibrant color options at RAPID + TCT between May 2-4.

A KIT FOR BETTER CARE

Sam Davies speaks to the University of Nottingham about the development of a 3D printing toolkit for the design of healthcare applications.

product that’s going to deliver this new therapeutic gain,’ but when it comes to it, what material shall I use, and which material is going to be printable?

“You find, suddenly, that your scope is narrowed because there were only a few materials that are commonly used for 3D printing.”

The CfAM is home to around 100 people, a range of research projects, and two groups which have been spun out into their own entities. There exists a shared belief inside the CfAM lab that if you don’t ‘understand the science, the processes and the engineering’ around the technology, ‘then we’ll always be capped on what we can deliver.’

SHOWN: 3D PRINTED BIOPILLS

Alack of available materials. Arduous product development cycles. And a long route to market.

This is the diagnosis of 3D printing’s application in healthcare after an extensive examination by the University of Nottingham’s Centre for Additive Manufacturing (CfAM).

It delivered its analysis in January off the back of receiving a 6 million GBP grant from the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (ESPRC), which – the CfAM hopes – will go some way to providing the solution.

The CfAM’s aim is to develop a 3D printing toolkit that plots the course for those developing medical applications to go from research to development to clinical adoption.

“We’ve come to understand that there are some really difficult-to-overcome obstacles that are preventing wholesale adoption of 3D printing. The dream is that you see it everywhere, and you don’t,” Ricky Wildman, Professor in Chemical Engineering at the University of Nottingham, tells TCT. “One of the reasons for that is there aren’t the right materials available to meet the needs of particular products. So, somebody might come through in the healthcare industry and say, ‘I’ve got this great idea for a 3D printed

It also assesses the current application of 3D printing in the healthcare space to be ‘very powerful, but fairly simple in its construction.’ Applications that might fit these criteria include prosthetics or surgical models, those which carry some of the aforementioned hurdles but not enough to completely hold their development back. Where CfAM wants to have its initial impact with the toolkit is medical solutions that have more sophisticated functions, such as drug delivery or tissue regeneration.

“It’s sort of creeping in,” Wildman says of 3D printing in healthcare, “but we can see that it has a role in having a much deeper and wider role in making people’s lives better through better therapeutics, through better healthcare, through support functions.”

“There are some difficult-toovercome obstacles preventing wholesale adoption of 3D printing.”

Over the next five years, the CfAM will endeavor to develop three ‘field-changing’ products, and in the process, build up the 3D printing toolkit so it can then be deployed on a host of other medical products – Boston Micro Fabrication will be among the CfAM’s advisors on this project. Those three initial products will be a biopill – an oral dosage form for delivering biologics; biocatalytic reactors that will help to produce medicines efficiently; and an intestinal patch to address intestinal bowel disease.

Talking to the latter application, Wildman explains: “The idea is that we can build a patch that a surgeon can implant into the intestine and regenerate the tissue inside of the intestine. And that means quite a complex shape, quite a complex material – it has to be a graded material, it has to be tissue-like, it has to be able to support cells. It’s a complicated setup, a very challenging product that can only be made by 3D printing. We’re going to use that and say, ‘what are the challenges associated with making such a sophisticated product?’ and use that to create the toolkit.”

This, Wildman says, will help to inform the generation of the toolkit by tackling more challenging products first, allowing those involved in the project to work out what the necessary elements of the toolkit are. Once those elements have been established and implemented, the next step will be to take it to market.

Once there, the CfAM anticipates a toolkit that is capable of providing a high throughput screening of materials to full function of the product. This screening will include the screening of a vast materials library to ascertain the best option for the product and its function, as well as the printability of the part(s). Computational screening tools are to be developed to speed the chemical screening of candidate materials up, while the CfAM also aims to integrate machine learning to rationalize the design process and ‘combine those promising materials in the right way.’

One of the key drivers of this toolkit is to take full advantage of

multi-material inkjet technologies. Wildman cites the development of a joint prosthetic where a soft material is required in one area of the component that interacts with the soft tissue, and a hard material required in another where the part interfaces with the bone. It’s the belief of CfAM that, to really take advantage of the multimaterial printing process, a toolkit to provide guidance on material selection and design is required.

“You want to be able to design it to have the right function, the right modulus, the right flexibility, but also have these other functions in there, which means that integrates with the tissue and, of course, is biocompatible,” Wildman says. “All this requires some kind of design framework and there are design tools out there for 3D printing already, but there are not very many for multi-materials. So, we want to be able to integrate our computational screening with our design tools that tell us where to put each of our materials and what the overall shape of our product is going to be.”

When the time comes, the CfAM expects not to spin out a business to drive the toolkit to market, but instead engage with a consortium, which includes deep tech innovation organisation CPI – part of the High Value Manufacturing Catapult in the UK. Through this consortium, the CfAM hopes to engage with as many medical businesses as it can, eventually integrating its toolkit IP into their manufacturing workflows.

“We’re hoping that, ultimately, the more companies that adopt this toolkit type approach, the more 3D printing products will get into clinical and get onto market,” Wildman finishes.

“Our view is that 3D printing has much to offer the healthcare industry. The number one, I suppose, for the healthcare industry, is the fact that you can personalize and make it on-demand and bespoke, so when it comes to healthcare, personalized medicine is where it’s at. And additive manufacturing is perfectly placed to be able to deliver that personalized medicine. Our job is convincing industry and making it easy for industry to adopt that technology. It’s now about making that case and making it easy for industry to put it into clinic.”

“Our view is that 3D printing has much to offer the healthcare industry.”

SHOWN: RICKY WILDMAN, PROFESSOR IN CHEMICAL ENGINEERING AT THE UNIVERSITY OF NOTTINGHAM

SHOWN: 3D PRINTED BIOCATALYTIC REACTOR

STACK THE ODDS

MedScan3D & Corrib Core Lab on an aortic root CTO surgical planning model developed with 3D printing.

At a desktop 3D printer, a 15-year-old loads a design from software to hardware, presses print, and turns in for the night. From nothing but digital data and a material feedstock, he will have a new Star Wars figurine ready to add to his collection by morning.

The capabilities of this technology aren’t lost on his cardiologist grandfather either. Dr. Patrick W Serruys, who manages the Corrib Core Lab, has been practicing since the 1970s but he too has embraced the capacity to materialise plastic models from digital input in a matter of hours.

Working with MedScan3D, a specialist in converting medical scans into STL files for the 3D printing of medical models, and Capbuster, the makers of a balloon catheter and guidewire combination device, Serruys has developed an aortic root chronic total occlusion (CTO) model with patient-specific coronary arteries. The model, printed as a single multi-material part, is designed to help surgeons prospectively and retroactively gain understandings on how to best approach the aortic CTO procedure.

“You’re not going to go into the patient without knowing what you’re going to do,” Serruys told TCT.

“You’re going to put all the odds on your side and have training, planning, and simulation before [operating].”

The model was developed using patient data from a CT scan, with the data being sent to MedScan3D for segmentation using its FDA-approved DICOM to Print software. This yields a rough digital model which is made suitable for 3D printing after post-processing in Autodesk Meshmixer and parametric design, in which a tank and conformal holder were engineered, with Siemens SolidEdge. Leaning on the Stratasys J826 Prime multi-material PolyJet 3D printer, MedScan3D then

printed the model before distributing it to the Corrib Core Lab.

Before the model was printed, conversations between MedScan3D, Corrib Core Lab and Capbuster were had to determine which materials were most suitable to mimic which areas of the aortic valve model. Using their experience and the Hounsfield Unit to measure radio density, the partners selected a rigid polymer material for the sections of the model which represented calcified areas of the aorta valve, and softer elastomers for sections such as the vessel wall. With attention to detail of the utmost importance, the partners also took advantage of the CT scan data to ensure the arteries mimicked were specific to the patient.

With this model, the surgeon would then use the semi-transparent model to simulate actions made in the surgery.

“What we will do,” Serruys explained, “is cannulate the ostium of the coronary artery with the guiding catheter. The second step is going to advance the small catheter which has a small balloon and when we get in contact with the cap, we will inflate the balloon [and] we will see if the balloon is nicely anchored. If it is nicely anchored, the next point will be to advance the rigid wire, which is anchored in an helicoidal system and you rotate a quarter of a millimeter, advancing very slowly. There is no problem of flow because it’s totally occluded so the patient doesn’t feel anything. All these steps will be repeated and at each step you can learn ‘don’t do this, but do that.’”

To develop the aortic root CTO model, it required a two-hour segmentation process and a two-hour printing process. Timings that would be palatable for most surgeons preparing for most surgeries, with the overnight additive production of models identified as an opportunity by Serruys.

Before the guidewire and balloon combination was introduced in the 1980s, the only therapeutic intervention for a total occlusion was bypass surgery. Now, the treatment of CTO might be about to take another step forward with 3D printing.

“Through close collaboration with healthcare professionals, engineers, and patients, we can create innovative solutions that address unmet medical needs and enhance people's lives,” said MedScan3D Technical Director Jacqui O’Connor. “We are enthusiastic about the possibilities that lie ahead.”

WORDS: SAM DAVIES

Why intelligent depowdering means an efficiency booster for postprocessing and the production process of AM parts

Recently, depowdering pioneer Solukon has launched the first depowdering software, the SPR-Pathfinder®. Learn in our short Q&A what makes this software an efficiency booster in postprocessing.

What motivated Solukon to launch the SPR-Pathfinder?

It’s always been Solukon’s ambition to automate and simplify powder removal. In 2018, Solukon CEO Andreas Hartmann discussed the potential for an algorithm-based depowdering mode with Dr. Christoph Kiener, Principal Key Expert on Functional Design for Manufacturing at Siemens Technology. We were sure that metal parts might get too complex to let humans do the programming of the depowdering motion pattern. Developed by Siemens Technology in a joint project with Solukon, the software was unveiled publicly for the first time in 2018 under the name SiDAM.

After a successful testing phase SiDAM turned out to be the game-changer for automated depowdering that we intended it to be. So, Solukon has acquired exclusive rights to the software, developed it into a Solukon product, and brought it to the AM market under the new name, SPR-Pathfinder®.

What are the fundamental capabilities of the product?

SPR-Pathfinder® software uses the build job’s CAD file to calculate the ideal motion in the Solukon system. The SPR-Pathfinder® calculations are based on a flow simulation that analyzes the part’s digital twin. The individually calculated motion sequence is then read by the Solukon system, which in turn runs the programmed paths.

The SPR-Pathfinder® can currently run on SFM-AT800-S and SFM-AT1000-S models.

What are the benefits of using SPR-Pathfinder in real-terms?

• The SPR-Pathfinder® is a fireand-forget software. So you basically load the CAD file in binary format into the software and it does the rest. So, there is no human programming or teaching of depowdering motion sequences required anymore.

• Significant time savingsNo time is needed for programming anymore and users have more time for more valuable working steps in the process.

• With the software you get an optimized degree of part cleanliness especially for components with intricate internal channels.

• The SPR-Pathfinder® paves the way to a true serial cleaning and therefore to serial production. Obviously, SPR-Pathfinder® executes the same cleaning program for the same kind of parts.

• SPR-Pathfinder® is able to calculate the motion sequence for the whole build job, i.e. even for different parts on one build plate simultaneously. This means another booster in efficiency for AM productions with a greater variance of components.

• As soon as the CAD file of the component is ready, SPRPathfinder® can calculate the depowdering motion patters. So, the depowdering can be arranged even when the printing of the part is still in progress. The software also ensures part cleanliness, so designers can freely design their components and do not need to consider any obstacles in depowdering.

Why is creating a digital twin for the post-processing of parts important?

Creating and working with a digital twin in postprocessing makes the process steps after printing predictable and scalable even if the parts are still in production. Before, SPR-

Pathfinder® was launched the digital twin was just usable in the printing process but not in any subsequent process steps. For a total digital manufacturing process, the postprocessing needs to be digital to a certain degree. The digital twin is one tool for that, alongside sensors and digital interfaces.

And how does the software integrate with the rest of the additive manufacturing workflow?

The software itself works not in the Solukon system but on a PC or laptop via any recent windows operating system, giving maximum flexibility.

Via OPC UA you can load and start the cleaning program, calculated by SPR-Pathfinder® in the Solukon system. Just like the Solukon systems themselves, the SPRPathfinder® is compatible with every 3D printing system and peripheral equipment on the market. www.solukon.de

TESTING, TESTING

WORDS: LAURA GRIFFITHS

While advancements in postprocessing technologies have undoubtedly made the adoption of AM in production environments much smoother, in some instances, post-processing has sustained its place as the industry’s ‘dirty little secret’, one rarely revealed when being dazzled by perfectly polished pieces on perfectly lit trade show displays. The time-savings promised by AM’s rapid production rates can oftentimes be lost to hours spent manually chiselling, tumbling, or blasting to achieve that single finished component. Worse still, what if you invest precious time and resources into a part, only to reach your final inspection step and discover it’s not up to spec?

But what if you could test earlier and catch any flaws before a part even arrives at the post-processing station? Theta Technologies, a UK-based engineering company specializing in non-destructive testing (NDT), says you can.

“If we can detect a flaw when it happens, then that opens up the opportunity to pull [the part] out of production and see why,” Prof James Watts, Chief Technical Officer at Theta Technologies, told TCT in a recent conversation about how rapid inspection performed throughout the manufacturing process, can save time, costs, and headaches, further down the line.

A spinoff from the University of Exeter, Theta Technologies has developed what is thought to be the world’s only nonlinear resonance NDT solution capable of performing a complete NDT in under one minute. The RD1-TT

made its debut at TCT 3Sixty last June and is said to be able to detect flaws in complex metal 3D printed parts, including those that are not visible with other NDT technologies. Theta Technologies says the process can be widely applied to a range of manufacturing techniques but, for the last six months, has focused its attention on the metal AM space where the demand for NDT to further the technology’s adoption in critical applications was clear.

“If you look at pretty much any review paper on the options for non-destructive tests for metal AM, it is pretty much X-ray CT or visual inspection,” Watts elaborated. “Many of the machine manufacturers will tell you that you can qualify the process and once you've qualified the process, you can just trust it. But talk to anyone

who actually uses the parts and they know that's not true.”

Like post-processing, the measurement and inspection of AM parts can also be a challenge, particularly for those end-use applications where nothing less than full NDT will suffice to ensure safety and reliability in critical environments. For industries like aerospace and medical, where parts are being sent into the sky or implanted into the human body, stringent testing must be adhered to, and for additive parts in those industries, that expectation is no different. It’s a “cultural shift”, Watts argues, and while there are already thousands of AM parts out there in such scenarios, safety critical parts are often constrained by the need for this form of meticulous, expensive and time-consuming testing, and as a result, forego the fundamental benefits of design for AM.

“Whereas it would have been possible to make that part using a really beautiful organic structure where there's material only where the stress analysis says that it needs to be, they've gone for a solid block because they can use ultrasound to see if there are any flaws,” Watts explained. “If it's made using AM how AM should be used, which is to put material where it's absolutely required, then it's just impossible to test.”

The benefits of Theta Technologies’ rapid RD1-TT system mean AM parts can be put through non-destructive testing at multiple stages of the production process.

SHOWN: THETA TECHNOLOGIES RD1-TT

Using Theta Technologies' unique method, manufacturers can quickly test complex parts with various surface finishes even while they're still on the build platform and, when compared to X-ray CT scanning, Theta Technologies estimates the RD1-TT can detect a greater range of cracks, delamination and lack of fusion, and penetrate thicker walls in under 60 seconds, versus two hours with X-ray CT. This not only relieves manufacturers from sinking unnecessary time and costs into nonviable parts but also means potential negative impacts of rigorous postprocessing techniques on a part can be identified and eliminated.

“Printing the part is only the first step,” Watts explained. “The steps that follow the printing are really brutal and if we can test the part shortly after printing, before some of those processes, and we can show that the part is a good part at that stage, we can identify if any of those process steps are breaking a part. We know, for example, that some of the de-powdering processes can put quite a lot of stress and fatigue into a metal part. […] Support removal and de-powdering are all potentially risky steps. If we can test the part before support removal, before it's been

removed from the base plate, that's really important because, if we can detect a part is flawed, then we don't waste any more time on it.”

Though laser powder bed processes are more common, Watts suggests early inspection could hold even more value for processes like wire arc additive manufacturing where abrasive machining steps, used to take a part from near net to finished, are a central part of the process. It could also offer potential sustainability benefits too.

“Anything you do to a material makes it harder to recycle,” Watts added. “Nobody wants to produce scrap. But if you have produced a part that's defective, then I think the sooner you recognize that, the easier it is to put that back into a recycling workflow.”

While testing at various intervals throughout end-to-end manufacturing is key, the real step change, Watts claims, is the ability to test every single printed part in a production run.

“Don't sample test, 100% test,” Watts said. “Then every single part you ship to your customer has been through a quality assurance process. And that's a big contrast to pulling out a sample from a build plate. We know that the properties and the printing characteristics in different parts of the build plate are different for all sorts of reasons. But if you can test every single part, then you don't need to rely on assuming that every part of the batch is identical.”

Adopting AM into an established industry or new business requires confidence, and Theta Technologies aims to provide that to manufacturers for parts that may have been limited by traditional testing, and can now take advantage of AM’s design freedoms.

“It's not the solution for everything but it allows us to test parts that are completely untestable using other methods,” Watts cautioned. “Some of the denser materials and larger parts just can't be put into an X-ray CT machine and there's no other option. […] It means that we can allow AM to be used in those critical industries where NDT is essential, when it wouldn't be otherwise.

“That's really exciting,” Watts concluded, “because we should be able to allow AM to be used how it should be.”

“If we can detect a part is flawed, then we don't waste any more time on it.”

SHOWN: THE RD1-TT CAN PERFORM NDT IN UNDER ONE MINUTE

4RIGHT: THE SPEED OF THE RD1-TT ENABLES TESTING OF EVERY PART

AM Community Shows Off at RAPID + TCT

Building an AM Network

Stacey DelVecchio Vice Chair, AM Technical Community President StaceyD Consulting

It’s official. Additive Manufacturing is thriving and continues to gain momentum with successes across diverse applications. In addition to ongoing technology advances, AM’s growth is fueled by a host of engaged companies, organizations, and dedicated professionals, all of whom are energized and passionate about developing, implementing—and sharing—new ideas and best practices throughout a collaborative community of innovators.

The growth of additive manufacturing (AM) in recent years has been astounding. And much of the success has been fueled by the cooperative, tight-knit spirit pervasive throughout our community, which we must continue to foster to spark further advances.

3D-printing services. At RAPID + TCT, she moderated a panel discussion on 3D printing for point-of-care medical applications. The panel was one of several during a special town hall hosted by the Medical AM Advisory Team.

At The University of Texas (UT) at Austin, Carolyn and her team are exploring—and in some cases inventing—emerging technologies such as reactive extrusion (REAM), volumetric powder-bed fusion, and high-viscosity stereolithography. Similar to fused-deposition modeling, REAM is much faster and flexible than desktop printers: It took less than three minutes to print UT’s iconic but complex Longhorn logo with the process.

The recent RAPID + TCT conference, which was held May 17

The technology itself is still relatively new, marked by a steady stream of innovations and breakthroughs from pioneering people, companies, and organizations. This makes networking among peers and exchanging ideas with other leaders even more important than it is for professionals in more established fields.

19 in Detroit, is proof positive as to how far AM has come in recent years. The 31st edition of the industry’s marquee event featured more than 400 exhibitors, hundreds of speakers and expert panelists, dozens of technical sessions, networking opportunities, and attendees from 38 countries.

TIPE 3D Printing, a global virtual conference held in January, is a great example. SME and Women in 3D Printing co-sponsored the immersive three-day event, which featured a lineup of more than 120 women speakers. While all the presentations were informative and inspiring, the networking opportunities were just as important, providing the perfect environment to connect and engage with an unprecedented group of thought leaders—including keynoters Marisa Lago, under secretary of commerce for international trade for the Commerce Department, and Bogi Lateiner and Anne Pauley from Girl Gang Garage.

The AM community took center stage throughout the show. This includes the passing of the baton in two key leadership positions. John Barnes assumed the chair of the Additive Manufacturing Technical Community Leadership Committee, succeeding Christopher Williams; and Sarah Rimini now chairs the Medical AM Advisory Committee, succeeding Amy Alexander. I’d like to thank Christopher and Amy, who provided exemplary leadership and vision during their tenures, and welcome their replacements.

The AM community took center stage throughout the show. This includes the passing of the baton in two key leadership positions. John Barnes assumed the chair of the Additive Manufacturing Technical Community Leadership Committee, succeeding Christopher Williams; and Sarah Rimini now chairs the Medical AM Advisory Committee, succeeding Amy Alexander. I’d like to thank Christopher and Amy, who provided exemplary leadership and vision during their tenures, and welcome their replacements.

It isn’t surprising that Carolyn was appointed the director of UT’s Center for Additive Manufacturing and Design Innovation (CAMDI) when the facility opened in 2020. Bringing students, researchers, and faculty together under one roof, CAMDI expands the school’s commercial AM capabilities.

Other highlights included the winners of the 2022 SME Additive Manufacturing Community Awards: Slade Gardner, founder of Big Metal Additive (Industry Achievement); VELO3D and IMI Critical Engineering (Aubin AM Case Study); and Virginia Tech students Daniel Chirvasuta, Nathanael High, Matthew Martin, Benjamin Nguyen, Omkar Shinde, and Nicolas Tomanelli (Digital Manufacturing Challenge).

To help foster the next generation of innovators, the SME Education Foundation’s Bright Minds Program welcomed nearly 1,000 middle and high school students to RAPID + TCT. There also was a special networking lunch for young professionals and a Career Forum Panel. The initiative is led by Ellen Lee and Jennifer Coyne, who are both advisors on the Additive Manufacturing Technical Community Leadership Committee.

There also was a special networking lunch for young professionals and a Career Forum Panel. The initiative is led by Ellen Lee and Jennifer Coyne, who are both advisors on the Additive Manufacturing Technical Community Leadership Committee.

The abundant opportunities and almost limitless potential of 3D-printing also are underscored by the two leaders— Carolyn Seepersad and Ahmed El Desouky—profiled in this edition of Voices AMplified. In addition to their own impressive accomplishments, Carolyn and Ahmed’s AM journeys are proof positive of the importance of partnerships and giving back to the greater AM community including students.

John, who heads The Barnes Global Advisors and Metal Powder Works, has been involved in metal additive manufacturing throughout a distinguished career. He’s led teams that qualified the aerospace industry’s first series production metal AM parts, and developed a pilot metal production facility.

John, who heads The Barnes Global Advisors and Metal Powder Works, has been involved in metal additive manufacturing throughout a distinguished career. He’s led teams that qualified the aerospace industry’s first series production metal AM parts, and developed a pilot metal production facility.

As senior manager of Ricoh’s Healthcare Center of Excellence, Sarah is developing a curriculum for the company’s Learning Institute that focuses on medical managed

As senior manager of Ricoh’s Healthcare Center of Excellence, Sarah is developing a curriculum for the company’s Learning Institute that focuses on medical managed

Ahmed also has no shortage of experience or success. In fact, he’s been in on the ground floor to help several companies launch their AM journeys, including stints at Eaton and Carpenter Technology before joining N.Y.-based Veeco Instruments Inc. in early 2021 as director of additive manufacturing. At Veeco, he’s helping the 75-year-old company apply the latest AM technologies to processing systems used in semiconductor and compound semiconductor manufacturing. Such applications could help solve current supply chain problems in the semiconductor industry. But there are also steep challenges, such as designing printed parts that can meet strict clean-room specifications—even the tiniest speck of dirt or a sub-micron-sized particle can wreak havoc a few months into a product’s life cycle.

SME Media also interviewed dozens of AM leaders during RAPID + TCT as part of its Voices AMplified initiative that showcases the people behind the technology. This month’s Voices AMplified report profiles two such visionaries: Olga Ivanova and Carl Dekker. Known as “Dr. O,” Olga has worked on innovative projects for the medical and defense industries, and is a tireless crusader for advancing AM.

SME Media also interviewed dozens of AM leaders during RAPID + TCT as part of its Voices AMplified initiative that showcases the people behind the technology. This month’s Voices AMplified report profiles two such visionaries: Olga Ivanova and Carl Dekker. Known as “Dr. O,” Olga has worked on innovative projects for the medical and defense industries, and is a tireless crusader for advancing AM.

That’s why it’s so important to have experienced pros such as Ahmed and Carolyn in leadership positions, and sharing their insights with others to continue to grow AM.

Carl puts the emphasis on people. He leads a talented team at Met-L-Flo, which produces a wide range of 3D-printed products. He also chairs the Direct Digital Manufacturing Advisory Team and moderated a panel at RAPID + TCT.

Carl puts the emphasis on people. He leads a talented team at Met-L-Flo, which produces a wide range of 3D-printed products. He also chairs the Direct Digital Manufacturing Advisory Team and moderated a panel at RAPID + TCT.

Carl and Olga represent the spirit behind Voices AMplified. I hope you enjoy their stories.

Carl and Olga represent the spirit behind Voices AMplified. I hope you enjoy their stories.

Suzy Marzano Senior Manager Industry Development and Technical Activities SME

possess awesome superpowers, the 3D-printed Baby Yodas (at left) and Groots (right) that Olga Ivanova gave to visiting high school students are unable to do so much as dissipate electrical charge--but they’re still very popular with the kids.

Printing Longhorns

Paging Dr. O

Kip Hanson

Kip Hanson Contributing Editor

espite widespread and growing popularity, it’s important to realize that additive manufacturing (AM) is still a young technology—and that most of its potential remains untapped. Carolyn Seepersad spends her days exploring such possibilities.

DOlga Ivanova has 3D-printed plenty of interesting parts during her time in manufacturing.

Rocket nozzles. Turbine blades and impellers. Neonatal tracheostomy tubes. There are more, which we’ll get to in a moment, but to Star Wars fans, it’s the Static Dissipative Yoda that’s most intriguing.

“We printed a bunch of Yoda and Groot (Guardians of the Galaxy) figurines for high school students who visited our facility recently,” said Ivanova, director of technology at Mechnano, an additive manufacturing materials

A mechanical engineering professor at The University of Texas (UT) at Austin, Seepersad is taking this decades-old technology in novel directions while attempting to solve some of its thorniest problems. Reactive extrusion. Volumetric powder-bed fusion. Large-scale, high-velocity stereolithography.

These are just a few of the AM technologies that Seepersad, her students, and fellow faculty members are developing at the university’s Cockrell School of Engineering.

developer near Phoenix. “It’s our way of getting young people interested in additive manufacturing.”

Padawan Learning

She’s in good company. One of her mentors and colleagues is Joe Beaman, the 3D-printing pioneer who coined the term “solid free-form fabrication,” and, with student Carl Deckard, developed selective laser sintering during the mid-1980s.

She’s quick to point out that those educational giveaways were made of a gray-colored base resin, not the more expensive static dissipative material (which is black) that she spends much of each day working with—and yes, which she occasionally uses to print Yodas that are just as resistant to electrical charge as they are to

“We have a long history of additive manufacturing at UT Austin and continue to do extensive research into the printing of polymers, metals, and ceramics,” she said.

the Dark Side of the Force.

From 3D-printed figurines for students to “quantum dots” and nanocomposites, Olga Ivanova is a force to be reckoned with in the AM universe

Olga Ivanova

Master networker

RAPID + TCT Director of Technology Mechnano

Although their movie counterparts

Contributing Editor

Building on a proud additive manufacturing legacy, this University of Texas professor brings new meaning to the term “good to great”

Carolyn Seepersad Advisor, Additive Manufacturing Leadership Committee Director Center for Additive Manufacturing and Design Innovation The University of Texas

A long-time professor and researcher, Carolyn Seepersad heads up the Center for Additive Manufacturing and Design Innovation at the University of Texas (UT) at Austin. (All photos courtesy of UT and Carolyn Seepersad)

REAM Team

Blazing her own AM trails, Seepersad is mostly focused on endowing materials with unique properties that can only be achieved through 3D printing. But she’s also active in developing new technologies. For instance, she and her colleague Mehran Tehrani are working with their graduate students on reactive-extrusion additive manufacturing, or REAM.

AM Community Shows Off at RAPID + TCT

Mechanically similar to fused deposition modeling (FDM), the process uses a two-part thermoset polymer (like some commercial epoxies) that is mixed on demand, then squirted onto a substrate or build plate. Any similarities to FDM end there, however, because REAM is about two orders of magnitude faster than desktop printers. For example, printing one of the school’s signature Longhorn-shaped test pieces— measuring 230 mm from horn to horn and 16 mm thick—took less than three minutes, compared to “hours” using traditional FDM methods and materials.

These include an LED/LCD curing and patterning system that delivers “lots of light” and a variable tensioning device that gently separates parts from a Teflon film sitting atop the build plate. The latter works much like “peeling away a Band-Aid,” she said, noting this was necessary to eliminate any chance of damaging delicate or elastomeric parts during the build process. The unique light system, on the other hand, circumvents an even more troublesome event: melting the LED/LCD light source.

Suzy Marzano Senior Manager Industry Development and Technical Activities SME

It’s official. Additive Manufacturing is thriving and continues to gain momentum with successes across diverse applications. In addition to ongoing technology advances, AM’s growth is fueled by a host of engaged companies, organizations, and dedicated professionals, all of whom are energized and passionate about developing, implementing—and sharing—new ideas and best practices throughout a collaborative community of innovators.

The recent RAPID + TCT conference, which was held May 17–19 in Detroit, is proof positive as to how far AM has come in recent years. The 31st edition of the industry’s marquee event featured more than 400 exhibitors, hundreds of speakers and expert panelists, dozens of technical sessions, networking opportunities, and attendees from 38 countries.

Even more impressive is the fact that the Longhorn and other REAM parts have much less anisotropic mechanical properties (varying in magnitude according to the direction of measurement), due to the inter-layer crosslinking of polymer chains. “We can also mix in additives—magnetic particles is one example, as is carbon fiber—that give the part additional strength or functionality,” Seepersad explained.

The AM community took center stage throughout the show. This includes the passing of the baton in two key leadership positions. John Barnes assumed the chair of the Additive Manufacturing Technical Community Leadership Committee, succeeding Christopher Williams; and Sarah Rimini now chairs the Medical AM Advisory Committee, succeeding Amy Alexander. I’d like to thank Christopher and Amy, who provided exemplary leadership and vision during their tenures, and welcome their replacements.

3D-printing services. At RAPID + TCT, she moderated a panel discussion on 3D printing for point-of-care medical applications. The panel was one of several during a special town hall hosted by the Medical AM Advisory Team.

Other highlights included the winners of the 2022 SME Additive Manufacturing Community Awards: Slade Gardner, founder of Big Metal Additive (Industry Achievement); VELO3D and IMI Critical Engineering (Aubin AM Case Study); and Virginia Tech students Daniel Chirvasuta, Nathanael High, Matthew Martin, Benjamin Nguyen, Omkar Shinde, and Nicolas Tomanelli (Digital Manufacturing Challenge).

Seepersad’s group is collaborating with Penn State University on an NSF-funded LEAP HI project (Leading Engineering for America’s Prosperity, Health, and Infrastructure) to produce functionally graded “active” materials via REAM. The joint effort will allow them to build smart parts that change their shape based on specific stimuli, a capability she suggested is suitable for a range of applications, including the creation of medical devices that adjust to a patient’s anatomy, increasing comfort and reducing the risk of infection.

The AM community took center stage throughout the show. This includes the passing of the baton in two key leadership positions. John Barnes assumed the chair of the Additive Manufacturing Technical Community Leadership Committee, succeeding Christopher Williams; and Sarah Rimini now chairs the Medical AM Advisory Committee, succeeding Amy Alexander. I’d like to thank Christopher and Amy, who provided exemplary leadership and vision during their tenures, and welcome their replacements.

To help foster the next generation of innovators, the SME Education Foundation’s Bright Minds Program welcomed nearly 1,000 middle and high school students to RAPID + TCT. There also was a special networking lunch for young professionals and a Career Forum Panel. The initiative is led by Ellen Lee and Jennifer Coyne, who are both advisors on the Additive Manufacturing Technical Community Leadership Committee.

There also was a special networking lunch for young professionals and a Career Forum Panel. The initiative is led by Ellen Lee and Jennifer Coyne, who are both advisors on the Additive Manufacturing Technical Community Leadership Committee.

The high-viscosity stereolithographic printing process uses polymer resins that are thick “like peanut butter” and a wire grid polarizer that reflects energy rather than absorbing it.

John, who heads The Barnes Global Advisors and Metal Powder Works, has been involved in metal additive manufacturing throughout a distinguished career. He’s led teams that qualified the aerospace industry’s first series production metal AM parts, and developed a pilot metal production facility.

John, who heads The Barnes Global Advisors and Metal Powder Works, has been involved in metal additive manufacturing throughout a distinguished career. He’s led teams that qualified the aerospace industry’s first series production metal AM parts, and developed a pilot metal production facility.

SME Media also interviewed dozens of AM leaders during RAPID + TCT as part of its Voices AMplified initiative that showcases the people behind the technology. This month’s Voices AMplified report profiles two such visionaries: Olga Ivanova and Carl Dekker. Known as “Dr. O,” Olga has worked on innovative projects for the medical and defense industries, and is a tireless crusader for advancing AM.

SME Media also interviewed dozens of AM leaders during RAPID + TCT as part of its Voices AMplified initiative that showcases the people behind the technology. This month’s Voices AMplified report profiles two such visionaries: Olga Ivanova and Carl Dekker. Known as “Dr. O,” Olga has worked on innovative projects for the medical and defense industries, and is a tireless crusader for advancing AM.

Let There Be Light

As senior manager of Ricoh’s Healthcare Center of Excellence, Sarah is developing a curriculum for the company’s Learning Institute that focuses on medical managed

As senior manager of Ricoh’s Healthcare Center of Excellence, Sarah is developing a curriculum for the company’s Learning Institute that focuses on medical managed

Another evolutionary AM project involves the stereolithographic (SL) printing of high-viscosity resins, a technology developed in partnership with Lawrence Livermore National Lab by Seepersad, her colleague Rich Crawford, and their graduate students Nick Rodriguez and Hongtao Song. The process is similar to the “bottom-up” approach common with several brands of commercial SL machines, but with several adjustments to compensate for the peanut butter-like viscosity of the polymer resins.

“Curing high-viscosity resins requires significant amounts of light energy,” Seepersad said. “But, unfortunately, the film polarizers typically used to create the patterns in this type of SL printer absorb much of that energy. So to avoid overheating and possibly destroying the LCD light patterning device, we switched to a wire-grid polarizer, which reflects energy rather than absorbing it.

Carl puts the emphasis on people. He leads a talented team at Met-L-Flo, which produces a wide range of 3D-printed products. He also chairs the Direct Digital Manufacturing Advisory Team and moderated a panel at RAPID + TCT.

Carl puts the emphasis on people. He leads a talented team at Met-L-Flo, which produces a wide range of 3D-printed products. He also chairs the Direct Digital Manufacturing Advisory Team and moderated a panel at RAPID + TCT.

“This way, our LCDs don’t heat up as much and we get greater illumination,” the professor continued. “It also allows us to print reasonably large parts, at least by stereolithography standards. Our current machine, which I believe is one of a kind, has a build area 20 inches square.” Laughing, she added, “It’s almost big enough to print an entire herd of Longhorns.”

Carl and Olga represent the spirit behind Voices AMplified. I hope you enjoy their stories.

Carl and Olga represent the spirit behind Voices AMplified. I hope you enjoy their stories.

Heavy Hitter

Although their movie counterparts possess awesome superpowers, the 3D-printed Baby Yodas (at left) and Groots (right) that Olga Ivanova gave to visiting high school students are unable to do so much as dissipate electrical charge--but they’re still very popular with the kids.

Seepersad, who is named on the patents for these and several other inventions, began her studies at West Virginia University in 1992. She was named a Rhodes Scholar at the University of Oxford, then earned a Ph.D. in mechanical engineering at the Georgia Institute of Technology. In 2005, she took a position with UT Austin as an assistant professor, and has been there ever since.

In addition to AM, Seepersad works on engineering design research and topology optimization, both of which have gradually taken on an additive flavor. One of her current projects involves interactive design exploration, where users can adjust and “play with” 3D-printed structures to see the effect changes have on performance.

“I’ve also done quite a bit of work in meta-materials design, which looks at how a material’s structure—as opposed to its composition—affects its functional properties,” Seepersad added. “That work was in collaboration with fellow professor Mike Haberman, and led to one of our first patents.”

That patent describes “negative stiffness honeycomb materials,” which are ideally suited to 3D printing in metal or plastic and should be of particular interest to anyone with a child in Little League baseball. That’s because these 3D-printed constructions “snap through” on impact, providing recoverable energy absorption capabilities that could one day be applied to motor vehicles, spacecraft instrumentation, and, yes, sports helmets and other forms of personal protection equipment. “We can engineer these to reduce an object’s acceleration threshold by an order of magnitude,” Seepersad said.

Paging Dr. O

Meet the Director

Kip Hanson Contributing Editor

Thanks to Seepersad’s ingenuity and devotion, UT opened the Center for Additive Manufacturing and Design Innovation (CAMDI) in March 2020, appointing her as its director. And even though her new job title came “right at the beginning of COVID,” Seepersad didn’t let that slow her down.

lga Ivanova has 3D-printed plenty of interesting parts during her time in manufacturing. Rocket nozzles. Turbine blades and impellers. Neonatal tracheostomy tubes. There are more, which we’ll get to in a moment, but to Star Wars fans, it’s the Static Dissipative Yoda that’s most intriguing.

“We printed a bunch of Yoda and Groot (Guardians of the Galaxy) figurines for high school students who visited our facility recently,” said Ivanova, director of technology at Mechnano, an additive manufacturing materials

OCAMDI brings students, researchers, and faculty together under one roof, expanding the school’s commercial AM capabilities and resources. These include a Metal Powder Bed Fusion Lab with EOSINT M280 and Renishaw AM250 Direct Metal Laser Sintering printers, a Liquid Polymer Lab that’s home to a Stratasys J750 Digital Anatomy Printer and 3D

Systems SLA 5000, along with a Metrology Lab boasting structured light scanning, load-testing equipment, and a Zeiss Spectrum coordinate-measuring machine.

Such facilities are crucial to meeting industry challenges. Considering her multiple patents and papers, it’s ironic that Seepersad points to better design capabilities as one of the more urgent needs. Recent advances in topology optimization and generative design notwithstanding, it’s a sad fact that “we can print a lot more than we can design,” she noted.

“Think about the ability to place materials exactly where you want them, or even to modify their composition and mechanical properties from place to place,” Seepersad continued. “Our current design tools are still playing catch-up in many respects.”

Breaking the Conventional Mold

People interact daily with products made via traditional manufacturing technologies, limiting our ability to “think additively,” she said. Until the next generation of designers enters the workforce—young people unfettered by preconceived manufacturing notions and able to wrap their heads around the spatial and material complexities that come with 3D printing—the industry will fail to fully leverage AM’s immense design freedoms.

Thanks to Seepersad and others, that paradigm is shifting. “I think that’s probably been one of our biggest bottlenecks, but the good news is, many of our students have grown up with 3D printing. They’ve used it in high school. Some have even used it in middle school. And aside from our center, UT Austin has a huge maker space called the Texas Inventionworks where students can spend time with 3D printers and laser cutters and similarly advanced technology. We’ve begun to incorporate that into our curriculum, giving students multiple opportunities for hands-on experience.”

Olga Ivanova Master networker RAPID + TCT Director of Technology Mechnano

developer near Phoenix. “It’s our way of getting young people interested in additive manufacturing.”

Padawan Learning

She also challenges students, wherever they are, to design products that can’t be made via conventional means. “More than one student has told me they completed the assignment on their personal 3D printer,” she said. “So despite my earlier comments about bottlenecks and the complexities of additive design, I think the next generation of designers is already here to a certain extent. It’s our job to nurture them and give them all the tools they need to succeed.”

She’s quick to point out that those educational giveaways were made of a gray-colored base resin, not the more expensive static dissipative material (which is black) that she spends much of each day working with—and yes, which she occasionally uses to print Yodas that are just as resistant to electrical charge as they are to the Dark Side of the Force.

From 3D-printed figurines for students to “quantum dots” and nanocomposites, Olga Ivanova is a force to be reckoned with in the AM universe

AM Community Shows Off at RAPID + TCT

It’s official. Additive Manufacturing is thriving and continues to gain momentum with successes across diverse applications. In addition to ongoing technology advances, AM’s growth is fueled by a host of engaged companies, organizations, and dedicated professionals, all of whom are energized and passionate about developing, implementing—and sharing—new ideas and best practices throughout a collaborative community of innovators.

The recent RAPID + TCT conference, which was held May 17–19 in Detroit, is proof positive as to how far AM has come in recent years. The 31st edition of the industry’s marquee event featured more than 400 exhibitors, hundreds of speakers and expert panelists, dozens of technical sessions, networking opportunities, and attendees from 38 countries.

Manager

3D-printing services. At RAPID + TCT, she moderated a panel discussion on 3D printing for point-of-care medical applications. The panel was one of several during a special town hall hosted by the Medical AM Advisory Team.

Other highlights included the winners of the 2022 SME Additive Manufacturing Community Awards: Slade Gardner, founder of Big Metal Additive (Industry Achievement); VELO3D and IMI Critical Engineering (Aubin AM Case Study); and Virginia Tech students Daniel Chirvasuta, Nathanael High, Matthew Martin, Benjamin Nguyen, Omkar Shinde, and Nicolas Tomanelli (Digital Manufacturing Challenge).

The AM community took center stage throughout the show. This includes the passing of the baton in two key leadership positions. John Barnes assumed the chair of the Additive Manufacturing Technical Community Leadership Committee, succeeding Christopher Williams; and Sarah Rimini now chairs the Medical AM Advisory Committee, succeeding Amy Alexander. I’d like to thank Christopher and Amy, who provided exemplary leadership and vision during their tenures, and welcome their replacements.

The AM community took center stage throughout the show. This includes the passing of the baton in two key leadership positions. John Barnes assumed the chair of the Additive Manufacturing Technical Community Leadership Committee, succeeding Christopher Williams; and Sarah Rimini now chairs the Medical AM Advisory Committee, succeeding Amy Alexander. I’d like to thank Christopher and Amy, who provided exemplary leadership and vision during their tenures, and welcome their replacements.

To help foster the next generation of innovators, the SME Education Foundation’s Bright Minds Program welcomed nearly 1,000 middle and high school students to RAPID + TCT. There also was a special networking lunch for young professionals and a Career Forum Panel. The initiative is led by Ellen Lee and Jennifer Coyne, who are both advisors on the Additive Manufacturing Technical Community Leadership Committee.

Chasing Moore’s Law

There also was a special networking lunch for young professionals and a Career Forum Panel. The initiative is led by Ellen Lee and Jennifer Coyne, who are both advisors on the Additive Manufacturing Technical Community Leadership Committee.

Kip Hanson Contributing Editor

John, who heads The Barnes Global Advisors and Metal Powder Works, has been involved in metal additive manufacturing throughout a distinguished career. He’s led teams that qualified the aerospace industry’s first series production metal AM parts, and developed a pilot metal production facility.

John, who heads The Barnes Global Advisors and Metal Powder Works, has been involved in metal additive manufacturing throughout a distinguished career. He’s led teams that qualified the aerospace industry’s first series production metal AM parts, and developed a pilot metal production facility.

SME Media also interviewed dozens of AM leaders during RAPID + TCT as part of its Voices AMplified initiative that showcases the people behind the technology. This month’s Voices AMplified report profiles two such visionaries: Olga Ivanova and Carl Dekker. Known as “Dr. O,” Olga has worked on innovative projects for the medical and defense industries, and is a tireless crusader for advancing AM.

SME Media also interviewed dozens of AM leaders during RAPID + TCT as part of its Voices AMplified initiative that showcases the people behind the technology. This month’s Voices AMplified report profiles two such visionaries: Olga Ivanova and Carl Dekker. Known as “Dr. O,” Olga has worked on innovative projects for the medical and defense industries, and is a tireless crusader for advancing AM.

position to capitalize on these funds as the nation’s semiconductor chip manufacturers construct massive production fabrication facilities in response to the legislation.

As senior manager of Ricoh’s Healthcare Center of Excellence, Sarah is developing a curriculum for the company’s Learning Institute that focuses on medical managed

As senior manager of Ricoh’s Healthcare Center of Excellence, Sarah is developing a curriculum for the company’s Learning Institute that focuses on medical managed

When it comes to 3D-printed end-use part production, the aerospace and medical industries have captured most of the attention in recent years. But another manufacturing sector is beginning to challenge that situation, especially in light of the CHIPS and Science Act, which according to a White House statement, “provides $52.7 billion for American semiconductor research, development, manufacturing, and workforce development.”

That’s good news to Ahmed El Desouky, whose employer, Plainview, N.Y.-based Veeco Instruments Inc., stands in good

Carl puts the emphasis on people. He leads a talented team at Met-L-Flo, which produces a wide range of 3D-printed products. He also chairs the Direct Digital Manufacturing Advisory Team and moderated a panel at RAPID + TCT.

Veeco’s website describes the company as “a global capital equipment supplier that designs and builds processing systems used in semiconductor and compound semiconductor manufacturing, data storage, and scientific markets.” Both anticipate, however, that demand for their products will grow significantly over the coming years as chipmakers begin producing more of these critical devices in the United States.

Carl puts the emphasis on people. He leads a talented team at Met-L-Flo, which produces a wide range of 3D-printed products. He also chairs the Direct Digital Manufacturing Advisory Team and moderated a panel at RAPID + TCT.

Carl and Olga represent the spirit behind Voices AMplified. I hope you enjoy their stories.

Carl and Olga represent the spirit behind Voices AMplified. I hope you enjoy their stories.

Ahmed El Desouky uses additive manufacturing to take thin-film processing equipment in novel directions faster and more cost effectively

Ahmed El Desouky Director of Additive Manufacturing Veeco Instruments Inc.

Veeco’s semiconductor processing equipment in use at a San Jose manufacturing facility. (All photos courtesy Veeco Instruments Inc.)

Suzy Marzano Senior

Industry Development and Technical Activities SME

Although their movie counterparts possess awesome superpowers, the 3D-printed Baby Yodas (at left) and Groots (right) that Olga Ivanova gave to visiting high school students are unable to do so much as dissipate electrical charge--but they’re still very popular with the kids.

“The U.S. designs roughly 85 percent of the semiconductor devices and chips in the world, but we currently only manufacture 12 percent of them,” El Desouky said. “And when you look at packaging, it’s even worse, with only three percent performed here. Obviously, these segments depend on high-quality capital equipment, and we look forward to working with our customers in these areas as they expand their capabilities.”

Third Time’s the Charm

One of the tools that El Desouky thinks will play a key role in meeting this demand is additive manufacturing (AM), also known as 3D printing. That makes sense. Since early 2021, he’s served as the director of additive manufacturing for the 75-year-old Veeco. Prior to this, El Desouky spent nearly four years with Eaton Corp., where he was an aerospace AM specialist, and he worked at Carpenter Technology before that as a research and development metallurgist.

Paging Dr. O

Kip Hanson Contributing Editor

lga Ivanova has 3D-printed plenty of interesting parts during her time in manufacturing. Rocket nozzles. Turbine blades and impellers. Neonatal tracheostomy tubes. There are more, which we’ll get to in a moment, but to Star Wars fans, it’s the Static Dissipative Yoda that’s most intriguing.

“We printed a bunch of Yoda and Groot (Guardians of the Galaxy) figurines for high school students who visited our facility recently,” said Ivanova, director of technology at Mechnano, an additive manufacturing materials

OIn each of these positions, El Desouky “came in on the ground floor,” meaning his employer was just getting started on its 3D-printing journey, and looking for ways to turn the technology into a mainstream manufacturing process rather than a prototype-only development tool. He was at Eaton when the company printed its first flight-approved component in 2019, which “was a great achievement for the entire team,” according to El Desouky, and he assisted powder metallurgy specialist Carpenter in creating its Additive Manufacturing division.

El Desouky also has spent many years in academia, including positions as an adjunct professor and postdoctoral scientist at George Washington University, graduate researcher at University of California San Diego, lecturer at San Diego State University, and assistant professor at the Egypt-Japan University of Science and Technology (E-JUST). His areas of study focused on materials processing and additive manufacturing, making him well-equipped for his chosen profession.

Into the Clean Room

Bringing additive to a certain level of manufacturing maturity has turned out to be “kind of his thing,” and El Desouky is now working to give Veeco the same competitive edge he’s helped bring to others.

Along the way, he’s learned that the semiconductor industry presents unique opportunities and challenges for additive. “As you might imagine, cleanliness is a top priority, with requirements that are orders of magnitude higher even than those of the medical community,” he noted. “This is why, when you’re designing a component for semiconductor use, there’s more to it than making it printable, but designing it so that the part can be thoroughly cleaned afterward.”

Olga Ivanova Master networker RAPID + TCT Director of Technology Mechnano

developer near Phoenix. “It’s our way of getting young people interested in additive manufacturing.”

Padawan Learning

Additive’s immense design freedom is a wonderful thing, he explained, yet such considerations tend to detract somewhat from this freedom, since the tiniest speck of dirt or an errant bit of powder can have serious repercussions when you’re producing capital equipment that will go into a clean room. “The biggest fear is having a micron or sub-micron-sized particle stuck to a component’s inner wall that breaks free six months into service,” El Desouky said. “That would be a killer, so we take all the necessary measures to ensure this never happens.”

She’s quick to point out that those educational giveaways were made of a gray-colored base resin, not the more expensive static dissipative material (which is black) that she spends much of each day working with—and yes, which she occasionally uses to print Yodas that are just as resistant to electrical charge as they are to the Dark Side of the Force.

Contamination concerns aside, Veeco enjoys the same benefits as other AM practitioners. Part consolidation, supply chain simplification, reduced design and production costs, along with faster time to market—these are just a few of the

From 3D-printed figurines for students to “quantum dots” and nanocomposites, Olga Ivanova is a force to be reckoned with in the AM universe

Additive manufacturing’s ability to make complex internal structures like the ones shown in this piece of semiconductor processing equipment is opening new doors to productivity for equipment owners and operators.

reasons why metal and polymer printing are consuming an ever larger slice of today’s manufacturing pie.

And while El Desouky can’t share exactly which components are emerging from the build chambers of Veeco’s partners’ laser powder-bed fusion (LPBF), directed-energy deposition (DED), and stereolithography (SL) printers, he will say that semiconductor processing equipment requires all manner of manifolds, gas delivery and mixing systems, cooling plates, housings, valves, and bellows.

“Additive and semiconductors are a perfect match,” asserted El Desouky. “That’s especially true for equipment manufacturers like Veeco, which has a high mix, low volume of parts, and is happy to customize its offering based on the customer’s specific needs.”

AM Community Shows Off at RAPID + TCT

Breaking Paradigms

Suzy Marzano Senior Manager Industry Development and Technical Activities SME

It’s official. Additive Manufacturing is thriving and continues to gain momentum with successes across diverse applications. In addition to ongoing technology advances, AM’s growth is fueled by a host of engaged companies, organizations, and dedicated professionals, all of whom are energized and passionate about developing, implementing—and sharing—new ideas and best practices throughout a collaborative community of innovators.

A Perfect Marriage

The recent RAPID + TCT conference, which was held May 17

19 in Detroit, is proof positive as to how far AM has come in recent years. The 31st edition of the industry’s marquee event featured more than 400 exhibitors, hundreds of speakers and expert panelists, dozens of technical sessions, networking opportunities, and attendees from 38 countries.

El Desouky will also tell you that many of the materials used in these components are ones familiar to any aerospace engineer. “Parts in semiconductor equipment might not be subjected to the same levels of cyclic loading in aerospace, but they do have to endure extremely harsh chemical environments and are subjected to ultra-high vacuum conditions, which is why we’re quite familiar with materials like Inconel and similar heat-resistant superalloys, 300-series and PH stainless steels, advanced ceramics, and refractory metals such as tungsten and rhenium. That said, I expect there will be a good deal of new material development specific to the semiconductor industry as additive’s use in this area becomes more widespread and mature.”

The AM community took center stage throughout the show. This includes the passing of the baton in two key leadership positions. John Barnes assumed the chair of the Additive Manufacturing Technical Community Leadership Committee, succeeding Christopher Williams; and Sarah Rimini now chairs the Medical AM Advisory Committee, succeeding Amy Alexander. I’d like to thank Christopher and Amy, who provided exemplary leadership and vision during their tenures, and welcome their replacements.

The AM community took center stage throughout the show. This includes the passing of the baton in two key leadership positions. John Barnes assumed the chair of the Additive Manufacturing Technical Community Leadership Committee, succeeding Christopher Williams; and Sarah Rimini now chairs the Medical AM Advisory Committee, succeeding Amy Alexander. I’d like to thank Christopher and Amy, who provided exemplary leadership and vision during their tenures, and welcome their replacements.

This last comment seems ironic given AM’s ability to shorten and simplify manufacturing supply chains, a significant perk in light of the past two years of COVID-impacted semiconductor shortages that greased the legislative skids for the CHIPS Act. Why, then, has it taken so long for this industry to wake up and smell the additive coffee?

Because of its additive capabilities, Veeco can quickly and cost effectively produce even very complex components in small lot sizes, he explained. Compared to traditional manufacturing, that means shaving months and sometimes years off the development and learning cycles—and responding much faster to special requests, orders for replacement parts, or application-specific components. “It also allows us to either fix a supply chain issue where parts are taking too long to make or, conversely, are too expensive to make, and at the same time deliver major improvements by leveraging design for additive practices.”

3D-printing services. At RAPID + TCT, she moderated a panel discussion on 3D printing for point-of-care medical applications. The panel was one of several during a special town hall hosted by the Medical AM Advisory Team.

Other highlights included the winners of the 2022 SME Additive Manufacturing Community Awards: Slade Gardner, founder of Big Metal Additive (Industry Achievement); VELO3D and IMI Critical Engineering (Aubin AM Case Study); and Virginia Tech students Daniel Chirvasuta, Nathanael High, Matthew Martin, Benjamin Nguyen, Omkar Shinde, and Nicolas Tomanelli (Digital Manufacturing Challenge).

Will these improvements help the semiconductor industry’s continued observance of Moore’s Law, which postulates that the number of transistors in an integrated circuit will double every two years, and which many in the industry predict will soon become obsolete as we approach silicon-based circuitry’s physical limitations?

To help foster the next generation of innovators, the SME Education Foundation’s Bright Minds Program welcomed nearly 1,000 middle and high school students to RAPID + TCT. There also was a special networking lunch for young professionals and a Career Forum Panel. The initiative is led by Ellen Lee and Jennifer Coyne, who are both advisors on the Additive Manufacturing Technical Community Leadership Committee.

There also was a special networking lunch for young professionals and a Career Forum Panel. The initiative is led by Ellen Lee and Jennifer Coyne, who are both advisors on the Additive Manufacturing Technical Community Leadership Committee.

No one can say for certain, but according to El Desouky, what AM will do is increase semiconductor equipment’s throughput and reproducibility, thus enabling the next generation of integrated circuitry.

John, who heads The Barnes Global Advisors and Metal Powder Works, has been involved in metal additive manufacturing throughout a distinguished career. He’s led teams that qualified the aerospace industry’s first series production metal AM parts, and developed a pilot metal production facility.

John, who heads The Barnes Global Advisors and Metal Powder Works, has been involved in metal additive manufacturing throughout a distinguished career. He’s led teams that qualified the aerospace industry’s first series production metal AM parts, and developed a pilot metal production facility.

SME Media also interviewed dozens of AM leaders during RAPID + TCT as part of its Voices AMplified initiative that showcases the people behind the technology. This month’s Voices AMplified report profiles two such visionaries: Olga Ivanova and Carl Dekker. Known as “Dr. O,” Olga has worked on innovative projects for the medical and defense industries, and is a tireless crusader for advancing AM.

Much of it has to do with Gartner Inc.’s famous “Hype Cycle,” which helps define a technology’s maturity level.

There’s also a less obvious benefit: AM serves to protect intellectual property (IP). This is crucial to Veeco and others that manufacture semiconductor processing equipment (or any type of equipment, for that matter).

SME Media also interviewed dozens of AM leaders during RAPID + TCT as part of its Voices AMplified initiative that showcases the people behind the technology. This month’s Voices AMplified report profiles two such visionaries: Olga Ivanova and Carl Dekker. Known as “Dr. O,” Olga has worked on innovative projects for the medical and defense industries, and is a tireless crusader for advancing AM.

As senior manager of Ricoh’s Healthcare Center of Excellence, Sarah is developing a curriculum for the company’s Learning Institute that focuses on medical managed

As senior manager of Ricoh’s Healthcare Center of Excellence, Sarah is developing a curriculum for the company’s Learning Institute that focuses on medical managed

According to El Desouky, the semiconductor industry is transitioning from the third, “Trough of Disillusionment,” to the fourth, “Slope of Enlightenment,” of the five-phase cycle. Doubters have softened their stance, he noted, and now recognize the value that additive brings to the table, while the rapid depreciation of 3D-printing equipment that early investors may have suffered is now behind us as improved productivity and more robust machinery takes its place.

Carl puts the emphasis on people. He leads a talented team at Met-L-Flo, which produces a wide range of 3D-printed products. He also chairs the Direct Digital Manufacturing Advisory Team and moderated a panel at RAPID + TCT.

“Because we’re now able to combine multiple components that were once brazed or bolted together, it makes cloning and counterfeiting our IP quite difficult,” El Desouky said. “Instead of someone taking that assembly apart, they might now have to cut through a $150,000 component just to see what’s inside. And because we’ve eliminated those joints and connection points, the equipment is also more dependable, easier to service, and less susceptible to contamination.

Carl puts the emphasis on people. He leads a talented team at Met-L-Flo, which produces a wide range of 3D-printed products. He also chairs the Direct Digital Manufacturing Advisory Team and moderated a panel at RAPID + TCT.

Carl and Olga represent the spirit behind Voices AMplified. I hope you enjoy their stories.

Carl and Olga represent the spirit behind Voices AMplified. I hope you enjoy their stories.

“It’s a win-win all around,” he enthused.

“Additive and semiconductors are a perfect match.”

— Ahmed El Desouky

–

IT'S ELECTRIFYING

Oli

industry, where the process of polishing is done manually, but thanks to eBlast it can be done automatically.”

According to the company, the main benefits of DLyte eBlast are that a user can allocate the polishing wherever they want without masking. Sarsanedas explained that users could polish an insert coming from a big mold and focus the projection where they want, and that there are no limitations in weight and size. A robot system can be implemented, and big structures can be projected. Sarsanedas added: “The final result is smoother and with lower roughness than any other technology, and in only one step we are doing the whole job.”

GPA Innova, a Barcelonabased company, won the TCT Post-Processing Award with its DLyte eBlast technology in June 2022 at the TCT Awards in Birmingham, an event coinciding with TCT 3Sixty. The eBlast technology is based on projected electropolishing, and was created specifically for surface finishing of large, heavy metal parts, or parts with complex geometries which, according to the company, are typically difficult to polish by immersion or require a localized finishing, such as welded areas.

The DLyte eBlast works by projecting a non-conductive liquid and free solid polymer particles, which conducts the electric current between the electrode and the surface, to produce an electrochemical reaction. According to GPA Innova, the non-conductive liquid protects the surface from uncontrolled oxidation during the process, as the liquid replaces atmospheric oxygen during the electropolishing process.

Sarsanedas told TCT: “In the beginning, it was difficult to apply it because we are using a solution that is purely dry,

where the particles are the only ones active in the system. This is the DryLyte technology. To project the media and not lose contact between each particle, you need to add a conductive liquid during that process to be sure that each particle is interconnected. But we don’t like conductive liquid because when you add it, you create oxidations, you create super reactions, which is a typical problem of electropolishing technologies. Then in eBlast, we needed to add a conductive liquid only when we project. When the liquid is projected, it immediately becomes non-conductive, it’s an emulsion. It’s very interesting for polishing specific geometries that we are not able to load and unload in our standard machinery for the molding industry, or the welding

Another benefit is the range of materials that can be polished using the eBlast technology. Sarsanedas told TCT that the electrolyte composition is what allows this, as it makes it a flexible solution, and that the eBlast is more a tool for polishing than a machine for polishing. The robot that is included in the eBlast process is necessary according to the CEO as it makes sure the gun is moving with the right speed and the right trajectory, and without the robot the parts would be overpolished.

Sarsanedas told TCT about 3D printing companies using the eBlast technology: “3D printing companies are interested because in 3D printing, sometimes it’s necessary to only polish some parts of the geometry, not all.”

Speaking about the future of the eBlast technology, Sarsanedas said: “We are developing a lot of different electrolytes because here we don’t use the same electrolytes as our standard machinery, we are testing a lot of different electrolytes. But the future is installations, big rooms for polishing where you can allocate big parts mainly for welding technology or stainless steel. When the installations are ready, it will be very easy for customers to approach that technology and to accept it. This means that we need to improve electrolytes and we need to develop more industrial solutions to be easier to implement.”

Johnson speaks to Pau Sarsanedas Millet, CEO of GPA Innova, about the company’s TCT Award-winning DLyte eBlast technology.

6BELOW: THE GPA INNOVA TEAM PICKING UP THE TCT AWARD IN THE POST PROCESSING CATEGORY IN JUNE 2022

FLEXIBLE ELECTRONICS

Oli Johnson speaks to Jesus Zozaya, Co-Founder and CEO of Voltera about the potential of 3D printed flexible electronics.

In 2022, Voltera, a leader in printed electronics technology, launched the NOVA, a new platform for printing flexible hybrid electronics. The NOVA uses direct write technology to print circuits on soft, stretchable and conformable surfaces. According to Voltera, the precision extrusion technology of the printer can help conduct research and develop ‘products of the future’.

The NOVA is capable of handling electrically conductive inks of high viscosity levels, which is how it creates flexible electronics. Copper and silver are the main materials that the team at Voltera works with, but an assortment of materials are capable of being handled by the NOVA system.

Jesus Zozaya, CEO and Co-Founder of Voltera, told TCT: “It’s a bench top device that allows a designer, usually a researcher, to prototype an idea very quickly, probably in about an afternoon, and iterate very quickly as they test it out. We’ve got interest from different academic and research institutions from all over the world.”

Zozaya explained to TCT that in the field of additive electronics, there are typically two routes to go down. The first being the inkjet route, and the second being screen printing. Inkjet printing is typically limited to low viscosity materials that are very runny, such as water-based materials. Zozaya said that around 98% of printed electronics are created through screen printing.

Despite screen printing being very useful for high volume applications, the method has its challenges according to Zozaya: “With screen printers you need a particular screen, which means that you need to get a new screen for every material, which if you are just getting started with a design, you’re not sure

exactly what the final output will be like, and you can end up wasting a lot of resources. On top of that, screen printing in general can lead to a lot of wasted material, especially if you are working with inks that are very expensive. Some of our customers work with inks that have gold in them, so every tiny little droplet of the material is precious, quite literally, it’s a precious metal. So, what we find is that customers are attracted to our technology because it allows them to prototype with either materials that are very expensive or difficult to manufacture, but they’re still able to essentially work with the material with much less waste.”

The main benefits of the technology utilized in the Voltera NOVA is the weight savings and space savings that it provides. Zozaya says that in industries such as the aerospace and automotive industries, every gram that can be saved is important. The NOVA allows users to pattern different materials on what could be functional surfaces.

Zozaya added: “Imagine that you are printing a circuit on a big flat piece of PT that you will later form to give it

the shape of whatever you need. The NOVA allows the electronics to be part of the design. Historically, you usually have the mechanical design and the electrical design, usually they are separated. So the mechanical engineer does the mechanics, the electrical engineer does the electronics and they’re usually working with a rigid board that’s made on FR4 and they meet in the middle with a couple of screws and some mounting hardware.

“We’ve got interest from different academic and research institutions from all over the world.”

start of the design, so it leads to a much more integrated design.”

Voltera works with a range of companies that are developing materials that can be used on the NOVA. Zozaya said materials are being developed by companies such as DuPont and Panasonic to name a few, as well as a number of smaller manufacturers. The CEO also said that the companies working with Voltera are pushing the limits of the different types of materials, as some can be conductive, some can be resistive, and some can be made for specific types of sensors.

In the initial announcement of the NOVA in late 2023, Voltera said “the future of electronics is flexible, which means the future of electronics is additive.” Zozaya told TCT that having the NOVA on your desk gives users a competitive advantage, as it has multiple functionalities and can fit on a benchtop in a lab or an office, which the company says saves money on the cost of tooling that would be associated with setting up screen printing.

Speaking about the future of the NOVA, Zozaya said: “The NOVA is kind of like a sandbox environment where different people can do different things with it. So, right now we’ve released two modules, one of them is our dispenser and one of them is a probe. The probe will allow height mapping of the surface, but we can develop additional modules that unlock different functionalities. One of them could be some type of a pick and place module that allows components to be placed accurately on the substrate. Another one could be a UV curing module, so if you’re dispensing some type of UV curable resin, then this module could come over and cure the resin that was dispensed. Another one could be some type of drill attachment or some type of laser drilling or laser curing as well, but there’s lots of opportunities for us to develop additional modules that would be more compatible in this machine, so it will get better over time as we develop more modules.”

In terms of the resolution of the prints that the Voltera creates, it is currently around 100

microns in terms of trace width, but Zozaya says the team is always working to improve that number, and it is a “never ending” goal for the company. As the resolution of prints using Voltera’s technology increases, more compact circuits and more complicated designs can be produced.

The primary material used for the NOVA is a silver-based conductive ink, which, according to Voltera, is an emerging field 'actively being developed.' Zozaya says there has been “huge” improvements in this area in the last two to three years. The new inks are more conductive and a lot more robust when it comes to soldering, according to the CEO, as well as being cheaper and having a longer shelf life. Zozaya emphasized to TCT that this technology will only improve over time.

Speaking to TCT about Voltera’s relationship with the companies that are producing the materials, Zozaya said:

“I would say when we first started the company, we would send them an email and we were lucky if they replied. Now that relationship has changed a little bit and now we work pretty closely with a couple of suppliers to the point where they have manufactured custom formulations for us specifically. It’s very much like a partnership because we’re not in direct competition with them. We are making their jobs easier. We will recommend their inks to our customers and they’ll recommend our equipment to their customers.”

An example of a research project highlighted by Voltera to TCT was a customer comparing inkjet printing to extrusion printing, for the development of printed silver electrodes.

According to Voltera, customers that are using the NOVA are primarily using the technology for wearable tech or biocompatible devices, but there have also been interesting applications for in-mould electronics and materials development.

Please contact Carol Cooper on +44 (0) 1244 952 386 or email carol@rapidnews.com

SHOWN: ROBOTIC HAND WITH PARTS PRINTED BY THE NOVA

Celebrating ten years of accelerating the adoption of additive manufacturing

PERSONALIZATION AT SCALE

Cambre Kelly is the co-founder and Chief Technology Officer at restor3d, a provider of 3D printed personalized surgical solutions.

On a recent episode of the Additive Insight Podcast, Cambre shared her insights on additive manufacturing in the healthcare sector, including the product range restor3d offers, its vision for scaled personalization, and working with the FDA.

TCT: Alongside the recent announcement of the Kinos Total Ankle System, there was the launch of the r3id Personalized Surgery Platform. What does this platform offer to medical professionals?

CK: So, the platform enables our surgeon collaborators to work directly with our engineering team to facilitate that patientspecific design process.

Before the launch of r3id, that was conducted in what I call an offline process and what we've brought to the table with the launch of r3id, which is both a web and now a mobile companion app for both iOS and Android, is the ability for the surgeon to collaborate with the engineering team at restor3d directly.

So, upload CT scans of the patient preoperatively, provide us some information about the case and the patient that we need to go ahead and start our design process, and then facilitate the patient specific process through the portal all the way through, getting ready for manufacturing, and then ultimately shipping the products out for surgery.

The other kind of great benefit of the system is that it acts as a repository for an individual surgeon's case library and so they can go back and access their past cases on the fly. And remember, ‘oh, I did this case with restor3d a couple months ago, I have a patient that might be a candidate for something similar,’ and refresh their memory on what's going on, or if they're preparing for a podium presentation or a series, they can aggregate all that data together. And that's been a really exciting feature of what we've rolled out that surgeons have been very positive on.

TCT: Earlier in our conversation, you mentioned the concept of scaled personalization. Can you provide some insight into the infrastructure required to enable that?

CK: One of the more common objections that we might see from people in the market saying, 'this is great for personalization at this level, it’s great for some really complex reconstructions, but it's not something that can be applied to every case in orthopedics,' and our team feels very strongly that that's not the case. Our vision is to make this a scalable operation. So, that includes scaling both the front end design aspects as well as the manufacturing operations as well.

I mentioned [earlier] we are moving into a new facility. And the intention there is to bring scale to our manufacturing asset to unlock that vision. Then the other component is to bring more digital aspects to the front end of the process.

Our first step into that space is the launch of r3id to make the process streamlined and frictionless for the surgeons and our team, as well as trying to bring some more automation and streamlining the design aspects of what our team does. So, the more that we can bring automatic segmentation, automatic design, these sorts of aspects to what we're doing on that business, we'll be able to truly unlock the vision of scaled personalized orthopedics.

TCT: How much of a hurdle does FDA clearance, for example, become when you’re doing scaled personalization?

CK: I think there's been a lot of great collaboration and conversation in the last year or two around point of care printing and what that looks like and FDA has laid out some really interesting framework, from their perspective and solicited some feedback from industry and others.

And so, we've been very fortunate to

collaborate with FDA. Really try to understand from their perspective, how can we do this at scale and be compliant in the regulation? So, that looks like designing envelopes that encompass some of the patient specific aspects and features of what we might want to do for a given device and being really thoughtful and collaborative, like I said, with the agency to be able to do this.

WORDS: SAM DAVIES

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AMUG CHECKLIST

For any first-time AMUG attendees out there, Laura Griffiths provides a guide to how to make the most of the upcoming conference.

BE PREPARED

The off-site event on night three is always a highlight. You never know where you’re going to end up but given I’ve found myself on a Batman rollercoaster at Six Flags and in the passenger seat of a NASCAR race car over the years, I’d advise being prepared for all possibilities. So, bring a jacket, comfy shoes, and potentially a waiver form.

EMBRACE THE BOWL

I’m British so there’s little scarier to me than having to raise my hand in a packed room or being the first to strike up conversation on a table of strangers. If there was ever a place to shake off these fears, it’s the AMUG networking lunches where you’ll pull a table number out of a bowl and share a meal with a group of people you likely don’t know. In the past, I’ve been seated next to medical professionals, engineers at some of the biggest AM super users, and one time, a Canadian guy who, turns out, once lived just 20 minutes down the road from my house in Chester, UK. I've found contacts at many of these chance meetings and regularly sought their expertise for this very magazine. My advice is to get stuck in and introduce yourself to every person on that table.

PLAN, BUT PLAN TO BE FLEXIBLE

If you've never attended the AMUG Conference before, I suggest you stop reading this article right now, open your chosen podcast app and listen to our interview with AMUG President Mark Abshire. Mark has some great insights for first-time attendees on what makes the conference a must-attend. When you're done, take a look at the pleminary AMUG agenda. You'll see each day is split into main stage presentations and vendorled tracks. I personally can't wait to hear from

3D Systems' Diana Kalisz in the Innovators

Showcase. If you're using or keen to learn more about a particular technology, that's likely the track you'll want to spend your time in but I'd also advise picking a few that are out of your comfort zone to broaden your horizons, and setting some time aside for roaming the expo and Technical Challenge entries - you're guaranteed to see some cool stuff.

TAKE NOTES. AND BUSINESS CARDS. My Notes app is my friend after a conference. Largely nonsensical to the untrained eye but filled with thoughtprovoking quotes picked up in panels, and names that I must look up when I get home. It's a bit of a blur so grab your phone or a pen and take plenty of notes for when that spark of inspiration occurs. And take business cards too; that engineer you heard talking about a smart workaround the post-processing of a tricky metal part might just be your new best friend next time you're in a bind.

SHARE AND SHARE ALIKE

It's not just the meticulously chosen, free-flowing beverages that keep attendees returning to AMUG year after year: it's the information exchange. You'll get plenty of takeaways from planned sessions but the real nuggets are usually found in those after hours conversations where colleagues, and competitors, discuss problems and best practices over a drink. Be prepared to listen but also to share your own learnings. You'll find a great example of this on the Main Stage where Robert Ducey of LAIKA Studios and Nicholas Jacobson of the University of Colorado’s Anschutz Medical Campus will share how a meeting at the 2019 Conference began an unlikely collaboration.

SHOWN: AMUG 2023 KEYNOTE SPEAKERS

REINVENTING ADDITIVE

Laura Griffiths speaks to Richard Hague at the University of Nottingham about the opportuities for multi-material, functional additive manufacturing.

The job of a researcher is to keep reinventing and continue to ask “what’s next?” For Richard Hague, Professor of Additive Manufacturing and Director of the Centre for Additive Manufacturing (CfAM) at the University of Nottingham, that question has been at the core of numerous projects undertaken at the Centre over the last decade where the ‘what’ is poised to be multi-material, functional additive manufacturing (AM).

TCT: Hi Richard. Tell us, why multifunctional additive manufacturing?

RH: We wanted to do something a little bit different. For me, if you're going to be a leading research group, you need to be doing leading research. I didn't want to be a group that continued just to make shapes, which we probably were in the 1990s, and wanted to transform the group to be much more of a science-based activity that was at the cutting edge, doing the materials and process development for additive. So, we hit on this idea of multi-material, multifunctional stuff, which no one was really doing at the time.

For me, it's always been not what it is, it's how it's made, I’m much more interested in the process, and industry and people will come along and use it for different applications. You can see it in single material conventional additive manufacturing today, the kind of applications we get today are incredible and no one would have imagined that 20 years ago when we first started doing additive manufacturing research.

TCT: Can you tell us about what you’re currently working on?

RH: We have various projects looking at the printing of functional materials – too many! We have really amazing partners across the industrial spectrum, […] AstraZeneca, GSK and Pfizer, those kinds of pharmabased companies, we also work with the BAE Systems and other large aerospace companies on defence and automotive, and

those kinds of areas. So, we have a range and I think some of the things that we've been doing that everyone will be interested in, I think, is printing of magnetics and magnetic parts for electric motors. There's a real opportunity for additive to be able to create more efficient electric motors. And we all need to have more efficient electric motors in our cars; they go faster, they're lighter, more efficient, use less electricity, same power. So we’ve done really nice work looking at the optimization of electrical motors, and we’re very lucky to have connected research groups here at Nottingham. We have the Power Electronics and Machines group here who are experts on electrical machine design. We do the processing and material side of additive and we can work with them on their application. It's the same at the pharmacy department here, the top one in the UK, top three in the world pharmacy department, so we're really lucky to be able to work with them.

TCT: What potential do you see multifunctional AM having? What kind of applications could it open up that perhaps weren’t possible before?

RH: That’s a big question. If I had the answer for every single thing that could be done with additive, I’d be much wealthier than I am now! The potential for printing batteries, I think that's got some real scope. We can have a much higher surface area within the batteries so, printing solid state batteries that last longer. I think that metamaterials have got real potential where we can produce structures that just don't appear in nature naturally and perform in a different way, both mechanical and electromechanical. I'm personally less interested in just making structure. We've seen some really lovely examples and been involved in some really lovely examples of creating single material structure but I think research in AM has gone beyond that. We need to combine both function and structure and that could be across a range of different applications that have

electronic, electromagnetic, pharma, bio, whatever, and I think the opportunities are huge.

TCT: What are the main challenges with multi-material, multi-functional AM?

RH: There are temperature limitations and there are viscosity limitations that you have. There's the fact that you're depositing some materials that are much thinner in layers. The functional layers are very often much thinner because they often contain nanoparticulate, which produce extremely thin, couple of micron thick layers compared to the structural layer that you're sticking around it. So there's this mismatch and then you’ve got to functionalize that functional material in process because it's going to get entrapped by the functional material that you're likely wrapping around it.

I think one of the challenges we have with additive, it's conceptually quite a simple thing to understand. In reality, doing it is quite hard, even for single materials. And with multi materials, it's ten times worse.

TCT: As a researcher, how challenging is it to turn a research project into something that can be adopted by industry?

RH: We've had a real focus in the last ten years or so on getting publications and academic journal publications out. The UK is generally pretty good at getting really excellent journal publications, and our rate of publication in the UK is very, very high. Not just us, groups such as Sheffield and Liverpool have got really good reputations. It's kind of an AM research superpower but translating that into end product is quite hard.

First of all, it's quite hard patenting things within universities because the route to getting patents is quite complicated. And then setting up spin out companies is quite hard. So you really have to work very closely with industry and all [of our] grants have very strong industrial collaborators.

There are really nice examples of it working but I don't think we have enough of it. To a certain extent, that’s because academics are motivated to write journal publications rather than patents and that's because their careers are based on it. So, if a researcher wants to move forward in their career, they have to have a certain amount of journal publications and that's how they’re judged not necessarily on patents because they take a long while to come to fruition in terms of licencing, etc. Personally, I think that we should have much more incentives to take our research out and patent it and exploit it, and it should be easier to set up a spinout company.

TCT: What are your ambitions for the year, what can we expect to see coming out of the Centre next?

RH: We're looking to expand [materials that you have for polymeric systems] with real engineering grade polyurethanes, silicones and polycarbonate materials that we can produce on these additive processes and that will be fantastic. So, I'm looking forward to really pushing the research forward, and taking our companies to the next level as well.

That's one of the joys of being an academic. In the end, you can think of an idea and you have to be able to write it up, you have to be able to convince people that it's worth funding, but then you get funded for it and you get to work with fantastic colleagues, fabulous industry and a really nice working environment. It doesn’t get a lot better, really. You're very much in control of your own destiny, and you get to work with some clever people and that's the most interesting thing.

Listen to the interview in full on the Additive Insight podcast: mytct.co/CfAM

“We need to combine both function and structure.”

SHOWN: RICHARD HAGUE, DIRECTOR OF THE CENTRE FOR AM

SHOWN: METAL JETTED SAMPLES

BUILDING AN AM BUSINESS CASE: WHAT DO YOU NEED TO KNOW?

We asked the people who have built AM machines and business cases, for their biggest pieces of advice on adopting additive into your business.

MARIA PAPAROZZISHIPMAN | Knowledge Transfer Partnership Associate | Diamond Centre Wales

“Is there true return on investment and have you got enough time to wait for the return? I think it can be very easy to look at the cost of a machine and work out how quickly you can break even, but the secret costs, such as lab equipment, post-processing, experts, continuous material, and consumable costs are often forgotten about and the time it takes to embed new technology into a workforce.

The biggest investment a company will make when adopting additive manufacturing is time. A clear understanding of your project’s timeframe to change from the research and development stage to the embedding stage and into profitable production needs to be agreed on from every level by all stakeholders, from technician to board of directors. Trying to balance turning a profit and delivering an innovative product or service that will transform either the industry, or your market share, takes time.”

SJ JONES | Additive Manufacturing Expert

“In a period where we’re seeing rapid growth in not only the size of our machines, but also their capabilities, I’d build a business case tied to the technological and material roadmap of my printer partner. Simply put, the quote you get for parts today could rapidly change – for the better – in the few weeks/months before your funding is allocated. Keeping an eye on future technological horizons will not only better your business case but also strategically align your manufacturing process for future success.”

DR PARASTOO JAMSHIDI | School of Metallurgy and Materials | University of Birmingham

“Additive manufacturing approaches allow a greater design flexibility than traditional subtractive manufacturing methods with further advantages of cheaper and less wasteful manufacturing process (saving on material waste and energy) for various industrial applications. Therefore, in any business case where there are needs for a faster and less expensive production run for fully customized parts and also a need for adding further value and functionality to the components via AM design flexibility with an attempt of positive impact on the final product yield, adopting AM into that business is a great opportunity.”

STACEY M. DELVECCHIO | President | StaceyD Consulting

“It is critical that you know what problem you’re trying to solve which is very specific to each company and sometimes each application. The problems run the range from peak shaving when volumes exceed the capacity, to solving technical challenges that can’t be solved any other way, to needing a faster turnaround time, just to name a few. They can be a combination of several problems and will likely change with each application. Regardless, knowing what problem you’re trying to solve, and getting buy-in from leadership that it needs to be solved, is critical to success in building a successful business case. I’ve seen so many companies try to build a business case for additive simply because they see others doing it. That’s not a good reason. You need to find your why.”

KRISTIN

MULHERIN | President AM-Cubed | President Women in 3D Printing

“A strong business case for adopting additive manufacturing includes one important thing: future-proofing. Adopting additive manufacturing is no small task, and it doesn’t happen overnight, but there are several benefits that’ll be missed in the future if you don’t start thinking about it now.

Speed of innovation is one such benefit. Yes, additive manufacturing can help mitigate supply chain risk, increase design flexibility, allow greater customization, and sometimes even offer a more sustainable solution – all of which help future-proof your business. But if you truly want to stay ahead of the competition, you need to innovate fast and often.

Additive manufacturing can produce parts in a matter of hours or days (versus weeks or months). This allows quick responses to changing markets and maximizes the product’s potential by allowing iterations at any point in the product lifecycle. Faster prototyping, iteration-friendly bridge production, and scaled production - all with the same manufacturing technology - will ensure you are staying ahead of the competition now and in the future.”

ANDY LANGFELD | President EMEA | Stratasys

“When considering the possible business opportunities that additive manufacturing (AM) is able to deliver, looking at the Bill of Materials (BOM) of any product is generally a solid starting point. A classical paradigm today is that if you have one product of, for example, 1,000 components you would probably be able to produce around 300 of those components with AM. Of these, you’d end up with maybe 50 to 60 components where this makes economic sense, and those components usually give you a very fast return on investment.

Fortunately, there are software solutions out there that will conduct this BOM analysis and advise manufacturers which AM technology would fit each viable component. The bigger challenge is for manufacturers to expand this effort and rethink the BOM looking for design changes that could bring AM into play. With some redesign of the remaining parts, manufactures can open new opportunities and strengthen the overall case for AM – ultimately opening the door to even more of the benefits that it delivers.”

TANIOBIS

Based on our 60 years expertise in manufacturing and development of refractory metals, we have developed AMtrinsic® atomized tantalum and niobium spherical powders and their alloys for demanding additive manufacturing technologies. Our ability to adjust specific intrinsic material properties enables us to push the limits according to the requirements of your application.

AMtrinsic® spherical tantalum and niobium powders provide outstanding combinations of material properties customized for specific applications. Aligned with 3D-printing technology, AMtrinsic® powders can help overcome hurdles in various high-tech industries. The high temperature stability, excellent corrosion resistance and biocompatibility of AMtrinsic® Ta, Nb powders and their alloys deliver a perfect fit for biomedical (Ta, TNT and TNTZ), chemical (Ta, Nb, Ta-W) and aerospace (Ta-W, C103 and FS-85) applications. In addition, AMtrinsic® Nb with its prominent superconducting properties is ideal for the superconducting industry.

TANIOBIS has recently expanded its AMtrinsic® portfolio adding C103 (Nb-10Hf-1Ti) and FS-85 (Nb-28Ta10W- 1Zr) pre-alloyed powders. High-temperature strength, superior creep properties and their excellent workability with Additive Manufacturing make these alloys great candidates as structural material for various aerospace applications. AM offers design freedom enabling manufacturing of lightweight components with complex features e.g. rocket thruster with integrated cooling channels which is one of the applications of our AMtrinsic® C103 and FS-85 alloys.

DR

PHIL REEVES | Managing Director | Reeves Insight

"When building a business case for AM adoption, the most important thing you need to have is a metric. More than one metric is even better. Having something to measure AM against is the most crucial part of any business case-building activity. For example, that metric could be cost reduction, weight reduction, increased flow rate, reduced operating pressure, or reduced part count. The critical consideration is understanding how the metric impacts business performance and customer value. Does a lighter-weight part cost the customer more to purchase but save money to operate? Does reducing part count through design for AM save money in production but drive up the spare part cost? The other parallel consideration should always be whether this is still the best manufacturing process for this component or whether we should look towards traditional manufacturing processes and supply chains."

ANDY MIDDLETON | Vice President | XJet

Firstly, we must understand the motivation behind bringing in AM. Assuming the aim is not ‘to be a visionary’ with no real business need, most companies we speak to are looking for flexible production –to produce thousands of parts as opposed to the hundreds of thousands of parts generally produced by ceramic manufacturers. AM solves that problem, without the cost of the intensive, labor-heavy processes used by the ceramic industry today. To make the business case, companies must show that AM can meet, or surpass, the quality of parts made by the incumbent technology. For successful adoption, manufacturers absolutely will not compromise on quality. In ceramics, this is often about material properties, such as performance at high temperatures, chemical resistance and electrical insulation. In addition, the process must be as automated as possible. To compete with the standardized methods manufacturers have been using for decades, AM cannot use labor-intensive post-processing, it must be competitive."

A ROAD

When putting together a business case, the easiest (and therefore, unsurprisingly, the most common) thing to do is to focus straight on the second word: the case. Too many are tempted to chuck in just about every word you’ve ever heard on The Apprentice or Dragons Den and fill the pages with terms like ‘Market positioning’, ‘Key verticals’ and ‘Holistic synergy’. Overcook it and you’ll have blown the opportunity to put across what you actually intended.

The correct place to start is by focusing on the first word: the business. What I mean by that is that you have to understand the impact that additive manufacturing (AM) will have on your business. Not the impact that you would like it to have, or the impact that some so-called futurist has told you it will have but rather the difference that it will make to your business.

Be honest with yourself here, some of the differences will be good and some will be bad. Crucially, the universal constant is that AM adoption will be different for each individual business. Don’t just point to successful AM adoptions by other companies and predict that you will have the same successes. Their marketing people put out lots of stories of how they have benefitted and how AM has taken them forward and opened new opportunities. They don’t, however, talk about the things that did not go to plan, the abandoned research or implementation projects and the kit that they bought that has less returns than purchasing a stock of Joe Biden baseball caps and trying to sell them on at a Donald Trump rally.

Adoption viability is directly linked to applicability. Some areas like automotive and aerospace are great

fits for AM. Others are not. Even when you find a similar sized company, in your exact market segment that has adopted AM, you simply cannot draw direct parallels and base meaningful predictions on them. This seems a little odd. After all, as businesses we are always monitoring our competitors and customer activities. However, a key driver for implementation of any disruptive changes within a business, whether product offering shifts or technological shifts, are the people. Since technology has allowed businesses to operate more globally, company culture has become less and less defined by national conditions meaning that people have risen up the ranks in terms of importance in defining the culture of organizations.

To put it simply, if you have an effective core of people that not just embrace change but hunger for it and they are in the right positions then you are off. If, however, you have influential groups who are personally and professionally invested in the status quo, you are on a rocky road. The requirements at a human level for changes such as adopting AM are vision and faith. You may have the most compelling business case full of technical details, projections, market intelligence, etc. and paint a picture of a future where potential benefits from AM are like ripe fruit sitting on low lying branches just waiting to be picked. However, back in the real world, if you have just one person somewhere in your approval chain whose limits of vision is reluctantly daring to imagine a change of font on the title bar of their capacity reports, then you are going to have to think again about how much change will/can actually be achieved.

Putting together a business plan for AM may seem like a simple thing. You can dive into so many AM websites and

find people waxing lyrical about what AM can offer. You can cut and paste huge sections of this sort of stuff, stick a title on the top saying ‘AM adoption business case’, put your name on the bottom and think, job done. If any business leader signs off based on that, then they should not be in their position. To properly quantify and explain the impact on a business you need to perform value stream mapping of your proposed processes to identify and understand just where the value adding is. You need to understand the problems that you are trying to solve rather than simply becoming obsessed with the opportunities that you are creating. Most importantly of all, you absolutely must know and understand the appetite that your organization has for adoption and set and communicate realistic expectations based on that.

WORDS: Jeremy Pullin, Head of Additive Manufacturing, Sartorius

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