World’s Largest House-Sized 3D Printer
By Taylor Ward, 23rd April 2024 University of Maine’s new 3D printer smashes former Guinness World Record to advance the next generation of advanced manufacturing Surpassing its own 2019 Guinness World Record for the largest polymer 3D printer, University of Maine unveiled a next-generation printer that is four times larger than its predecessor to catalyze the future of sustainable manufacturing in a number of industries. Read the full article here Previous Blog Next Blog
Texas Just Got Rad-Looking 3D-Printed Military Barracks
By Kyle Mizokami, 9th September 2021 Coming in at over 3,000 square feet, North America's largest 3D-printed structure is here—and it's a set of two military barracks on the grounds of Camp Swift Training Centre in Bastrop, Texas. ICON, an Austin, Texas-based 3D-printing company that develops advanced construction technologies for the Texas Military Department, completed the new barracks last month. For context, the Texas Military Department oversees all three branches of the Texas Guard. So that means members of the Texas Army National Guard, Texas Air National Guard, and Texas Guard (a state militia organization) will all get [...]
How are 3D printed hearts helping families with heart problems
By BHF, 25th June 2018 Can you imagine holding your heart in your hand? BHF-funded researchers are helping patients to do just that. Just like fingerprints, no two heart defects are the same. The problem is that, consequently, no two treatments or surgeries for children with heart defects will be exactly the same. But BHF-funded researcher Claudio Capelli (pictured below) is doing research as part of a team at Great Ormond Street Hospital on a possible solution: printing a life-size 3D version of their heart. He and the team are creating 3D replicas of the tiny hearts of [...]
Feast Your Eyes Upon the World’s First 3D-Printed Steel Bridge
By Laura Rider, 25th August 2021 After four long years of planning, the world's first 3D-printed steel bridge debuted in Amsterdam last month. If it stands up to the elements, the bridge could be a blueprint for fixing our own structurally deficient infrastructure in the U.S.—and we sorely need the help. Dutch Company MX3D built the almost 40-foot-long bridge for pedestrians and cyclists to cross the city's Oudezijds Achterburgwal canal. It relied on four robots, fit with welding torches, to 3D-print the structure. To do it, the machines laid out 10,000 pounds of steel, heated to 2,732 degrees Fahrenheit, [...]
How 3D printing companies are responding to the coronavirus crisis
By Laura Griffiths, 22nd March 2020 A surge of additive manufacturing (AM) companies from service bureaus to makers have publicly declared their willingness to support the manufacture of much needed life-saving medical equipment. As the number of cases increases, our regular supply chains are struggling to facilitate demand for crucial items such as respiratory devices and protective masks. Here in the UK, our NHS is said to have around 5,900 vital ventilators but it is believed we could need almost quadruple that number to care for Covid-19 patients. It’s a similar situation across the world and AM companies believe [...]
3D printed swabs set to streamline Covid tests
By Peter A Walker, 12th May 2021 A new 3D-printed Covid-19 testing swab which can collect sufficient viral material from the back of the nose - without need of a throat swab - is now being manufactured in Scotland. The nasopharynx 3D printed swabs provide a less intrusive experience compared to traditional cotton bud swabs, cutting testing time, reducing anxiety and minimising discomfort for patients. The Medical Device Manufacturing Centre (MDMC), based at Heriot-Watt University, and the Scottish Manufacturing Advisory Service (SMAS) at Scottish Enterprise have worked with Scottish company Abergower 3D, to manufacture the new design. Once used, the [...]
The 3D Printing Revolution
By Richard D’Aveni, May 2015 Industrial 3-D printing is at a tipping point, about to go mainstream in a big way. Most executives and many engineers don’t realize it, but this technology has moved well beyond prototyping, rapid tooling, trinkets, and toys. “Additive manufacturing” is creating durable and safe products for sale to real customers in moderate to large quantities. The beginnings of the revolution show up in a 2014 PwC survey of more than 100 manufacturing companies. At the time of the survey, 11% had already switched to volume production of 3-D-printed parts or products. According to Gartner analysts, a [...]
The Future of Robotics is Here
By Philippa Glover, Managing Director, CNC Robotics, 21st December 2019 Machining with robots Machining with robots is becoming an increasingly popular option for manufacturers especially when producing larger parts in plastic, foam, composites and softer metals. Systems developed have been used to replace many hand-finishing tasks, where robots can provide a faster and more consistent approach than manual operations and eliminate health and safety issues. A growing number of software companies now support the programming of robots with variants of their five-axis milling capabilities. The combination of the robot and the software gives the equivalent benefits to those [...]