Rapid Show 2016 – Update / Overview

We had a great turn out from the minute doors opened at the Rapid Show. We would like to thank everyone that came by and supported us! For those that could not make it, this is what you missed out on…

The focus of our presentation was our AU-series atomizers, which are developed for the economic production of small batches of metal powder.

The focus of our presentation will be our AU-series atomizers, which were developed for the economic production of small batches of metal powder.

 

After a conference call in which the medical device giant announced an expanded use of metal 3D printing, Stryker has made even more progress in bringing 3D printed implants to market. The company has just announced 510(k) clearance from the FDA for their Tritanium PL Posterior Lumbar Cage, a device aimed at encouraging spinal fixation in patients with degenerative disc disease.

Stryker’s Tritanium is described as a porous titanium material designed for improved bone growth, necessary for securing a spinal implant in place over time. This patented material is essential for the company’s Tritanium PL Posterior Lumbar Cage, used to treat degenerative disc disease, grade I spondylolisthesis and degenerative scoliosis. Because the device is 3D printed, Stryker is able to offer the lumbar cage in a variety of widths, lengths, heights, and lordotic angles. And, through the use of large lateral windows and an open architecture, fusion of the cage with the body can be observed in CT scans and X-rays. And increased surface area, achieved through serrations within the cage, allow for bidirectional fixation

Brad Paddock, President of the Spine Division at Stryker, says of the product, “This is an exciting time for Stryker. We are committed to offering a full range of innovative spinal products that allow surgeons to help their patients return to a more active lifestyle. Our advanced 3D additive manufacturing capabilities allow us to precisely manufacture the porous structures of Tritanium and specific implant geometries. We are pleased to bring this technology to our spine surgeon community and their patients.”

The device will be made available to orthopaedic and neurosurgeons in the second quarter of 2016. This, along with news from Materialise about its new inPrint software and the ongoing clinical trial of 3D printed pre-surgical models, suggests that 2016 may just be the year that 3D printing becomes mainstream in the medical field.

Source: Michael Molitch-Hou@3dprintingindustry.com

It seems as though Airbus is quickly becoming an industry example when it comes to the adoption of metal 3D printing. Over the past few weeks, they already have announced that they will be investing into 3D printing car specialists Local Motors and that they will use more 3D printing for interior aircraft parts, but they’re showing no signs of stopping. They have just announced that their subsidiary, the Varel, Germany-based AEROTEC will start production in their titanium 3D printing facility. That same AEROTEC will also partner with titanium metal 3D printing giant Norsk Titanium to set up a qualification process for aerospace parts 3D printed with their Rapid Plasma Deposition technique.

In short, a lot seems to be happening over at AEROTEC. For those of you who’ve never heard of the company, this Airbus subsidiary is one of the world’s leading suppliers of aircraft structures, and are specialists in producing metal and carbon fiber composite components. They also have sites all over Germany and one in Romania, and their Varel site in Lower Saxony will now thus start with high quality titanium 3D printing. In the near future, it is expected that AEROTEC will expand their 3D printing capacity.

As revealed, the technology was adopted for its cost and time saving abilities, its tool-less production and for particularly low levels of waste production. To enable the Varel hall to accommodate the technology, it was reportedly extensively modernized. It’s grand opening, on Wednesday, was attended by Brigitte Zypries, State Secretary at the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy and coordinator of Germany’s aviation and space policies, Airbus Defence and Space Manager Pilar Albiac-Murillo and Airbus’s German CEO Klaus Richter.

So what will be produced in the hall in Varel? The first parts on the agenda are double-walled pipe elbows for the fuel system of the A400M military transport aircraft, which are expected to be delivered in March upon the completion of their legal controls. Until now, these complex components were made through individual castings, which were joined together via a welding process to form a final project. 3D printing obviously greatly enhances that production process by creating a single shape at a much lower cost – as it eliminates the need for a lot of hardware. According to reports, 3D printing enables AEROTEC to greatly speed up production while also saving costs. Three 3D printing facilities were reportedly installed in the hall in Varel, with another already in use and a fifth expected in May.

AEROTEC is very clear about the role they expect this technology will play in the near future. “We want to significantly promote the use of 3D printing technology in the aircraft industry,” said Dr. Thomas Ehm, the CEO of Premium AEROTEC. “This technology goes beyond the present limitations of the our production capacity. And where boundaries disappear, we must embrace our innovative strength to be able to use these freedoms as much as possible. We must already think ahead and benefit from the resulting opportunities and target across the entire value chain.”

According to the Varel site’s director Gerd Weber, metal 3D printing greatly expands the capacity of the factory, in all respects. “This will not replace our tried and tested methods, but it gives us a hardly inestimable potential. Especially in regards to the production time, to flexibility in production, or even the weight of components, we are pioneers and that is a huge privilege.” The Mayor of Varel, Gerd-Christian Wagner, went as far as calling this a production milestone. “You can be an example for many other industries,” he said.

It’s clear that AEROTEC and AIRBUS see 3D printing as both an opportunity and a challenge, as it can create entirely new supply chains. This shift in production policy doubtlessly also explains a whole different reason why AEROTEC reached headlines this week. They will also begin collaborating with titanium 3D printing specialists Norsk Titanium, who have recently been hailed as one of the most promising innovators of 2015.

As part of this collaboration, they will set up a qualification process for 3D printed titanium parts, and AEROTEC will use Titanium’s patented Rapid Plasma Deposition (RPD) 3D printing process for a number of parts. The first parts manufactured with that process were just sent to AEROTEC for final machining. The parts in question, Ti-6Al-4V sample parts were designed by AEOTEC and are currently being tested at the German site. The results will be used for developing that joint qualification program.

Both partners seem to be very pleased with this collaboration. “We ordered samples of two of our proprietary Airbus A350 XWB parts and were pleasantly surprised how quickly they arrived and how efficiently we were able to machine Norsk Titanium’s near-net-shape RPD™ components into finished test pieces,” said Dr. Joachim Schmidt, Head of Parts Production at Premium AEROTEC in VAREL. “This fast-track qualification program is a great example of the value proposition RPD™ brings to our commercial aerospace partners,” said Norsk Titanium Chief Commercial Officer Chet Fuller. “We turned AEROTEC’s 3D CATIA files into flyable titanium parts in a matter of weeks under a cost reduction effort that could ultimately save Airbus $2-$3 million per aircraft.” It thus seems that Airbus is fast-tracking the adoption of metal 3D printing and that 2016 will be a very interesting year for fans of aerospace manufacturing.

Source: Alec @ 3ders.org

Despite certain 3D printing companies, such as 3D Systems, suffering financial losses, there is good news on the horizon for the 3D printing industry as a whole. Recently, global provider of market intelligence, the International Data Corporation (IDC) released its Semiannual 3D Printing Spending Guide which predicts that global spending on 3D printing technologies will grow at a 27% compound annual growth rate. In other words, the 3D printing industry will grow from nearly $11 billion in 2015 to $26.7 billion in 2019.

The predicted growth in the 3D printing industry is not entirely surprising, however, as nearly every day we see what amazing things and advances are being made by and in the additive manufacturing world. From 3D printing in new metals, to bio-printing, there is no doubt that we have only just begun to see what the growing technology can accomplish.

“3D printing has been a mainstay in specialized discrete manufacturing markets like automotive and aerospace for many years,” explain Christopher Chute, Vice President, Consumer Insights and Analysis Group. “However, in just the past three years, lower-priced 3D printers and affordable materials have dramatically widened the market for 3D printing to now enable consumer, education, healthcare and additional manufacturing markets.”

In the report, the IDC predict that Asia, the United States, and Western Europe, the dominant regions within the 3D printing industry, will increase their aggregate share of global spending from 59.2% in 2014 to 70% by 2019. The report also predicts China will become an increasingly important leader in 3D printing hardware and services.

“IDC’s 3D printing research indicates that the 3D printer market is primed and ready for greater mainstream adoption. There is strong appeal for this technology across several markets, and regions,” says Keith Kmetz, Program Vice President of IDC’s Imaging, Printing and Document Solutions research.

Tim Greene, Research Director, Hardcopy Solutions, adds, “The technologies that enable 3D printing continue to develop and expand in nearly every direction. These technologies can help deliver larger, more accurate, and more solidly built models in a fraction of the time.”

Source – Tess@3ders.org