Tag: 3D printers

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Australian e-hubs develop 3D printers from used office copiers

Electronic waste is an inevitable ‘side effect’ of the advancing technology. Though a large part of electronic remains is reusable, still it is a common sight to see obsolete computers, printers, and stereos in landfills.

A number of e-centres have emerged around the globe that repurposes old electronic devices. In Queensland, Australia, two new centers, namely E-Hub Mackay and E-Hub Sarina that are engaged in reconstruct old tech devices in an environment-friendly manner. These e-hubs also provide training to people who want to learn the technical skills. These centers are training grounds for people who want to enter the job scenario. The work at these hubs involves dismantling the electronics and then sorting the parts that can be reused. These reusable parts are converted to new technologies as stated by Frank Mason, the project manager at E-Hub. Currently, the ongoing project at E-Hub is to transform old copiers and printing to new 3D printing machines.

The team at E-Hub is making 3D printers by using old copiers from offices. The extruder and the controller are difficult to acquire second hand, but they can be managed. Other parts are 3D printed. E-Hub Mackey collected 3 tons of waste of printers in the first weeks. This waste was recycled and reused to manufacture new 3D printers.

23-year-old Jesse Arnold is a trainee at the E-Hub Mackay. Arnold, is trained in warehousing and transport logistics, but could not succeed in finding a job. He eventually joined the E-Hub, and has been engaged in learning new skills including deconstruction, building, wiring and soldering electronics. Mason and his team plan to donate the 3D printers to promote STEM and other electronic technologies.

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Sartorius Stedium Biotech gets patent for single-use 3D printer for medical use

Sartorius Stedim Biotech of Germany was recently awarded a patent for a disposable, single-use medical 3D printer that manufactures 3D printed models of organs and bioprocessing equipment. This biomanufacturing specialist company of Göttingen, Germany and had filed for the patent in 2013, last month, finally, it attained the patent.

3D printers and new additive manufacturing systems are being extensively used for medical purposes just like stethoscopes, scrubs, and MRI scanners. 3D scanning and printing technology are useful for 3D printed models, implants and bioprinted tissue, the process of making 3D printed items is tough and infections could be a great concern.

Keeping 3D printed equipment sterile and clean as per hospital standards could be a laborious task. Sartorius has come up with this new idea of sterilization. The German company is coming up with single-use sterile and disposable 3D printers for clinical use. The inventor of the 3D printer is Frank Maggiore who has designed this 3D printer which would be manufactured and dispatched in aseptic conditions. The problem of providing sterile conditions for the 3D manufacturing of medical objects was a big concern and could be solved using these sterile disposable 3D printers.

Moreover, this printer has a sterilizable printer assembly, which includes one printing head, a printing platform, and a driving mechanism for the printing platform. The 3D printer’s packaging would enclose the printer assembly in a sterile manner, with an aseptic connector fluidly. The whole affair could be expensive. Hence, disposing off a 3D printer after single use could be unacceptable. This machine would presumingly be recycled after the single use.

This patent could be the path to creating 3D printed organs from human stem cells. Single use printers are the best way to create absolute sterile conditions for 3D printing of medical tissues and equipment. Whether it becomes a hit with the healthcare sector, is yet to be seen.

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Duoba tech launches the DB-F01 3D printer in the sub-$30000 range

The success of a manufacturing technique largely depends on the material being used. Since we cannot use a large variety of materials for 3D printing, this technique is bound by limitations. Cost and speed are other considerations. But a new platform in China brings the carbon fiber into the 3D printing arena. The DB-F01 3D printer is a two-meter tall machine by Beijing Duoba Science and Technology. It 3D prints up to 4 kg of materials per hour and is capable of 3D printing high-quality functional objects.

So is pure carbon fiber 3D printable? This material is stronger than steel and aluminum and is widely used in the manufacture of cars, planes, and turbines. Carbon fiber requires large amounts of labor and is manually milled. This material cannot be printed on the regular desktop 3D printer. But with professional skill and expertize, this material has been successfully 3D printed by 3D printing service providers like Markforged.

The DB-F01 3D printer from Duoba Tech is built by Chinese developers who had a vision of building a technology that supports large size, fasting 3D printing, strong materials, and large-scale projects. Two years thence, and the result is a 3D printer that can easily 3D print weather-resistant, weight-bearing parts of mammoth sizes, owing to a 1200mm x 1200mm x 1200mm build envelope. The DB-F01 is now available in the market.

The Chinese company went on to reveal that the 3D printer is the result of their independent R&D process, and they have patented their technology. With the DB-F01, 3D printing can be put to many more applications.
Its specifications are-

Size: 1890mmX1860mmX1780mm
Build envelope: 1200mmX1200mmX1200mm
Maximum height: 3.5mm-4mm
The fastest printing speed: 16mm / s
Printing temperature: 210 ℃ -275 ℃
Maximum printing weight: 600g / h — 4kg / h

Source: 3ders.org

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think3D is now the official reseller for Ultimaker, MakerBot and 3D Systems

authorized resellers
authorized resellers

Think3D has recently signed MoU’s with the top three leaders in 3D printing industry – 3D Systems, Ultimaker International Limited (UMI) and MakerBot Industries, LLC. As per each agreements think3D gets the license to sell the range of 3D printers and related products of UMI, MakerBot and 3D Systems in the southern part of Asia.

This agreement also leads to the fact that think3D holds the rights to market and position the products of the three top 3D printing brands and utilize its web portal, www.think3d.in, as a possible medium. The agreement makes think3D eligible to offer any kind of technical support and after-sales services to clients’ issues, relating to 3D printing and scanning in India.

Think3D Ultimaker MoU
MoU between Ultimaker International Ltd. and think3D

The official date of agreement for Ultimaker was dated on 4th of April, 2015, whereas, MakerBot and 3D Systems signed the MoUs on 8th and 12th of April, 2015, respectively.Nick Mayor, International Business Development Manager, Ultimaker International Ltd. stated, “I would like to welcome Think3D to the growing community of Ultimaker resellers around the world. We are looking forward to work with Think3D in building the Ultimaker brand in India.”

Post these agreements the potential consumers of these brands are more likely to get their products available at a much lesser price, compared to the cost of the actual price of the printers i.e., the price of the printer when they are directly shipped from the homelands.

Think3D is now among the key players for marketing and positioning the range of products of these 3D printing giants and this agreement gives think3D the opportunity to create a segment of customers for the three companies in India, and possibly, in the neighbouring countries. Being one of the known brands on 3D printing in India, this business opportunity will make think3D an accessible one-stop-shop for the potential Indian clients and the growing market in India, at large.

MoU between MakerBot and think3D
MoU between think3D & MakerBot Industries, LLC
3D Systems_MoU
MoU between 3D Systems & think3D
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3D models help surgeons to rebuild jawbones in India

3D Printed Skull
3D Printed Skull

Thanks to Osteo3D 3D printed surgical models, surgeries have become much easier for doctors to operate. These models provide an accurate shape of a patient’s body part and help doctors in successfully implanting and contouring. These also help patients not just cosmetically but also physically and psychologically.

Recently, a ‘Mr.P’ in India had to undergo a surgery to remove benign tumor from his jaw and the surgery required to remove a good margin to ensure that the cancer tumors are completely removed and that the tumors will not grow again. In such aggressive and complicated treatments, reconstruction is required and is considered as crucial for the psychological recovery of the patient. His employment future should also be considered as this operation and disfiguration would affect it largely.

However, this kind of surgery is not easy as the area of the jawbone that has been removed would typically be replaced with the fibula bone supporting from the lower limb besides the blood vessels. Though the operation has many minute details to be taken care, the biggest hurdle is the contouring of the jaw bone.

The surgeon’s work was eased with the use of 3D printed surgical model printed by Osteo3d. The model which had the accurate measurements of the former bone has made it easier for the surgeon and has removed the tedious task of refining the contour.

In another operation that involved a child, where cancer had to be removed from the jaw bone, the surgeon, Dr Satyajit Dandagi used 3D model for contouring and perfect fit of the jawbone of the child. The model was from Osteo3d. And the good news is that the patients who undergo this surgery or procedure are up and going within a few weeks.

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Ilinos Ray SLA Printer Unveiled!

Ilios 3D Ray SLA Printer
Ilios 3D Ray SLA Printer

The last two years have proved to be effective years for FFF/FDM 3D printers. The prices of these printers dropped  substantially and various interesting features are added to the printers making the prints faster and accurate. But as per experts, the next two years may be the effective years for Stereolithography (SLA) technology.

In the last couple of years, various new 3D printers appeared which used SLA technology in ways new to anything that was done in the past. However, as the competition is high in the market, the companies have to raise the rate of innovation rapidly. One company that is ensuring to stay ahead in this field is Cyprus-based Ilios 3D. It has announced its latest ‘baby’ Ilios Ray 3D Printer. Though the printer is on the heavy side of the pocket costing approximately $18,772, it has features and specifications that will it a good buy at that price.

The printer boasts of a print resolution of 22 microns (0.022mm) with layer thickness of 6 microns (0.006). It has a print speed of 10-15 sec per layer with a build in envelop of 297mm×211mm×300mm. The printer size is 892mm×512mm×200mm.

What is so different about this machine? The best thing about this machine is its usage of four different colored resin cartridges for printing. The four cartridges come in 220 ml and can be refilled with your preferred third party resins. To make it easy for you, nearly the whole process i.e., from the start to the finish is automated. This includes removing of fabricated object when it is completed, cleaning and purging the machine.

Though this printer is beyond the reach of hobbyists and homemakers, it is ideal for small and large businesses that need simplistic 3D printers.

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Future Travel: Emailing of Luggage

Imagine if you could email your entire luggage for the trip, such a hassle free method of traveling with no luggage, no baggage fees and the best part no lost baggage! This could all be true with the help of 3D printers!
3D Printed Luggage

One of the most hectic parts of traveling is not traveling but packing the luggage. It consumes a lot of time and it can basically never come to an end. After all this is done, imagine your luggage getting lost – nothing could be more frustrating. Even if a person goes on a trip to Hawaii, the trip becomes complicated rather than being a relaxing one. Now compare this with the scenario where you are traveling without any luggage! How does it feel? Just at a thought of it the Adreline rushes in my body. Imagine if you could email your entire luggage for the trip, such a hassle free method of traveling with no luggage, no baggage fees and the best part no lost baggage! This could all be true with the help of 3D printers!

This concept had been brought into reality by the Creative Director of 3D Systems, Janne Kyttanen. Kyttanen has come up with a 3D Printed Platform Bag and a series of 3D printable files that allow the user to send their luggage in an email and travel around the world without bothering about the luggage. The creative head has taken the challenge of creating an exhibition that features 3d printed luggage. This exhibition lies on the concept of sending 3D printed files of luggage in an email and on arriving on the destination the luggage is already awaiting for the owner. The exhibition is being put up in the Galerie VIVID in Rotterdam and the objects will be kept on display till April, 20. In addition to the “Lost Luggage” the exhibition also has 3D printed furniture, sportswear and selfies of Kyttanen.

The exhibition has been named as the “Lost Luggage” it contains a few basic items such as a handbag, a 4-in-1 Dress, Mashup Shoes, and a St. Tropez Cuff, Drivers, fat Shades, Superkitch and Love Buster. All these c an be printed in one operation. There are other items as well which are considered to be included in the list of 3D printable items but as of now the list consists of these limited products.

Kyttanen says, “If products and designs are distributed in the same way the images and music travel through the internet today, how would our perception of those objects change? Will democratization of manufacturing eliminates the need for mass production, bringing production closer and closer to the consumer, regardless of their location and economic status.”

It’s beyond our imagination as to how a 3D printer could create something that is comfortable to wear at this point. But from the look of the products it feels that the products could be something you could see in a holiday destination. On checking the ground reality all this seems to be true somewhere in the 2030 or 2060s. There aren’t many hotels that have the facility of 3D printers’ lets alone 3D printers that can print in a wide range of materials.

This venture can be looked upon as the first baby step towards conceiving what travel pack of printable objects might look like.

Image Credit: Strange Luke (flickrhandle: Strangelukephotography)