More durable and versatile therapeutic wearable material, more accurate part measurement and improved automation and 3D printing were among the many technologies on display at this year’s Medical Design & Manufacturing (MD&M) East conference, June 12-14, in New York City.
When additive manufacturing first hit the market, some said it would eventually be the death of traditional, or subtractive, CNC machining. More than 30 years later, new machines are showing additive manufacturing as it really is—a complementary technology.
Alex Berry and his team at Sutrue Ltd. (Colchester, England) exploited the benefits of 3D printing prototypes when developing two new automated suturing devices. They also coined a phrase to describe their prototyping technique.
AON3D has launched its AON-M2 2020, the latest industrial 3D printer in the company’s flagship product line. The AON-M2 2020 has been designed to print the expanding array of melt-processable thermoplastics, including PEEK, ULTEM, PEKK, polycarbonate, and hundreds of other materials.
Each year, users the world over—and some in outer space—discover new ways to put additive manufacturing (AM) to work. AM contributes to product improvements, increased efficiency, green initiatives, global partnerships, material developments, and groundbreaking innovations.
With all of its accomplishments – including world’s largest defense contractor, and a presence in all 50 states and 70 countries – you might think Lockheed Martin (Bethesda, MD) would already have mastered additive manufacturing.
While water and fire tube boiler power plants may be considered archaic, they now power much of North America and will for some time, even as newer, cleaner, greener tech transitions into the mainstream and becomes practical.
When the press reports on additive manufacturing, the line between what’s possible now and what may be coming in the future is sometimes blurry. People love to read about breakthroughs taking place in university labs and company R&D centers—the reports of which always include Star Trek-like possibilities of what those breakthroughs may portend.
The North American medical startup Marvel Medtech purchased an XJet Carmel 1400C 3D printer in the summer of 2019 to build key components in tools for fighting breast cancer.
While 3D printing for dental applications is generally recognized as a mature technology, material innovation continues apace. An emerging trend has been for machine and material suppliers to augment their portfolios by working with or acquiring outside partners.
