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.
Some in the medical industry are using silicone rubber molds made with a 3D-printed master pattern for low-to-mid production runs of cast polyurethane device housings.
Fabrisonic, Now 6 Years Old, Moves to Develop New Processes, Materials
Aircraft maker Boeing Co. (Chicago) was among the participants in a new round of investing in a Massachusetts 3D printing company.
It’s not often you get the opportunity to witness rapid, life-impacting change, but for those of us who have been in the 3D printing industry over the last few decades, we have witnessed just that. In the last 20-plus years, 3D printing has changed the definition of manufacturing from merely “one-size-fits-all” to “customized” production and from “high-volume” to “high-complexity/low-volume”—a startling paradigm shift that has enabled many new applications for the manufacturing industry.
The use of additive manufacturing (AM) in the medical industry is well established in making dental implants, artificial hip joints, and molds for invisible braces.
Taking stock of a surprising and challenging 2016, a number of trends may point to a future where manufacturing output increases while continuing to decentralize.
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.
