ROSTI GROUP: YES YOU CAN

Contract manufacturing firm Rosti Group is using Ultimaker 3D Printing Technology to produce fixtures and assembly parts.

The company says it has adopted the Ultimaker S5 Pro Bundle to accelerate product development cycles and help clients get their products to market faster.

By incorporating the Ultimaker S5 Pro Bundle, which is supported by a wide materials range and has the ability to print fibre-reinforced components with the Print core CC, Rosti is replacing traditional prototyping methods where it can to save time, while also additively manufacturing fixtures and assembly components that match the strength and quality of those produced with subtractive methods. 

The results are the supply of new products to consumer markets and product samples to clients within 72 hours: “By removing traditional manufacturing methods from the development of assembly and production fixtures, the Ultimaker S5 Pro Bundle allows us to print high-strength and high-temperature materials at a fraction of the cost of previous methods and completed within a few days instead of weeks,” commented Scott Dickson, NPD Manager of Rosti Suzhou.

“Most certainly, Ultimaker is about fast first-time-right 3D prints of high visual and functional quality, but I get particularly excited when I learn how our technology serves as a transformative business solution for renowned companies like Rosti,” offered Ultimaker CEO Jürgen von Hollen. “The company recognised that it needed a rapid step change to remain competitive. Seeing that the flexibility and sustainable value derived from our 3D Printing Platform and eco-system has a strategic business impact in such a short turnaround time is what drives our teams as well our partners across the world.”

3DGence Industry F421: Go!!!

Industrial 3D printer manufacturer 3DGence has announced the launch of its latest High-Temperature 3D printing system, the INDUSTRY F421.

The dual-extrusion FFF machine is designed specifically for high-performance applications in sectors such as aerospace, enabling users to print with engineering-grade filaments such as PEEK, PEKK, and ULTEM.

According to 3DGence, the launch is intended to help its customers transition from functional prototyping to full-fledged end-use production. To complement the INDUSTRY F421, the firm has also announced the launch of a new Material Management System and an AS9100-certified PEEK Aero filament.

“At 3DGence, we are supporting our customers across industries in expanding the use of high-temperature and composite materials for end-use applications,” said Ron Faruqui, CEO of 3DGence Americas. “The aerospace industry has the most stringent requirements for material performance due to demanding application environments and critical safety imperatives.”

Based in Poland, 3DGence has been manufacturing high-performance Extrusion-Based 3D Printers since 2014. The firm’s INDUSTRY 3D Printer range has already seen extensive use in sectors such as automotive, aerospace, and medical with over 1000 global installations to date. The new F421 is intended as a successor to the firm’s previous flagship INDUSTRY F420. Much like the newer model, the system is compatible with a plethora of engineering filaments.

For customers on a tighter budget, the company also offers the INDUSTRY F340 and INDUSTRY F350 3D printers. The former is designed for cost-efficient rapid prototyping and provides users with a 260 x 300 x 340 mm build chamber, while the latter features a maximum nozzle temperature of 500°C and a build volume measuring 340 x 340 x 350 mm.

The company’s latest product was designed with productivity in mind. Sporting a large-format 380 x 380 x 420 mm build volume, the INDUSTRY F421 provides ample workspace for both large part and small batch series production. The machine also offers a maximum print speed of 400 mm/s and travel speeds of up to 1 m/s, meaning throughput is a major focus here. Much like the rest of the 3DGence portfolio, the INDUSTRY F421 also boasts an impressive list of material capabilities: With a maximum nozzle temperature of 500°C and an actively heated chamber capable of 180°C, the system can process a wide variety of high-temperature thermoplastics and fiber-reinforced composites. This includes ASA, PC, PEEK, PEKK, and carbon fiber filaments. Specifically, the machine is perfectly suited for the firm’s new PEEK Aero filament. The high-strength polymer combines heat and corrosion resistance for end-use parts in aerospace. Faruqui adds, “Our customers can now rapid prototype and produce proof-of-concept end-parts in PEEK, without doubt of compliance and qualification of the material.”

Of course, when working with engineering materials, it’s also important to consider user safety. The INDUSTRY F421 comes complete with an advanced emissions control system capable of filtering macro dust, nano dust (VOC and UFP), solvent vapor, noxious gases, and other foreign particles. With the help of 3DGence’s new Material Management System, customers also now have a place to store their filaments with the confidence that they’ll be maintained in optimal temperature and humidity conditions. As a cherry on top, the INDUSTRY F421 even has a new three-year warranty policy in select European markets. Sebastian Sczasny, CEO of 3DGence, adds, “With the launch of our new F421, we wanted to make our commitment clear to our users about our quality and service with this new industry standard in warranty. As the market has progressed in requirements and complexity of applications, we designed our printers to meet these enhanced expectations in build quality, component integrity, and ease of use and maintenance.”

(Source: 3D Printing Industry)

3D Printing and its Effect on the Fashion Industry: It's More Than Just About Intellectual Property

When most people think about 3D Printing and the fashion industry, they immediately focus on the intellectual property consequences.

While there certainly are a myriad of intellectual property issues that must be addressed right now, there are several other areas that will be equally affected.

This paper will discuss how 3D Technology will affect the supply chain, employment opportunities, entrepreneurialism, tariffs, and other subject matter.

Since the technology is in its evolutionary cycle, many of the concerns to be discussed are forward-looking and of-the-moment; consequently, a deep dive into any given area is impractical.

Rather, this paper will address topics from a bird’s eye view and conclude with

thought provoking and sometimes unanswered (or even unanswerable) questions that readers should store in the back of their minds as they watch the technology improve and unfold.

(Read more...)

Free Jewelry 3D Printing Models for Download

2.189 free 3D Jewelry models ready for 3D printing with FDM, SLA, SLS and other types of 3D printing technologies.

https://www.cgtrader.com/free-3d-print-models/jewelry

YouMagine: More than you imagine

YouMagine is an online community of 3D Printing Enthusiasts who wish to work together to share, remix and make better 3D Printed Things.

YouMagine facilitates this community, empowers and gives you the tools you need in order to improve, invent & make.

Uniquely YouMagine is primarily a vehicle for supporting open source creation and wants to be a force multiplier for the entire 3D Printing Community. 

Uniquely they are focused on building the entire end to end open source software toolchain to make things malleable.

YouMagine wants CAD & 3D Files to be as easy to create, adapt, share and change as text is nowadays.

Take advantage of quarantine time discovering useful free applications to learn how to model in 3D with your iPad

There are many iPad applications made for 3D Design out there. However, things get even more complicated when you realize that most 3D Design applications are targeted towards visualization or fun rather than 3D Printing. Fortunately, there are some of the best 3D Design apps for iPad that actually fit into a 3D Printing Workflow. Alright then, time to jump head-long into the world of mobile 3D Printing. Find out now some interesting applications to discover:

Sculptura: An app that hopes to satisfy all your virtual clay-morphing cravings. The simple set of tools available makes it most suitable for creating base meshes, which are then exported to desktop modeling software for more granular edits.

Shapr3D: Allows you to create concepts on the go, all of which can be exported to desktop software for more granular editing at any time. One of the most functional and reliable mobile apps out there for parametric modeling.

uMake: An application that takes advantage from the touch input to offer an easier approach to modeling. A nice bonus is the ability to view your 3D designs in augmented reality.

¿Could Chinese Cyber Army use 3D Printing to cheat The Pentagon?

“Biometrics are not an Achilles heel,” said Craig Williams, director of Cisco Talos Outreach. “Biometrics are something that makes it very, very easy to use. You don’t have to remember a password. You don’t have to enter a password, which makes it very fast and easy. You don’t have to carry anything around with you. And so I think for most users, it’s still perfectly fine.”

However, it’s possible to use 3D printing technology to create “fake fingerprints” suitable to cheat most fingerprint scanners from Apple, Microsoft and Samsung mobile products: Researchers with Cisco Talos created different threat models that use 3D printing technology, and then tested them on mobile devices (including the iPhone 8 and Samsung S10), laptops (including the Samsung Note 9, Lenovo Yoga and HP Pavilion X360) and smart devices (such as a smart padlock).

The fake fingerprints achieved an 80 percent success rate on average, where the sensors were bypassed at least once. Researchers did not have success in defeating biometrics systems in place on Microsoft Windows 10 devices (though they said that this does not mean they are not necessarily safer; just that this particular approach did not work).

¿Why Oakley Plans to Prototype Sports Sunglasses Using HP?

3D Printing OEM HP Inc. has just announced that it has expanded and deepened its partnership with Oakley, a leading brand of sportswear sunglasses, to provide 3D Printing Services for designing the brand’s sports performance sunglasses.

HP’s Jet Fusion 3D Printing Platform will be used to develop Oakley products and the process will give Oakley the ability to print prototypes while testing variations of colors and sizes. Oakley has previously used HP’s 3D Printers to create helmet prototypes for sports such as cycling, skiing and snowboarding.

Together, the companies will continue to leverage HP’s Multi Jet Fusion 3D Printing Technology to boost Oakley’s product design process and prototyping: “World-class athletes around the globe depend on Oakley to compete at the highest level, and with HP’s breakthrough 3D printing technology we will not only accelerate our design to production timeline, but we will also reconceptualize the way our products are made, pushing the boundaries of sports performance,” said Nicolas Garfias, head of design at Oakley, in a press release. “Oakley has the highest of design standards, and our innovative 3D printing technology helps them deliver on that experience for millions of athletes around the world,” added Jeff Fawcett, 3D Printing Product Manager at HP Inc. “Together, we are transforming the sports performance community and changing the way the world designs and manufactures consumer products.”

For over 40 years, Oakley has been an important player in the sportswear industry, producing performance eyewear, as well as a range of other products. The company, acquired by eyewear giant Luxottica in 2007, has actually been using 3D Printing since as early as 1992 to streamline its product design process. Actually, Oakley is using HP’s Jet Fusion 580 system to transform and streamline its product design, easily moving from 2D Drawing to physical prototype. With the 3D Printing Technology at their fingertips, Oakley’s designers have the ability to dramatically speed up design iterations, producing prototypes in as little as 24 hours. Moreover, HP’s 3D printing technology enables Oakley to create detailed, full-color prototypes for its eyewear and other products. The company says it can “create rich detailed models by changing the color, breaking up the material in the model and then printing it in different colors to more clearly see different design iterations simultaneously.”

Another advantage of using 3D Printing, according to Oakley, is the ability to test functional parts by replicating the production process and using HP’s 3D High Reusability CB PA 12 material. Finally, Oakley is able to leverage the MJF printer’s build volume to create several prototypes at once.

More info:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=acdo5k_TDDI&feature=emb_logo

¿Why Volkswagen continues to produce 3D printed parts with HP Metal Jet?

In September 2018, the American manufacturer HP announced the arrival of its metal 3D Printer, the HP Metal Jet.

Among the first users of the technology is the car manufacturer Volkswagen. For the past year, the German company has been testing the machine’s capabilities and does not seem to be disappointed since it has 3D printed about 10.000 parts in just a few weeks.

For the launch of its new electric vehicle ID.3, Volkswagen made miniatures of the car in metal, through a partnership with GKN Powder Metallurgy. Measuring 2.5 cm long, the 3D printed parts, which serve a marketing function, represent a successful first step in Volkswagen’s roadmap to achieve 3D printing of structural parts for its cars by 2021.

Volkswagen now has 90 3D printers installed in its factories, including HP Metal Jet printers. These were first used to create custom aesthetic parts such as custom keys, etc. The second phase will focus on the production of functional parts such as gearshift knobs and mirror mounts. Volkswagen’s goal is to print 50.000 to 100.000 functional parts the size of a football per year.

Dr. Martin Goede, Head of Technology Planning and Development at Volkswagen, said: “Our vision of industrializing additive manufacturing is quickly becoming a reality with HP Metal Jet, changing the game for the automotive sector. The pace of HP’s innovations and the advanced capabilities of the technology have exceeded our expectations. We achieve our objectives and actively identify and develop functional components for production.”

The car manufacturer’s strategy is therefore progressing according to its plans: the production of the 10.000 miniatures of the new car is proof of this. It took only a few weeks to manufacture this impressive series at HP’s and at its partner, GKN Powder Metallurgy’s plant in Barcelona. The small cars were distributed to Volkswagen employees and dealers around the world. Dr. Goede adds: “What better way to showcase innovation at Volkswagen than to use our own technologies in the marketing campaign for the first ID.3 launch. We are extremely satisfied with the technical specifications, speed, quality and low cost per part provided by HP Metal Jet. The surface quality and resolution allowed for great attention to detail and added a special touch to this important milestone for the company.”

DSM, Royal Haskoning DHV and CEAD design first lightweight 3D-printed bridge protoype using FRP

Netherlands-based Royal Haskoning DHV, CEAD and DSM have announced that they’ve partnered to design the world’s first lightweight, 3D-printed FRP pedestrian bridge prototype using a composite material that consists of a glass-filled thermoplastic PET (Arnite), and is combined with continuous glass fibres that are added in the 3D Printing process. 

Read more:

https://graphicartsmag.com/3d-printing/2019/09/dsm-royal-haskoningdhv-and-cead-design-first-lightweight-3d-printed-bridge-protoype-using-frp/

3D Printing at InPrint Munich 2019

From November 12 to 14, InPrint Munich 2019, the international trade fair of printing technology for industrial manufacturing, will present some of the most innovative technologies and various approaches to successfully integrate printing applications into the manufacture of industrial and industrial products.

Held at the Munich Exhibition Center, InPrint Munich will allow visitors to meet some of the most innovative printing technology providers and enjoy a complete conference program. In the new advisory corner, independent experts will offer visitors free and impartial advice on the integration of printing solutions in their specific production environments.

At InPrint, about 120 exhibiting companies from 15 countries will participate, all of them presenting the most innovative advances in screen printing and digital printing, inkjet and specialized in various forms and materials, including flat or curved plastic, wood, metallic paper, fabrics, glass, ceramic and metal. The equipment and services exhibited at the fair have been specifically developed to facilitate, in a cost-effective and efficient way, a conversion and individualization of industrial and consumer products such as automotive parts, printed electronic components, packaging, beverage bottles , food packaging, fashion, pharmaceutical and cosmetic products, as well as the decorative finishing of floors, tiles, interior decoration and furniture.

“Printing technology has evolved to solve complex and rapidly changing manufacturing issues, such as responding to the demand of consumers who demand customized products, faster and better, along with a reduction in manufacturing costs and environmental impact. There is a constant need to adapt to market conditions and, in this sense, manufacturing sector executives do the impossible to keep abreast of new technologies and how to apply them in their existing infrastructure” says Nicola Hamann, general director of the organizing company Mack Brooks Exhibitions. From more efficient inks, printheads and software, to important advances in metrology, drying procedures and robotics: print technology providers have been moving towards increasingly intelligent and powerful printing solutions, specifically designed to improve and even transform production processes in industrial manufacturing.

InPrint Munich 2019 visitors will be able to meet some of the most innovative and committed printing technology providers, as well as watch impressive live demonstrations of the machines, equipment and systems on display. Together with an extensive training program with technical lectures and presentations and a new proposal called the "advisory corner", InPrint Munich will allow industry specialists to make better business decisions more quickly when it comes to choosing suppliers and optimal printing technologies, and get interesting ideas for your business to keep moving forward. Marcus Timson, co-founder of InPrint and director of Future Print, a content platform dedicated to the development of new printing technology, explains the proposal for the new advice corner at this year's event: “Visitors attending InPrint 2019 will be able to speak with experts in the advice corner about their ideas and the challenges they face in their industrial printing projects. The advisors form an important part of the inkjet community as they offer an independent and flexible resource with experience. An independent perspective of the industrial printing scenario is incredibly useful when choosing technologies well ”.

Appointments for the advice corner can be booked in advance through the InPrint Munich website: www.inprintmunich.com. The counseling service is free for registered visitors and reservations for this space will be made strictly by order of arrival. Simultaneously with the exhibition, two special scenarios will take place: the 3-day conference program that will cover a wide range of topics, and sessions where the challenges and opportunities for printing technology in industrial production processes will be addressed. More than 60 internationally renowned speakers from different fields of the manufacturing and printing technology sector will present new technical approaches and how to apply them in existing infrastructures. Through case studies, technical talks and expert discussions, they will guide visitors through the steps necessary to successfully implement new printing technologies in manufacturing (from choosing the best inks, printheads and software tools, to optimizing the integration of machines and processes), analyzing the pros and cons of the different approaches. Highlights include a series of talks on printhead technology from leading manufacturers and technical sessions on: exploring the potential of integrating inkjet technology with robotics; various types of inks and their specific applications; ink drying technologies such as UV, IR and eBeam; technological options for printed electronic components; 3D Printing for the aerospace and automotive sectors; modern metrology and process optimization; and best practices for the effective integration of machines. Several case studies provide deeper insight into how to successfully implement printing technology in various industrial applications, including label printing, packaging and security.

Among the confirmed speakers are the representatives of Agfa NV, AUDI AG, BASF, Bosch GmbH, Bundesdruckerei GmbH, ColorGATE Digital Output Solutions, Cyan Tec Systems Limited, Fujifilm Dimatix Inc., Global Inkjet Systems Ltd, Heidelberger Druckmaschinen AG, Hymmen GmbH, ImageXpert Inc, Imerys Minerals Ltd, MABI Robotic AG, NTS-Group, Profactor GmbH, Relyon Plasma GmbH, Seiko Instruments GmbH, The University of Sheffield, TU Dresden and many others. With the sponsorship of Xaar plc and presented by Werner Zapka, WZA-Consulting, the conference sessions take place during the fair in the form of open sessions and are free for all registered visitors and exhibitors, allowing easy access to interesting discussions and great opportunities to make contact. At www.inprintmunich.com, the exhibition website, the full conference program and periodic updates will be published. InPrint Munich will be held from November 12 to 14, 2019 at the Munich Exhibition Center (Germany). The exhibition, the conference rooms and the advice corner are located in Hall A6, which is accessed through the East Entrance (Eingang Öst) of the Munich Exhibition Center. The opening hours of the three days of the fair are from 09.00 to 17.00. The advance sale of tickets online is now available at a special price through the website www.inprintmunich.com of InPrint Munich. Alternatively, tickets can be purchased at their official price directly on the premises during the three days of the fair. The InPrint Munich website offers detailed information about the exhibitors, the conference program, videos and useful information about travel and accommodation.

Lights-out digital manufacturing delivers first 3D printed electronics

Additive electronics provider Nano Dimension Ltd. has unveiled its new DragonFly Lights-Out Digital Manufacturing (LDM) printing technology, which the company presents as the industry’s only comprehensive additive manufacturing platform for round-the-clock 3D printing of electronic circuitry.

(Read more...)

Idneo launches its Additive Manufacturing area

Idneo, a technological company with expertise in the design, development and manufacture of products for the mobility, medical devices and other key industrial sectors, has decided to take a leap forward in its engineering services with the launch of an Additive Manufacturing Area, thanks to the incorporation of a next-generation 3D Printer.

In this way, the company complements its current package of services and incorporates a key element to combat the increasing speed of change in the technological field: As a global strategic partner, Idneo extends to its clients a comprehensive service that unifies their knowledge in a wide range of areas, including design, analysis, materials science, processes, technology and engineering.

Therefore, with the new acquisition, the company increases its capacity to develop projects that exploit the benefits of 3D Printing in all facets: design, creation and production. Through the technology of Additive Manufacturing, optimizes the development of prototypes, the manufacture of jigs, fixtures and customized tooling, as well as the manufacture of short series of end-use parts. 

The new printer will provide various benefits such as custom design, personalization, immediacy or considerable savings in investments. More specifically, it is a Multi Jet Fusion 3D Printer from HP, and that is already operational at the Idneo headquarters in Mollet del Vallés. According to Raúl Lucas, CEO of Idneo, "we renew our equipment to be able to offer our customers the same quality that characterizes us, now with more flexibility, in less time and at lower risk". Thus, Idneo reinforces the toolkit to continue offering a wide range of technological solutions and promote the transformation of different businesses.

HP leads digital manufacturing with a new 3D printing solution

HP has unveiled a series of innovations and partnerships that help its customers accelerate their transition to digital manufacturing.

HP is expanding its industry leading 3D printing portfolio with the new Jet Fusion 5200 Series solution, an industrial 3D printing system that offers customers new levels of predictability, efficiency, repeatability and production quality at a production scale.

In order for customers to digitally transform their manufacturing, HP is also expanding its strategic alliances with industrial leaders BASF, Materialise and Siemens; in addition to launching the HP Digital Manufacturing Network, a new global community of suppliers of printed parts in 3D on a large scale and with proven efficiency.

"The Fourth Industrial Revolution is one of the most transformative forces of our life. As a result, new technological innovations will be needed, new collaboration models will emerge and new ways of doing business will be developed" says Christoph Schell, President of 3D Printing and Digital Manufacturing at HP "HP is committed to helping customers with diverse manufacturing needs to turn the change into an opportunity through the most innovative portfolio of solutions and the most complete ecosystem of leading partners in the sector. The expansion of our portfolio with the new Jet Fusion 5200 Series 3D printing system, together with the expansion of the Industrial partnerships and our new digital manufacturing network are big accelerators of our journey towards digital manufacturing."

The new HP Jet Fusion 5200 Series 3D printing solution brings together new systems, data intelligence, software, services and material innovations that allow customers to scale their 3D production and focus on growing their business. Taking advantage of these innovations, the new solution extends the predictability of manufacturing with optimum performance and high quality of the pieces at industrial levels of efficiency, precision and repeatability; provides excellent cost efficiency and productivity for production environments; and provides greater flexibility, better uptime, optimized workflows and simplified fleet management, necessary for factory production adjustments. New data intelligence capabilities, software and services, including the HP 3D Process Control and HP 3D Center software offerings and the HP 3D Parts Assessment service, enable customers to reach new levels of operational efficiency and repeatability, as well as identify and optimize the production of new 3D applications.

HP also introduced a new certified thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU), ULTRASINT ™, developed by BASF, to expand the range of end-use applications for customers of the new Jet Fusion 5200 series systems. The new TPU is ideal for flexible and elastic parts, and complements HP High Reusability PA-12, PA-12 Glass Beads and PA-11 materials, with more developments that will come in the future. Numerous companies in the automotive, industrial, consumer goods and manufacturing sectors are exploring new applications for the new Jet Fusion 5200 Series 3D printing solution, including Avid Product Development, BASF, Jaguar Land Rover, Kupol, Materialise, Sculpteo, Prodartis and Vestas. "As the largest provider of wind turbines in the world, Vestas expects innovators like HP to help us accelerate the development of new products for a more sustainable future," said Jeremy D. Haight, Senior Principal Engineer of Emerging Technologies at Vestas VBIC. The combination of new 3D printing materials and technological advances is a significant step towards opening up new design possibilities, streamlining our manufacturing and improving environmental sustainability."

HP has also announced the expansion of partnerships with a number of industry leaders to help customers on their way to digital manufacturing. Siemens, a leader in innovation in automation and digitalization, and HP expand their partnership to offer a complete additional manufacturing solution that integrates the HP 3D printing and intelligence platform, including the new HP Jet Fusion 5200 Series 3D solution, with the Digital Enterprise software portfolio from Siemens. HP and Siemens unite the power of both companies to expand the market and help customers create unique product designs, bring high quality 3D parts to market faster and create digital factory environments that unlock the full potential of Additive Manufacturing. "We are delighted to expand our collaboration with HP. Innovative partnerships and cutting-edge technologies, such as additive manufacturing, are essential for the digital transformation of companies in all sectors. Siemens and HP are thinking about the future and are bringing together the best of both companies in a complete and industry-specific solution that will accelerate the adoption of industrial Additive Manufacturing, helping our customers increase flexibility, efficiency and speed of digital manufacturing," says Klaus Helmrich, CEO of Siemens Digital Industries and member of the Board of Directors of Siemens AG.

BASF, the world's leading chemical company, and HP expand their partnership to offer innovative BASF materials certified for HP's new 3D printing solutions. The two companies will also partner to grow the market and help customers design and develop new applications with this unique combination of material science and 3D printing capabilities. BASF and HP are already working with Vestas, the world's largest provider of wind turbines, and Sculpteo, a provider of 3D design and production services, in new applications produced with BASF's ULTRASINT™ TPU in HP Jet Fusion 3D printing systems. "Collaborative innovation among key players in the industry will help customers unlock the full potential of 3D printing," says Dr. Markus Kamieth, member of the Board of Directors of BASF. "The introduction of the new TPU is a milestone significant in the cooperation between BASF and HP, in line with our common goal of accelerating the industrialization of Additive Manufacturing".

Materialise, a leader in 3D Printing and software services, and HP expand their partnership to integrate the new HP Jet Fusion 5200 and HP Jet Fusion 500/300 3D printing solutions with Materialise Build Processor and Materialize Magics 3D Print Suite. As one of the first customers of the new Jet Fusion 5200 3D printing solution, Materialise is also identifying and developing new innovative applications for customers using the new BASF TPU and other available HP 3D Printing materials. Materialise is also an initial partner of HP's new digital manufacturing network, which leverages HP's 3D printing technologies to supply parts to scale for the European market. "The market is clearly adopting 3D printing for production and, as a long-time HP partner, we are proud to extend our collaboration to new areas," says Fried Vancraen, founder and CEO of Materialise. "Our customers are excited about our greater integration with HP, our joint work in new applications and materials, and our commitment to expand the production of high quality parts, together we help our customers to win in an increasingly competitive market."

Many companies turn to digital manufacturing service providers to help them accelerate the development of new products, shorten time to market, create more efficient supply chains and reduce their carbon footprint. To meet these needs, HP has introduced the new HP Digital Manufacturing Network, a global community of production partners from HP to help design, produce and deliver plastic and metal parts at scale using HP's 3D Printing solutions. The members of the HP Digital Manufacturing Network have extensive experience in advanced additive manufacturing, solid quality management and complete manufacturing processes, as well as a proven capacity for volume production. The HP Digital Manufacturing Network initially includes partners from the United States, Asia and Europe. Production partners of Digital Manufacturing Network who have met the rigorous ratings of the HP program include 3D Forecast, GKN Powder Metallurgy, GoProto, Jabil, Materialise, Parmatech and ZiggZagg NV. HP will further expand the network to other target markets with new qualified partners in the coming months.

Boosting additive know-how for drupa 2020

From 16 to 26 June 2020, Düsseldorf will once again be the epicentre of the global printing, media and packaging industry.

More than 250,000 visitors, 1,800 exhibitors and just as many journalists from over 180 countries will flock to drupa, the world's leading trade fair for the printing, media and packaging industry, to learn about the latest trends and technologies in the world of printing and packaging.

Since drupa 2016, 3D printing has been one of the six highlights in the trade show program. In addition to its own exhibition area, drupa 2020 will once again dedicate a touchpoint 3D fab+print to this future technology. For the first time, the VDMA Additive Manufacturing Association will be responsible for the content design and implementation of the ten-day lecture programme. A total of 80 specialist lectures are planned, which will be spread over two two-hour blocks every day.

With a view to the trade fair’s target group, the focus will be on applications in printing and paper machine construction as well as applications for media and packaging. The spectrum will range from additive-manufactured machine components to prototyping or on-demand spare parts supply for printing presses to the use of additive processes to manufacture individual advertising products and unusual packaging solutions. "Since our trade fair appearance at drupa 2016 met with a very positive response, it made sense to expand our commitment at drupa 2020 and contribute our know-how," explains Dr. Markus Heering, Managing Director of the VDMA Additive Manufacturing Association and also the VDMA Printing and Paper Technology Association.