Manufacturing of UAVs with MJF: Aldora

ALDORA is an UAV (Unmanned Aerial Vehicle) developed by a team from Universitat Politecnica de Catalunya (UPC) in Barcelona.

After a long period of construction feasibility problems, HP offered UPC engineers the opportunity to print the UAV, which meant a faster way to iterate the initial design.

Working together with HP and the Nacar design studio, UPC engineers managed to design a structure that could be printed in its entirety, using the 3D printing technology offered by HP.

Due to the modular design of the UAV, 3D printing offered the option to individually dimension and shape each joint, taking into account the needs of each one.

Regarding the challenges, the main challenge for the Aldora project was to make a large-scale UAV that was light, rigid and resistant. In addition, they needed to convert the maximum internal space of the UAV into a useful volume without jeopardizing its integrity.

Regarding the manufacturing technology and materials, initially wood and carbon fiber would be used since these materials are light and resistant. For the outer shape they thought about milling expanded polystyrene, but due to the small thickness of the profiles designed to make the flight more efficient, it was impossible to mill the material.

The only way to achieve the shape they were looking for, was making molds, what it was a solution as good as expensive. In addition, the number of hours they had to invest were not viable considering that for each iteration they had to create a new mold. and because of this they decided to discard this idea and start to think "out of the box", but more concretely in Additive Manufacturing.

Structural rigidity, precision for the aerodynamic surface and maneuverability in internal areas of difficult access were three maxims that the HP 3D Multi Jet Fusion technology offered to the Aldora team, and this technology made possible the creation of a remarkable UAV, in which 90% of the parts were been additively manufactured in a HP MJF 3D Printer.

MakerBot launches Method 3D Printer

“In an age of disruption, businesses are under pressure to innovate and bring products to market faster. Current desktop 3D printers derive their DNA from hobbyist 3D printers and are insufficient for many applications in the professional segment,” says Nadav Goshen, MakerBot CEO. “We believe that Method is the next step in helping organizations adopt 3D printing on a larger scale. Method provides a breakthrough in 3D printing that enables industrial designers and mechanical engineers to innovate faster and become more agile. It’s built for professionals who need immediate access to a 3D printer that can deliver industrial performance to accelerate their design cycles. Method was developed to bring industrial technologies into an accessible platform, breaking the price/performance barrier, and redefining rapid prototyping in the process,”.

Industrial technologies on the Method 3D Printer include a Circulating Heated Chamber, Dual-Performance Extruders, Precision PVA Water Soluble Supports, Dry-Sealed Material Bays, and an Ultra-Rigid Metal Frame. The Method also includes built-in sensors and automation features that “are designed to provide users with a seamless experience.” The printer’s industrial features control the 3D Printing Process to deliver “a high level of precision, reliability and dimensional accuracy at an accessible price.”

Method is designed to deliver industrial reliability and precision by carefully controlling every aspect of the 3D Print environment, resulting in repeatable and consistent parts with ± 0.2 mm dimensional accuracy as well as vertical layer uniformity and cylindricity. Until now, this level of precision has been limited to industrial-grade 3D printers. The dual extrusion system found in Method combined with water-soluble PVA provides a superior surface finish, and enables unlimited design freedom and unrestricted geometries, such as complex overhangs without scarring.

Puntos Selfie en Graphispag 2019

A través de la implementación de servicios de Impresión 3D en gran formato, ciertas empresas de Artes Gráficas han ampliado su mercado a otras aplicaciones y clientes, yendo más allá de las fronteras marcadas por la pantalla y el papel: Además de grandes lonas en 2D, estas empresas permiten a sus clientes ubicar "puntos selfie" en lugares estratégicos; estos puntos en realidad son estructuras que invitan a pararse ante ellas por su espectacularidad, hacerse una fotografía y colgarla en redes sociales, de modo que se consiga su circulación y viralización.

Con el objetivo de acercar este tipo de impactos visuales al mercado, los asistentes a Graphispag 2019 podrán observar reproducciones en tres dimensiones que exponen las diversas opciones de personalización de esta nueva tecnología de impresión. De este modo podrán entender la experiencia que vive un consumidor real al encontrarse un elemento de estas características en plena calle o en un espacio comercial.

Graphispag incluye espacios vivenciales en torno a la impresión 3D

Del 26 al 29 de marzo, el salón Graphispag invita a los profesionales de las artes gráficas, y de otros sectores usuarios de productos impresos, a experimentar y vivir en primera persona las posibilidades creativas y el potencial de la Impresión 3D en aplicaciones relacionadas con el retail, los eventos, el street marketing o la publicidad en el lugar de venta.

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Researchers at MIT 3D Print Glass

The process of 3D printing glass can seem beyond possible, however this is what researchers at MIT have been working towards. In a paper published in 3D Printing and Additive Manufacturing in December 2018, researchers Chikara Inamura, Micheal Stern, Daniel Lizardo, Peter Houk and Neri Oxman describe a system for 3D printing glass that offers far more control over the hot material and the final product.

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Hire the best 3D professionals

Work with expert freelancers on Upwork — the top freelancing website for short-term tasks, recurring projects, and full-time contract work.

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A close look at Endurance Lasers and its developments

It’s been 4 years that Endurance brings added value to the 3D Printing community with its laser attachments. Looking back at what he has built, Endurance’s CEO, George Fomitchev, remembers the challenges he encountered in this adventure, how they allow him to position the company in this community, and how far he still has to go to maintain this positioning.

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