PopSci

Nine days of festivals of ideas and technologies of the Kruzhok (the Kruzhoks are the student communities in Russia) movement of the National Technology Initiative took place in Russian regions in late 2021. They celebrated the Russian year of Science. as well as the 100-th anniversary of the Kruzhok movement in Russia. The places that hosted the events were chosen in September 2021. During the same period, Top 3D Shop held several workshops on the use of the Einscan HX 3D scanner, the full program is available here.

3D printing startups often struggle. Despite growing demands and optimistic predictions, the pandemic negatively affected the industry: the material shortage, logistical problems, lockdowns and factory shutdowns form the conditions that are far from perfect. But new interesting ideas still emerge and it seems that the pandemic is far from being the main problem for startups. 

Technically, each of those businesses goes through similar stages: from searching for ideas and like-minded people to attracting investors and scaling up. But this article will not cover the product release but will rather be focused about the things that a startup would face out of its ‘garage’.

Browns Ferry Nuclear Plant Unit 2 in Alabama deploys a fuel assembly with 3D printed fastening elements that were made by the experts of Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL).

Engineers from the St. Petersburg National Research University of Information Technologies, Mechanics and Optics (ITMO University) used 3D printed parts in the design of a six-axis robot featuring increased affordability.

In August 2011, Andrey Isupov and Maxim Anisimov founded a company under the unusual name Kiparis (‘Cypress’). In the same year, the manufacturer released its first 3D printer called GenX and already started the development of the renowned Designer X.

PJSC Power Machines has started to create a model 16-stage compressor and a prototype combustion chamber of the GTE-65.1 gas turbine. The combustion chamber will be manufactured using 3D printing technologies. Inspection can be completed with the use of laser 3D scanning (see examples here).

If you think this is another eco-activists’ project, you are right. In pursuit of the zero emission concept, the Austrian studio EOOS has created the ZUV (Zero-emissions Utility Vehicle) electric tricycle with a 3D printed body made from recycled plastic waste.

As part of the Year of Science and Technology, team engineering competitions for students in grades 8 to 11 will be held in the 2021–22 academic year.

JSC Science and Innovations (a scientific division of the Rosatom state corporation) presented a stand-model of a 3D printer that demonstrates the capabilities of a software and hardware platform for managing and controlling additive processes.

The Chinese company SoonSer has released a line of industrial laser stereolithographic 3D printers under the name Mars Pro with build volumes of up to 1600 x 800 x 600 mm, which is comparable even to such giants as the Modix Big-Meter.

The park is located next to the Shenzhen World Exhibition and Convention Center and is lined with sculptures, flowerpots, walls, and borders made with 3D printers based on multi-axis robotic arms such as JAKA cobots.

The use of 3D printing in medicine has long ceased to be limited to materials such as PEEK (more on PEEK 3D printing here). The Pozvonoq startup of the North-West Technology Transfer Center and the Russian manufacturing company Ortoinvest has begun laboratory tests of ten lines of intervertebral cages designed to stabilize the spinal column. The successful conduct of technical expertise and the receipt of a single registration certificate will allow the serial production of medical devices as early as 2022.

The Swedish company ZYYX Labs has launched the ZYYX Pro II desktop FDM 3D printer — quiet, equipped with an air filtration system, and optimized for working with composite carbon- and glass-filled filaments. Last year, a similar model called the E2CF was released by Raise3D. We wrote about it here.

The Taiwanese company Phrozen has announced another desktop 8K resin 3D printer. Although the new Sonic Mini 8K will be much inferior to its older brother Sonic Mega 8K in terms of the build volume, it will obviously cost several times cheaper.

From 18 to 21 October, the Moscow Expocentre Fairgrounds hosted the second Russian Industrial Week, a large-scale industry event that united significant components of the Russian economy: mechanical engineering and metalworking, 3D printing technologies and consumables, 3D scanning, welding production, non-destructive testing and technical diagnostics, technologies and services for the production of advertising.

Taiwanese company XYZprinting has announced the new MfgPro236 xS 3D printer. The system operates on the technology of Selective Laser Sintering of polymer powders (SLS) and will be available this year along with new consumables from BASF Forward AM.

Uniz is accepting orders for an upgraded version of the Slash 2 desktop LCD/MSLA system characterized by increased performance. The devices are equipped with 4K monochrome screens along with advanced light engines, and are primarily targeted at the dental sector.

Prusa Research with Josef Prusa in charge bought 80% of shares of Czech manufacturer Trilab, as well as got full control over the company. Trilab is known for its delta 3D printers. Does this merging mean that there will be a delta-kinematics 3D printer under the Original Prusa brand?

This article will cover how the accuracy tests of the Calibry Mini were conducted. 

The Calibry Mini by Thor3D is stated to feature an accuracy of up to 0.07 mm (0.0027 inch). What exactly does this mean? This means that under the normal conditions, the deviation in measurements of any single point can be 70 microns in any direction. This doesn’t mean that the deviation will always be 70 microns. It can be smaller, it can be bigger. The number is approximate and can vary depending on several factors that will be mentioned in the article.

The motto of modern 3D printing equipment appears to be “easier, cheaper, faster, better”. Additive technologies are developing at an extremely rapid pace, and this growth is really exponential — developers and manufacturers in this area manage to achieve more with each and every year.