Sieving Station Promotes "Cleaner" Metal Powder for 3D Printing

SIEVGEN 400-US:  Photo Credit - Farleygreene

When I worked for Nabisco, we had large robust sieves that would prepare flour being drawn from our 7-story flour towers prior to discharging into the weigh scales and mixers - several hundred pounds each batch.  The contraptions looked like very large metal boxes that shook and rotated violently to sieve the flour.  So it makes sense to me that a similar process would be recommended to pre-treat metal powders before being sintered into a 3D print.

In fact, a couple of challenges using powders in manufacturing processes are material purity and particle size. Apparently Farleygreene has introduced its SIEVGEN 400-US specifically to address these concerns for DMLS additive manufacturing.

“According to Farleygreene, when in normal use the system provides for a completely sealed and dust tight process. The feed hopper is docked into place to feed the sieve unit with a self-sealing interface and the media is introduced through an internal metering device designed to ensure the optimum screen dwell time to recover as much useable material as possible.

Oversize powder is continuously removed and ‘good’ product falls through the ultrasonically excited mesh. The screened media is filled into a receptacle locked into place on a mobile dolly to reduce manual handling as much as possible and allow the operator to move the product to where it is required.”

When you are hitting a potentially explosive metal powder with a laser, powder consistency and purity are obviously important material attributes to control.

3D Printing Great Tool for Displays, Exhibits and Promotions

Development model shown to Portland city council for project approval.

Capture the imagination of your Customers and Patrons with Unique Displays:

Architecture

• Turn around in as little as 24 hours means more time to perfect your designs.
• Embedded textures lets you simulate the colors of building materials like brick, stone and wood.
• Small features lets you design realistic windows, doors, beams, facades and other important visual design elements.
• Prints come directly from your BIM models.

Marketing

• Get your products in front of customers where it would otherwise be difficult or impossible.
• Customize marketing materials with logos and designs.
• Infinite customization to achieve the exact effects you desire.
• Get concept models in front of customers early in the product development cycle to get feedback before spending too much money on the wrong track.
• Get tangible products in your customers hands instead of a 2D computer image.

Promotions

• Pens and magnets are boring and forgettable. Make a promotional giveaway your customer has never before seen.
• Come to us with nothing but an idea for a promotional product and we can take care of the rest.
• Personalize your giveaways to the exact customer you are handing it to with custom messaging.
• Many promotional products require expensive tooling and long lead times to accomplish - RapidMade can make your promotional products in a week or less.

Displays

• Drive traffic to your stores at the window and sales with custom retail displays.
• Stand out and get attention at your next trade show with eye catching models.
• Capture your customers' attention and make them remember your brand
• Lean on our design team to come up with a creative solution that will satisfy your customers and be flexible for your budget.

Exhibits

• Store geometric and color data for priceless artifacts and works of art permanently with 3D scanning technology.
• Use digital object data to engage visitors online with interactive web exhibits.
• Create to-scale or re-scale replicas that let your visitors safely interact with models of priceless artifacts without endangering the original piece.
• Create complimentary pieces for your exhibit from object data scanned by other museums around the world.

RapidMade Advantages:

• Color: with almost 400,000 colors to choose from, why skimp?
• Size: scale-down huge machines or buildings to hand-held or table-sized replicas
• Logistics: avoid lugging heavy machinery to trade shows
• Creativity: turn your BIM and CAD models into tangible marketing materials
• Carefree: leave the design and fabrication to us, just supply the ideas

OMDOG Performance Canine Headgear Lets Your Dog Ride Safely in Style

RapidMade gets to work on many cool new product ideas.  Given our love of dogs - we have a dog-friendly workplace, this project has been a favorite...

"OMDOG performance canine headgear started as a simple idea — to build a custom helmet for Charlie the Dog, who rides around Portland, Oregon in a cargo bicycle. When the decision was made to duplicate and improve the design, we contacted Rapid Made. They were responsive and excited about the project. They quickly 3D scanned our prototype, reverse engineered it, and made it easy for us to review and approve the CAD model before printing. Rapid Made helped us take an idea that started as a cardboard model made from a pizza box turn it into a viable product design. They're providing us with manufacturing options within our budget and well suited for our target market. We are extraordinarily grateful to have found Rapid Made!"

Laika Debuts First Fully 3D Printed Puppet in "Kubo and the Two Strings."

3D Printed Moon Beast and other characters.  Image Credit:  Inverse.com

Next week, our Portland neighbor, Laika, premiers its newest project, "Kubo and the Two Strings." The animated film features its first fully 3D printed puppet, the Moon Beast. According to 3D Printing Industry, the character's physical requirements - and 130 separate pieces - demanded a different approach...

“Comprised of a series of 3D-printed shells that bolt over a centralized gooseneck armature, the Moon Beast was a unique undertaking on the part of LAIKA’s Rapid Prototyping department. Ordinarily they look after just the faces and heads of the characters, while the puppet department handles the rest. For the Moon Beast, though, separating the body from the head wasn’t really an option.”

The film, which took 94 weeks and 70 rapid prototyping specialists to complete, shows in theaters on August 19.

The Deadliest Cast - 3D Scanning, 3D Printing and Manufacturing Crabs

Click image to read case study.

One of the juicier projects we've had involved 3D scanning real 10-lb crabs to recreate life-like replicas for Bering Sea Crab Fisherman's Tour.  The captain and his crew take tourists out on the high seas in the summer to watch them work.  Unfortunately, they were losing much of their inventory recreating their catches - this was both costly and unsustainable.

Once we 3D scanned the real thing, we 3D printed a master pattern which was used to create a mold.  The mold allowed RapidMade to cast the crab look alikes in urethane rubber.  See the results here.

Now You Can Scratch That Itch Using a 3D Printed Cast

My traditional cast for my broken right wrist

I am now 3 weeks into my cast-restricted convalescence.  And yes, it is as annoying, smelly and uncomfortable as everyone says.  So when my accident occurred (a large dog was desperate to greet Luke and I was in its way), I toyed with getting our team to scan and 3D print a cast. The doctors were not keen, and since traditional casts are reliable, cheap and quick, I didn't argue.

If I had gone that route, what would have been involved?  Well, as in the traditional approach, we would have waited a week for the swelling to go down.  Then I would have had a 3D scan to get an exact image of my arm.  The resulting file would then be modified to 3D print the lattice-like open "exo-skeleton" cast which would snap into place.  Oh, to be able to scratch and shower undeterred!  But I'm under no illusions; it could have been a pricey and time-consuming project - the design would have to withstand use and be printed in a non-toxic material, so while I was in a traditional cast 1 week after my fracture, it would likely have taken longer for a high-tech alternative.

But there are times when I'd give almost anything to scratch that itch.

RapidMade Featured in U.S. News Article on 3D Printing

RapidMade's founders were recently interviewed by U.S. News and World for an article explaining how 3D printing, also known as additive manufacturing, has helped entrepreneurs innovate.

Here's an excerpt from the story which was published on line this week:

“Renee and Mark Eaton, with their son Micah Chaban, founded RapidMade, a 3-D printing, manufacturing and engineering company, based in Portland, Oregon, in 2011. About to graduate from the University of Oregon, Chaban told his parents he was contemplating job searching in Germany. Living in England at the time, the Eatons had read an article in “The Economist” on 3-D printing and the idea for RapidMade was born.

’We had both worked in manufacturing for years and were disheartened that so many kids were gravitating to lower-paying service jobs because high-tech manufacturing jobs either weren’t well known or readily available,’ Renee Eaton, chief executive officer of RapidMade, wrote in an email.

’During our careers, we had both been forced to close or downsize plants and relocate production, so we wanted very much to bring back manufacturing. We thought Additive Manufacturing (3D printing) was a great local and sustainable way to do that.’

She explained that entrepreneurs can develop and evaluate a design in little time with rapid prototyping and that by using 3-D printing to create tools, they can decrease lead times and cost. Most of RapidMade’s customers are new to 3-D printing, and the company’s engineers can help determine the best technology to create a product from a design, she wrote.”

3D Scanning Works as High Tech Insurance Policy

Photo Credit: Joe Shearer/The Daily Nonpareil via AP

Iowans have 3D scanned the historic Dark Angel Statue in Council Bluff, IA in an effort to preserve this piece of art. The statue, officially a memorial to the wife of a local Civil War general, is 96 years old and was sculpted by Daniel Chester French, who is better known for another work of his-the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C. The people of Council Bluffs raised enough money to get the statue scanned so that if any parts break off or if it falls into disrepair, it can be easily replicated with the exact dimensions of the original design. The community is happy with its investment in the preservation of the local landmark and historic work of art.

If only ancient Egyptians had had the technology, we would know what the Sphinx’s nose looked like.

Research Study Demonstrates Benefits of 3D Printing in Surgical Outcomes

Study confirms value of 3D printed models in planning wrist surgeries

If you read our blog, you know that we are especially interested in the medical applications of 3D printing.  I've written a few times about its adoption in surgery planning.  Now a recent published study conducted by Italian surgeon Dr. Nicola Bizzoto quantifies three advantages of 3D printing a patient's wrist (distal radius) fracture before operating.  

Having an exact replica of the broken bones allows the physician to thoroughly plan the surgery in advance, knowing where to place screws and which plate size to implant. This preparation reduces operating room and anesthesia times.  Shorter surgeries save hospitals money and less anesthesia improves patient outcomes.  The model can also be used to improve patient education.

I only wish this practice had become widespread before my wrist surgery in 2014. The operation took longer than planned because my wrist was worse than expected - there were bone fragments that had to be removed.  As a result, the anesthesiologist had to fully sedate me, and I ended up spending New Year's Eve in the hospital - not a Happy start to 2015, so while I hope to never go through a similar procedure again, I'm heartened by the increased popularity of 3D printing in medicine.

3D Printing Battles Animal Extinction

Ivory-look-alike artwork (Image Credit: 3ders.org)

3D printing enthusiasts are using additive manufacturing to combat animal extinction on multiple fronts.  One Italian-based artist, Andrea Pacciani, is creating exotic ivory-alternative objects that she hopes will entice patrons toward her "sustainable, animal-friendly pieces."  Not only do the items look and feel like ivory, because they are 3D printed, Pacciani is able to create designs that cannot easily be produced with traditional carving methods.

The International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW) has also adopted the technology to create a graphic reminder that we won't be able to just 3D print more animal species if they are driven to extinction.  Its ad campaign, produced by Young and Rubicam, shows partially printed, like-like reproductions of an elephant, orangutan, and whale to communicate its dire message.

Other nonprofit firms, such as Paso Pacifico have used 3D printing creatively to advance their causes.  Paso Pacifico chose

“to create 3D printed decoy sea turtle eggs to track and take down poaching rings, and scientists at the International Centre for Birds of Prey (ICBP) have 3D printed vulture eggs embedded with micro-sensors to learn vital information about vulture nesting habits.”

These initiatives show the commitment and ingenuity dedicated to saving at-risk species and the potential and versatility of 3D printing.

Fashion Industry Gets 3D Make Over

3D Printing took another turn on the fashion run way.  The revolutionary technology was on display at the 2016 Met Gala "Manus x Machina: Fashion in the Age of Technology." The gala showcased new clothing inspired by myriad technologies; among them, 3D printing was prominently featured. Additive Manufacturing, another term for 3D printing, is a fashion designer's choice to enhance and support the unique geometry of garments. There is a variety of applications though, from remote controlled clothing to printable fashion.

Shell Uses Rapid Prototyping to Improve Planning, Reduce Cost & Increase Safety of Deep Water Project

Photo Credit: Shell/3Dprint.com

2D engineering drawings fail to capture the minds and hearts of lay people.  I remember Nabisco engineers willingly sharing their blue prints with production employees to coax their input and buy in to equipment designs and line lay outs.  These machines and lines can cost millions of dollars, so there's a real need to "get it right the first time."   Invariably there would often be miscommunication and frustration when both parties thought they were getting what they needed only to discover when the equipment was delivered and the line was installed that they had missed the mark - sometimes quite literally.  One time, the operator was on one side of the line and the controls were on the other!

Now, 3D printing and rapid prototyping allow stakeholders to physically see, touch and manipulate what is being proposed.  They can more easily assess what will work and what won't, saving time, money and aggravation.

In one such situation, Shell Oil recently produced a prototype that allowed the firm to design and construct an elaborate buoy.  As one executive explained

“that for the offshore crews in particular there are challenges due to the high cost of installation. Patterson also says that their crews in ‘the Americas’ have been exploring 3D printing for prototyping. Upon working in the Stones project in the Gulf of Mexico—about 200 miles southwest of New Orleans—engineers were faced with how to put together enormous blocks of syntactic foam into a buoy that would need to disconnect to an FPSO (Floating Production Storage and Offloading) vessel area at what is going to go down in history as the world’s deepest water installation at 2,900m of water.”

Can you imagine hauling something that large, expensive and complex out to sea only to discover it didn't work as engineered?  This is a great example of why rapid prototyping was one of the earliest applications of 3D printing technology.

If you are interested in learning more about how rapid prototyping can improve your next project, please contact RapidMade.  

New Balance Enters 3D Printed Shoe Race

Photo Credit: Brittany Herbert/Mashable

New Balance joins Nike, Adidas and others in the race to gain a foothold in the 3D printed shoe market.  NB has announced a new $400 sneaker that utilizes additive manufacturing. As technology develops, shoe companies are looking for new, innovative ways to make shoes stronger, more comfortable, more versatile and adaptive. The sneaker touts a new porous insole that molds to the wearer’s foot. This is another example of how 3D printed wearables are becoming more prominent and how the expansion of 3D printing technology is spurring creativity in industry.  Time will tell if the industry has put its right foot forward.

GE Opens New Additive Manufacturing Facility in Pittsburgh

As Pittsburgh natives, we've been awaiting the Opening of GE's New Additive Manufacturing Facility there.  The Grand Opening was earlier this week.  Officially named the Center for Additive Technology Advancement (CATA), the plant is officially located southwest of the city near the airport in Findlay Township.  The move symbolizes GE's belief that improving the speed and effectiveness of additive manufacturing will give it a strategic advantage.  Just "down the road" from Carnegie Mellon University and the University of Pittsburgh - Hail Pitt - perhaps GE will collaborate with these schools on AM research.

According to Business Wire, 

“The new facility represents a $39 million investment over three years and will result in the creation of 50 high-tech engineering jobs initially, in disciplines ranging from mechanical and electrical to systems and software engineering. This is GE’s first multi-modal site in the U.S., designed as an innovation hub offering training and development in both design and applications.”

Having lived through the repeated Pittsburgh-based plant closings of the 80s and 90s, personally we're hoping this is just the beginning of a bright, high-tech renaissance for SW Pennsylvania.  

Cambridge University "Makes No Bones" about Using 3D Printing to Recreate Replicas

Photo Credit:  NewHistorian.com

We've written before about using 3D printing to create artwork and artifacts.  These stories are especially interesting to us given that RapidMade has been privileged to 3D print both originals and replicas.  And apparently we are in good company...

In another brilliant example of this approach, Cambridge University is 3D scanning and printing reproductions of Ox bones.  During the Shang Dynasty in China, roughly 1339 BCE-1112 BCE, oracles would inscribe their writings on Ox bones which are being recreated for research and educational purposes. These bones provide insight into the way of life during the Shang Dynasty. Archaeologists, anthropologists, and historians alike can now safely continue to learn from the information contained in these bones while ensuring their preservation.  The university’s collection contains over 600 bones (that is a lot of scanning and printing) which will now be more readily available for study due to these replicas. 

UCLA "Cements" Its Reputation Using 3D Printing to Capture CO2

We've blogged before about ventures that have involved 3D printing houses.  Now, UCLA researchers are working on a 3D printing process that allows them to reuse captive carbon dioxide as an ingredient in cement.  They call their revolutionary material CO2NCRETE.

Now that they've identified a process that works, the team is thinking about how to scale up and commercialize it so the 3D printed CO2NCRETE can be marketed and sold:

“We know how to capture the carbon. We know how to improve the efficiency. We know how to shape it with 3D printing, but we need to do all of that at the lab scale now, and begin the process of actually increasing the volume of material and then thinking about how to pilot it commercially,” states DeShazo, who has been responsible for providing ‘public policy and economic guidance’ in terms of this research.”

Maybe someday, the 3D printed cement can be used to 3D print those houses.

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"Armed" with 3D Printing, MIT Scientists Build Hydraulic Robots

Credit: Newscientist.com

MIT researchers recently turned to 3D printing in order to build a mobile robot. Leveraging one advantage of 3D printing, the robot’s body was printed in one piece capable of movement using hydraulics. Both in universities and at home, roboticists are looking more to 3D printing to build unique parts, rapid prototypes, and even robotic prostheses. Though the relationship between the two industries is just beginning to gain momentum, there are already myriad ways in which 3D printing has opened up possibilities for makers and businesses in the field of robotics.

3D Printed Titanium Vertebrae Saves Life of Cancer Patient

Credit: 3Dprint.com

Dr. Ralph Mobbs of the Sydney Spine Clinic turned to 3D printing to save the life of a patient suffering from a rare form of cancer. Drage Josevski was diagnosed with chordoma, a cancer that affects the spine.  His case was especially difficult because  the tumor was located in his top two vertebrae. Dr. Mobbs performed a landmark procedure that replaced the vertebrae with a 3D printed titanium implant. Josevski’s surgery was a success, and he is in rehabilitation to adjust to the implant. This achievement is yet another example of the possibilities 3D printing creates for the medical field.

Artist Uses 3D Printing to Preserve Antiquities Lost to ISIS

Credit: Andy Wood

We've posted before about artists using 3D Scanning and Printing to recreate antiquities damaged by ISIS and to digitally catalog priceless exhibits.  Another effort is being undertaken by an Iranian artist in Mosul, Iraq.

Morrehshin Allhyari is working on an exhibition of 3D printed replicas of artifacts destroyed at the Nineveh Museum in Mosul, Iraq by ISIS. Taking images and 3D scans of the museum’s collection, Morrehshin is able to replicate the lost artifacts with 3D printers: “The more files that are saved on people's computers, even if they’re never printed, the number of PDF files that are read or kept, the more that history that was initially removed by ISIS will be saved.” The exhibition is titled “Material Speculation” and is widely seen as an act of historic preservation, political activism, and art, simultaneously. It also makes a great point of the pragmatism of using 3D scanning and printing technology for museum collections and historic exhibitions. 

3D Printed Iceman Heats Up Museum Display

Photo Credit: 3Dprintingindustry.com

One popular application of 3D printing is creating exact reproductions of antiquities.  As is often the case, museums want to display artifacts but face challenges making priceless objects available to the public.  The latest example of this technique is the recreation of the Iceman.  

Ötzi - the Iceman, the oldest European mummy, was replicated by Additive Manufacturing. Two 3D replicas have been made for display at the South Tyrol Museum in Italy. Using CAT scans taken of Ötzi, the models were rendered and printed using 3D engineering and manufacturing techniques. Once printed and assembled, a rubber mold was applied to the replicas, which were then sculpted and painted. Because Ötzi needs to be preserved, he will be stored in stable conditions while visitors of the museum can see these identical models.