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Showing posts from July, 2015

Objective3D Seminar Success continues in Adelaide

With packed audiences for seminars in Melbourne, Sydney and Perth, Objective3D has again successfully organized the " 3D Printing for Direct Digital Manufacturing" seminar at The Co-Hab Tonsley Centre, Clovelly Park, SA on the 28th July 2015.  The event, the fourth in the Objective3D Seminar series, achieved record attendance numbers and was attended by guests from various business and public sectors. The objective is to educate industry professionals to augment and accelerate traditional manufacturing processes and production with 3D printing technology from Stratasys. Event highlights were the presentation by speakers Yvonne Lim of Stratasys on “3D Printing for Direct Manufacturing” , Matt Minio and Kane Fullerton of Objective3D on “Introduction to Objective3D, Stratasys 3D Printing Technology and the Objective3D Service Bureau”and Sam Byrne of Alleasing on “ Leasing options”. Next stop in the series will be Sydney in mid-September focusin

Magic Arms, A Life-Changing 3D Printed Orthotic, Kicks Off Crowdfunding Campaign

Over 50,000 children in the U.S. and more than 500,000 children worldwide suffer from rare diseases and conditions that prevent them from using their arms. They can’t hug their parents, brush their teeth, feed themselves, or blow bubbles. Magic Arms, a Minnesota-based non-profit, wants to help these children enjoy these simple pleasures – things that many take for granted. Through a web-based fundraising campaign on Indiegogo, Magic Arms hopes to raise money to ensure that possibility and help more than 200 children currently on the waiting list and countless others across the world. The story began in 2012 with a 3-year-old girl named Emma who couldn’t lift her arms. After meeting Emma and her mom, Whitney Sample and Tariq Rahman, co-inventors of an exoskeleton called the WREX at Nemours Children’s Hospital in Delaware, began to prototype a 3D printed exoskeleton with Stratasys (NASDAQ:SSYS), a leading global provider of 3D printing and additive manufacturing solutions, that gave

3D printing upgrades joint replacement

Surgeons are using custom guides and models to make their work more precise. On a recent morning, Dr. Heinz Hoenecke of La Jolla used his laptop to make minute adjustments to a three-dimensional model of a patient’s shoulder. The precision of the computer model, and the sophistication of the modeling software used to manipulate it, allowed him to find an optimal spot to anchor the prosthetics involved in a total shoulder replacement without ever making an incision. Sliding a digital representation of a cupped insert, the computer calculated how well the device would sit in the shoulder socket and whether its mounting pegs would poke all the way through the patient’s bone, a problem that could eventually cause the implant to dislodge. “This allows me to know what the issues are much more exactly. I can see if the ball will center itself in the socket,” said Hoenecke, a Scripps Clinic orthopedic surgeon and team physician for the San Diego Padres. Once things appear to line

Can you 3D-print organs?

As a researcher in bioprinting (3D printing using living cells) one question I’m regularly asked is “Can you print organs?” It’s a question that grabs people because, when we can print organs, there will be no such thing an organ donor list. Instead of waiting for a transplant, the patient will provide a small sample of cells and the hospital staff (not doctors or nurses, but a new breed of ‘biomedical engineers’) will grow up the cells to a large quantity, feed it into a bioprinter and print out a replacement organ. Because the organ will be made of the patient’s own cells, there will be no fear of rejection, and no need for immunosuppressant drugs. The whole procedure will take place in a matter of weeks. Yeah but CAN you 3D print-organs?   READ MORE >>

Designer’s Dream Cyborg 3D Printed into Reality

California-based Vitaly Bulgarov has typically lent his amazing 3D modeling and design skills to such big name companies as Blizzard Entertainment, Oakley, LucasFilm’s Industrial Light & Magic, and Intuitive Surgical.  Or he provides his expertise to INTEL, where he currently works on concepts for the next generation of wearable tech.  But, in his spare time, Bulgarov works on his own “Black Phoenix Project”, concept based on the idea of a fictional robotics corporation from the not too distant future.  And, recently, he had the opportunity to bring those designs to life with the help of new 3D printing studio Factor 31. Though the “Black Phoenix Project” is a great way for Bulgarov to collaborate with photographer Maria Skotnikova to illustrate a fictional world for realistic, yet non-existent robotics, 3D printing has enabled him to make them somewhat real.  With ten days of work, Factor 31, located in Orange, California, was able to take his virtual designs and recreate

The Real Cutting Edge: Getting a Handle on Stone Age Tools with Stratasys 3D Printing

Stone-age hand-axes were a functional utility tool as well as prehistoric status symbol, demonstrating primeval man’s ability to adapt, innovate and use technology to improve his lifestyle and long-term existence. Among the stone-age community dating back to the Paleolithic Period some 700,000 years ago, hand axes were a sign of success, extraordinary skill and man’s ability to provide for his family. In celebration of this historical milestone, these stone-age tools have received a contemporary 3D printing upgrade. In a collection entitled ‘MAN MADE’, designers Dov Ganchrow and Ami Drach have recreated a series of nine stone-age tools, in collaboration with leading 3D printer manufacturer, Stratasys. The MAN MADE series of hand-axes includes flint stones formed using the primeval method of knapping – the art of striking flint with another stone to create a new form. In the stone-age, this production technique was absolutely ‘cutting edge,’ requiring remarkable expertise an

FDM for Injection Moulding

“The FDM mould allowed us to get injection moulded parts in days rather than weeks. This is critical in our industry where the next race meet acts as our testing ground and marketing arena. “ Ken Nunn, Southways Consulting The Project: This High Performance Throttle Body Adaptor is designed for use in high performance vehicles and must be injection moulded in order to fulfil its design requirements. An FDM injection mould allowed several shots to be produced while waiting for the CNC tool. The Client: VCM Suite Australasia Pty Ltd (www.vcm-suite.com.au) manufacture software systems for the home and professional workshop for use in the high performance tuning of a range of vehicles. The 3D Printing Process: Tooling and injection moulding has traditionally been a time consuming and expensive exercise; however if you need an injection moulded part in a hurry, FDM can help. FDM moulding is cost effective, fast and completely repeatable. Instead of machining a mould out of

Daihatsu and Stratasys combine for user-customized Copens

Japan's oldest carmaker, Daihatsu and American 3D printing company Stratasys have come together to let Daihatsu Copen owners design their own car panels and have them made to order. Utilizing the unique changeable panel system on the open sports car, special panels will accept costumer designed elements with new shapes and textures. This personalized driving experience was recently proven by Designers Kota Nezu and Junjie Sun on their “Effect Skins” project and Gizmag went along to the 2015 Design Engineering & Manufacturing Solutions Expo to see the results. READ MORE >>