Objective3D | BLOG

When the automobile moguls at Toyota Motor Corporation decided that they wanted to produce a prototype for a car seat that was as lightweight as possible, they found themselves face to face with a complex project that was meant to be handled by 3D printing technology. How would the Toyota team possibly design, build, and manufacture such a complex and sizable 3D printed car seat? That’s where Belgium-based 3D printing service bureau and software developer Materialise and their enthusiastic engineering team came in. Using a specialized method of topology optimization, Toyota and Materialise were able to assign various levels of density to the car seat design before transforming it into a 3D model. The lower density areas were then populated in Materialise’s 3-maticSTL software, which allowed for design modification, repair, and simplification of the car seat’s 3D files. The 3-maticSTL method was also utilized to remove unnecessary print material and add comfort to the seat thro...

A 3D-printed windpipe has been used to practise delicate surgery before an operation on a six-year-old girl at London's Great Ormond Street Hospital. It meant doctors could pick the correct tools needed to wash her lungs. And as a result, Katie Parke, from Northern Ireland, needed to spend less time under anaesthetic and being ventilated. Doctors at the hospital say the technology could also be used to train other doctors. Katie has pulmonary alveolar proteinosis, which means grainy deposits build up in the microscopic air sacs in her lungs making it hard to breathe. Regularly washing the lungs with saltwater is the only way to remove the deposits. During Katie's operation one of her lungs needed to be ventilated while the other was cleaned. Normally, surgeons waste time on the operating table trying multiple combinations of different-sized tubes in order to perform the delicate surgery. The team at Great Ormond Street Hospital used a CT scan of Katie to pri...

The next phase for 3D printing: Coming out of rapid prototyping and moving into the assembly line for end-use production. Airbus has produced more than 1000 flight parts on  Stratasys 3D printers for use in its A350 XWB aircraft. New 3D printing processes have reduced the time it takes for designers and engineers to conceptualize, create, and test prototypes. But for 3D printing to catch on the rapidly changing manufacturing industry, it will have to be seen by companies less as a fascinating technological upgrade and more as an everyday business decision. That’s the conclusion from a report published in August by Stratasys Direct Manufacturing, the service arm of the global 3D-printer manufacturing company Stratasys. SDM provides advanced manufacturing and prototyping services to manufacturing companies who might need a 3D-printed prototype or part, but lack the in-house equipment or staff expertise. “Today 3D printing is still perceived as a technology solutio...

Stratasys Direct Manufacturing teamed with Structural Integrity Engineering to further efforts on the latest Flying Eye Hospital for Orbis. Orbis, an organization dedicated to providing ophthalmic training to communities around the world, utilizes airborne training facilities called Flying Eye Hospitals. Orbis’s goal is to eliminate unnecessary blindness, of which 39 million people around the global suffer from needlessly. In order to heal blindness, the Orbis team performs eye surgeries and educates doctors in the proper execution of eye surgeries through two-way audio-visual links. To aid and instruct as many people as possible, Orbis’ entire hospital and training facility is housed on a converted MD-10 aircraft. To further their efforts, Orbis began the process of building a new airborne hospital by reaching out to Structural Integrity Engineering, who then sought out Stratasys Direct Manufacturing for help manufacturing an air duct. Structural Integrity Engineering (SIE) is...

After re-locating to Michigan in 2011, Equus Automotive teamed up with Stratasys Direct Manufacturing to aid in the manufacturing of the prototype/pre-production BASS770. Equus’ model 770 defines a new iconic American muscle car. Beneath its brilliant exterior lies an amalgam of advanced manufacturing, including 3D Printing and cast urethanes. Stratasys Direct Manufacturing’s Stereolithography (SLA) , Fused Deposition Modeling (FDM) , Laser Sintering (LS) and cast urethanes were used to build multiple interior and exterior components including the instrument panel, headlight and taillight bezels, HVAC ducting, glass trim panel fender, console covers, seat belt covers, under hood components, and more. The majority of the components Stratasys Direct Manufacturing 3D Printed were used as master patterns for casting. Cast urethanes are an economical alternative to injection molding for projects requiring low volumes of parts. Cast urethanes begin with a 3D Printed or CNC’d maste...

  Stratasys is pleased to announce the opening of the 12th Annual Extreme Redesign 3D Printing Challenge (#ExtremeRedesign) . Students of all levels from all over the world are eligible to enter our annual contest to create amazing new products or improve an existing product. Last year’s competition drew more than 780 entries from 10 countries! The contest categories include: Engineering: Secondary Education (middle and high school) Engineering: Post-Secondary (university, college or post-secondary) Art and architecture (any grade level) Last year's winners for Engineering:  Post Secondary, Melanie Gralow and Lena Heemann,  University of Bremen, for "Cooling With Heat" This year there is an additional category for all age divisions: “Make a Difference.” Students are invited to create or modify a design that has the potential to be a force for change, like making an impact socially or economically, adding environmental friendliness, or increas...

Over the past year or two, the idea of 3D printed fashion has been exploding all over runways everywhere, but are 3D printed fashionable outfits and accessories really what the modern woman needs? Wouldn’t they be better off with an extra layer of 3D printed protection in today’s hostile and dangerous urban environments? That is, in a nutshell, what Nitzan Kish was thinking about while working on the 3D printing ‘Me, Myself & I’ project, which resulted in a gorgeous, yet slightly intimidating modular set of self-defense wearables for the modern women. Fortunately, Nitzan was happy to answer a few of our questions regarding this fascinating project. As she explains, she has recently acquired her degree at the Bezalel Academy of Arts and Design, in Jerusalem, and this project was her final project as part of her studies. ‘I am 29 year old. I'm a professional photographer,  a fashion designer and goldsmith,’ she tells us. ‘In the past three years I was an assistant teacher in...

“To traditionally manufacture a prototype ship rudder in wood or plastic is a very skilled and labor-intensive job and typically takes up to three weeks to produce. With our Stratasys in-house 3D Printer, we can produce parts within a day, which after cleaning, are ready for final assembly."   Michael Neumeier, Mechanical Design Engineer at Hamburg Ship Model Basin (HSVA) Hamburg Ship Model Basin (HSVA), a German-based shipping and marine supplier, has reduced lead times for prototype ship model components by 70% and production costs by 30% by bringing Stratasys 3D printing in-house. The Stratasys Objet Eden350V 3D Printer  provides in-house production capabilities, reducing lead times by 70%. Since the installation of its Objet Eden350V 3D Printer, the company has been able to quickly produce strong, high performance plastic prototype parts while reducing production costs and upholding high standards of quality and precision. “A full-size ship is a c...