We’ve heard so much buzz about how AM is poised to be the end-all be-all manufacturing technology. Alas, there are many things that it still can’t quite achieve and that is where we take a step back and either make do with what we have or invent our way into the unexplored. For example, very small-scale 3D printing is not yet deemed at high enough resolution for certain medical applications and doesn’t allow for the level of manufacturing flexibility it would require: that’s when MIT designed a new layer-based manufacturing method capable of overcoming AM’s shortcomings. Some other times it’s just a matter of resources, where AM is the pricier alternative, albeit unmatched in some cases. Arup has shown that AM can become a facilitator of older techniques like casting, providing complex shapes in the form of sand molds, chopping away at the expenses of direct metal printing. Likewise, hybrid manufacturing is giving businesses the flexibility to choose the most beneficial production method depending on the design and final use. More and more we are seeing the rise of big manufacturing power-machines, like the latest Fraunhofer/CMS 5 axis brainchild.
3D Fabrication Technique Allows for Multiple Vaccinations in Single Injection
Researchers from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology are developing a 3D fabrication technique that would allow multiple doses of a drug or vaccine to be delivered to a patient over an extended period of time. According to research scientist Ana Jaklenec, they were unable to create these structures using current 3D printing methods. Instead, the team used a new method called SEAL (StampEd Assembly of polymer Layers).
Check out the full article at All3DP.
Arup Develops Affordable 3D-Printing Sand Casts for Complex Steel Structural Elements
Working with the Anglo-Dutch company 3Dealise, Arup 3D-printed sand molds are used in the traditional casting process to create sophisticated, unique structural steel nodes as a certified material. Sand printing offers a quick technique that can reuse the materials and allows costs to be kept low.
Keep reading at Archdaily.
Fraunhofer IWU And CMD Partner To Make Mega 5 Axis 3D Printer Hybrid
The Fraunhofer Institute for Machine Tools and Forming Technology (Fraunhofer IWU) in Chemnitz, Germany, has entered into a partnership with Italian machine center makers CMS to research and develop a new hybrid CNC milling 3D printer. Operating beyond the bounds of typical XYZ directional 3D printers, the named CMS Kreator is capable of tool paths across 5 axis, bringing more freedom to the possibilities of FDM.
Read the full article here.
If you wish to be kept updated on a daily basis on movements in the AM/IIoT world check out Twitter feed!