Douglas Coupland’s 3D printed portraits take center stage on Canada Day

Coinciding with this year’s Canada Day weekend, Canadian artist Douglas Coupland has unveiled his newest and arguably most ambitious project to date. Called The National Portrait, the large-scale artwork consists of hundreds of 3D printed portraits based on real Canadian people.

The installation, which is being exhibited at the Ottawa Art Gallery until the 19th of August, has been in the works for some time as Coupland partnered with Canadian retail chain Simons in 2015 to invite people to participate in the project by having their heads 3D scanned. After touring various Canadian cities, including Montreal, Vancouver, Ottawa, Halifax, Calgary and more, Coupland has presented The National Portrait, the final phase of his crowd-sourced 3DCanada project.

Speaking to Simons, Coupland explains how the idea for the 3D printed portraits was born from his belief that the accessibility of 3D printing technologies will change the landscape for portraiture and sculpture.

Coupland

The expansive piece itself comprises of 1,000 heads, all brightly coloured and arranged in an intriguing way. That is, not every head is 3D printed in the same way, some have been distorted slightly, which adds dynamism to the piece. The 3D printed heads do have one thing in common: they are all facing the same direction, looking to the future.

On a more technical note, Coupland required a fleet of 15 3D printers to realize the ambitious project and used roughly 70 km of biodegradable plastic filament to make each portrait. After 1,700 heads were scanned on the 3DCanada cross-country tour, it reportedly took 11 months to 3D print the 1,000 pieces that are featured in the installation.

“The National Portrait is much more than a Simons project,” commented Peter Simons, president of the retail chain that commissioned the project. “As we traveled from city to city, it quickly became a national piece of art using technology that people were fascinated to experience as they watched their own 3D portraits being printed. Unveiling The National Portrait in the nation’s capital is quite fitting.”

As mentioned, the 3D printed installation by Coupland will be on display until August 19th at the Ottawa Art Gallery in Canada’s capital city.

3dpbm partners with SmarTech Publishing to provide broader AM market data insights  

Marking yet another step in its recent growth and expansion across the AM industry landscape, London-based 3dpbm is partnering with SmarTech Publishing, selecting the US-based market research firm as its exclusive provider of AM industry data. As per the agreement, 3dpbm will also provide AM industry-wide communication support for SmarTech’s publications and reports. The Smartech Publishing-3dpbm alliance will serve to provide more complete and widely accessible information on the latest evolutionary trends in the AM market.

SmarTech Publishing is a leading provider of vertical- and materials-specific market data, analyses and forecasts for the AM industry. The company, founded by Lawrence Gasman, has built the most extensive database for AM hardware, materials, software and part sales in every major AM vertical segment. Leveraging its unique network of industry contacts, it is able to provide the most up-to-date and accurate information on the latest market trends. Over the years it has published reports on all the important revenue opportunities in the 3D printing sector including aerospace, automotive, industrial automation, 3D printing materials, medical/dental markets and other promising 3D market segments.

smartech publishing 3dpbm

Through its network of online editorial properties and partners, 3dpbm is emerging as a leading reference for day-to-day product and company news, opinions and reportages from the global 3D printing landscape. 3dpbm’s own database of AM companies is today the largest global index of companies that operate within the additive manufacturing industry. The company also stands out as a specialized communication agency for the AM industry, having expanded its product offering to include a wide range of communication services through all media platforms, ranging from social media campaigns to video production, webinars and events.

“We are excited about the possibilities of working with 3dpbm to further expand our reach into the global 3D printing market” says SmarTech Founder and President, Lawrence Gasman. “We see this relationship as a key means of supporting our firm’s brand and as a platform for us to share our market data and analysis.”

smartech publishing 3dpbm

With this partnership, SmarTech will become 3dpbm’s exclusive provider of market data and information for AM industry verticals. 3dpbm will provide communication and PR services as well as extensive editorial coverage for SmarTech’s publications through all its communication channels, including proprietary websites (3D Printing Media Network, Replicatore, Replicador) social media, editorial and media partnerships, newsletters, direct mailings to its community of AM professionals and more.

“SmarTech data will enable our team to offer even more accurate analyses of the market since most of the time when you really want to understand why things are happening, you just follow the money,” says 3dpbm Co-founder and CEO Davide Sher. “Our combined objective is to provide long-term research and forecasts along with quick and accurate daily news, in order to offer the most complete view of the AM market, every day.”

EOS and Additive Works to advance Amphyon simulation software for metal AM

AM leader EOS has announced it will be partnering with German startup Additive Works to advance the metal additive manufacturing process through the further development of  Amphyon, Additive Works’ simulation-based pre-processing software for AM. The software solution is capable of virtually simulating the AM build process and identifying potential problem areas in a part’s design before going to printing, saving users both time and production costs.

Simulation software is becoming a key ingredient in the additive manufacturing process, as it enables users to predict if a 3D model is optimized for 3D printing or will encounter problems, such as surface defects or structural compromise, when printed.

“Although AM technology itself is very mature, especially for unexperienced users it can be difficult to predict if a part will be 3D printed as expected,” explained Dr. Nils Keller, CEO of Additive Works. “So when a part is manufactured with issues…it means a waste of machine time and material costs. An answer to this challenge is Amphyon.”

“Using simulation software is standard when it comes to conventional manufacturing methods,” he added. “With Amphyon, simulation now also becomes a solution for additive manufacturing, underlining the increased use and changing requirements of industrial 3D printing for serial production.”

Amphyon

Through its partnership with Additive Works, EOS will offer its Amphyon software solution to its clients and will work alongside Additive Works in further enhancing the platform’s support for EOS’ portfolio of metal materials, processes and systems. Ultimately, the goal for the two companies is to integrate Amphyon’s assessment, simulation and support modules into EOS’ job and process management sofware, EOSPRINT 2.

“While the vast majority of the public thinks that additive manufacturing allows for the creation of three dimensional objects from a digital design by just clicking a button, users of the technology know that the reality is more complex,” said Martin Steuer, Head of Product Management Software and Services at EOS. “United by the mission to make Industrial 3D printing even more intuitive and user friendly, EOS is happy to partner with Additive Works on the subject of AM-process-simulation. ‘Simulate before you create’ really is a key factor to ensure a successful laser sintering process with metal materials, right from the start.”

Additive Works’ Amphyon software solution is based on what the company calls the “ASAP principle,” which includes steps related to Assessment, Simulation, Adaption and Process. The workflow, designed for Direct Metal Laser Sintering technologies, offers automated print predictions and assessments, optimization support and process simulation.

The first step in Amphyon’s AM simulation process is the assessment stage, which entails an evaluation of a given part’s geometry and an analysis of all possible build-up orientations. In this step, the software takes several factors into account including build time, support volume, post processing efforts and part deformation. A detailed and automated analysis of all these elements allows the software to automatically identify the most optimal orientation for printing the part.

Amphyon

The simulation stage, for its part, comes in two modules: the Support module (in beta testing) and the Mechanical Process Simulation (MPS) module. The support module enables users to optimize and automatically generate support structures. Notably, the process also adapts the support perforation and the interfaces between part and support based on defined process loads. This, says Additive Works, helps to cut back on the support material used without sacrificing (and even improving) process stability.

The MPS module provides efficient and intuitive tools for simulating process mechanics and calculating distortions. This module also compensates for these distortions by exporting and building a “pre-deformed” STL file.

Presently, Additive Works’ simulation platform integrates profiles for key EOS metal materials, though the companies hope to expand this integration by adding support for all of EOS’ metal portfolio.

3D Printed AI Robotic Head Named CIMON “Heads” to ISS

CIMON (Crew Interactive MObile CompanioN), the AI-based assistant for astronauts for the DLR Space Administration, developed by Airbus in cooperation with IBM, took off last Friday aboard SpaceX‘s Dragon cargo capsule and is scheduled to arrive today (June 2nd). Like many unique robots, the technology demonstrator was built using metal and plastic 3D printing processes. It is the size of a medicine ball and weighs around 5 kg. It will be tested on the ISS by Alexander Gerst during the European Space Agency’s Horizons mission scheduled to last through October 2018.

“CIMON will be the first AI-based mission and flight assistance system. We are the first company in Europe to carry a free flyer, a kind of flying brain, to the ISS and to develop artificial intelligence for the crew on board the space station,” said Manfred Jaumann, Head of Microgravity Payloads from Airbus. Pioneering work was also being done in the area of manufacturing, Jaumann continued, with the entire structure of CIMON, which is made up of plastic and metal, created using 3D printing.

CIMON is designed to support astronauts in performing routine work, for example by displaying procedures or – thanks to its ‘neural’ AI network and its ability to learn – offering solutions to problems. It uses Watson AI technology from the IBM cloud and, with its face, voice and artificial intelligence become a genuine ‘colleague’ on board.

With CIMON, crew members can do more than just work through a schematic view of prescribed checklists and procedures; they can also engage with their assistant. In this way, CIMON makes work easier for the astronauts when carrying out everyday routine tasks, helps to increase efficiency, facilitates mission success and improves security, as it can also serve as an early warning system for technical problems.

CIMON

Airbus initially examined the concept for the assistance system as part of a self-financed study. Then, in August 2016, the Bonn-based DLR Space Administration commissioned Airbus’ aerospace experts to carry out the project. Since then, a 50-strong project team comprising members from Airbus, DLR, IBM and the Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität Munich (LMU) has been working to ensure that CIMON takes shape and is brought to life: the system is learning to orientate itself and move around, it accumulates knowledge with the help of Watson AI technology and is training to recognise its human partners.

Amongst other things, the Watson AI was trained using voice samples and photos of Alexander Gerst, and procedures and plans of the Columbus module of the International Space Station were loaded into the database. Alexander Gerst also had a say in the selection of CIMON’s screen face and computer voice so that he, too, could ‘make friends’ with his electronic colleague.

Once the functional testing of the system has been completed, Gerst will work in Space with CIMON a total of three times: They will experiment with crystals, work together to solve the Rubik’s cube and perform a complex medical experiment using CIMON as an ‘intelligent’ flying camera.

In its first Space mission, CIMON will only be equipped with a selected range of capabilities. In the medium term, aerospace researchers also plan to use the CIMON project to examine group effects that can develop over a long period of time in small teams and that may arise during long-term missions to the Moon or Mars. Social interaction between people and machines, between astronauts and assistance systems equipped with emotional intelligence, could play an important role in the success of long-term missions. Airbus’ developers are convinced that, here on Earth, developments of the assistance system could also find future use in hospitals and social care.

CIMON will get its first ‘taste of space’ as early as March 2018: the 31st DLR parabolic flight campaign will focus in particular on testing and optimizing GNC algorithms (Guidance, Navigation and Control) under zero-G conditions.

America Makes & ANSI release updated roadmap for additive manufacturing standardization

Arguably one of the biggest challenges currently facing the additive manufacturing industry is standardization. Fortunately, there are a number of efforts being made to establish guidelines and first steps towards standards for the manufacturing technology. In a significant step, America Makes, the U.S.’ national AM innovation institute, has teamed up with the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) to publish version 2.0 of their Standardization Roadmap for Additive Manufacturing.

Funded by the Department of Defense (DoD) and supported by over 300 people from 175 public and private sector organizations, the standardization roadmap 2.0 was put together by America Makes and the ANSI Additive Manufacturing Standardization Collaborative (AMSC), a group formed with the aim of accelerating the establishment of AM standards and specifications across the industry.

“We are extraordinarily pleased at the AMSC’s continued progress to define a coherent set of additive manufacturing standards and specifications that will benefit the industry,” said Rob Gorham, executive director of America Makes.

The Standardization Roadmap for Additive Manufacturing 2.0 provides an outline of the current state of additive manufacturing standardization and highlights 93 “gaps” in the industry, where no standardization currently exists. 18 of the gaps have been identified as high priority ones, and 65 of those listed include additional pre-standardization R&D. The document also offers an update of previously identified gaps, some of which have been addressed by standardization since the publication of the last report.

ANSI

Included in the 18 high priority standardization gaps are Metal Powder Feedstock Sampling, Machine Calibration and Preventative Maintenance, Recycle & Re-use of Materials, Environmental Conditions: Effects on Materials, Protection of Machine Operators,  Cleanliness of Medical AM Parts and others.

“Coordination of standards development activity in emerging technology areas is something that ANSI excels at, and we have been very pleased to partner with America Makes to define the standards needed to help grow the additive manufacturing industry,” commented Joe Bhatia, president and CEO of ANSI.

The collaboration between America Makes and ANSI AMSC began in March 2016, as they set out with the goal of coordinating and development of industry-wide additive manufacturing standards. Notably, the AMSC’s role is not to establish standards or specifications, but to promote coordination across the industry.

The new Standardization Roadmap for Additive Manufacturing 2.0 can be downloaded on ANSI’s AMSC website.

America Makes & ANSI release updated roadmap for additive manufacturing standardization

Arguably one of the biggest challenges currently facing the additive manufacturing industry is standardization. Fortunately, there are a number of efforts being made to establish guidelines and first steps towards standards for the manufacturing technology. In a significant step, America Makes, the U.S.’ national AM innovation institute, has teamed up with the American National Standards…..

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DfAM meets DFMA at upcoming International Forum in Rhode Island

DFMA is an existing concept for software used in Design for Manufacturing and Assembly. As AM seeks to eliminate the “assembly” from manufacturing, the thirty-third annual International Forum on Design for Manufacture and Assembly (DFMA), organized by Boothroyd Dewhurst, will also focus on how AM – and specifically Design for Additive Manufacturing – will affect the future of DFMA.

Set to be held on September 11-12, 2018, at the Omni Providence Hotel, Providence, RI, USA, The Forum is the foremost worldwide conference on product simplification and early cost estimating. It is organized for development and manufacturing teams, procurement professionals, innovation managers and entrepreneurs across a wide range of industries.

Specifically, additive manufacturing (AM) equipment provider Renishaw is going to explain “generative design” and innovative solutions to complex AM challenges as developed and tested in its Canadian Solution Centre. In addition Chinese automotive company BAIC (Beijing Automotive Industry Holding Co., Ltd.) will discuss using DFMA to control whole vehicle costs and Goldense Group will address the maturing face of globalization, as countries and states increasingly focus policies and resources on becoming centers of excellence for selected industries and technologies—specifically those with high DFMA requirements.

“The 2018 Forum has a strong international focus with DFMA users ready to discuss their costing, design and production methods,” said John Gilligan, president of Boothroyd Dewhurst, Inc. “Each year our manufacturing community tackles ever-evolving approaches for securing a competitive advantage. Increasingly this is for worldwide markets and includes advances in production such as additive manufacturing, better ways of implementing Lean or improving systems engineering. We welcome people to join our Forum discussion, which centers on DFMA yet envelops many aspects of product development in one setting.”

DFMA
One of the clearest advantages of AM is doing away with subassemblies in the future digital production line.

A competitive advantage

This year’s Forum on “Global Competitive Advantage” showcases the DFMA successes and overall strategy of manufacturers that make and market products internationally—increasingly under monetary and trade uncertainties. Examples and metrics will be shared illustrating tested approaches to improving design and production economies that are foundational to weathering changing sales and trade environments. The engineering and manufacturing-based outcomes from DFMA help manufacturers excel in domestic markets and improve cost structures for Build-Where-You-Sell.

A Distinguished DFMA Supporter of the Year winner, Bill Devenish, will deliver four Kohler group papers on subjects ranging from early, data-driven product development to using DFMA very late in “the ship has already sailed” phase of production. Additional presenters include Nick Dewhurst of Boothroyd Dewhurst, Inc., (Opening Address and DFMA Overview), Swiss-based Endress & Hauser (The Million Dollar Story of DFMA at E&H), Starkey Hearing Technologies (The Positive Impacts of DFMA for Hearing Aid Development), and Dynisco (DFMA and Systems Engineering Approaches), among others.

FIT Additive Manufacturing Group expands into Japanese market with new subsidiary

Headquartered in Germany, FIT Additive Manufacturing Group has been increasing its global presence over the years, with sales and project management operations in the U.S., Romania and Russia. Now, the additive manufacturing and rapid prototyping group has entered the Japanese market with the founding of a new, fully owned subsidiary: FIT Japan K.K.

Founded in 1995, FIT Additive Manufacturing Group has served customers in the automotive, medical and special machinery industries. Presently, it operates the world’s largest aluminum additive manufacturing facility in Lupburg, Germany, as well as manufacturing sites in Southern Germany and Boston, a software development center in Romania and sales and project management operations in Russia and the U.S.

With its recent expansion to Japan, FIT AG is hoping to introduce its prototyping and manufacturing services to the Japanese market, a move it says is both strategic and logical. According to FIT AG, an analysis of the Japanese AM and services market showed a shift in the country’s manufacturing strategies, transitioning from prototypes to the production of final parts and tools.

Despite this shift, FIT AG notes that the country’s technical development still “lags behind” that of Europe, which means there is opportunity for the company to establish itself there. The overall growth in the AM market in Japan, says FIT AG, is owed to the growing demand from the healthcare, architecture and, above all, automotive manufacturing industries.

“Step by step, we will evolve from a foreign contract manufacturer to an insider in the Japanese innovation system,” said Carl Fruth, CEO of FIT Additive Manufacturing Group. “To this goal, we have established a Japanese subsidiary to serve as a direct interface for our ADM services to the market and to introduce us to important Japanese customers. Starting from a position as a global technology leader, we intend to open up the Japanese as well as the Asian markets and to consolidate business in the long run.”

Fit Additive

Notably, the new FIT Japan K.K. subsidiary will not be starting from scratch, so to speak, in the Japanese market, as a number of FIT AG’s existing clients are Japanese companies. The company will leverage FIT AG’s expertise in volume manufacturing of AM parts and its Additive Design and Manufacturing (ADM) approach, which emphasizes the importance of design for additive manufacturing.

Heading the new subsidiary is Mr. Yasushi Murata, who has been an “experienced insider” in the Japanese industry (and especially its automotive sector) for roughly three decades. “When learning about FIT AG and its ADM concept for the first time, I was immediately intrigued by its potential.” said Murata. “I’m overjoyed to empower Japanese companies with FIT’s expertise. I’m not exaggerating… I’m convinced that FIT AG can act as a game-changer for the Japanese productive industry of today.”

Henkel European hub for 3D printing technology opens in Dublin, as company eyes production

As we reported late last year, adhesive and materials giant Henkel was working on a multi-million dollar 3D printing research facility. The company has now finished and officially opened the Henkel European hub for 3D printing and Innovation and Interaction Center (IIC) at its Tallaght site near Dublin, Ireland.

The IIC, which is the first in a new generation of global industrial customer centers, is set to become Henkel’s European regional hub for technical presentations, demonstrations, training, testing as well as customer service for 3D printing solutions. During the official inauguration Henkel welcomed the Irish Minister of State for Housing and Urban Renewal, Damien English, representatives from governmental organizations in Ireland as well as customers and senior management of its ecosystem partners Carbon and HP.

As demonstrated by its close collaboration with two of the 3D printing hardware companies that are most focused on AM for final part production, Henkel is looking to use its expertise in transforming industrial manufacturing processes to drive adoption in the rapidly growing market for additive manufacturing, beyond prototyping to final parts production.

Based on strategic partnerships with technology leaders, the Adhesive Technologies business unit offers end-to-end solutions for 3D printing to its customers, including novel materials, specialized equipment and a broad portfolio of customized post-processing solutions.

Henkel European hub for 3D printing
Henkel 3D printing Display, Dublin.
Picture Colm Mahady / Fennells – Copyright© Fennell Photography 2018.

Expanding AM R&D

To further expand its R&D and application capabilities globally the company is investing into new regional innovation and customer centers. The IIC in Dublin, which is in proximity to the existing R&D and production facility for 3D printing Loctite resins, comprises laboratories, customer service offices, meeting rooms and 3D Printing facilities. It is equipped with Carbon and HP printers in addition to specialized Henkel equipment, technology and devices.

As the European hub for the technology, the IIC has been designed to excite and engage Henkel’s customers across various industries such as medical devices, automotive, consumer goods and manufacturing to discover and use Henkel´s high-impact solutions for transforming final parts production.

“The opening of our first Innovation and Interaction Center in Ireland will further strengthen our expertise and capabilities to bring 3D Printing solutions into manufacturing processes of our broad customer base,” explained Michael Todd, Global Head of Innovation at Henkel Adhesive Technologies, during the event.

“The close connection to our scientists and engineers as well as to the production will enable us to accelerate the development of new solutions for our customers and will foster the identification and realization of tailor-made 3D Printing applications across industries,” Philipp Loosen, Head of 3D Printing at Henkel Adhesive Technologies, added.

This appears to be only the beginning, as later this year Henkel is expected to open two more regional centers for 3D printing, one in Rocky Hill for North America and another one in Shanghai for Asia.