Polymer AM
Update on Evolve: Ensuring Repeatability, Reliability and Speed for Scale Production
Engineering the machine and process to work as consistently as production hardware ought to perform is where the company says its efforts have been focused.
December 17, 2018 - Peter Zelinski
Videos
Video: Redesigned Milling Cutter Demonstrates Design Possibilities of AM
Topology optimization plus a material change realize an 80 percent reduction in mass.
December 10, 2018 - Peter Zelinski
Materials
Video: In Additive Manufacturing, Material Engineering Is Also Needed for Supports
The sacrificial material affects the quality of 3D printing and the efficiency of the process. That's why material developers direct attention toward the material that gets thrown away.
December 5, 2018 - Peter Zelinski
News
10 Impressions of Formnext 2018
The size and scope of this year's Formnext exhibition offered plenty to see, but also reinforced additive manufacturing's continuing maturity. 10 impressions from Additive Manufacturing editors.
November 19, 2018 - Stephanie Hendrixson, Peter Zelinski
Production
Economies of Scope: Additive Manufacturing’s Trajectory Toward Bigness
A new book argues that the advance of AM will ultimately favor bigger and bigger manufacturers. Recent articles about groups and companies seeking to benefit from AM show a tiny trajectory in the same direction.
November 16, 2018 - Peter Zelinski
Prototyping
New Kimura U.S. Metal Casting Plant Relies Entirely on 3D Printing for Molds and Cores
Printing foundry molds and cores without hard tooling will speed leadtimes and make small quantities of castings affordable, the company says. Its proprietary process advances the detail and finish obtainable from casting using sand 3D printing.
November 14, 2018 - Peter Zelinski
Design for Additive
5 Lessons About Additive Manufacturing We Can Learn from This Part
A bracket redesign has a lot to say about the successful application of metal AM. One of the takeaways: Support structures are worth the effort!
October 19, 2018 - Peter Zelinski
Automotive
The Manufacturing Network as a Source for Internal Custom Tooling
For a tool that includes both machined and 3D-printed components, all the pieces of the tool can be made by separate companies yet arrive together. BMW has used Xometry to obtain tooling in this way.
October 17, 2018 - Peter Zelinski
Production
From Functional Parts to Lots of Functional Parts, AM Is Advancing into Production
The assumption that additive is only for low-volume manufacturing is about to give way. Read these stories of companies getting ready for additive production at larger scales.
September 26, 2018 - Peter Zelinski
Automotive
HP Enters Metal Additive Manufacturing with Production-Focused Binder Jetting Machine
A metal 3D printer for scale production of steel parts is the next extension of HP's additive offerings and the logical extension of printer technology the company has been developing for decades.
September 11, 2018 - Peter Zelinski
Tooling
This Company Is Pioneering Embedded Service as a Model for Delivering AM
PSMI manages ordering and inventory of tooling and MRO supplies for major manufacturers. Installing 3D printers within those customer sites offers an entirely different way to service this demand.
August 20, 2018 - Peter Zelinski
Basics
Okuma Engineer Offers Safety Tips for Hybrid Machine Tools
Shop air should be out of reach, but flood coolant is a friend, he says. The real challenge of hybrid machines right now is not safety procedures but software.
August 17, 2018 - Peter Zelinski