Lightweighting
3D Printed Tennis Racket Serves a Collaborative Win
The collaboration between All Design Lab and Protolabs led to the creation of a 3D printed tennis racket via direct metal laser sintering, called Hìtëkw. This project not only pushed the limits of additive in terms of design capabilities but revealed how important active communication between customer and manufacturer can be for a project’s success.
Fiona Lawler
Associate Editor, Additive Manufacturing
Titanium Golf Club Line Leverages AM to Boost Clubhead Performance
Japanese lifestyle golf brand Designer utilizes Farsoon 3D printing to optimize the design and production of its latest titanium golf club line.
Read MoreLithoz, ORNL Partner to Advance Processing for High-Temperature Ceramics
The new process could enable laser slurry drying of non-oxide ceramics with high refractive indexes
Read MoreIndyCar's 3D Printed Top Frame Increases Driver Safety
The IndyCar titanium top frame is a safety device standard to all the series' cars. The 3D printed titanium component holds the aeroscreen and protects drivers on the track.
Read MoreAmerica Makes Awards $3.2M for Delta Qual Project Winners
The project call winners are tasked with creating qualified additive manufacturing (AM) processes that offer rapid and affordable flexibility in crucial processes, postprocessing and material feedstock variables, while efficiently validating a qualified AM material through statistical analysis.
Read More3D Printed Lattice for Mars Sample Return Crash Landing: The Cool Parts Show Bonus
NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory employs laser powder bed fusion additive manufacturing plus chemical etching to create strong, lightweight lattice structures optimized to protect rock samples from Mars during their violent arrival on earth.
Read MoreThis Drone Bird with 3D Printed Parts Mimics a Peregrine Falcon: The Cool Parts Show #66
The Drone Bird Company has developed aircraft that mimic birds of prey to scare off problem birds. The drones feature 3D printed fuselages made by Parts on Demand from ALM materials.
Read MoreSidus Space Successfully Launches LizzieSat Hybrid 3D-Printed Satellite
The hybrid 3D-printed satellite was manufactured using Markforged 3D printers for parts that would be incredibly lightweight, durable and custom to the structure to ensure the satellite remains intact during launch and works properly for its full life span in space.
Angela Osborne
Managing Editor, Gardner Business Media
8 Cool Parts From Formnext 2023: The Cool Parts Show #65
New additive manufacturing technologies on display at Formnext were in many cases producing notable end-use components. Here are some of the coolest parts we found at this year’s show.
Read MoreAvio Utilizes Velo3D Metal Printers for Developing Propulsion Systems
The Italian space propulsion innovator is installing the printers in its Colleferro, Italy, headquarters to produce mission-critical parts for its family of rocket engines.
Read More6K Additive, Agile Space Industries Partner to Advance Moon Mission
6K Additive’s Nickel 625 powder is being qualified for use in Agile’s A2200 engine to leverage additive manufacturing for engine lightweighting while also delivering tremendous power.
Read MoreAddUp Adds Constellium’s Aheadd CP1 Aluminum Alloy to Material Portfolio
The Aheadd CP1 aluminum alloy was developed by Constellium for the needs of additive manufacturing by laser powder bed fusion specifically for high-performance and lightweight applications.
Read MoreVelo3D Founder on the 3 Biggest Challenges of 3D Printing Metal Parts
Velo3D CEO and founder Benny Buller offers this perspective on cost, qualification and ease of development as they apply to the progress of AM adoption in the future.
Read More3D Printed "Evolved Structures" for NASA Exoplanet Balloon Mission: The Cool Parts Show #61
Generative design creates stiff, lightweight brackets for EXCITE mission monitoring planets orbiting other stars. The Cool Parts Show visits Goddard Space Flight Center.
Read MoreHorizon Demonstrates Effectiveness of HMT-Metal Coating Process for Plastic Micro Additive Manufacturing Parts
The ability to make mm-wave components via micro-additive manufacturing enables the production of smaller and lighter weight components, and also opens up the possibility of making them with properties and geometric features impossible using alternative fabrication processes.
Angela Osborne
Managing Editor, Gardner Business Media
Xtellar Offers Flexible Bio-Based EVA Pellets for Large Format 3D Printing
Bio-based flexible EVA (Ethylene Vinyl Acetate) pellets offer sustainable, lightweight, flexible capabilities for large-format additive manufacturing.
Read MoreSustainability in Additive Manufacturing Is a Moving Target: AM Radio #37
Assessing 3D printing as a sustainable manufacturing method is a complex problem. Dr. Tim Simpson and Stephanie Hendrixson discuss current research and future opportunities on AM Radio.
Read MoreHexagon Invests in Divergent’s Autonomous, Sustainable Manufacturing
The Divergent Adaptive Production System (DAPS) is a fully integrated software and hardware solution, creating a complete modular digital factory that combines AI-optimized generative design software, additive manufacturing and automated assembly to build lightweight automotive parts and frames.
Read More3D Printed Cutting Tool for Large Transmission Part: The Cool Parts Show Bonus
A boring tool that was once 30 kg challenged the performance of the machining center using it. The replacement tool is 11.5 kg, and more efficient as well, thanks to generative design.
Read MoreHexagon, Stratasys Unlock 3D Printed PEKK’s Lightweighting for Aerospace
The companies say the rigorously validated multiscale models of these high-performance, aerospace-approved materials have been added to Hexagon’s Digimat materials exchange ecosystem with associated print process parameters from Stratasys’ aerospace-ready 3D printers.
Read MoreGA-ASI Integrates Digital Manufacturing Process for Unmanned Aircraft Systems
GA-ASI is working to apply Divergent’s data-driven approach to design, fabricate and assemble vehicle structures for manufacturing its line of unmanned aircraft systems.
Read MoreSpherene Creates Metamaterial with Geometry Derived from Spheres
An algorithm developed by Spherene Inc. generates Adaptive Density Minimal Surfaces (ADMS) as a self-supporting infill strategy that can be used to reduce mass and manage material properties in 3D printed parts.
Stephanie Hendrixson
Executive Editor, Additive Manufacturing
Reusable LOX/Kerosene Engine Completes First Successful Full-System Test Flight
Galactic Energy Space Technology announced the first successful full-system test flight of its Welkin 50-ton reusable LOX/kerosene engine. To date, this is the highest thrust LOX/kerosene engine in the Chinese commercial aerospace playing field which has officially entered the engineering and manufacturing phase.
Read MoreGE Additive Helps Build Large Metal 3D Printed Aerospace Part
The research is part of an initiative to develop more fuel-efficient air transport technologies as well as a strong, globally competitive aeronautical industry supply chain in Europe.
Read More3D Printed Brake Panel for the Rail Industry: The Cool Parts Show #52
In this episode of The Cool Parts Show, laser powder bed fusion simplifies the manufacturing of air brake panels for light rail systems made by Wabtec.
Read MoreHow Additive Manufacturing Is Transforming EVs and Transportation: AM Radio #23
As 3D printing is adopted into the electric vehicle (EV) market, it is not just vehicles that are being reshaped. In this episode of the AM Radio podcast, we discuss additive manufacturing and the future of transportation.
Read MoreHow 3D Printing Will Change Composites Manufacturing
A Q&A with the editor-in-chief of CompositesWorld explores tooling, continuous fiber, hybrid processes, and the opportunities for smaller and more intricate composite parts.
Read More3D Printed Metal Component for CNC Machining Center: The Cool Parts Show #47
Machine tool maker DMG MORI improved this coolant delivery adapter by making the part through additive manufacturing instead of machining. One of the viewer-chosen winners of The Cool Parts Showcase.
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