Articles

The Cool Parts Show Season 3 Premieres August 12, 2020

The third season of our video series highlighting cool, unique and weird 3D printed parts launches next week. Subscribe and stay tuned. 

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Postprocessing

A New Partnership Offers Large-Scale 3D Printing and Five-Axis Machining

The side-by-side product offering from Cincinnati Inc. and Multiax America aims to provide high-throughput AM production for large parts under one roof.

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Energy & Power

Topology Optimization Delivers Nonintuitive Design Features for Legacy Part (Includes Video)

Refurbishing a legacy turbine engine for energy efficiency provided the opportunity to demonstrate topology optimization in concert with metal 3D printing. The design for this torque arm comes from computer simulation insight refined with a human touch.

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Production

Retraction Footwear Is the Sustainable Manufacturing Business of the Future

Retraction Footwear offers a new way of buying flip-flops that are made to suit each customer. But the company also represents a new way of thinking about production, in a circular economy loop that encompasses material, design, manufacturing, product and end-of-life.

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Software

Casting Goes Digital with Sand 3D Printing, Nondestructive Testing

Tooling & Equipment International (TEI) used to make tooling for castings. Now, it casts prototype parts in a digital workflow using 3D printed sand molds in combination with simulation software, CT scanning and X-ray technology.

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Materials

3D Printing Helps Close the Loop for Armor’s Circular Economy

Manufacturing 3D printing filament was first a way for Armor to recycle its own reclaimed plastic waste. But now, this business unit is helping to close the loop on sustainability for plastic 3D printed products.

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LFAM

Parametric Design and 3D Printing Deliver Custom, Sustainably Manufactured Furniture

Model No. operates at the intersection of technology and design. Its custom furniture is made on demand through a combination of proprietary large-format 3D printers, sustainable materials and a sleek online storefront.

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6 Reasons to Use Plastic 3D Printing

Smaller batches and shorter lead times are just two of the benefits of 3D printing parts in plastic. Here are six reasons to choose polymer additive manufacturing (with examples).

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Sustainability

The Challenge of Reclaiming Carbon Fiber for 3D Printing

Carbon fiber composite materials weigh significantly less than steel while offering comparable strength and performance. But recovering and recycling continuous fiber for additive manufacturing applications — without any effect on the mechanical properties — has proven extremely difficult. Here is how Oak Ridge National Laboratory is working to solve the challenge.

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Sustainability

Sustainability’s Moment Is Additive Manufacturing’s Moment

The disruption needed by additive manufacturing closely mirrors that required to implement the circular economy. Both can be pursued simultaneously — and the right time is now.

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Additive Manufacturing Will Aid And Accelerate The Circular Economy

A circular economy links material, design, manufacturing, product and end-of-life in a continuous, sustainable loop. This special report illustrates the roles for 3D printing every step of the way.

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Automation

How MSP and Renishaw Cut 3T-am's Part Setup Time and Improved Productivity

MSP recently worked with Renishaw PLC to automate part setup and improve productivity for additive manufacturing firm 3T-am, helping to cut part setup time from 5 hours to 10 minutes.    

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