One winner for each category was chosen by popular vote and announced live at Formnext Forum Austin. Each winning part will appear in an episode of The Cool Parts Show.
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2023 Best Bespoke Solution Finalists
This category showcases one-off items that were created to solve a specific problem.
Developed by Advanced Engineering Solutions in the framework of a strategic partnership between PTC and Levin Center for 3D Printing and Surgical Innovation at The Tel Aviv Sourasky Medical Center (Ichilov Hospital), Israel. This femur implant is a bespoke solution for a patient with bone cancer requiring clinical intervention. The lattice design promotes osseointegration and is driven by the structural simulation to preserve the structural integrity of the patient’s weight and avoid stiffness discontinuities. The part integrates anti-torsional brackets and accommodates the FDA-approved cephalomedullary nailing system. The implant was designed under the leadership of Dr. Solomon Dadia (Ichilov Hospital) and Dr. Andreas Vlahinos (AES), using PTC Creo Additive Manufacturing solutions. It is in the design refinement stage and will be printed from titanium alloy using laser powder bed fusion with an EOS M290.
Created by Advanced 3D, this 3D printed TPU inner liner is a customized component that sits between a prosthetic and the wearer’s skin for comfort and support. The liner was designed based on the scan of an active transtibial amputee and provides excellent cushioning and shock absorption for a lower limb prosthetic. It was 3D printed using Multi Jet Fusion. The runner was able to increase his training miles without discomfort, and even completed a marathon using this device.
This gasket was made for a Clydesdale named Freda suffering from a canker in a front foot. The owner had spent over £4K on vets bills and was told nothing could be done to save her. 3D-Squared created a CAD design from a tracing of Freda’s hoof and printed the gasket from TPU on a modified Fyfine FFF machine. The design incorporates lattices to impart different hardnesses in certain areas, similar to a 3D printed shoe midsole. It seals the medicine in place to give it time to take effect. The treatment with the gasket was successful, saving the horse’s life.
This bespoke heat exchanger is used in testing the pre-burners for Launcher’s E-2 rocket engines. The monolithic part captures heat that is produced in the liquid oxygen preburner stage to preheat the fuel for the main combustion chamber to maximize performance. It was 3D printed by Knust Godwin on the Velo3D Sapphire, using GRCop-42, a high-strength alloy designed by NASA. The heat exchanger has been hot fired with excellent results, allowing Launcher to move forward with its designs.
These bespoke feet support an industrial machine for a Ricoh global solution. Each machine requires 12 feet, and each optimized foot supports a load of 60 kg (though with a safety factor of 2, they can each withstand a 120 kg load). The PA12 parts (printed with Multi Jet Fusion) were originally meant to be produced from steel through a conventional process. Using polymer 3D printing reduced weight, lead time and shipping cost. A batch of 48 feet is already in use at a customer site.
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2023 Best Production Part Finalists
This category showcases items that are currently for sale or in use and being manufactured through 3D printing.
This variable resistance trim (VRT) stack sits inside a valve body where an actuated plug travels up and down to control the amount of flow through the stack. These valve trim components were conventionally manufactured as a stack of plates with drilled holes that had to be brazed together and machined. Converting the portfolio of VRT stacks to 3D printed 718 alloy (printed with laser powder bed fusion) has enabled Baker Hughes to reduce lead time, manufacture complex internal geometries and consolidate parts for supply chain simplicity. More than 60 VRTs have been delivered in 21 unique designs.
This hanger is used to attach a mixing nozzle to an epoxy tube, and represents an order quantity of 1 million parts currently in production at Merit3D. The part produced for Adhesives Technologies was redesigned to be 3D printed directly on the plate of a Photocentric Liquid Crystal Magna without using supports and while reducing the amount of resin needed. The hangers are made from BASF 1006 resin and are currently being printed in batches of 400 parts, at a rate of 24,000 pieces per day.
LACE by Jenny Wu and 3DEO have partnered to launch this fully 3D printed metal chain link bracelet called “Link.” The bracelet links connect to each other without any additional hardware, hinges or pin connectors; each link is an independent piece allowing for adjustability in sizing as well as finishes. The links are 3D printed from 17-4 stainless steel with 3DEO’s proprietary Intelligent Layering technology. The additive process was used for first articles through to scaled production; the bracelets have been available for sale since February 2023.
These personalized bicycle helmets are customized using KAV’s internal software by analyzing specific anatomical points on each rider’s head and creating a precise 3D model during the custom-fit process. The Kaze helmets are 3D printed with FFF machines at KAV’s factory in California using custom polycarbonate alloy material developed by the additive manufacturing group at Jabil. The helmets incorporate a hex honeycomb structure for superior crumple zones and have passed validation testing for certification from the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), enabling a safe helmet that also looks cool. The helmets have been on the market since May 2022 and are made-to-order as needed.
These footrests are replacement parts for Alstom high-speed rail cars. Public transportation is an incredibly harsh environment for plastic parts in passenger cabins, and aging trains can have many broken parts. Nexa3D has manufactured more than 100 replacement footrests that are in use today, hidden in plain sight. The resin 3D printing method allows for strong, customer-facing parts with low volume and low-cost production. The parts are printed on the Nexa3D NXE 400Pro with Henkel Loctite xABS3843 resin, and cost 75% less than injection molded parts.
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2023 Best Proof of Concept Finalists
This category showcases promising 3D printing applications that have not yet been commercialized.
This turbojet engine jointly developed by Technion – Israel Institute of Technology and PTC, in collaboration with von Karman Institute for Fluid Dynamics and Izmir Katip Celebi University, was produced in a single uninterrupted print. The gas turbine includes only two major parts: a static casing with an embedded combustion chamber and a rotating shell structure. Printing the engine as one helps to reduce manufacturing complexity and supply chain dependency, plus minimize the cost of production. Concept demonstrators were 3D printed using EOS M290/M300 printers from Inconel 718.
This hydraulic manifold controls critical functions for a pressurized rescue module used by the U.S. Navy’s submarine escape and rescue programs. The jettison-hatch control manifold is being developed at Penn State University with collaboration between CIMP-3D and the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard (PSNY), based on foundational work from MRL Materials Resources LLC. The manifold replaces a legacy part machined from solid aluminum, but was redesigned to minimize build time, material consumption, residual stress and distortion. The design makes use of thin walls and a TPMS gyroid defined in nTop. It was printed from 17-4PH stainless steel on an EOS M280, and could move into production in 2024.
The body of this quadcopter was 3D printed all in one piece from PLA using an industrial robotic arm equipped with a FFF deposition tool. The main chassis (white) was printed in the Z+ direction followed by the drone arms (black) in an off-axis configuration; finally, conformal multi-axis depositions (red) were selectively applied to regions expecting high stress. The quadcopter was developed at Virginia Tech using tools including Fusion 360 generative design, SuperSlic3r and nTopology. The quadcopter can carry a 1-kg payload for 16.5 minutes, and demonstrates 3D printing’s ability to quickly manufacture custom drones.
Created by Cognitive Design Systems, the CO/SONUS speaker was designed using field algorithms to mechanically absorb and diffract the sound wave of multiple frequencies at its back, providing an exquisite sound experience. The speaker was designed using the company’s own software specialized in generative design and manufacturing optimization, resulting in a product that would not be possible to manufacture without additive. The company partnered with Stratasys to have the speaker printed in one piece using SAF technology on an H350 machine. The speaker was used during Formnext 2022.
Automated security company Asylon uses robot dogs manufactured by Boston Dynamics for remote surveillance, regardless of weather conditions. To prevent the robots from slipping or falling on ice (potentially causing extensive damage), the company turned to Dive Design for 3D printed “snow shoes” that could be added to the robots. Dive partnered with Xtellar and used the latter’s FL900PP-CF carbon fiber-reinforced polypropylene to print the shoe bodies, then heat-pressed metal studs throughout the tread pattern — a low-tech solution to a high-tech and potentially expensive problem. The shoes are currently in testing and iteration.
