Mass Customization
8 Cool Parts From Formnext 2024: The Cool Parts Show #78
End-use parts found at Formnext this year address various aspects of additive's advance, notably AM winning on cost against established processes.
Peter Zelinski
Editor-in-Chief, Additive Manufacturing
Lessons in Personalized Production From the 3D Systems Surgical Guide Process
Tailor-made manufacturing is one of AM’s richest possibilities, but the success factors inevitably draw on more than AM.
Read MoreQ&A With Align EVP: Why the Invisalign Manufacturer Acquired Cubicure, and the Future of Personalized Orthodontics
Align Technology produces nearly 1 million unique aligner parts per day. Its acquisition of technology supplier Cubicure in January supports demand for 3D printed tooling and direct printed orthodontic devices at mass scale.
Read MoreOvercoming the Bottleneck to Customized Manufacturing: Quoting
Spokbee’s software-as-a-service platform is shaving months off of the quoting and pricing process for 3D printed and other types of configurable products.
Read More8 Ways the Plastics Industry Is Using 3D Printing
Plastics processors are finding applications for 3D printing around the plant and across the supply chain. Here are 8 examples.
Read More3D Systems, Klarity Partner to Expand Access to Patient-Matched Radiotherapy Innovations
Klarity has added 3D Systems’ VSP Bolus to its radiotherapy solutions, enabling radiotherapy clinics in the U.S. and Canada to embrace 3D printing technology without investing in costly, time-consuming software.
Read More8 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 More
Semiconductors, Tungsten, AM Affordability and More from Formnext 2024: AM Radio #56
The trade show included increased applications for the semiconductor market, machine launches and technology advances aimed at cost cutting, plenty of LFAM and more. Listen to our conversation on Formnext 2024.
Stephanie Hendrixson
Executive Editor, Additive Manufacturing
Researchers Develop Method for Creating Customized 3D Printed Metals With Contrasting Properties
Researchers were able to use 3D printing techniques and tweak printing parameters to produce a 3D printed metal with different microstructures that create stronger and weaker regions in the exact locations in the metal that they wanted.
Read MoreEOS Launches Digital Foam Architects Network
EOS created the collaborative additive manufacturing alliance to accelerate time-to-market for 3D printed foam applications.
Read MoreMaterialise Opens Medical 3D Printing Facility
At the new facility in Plymouth, Michigan, Materialise specializes in the 3D printing of personalized titanium cranio-maxillofacial (CMF) implants for more patient-specific care.
Read MoreLithoz, Himed Partner for Research on 3D-Printable Medical-Grade Bioceramics
This collaboration is designed to help grow the range of biocompatible materials suitable for a future that includes highly customized, patient-specific medical solutions that can be printed on demand.
Read More3D Printed Lattices Replace Foam for Customized Helmet Padding: The Cool Parts Show #62
“Digital materials” resulting from engineered flexible polymer structures made through additive manufacturing are tunable to the application and can be tailored to the head of the wearer.
Read MoreBauer Hockey Uses EOS 3D Printed Digital Foam for Customizing Helmets
The new in-store experience, combined with proprietary 3D printing technology, opens the door for personalized hockey products.
Read More
Bike Manufacturer Uses Additive Manufacturing to Create Lighter, More Complex, Customized Parts
Titanium bike frame manufacturer Hanglun Technology mixes precision casting with 3D printing to create bikes that offer increased speed and reduced turbulence during long-distance rides, offering a smoother, faster and more efficient cycling experience.
Angela Osborne
Managing Editor, Gardner Business Media
NMPA Certifies Farsoon 3D Printed Tantalum Interspinal Fusion Cage
The company says the additively manufactured implants can be fully customized according to patients’ conditions, and the trabecular microstructure can achieve a high porosity of 68-78% to promote bone tissue and vessel fusion.
Read MoreActivArmor Casts and Splints Are Shifting to Point-of-Care 3D Printing
ActivArmor offers individualized, 3D printed casts and splints for various diagnoses. The company is in the process of shifting to point-of-care printing and aims to promote positive healing outcomes and improved hygienics with customized support devices.
Read MoreWasp Polymer, Ceramic 3D Printers for Customized Serial Production
Formnext 2022: Italy-based Wasp offers 3D printing options for sustainable, customized serial production with polymers and ceramics.
Read MoreHasbro Uses Formlabs 3D Printing Technology to Create Custom Action Figures
Hasbro ushers in a new era of mass customization in consumer entertainment with its Selfie Series figures using 3D printing to manufacture personalized action figures at scale.
Read More3D Printed Putter Tailored to the Golfer: The Cool Parts Show #49
An engineering student in South Africa used metal and polymer 3D printing in tandem to create a putter customized to the individual golfer’s swing.
Read MoreRoss Develops Customized, Fully Enclosed Mixing/Melting System
The system features a specially designed elevator system which enables the mixers to be lowered to a maintenance position and raised to an operating height, thereby enabling gravity to feed from the melter into the holding tank.
Read More
Approaching Mass Customization at Scale
3D printing for mass customization has produced successes in dentistry, sporting goods and some consumer products. But advances in scanning, materials and printer technology are making custom goods more accessible at greater scale, as described in this contributed article.
Stephanie Hendrixson
Executive Editor, Additive Manufacturing
3D Printing for Electric Vehicles Presentation Series
Discovering Design Freedom and Mass Customization from the Electrification Revolution (Monday, June 6, 2022 at 2:00 PM ET)
Read MoreAdmatec’s Larger Integrated Binding/Sintering Furnace for Ceramic 3D Printing
Company scales up for more efficient mass customization and serial ceramics 3D printing production lines.
Read More3D Systems’ VSP Bolus Optimizes Radiotherapy Targeting
The system is designed to enable the creation of a more personalized bolus made from a soft material that contours to the patient’s anatomy, enabling a more efficacious treatment and a more comfortable experience.
Read MoreGE Aviation Singapore Approved for Metal Additive Engine Component Repairs
The company says metal 3D printing enables customization and complexity for repair parts, with repairs customized for each individual part because each part wears differently during service.
Read MoreSciaky Delivering World’s Largest Metal EB DED 3D Printer
Contract calls for a customized, high-deposition EBAM 300 Series additive manufacturing system to Turkish Aerospace Industries to 3D print titanium aerostructures 6 meters (nearly 20 feet) in length.
Read MoreArburg Freeformer Prints Implants Made from Medically Approved PEEK
Formnext 2021: Arburg’s Freeformer 300-3X processes medically approved PEEK for the first time, using Evonik’s original Vestakeep i2 G plastic to create customized skull implants, including support material.
Read More