INDUSTRIAL

Maritime economics depends on keeping ships at sea. Delaying a ship, its crew, and its cargo while waiting for a replacement part can cost a shipping company millions. That is why the industry has taken a keen interest in additive manufacturing’s potential to print parts on demand. To help make this happen, the American Bureau of Shipping (ABS) released its Guide for Additive Manufacturing, a certification process for the process of design and manufacturing of metal parts. Parts availability is a constant issue for shipowners. Nearly two-thirds of US-flagged ships are more than 25 years old which impacts the state…

To expand the additive manufacturing workforce, the European technical testing company TÜV SÜD announced a new series of additive manufacturing training courses. The skilled professionals working in all levels of manufacturing have had little exposure to the unique capabilities — and limitations — of 3D printers. TÜV SÜD’s courses, offered virtually due to the ongoing pandemic, addresses this skills gap. “As industrialisation advances in additive manufacturing, the need for specialist expertise is becoming increasingly urgent”, said Gregor Reischle, TÜV SÜD’s additive manufacturing chief. The eight courses TÜV SÜD offers include: Fundamentals of Additive ManufacturingQuality and Production Management in Additive ManufacturingSpecification…

Metal 3D printing moved additive manufacturing out of the prototype lab and put it front and center on the factory floor. Three recent announcements highlight how the industry is finding even better ways to print high-strength and temperature-resistant aluminum objects. How Metals Are 3D Printed The technologies these companies work with are different from the filament-based fused deposition modeling (FDM) printers most people are familiar with: powder bed fusion and binder jet printing. Powder bed fusion printing works by depositing a layer of fine, metallic powder and then melting the particles together with a laser. Some printers use selective laser…

Although architects and housing developers are 3D printing entire houses, their approaches cannot handle the requirements of large concrete structures. But 3D printing still has a role to play in architectural innovation by improving the use of formwork, the molds that hold concrete while it cures to form walls and other structural and aesthetic elements. You most often see formwork composed of parallel plywood panels. Construction workers install reinforcing bars between the panels and pour in the concrete. Once the concrete cures, the formwork panels are removed. Formwork must support heavy loads and retain its dimensions while the concrete cures.…

Amid the orchards of Massa Lombarda, Italian innovators remixed ancient building materials with modern architectural 3D printing to create a prototype home for a greener future. Using locally-sourced clay and biomaterials, building the TECLA habitat takes a fraction of the time and generates dramatically fewer carbon emissions than traditional new house construction. But this is not a 3D-printed version of your standard tract home. The TECLA habitat has a curved, organic structure that only a 3D printer can produce Printing Homes Like a Wasp WASP is an Italian startup dedicated to building what it calls “zero-mile” homes. By using locally-sourced…

Sawdust is an unavoidable part of woodworking. Lathes, saws, and other subtractive processes generate piles of the stuff. As annoying as it is in your garage, though, sawdust at a manufacturing plant is industrial waste. But now Forust, a subsidiary of 3D printer manufacturer Desktop Metal, has figured out how to turn sawdust into solid wood objects. The high-volume process will let manufacturers mass-produce furniture, household goods, and luxury architectural accents from what was once industrial waste. Binder Jetting “Real” Wood This new wood-printing process is based on Desktop Metal’s binder jetting 3D printers. These industrial printers are designed around…