Stratasys and HP co-developed the exclusive 3D printer systems, which are being manufactured by Stratasys as part of a global manufacturing agreement with HP (NYSE: HPQ), as announced in January.

HP launched its Designjet 3D products in [...]]]> Additive fabrication system maker, Stratasys, Inc., (NASDAQ: SSYS), today announced it has delivered its first shipments of HP-branded 3D printers.

Stratasys and HP co-developed the exclusive 3D printer systems, which are being manufactured by Stratasys as part of a global manufacturing agreement with HP (NYSE: HPQ), as announced in January.

HP launched its Designjet 3D products in Europe today, making it the only major manufacturer of 2D (or paper) printers in the 3D printer market. The products will be available this May in five European markets: France, Germany, Italy, Spain and the UK.

Technology & Use

Product designers, engineers, and architects who design with CAD (computer aided design) use 3D printers as peripheral devices to “print” or produce a tangible 3D model from plastic or other material to verify the form, fit, and function of designs prior to committing them to production or construction. Designers often seek 3D printers that model with production-grade thermoplastic when they want to best-predict performance of their plastic end-product.

Stratasys manufactures 3D printers under the Dimension brand, and it makes 3D systems under the Fortus brand. Both product lines, as well as the HP-branded 3D printers employ Fused Deposition Modeling (FDM) technology, which creates three-dimensional plastic models directly from a CAD file. The patented process creates parts by extruding semi-molten plastic in thin layers to “grow” the part, layer by layer. The process of producing a part layer-by-layer is known generically as “additive fabrication” or “additive manufacturing.”

Pioneer & Leader

The term “3D printer” was coined by Stratasys when it introduced its first compact system co-developed with IBM in the mid 1990s. 3D printer is now widely used to describe a segment of additive fabrication machines that generally connotes a compact, low-price unit that is quick and easy to operate. Stratasys was an early pioneer of the additive fabrication industry as well as its 3D printer segment. The company has a seven-year track record as the industry’s unit sales leader, and it has an industry market share of 43 percent, as well as a market share of more than 50 percent for the 3D printer segment. The company’s ongoing leadership demonstrates customers’ long-term satisfation with its products and FDM technology.

The technology to produce 3D models directly from a digital design has been commercial for more than 20 years, but recent advances in 3D printers have dramatically reduced their cost and improved ease-of-use and reliability. Stratasys introduced its Dimension 3D printer line in 2002, with the first printer priced under $30,000. Early last year, Dimension broke the $15,000 (USD) barrier with its office-friendly uPrint, which fits on a desktop.

HP’s Graphic Solutions Business – part of the company’s $24 billion Imaging and Printing Group – executed the distribution agreement with Stratasys. HP is a leading provider of Designjet and Scitex large-format printing solutions, Indigo digital solutions for commercial and industrial printing, inkjet high-speed production solutions and specialty printing systems.

Fortus is a trademark, and Dimension, Stratasys, uPrint, and FDM are registered trademarks of Stratasys, Inc. Designjet 3D and HP are trademarks of Hewlett-Packard.

Via: stratasys.com

3D printing technology, [...]]]> Three-dimensional printing may sound like stuff from a sci-fi movie, but so did airplanes and cars when they were first mentioned in history. Today, 3D printers are as widespread as those cars (with bicycle wheels) of old, but they are, in fact, real and are not mere specks from a Harry Potter world.

3D printing technology, in general, works like traditional printers. A typical 3D printer spits out thin lines of plastic or other material, one layer on top of another, and in the process, creating a physical, three-dimensional object.

Most of today’s 3D printers are found in commercial settings, which is quite logical. After all, they cost thousands of dollars. Not for long, though. As some major printer vendors are increasingly showing interest in the technology.

Hewlett-Packard, for one, is partnering with smaller company Stratasys to sell commercial 3D printers. Soon, other manufacturers are expected to follow suit.

Via: ph.news.yahoo.com

The MakerBot’s CupCake CNC is a 3D printer/fabricator that can make just about anything you want. As long as the object you desire can be made out of ABS plastic and stays in a size range of [...]]]> When WebProNews hit Vegas for the CES 2010 conference, we came across a number of new and interesting gadgets.

The MakerBot’s CupCake CNC is a 3D printer/fabricator that can make just about anything you want. As long as the object you desire can be made out of ABS plastic and stays in a size range of 4″x4″x6″.

Once the design is input using 3D modeling software or by visiting Thingiverse for a pre-made template, MakerBot turns the creation into reality. The machine begins ‘printing’ and soon after, a 3D model of the design requested materializes right before your eyes.

These 3D fabricators are priced between $750-$950 and have qualities that even attracted major companies like Google. The MakerBot representatives stated Google has invested in multiple CupCake CNCs.  For what?  We can only wonder….

Source:  webpronews.com

Regular 3D printers use plastic that is built up [...]]]> A company called Invetech has created what looks to be a human tissue printer that works in a similar way to how 3D printers work. The system is capable of building up human organs cell by cell to create scaffolds that liver cells could be placed on.

Regular 3D printers use plastic that is built up layer by layer over the course of the printing session to create unique 3D objects. The new system replaces this “3D ink” with living cells so that Dr’s can print human tissue on demand.

“Scientists and engineers can use the 3D bio printers to enable placing cells of almost any type into a desired pattern in 3D,” Murphy said. “Researchers can place liver cells on a preformed scaffold, support kidney cells with a co-printed scaffold, or form adjacent layers of epithelial and stromal soft tissue that grow into a mature tooth. Ultimately the idea would be for surgeons to have tissue on demand for various uses, and the best way to do that is get a number of bio-printers into the hands of researchers and give them the ability to make three dimensional tissues on demand.”

An interesting point to make here is that the model is a production model and already delivered to a company called Organovo who in turn will supply the machines to researchers investigating human tissue repair and organ replacement.

The 3D bio-printers include an intuitive software interface that allows engineers to build a model of the tissue construct before the printer commences the physical constructions of the organs cell-by-cell using automated, laser-calibrated print heads.

“Building human organs cell-by-cell was considered science fiction not that long ago,” said Fred Davis, president of Invetech, which has offices in San Diego and Melbourne. “Through this clever combination of technology and science we have helped Organovo develop an instrument that will improve people’s lives, making the regenerative medicine that Organovo provides accessible to people around the world.”

Via: livescience.com

Recently, more than 100 researchers from around the world have been working on a project called RepRap (Replicating Rapid-prototyper), which started in 2004. At the Cheltenham Science Festival in the UK, the [...]]]> As biologists are busy working on cloning living organisms, engineers are working on a mechanical counterpart – creating non-living things that can replicate themselves.

Recently, more than 100 researchers from around the world have been working on a project called RepRap (Replicating Rapid-prototyper), which started in 2004. At the Cheltenham Science Festival in the UK, the team displayed their creation: the world’s first 3D printer than can print pieces which can be assembled by hand to make an exact copy of the original printer.

The replica is no mule, either – it can also print another copy of itself.

So far, RepRap can only reproduce its plastic parts, and not its metal or electronics. It takes a human a few hours to assemble the copied pieces into another printer.

Nevertheless, RepRap is the first 3D printer that can reproduce its own components. And, with its pieces costing around $600, the printer is much less expensive than other 3D printers (which cost around $50,000). Besides replicating itself, it can also print plastic 3D objects including coat hooks, water-filter insects, children’s sandals, and much more.

The RepRap collaborators hope that the printer can be useful for reproducing plastic objects of just about any shape, especially for hobbyists and communities in the developing world.

People already “run their own CD burners, printing presses and photographic laboratories”, said Adrian Bowyer, the University of Bath mechanical engineer who launched the RepRap project. “There’s no reason they shouldn’t run their own factories as well.”

At RepRap.org , you can find more information, including instructions for building your own replicating RepRap printer.

Source: inventorspot.com

MINNEAPOLIS, Dec. 2, 2009 — At Autodesk University 2009, Stratasys (NASDAQ: SSYS) and Autodesk unveiled the world’s first full-scale turbo-prop aircraft engine model. It was produced using Stratasys FDM (Fused Deposition Modeling) technology.

The engine’s design was created using [...]]]> The propeller blade-span is over 10 feet in this project that demonstrates how far 3D modeling has advanced.

MINNEAPOLIS, Dec. 2, 2009 — At Autodesk University 2009, Stratasys (NASDAQ: SSYS) and Autodesk unveiled the world’s first full-scale turbo-prop aircraft engine model. It was produced using Stratasys FDM (Fused Deposition Modeling) technology.

The engine’s design was created using Autodesk Inventor 2010 mechanical design and engineering software, and it was produced on both Fortus 3D Production Systems and Dimension 3D Printers from Stratasys.

The engine model sets a new precedence in scale, and it showcases the potential of 3D printing.

“Our Inventor software with FDM technology takes design innovation to an entirely new level of sophistication,” says Autodesk’s Gonzalo Martinez, office of the CTO. “Today at Autodesk University we’ve shown that with FDM, you can create realistic 3D models of nearly any design. We believe that Stratasys FDM technology is the future of 3D printing and production.”

The engine’s gear box includes two sets of gears, which operate two sets of propellers that move in counter rotation to each other.

With an engine length of over 10 feet, a blade-span of 10.5 feet, and 188 components, the engine model is massive in size. It includes several large parts, such as six propeller blades, each measuring 4.5 feet.

Building this physical model with FDM helped improve its design by identifying four opportunities to make components fit or operate with better precision. Assembling a physical model helps design engineers be certain of component form, fit, and function.

The turbo-prop engine was designed by Nino Caldarola, a freelance designer for Autodesk.

He shared his concept with Autodesk who wanted to bring a full-scale model to life using Inventor software and FDM technology.

Caldarola’s design is a hybrid of newer engine and classic engine design and was partially inspired by the Piaggio Avanti II aircraft engine, the TP 500.

Caldarola worked with engineers at RedEye On Demand prototyping and production service, a business unit of Stratasys, to make adjustments that would ensure an accurate physical model.

Source: pddnet.com