In today’s edition of 3D Printing News Briefs, Sketchfab has reached an important milestone, and Johnson & Johnson is opening a new technology innovation center in Texas. LPW has formed a strategic partnership with APWorks, while Nexeo Solutions expands its partnership with NatureWorks and Vader Systems announces the first commercial sale of its Mk1 3D printer. Finally, Simufact is releasing the latest version of its metal AM software, while MachineWorks is demonstrating its latest Polygonica software at formnext in Frankfurt next week. Several other companies we’re telling you about in News Briefs today will also be at formnext – there have already been lots of exciting announcements ahead of the event, with many more to come.
Sketchfab Reaches 2 Million Models
3D model website Sketchfab has some exciting news – in 2016 it announced that it had reached one million models after four years, and now Sketchfab has doubled that number in just a year with a total of over two million models. In that time period, Sketchfab has been working hard to make the platform the best it can be, supporting the latest VR hardware and browsers, improving its real-time renderer, making every model accessible through augmented reality, and even adding a fourth dimension – sound – by making the first ever WebVR animated short, “Lily & Snout.”
As Artist Evangelist & Community outreach employee for Sketchfab Paul Chambers wrote, “But we couldn't have done any of this without your tremendous work. Every day we see incredible contributions from archaeology to engineering, from animation to digital sculpting. Seeing your amazing work every day drives us forward.”
Johnson & Johnson Opens Center for Device Innovation
This week, Johnson & Johnson Medical Devices Companies (JJMDC) opened the Center for Device Innovation at the Texas Medical Center (CDI @ TMC), which is a collaboration between TMC and Johnson & Johnson Innovation to accelerate the development of cutting-edge medical device technologies. The 26,000-square-foot facility, designed to be an impetus for creativity, is inside the TMC Innovation Institute, and will allow JJMDC R&D staff to complete each stage of product development for internal projects without having to leave TMC. It offers rapid prototyping capabilities, and all sorts of engineering tools, such as a 3D printing lab, a machine shop, a mechanical testing lab, a virtual reality demonstration area, and an electronics workspace and component lab.
“CDI @ TMC represents unprecedented collaboration between the scientists, business leaders, academicians and investors required to bring revolutionary medical devices from concept to market. With all these resources in one zip code, medical devices may be developed, tested, moved to clinical trials and regulatory approval, then provided to the doctors and patients around the world who need them faster than ever before,” said Sandi Peterson, Group Worldwide Chair of Johnson & Johnson.
LPW Technology Forms Strategic Partnership with APWorks
Metal powder manufacturer LPW Technology has formed a strategic partnership with AIRBUS APWorks GmbH in order to supply APWorks’ Scalmalloy aluminium-magnesium-scandium alloy to the additive manufacturing sector. This will allow LPW to build on its experience in the aerospace sector and strengthen its metal powder portfolio with Scalmalloy, which is developed specifically for AM. It has high fatigue properties, strength, ductility, and weldability, along with a unique microstructure that stays stable at high temperatures – perfect for aerospace applications.
“As the market leader in the development, processing and supply of high quality metal powders and software solutions for the AM industry, we are continually expanding our materials range to enable new applications and productionisation of the technology. Expanding our metal powder range to include Scalmalloy ®, with its high strength, lightweight characteristics, enables manufacturers to access the technological and commercial benefits this proven metal AM alloy has to offer,” said Ben Ferrar, LPW's Chief Operating Officer.
You can visit both companies at formnext – LPW can be found at booth D48 in Hall 3.1, while APWorks will be at booth E69 in Hall 3.1.
Nexo Solutions and NatureWorks Expanding Partnership
Leading global chemicals and plastics distributor Nexeo Solutions announced that it will be expanding its partnership