We’re starting off today’s 3D Printing News Briefs with some business stories, then moving on to some new products. Luxexcel has received an equity investment from a venture capital fund, while 3D Printing Studios is partnering with SAP Distributed Manufacturing and CRP Technology signs a new dealer agreement. The Ultimate 3D Printing Store is introducing a new custom enclosure, and Xometry has announced a new SOLIDWORKS add-in. Finally, Sculpteo is changing up its default nylon offering.
Luxexcel Receives Equity Investment
In May, Belgium-based Luxexcel received a $10 million equity investment as it got ready to begin shipping its 3D printing vision platform to ophthalmic labs around the world. Now, the company announced that it has received an additional €4 million in equity financing from Netherlands-based venture capital fund Innovation Industries. This latest investment will allow the company to rapidly expand the functionality of its platform for prescription lenses in Augmented Reality/Virtual Reality (AR/VR) applications, including smart glasses, cameras integrated in eyewear, and drone control consoles.
“AR/VR applications have become a hot topic in the industry. We add the ability to 3D-print ophthalmic-quality prescription lenses to these applications,” said Hans Streng, CEO of Luxexcel. “This enables the AR/VR headset manufacturers to offer fully personalized smart eyewear in an attractive frame design. The ability of our platform to 3D-print ophthalmic lenses in any shape or form and the possibility to embed new functionalities in the lens triggers entirely new dimensions in terms of user-experience and business opportunity.”
The first Luxexcel platforms, which consist of an industrial-grade optical 3D printer, lens design software, ophthalmic quality print materials, and workflow integration tools, will be installed in Europe and the US. By using the platform, AR/VR headset manufacturers have access to lens customization.
3D Printing Studios and SAP Distributed Manufacturing Announce Partnership
This week, the 3D Printing Studios service bureau, which operates out of Asia and Australia, announced a new partnership with SAP Distributed Manufacturing, a leader in the enterprise application software market. SAP will work with 3D Printing Studios to provide companies in the Asia Pacific Japan (APJ) region with access to services and the latest industrial 3D printing technology. Now that 3D Printing Studios is part of the SAP ecosystem, it plans to expand its B2B 3D printing services and use collaborative applications so it will be better able to serve regional companies looking to adopt a digital manufacturing approach.
“Having been in the 3D printing industry for almost a decade and being the early pioneer in this region, we have grown with our customers and have seen an increase in demand from companies adopting 3D printing for ‘Industrial Grade’ printed parts meant for functional applications,” said Jason Joo, Managing Director for Asia and Co-Founder of 3D Printing Studios. “This moves the use of this disruptive technology beyond just for prototyping.”
“Asia is the fastest growing market region with many emerging economy currently booming and growing at a very healthy state, the adoption of 3D printed products being use is a very encouraging indicator and we want to be in the lead position to capture a significant market share from the manufacturing space.”
CRP Technology Increases European Presence with New Dealer Agreement
CRP Technology, part of the CRP Group, has signed a dealer agreement with LSS Laser-Sinter-Service GmbH – LSS will sell CRP’s carbon fiber-reinforced composite SLS materials, Windform XT 2.0 and Windform SP, in the Austrian and German markets, as well as provide technical support from set-up to material processing. These high-performance materials are based in polyamide – Windform XT 2.0 is known for its mechanical properties, and is perfect for functional applications and creating durable prototypes in applications like aerospace and motorsports. Windform SP has mechanical properties similar to that of Windform XT 2.0, but with increased resistance to deformation, shock, and vibrations; it’s also waterproof and resistant to moisture and liquid absorption.
“We are pleased to launch this new dealer alliance – LSS is our support and service provider for AM. We have known each other for a very long time now,” said Franco Cevolini, CEO and Technical Director at CRP Technology. “Together with LSS we've developed customer-specific solutions and hardware and software upgrades for our 3D Printing Department. Now with LSS we decided to improve our collaboration. This agreement will further strengthen our business relationship and it will act as an important step in introducing Windform materials to new customers throughout Germany and Austria.”
Ultimate 3D Printing S