SLM Solutions Set for an IPO?

Germany’s SLM Solutions has hired Deutsche Bank and Credit Suisse to prepare a potential initial public stock offering.

With the hype surrounding 3D printing higher than it’s ever been, SLM could potentially dive into a market with few publicly traded competitors and a glut of shareholders clamoring for entry into the lucrative additive manufacturing market.

Unlike 3D printing giants Stratasys and 3D Systems, SLM Solutions uses a selective laser melting technology to create objects from a metal powder. Because their technology relies on more durable materials, SLM looks to be a player in the automotive, aerospace and durable goods market.

Read more at ENGINEERING.com

by Site Admin via Fabbaloo

Win a Free 3D Printed Flexible Bag

Conventional bag-maker Kipling has done the unconventional: created a 3D printed bag - that you might get for free.

They’ve teamed up with Materialise, a large commercial 3D print service to develop a new 3D printed bag based on their “Monkey Madness” collection. The new design was printed with Materialise’s using two different processes: new flexible laser sintering material, TPU 92A-1 and an existing epoxy material using stereolithography.

How can you get one? It’s a contest, but unlike other contests that require you to do a lot of design work, this one simply asks that you enter your information. They’ll pick a (presumably small number of) winners to receive the free bag. Enter before April 3rd, when the contest closes.

Via Kipling and Materialise (PDF)

by Site Admin via Fabbaloo

Free Educator 3D Toolkit Coming Soon

Guest Posting by Matthew Straub, Communications Director of the City X Project.

After 16 design thinking workshops in three countries and 547 inventions by kids ages 8-12 – all of which were made in 3D modeling software – City X Project Director Libby Falck announced this week during a talk at SXSW edu that all of our work will be culminating in a free toolkit for educators, to be released on our website on April 8th.

The City X Project is a 3D Systems-sponsored and Common Core-aligned workshop that uses a story-based curriculum, 3D printing technologies, and the Stanford d.School Design Process to empower kids to become inventors and changemakers. Our free, downloadable toolkit will include everything a teacher or other educator needs to run the workshop in their own school, including designer workbooks for students, City X citizen cards, and documents with tips and tricks for 3D printing and 3D modeling with kids.

Thanks to the support of the Pearson Foundation, our workshop aligns with several Mathematics and English Language Arts Common Core Standards, and we’ll feature several add-on activities that will allow teachers to explore the world of design thinking and City X even deeper and across various subjects, such as science and social studies.

You can sign up to receive a one-time email the day the City X Project toolkit is released here.

by Roxanne via Cubify

Local Motors to Debut 3D Printed Car in September

Local Motors recently announced that it has agreed to produce a 3D printed vehicle for the Association For Manufacturing Technology (AMT), which will debut at the International Manufacturing Show (IMS) this coming September.

Local Motors, whose business model has focused on the development of small-run, customer driven, crowd-sourced automotive design, is quickly becoming a force in the world of additive manufacturing. In collaboration with the Manufacturing Demonstration Facility (MDF) at Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) Local Motors is employing both additive and subtractive manufacturing to develop vehicles designed specifically for a local environment.

Read More at ENGINEERING.com

by Site Admin via Fabbaloo

The MX3D: A Robotic 3D Printer

On the heels of its debut in May 2013, the MX3D-resin printer has already evolved from a machine only capable of building in plastic to one that can print in a variety of metals.

Designed by Institute for Advanced Architecture of Catalonia (IAAC) students Petr Novikov and Saša Jokić, the MX3D is a robotic arm actuated 3D printer capable of printing on any surface. Originally designed to produce parts using a fast curing resin, the original MX3D-Resin could print objects with any sweep and curve without the need of additional support structures.

Building on their original design, Petr and Saša have teamed up with the Netherlands’ Joris Laarman Studio to advance their design and create a 3D printer that can build objects using metals that range from steel to copper.

Read more at ENGINEERING.com

by Site Admin via Fabbaloo

NASA Research Aims to Print Wood in Space

In a completely new twist for the world of 3D printing, two researchers are working to create a new bioprinting methodology that would see clumps of cells spawn custom engineered, non-living biomaterials.

Funded in part by one of NASA’s $100,000 Innovative Advanced Concept grants, evolutionary biologist Lynn Rothschild and her PhD student Diana Gentry are looking to engineer cells that can be printed and then activated to create biological materials like bone, enamel and wood.

“Cells in nature are already highly specialized for making complex biological materials on a micro scale.” Reads a description of the project furnished by NASA. “We envision combining these strengths with the recently emergent technologies of synthetic biology and additive manufacturing to create 3D-structured arrays of cells that are bioengineered to secrete different materials in a specified three-dimensional pattern.”

Read more at ENGINEERING.com

by Site Admin via Fabbaloo

Mustang Fans, Eat Your Hearts Out

For half a century, Ford’s iconic Mustang has purred, roared and raced down roads and highways to park itself in hearts and minds as an American classic. The first Mustang came on the scene in 1964 as the Wimbledon White convertible in Dearborn, Michigan, and now Ford is giving its famous muscle car some added flavor. We’re not talking about new fenders or features, either; we’re talking about chocolate.

The Ford Motor Company is teaming up with 3D Systems to produce small chocolate versions of the 2015 Mustang, the first-ever edible 3D printed car. To print the Mustang, 3D Systems used an early prototype of its ChefJet 3D printer for edibles, debuted at CES 2014. Though the chocolate Mustangs are currently not available for purchase, stay tuned for future updates to find out how you can get your hands on the most tasteful ride of the year.

by Roxanne via Cubify