We’re starting with a new 3D printer in today’s 3D Printing News Briefs, and then moving to fusion energy and a facility for catalyst shaping based on 3D printing. Then it’s on to a teenager who was arrested for 3D printing guns, and we’ll end with a heartwarming story about a huge 3D printed toys donation.
MAASS Released New Multimaterial SLA 3D Printer
A company called MAASS has announced the release of Shimmy, its new Multi-Material Stereolithography (MMSLA) 3D printer. Developed internally by boutique research and design lab Nectar Labs, MAASS will initially target the research and development market with the machine, but its technology platform is designed to scale for future commercial manufacturing applications. The Shimmy, with a 78 x 51 x 141 mm build volume, has a patented dual-vat system, which enables simultaneous 3D printing of two resins, and an integrated cleaning system prevents cross-contamination between the materials. The system has support for high-conductivity materials, so it can print fully functional electronic devices, and also supports dissolvable support materials for high-quality surface finish. Its resolution capabilities range from 0.5 to 50 microns, and the Shimmy’s unique capabilities make it a good choice for applications like 3D printed electronics with conductive traces, complex non-plan circuit designs, R&D for smart materials, and rapid prototyping of multi-functional devices.
“Huge strides have been made in resin printing, but absolutely nothing for printing with more than just one. The Shimmy MMSLA represents that shift by enabling unprecedented control over multiple materials at the microscale, opening new possibilities for integrated electronics, smart materials, and next-generation manufacturing processes,” said JF Brandon, CEO of MAASS.
LLNL Researchers 3D Printing Ignition Targets for Fusion Energy
This 3D printed target capsule was used in a NIF experiment.
In 2022 Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) achieved fusion ignition at the National Ignition Facility (NIF), which could pave the way for safe, limitless, and carbon-free fusion energy. Ignition targets are almost perfect spheres of hollow diamond encasing deuterium and tritium (DT) fusion fuel, suspended in a hohlraum (gold cylinder). The hydrogen isotopes fuse when exposed to intense laser energy, and can actually produce more energy than needed to start the reaction. A functioning inertial fusion energy (IFE) power plant would need almost one million of these targets a day, but NIF targets take months to make, so a new manufacturing approach that can work at scale is needed. A Laboratory Directed Research and Development (LDRD) team is constructing a workflow to design, fabricate, characterize, and field fully 3D printed fuel capsules for targets. They are also developing what they call a first of its kind dual-wavelength two-photon polymerization (DW-2PP) approach, which will help meet the engineering demands for ignition targets, enable multi-material printing, and enhance resolution. 3D printed targets have already been successfully used during NIF experiments this year, with more expected in 2025.
“We are focusing on a specific type of wetted-foam capsule, in which liquid DT can be wicked into a uniform foam layer on the inside of the spherical capsule by capillary action. The current DT ice layering process takes up to a week to complete with extreme meticulousness. It’s possible that 3D printing is the only tool for this kind of complex geometry at scale,” said Xiaoxing Xia, co-principal investigator and a staff scientist in the Lab’s Materials Engineering Division.
BASF Building More Capacity for X3D Technology in Germany
BASF’s innovative X3D® technology produces catalysts with optimal shapes to maximize performance and efficiency while minimizing energy consumption.
BASF recently announced that it will be investing in and building more production capacity for its X3D technology in Ludwigshafen, Germany. X3D is a versatile catalyst shaping technology based on 3D printing, and can be applied to a range of catalytic materials, including precious and non-precious metals, and carriers. X3D can produce catalysts with the optimal shapes to maximize efficiency and performance, while at the same time minimizing energy consumption. Catalysts made with X3D are mechanically robust, and have an open structure, which increases surface area and decreases pressure drop across reactors. These advancements mean improved catalyst performance, and help contribute to the user’s green transformation goals. Plus, catalysts can be customized according to customer requirements. BASF says the extra capacity is needed to meet an increased market demand for its X3D products, and the new plant, to be operational in 2026, will produce catalysts on an industrial scale.
“BASF has successfully operated commercial plants using X3D catalysts for several years, achieving remarkable results,” said Jens Perregaard, Vice President, custom catalysts & innovation at BASF. “This technology is poised to shape the future for both green and traditional value chains with unparalleled efficiency and improved speed-to-market.”
19-Year-Old Jailed for 3D Printed Semi-Automatic Gun
Roberts purchased nuts and bolts, steel barrels, and metal rods online and used a 3D printer to make the FGC-9 gun, an acronym for ‘F*** Gun Control’.
A 19-year-old from Pill, Newport, South Wales, has been jailed for using 3D printed parts to make a semi-automatic gun. Owain Roberts, who was part of an online gaming chat group called ‘Domestic Terrorism’ under the name Strelok (Russian for ‘gun slinger’) was just 17 when he bought steel barrels, nuts and bolts, and metal rods online and used a 3D printer to make the FGC-9 (F**k Gun Control-9) gun. When his bedroom was raided, authorities also found gas masks, body armor, knives, Nazi posters, and ingredients that could be used to make explosives, along with two laptops, the 3D printer, 3D printed metal barrels, and components of an FCG-9. When specially-trained firearms officers tested his gun, they found it to be a viable weapon. Prosecutor Rebecca Griffiths said Roberts sent racist and far-right political messages, while Peter Donnison, defending, said he was “a nerd with an interest in mechanical engineering” who was remorseful for his actions. Roberts admitted to manufacturing firearm parts, and will go to jail for nearly five years.
“Illegally-held firearms can lead to tragic consequences and devastate innocent people’s lives,” said PC Tom Meazey, the officer in the case, from Gwent Police’s East Serious Organised Crime team.
“To own a firearm, including a printable one, is illegal in the UK without a valid firearms certificate.
“Roberts did not have one and his reckless and thoughtless actions in buying items capable of manufacturing a firearm have the potential to put people at the direct risk of harm.
“Fortunately, investigations of this type are rare – the first of its kind for our service – and we’re grateful to the support of the National Crime Agency (NCA) during this complex enquiry.”
Iowa Man Makes and Donates Over 1,000 3D Printed Toys
On a happier note, Ryan Shultz of Eastern Iowa has been a 3D printing hobbyist for just two years, and a foster parent for ten. This Christmas, he was looking for a way to give back to those less fortunate, and found it through Ohio-based IC3D. The organization has been working nationwide since 2018 to provide 3D printed toys as donations to the Toys for Tots organization. Shultz began his holiday endeavor last year at a 3D printing hub as one of IC3D’s volunteer 3D Printing Elves, but wanted to take things to the next level. This year, he became a hub manager, and started 3D printing toys back in September. Altogether, Shultz 3D printed over one thousand toys to donate to the Linn County Toys for Tots. He says his years as a foster parent have shown him how the little things you do for each kid “could mean a worldly difference to somebody.”
“The imagination that a toy you know can bring to the child is great. We love that,” said Michele Matt, Linn County Coordinator for Toys for Tots. “We love toys that you know can capture that and just give a little joy to any of the families that get a chance to get that.”
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