We’re starting things off with business in today’s 3D Printing News Briefs, as Axtra3D named Maquinser a professional reseller. A tabletop concrete 3D printer has been developed for materials research, and then we’ll move on to materials news from BIO INX and Readily3D, and LEHVOSS and L. Grigoletto. We’ll finish with a story about a college student going to prison for 3D printing guns. Read on for all the details!
Axtra3D Expands into Iberian Market with New Reseller Maquinser
Global company Axtra3D, based in the U.S. and Italy, specializes in Hi-Speed SLA systems, which are now expanding into the Iberian market thanks to a strategic partnership with Maquinser S.A. The Iberian Peninsula features a wide array of aerospace, automotive, energy, and mold-making industries, which makes the region a good fit for Axtra3D’s production solutions. As a Professional Reseller for Axtra3D, Maquinser will help bring the technology to customers in Spain and Portugal. Axtra3D’s flagship Lumia X1 Hi-Speed SLA system combines rapid layer separation technology TruLayer with its Hybrid PhotoSynthesis resin polymerization process, which uses a laser and DLP to image simultaneously. Maquinser has a strong network of service and sales centers, including dedicated AM divisions, and plenty of expertise in distributing high-tech equipment across Spain and Portugal, so is set up perfectly to offer support and consultation for Axtra3D’s advanced AM solutions. The company is also showcasing Axtra3D’s technologies at several trade shows in Spain.
“We chose to partner with Axtra3D because their Hi-Speed SLA technology strikes the perfect balance between surface quality, dimensional precision, and material flexibility – all essential for meeting the demands of our industrial clients,” explained Christian Postigo, CEO of Maquinser. “This collaboration fits our mission to offer cutting-edge solutions that create real value for advanced manufacturing across Iberia.”
Affordable Tabletop R&D Concrete 3D Printer for Materials Research
The tabletop concrete 3D printer is designed particularly for educational environments/Source: Deltasys E-Forming
Concrete 3D printing is not always readily accessible to academic institutions, due to high cost and a lack of infrastructure and space, as most systems are quite large. To address these barriers, Deltasys E-Forming has launched an affordable tabletop concrete 3D printer to help research laboratories and educational institutions with material research. With a build volume of 600 x 600 x 600 mm, the compact system should fit within standard laboratory spaces, and its cost-effective approach means accessibility for even tier-2 and tier-3 colleges. It features an integrated material mixer and extrusion head with loading capacity for 6-7 kg of material, and works with a variety of materials, including concrete, mortar, clay, or ceramic paste and materials with aggregates up to 2 mm in size. The printer also has a precise dosing system for experimenting with various concrete formulations, which supports research in areas like strength testing and concrete rheology. It supports direct import of CAD models and comes with a one-year warranty, two days of onsite training, complete operation and working manuals, and pre-delivery material testing. All told, it seems like a pretty valuable system for research institutes looking to expand their additive construction knowledge.
Virendra Kadam, CEO and Founder of Deltasys E-Forming, said, “Our aim was simple—build a lab-friendly Concrete 3D Printer that empowers students and researchers to experiment, innovate, and contribute to the future of sustainable construction.”
BIO INX & Readily3D Launch Polyester-Based Resin for Volumetric Bioprinting
3D printed stent model using the READYPCL INX material, demonstrating the attainable resolutions on the Readily3D Tomolite v2.0
3D bioprinting materials company BIO INX and Readily3D, which develops and manufactures hardware and software for volumetric 3D printing, have jointly launched READYPCL INX, which they say is the world’s first commercially available polyester-based resin for volumetric bioprinting. The material, which was officially unveiled to the medical and scientific communities at the recent TERMIS-EU conference, makes it possible to rapidly create intricate 3D structures with resolutions as fine as 100 µm on Readily3D’s Tomolite volumetric bioprinter. READYPCL INX is fully biodegradable and conforms to ISO 10993-5 standards of biocompatibility, making it a good choice for biomedical applications like tissue engineering, regenerative medicine, and clinical research. Volumetric bioprinting offers a non-layered approach to fabrication of complex, load-bearing, and tissue-compatible constructs, and until now, most materials used with this technology were gelatin-based. But options like polyester could make stiffer, stronger applications, like cartilage and bone tissue engineering, a reality.
“Volumetric bioprinting is one of the most promising breakthroughs in 3D bioprinting—and even in 3D printing at large. Its non-layered approach, combined with exceptional speed and reproducibility, brings us closer to operating-room bioprinting,” explained Jasper Van Hoorick, CEO of BIO INX. “The idea of printing replacement tissues like cartilage or bone directly during surgery is becoming increasingly feasible thanks to materials like READYPCL INX.”
First Coating Service Uses LEHVOSS Group’s PFAS-Free Coating
Hannes Emmich and Dr. Marcus Rechberger at the production site of L. Grigoletto GmbH. ©LEHVOSS
Perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances, or PFAS, are often referred to as “forever chemicals,” because they don’t break down easily and have been accumulating in the environment for years. These materials have been linked to a number of health issues like cancer and thyroid disease. But there are companies and researchers working to combat PFAS. The LEHVOSS Group has been manufacturing and distributing LUVOCOM P80-7874-B, a thermoplastic tribo- material for electrostatic powder coating, for 15 years, and its base polymer is an abrasion-resistant polyoxymethylene (POM). A polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) modification gives the coating good sliding properties, but PTFE is technically a type of PFAS chemical. LEHVOSS has developed a PFAS-free, anti-friction version of this coating material, and said in a press release that its tribological data includes “COF 0.39, specific wear 0.7 mm³/Nm at 3 m/s and 2 MPa load against 100 CR6 steel in a block on ring test setup.” German L. Grigoletto GmbH—a coating service provider, automotive supplier, and experienced LUVOCOM P processor—is the first to use this PFAS-free material.
“Although it is still unclear whether the impending PFAS ban really includes the fluoropolymer PTFE, our customers are asking for alternatives,” said Hannes Emmich, Managing Director of L. Grigoletto GmbH. “I see the opportunity to get into new series by switching customers from pure PTFE coatings to powder coating.”
College Student in Georgia Sentenced to 5+ Years in Prison for 3D Printed Gun
Image courtesy of AM Research
A 20-year-old college student in Georgia was sentenced to nearly six years in prison for 3D printing an unregistered machine gun. In 2023, Jaden Michael-William Pope was found to have a stolen gun, and investigators also found images on his phone of firearms and silencers he had built, along with screenshots from Yeggi, which has 3D printed templates of automatic AR-15 fully rifles. Soon after, law enforcement received a tip that Pope was manufacturing weapons, including switches and silencers, in his bedroom, which prompted an investigation by an agent with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF). The agent found pictures on Pope’s Facebook page of himself with the firearms he 3D printed, and determined that the weapons were not registered. Once a search warrant was executed at his home, ATF found four 3D printers, three computers, silencers, machine guns, a rifle with a 5-inch barrel, diagrams and instructions for building guns, failed prints, G-codes for printing these items, and methamphetamine. Pope pled guilty this winter to manufacturing an unregistered firearm, and was sentenced earlier this month in federal court by Judge Marc Treadwell to five years and ten months in prison.
“The collaboration between ATF and the Crawford County Sheriff’s Office showcases our unwavering commitment to confronting the illegal production of firearms, especially those created through advanced methods like 3D printing. These weapons are designed to evade detection and accountability, posing an undeniable threat to public safety. Together, we are ensuring such dangers are swiftly and decisively addressed,” ATF Assistant Special Agent in Charge Beau Kolodka said after Pope’s trial.
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