3D Printing

An automotive engineer who was made redundant a few years ago has turned to making personal protective equipment (PPE) for Australia’s essential workers during the COVID-19 crisis. Mat Bowtell, who owns 20 3D printers at his Phillip Island facility, chose to use his payout and crowd-funding to obtain equipment and software to create prosthetic hands at … Continue reading Redundant engineer produces face shields for essential workers →

A study by RMIT University researchers has shown that sound vibrations can be used to improve the micro-structure of 3D printed alloys. The researchers found that high frequency sound waves can have a significant impact on the inner micro-structure of 3D printed alloys, making them more consistent and stronger than those printed conventionally. Carmelo Todaro, … Continue reading RMIT researchers explore use of ultrasound in 3D printing →

A research alliance of the University of Technology’s Rapido prototyping unit, Downer’s Mineral Technologies, and the Innovative Manufacturing Collaborative Research Centre (IMCRC) has reached the one-year milestone in a project revolutionising the way mining products are manufactured using additive manufacturing/3D printing. The project is exploring bespoke 3D printing technologies for precision-engineered mineral separation and mining … Continue reading Research collaboration exploring 3D-printed mining products →

A 3D printing company in Cairns and 19 other businesses will share in over $850,000 under the latest round of the Queensland Government’s Business Growth Fund. Minister for Training and Skills Development Shannon Fentiman announced Trinity Engineering Consulting received more than $9,000 to boost and grow their business. “We know that small business take a … Continue reading Cairns-based 3D printing company gets government funding boost →

Industry-led research to 3D print steel tools has won the Endeavour Award for best technology application. PhD student Jimmy Toton’s prize-winning collaboration with DMTC and Sutton Tools is the first convincing demonstration of 3D printed steel tools that are able to cut titanium as well as, or even better than, conventional steel tools. “It has … Continue reading RMIT 3D steel printing research wins at Endeavour Awards →

The University of Technology Sydney (UTS) has today opened Australia’s most advanced 3D printing facility, ProtoSpace, to help grow advanced manufacturing in Australia by providing access to high-end equipment and expertise in 3D printing technology. Featuring cutting-edge 3D printers unique in Australia, including the exclusive Nanodimension Dragonfly, ProtoSpace will enable collaboration with business of all … Continue reading UTS opens new advanced 3D printing facility →

A collaborative project at Swinburne University has successfully used a robot to 3D-print a replacement lug on an automotive headlamp assembly. The Repairbot project is an industry collaboration with Tradiebot, supported by AMA Group, and backed by the federal government via the Innovative Manufacturing Cooperative Research Centre (IMCRC). An in-house formulated polypropylene composite material, developed … Continue reading Collaborative project enables robotic 3D-printing of automotive parts →

Researchers at the Fraunhofer Institute for Machine Tools and Forming Technology IWU in Germany have developed Screw Extrusion Additive Manufacturing (SEAM), a system and process that is eight times faster than conventional 3-D printing. Three-dimensional printers that build small souvenirs layer by layer from melted plastic are often used at tradeshows. It can take up … Continue reading Researchers develop faster 3D printing process →

A boost has been given to additive manufacturing/3D printing in Australia’s engineering and manufacturing sectors, with a new partnership established between GE Additive and The University of Sydney late last year. General Electric is a company with a massive pedigree in the world of manufacturing and processing engineering. Founded by Thomas Edison and J P … Continue reading Partnership will help kick-start Australia’s 3D printing future →

An international team of researchers are developing an eco-friendly, 3D printable solution for producing wireless Internet of Things (IoT) sensors that can be used and disposed of without contaminating the environment. The research has been published as the cover story in the February issue of the journal Advanced Electronic Materials. Professor Woo Soo Kim from … Continue reading Researchers developing eco-friendly IoT sensors →

Mechanical engineers have developed a new 3D-printing technique that could be used to develop intelligent materials and self-adaptive infrastructures and transducers. Virginia Tech researchers have developed methods to 3D print piezoelectric materials that can be custom-designed to convert movement, impact and stress from any directions to electrical energy. Their research was recently published in the … Continue reading Researchers develop new 3D printing process for piezoelectric materials →

Scientists have developed a 3D-printed robotic hand which can play simple musical phrases on the piano by just moving its wrist. The robot hand, developed by researchers at the University of Cambridge, was made by 3D-printing soft and rigid materials together to replicate of all the bones and ligaments — but not the muscles or … Continue reading Researchers develop 3D-printed piano-playing robot →

Construction is one of the largest industries in the world economy – worth $10 trillion globally – equivalent to 13 per cent of GDP. But, Professor Jay Sanjayan, from Swinburne University of Technology, explains that construction has suffered for decades from remarkably poor productivity compared to other sectors. While agriculture and manufacturing have increased productivity … Continue reading Swinburne University: 3D concrete printing takes the ‘boring’ out of buildings →

Ultimaker, a company that specialises in desktop 3D printing, has announced the availability of the first material print profiles from material companies in Ultimaker Cura 3.6. The company hosted a press conference together with BASF, Clariant, DSM, and DuPont to launch Ultimaker Cura 3.6 and highlight the importance and share first results of the open … Continue reading Ultimaker continues to unlock new 3D printing applications →

Konica Minolta has announced a partnership with Western Sydney University (WSU) to build digital manufacturing capabilities for WSU research staff and students, and the Western Sydney community. Many manufacturers are looking at digital manufacturing as a way to remain competitive and meet changing customer expectations; 3D printing is an important part of the process. Konica … Continue reading Partnership for digital manufacturing →

A BIS Research report forecasts the global 3D printing plastic and photopolymer material market is estimated to reach $1.86 billion (A$2.37 billion) by 2023 at a CAGR of 21.5 per cent from 2017 to 2023. The report says that it is because of the reliable properties of plastic and photopolymer, their cost effectiveness as compared … Continue reading Global 3D printing plastic and photopolymer market to reach A$2.37 billion by 2023 →

Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull’s 2015 National Innovation and Science Agenda was a call to arms for Australia’s research and industry sectors to collaborate and drive our economy. One and a half years on, you’d be excused for thinking a few pages of notes were missing from Budget 2017. Specifically no comment was made about the … Continue reading Budget 2017: a glimmer of support for innovation and advanced manufacturing →

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B&R has expanded its range of automation-ready Panel PCs with a new series of widescreen formats ranging from 7″ WVGA to 24″ Full HD.

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