On this month’s Additive Insight editorial roundtable, TCT Head of Content Laura Griffiths and Senior Content Producer Sam Davies discuss February’s biggest 3D printing and additive manufacturing news stories.

Continuing the trend for consolidation, we discuss Stratasys‘s acquisition of RPS as it ramps up its ambition to be “the first choice for polymer 3D printing”, the launch of ExOne‘s new office-friendly metal 3D printer based on Rapidia‘s water-based technology, Desktop Metal eliminating the debinding step with its upgraded Studio 2 system, and the Digital Manufacturing Centre‘s integration of Enable Manufacturing‘s Additive Casting technology.

Read featured stories in full:

• Interview: Stratasys & RPS directors discuss the latest 3D printing acquisition
• ExOne launches office-friendly metal 3D printer based on Rapidia technology
• Desktop Metal launches Studio System 2, eliminating solvent debind phase
• Digital Manufacturing Centre to offer Additive Casting technology

Thank you to our AI sponsor Ultimaker. Considering an in-house 3D printing solution with industrial-grade material options and trusted software employed by 2 million users? Request a quote here.

On this episode of Additive Insight, TCT Head of Content Laura Griffiths is joined by Tali Rosman, Xerox Vice President and General Manager for 3D Printing.

The well-known 2D print giant made its play for the additive manufacturing market back in 2019 with the acquisition of start-up Vader Systems and its Liquid Metal 3D printing technology. Since then, Xerox has gone on to introduce its first metal system, the Xerox ElemX, and recently announced the Naval Postgraduate School (NPS) as its first installation.

We spoke to Rosman about Xerox’s history with 3D printing, which began long before that 2019 acquisition, Xerox’s commitment to being its own first customer with its AM products, and the company’s pragmatic approach to ensuring additive can be easily integrated into existing workflows and supply chains.

Commenting on those workflows, Rosman said: “I think we’re humble enough to understand that the vast majority of parts are not going to be made with 3D printing so we have to integrate into existing workflows and we have the obligation to make it easy for the customer to integrate it into their existing systems – that’s absolutely top of mind for us.”

Thank you to our AI sponsor Ultimaker. Considering an in-house 3D printing solution with industrial-grade material options and trusted software employed by 2 million users? Request a quote here.

On this week’s episode of Additive Insight, our Executive Interview series continues with a conversation with Carlos Zwikker, Chief Commercial Officer at AM-Flow. 

The Netherlands-based start-up is a developer of automation technologies which tackle the post-printing parts of the AM production workflow. Combining 3D-shape identification and a mix of hardware and software intelligence, AM Flow addresses those important end-to-end process steps which need to be considered in order to position additive manufacturing as a scalable production technology.

Read more: Automating the additive manufacturing flow

Speaking with TCT Head of Content, Laura Griffiths, Zwikker discusses the company’s latest developments, why these solutions will be necessary for 3D printing to reach its true manufacturing potential, and the readiness of the AM market for this level of automation.

Thank you to our AI sponsor Ultimaker. Considering an in-house 3D printing solution with industrial-grade material options and trusted software employed by 2 million users? Request a quote here.

In the first of our new monthly editorial roundtable sessions, TCT editors Laura Griffiths and Sam Davies discuss some of the biggest and most-read 3D printing news story from the last month on the Additive Insight podcast.

On this episode we cover two big acquisition stories including Desktop Metal‘s takeover of DLP additive manufacturing pioneer EnvisionTEC, and Protolabs‘ acquisition of online 3D printing network 3D Hubs.

We also share two of our most read AM application stories from this month; Ford’s use of Formlabs‘ Form 3L systems in a European first at its Body and Assembly plant in Spain, and how wearable barcode scanner manufacturer ProGlove has achieved serial production runs of its latest product in collaboration with DyeMansion and FORMRISE.

Read featured stories in full:

• Protolabs to acquire 3D Hubs
• Desktop Metal to acquire EnvisionTEC in $300 million deal
• DyeMansion post-processing technology enables ProGlove to produce wearable barcode scanners with 3D printing
• Formlabs helps speed up product development at Ford and launches new 3D printing resin

Thank you to our AI sponsor Ultimaker. Considering an in-house 3D printing solution with industrial-grade material options and trusted software employed by 2 million users? Request a quote here.

We’re continuing our executive interview series into 2021 with insights from Andreas Langfeld, President EMEA at Stratasys, who joins us on the Additive Insight podcast to discuss the last 12 months, future plans and that $100 million Origin acquisition.

Speaking to Andy towards the end of a last year, we discussed resilience, and how despite the challenges of 2020, Stratasys successfully launched and shipped a brand new PolyJet system, continued to make strides in healthcare and aerospace markets, and how the additive manufacturing industry has come even further than Andy could have imagined at the beginning of his decade long career in 3D printing.

“The advancement in terms of being a solid and reliable manufacturing alternative has been more than I would have expected 11 years ago,” Langfeld said. “But certainly as we have moved through the years we have actively influenced that development.”

This episode is brought to you in association with Ultimaker. Considering an in-house 3D printing solution with industrial-grade material options and trusted software employed by 2 million users? Request a quote here.

For 2020’s last episode of Additive Insight (and our 50th episode to date), TCT editors Laura Griffiths and Sam Davies gather around the virtual mic for a round up of the year’s biggest 3D printing stories. 

We reflect on exclusive interviews with industry leaders, significant launches and the impact of COVID-19 on the perception of additive manufacturing.

For a month by month rundown of the year’s must-read stories, visit Sam’s roundup of 2020’s biggest 3D printing launches, applications and industry developments. 

Then, head over to our 2021 preview feature for conversations with those additive manufacturing companies with big things planned for next year.

This episode is brought to you in association with Ultimaker. Considering an in-house 3D printing solution with industrial-grade material options and trusted software employed by 2 million users? Request a quote here.

On this week’s episode of Additive Insight, TCT Head of Content Laura Griffiths speaks to Byron Kennedy, CEO of Australian additive manufacturing company SPEE3D.

Launched in 2017, SPEE3D is known for its supersonic 3D deposition process, an ultra-fast additive technique adapted from metal cold spray technology. With two machines now available on the market, both capable of producing fast, low-cost, near net shape parts, the company has gained a number of customers in a range of industrial sectors, most notably defence.

On this episode, we hear how the company’s technology is enabling manufacturers to create real production parts, its work in the field with the Australian Army and conservative push into the defence sector, and how its production cell is giving manufacturers all the tools they need to bring metal 3D printing in-house.

This episode is brought to you in association with Ultimaker. Considering an in-house 3D printing solution with industrial-grade material options and trusted software employed by 2 million users? Request a quote here.

On this week’s episode of Additive Insight, we speak to Dr Lee-Bath Nelson, co—founder and VP of Business at additive manufacturing software as a service company LEO Lane.

Since its founding in 2014, LEO Lane has been developing cloud based solutions which control, protect, and track 3D printed products and files.

On this episode we discuss increasing IP challenges as additive moves more into production, how the pandemic has forced companies to think more urgently about how they’re protecting their 3D printable part data, a how heightened attention on the benefits of distributed manufacturing have emphasised the need for products like LEO Lane.

This episode is brought to you in association with Ultimaker. Considering an in-house 3D printing solution with industrial-grade material options and trusted software employed by 2 million users? Request a quote here.

On this weeks episode of Additive Insight, the TCT content team reflect on a busy week at Formnext Connect including the biggest launches from the virtual floor, interviews with exhibitors and highlights from the TCT Conference @ Formnext Connect.

Expect details on new additive manufacturing hardware from the likes of SLM Solutions, Additive Industries and Wematter, plus insight from conversations with Nexa3D, Solukon and more.

For more Formnext Connect content, check out:

• Q&A: VELO3D CEO discusses the capability, quality & productivity of company’s metal 3D printing systems
• Q&A: PostProcess Technologies on bringing automated post-processing solutions to the 3D printing space
• Interview: Essentium CEO on new 3D printing materials and its 4-year US Air Force contract

This episode is brought to you in association with Ultimaker. Considering an in-house 3D printing solution with industrial-grade material options and trusted software employed by 2 million users? Request a quote here.

On this week’s episode of Additive Insight, The TCT Group’s outgoing Head of Content Daniel O’Connor gets his turn in the hot seat as the editorial team bid a fond farewell and gather his thoughts on eight years in the additive manufacturing (AM) industry including the biggest trends, changes and technology developments.

From starting out with “Thingi Thursdays” and Buzzfeed-style listicles on TCT Magazine’s Personalize brand amid peak “3D printer in every home” hype to travelling the world covering some of the most prolific adopters of additive for series production, we talk through Dan’s first articles, his favourite stories on the road (including a few now infamous travel mishaps), and what he believes have been some of the most significant advancements to happen to the industry throughout his AM career.

Reflecting on a valuable piece of AM insight shared by 3D printing consultant Dr Phil Reeves, Dan said: “I think we can all sit and do a cost analysis of 3D printing and say ‘oh I’m not sure if it covers the cost’ but it only doesn’t cover the cost when everything goes to plan and coronavirus is an example of that. When something doesn’t go to plan, 3D printing can step in and that is absolutely priceless for a manufacturing industry, to be able to say, ‘We’ve got this car on the line, we haven’t manufactured the arm rest, what are we going to do?’ The suppliers gone under, ‘Well we can 3D print it and have it done.’ … I think the ability for 3D printing to keep manufacturing going is absolutely astronomical.”

This episode is brought to you in association with Ultimaker. Considering an in-house 3D printing solution with industrial-grade material options and trusted software employed by 2 million users? Request a quote here.

On this week’s episode of Additive Insight, we’re joined by Randy Altschuler, CEO of on-demand manufacturing marketplace, Xometry.

Earlier this year TCT spoke with Randy about importance of localised manufacturing amid the COVID-19 pandemic and in this conversation, we elaborate on that idea by discussing the benefits of distributed manufacturing can provide going forward, how Xometry is enabling that with a network of over 5,000 manufacturing partners, and how it’s looking to one of the next big challenges facing the industry – climate change.

This episode is brought to you in association with Ultimaker. Considering an 3D printing solution with industrial-grade material options and trusted software employed by 2 million users? Request a quote here.