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• NASA Funds Contour Crafting’s Material Transport Tech for Lunar Construction
• Three Production Opportunities for 3D Printing
• SPEE3D Adds Stainless Steel, Titanium & Nickel Based Carbide 3D Printing
• Brinter Bioprinter Now 3D Prints Pet-Friendly Pharmaceuticals

NASA Funds Contour Crafting’s Material Transport Tech for Lunar Construction Posted: 24 Jun 2022 06:30 AM PDT We recently reported that NASA was funding more than 20 3D printing-related proposals as part of its 2022 Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) and Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) program. One of these projects is heralded by University of Southern California (USC) spinoff and disruptive construction technology startup Contour Crafting. Through the agency's STTR contract, the company wants to adapt its novel material conveyance system to transport construction materials, like regolith and rock, on the lunar surface. Described as a special version of Contour Crafting's CrafTram technology, this new system is expected to autonomously move lunar regolith using a fraction of the energy required by alternatives such as conventional loaders or trucks, which would otherwise have to make return trips empty. Instead, CrafTram would eliminate the need for such back and forth transport of a vehicle. Once on-site, the platform could operate smoothly with minimum wear, regardless of sandy or rocky terrains, and transport material to and from different elevations, including sharp uphill or downhill trajectories. For the CrafTram, Contour Crafting will work with its partners at the USC Viterbi School of Engineering (VSOE) to demonstrate how this automated technology for lunar surface site preparation could help NASA with its regolith work activities, including building launch and landing zones; hardened landing pads; pathways for improved trafficability, and radiation shielding structures. Material for Moon Bases Although there is only so much we understand about the possibilities of 3D printing on the Moon and other planets, experts know that building structures off-Earth will be very different from any of the traditional constructions we've grown up with. For several years regolith has been regarded as the potential primary building material for printed structures on the Moon and Mars, mainly due to its abundance. There are already several proposals to excavate and harvest lunar regolith for construction, so creating the technology to transport this material seems to be the next fundamental step in the race to colonize the Moon. Conventional solutions such as earth-moving equipment consume large amounts of energy and have to travel one way with empty loads. Moreover, their bulk makes transporting the machinery to the lunar surface very expensive. That is why the special CrafTram proposed by Contour Crafting holds many possibilities. Primarily, it is a super lightweight concept, which folds into a small spatial envelope for easy transportation to the lunar surface. Once there, it could self-transform to its deployed form for autonomous operation at planetary construction sites. The sophisticated extrusion technology being used by Contour Crafting. Image courtesy of Contour Crafting. But embarking on a mission to develop technology for colonizing Earth's moon and beyond is no easy task. Contour Crafting will design the CrafTram system for this new project and create a TRL (Technology Readiness Level) 4 functioning 1/3 scale prototype. The proposed effort at the research level also includes the analysis and design of a demonstration structure called a berm, which protects the environment around the landing pads from blast projectiles produced by spaceships taking off or landing. According to the proposal, the analysis and design of the berm will be done by USC VSOE's professor Lucio Soibelman's Structures and Materials Research Lab (SMRL). Towards the end of Phase I, both Contour Crafting and SMRL will demonstrate a scaled-down version of the CrafTram concept in action, transporting material and constructing a ⅓ scale lunar berm structure out of a regolith simulant material. The goals of this collaborative effort are directly aligned with NASA's Artemis mission which aims to establish the first lunar base and a lunar economy in the following decades. However, outside of this application, the CrafTram technology could serve as a general-purpose material conveyance system that will be made available for other missions to the Moon, and in the future, to Mars. A History of Additive Construction Founded by USC VSOE professor Behrokh Khoshnevis, Contour Crafting marked the beginning of construction 3D printing more than two decades ago. Piggybacking on Khoshnevis's pioneering construction scale 3D printing ideas, the startup became known for developing large-scale 3D printing technology, including the flagship CrafTrans, a transformable and rapidly deployable construction 3D printer. Khoshnevis, a NASA Innovative Advanced Concepts (NIAC) Fellow, has been developing technologies for planetary construction since 2004 under the agency's support. His accomplishments in these research and development efforts won him two grand prizes in 2014 and 2016 in international NASA-sponsored competitions. One of these recognitions went to a technology that can build structures on the Moon and Mars out of local planetary materials, using a system designed for autonomous construction of landing pads and roads and fabrication of interlocking bricks and other objects such as metallic tools and spare parts. In fact, Contour Crafting's latest project proposal to receive NASA funding is probably leveraging much of this past award-winning technology and in-situ resource utilization. If successful, the CrafTram could move onto Phase II funding to develop a scale prototype as well as other subsequent SBIR/STTR post-Phase II opportunities. As part of NASA's 2022 SBIR and STTR winning proposals, Contour Crafting is not the only company that submitted technology for lunar construction. Other selected projects include a BrickLayer system for building lunar launch and landing pads developed by Astroport and the University of Texas at San Antonio and Cislune's proposed set of technologies to extract and process regolith for building structures. In the next decade, we expect several of these technologies to mature so they can operate in off-Earth conditions, especially once Artemis missions to lunar posts begin. The post NASA Funds Contour Crafting’s Material Transport Tech for Lunar Construction appeared first on 3DPrint.com | The Voice of 3D Printing / Additive Manufacturing.

Three Production Opportunities for 3D Printing Posted: 24 Jun 2022 06:00 AM PDT While the additive manufacturing process has been around for 30 years, its use for production applications has recently accelerated because of improvements that enable faster production, high-quality materials, and larger volumes of industrial-grade parts. These technical improvements have led to business benefits such as supply chain agility and responsiveness, speed to scale, and, for low-volume production, there are cost advantages over other types of manufacturing. The continuous evolution and improvements of additive manufacturing technologies and materials has led to increased business opportunities, and organizations are finding many ways to capitalize on these opportunities. Some manufacturing companies are exploring additive manufacturing as a new solution for part production in the midst of supply chain disruptions. Additionally, a report published by SmarTech Analysis revealed that additive manufacturing grew to about $10.6 billion in 2021. The opportunities from additive manufacturing are so compelling that on May 6th, President Biden announced a new initiative that will boost the use of 3D printing in domestic supply. This initiative, called Additive Manufacturing Forward (AM Forward), plans to see large manufacturers such as GE Aviation, Honeywell, Lockheed Martin, Raytheon, and Siemens Energy partner with small, US-based suppliers to help them more thoroughly use 3D printing technology. In doing so, AM Forward will strengthen US supply chains, help lower costs, and encourage investment in small and medium-sized companies. AM Forward marks an exciting moment in the growth of 3D printing as US government officials have recognized the value additive manufacturing provides and are making an effort to further accelerate its adoption in manufacturing practices. Many organizations are taking a fresh look at how additive manufacturing can benefit their businesses. As businesses consider the best way to get started with additive manufacturing, we can look to three types of opportunities: 1. Creating Customized Products Additive manufacturing is ideal for making individual and small batches of unique parts quickly and at low cost. Organizations making custom products, for example products with custom fits or having individual serial numbers, can easily generate the product designs using software, and then produce those designs with additive. Unlike traditional manufacturing processes that require tooling and manufacturing equipment setup, additive manufacturing requires no tooling which allows for parts to be printed directly with a minimum effort and cost to get started. Additive manufacturing allows you to deliver a fully custom product at a much lower cost thanks to the ease of customization with 3D technology. Consider dentistry and orthodontics, for example. For years, conventional metal braces dominated the market. Then, Invisalign disrupted the industry with a new treatment modality manufactured with stereolithography. The product is tailored to each patient while being more comfortable than traditional braces, easier to use, and even more aesthetically appealing. Invisalign was able to leverage 3D printing technology to rapidly produce products that are tailored for each individual customer, which would be prohibitively expensive using traditional manufacturing methods. The 3D printed e-bike from two-time Formula 1 champion Fernando Alonso's lifestyle brand Kimoa. Image courtesy of Arevo.  Additive manufacturing provides customization opportunities that previously had been impractical. For motorsports-inspired brand Kimoa, using additive manufacturing allows them to create personalized 3D-printed carbon fiber composite e-bicycles. These customizable frames, created by Arevo, allow the user to order bikes according to their individual measurements and aesthetic preferences. By utilizing additive manufacturing, you can make products in less time and with more options for customization than ever before. 2. Exploring Novel Designs for Performance and Aesthetics Because the additive manufacturing process is digitally driven, engineers have more creative liberty in their designs. You can achieve geometries with additive manufacturing that would be impossible to create with computer numerical control (CNC) machining or injection molding. These novel geometries often improve technical performance because they enable you to get around constraints present in traditional manufacturing processes, allowing for features like undercuts and inaccessible holes. For example, lattices or organic structures can be made with additive manufacturing to create products with novel mechanical benefits, excellent shock absorption, and reduced material usage. Rawlings REV1X glove series. Image courtesy of Rawlings. In one instance, Rawlings developed a baseball glove that replaced traditional foam or wool pads in the fingers with 3D printed elastomeric lattice parts that were lighter, thinner, and more durable. By utilizing the benefits of 3D printing, Rawlings was able to improve performance and create a better product that would hold up over time. Whereas traditional materials may break down or degrade over time, additive manufacturing allows for the use of innovative designs and materials that have high performance and longer useful lifetimes than similar products made using conventional manufacturing methods. 3. Producing Lower Volumes of Product Additive manufacturing allows you to produce lower quantities at a better price per part because tooling is not required as in traditional manufacturing. Tool-less manufacturing can unlock new business opportunities for savvy manufacturers. Because 3D printing technology can often produce small batches of products within weeks, it is ideal for businesses wishing to quickly scale from rapid prototyping to low-volume production. For example, rather than estimating demand and ending up with too much or too little of a product, you can enter the market with a smaller quantity of product to test its viability. Then, you can shift production rate up or down in response to market demands. You can also change the product design without incurring additional costs from new tooling. Numerous opportunities are available for businesses to incorporate additive manufacturing into their daily production. AM Forward will further allow small and medium-sized companies to reap the benefits of additive manufacturing. The three types of opportunities covered here are available to companies of any size. Due to the many advantages of using 3D technology, engineers who choose to employ additive manufacturing will see these benefits in their own business. About the Author Bill King, Ph.D., is co-founder and chief scientist at Fast Radius, a cloud manufacturing and digital supply chain company. In 2018, the World Economic Forum named Fast Radius as a Lighthouse Factory, one of the world’s best digital factories. The post Three Production Opportunities for 3D Printing appeared first on 3DPrint.com | The Voice of 3D Printing / Additive Manufacturing.

SPEE3D Adds Stainless Steel, Titanium & Nickel Based Carbide 3D Printing Posted: 24 Jun 2022 05:30 AM PDT Australian 3D printing firm SPEE3D has introduced a new nozzle which allows the firm’s technology to 3D print in stainless steel, titanium and nickel-based carbides. Nickel-based carbides are high-strength metals, such as MAR-M247, which are of particular interest to NASA and the like for hypersonics, turbo machinery, and rocket applications. This expands SPEE3D´s materials portfolio from copper, aluminum bronze, and aluminum, allowing the firm take on many new applications, parts, and clients. The new nozzle, called Phaser relies on compressed air or nitrogen to 3D print metal at “four times faster than the speed of sound at much higher energy.” The company explains that the technology makes it possible to  reach “high particle velocity to enable more deformation of particles during the deposition process,” which results in the ability to use harder materials. "The SPEE3D PHASER nozzle is revolutionary because anyone can print what's considered 'hardier' materials, and without having to rely on helium to cold spray these materials like other nozzles. With supply chain issues continuing to delay parts for industries such as space, defense, auto racing and maritime, the Phaser nozzle can create these parts in just minutes to withstand severe conditions, high stress, immense shock loads and abrasive environments,” Steve Camilleri, Co-founder and CTO, said. SPEE3D’s cold spray process and Australian location have always made them a bit of an exotic offering in the 3D printing world. Kind of the 3D printing OEM equivalent of Jensen, Ascari, or Noble. Those niche sports car manufacturers found it tough going, however, having difficulties finding scale, financing, and distribution. Sometimes being a little bit different and far away can almost doom you to be stuck in a little corner somewhere, fighting for every morsel of attention. However, SPEE3D now has printers installed as far as El Salvador. The U.S. Army’s Rock Island Arsenal has two. Its machines are being used for maintenance, repair, and overhaul (MRO); military applications; and rocket engines. In fact, SPEE3D has some very distinct advantages that give it a possibly very bright future: Speed The deposition speed of the technology means that businesses can deposit 30 tonnes of material per year. For very low cost, very high yield parts, SPEE3D could have a unique or near-unique capability. Toughness Their equipment is comparatively rough and tumble and can be used in austere environments. The Australian Navy has trialed the product as has the Australian Army, in the middle of nowhere. Location, Location, Location They are in Australia. Its remoteness and competitive lack of 3D printing activity can be a handicap. However, this is an advantage because the county will want to promote its indigenous 3D printing capabilities, especially in defense. In so doing, they could lavish attention and money on SPEE3D and Titomic. This advantage in particular is compounded because the country is going to be working on hypersonics with the U.S. and the U.K.. For hypersonics, materials will be difficult to work with and very expensive. Every gram saved will be very valuable, therefore. Everything will have to be designed so that the craft won’t tear itself apart, which leaves a strong role for 3D printing to design optimized structures and surfaces. This could be a real boon for the company, since the U.K. will want to promote Renishaw and the U.S. 3D Systems, as well as many more firms. Australia has few additive businesses and SPEE3D´s capabilities would match larger structural parts, which would mean that it would compete with MELD, Sciaky, and several others, but not everyone. This gives the company a big chance at hypersonic money. Even if they don’t get into this game the company really has a very tight niche that it could target well. Deployability The technology is ideally suited for MRO in the middle of nowhere for comparatively large, simpler, low-cost parts. With that in mind, the link between them and MRO on oil platforms, at sea, or for the military becomes quickly obvious. Many technologies work okay for many applications. These are often difficult to commercialize. SPEE3D seems an ideal fit for MRO in austere environments for straightforward objects made on demand. The limited market fit is actually a boon, since it is clear that the company should focus on parts for navies, armies, shipping, shipbuilding, ship and vehicle MRO, larger specialized vehicle and the like. The task at hand, therefore, is comparatively well understood and everything is so much easier and better if your ideal future is known to you. The post SPEE3D Adds Stainless Steel, Titanium & Nickel Based Carbide 3D Printing appeared first on 3DPrint.com | The Voice of 3D Printing / Additive Manufacturing.

Brinter Bioprinter Now 3D Prints Pet-Friendly Pharmaceuticals Posted: 24 Jun 2022 05:00 AM PDT 3D printed medications, while not yet mainstream, do exist, and the technology enables more personalized pharmaceuticals. A team of researchers from Åbo Akademi University in Finland are using the modular 3D bioprinting Brinter platform to manufacture a more precise dosage form of the anti-convulsant gabapentin, or GBP. But instead of 3D printing pills for people, the research team is instead making them for their pets. My dogs, Gracie and Dash I have three cats and two dogs, so I am no stranger to giving my animals medication. From treating our dog Gracie’s itchy ears with Mometamax and syringe-feeding Freddie the cat an appetite stimulant, to squirting liquid antibiotic onto my cat Millie’s food due to a bad bout of vertigo, I’ve seen just about everything. Our younger dog Dash gets half a Prilosec after dinner, per our vet, because he has sporadic gastrointestinal problems in the morning. It wouldn’t be good for him to have the whole one, so I use a pill splitter for this purpose, and while it’s not perfect, it’s pretty close. Gabapentin is a pretty important medication for both people and animals, as it’s used to treat neuropathic pain and prevent seizures. But, there are hardly any GBP tablets available in veterinary markets, which means that pets are often at risk of being over- or under-dosed with human pills. To fill this gap in the market, and increase the safety of pets that need this anti-convulsant, the research team, led by Dr. Erica Sjöholm from the university’s Pharmaceutical Sciences Laboratory at the Faculty of Science and Engineering, is working to develop a more precise method of veterinary GBP dosage forms. They are doing so by quantifying the difficult gabapentin small molecule, which doesn’t have chromophores. Additionally, the team wants to come up with a new manufacturing technique that can rapidly, and accurately, prepare these dosage forms, close to the point-of-care. They published a study, titled “Semi-solid extrusion 3D printing of tailored ChewTs for veterinary use – A focus on spectrophotometric quantification of gabapentin,” that details their work. Study graphical abstract illustrates an end-to-end process for veterinary gabapentin dispensing using bioprinting for tailored doses and UV-Vis spectrometry for QC. According to the abstract, “Currently, there are a few or none marketed gabapentin veterinary products, leading to treatment with compounded dosage forms or off-label use of human-marketed products. With the said approaches, there are significant risks of preparation errors, rendering these practices suboptimal. A new manufacturing technique to accurately and rapidly prepare veterinary dosage forms close to the point-of-care is needed. However, a current hurdle in developing small-dose gabapentin dosage forms is the quantification of the gabapentin molecule. UV–Vis spectrophotometric quantification possesses suitable properties for implementation at small production sites, but quantifying gabapentin with the said technique has proven to be challenging as the small molecule lacks chromophores. This study aimed at thoroughly assessing UV–Vis spectrophotometric gabapentin quantification methods with the intent of finding a reliable method.” The team developed a new 3D printing method for gel and paste called semi-solid extrusion, or SSE, to produce the chewable GBP tablets. They fitted the customizable Brinter One 3D bioprinter with a Pneuma Tool print head, which allows for the printing of low- to medium-viscosity inks, gels, or pastes with the help of compressed air. Several ink formulations were tested, including ones with the addition of mannitol and liver powder, to make the bitter GBP tastier for dogs and cats. Autodesk Fusion 360 was used to design seven different sizes of the printlets for testing purposes. The research study used SSE 3D printing to produce chewable gabapentin therapeutic doses ranging from 10 mg to 200 mg. Brinter’s browser-based software helped control the print speed, layer height, shell, fill, and angle settings, and dispensing pressure to successfully print therapeutic GBP doses, ranging from 10 to 200 mg, using SSE 3D printing. The researchers were able to print eight 10 mg printlets in a little more than two minutes, with the potential for more acceleration by increasing the air pressure and print speed. “The drug-loaded ink was printable, and the designed seven different sizes were printed with a wet weight correlating in accordance with escalating size (R2 = 0.9958). In order to achieve a therapeutic dose range of 10–200 mg in the lowest possible amount of time, the optimal print settings were found to be 1 print layer with a layer height of 1 mm, 1 shell, and a solid infill with a 45-degree angle. A print speed of 8 mm/s was found appropriate in combination with a pressure of 290 mbar,” the researchers wrote. The study used Brinter® One 3D bioprinter fitted with a Pneuma Tool print head for precision dispensing of inks, pastes, or gels using compressed air. The researchers concluded that semi-solid extrusion technology is a suitable way to 3D print individually tailored GBP dosage forms for pets. In addition, they also came up with a new method for analyzing GBP using UV–Vis spectrophotometry, by way of ascorbic acid derivatization. “The UV–Vis quantification method with AA derivatization is simple and can fairly easily be implemented in pharmacies, veterinary clinics, animal hospitals, and such,” the team concluded. “The suggested chewable formulation of GBP serves as an example of a dosage form that is simple to prepare and enables tailoring of the dose. Implementing these findings in practice could diminish the current need for extensive manual labour when compounding GBP or other drug-loaded dosage forms or the risk associated with the splitting of tablets and capsules. Instead, safe and effective veterinary medicines could be rapidly manufactured at or close to the point-of-care.” The post Brinter Bioprinter Now 3D Prints Pet-Friendly Pharmaceuticals appeared first on 3DPrint.com | The Voice of 3D Printing / Additive Manufacturing.

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