We’re talking about safety certification first in today’s 3D Printing News Briefs, and then moving on to applications in racing and wind turbines. We’ll finish with a story about 3D printing for blind and low vision students. Read on for all the details!
AddUp Becomes First OEM to Receive ASTM Safety Certification for AM
AddUp is the first OEM in the additive manufacturing industry to achieve the ASTM Additive Manufacturing Safety (AMS) Certification, and also played an important role in creating the AMS certification program. The company has been partnering with ASTM over the last few years to help define guidelines and protocols that ensure safe operations in AM facilities. This collaborative work was significant in helping to set up a roadmap for other manufacturers entering the AM space. To gain this certification, the Safety Equipment Institute (SEI) conducted a first-of-its-kind audit and evaluation of the AddUp Solution Center in Cincinnati, Ohio, which was designed with safety in mind. During the audit, special attention was paid to machine installation and grounding, personal protective equipment (PPE), hazardous waste disposal, powder handling, and facility cleanliness. AddUp is deeply committed to safety and innovation, and as the inaugural audit facility for the AMS certification, worked closely with the SEI auditors to make sure that all requirements were met and fully understood.
“AddUp’s commitment to safety has been exemplary. Their involvement in helping us define the guidelines for this certification and their willingness to open their doors for the first-ever AMS audit speaks volumes about their leadership in the AM industry,” stated Paul Bates, Senior Lead, Training and Certification Programs at ASTM International AM CoE. “AddUp has set a new standard for AM safety, and we are grateful for their dedication.”
NASCAR Chooses Stratasys as Official, Exclusive 3D Printing Partner
Stratasys has become the official and exclusive 3D printing partner for NASCAR. Here, an engineer attaches a 3D printed duct used to keep drivers cool during races.
NASCAR has long used Stratasys 3D printing for its racecars, but the company has now chosen Stratasys as its official 3D printing partner. Per a new long-term technical partnership agreement, NASCAR will exclusively use Stratasys technology to design and produce tools and parts across the organization. As part of this agreement, a new 3D printing lab will be opened at the NASCAR Research & Development Center in Concord, North Carolina to support R&D, tooling, and parts production for its three national series. A variety of Stratasys technologies will be featured at the lab, including the F370, 450mc, and F900 FDM 3D printers and the NEO800 SLA 3D printer, to support applications like prototyping, aerodynamic testing, and production parts. Additionally, one of NASCAR’s most successful teams, Joe Gibbs Racing (JGR), has announced a five-year extension of its current 20+ year working agreement with Stratasys, which just reinforces the AM stalwart’s role as a high-performance racing solutions leader.
“Our partnership with NASCAR allows Stratasys to showcase the unique advantages of 3D printing in motorsports. From on-demand manufacturing of custom components to speeding up the design cycle, we’re helping NASCAR with faster production times and enhanced part performance. Furthermore, our work in high-performance environments like NASCAR spurs innovation in the production of commercial vehicles, demonstrating the broader impact of additive manufacturing across the automotive industry,” said Rich Garrity, Chief Business Unit Officer at Stratasys.
Every NASCAR Cup Series vehicle currently on the track uses Stratasys 3D printed parts, like a NACA duct to vent hot air out from the engine bay and a cold air inlet vent at the top of the windshield to force air into the car to cool the driver, so this is obviously a mutually beneficial partnership.
Gulf Wind Technology Using Stratasys 3D Printing for Wind Turbine Models
3D printing helps advance wind tunnel testing and shorten design iteration. Gulf Wind Technology dramatically reduced the design and fabrication cycle for wind tunnel models. What previously took 30 to 40 days to iterate and finalize a design can now be completed in just 3 to 4 days.
In further Stratasys news, the company announced that Gulf Wind Technology is using its AM solutions to improve the ability to test and produce wind turbine models. Gulf Wind was actually inspired by 3D printing usage in Formula 1 racing, recognizing the technology’s potential for optimization and rapid iteration of its models. The company adopted Stratasys Neo SLA, which has enabled faster prototyping, more flexibility, and a shorter design and fabrication cycle for wind tunnel models. It used to take Gulf Wind 30-40 days to finalize designs for rotors and airfoil shapes, but with SLA 3D printing by Stratasys, it now takes just 3-4 days to iterate and produce models with Somos PerFORM Reflect material, which offers temperature resistance, stiffness, high strength, and easy support removal. The company can also create specialized features, like pressure taps for real-time airflow data, which are not always possible to achieve with traditional manufacturing.
“By leveraging the Stratasys Neo® SLA system we can generate far more data in a shorter time. This has enabled us to run our design process with more rigor, become more efficient, and take on business that we previously had to turn away. Additive manufacturing allows our engineers to design internal structures, and pressure taps directly into our test models, which we couldn’t achieve with traditional methods,” said James Martin, the CEO of Gulf Wind Technology.
Guidelines for 3D Printed Educational Tools for Visually Impaired Students
Finally, researchers at Monash University collaborated with the Round Table on Information Access for People with Print Disabilities (Round Table) to develop free public guidelines to help educators, specialists, and parents create 3D printed educational tools for blind and low vision students. These accessible guidelines can help a variety of users learn to design and 3D print curriculum-based models, educational games, adaptive tools, and tactile aids to enhance learning and inclusivity. The initiative aligns with emerging accessibility standards and was made possible through an Australian Research Council (ARC) Linkage Project, supported by partnerships with organizations like Guide Dogs Victoria, SeeDifferently, and Blind Low Vision New Zealand; additional funding came from South Pacific Educators in Vision Impairment and VisAbility. 3D printed models have advantages over traditional raised line drawings, especially for the visually impaired.
“The 3D printed models can help students who are blind get spatial and dimensional understanding of things that they may have never experienced before, for example, for the first time ever students are learning different architectural concepts through 3D printed models of the Burj Khalifa, Taj Mahal and the Statue of Liberty,” explained Sonali Marathe, President of the Round Table and Accessibility and Inclusion Manager at NextSense.
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