30 Years of Innovation: How Stereolithography Sparked Materialise’s Inventive Ethos
On June 28th of this year, i.materialise’s parent company Materialise reached its 30th anniversary, and to celebrate, we’re looking back at a different technology on our blog each month that has made the company what it is today. During August, we’re putting the focus on Stereolithography (SLA): the technology behind our Gray, Mammoth, Standard, and Transparent Resin materials.
(more…)
3D Printing Technologies: Fused Deposition Modeling
Contrary to popular belief, there’s not a one-size-fits-all approach to 3D printing. Although we offer 17 different materials and over 90 possible color and finish combinations, it often takes us several different technologies to get the job done. In general, 3D printing technologies can be split up into 2 groups: direct and indirect 3D printing. The main difference lies in the fact that the design is made from 3D printing (direct) or 3D printing was used in the process of creating your model (indirect). Let’s move on with the third part of this series with fused deposition modeling, probably the most adopted 3D printing technology around and an example of a direct 3D printing technique.
(more…)
30 Years of Innovation: Industry Collaboration Made Multi Jet Fusion a Reality
When Multi Jet Fusion first came on the scene a few years ago in 2016, it made a big splash. The 3D printing world was excited to become acquainted with the much-anticipated technology, also called MJF for short. Soon, many realized the potential for their prototypes and end-use parts thanks to its higher surface quality, consistent build time regardless of the number of parts, and the ability to print exceptionally thin walls.
(more…)
How 3D Printing in Aluminum Really Works
We’d like to give you an insight into how 3D printing in Aluminum really works. In this blog, we’ll take a look at the technology and inform you about all the details you’ve always wanted to know.
(more…)
Miniature, 3D-Printed City Hall of Antwerp Shows off Every Last Detail
The city hall of Antwerp is one of the city’s architectural crown jewels. Dating back from the 16th century, it hadn’t undergone significant restoration for the last 60 years, and the grand old building was starting to show signs of its age. The municipality of Antwerp has set an ambitious restoration project in motion, which was explained and displayed at Paviljoen Antwerpen Morgen. Held at MAS, the exhibition covered the biggest urban development projects the city has planned for the future. And at center stage was a giant 3D-printed model of the renovated city hall!
(more…)
Massive 3D-Printed Replica Of A Legendary WWI Ship Makes Waves
Nestled along the coast of Belgium is the mostly open-air Raversyde in Ostend with its bunkers, observation posts, and subterranean corridors. This museum is unique in that it commemorates sites that were instrumental in both world wars: in WWI as a coastal battle and during WWII as the site where Nazi Germany built the Atlantic Wall as a defense. For the museum’s opening weekend of the 2020 season, they prepared a new focal point in the exhibition of the First World War Coastal Battery. The highlight of the exhibit is a massive, highly detailed, 3D-printed model of the Mauretania that carried out different but essential functions during WWI.
(more…)
What Happens If You Upload a 3D Model with ‘Errors’ to Our Site and Place an Order?
Creating an ideal 3D printable model can be intimidating to new users. If you follow this blog closely, you’ve probably heard us advise you about avoiding common 3D modeling errors. That’s why many people ask us: what happens if I place an order, but my file still contains errors?
(more…)
4 Ways Prototyping With 3D Printing Gets Businesses Back On Track
Returning to the office as lockdowns lift first and foremost means keeping your team healthy. Once a concrete safety plan is in place, the next step is to pick up where you left off and bring operations back up to speed. In this post, we’re sharing how 3D printing can help you get product development back on track upon returning to the office.
Due to the coronavirus, changes to the way we worked were sudden. But thanks to the capabilities of rapid prototyping and 3D printing more broadly, your product development timeframe doesn’t need to suffer. Here’s how.
(more…)
Democratizing Prosthetics Through The Power Of 3D Printing
The refinement of prosthetics has been an ongoing challenge since their first creation around the time of ancient Egypt. Although new technological developments have enabled huge improvements to be made, the quest for a prosthetic that can replace the functionality of a missing limb while also being widely available, affordable, and comfortable still eludes even the top design and medical professionals.
(more…)
Art And 3D Printing Come Alive In Amazing Skull Sculpture
With walls as his canvas, renowned Belgian graffiti artist Steve Locatelli is known for his brightly colored murals and work featuring skulls. Although first and foremost a painter, Steve has recently started exploring the medium of sculpture and the use of high-tech industrial tools. His recent work, “SCRATCH 3D,” employed laser cutting to create a wall-mounted piece of intricately crossed metal bars that bridges the gap between painting and traditional stand-alone sculpture. But he wanted to take this a step further and called on designer and illustrator Peter Serruys to help him realize the next iteration – the 3D-printed “SCRATCH 4D.”
(more…)
