This News Roundup features various changes in the additive manufacturing industry in terms of expansion, career opportunities and even patent approval.
Creation of digital badges and… jobs
America Makes signed a partnership with Fab Lab Hub to create digital badges using additive manufacturing. America Makes is theNational Additive Manufacturing Innovation Institute led by the National Center for Defense Manufacturing and Machining (NCDMM).
Fab Lab Hub will receive a $70,000 award to produce digital badges that prepare operators and technicians to use and service Fused Deposition Modeling (FDM) and Stereolithography (SLA) 3D Printers. Digital Badges are secure skill verifications based on the OpenBadge platform developed by Mozilla that are gaining in popularity at educational institutions and corporations.
“America Makes understands that the 3D printing industry is dependent upon having skilled operators and technicians, necessary for successful equipment deployment,” explains America Makes Executive Director Rob Gorham. “We are committed to advancing education in the 3D Printing space and have initiated a number of partnerships to reach our goals for supporting our members’ workforce needs at all levels of the organization.”
Through this new partnership, a group of 10 Fab Labs and educational institutions where the hands-on portion of the digital badge pilot project will take place have formed the North American Digital Fabrication Alliance to issue the badges.
Nano Dimension granted patent for Innovative Dielectric Ink
The 3D printed electronics specialist has been granted approval from both the U.S. and Korea Patents and Trademark Offices for its core technology of its dielectric ink. The latter provides performance for high frequency communications up to 6GHz, with circuit performance comparable to that of circuits developed using conventional manufacturing techniques. This performance, combined with the ink’s light weight and electrical dielectric properties has made the DragonFly Pro, Nano Dimension’s Precision Additive Manufacturing system and technology, very attractive for the space industry, specifically the emerging mini satellites field, where weight and size are critical design requirements.
“This patent approval is another step in our path to fundamentally change the way electronic parts are made, and add value to design and manufacturing processes,” said Amit Dror, CEO of Nano Dimension. “Radio frequency circuits such as amplifiers and antennas additively manufactured with our DragonFly Pro will be tested on the International Space Station as part of a joint Harris and Space Florida project. We are very excited about this project and the huge potential it has in development of innovative applications for space.”
AMFG opens a new office in Munich (Germany)
London-based software company AMFG has announced the opening of a new office in Germany, Munich. This opening follows the announcement of a previous funding the company receives from Innovate UK funding. It also confirms the company’s willingness to develop its AI software solutions, not only at the technical level but also at the international level.
Furthermore, as the company’s Head of R&D and Partnerships, Felix Doerr says, “Germany has long been a hub for industrial additive manufacturing. As we continue to increase our presence within the enterprise sector, having an additional sales team in Munich will bring us closer to many of the industry’s leading manufacturers and to our existing customer base, both in Germany and on the continent.”
By working with various manufacturers and by developing new production management solutions, AMFG aims to ensure that its “software solutions remain best-in-class and enable manufacturers to scale their AM facilities”.
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