3D printing service mississauga

Sofya Morozova

« I'm speaking at BioPrint to highlight the latest advances in 3D printing, as well as the latest advances in polymer materials and nanoscience. It is important to highlight the interdisciplinary nature of research,” she explains. — I wanted to present new concepts in the development of inks for 3D printing and biological applications of printed materials in my speech. I have a good experience with BioPrint. Scientific research is slower than I expected, but given the current epidemiological situation, we are moving in the right direction ".

Evgenia Kumacheva. Source: wikipedia.org

Lectures were held via Zoom due to the epidemiological situation. However, one could listen to them not only at home, but also while at ITMO University. This opportunity was used not only by students of the first non-classical university, but also by students from other universities in St. Petersburg, who were interested in the event.

« The lectures were consecutive and you could listen to everything, there were no technical problems. In total we have registered 109people , - says the main organizer of the workshop, a student of BioTech at ITMO University Alexandra Ignatenkova . - At peak moments, about 40 people listened online, up to 15 were present in the audience.

BioPrint Workshop

« The event was very successful, covering many interesting topics, from ink constituents to shape-shifting polymers; from biomaterials for 3D/4D printing to medical elastomers , — shared his impressions Zhi Hong Nie . — The audience actively participated in the seminar. The workshop itself turned out to be timely and exciting. It allowed students and scientists to exchange ideas and explore the latest developments in our » field.

The central event of the second day was a laboratory workshop for students, during which they could try with their own hands the technologies that leading scientists talked about in their lectures. About 60 participants gathered for it. The workshop was held on the basis of the SCAMT Institute.

BioPrint Workshop

The workshop consisted of four stages. The first one was devoted to the theory of direct work with 3D bioprinting. As a result, the participants passed an online test. Those who scored the best result received prizes from the organizers. Further, students could get to know ink more closely, learn more about their properties, including such an important one as thixotropy.

“ 3D printing ink must have thixotropic properties ,” explains Sophia Morozova. - That is, at a low load, they should demonstrate the behavior of a solid body, and at a large load, the properties of a liquid. Such systems surround us everywhere - ketchup and mayonnaise are examples. If we shake the bottle, they will pour out, but they still hold their shape if we scoop them up with French fries.”

BioPrint Workshop

Next, the students were shown how to work with the software that sets the pattern for printing biomaterials. At the end, participants could practice either printing a pH-sensitive wound dressing or using fluorescent inks with dyes that can glow when exposed to ultraviolet light.

« I wanted to show the guys live what 3D printing looks like. Whenever you do something with your hands, the material is remembered better . In the future, I hope this event will become the basis for a large international conference ,” Sofya Morozova concludes.

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3D printers in the military - a big overview

Overview: 3D printers in the military.

Source: https://all3dp.com/

The military industry has always been at the cutting edge of progress: many inventions either began their life as military or dual-use products, or, in the very first years after their appearance, were involved in this area . In this age of digital technology, this fate has not escaped 3D printing.

3D printers are actively used by military contractors and direct employees of all branches of the military.
In this article, we will talk about the use of 3D printing in the military-industrial complex around the world: from providing military equipment with spare parts, to operational printing of drones and buildings anywhere in the world.

In Russia,

JSC "Federal Research and Production Center "Titan-Barricades", which develops missile systems and military vehicles, has bought and uses in prototyping a kit based on an XJRP SPS450B 3D printer. The kit consists of two devices: directly a 3D printer with a large print area, working on SLA technology, and a polymer curing chamber.

The 3D printer is planned to be used to create miniatures of future parts, cases or mechanism assemblies. The first product made on this 3D printer was a prototype wheel with a tread.

Ilyushin specialists plan to produce some simple parts for the Il-112V military transport aircraft using 3D printing.

Together with specialists from the Voronezh Aircraft Plant (VASO), PJSC Il specialists use 3D-printed parts as test samples, which will be replaced with originals made by the classical method before departure. But in the future, it is planned to master the printing of simple components that will be installed on mass-produced aircraft.

Pavel Chernikov, First Deputy Director General of PJSC Il, said: “The IL-112V is being created from scratch, and many parts and components need to be improved during installation on the aircraft. We started using a 3D printer to see how right or wrong our calculations were. Such technologies make it possible not to interrupt the finalization of finished products, which, in turn, significantly reduces the installation time of equipment and reduces the cost of the production process.”

Research and Production Corporation "Uralvagonzavod" named after F. E. Dzerzhinsky purchased a 3D printer S-Max manufactured by ExOne.

This printer is designed for making sand molds. Molds are used for casting metal blanks. As the deputy chief metallurgist of NPK Uralvagonzavod said: “We will no longer have to manufacture expensive foundry equipment for experimental, new products and complex castings of small series. It will be enough for a designer to develop a 3D model of the required casting, according to which, also in 3D, the mold is made. The finished cores will go to the foundry. In addition, they can be transported to solve the problems of the corporation over any distance. "

This is not the first professional 3D printing system that Uralvagonzavod uses. In 2015, the company purchased a Fortus 400mc 3D printer manufactured by Stratasys Corporation. This printer is used in the production of parts for the T-14 "Armata" tank and other vehicles manufactured by Uralvagonzavod.

Representatives of the enterprise note that the introduction of 3D printing saves time and production resources. It is not required to spend forces on turning metal samples. If a part doesn't fit, it's easier to reprint it than remake it.

The Russian Helicopters holding, according to its CEO Andrey Boginsky, plans to 3D print about a hundred parts for rotorcraft by 2020.

In 2018-2019, it is planned to conduct a series of bench tests in order to obtain all the necessary certificates for printed parts by mid-2020. In total, it is planned to test about a hundred parts and assemblies.

Compared to traditional parts, 3D-printed parts are lighter and their production will be deployed at the Kazan Helicopter Plant. As a result of the use of parts obtained by 3D printing, the holding plans to reduce the cost of products.

In the world

The road of army 3D printing is not paved with roses. When we hear about cool 3D printed military projects, we have to consider some of the challenges that come with doing them.

Soldiers get acquainted with FORTUS.
Source: https://all3dp. com/

Quality certification problem. Many things that the army is supposed to produce using 3D printing are designed for harsh operating conditions, they are subject to high requirements for compliance with dimensions, geometry and quality, and an unsuccessfully printed part can lead not only to monetary losses, but also to the death of soldiers . This issue will most likely be resolved by certification of the 3D printers themselves.

Insufficient printing speed for the army. Even the most expensive 3D printer is not fast enough. There are also issues of privacy/security, copyright, and many other little things that are not obvious at first glance.

While these issues are being addressed, the US Department of the Navy decided to host a 3D printing hackathon. 12 organizations were invited to participate, which showed their developments in the field of 3D printing for the Navy. According to the participants, fully or partially printed inventions: “Allow to improve the ability to maintain combat readiness. ”

One of the new and memorable developments was the four-legged transporter robot (MeRlin). It turned out to be quite compact and can run, jump and walk up and down stairs. Three-dimensional printing made it possible to create, right in the supporting frame of the robot, a hydraulic manifold that serves to transfer energy to the robot drives. Those interested in robotics will find Merlin similar to the transport robots of Boston Dynamics.

Aviation

A 3D-printed drone was launched from one of the British Royal Navy ships at sea, HMS Mersey. The device was created in collaboration with the University of Southampton.

Body made of nylon, laser sintered. With a wingspan of one and a half meters, the drone weighs only three kilograms. The main task of this project was to create a small drone for exploring the surroundings, which can be quickly printed on board the ship.

The drone, named SULSA, was equipped with a small video camera. Management was carried out by researchers from Southampton using video cameras. The flight, with a range of 500 meters, lasted only a few minutes, but proved that 3D printed drones could be launched from the sea.

3D printing solves the problem of ship capacity by allowing equipment to be printed at sea as needed. The only thing you need to have on board to print a drone is a 3D printer and a supply of nylon, which is disproportionately cheaper than a case made using traditional technologies, and takes up much less space.

The only drawback is the print speed, but it is expected to improve in the near future. Engineers from the American Army Research Laboratory (ARL) are trying to fight this shortcoming. They are developing drones that can be made within a day. Engineers are building drones that can be used to assist soldiers in communication, delivery, and aerial surveillance.

Drones are made using off-the-shelf motors and propellers, but their body is almost entirely 3D printed. The maximum speed of the drone is 55 miles per hour. Drones can either be controlled by the operator from the remote control or operate in a completely autonomous mode. Work continues to reduce noise and increase flight range, maneuverability and payload.

The US Army is partnering with the Marine Corps to develop an unmanned vehicle parts catalog that can be downloaded to an employee's tablet. The software of this catalog allows you to order or 3D print a product directly from it.

In addition to experiments with drones, 3D printing is also used in “big” aviation.

For example, the US Air Force has announced that it will 3D print toilet seats for military transport aircraft. The announcement comes after a scandal erupted when it was reported that each toilet seat cost the Air Force $10,000 to replace.

The public, which already believed that the government did not always save on military spending, was extremely outraged. After an investigation initiated by one of the senators, the military department announced that it would print toilet seats on 3D printers.

Why is the toilet lid so expensive? These covers were mass-produced by Lockheed Martin, and in 2001 this giant of the military industry stopped their production. In addition, the military department explained that the C-5 toilet seat is not only a cover, but also part of the lavatory wall, which is designed to protect the body of the aircraft from corrosion that can be caused by urine.

According to the manufacturer, its high cost is due to the need to suspend the production of other goods. In the case of independent production of the Air Force, the spare part will cost only $300.

The manufacturer now claims that the US Air Force does not own the copyright to this cap. It is not known how this lawsuit will end, but the Air Force says that they will no longer buy this spare part, because they can make it themselves much cheaper.

As stated by the department: “The use of 3D printing allows us to create parts that are no longer being produced, resulting in significant cost savings. ”

Another example of 3D printing was demonstrated by the Maryland Marines. Using 3D modeling and 3D printing, they made a $70,000 F-35 fighter jet part for just 9 cents. The Marines were assisted by Sam Pratt, a mechanical engineer in the design office of the Carderock Additive Technology Factory.

Sam revealed that he was with a support platoon in South Korea teaching CLB-31 Marines how to design 3D models and how to use 3D printing. His main task was to test the performance of 3D printers on marine vessels. He also taught employees how to use Solidworks CAD.

When there was a problem printing a part needed to repair an F-35, a Marine officer offered to team up to work together. It turned out that the employees had already developed this part, but could not find the right dimensions. The fact is that they used a hobby-grade 3D printer and the free 3D editor Blender - Blender is ideal for implementing art projects, but it is difficult to create engineering products in it.

Pratt helped with modeling and printing issues, the part was printed in PET-G.

Currently there are about 90 parts for ground vehicles that are approved for 3D printing in the military, you can download one of these parts and print it.

Large manufacturers are also moving forward and mastering 3D printing technologies. Thus, the giant of the aviation and military industry Lockheed Martin is actively investing in 3D printing.

Lockheed Martin uses 3D printing in its manufacturing processes, with over a hundred 3D printers in its arsenal for prototyping, tooling and printing finished products.

There are several reasons why Lockheed Martin uses 3D printing:

• Reducing the time of production of products - up to 80%;
• Reducing the weight of parts - up to 40%;
• Proven reliability of parts in difficult conditions;
• The most important thing is the possibility of an additional increase in production in the near future.

For example, it takes 18 to 20 months to manufacture fuel tanks for spacecraft using traditional technologies. The production of such a tank by 3D printing takes two weeks. In this case, a better uniformity of the structure of the tank elements is achieved. The tanks are manufactured using a Sciaky printer using EBAM (Electron Beam Direct Manufacturing) technology, in which a bar of metal material is heated by an electron beam.

Lockheed Martin uses 3D printing in its manufacturing processes.
Source: https://all3dp. com/

Lockheed Martin 3D printed products have already passed the laboratory testing stage and are in active use. Some of them travel around our solar system: the Jupiter-exploring Juno satellite has eight 3D-printed brackets, and the Orion spacecraft uses printed high-pressure valves.

Fleet

South Korea is 3D printing loudspeaker grilles for aircraft carriers. Shipping these gratings from Europe took up to seven months and cost $612 each. The printed part is made in 4-5 hours and costs about $35. Printing parts reduces their cost and production time, and localization of production reduces dependence on foreign supplies, which may be delayed or become unavailable for various reasons.

General Electric has contracted with the US Navy to develop software for rapid 3D printing of spare parts for ships, aircraft and other critical military installations. The contract, worth nine billion dollars, is designed for four years and provides for the creation of technology "digital duplicates" - a complex of software, base models and hardware. This technology will be used both for those spare parts that are no longer manufactured, and for new parts of ships and aircraft.

The project is being implemented in two stages: at the first stage, software and hardware parts will be developed, at the second stage they will be combined into a complex capable of quickly creating the necessary products using laser metal melting technology (DMLM).

Ammunition and small arms

The US Army designed and 3D printed a fully functional grenade launcher called "R.A.M.B.O". The development of the grenade launcher took about six months. He fires 3D printed grenades

The grenade launcher consists of 50 parts, all of which, with the exception of springs and hardware, are 3D printed.

R.A.M.B.O. demonstrated characteristics similar to the M203 underbarrel grenade launcher made in the traditional way.

A US Marine team is 3D printing and testing small explosive containers that can be used on the battlefield.

The development of small arms began in the private sector, with the most primitive pistols. On the Internet, you can find drawings of products such as the sensational Liberator. The first 3D printed pistol was printed on a professional Stratasys Dimension SST printer. The gun is chambered for 9 caliber rounds.mm and is charged during assembly.

A gun whose main components are made of plastic and printed using a 3D printer. Frame: YouTube.
Source: YouTube

The very possibility of obtaining weapons using 3D printing so excited the public that the drawings of the "Liberator" were withdrawn from the public domain, and the United States introduced a ban on 3D-printed weapons.

Solid Concepts has created a replica of the .45 Browning M1911 pistol, the Solid Concepts 1911 DMLS, using selective metal laser sintering. The first sample withstood 50 shots, later ones are capable of firing 600 shots without visible damage.

Recently, the ban on the distribution of 3D printed weapons was lifted by a court decision. So, it is now possible to print weapons in the USA, with some restrictions: they can be no more than 50 mm in caliber and models cannot be freely available. This ban was easily circumvented by Defense Distributed, which posted models of their rifle for sale on one of the online services.

“Our models are not in the public domain because customers pay money for them,” a company spokesman said.

Uniforms and protection

The Vatican decided to use 3D printing technology for the production of traditional headdresses of the Swiss Guard.

The Swiss Guard is the personal guard of the Pope. From time immemorial, their form was made of metal, but now they have decided to keep up with the times. A 3D printed helmet will be significantly cheaper and, more importantly, lighter.

The helmets are made of PVC and bear the coat of arms of Pope Julius II, who founded the Swiss Guard in 1506.

The US military turned to the creators of the Iron Man costume, a movie character, for help in creating uniforms for the soldier of the future. The military commissioned Legacy Effects to develop and print the prototype components for the TALOS Special Outfit Kit.

TALOS will contain a cooling system to maintain a comfortable temperature in the suit, a tactical display and an integrated exoskeleton.

The studio team will join the large team already working on the project, which includes bioengineers, combat veterans and technologists.

Construction

The US Army Research Engineering Team printed a large building in just 21 hours. The area of ​​the building is 47.5 square meters. The barrack-style building is the result of a three-year US Army Construction Engineering Research (ACES) program with a laboratory in Champagne, Illinois.

Such a short construction time means that such temporary structures will become more affordable with the development of 3D printing. These buildings can be used as housing for refugees or temporary housing in case of natural disasters.

The building looks like an ordinary house, but in the future such buildings can be given any look. Such buildings are also more energy efficient than traditional ones - they require less energy for heating and cooling.

ACES cuts the amount of building materials used in half. Reducing the need for labor is 62%, compared with the construction of plywood structures.

ACES allows buildings to be printed using local materials.

Self-Sufficiency

A collaboration between the US Army Research Laboratory and the Marine Corps has led to the development of a technology to make 3D printed PET filament from plastic waste such as water bottles.

According to the military, water bottles and plastic packaging are the most common litter on the battlefield. Both US and allied forces produce large amounts of this waste, and the ability to recycle it will reduce the cost of transporting raw materials. The filament obtained from recycled materials, provided that it is properly cleaned and dried, is completely equivalent in tensile strength to its analogue from primary raw materials.

A plant is being developed, housed in a standard shipping container, that will allow the production of filament from waste.

The US Army is also developing food printers. Their advantages are obvious:

• the possibility of reducing the cost of food, compared with the traditional delivery of rations from abroad;
• the possibility of compiling an individual menu, in accordance with the preferences of each soldier;
• the possibility of individual balancing of the diet, depending on the dietary needs of each soldier.

The printer, like classic 3D printers, stacks components in layers.

The printer uses the ultrasonic agglomeration method to 3D print small snacks.

Electronics

University of Massachusetts Lowell researchers have developed a new way to 3D print conductive components for radar systems. They have created a new type of ink that allows radars to be made using 3D printing.

The development was sponsored by Raytheon, one of the defense industry companies.

According to the developers: “The use of this technology makes it possible to obtain cheaper and more versatile systems than those obtained by classical methods. This technology has obvious advantages in the military sphere, but it can also be used in civilian industry, for example, in the production of weather stations or unmanned vehicles. The main problem was obtaining ink with desired properties, capable of working with high-frequency radiation.”

The 3D printer is equipped with two heads with different operating principles. One applies the ink by spraying, the second fixes them by microvibration. Radar system components such as a voltage controlled capacitor (varicap), phase shifter (for electronic control of phase array radar systems) and frequency filters can be manufactured using this technology.

The ink material is based on nanoparticles that can be injected into molten plastic and then solidify with it, creating conductive structures.

The US Air Force Research Laboratory teamed up with American Semiconductor to create a silicon-polymer memory chip.

Using 3D printing technology, they have developed a new ultra-flexible chip with built-in sensors.

According to American Semiconductor, the thickness of the silicon wafer is 2000 angstroms. This tiny chip can measure humidity levels, temperature, muscle fatigue, and so on. This makes it ideal for use in new technologies for monitoring the well-being of wounded soldiers or the elderly.

Not only research laboratories, but also industrial giants are engaged in the production of flexible electronics technology.

Apple, Boeing and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology formed an alliance to collaborate with the US Department of Defense in the field of flexible electronics.

The goal of the alliance is to have high quality flexible electronics by 2020.

The Department of Defense plans to provide a consortium called the FlexTech Alliance with $75 million over 5 years and raise $96 million in additional funding.

The consortium includes 96 companies, 11 specialized laboratories, 42 universities and 14 state and regional organizations. The key partners of the consortium are Apple, Boeing, General Electric, General Motors, Lockheed Martin, Motorola Mobility, Qualcomm and many others. Partner universities include Cornell, Harvard, Stanford, New York University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Practical applications will be primarily focused on military targets such as uniforms with vital sign monitors. Pressure sensors can also be installed on vehicles to monitor deformation in key areas.

The civilian application of such microchips will help athletes control body function and improve performance, and people suffering from cardiovascular disease, control and prevent attacks. This technology will allow hospitals to monitor their patients en masse.

Concepts or Looking Ahead

British scientists and engineers are working on growing military drones using chemical technology.

Military developers explore all possible and impossible technologies. In this case, they are working on a "chemcomputer". “Chemputer” is a registered trademark of BAE Systems. The technology is being developed by Professor Lee Cronin of the University of Glasgow and is a 3D printing of biomaterial drones and aircraft.

Unlike classic 3D printers, a chemputter performs chemical reactions at the molecular level, creating everything from electronics to wings.

While British scientists are inventing new technologies in printing for the military department, simple makers are creating weapons of the future using conventional 3D printers.

So, David Wirth created a hand railgun in his workshop.

Possibly inspired by the computer game Quake, he created this weapon using CAD, a 3D printer and an Arduino platform. The railgun can use aluminum or graphite bullets as ammunition, firing them at a speed of 250 m/s. The design is based on six huge capacitors, which, with a total weight of about nine kilograms, store more than 1800 joules of energy for each shot. The railgun also consists of batteries, two parallel contact rails and a pneumatic ammunition supply system.

Conclusion

3D printing technology is increasingly used in the military.

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