Endless Possibilities for top 3D Powder ProducersHello All Longs, So much happening in 3D printing and the absolute need by the market place for the quality powder producers. Being in the game earlier than later will be critical and being a high quality 3D powder producer can only enhance PYRs' business success. Enjoy the read, Best wishes All Longs, Sincerely, Topseeker ............... Is Additive Manufacturing prepared to massive production? The majority experts agree that additive manufacturing is a complement and its not a direct competitor for techniques such as injection molding or CNC machining. 3D printing for low volume batch production is increasingly an option to bring a product to market, and analysis of trends in additive manufacturing for end use production estimate approximately one-third of Additive 3D printers are used for production. Recent uses of 3D printing for production Adidas and Carbon 3D printed sneakers April 2017 the German footwear giant adidas launched the line of 3D printed shoes Futurecraft 4D. The 3D printed sneakers production is done using digital light synthesis a photopolymerisation method from California-basedCarbon.According to Carbon, adidas has a current [production]target [of]100k by 2018 and ultimately true mass production as things scale up, aka 10s of millions. The first batch of 3D printed Futurecraft 4D shoes was released on January 18th 2018, the demand outpaced supply and resale prices for the adidas Futurecraftreached $20,000. adidas Carbon by Y-3. Image: adidas, 2018. Chanel and Erpro Group 3D printed make-up brushes Resultado de imagem para 3d erpro logoChanel, the french fashion brand announced production of the first entirely 3D printed mascara brushes would begin in June. With a patent originally filed in 2007 and in partnership with Parisian 3D printing bureau Erpro Group, 3D printed production of 1 million brushes a month is the goal. The designed product allows a higher volume of mascara to be loaded onto the make-up brush. Additive Manufacturing is used to create microcavities in the core of the brush, and also enhance its adhesion to eyelashes thanks to a larger surface area. 3D printed makeup brush. Image: Chanel Parfums Beaut Align Technology digital dentistry and 3D printed aligners The Align Technology Incs company is boasting 3D printing farm with over 60 additive manufacturing systems, has set out to revolutionise dental care, combining 3D technology with dentistry to produce 8 million orthodontics a year. Approved by the US Food and Drug Agency since 1998 and using bio-compatible polyurethane resin, The Invisalign process enables dentists to convert scans of the oral cavity into digital files, which are then used to 3D print and manufacture the customised orthodontics. 3D printing Clear Aligners. Image via Youtube/Align Technologies, Inc. Optomec and LITE-ON 3D printed smartphones While 3D printing phone cases is no rare phenomenon, Optomec, headquartered in New Mexico, started applying additive manufacturing technology to mass production in 2016. (Whats AM technology?). Optomec uses a hybrid approach, combining Additive Manufacturing with subtractive techniques such as CNC milling.(Whats CNC Machining?) According to Ken Vartanian, Vice-president of Marketing at Optomec, while CNC milling facilitates the surface polish, A large percentage of the electronics in a smartphone can be manufactured with additive manufacturing -Ken Vartanian, Optomec- LITE-ON Mobiles use Optomec 3D printing technology for mass productions. Stratasys and Airbus 3D printed aerospace components May 2015 Additive Manufacturing company Stratasys, based in Minnesotta, revealed that it had produced over 1000 parts for the Airbus A350 XWB passenger plane: Stratasys states that one of the great appeals of 3D printing technology is the flexibility it affords aircraft manufacturers, helping them meet production deadlines. Dan Yalon at Stratasys argues that 3D printing also increases the buy-to-fly ratio and results in an amount of wasted material that is considerably lesser than with traditional manufacturing processes. Airbus A350. Image: Jos Luis Celada Euba While it remains too early to declare whether Additive Manufacturing can replace traditional manufacturing methods, the potential of innovation shown by 3D Printing compared to injection molding or CNC machining is already evident.