Rize XRIZE composite printer now compatible with Synopsys platform for 3D medical printing

Platform combination enables the creation of affordable, full-color and functional 3D physical replicas from medical imaging for orthopedic, maxillofacial and cardiovascular application fields.

Next-generation additive manufacturing company Rize Inc. (Concord, Mass., U.S.) has announced that its XRIZE full-color industrial desktop composite 3D printing platform is compatible with Synopsys’ (Mountain View, Calif., U.S.) FDA 510(k)-cleared Simpleware software. More specifically, Simpleware software is cleared for creating models from medical imaging that can be exported to compatible printers such as XRIZE to produce physical replicas used for diagnostic purposes in the field of orthopedic, maxillofacial and cardiovascular applications. As part of its clearance process, Synopsys is able to use the XRIZE platform to validate an end-to-end DICOM to 3D print workflow, enabling a 3D point-of-care (POC) solution for end-users.

According to a June 2019 Allied Market Research report, 3D-printed healthcare applications are projected to reach $3.6 billion by 2026. “3D printing is becoming increasingly important in surgery, and the use of 3D-printed models has been shown to increase our understanding of musculoskeletal diseases,” says Professor Alister Hart MD, orthopedic surgeon, Royal National Orthopaedic Hospital, U.K. “We’re excited to work with RIZE’s 3D printing platform along with the Simpleware software solutions for image segmentation. Many aspects of surgical planning can benefit from 3D models — for example, to illustrate the distribution of bone density at various depths in the bone and to assist in positioning and screw placement.”

Complementing the Simpleware, XRIZE will aid creating highly durable anatomical models, surgical guides and implants with minimal effort, with vibrant color highlights on anatomical regions, bone densities and landmarking, according to Rize. Further, the printer’s UL GREENGUARD certification and minimal post-processing reportedly delivers a safety advantage while empowering clinicians and innovators with intelligent workflows that dramatically compress time and costs by 80-90%.

“Our technology has a proven track record for processing 3D images and creating models for a wide variety of applications,” says Terry Ma, VP of engineering at Synopsys. “Adding regulatory clearance for point-of-care 3D printing enables our growth in the point-of-care clinical space, where Simpleware software and our team’s technical expertise will allow for better patient care and a faster workflow for medical professionals.”

#composites #CompositePrinter

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PRF Composite Materials opens fourth manufacturing facility

The completed £6 million investment and expansion program increases the company’s R&D, capacity expansion and sustainability.

PRF Composite Materials (Poole, U.K.) announces the opening of its fourth manufacturing facility, completing an investment and expansion program approaching £6 million, and significantly increasing manufacturing and R&D capacity and capability. This state-of-the-art, purpose-built 14,700-square-foot manufacturing site brings material processing for kitting into a single, controlled environment, the company notes, increasing manufacturing efficiency and helping PRF to minimize the impact of excessive price increases seen across the industry.

In total, this new facility increases PRF’s total factory space to 40,000 square feet, and will make space in its other sites for further R&D and manufacturing expansion. Throughout 2020 and 2021, the team have reportedly been busy investing and improving in R&D, with a complete upgrade of test equipment in both chemical and material testing laboratories, thereby opening the door for new product development and technologies. The team has also increased freezer storage space to 735 cubic meters and installed an additional CNC machine and a third impregnation line. With sustainability in mind, the new site has been built with eco-efficient fixtures and fittings, including a PV system which generates 29,965 kilowatts of electricity a year, saving 16,676 kilograms of carbon dioxide.

“Completing this significant expansion and investment into both capacity and technology will ensure that PRF can meet and exceed market and customer needs for the future, with industry-leading, innovative product development and efficient manufacturing,” says Head of Operations, Dave Ellson. “PRF will continue to invest in R&D, capacity expansion and sustainability; working with our customers and supply chain with environmental needs in mind to contribute to a better future.”

#composites #PRFCompositeMaterials

> photo Credit: PRF Composite Materials
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Lanxess, INFAC develop composite battery module housing

The halogen-free, flame-retardant and glass fiber-reinforced polyamide 6 (PA6) part lowers battery module assembly weight, improves insulation and flame resistance and retains a high level of functional integration.

Specialty chemicals company Lanxess (Cologne, Germany) and Korean auto parts specialist INFAC (Seoul), which specializes in automotive control cables, actuators, antennas, and battery packs, have together developed a battery module housing for electric vehicles (EVs).

The battery housing uses Durethan BKV30FN04 from Lanxess to satisfy stringent mechanical and chemical property requirements for latest EV components. The halogen-free, flame-retardant and glass fiber-reinforced polyamide 6 (PA6) is characterized by its optimized flame-retardant and electrical properties. Lanxess notes that the material is highly processable and enables the integration of complex functions required for housing components, resulting in a smaller number of parts and a simplified assembly process as well as lighter weight.

Moreover, the new battery housing part has been adopted to series production of EV models launched by a Korean OEM this year. “Success in mass production of battery housing demonstrates Lanxess Durethan’s excellence in EV batteries, in which technology and safety are of utmost importance. Our high-performance plastics will make a significant contribution to the EV and battery markets,” says Milan Vignjevic, head of Lanxess’ High Performance Materials (HPM) business unit in Asia-Pacific.

According to Lanxess, Durethan BKV30FN04 is not only mechanically robust, but also boasts high-voltage insulation, is resistant to up to 800 volts and effectively blocking high-voltage current, characteristics that are critical in order to protect the battery from external shock. In addition to maintaining high strength and stiffness when in contact with electrolyte or cooling media, and enabling chemical resistance to suppress chemically-induced damage, the material’s flame-retardant properties help prevent or delay flames from spreading in case of a fire. Lanxess claims glass fiber-reinforced Durethan BKV30FN04’s durability to mechanical loads is also superior to unfilled PA6.
Lanxess’ engineering plastics can reportedly be applied to a wide range of battery components including battery covers, high-voltage connectors, cable brackets and battery cell cooling system pipes as well as parts for hydrogen fuel cell vehicles such as hydrogen storage tanks. It can also replace metals in various components, enabling lightweight design. Overall, it allows the production of several functional components in one process, a driver behind continuous growth in demand in the next-generation mobility market where a number of technologies and components come into play.

“High-quality materials, technical expertise and customized engineering services from Lanxess enabled us to speed up our development. This helped solidify our position in the fast-evolving EV battery parts market,” says Gyuso Lee, head of Purchasing & Development at INFAC.

Sanghun Han, head of HPM in Korea, adds that Lanxess has closely cooperated with globally leading automotive OEMs, including from Korea. “That is why we were able to identify the trends and the challenges of e-mobility at an early stage and participate in various EV and battery development projects,” Han says. “With accumulated success stories with our customers, we are establishing ourselves as a key material partner in new mobility.”

#composites #electricvehicles #Lanxess

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MAE Museum dedicated to and built largely from new and recycled carbon fiber

Museum showcases the advancements in carbon fiber development where visitors can observe transformation process of acrylic fiber into carbon fiber.

MAE Museum, designed by Carlo Ratti Associatti (CRA) and architect Italo Rota for equipment manufacturer MAE. Renderings by CRA graphic team: Gary di Silvio, Pasquale Milieri, Gianluca Zimbardi.

“From high-performance bikes to the Lamborghini Aventador car, carbon fiber is driving innovation in multiple sectors. The MAE museum celebrates a defining material of modernity, by focusing on its new circular frontier and envisioning new applications for its use,” says Carlo Ratti, founding partner at CRA and a professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT, Cambridge, Mass., U.S.). “We are delighted to work with MAE, a company whose history and know-how pioneered the transition from the original use of acrylic fiber in clothing to today’s use of carbon fiber in industries as varied as aerospace and automotive.”
International design and innovation office CRA-Carlo Ratti Associati and architect Italo Rota have unveiled the design of the MAE Museum, an exhibition space dedicated to carbon fiber, a material that is central to the future of manufacturing. The museum itself will be built largely out of carbon fiber, both new and recycled, pursuing a circular approach to design. The exhibition path will employ robotics to guide visitors through what is said to be the world’s largest archive of acrylic fiber technologies, documenting scientific advancements in the development of carbon fiber, as well as parallel changes in society and fashion. Developed for leading polymer and fiber machinery manufacturing company MAE (Fiorenzuola d’Arda, Italy), the new museum will be located near the company’s headquarters, south of Piacenza, Italy.
Carbon fiber is a lightweight, high-strength material used in everything from aerospace to the automotive industry to bicycle manufacturing. It is manufactured using a type of acrylic fiber, similar to the one commonly used in clothing, which is transformed into carbon fiber through a complex chemical process made possible by the machines produced by MAE.
Similarly, the MAE museum’s exhibition path is conceived as a twofold journey from the past into the future, from the heyday of synthetic fibers in postwar European clothing, to the latest breakthroughs in chemical and engineering research. While the museum is located inside a renovated warehouse, most interior components are built with acrylic and carbon fiber, including the entrance doors which open like a curtain.

In the first section of the museum, visitors will encounter a robotic archive warehouse, lit with dazzling white light and filled with MAE’s historical documents. A series of mechanical arms will move along the walls to extract photos, technical dossiers and campaigns from the brand’s 50-year history, and bring these items to a raised central platform, where visitors can sit and browse through them. After that, visitors will go through a long corridor where they can observe the process by which acrylic fiber is transformed into carbon fiber. This will be followed by the second section of the museum dedicated to the use of carbon fiber in contemporary industry. Within a black room enriched by an immersive installation, a set of interactive artifacts will explore the experimental applications of carbon fiber and show the most innovative prototypes made with it by leading companies in automotive and aerospace, for example.

The MAE Museum will be located at MAE’s Italian headquarters, just south of Piacenza and a one-hour drive from Milan. It will cater to different audiences including the general public and schools, as well as chemistry and engineering specialists. In early July 2021, MAE announced a collaboration with Leonardo (Rome, Italy), one of the world’s largest defense contractors, to build a €17-million pilot plant at this same location, which will produce innovative materials for use in the fields of aerospace, defense and security.

The MAE Museum project builds on recent CRA research in both the design of cultural spaces and the concept of circularity in architecture. The Italian Pavilion at Expo Dubai 2020, designed by CRA and Italo Rota along with F&M Ingegneria and Matteo Gatto, focuses specifically on the use of experimental construction materials, and will open in early October 2021. CRA also recently completed the construction of the MEET Digital Arts Center in Milan and curated the “Eyes of the City” exhibition at the eighth Bi-City Biennale of Urbanism and Architecture in Shenzhen, China.

#composites #MAEMuseum #RecycledCarbonFiber

Renderings by Carlo Ratti Associatti (CRA).
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Airbus Single-Aisle Airspace cabin enters into service with Lufthansa Group

Lufthansa becomes the first airline in Europe to feature Airbus’ new Airspace cabin, which makes extensive use of composites, on single-aisle aircraft.

As of Sept. 6, the Deutsche Lufthansa AG airline (Lufthansa, Frankfurt, Germany) has started operations with its first A320 Family aircraft — an A321neo — featuring Airbus’ new Single-Aisle Airspace cabin, which makes extensive use of composites. In doing so, the airline is said to becomes the first operator in Europe to introduce the new Airspace cabin feature for passengers on board A320 Family aircraft. In 2018 Lufthansa Group, a long-time A320 Family customer, chose to equip more than 80 of its new A320 Family aircraft on order from Airbus with Airspace cabins.

The new Airspace features include slimmer sidewall panels for extra personal space at shoulder level; better views through the windows with redesigned bezels and completely integrated window shades; large, composite overhead bins for 60% more bags; the latest full LED lighting technologies; LED-lit “entrance area”; and new lavatories with hygienic touchless features and antimicrobial surfaces.

“Lufthansa has once again made a choice of innovation and passenger appeal, raising the bar for the flying public at large to experience next-level, Airbus leading cabin innovations,” says Christian Scherer, Airbus chief commercial officer and head of international. “I am delighted to welcome one of our long-term partners, Lufthansa, to become the first European operator for the A320neo Family Airspace cabin. I can’t wait to fly on one of these aircraft.”

Head of Customer Experience, Lufthansa Group Heike Birlenbach emphasizes that, regardless of the crisis, Lufthansa continues to focus emphatically on a premium product for its guests. “For us, premium means providing high-quality, individualized and relevant offers for all our passengers at all times,” says Birlenbach. “With the new Airspace Cabin, we are significantly improving the travel experience on short-haul routes and setting a new industry benchmark.”

Lufthansa has been operating the A320-family since the 1980s and is reported to have been the first operator of the A321 and the A320neo. The airline group is one of the biggest Airbus operators worldwide.

At the end of July 2021, the A320neo Family had received more than 7,400 orders from more than 120 customers worldwide.

#composites #airbus

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Carbon Mobile relocates smartphone production to Germany

Carbon Mobile’s Carbon 1 MK II, a carbon fiber, plastic-neutral smartphone, aims to close the gap on e-waste.

Carbon Mobile (Berlin, Germany) has relocated its production of sustainable composite smartphones to Germany.

In partnership with commerce and lifecycle service provider Ingram Micro (Irvine, Calif., U.S.), the company's future devices will be produced in the former Motorola factory in Flensburg. In addition, the price of the Carbon 1 MK II smartphone, which launched in March 2021, will lower to €599. Carbon Mobile contends that the Carbon 1 MK II is the world’s first carbon fiber smartphone.

“With the new location in Germany, we can reduce our exhaust emissions for the production and transport of our devices even further and create new jobs in the coming years,” notes Firas Khalifeh, founder and CEO of Carbon Mobile. “Ingram Micro already operates the workshops for the repair of our smartphones and can therefore bring comprehensive knowledge of our technology into production.”

Today, the industry reportedly produces 50 million tons of e-waste every year, most of which cannot be recycled. Khalifeh reports, “Working with advanced materials is the necessary first step to closing the loop on e-waste. The Carbon 1 MK II is built with a lightweight monocoque body, making it 33% lighter than the average smartphone. If all devices were made in this way, the industry could save 100,000 tons of the earth’s resources every year.”

A partnership with Cleanhub (Berlin, Germany) enables 500 grams of plastic waste to be collected from the ocean for every device sold, reportedly making it the world’s first plastic-neutral smartphone. The company says future generations of its smartphone devices will include bio-based carbon fiber and enhanced reparability features to increase the lifecycles of its products.

The Carbon 1 MK II is made from Carbon Mobile’s HyRECM technology, a hybrid material that is characterized by its strength and light weight.

#composites #electronics #sustainability #carbonfiber

Photo Credit: Carbon Mobile
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Brazilian consumption of composites fell 4.6% in 2020

A survey from the Latin American Composite Materials Association (ALMACO) found that despite the drop, Brazil’s composites revenues rose 3.9%, reaching $561 million USD.

The Latin American Composite Materials Association’s (ALMACO) (São Paulo, Brazil) recent survey found that Brazilian consumption of composites fell 4.6% in 2020, totaling 208,000 tons. Despite the drop, the sector revenues rose 3.9%, reaching $561 million USD — a supposed result of increases in the prices of raw materials, particularly resin and fiberglass.

According to the ALMACO survey, civil construction accounted for 35% of Brazilian consumption of polyester composites in 2020, ahead of transport (20%), corrosion/sanitation (17%), leisure/swimming pools (12%), wind energy (6%), electricity (4%), marine (2%) and clothing (1%), among others. For composites based on epoxy resin, wind power generation led with 91%, ahead of oil and gas (4%) and electronics (3%).

“Although there was a strong recovery in the second half of the year, the effects of the pandemic at the beginning of 2020 were very intense and, in some cases, such as in the bus segment, they last until now,” comments Erika Bernardino Aprá, president of ALMACO.

For 2021, ALMACO expects an 11% growth in consumption, totaling 230 thousand tons of composites — in value, $650 million USD (+16%). According to ALMACO, civil construction remains heated, as well as the demand from industries that deal with highly corrosive processes, environments in which composites stand out due to their high chemical resistance.

#composites #ALMACO #fiberglass #Brazilian

Photo Credit: Latin American Composite Materials Association

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LunaLab rover testing.
Photo Credit, all images: Anisoprint

Anisoprint continuous fiber co-extrusion technology powers lunar rover vehicle

Carbon fiber-reinforced wheel mount and control arm design reduces lunar rover weight to as low as 24 and 64 grams, respectively.

Anisoprint (Esch-sur-Alzette, Luxembourg, U.K.), a manufacturer of continuous fiber 3D printing systems, has used its continuous fiber co-extrusion technology to produce lightweight parts for a lunar rover designed by student team Kepler, winners of ActInSpace 2020, said to be the largest worldwide “hackathon” for the development of new, space-related solutions. The moon rover was tested at the University of Luxembourg’s LunaLab, which has a simulated lunar environment, on Sept. 21, and was exhibited on Sept. 27 (DemoDay).

The Kepler team that developed the rover itself won the “Configure test a DIY lunar rover” challenge portion of the competition, receiving support from experts at the Space Robotics Research Group from SnT and Technoport to explore the business concept and to build the lunar rover on the basis of a prototyped rover configuration. The primary challenge for the team was to make a robot with a mass under four kilograms. With 3D-printed composites an ideal option for lightweight and high strength, the company turned to Anisoprint.

“Application cases we deal with primarily come from areas where isotropic materials proved ineffective, which means we always change the design for anisotropic reinforcement, both geometry and weight count here,” says Aleksey Ivanov, Anisoprint application engineer. “Composite 3D printing has a large potential for aerospace, and we help people explore it and get maximum benefit from the technology.”

To achieve this weight reduction, two suspension parts — a wheel mount and control arm — were remodeled. Carbon fiber was the chosen reinforcement, and SmoothPA to achieve a polished surface. The resulting part weight is as low as 64 grams for the control arm and 24 grams for the wheel mount (only 15% infill was used).

#composites #Anisoprint #space

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The load compartment well can withstand high mechanical stresses and is around 30% lighter than comparable sheet metal designs.
Photo Credit: Lanxess

Lanxess Tepex composite material lightweights luxury sedan load compartment well

PA6 Tepex dynalite thermoplastic blank reinforced with continuous glass fiber fabrics withstands high mechanical stresses and achieve 30% lighter weight than comparable sheet metal components.

Lanxess (Cologne, Germany) has applied its Tepex dynalite continuous fiber-reinforced thermoplastic composite materials in the manufacture of the load compartment well installed in the Mercedes-Benz S-Class luxury sedan to accommodate the vehicle’s 48V on-board powder supply battery. Lanxess says the composite components can withstand high mechanical stresses and are around 30% lighter than comparable sheet metal components.

“In the event of a crash, the battery must not penetrate or in any way damage the recess wall. This is ensured by the high strength and stiffness of our fabric-based composite material,” says Dr. Klaus Vonberg, application expert for Tepex at Lanxess. “The composite design also ensures that the load compartment well is leaktight, preventing the ingress and egress of fluids like water and battery electrolyte.”

The safety component is manufactured in a hybrid molding process using a ~110 x 80-centimeter blank produced by a water cutting machine. The blank is made from polyamide 6 (PA6)-based Tepex dynalite 102-RG600(2), which is reinforced with two layers of continuous glass fiber-reinforced fabrics. Moreover, Lanxess’ PA6 Durethan BKV60H2.0EFDUS060 is used as a back-injection material to integrate fasteners and reinforce the ribs. Sixty percent of its mass comprises short glass fibers, says Lanxess, which also optimizes its strength and stiffness for its use with the Tepex material.

Forming (draping) of the blank is then performed by a stamp, a highly complex process, among other things, the company says, due to the high draw ratios. This is because the composite material does not expand plastically like sheet metal but undergoes deformation in response to the movement (draping) of the fibrous material, which means that the composite material has to be continuously supplied from the outside during the forming process. If the movement is too great, the fibers can inhibit the forming process, breaking as a result and impacting the rest of the process.

Lanxess also employed a range of virtual calculation models, enabling the company to precisely simulate the draping process — including determining the optimum 3D cutting geometries of the blank and its forming behavior — to better predict and analyze the forming effects and respond accordingly.

“For the load compartment well, we also determined when the critical shearing angle of the fabric is reached during forming, where wrinkles form and where fibers start to break,” says Vonberg. “Our calculations and simulations also helped to ensure that the rounded corners of the component can withstand the expected loads.” The local orientation of the continuous fibers themselves in component areas with a pronounced 3D contour (e.g., in the rounded corners) was also simulated. This is a prerequisite for precisely predicting mechanical behavior in terms of integrative simulation. “All of this is part of our service offering under the HiAnt brand with which we supported our customers’ development experts in designing the load compartment well,” says Vonberg.

Looking to the future, Vonberg notes that Lanxess also sees potential in electric vehicles (EVs). “For safety devices, complete battery system housing or components for the stowage space are now available under the ‘hood’ — because our lightweight structural material is much lighter than metal and so helps to extend the range of EVs,” he concludes.

#composites #Lanxess #lightweights

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Integration of the ESM-2 for Orion. Photo Credit: Airbus