Is this the One? Minneapolis Strikes!

Our friends in Minneapolis have taken the next step in breaking down the barriers to using RP, RM, 3D Printing...or whatever you want to call it this week.

Launched yesterday (Monday 26th) at Dimension's annual reseller conference in Anaheim, California the uPrint breaks $15,000 barrier offering, so the press release states, "a fully functional, desktop-sized 3D printer". Now we've heard these claims before but Stratasys and its business groups rarely take a wrong turn.

The key thing here, and the reassuring thing, is that the system uses Dimension's proven FDM technology which removes the worry about how and if the process works, It already does in hundreds of machines around the world. The only real difference is in the size of the machine, and Stratasys have previous here too!

It's designed purely for the desktop, the uPrint requires only a 25 x 26 in. footprint and features an 8 x 6 x 6 in. build envelope. It builds models with Stratasys ABSplus — a material claimed to be on average 40 percent stronger than the company’s standard ABS material, which should make it ideally suited for form, fit and function testing. The models have a soluble support removal system which saves you getting your paws dirty.

Stratasys are understandably excited about this launch, Jon Cobb, vice president and general manager of 3D printing for Stratasys explains “uPrint is an important advance for Dimension’s product line, providing users a networked, desktop-sized 3D printer capable of building durable, accurate models ready for testing.....uPrint will appeal to designers, engineers, architects, artists, teachers and others working in CAD. With uPrint, they can get an affordable, high-quality 3D modeling system that’s available today.”

They've produced a nifty little video to go with the launch that you can view here: www.dimensionprinting.com - we are looking forward to seeing it action in real time soon!

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MM Live 2009 - Demand for Exhibition Space Exceeds Expectations

Following the highly successful first edition of MM Live 2008, the UK Micro Precision and Nano Manufacturing Event, demand for exhibition space has proven extremely high.

With nine months still to go before the doors open at the Ricoh Arena, Coventry, on 20th–21st October 2009, many companies have already reserved exhibition space with other organisations still in the process of choosing a stand for the show. This dedicated support from across the micro industry demonstrates that MM Live is set to become the industry-leading event for manufacturers of micro, precision components.

The 2009 edition has increased its floor space to over 2000 square meters, giving exhibitors the opportunity to operate even more of their machines in live working conditions. Companies who have already confirmed their presence at MM Live 2009 include: Rondol, SwissTec, Rainford Precision Machines, Kern, Tenable, MicroBridge, Sarix, Vision Engineering, Accumold, Laser Micro Machining, Tecan and Steec, to name but a few.

MM Live is a global showcase for all aspects of the mass manufacture of small to micro precision parts, whether a company can make them to order or supply the machinery to mill, cut or mould. Exhibits cover the full spectrum of micro manufacturing techniques from laser cutting, welding, and micro machining to injection moulding, inspection & measurement, photo etching, handling and assembly.

More than 1000 visitors attended the debut UK micro manufacturing show in 2008 demonstrating that this exhibition has provided the industry with a much-needed platform to share its products and knowledge with micro manufacturers. Visitors attended from all over the UK and Europe, even coming from as far a field as Canada, USA, Japan and Israel.

MM Live 2009 is co-located with TCT Live, the UK’s number one product development and manufacturing technology exhibition.

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Rapid Manufacturing Conference Call for Papers

The Rapid Manufacturing Conference will be a featured highlight of the TCT Live 2009 programme. A successful and much-respected event, now in its 14th year, the conference will focus solely on the application of rapid manufacturing — the production of end use parts using additive layer manufacturing technologies. With more and more companies realising the benefits of rapid manufacturing in terms of time and costs of production, there has never been a better time to share and learn about this technology.

The event organisers are now invitingpaper submissions for its 2009 programme. The conference, which will once again take place at the prestigious and well-positioned Ricoh Arena in Coventry 20th–21st October 2009, will be fully dedicated to the applications of Rapid Manufacturing technologies together with the associated business issues.

The Conference Manager would welcome any paper submissions from parties interested in presenting at the TCT 2009 conference. Only papers that present a definitive application of RM — using additive fabrication — should be submitted. The paper should consider the design issues, the business benefits in terms of time-to-market and financial objectives, material issues and part performance.

All submissions must be non-promotional in content and presented by companies that are utilising and/or researching the technologies for an industrial application. Furthermore, all papers will be reviewed by an external committee to ensure that they meet the necessary and exacting requirements of TCT.

No vendor papers will be accepted from companies that sell machines, materials or associated services.

Interested parties are initially requested to submit a detailed abstract (around 300 words) of their proposed paper on or before 1st February 2009. This should include the working title, all authors/contributors and their affiliations.

Please submit abstracts to Jenna Reid via email: jenna@rapidnews.com

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