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How Additive Manufacturing Assisted in the Fight Against Covid-19

The onset of coronavirus has fundamentally changed the way we live. At the beginning of the crisis, it was feared that the NHS may not have the capacity to cope with the surge in demand and that items of personal protective equipment (PPE), vital in the protection of health care professionals from contracting and transmitting the virus, were in short supply. It became apparent that existing supply-chains and production lines of equipment such as N92 masks; face shields; scrubs and gloves could not adapt quickly enough to meet demand; therefore, a rapid response was required. Read more

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Improving the Lives of those Suffering with Muscular Dystrophy through Additive Manufacturing

A loss in limb mobility is a growing issue within the UK. Such issues are prevalent across a broad spectrum; ranging from mild discomfort to a complete loss of mobility. The most typical cause are experiencing a stroke and reduced mobility due to old age. The more infrequent but more severe form of this is attributed to muscular dystrophy, a range of diseases that centre around muscle wasting, typically leaving the person with severely reduced or no mobility. Read more

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My Internship with ITERATE

I was fortunate enough to be given the opportunity to undertake a 6-week industrial placement with ITERATE as part of my Masters degree. I was tasked with designing a medical or healthcare product which leveraged FDM 3D printing, which lends itself to mass-customisation and batch production. This project was based upon the growing market trend of bespoke 3D printed medical devices. Read more

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The Future of Design is Generative

Recently, our design team visited Autodesk’s Advanced Manufacturing Facility in Birmingham to take part in a generative design workshop. It was an event arranged by Autodesk to demonstrate the capabilities of their generative design software and offering a hands-on opportunity to explore the software’s functionality. Read more

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How We Are Accelerating Time-to-Market using 3D Printed Mould Tools

As Product Designers, we use 3D printing nearly every day to check fits, validate geometry and to experiment with mechanisms. The gap between 3D printing being a prototyping tool and a fully-fledged production method is closing. Regardless of these advancements there is always going to be a place for ‘traditional’ production methods such as injection moulding. The constraints involved with injection moulding are evident to anyone who has attempted to bring a product to market. Mould tools can cost in the thousands and take weeks if not months to be put into operation.

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We Hope You Have An Electric Christmas!

To celebrate a fantastic year (and for a bit of Christmas fun), we decided to demonstrate the benefits of conductive ink and how this could be integrated with 3D printed polymers. Conductive ink can be used to remove the need for wires in electronic assemblies, which can help reduce weight; cost of production; and reduce assembly time. Our simple Christmas tree illustrates how power from a 3V battery can be connected to a series of LEDs to achieve a consistent and reliable connection. Read more

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How 3D Printing is Disrupting Dentistry

3D printing is bringing a smile to many Dentists’ due to its high accuracy, reliability, reduction of turnaround time and the improvement of services. Stereolithography (SLA) printing uses an optical system to cure resin, accurate to a tolerance of ± 35 microns. The printer converts a digital 3D model into paths that a laser will then trace layer by layer into a resin bath. The laser cures the resin, converting the digital model into a physical object within a few hours. Read more

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