According to data from the General Administration of Customs, China's 3D printing equipment exports will be 3.525 million units (excluding parts) in 2023, an increase of 88% over 2022. The export value of 3D printers was 6.15 billion yuan (excluding parts), an increase of 68.5%. Recently, the 2023 financial report data of major companies is still being announced. In today's 3D printing briefing, we pay attention to the data and development trends of domestic and foreign companies in 2023, and at the same time pay attention to and understand the application and breakthrough bed innovation of 3D printing technology in the fields of nuclear power and aerospace, and finally pay attention to a recent domestic research progress in bio3D printing.
Capital Aerospace Machinery Co., Ltd. is affiliated to the China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation Launch Vehicle Technology Research Institute, which is the largest launch vehicle assembly and integration enterprise in mainland China and the only rocket hydrogen and oxygen engine manufacturing enterprise. It is understood that the company's additive manufacturing technology has been applied in more than 40 models of products, creating an annual output value of nearly 100 million yuan in 2023.
At present, the company has applied this structural part to multi-type aerospace products rudder wings, sleeves and other products, which can meet the multi-functional composite needs of weight reduction, bearing and heat insulation at the same time, which can be called a subversive breakthrough. In addition, the additive manufacturing branch has also made breakthroughs in the key technology of negative Poisson's ratio structure design and manufacturing, independently developed a design platform for extremely small surface structures, and made a breakthrough in the precise preparation technology of porous structures...... In terms of aerospace special materials, an additive manufacturing system covering 8 categories and more than 10 grades has been established, which provides strong support for the upgrading of aerospace products.
For more information about the application cases and knowledge of additive manufacturing in the aerospace field, please visit the TCT Asia Summit - Aerospace Forum on May 8, 2024 (Wednesday) to learn about the multi-angle and multi-path technology sharing of major leading application companies!
It is understood that the turnover of FGF granular 3D printer equipment in 2023 will exceed 100 million yuan, and the sales volume will be nearly 400 units, setting a new milestone in the FDM industry.
Among the many 3D printing businesses of Goldstone 3D, plastic 3D printing based on the FDM principle accounts for a large proportion of the business segment. Among them, particle 3D printing technology is an important product launched by Kingstone 3D on the basis of years of research and development. Compared with traditional light-curing and fused deposition technologies, particle 3D printing technology has a higher printing speed and a wider range of applications, and can be used to print parts and components with various complex structures, which are widely used in aerospace, automotive, medical and other fields.
Nano Dimension, a leading provider of additively manufactured electronics (AME) and multidimensional polymers, metals and ceramics, is understood to have revenue of $56.3 million in fiscal 2023, up 29% from fiscal 2022. Gross margin for fiscal year 2023 was 45%, up 41% from 32% in fiscal year 2022. Its "net cash burn" metric decreased, down 42% from 2022 to 2023, from $146 million to $84 million.
Faced with this critical issue, Nano Dimension announced significant layoffs as part of the "Reinventing Nano" program launched at the end of 2023. The program is designed to improve the company's operational and financial health, and is expected to save money each year. As a direct result of this initiative, Nano Dimension expects to reduce its cash outlay by $12 million to $20 million by 2024. These savings should be reflected in financial reporting starting in the first quarter of 2024.
Westinghouse recently manufactured its 1,000th 3D-printed fuel flow plate for the VVER-440 reactor. These flow plates are believed to be the first-ever safety-related additive manufacturing components to enter mass production and are installed in VVER-440 fuel assemblies. The design takes advantage of the design of additive manufacturing, redesigning the bottom of the component and is said to provide more powerful performance. These panels have been shortlisted as finalists for the 2024 TCT Awards for Industrial Product Applications.
Westinghouse Electric 3D printed fuel flow plates
It is understood that Westinghouse's technology is the foundation for nearly half of the world's operating nuclear power plants. The Pennsylvania-based company first conducted an irradiation study of AM nuclear component materials back in 2015 and has since used the technology to explore ways to reduce the cost and lead time of energy generation. Five years later, it installed the first safety-relevant 3D printed component in an operating commercial reactor, a thimble plugging device fabricated using metal powder bed fusion technology. The unit was used in nuclear reactors, helped lower the fuel assemblies into the nuclear reactor core, and was installed in the Byron 1 nuclear power plant in Exelon during the spring refueling shutdown.
BAM (Federal Institute for Materials Research and Testing) will continue its research project on high-efficiency gas turbines at the WvSC (Werner von Siemens Industry and Science eV Center) for two years. Funded by the State of Berlin and the European Union, these projects aim to optimize the maintenance, repair and development processes of gas turbine blades and to develop sustainable additive manufacturing solutions.
Gas turbines play a vital role in energy production, and their efficiency and sustainability are very important. However, challenges such as turbine blade wear due to corrosion and harsh operating conditions require innovative solutions. The goal of the research project is to use state-of-the-art additive manufacturing processes and digital solutions to improve the productivity and performance of gas turbine manufacturing, improve the reusability of materials, and unlock previously untapped potential.
In 2021, Vitesse Systems, a California-based leader in aerospace and defense technology, acquired Custom Microwave Inc. to invest in and enhance its metal additive manufacturing capabilities. The company is committed to advancing technological advancements in the aerospace and defense industries, and this strategic acquisition expands its design engineering capabilities to optimize antenna performance. Now, Vitesse Systems has announced the delivery of its first 3D-printed satellite antenna, which has been integrated into the Tomorrow-R1 satellite, the first commercial weather radar satellite.
Additive Manufacturing Solutions (AMS) recently purchased the SLM 280 2.0 system from Nikon SLM Solutions. This strategic investment is being driven by Nikon SLM Solutions' UK partner, Kingsbury, to enhance AMS's ability to produce advanced materials and novel alloys. Additure, a division of the Kingsbury Group, is dedicated to accelerating the adoption of metal additive manufacturing technologies. In the future, the new equipment and the AMS team will also receive further support from Additure.
AMS is developing high-value circular economy materials by developing and manufacturing metal powders for additive manufacturing using recycled parts, an approach that will rely on the capabilities of the SLM 280 2.0 system. The introduction of this machine will have a significant impact on AMS's production efficiency, supporting its growth in the UK motorsport and defence and aerospace markets.
Recently, Wu Chengtie, a researcher at the Shanghai Institute of Ceramics of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, led a research team to make new progress in the use of bio-3D printed neural constructs for complex tissue regeneration. Aiming at the key element of "neuromodulation tissue regeneration and functionalization", the research team proposed to combine silicate bioceramic-based bioinks with neural stem cells to innovatively construct a neuronal construct using bio3D printing.
This study provides a potential strategy for the realization of complex tissue regeneration based on bioceramic/neural stem cells, and also provides a new idea for the design of a new generation of complex tissue engineering biomaterials.
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TCT Asia 2024
Time & Place
May 7 09:00 – 17:30
May 8, 09:00 – 17:30
May 9 09:00 – 15:00
National Exhibition and Convention Center (Shanghai) Hall 7.1 & 8.1
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