Hardware - 3D Additive Print

Papergraphics, the wide-format print specialist, and Israel-based 3D printing specialist Massivit 3D Printing Technology have announced a partnership that will bring a revolutionary, super large-scale 3D printing solution to the UK and Ireland markets in May.

The UK-based company becomes the sole distributor of the Massivit 1800 large format 3D printer and Dimengel 3D printing material. Papergraphics will provide customers with a full service offering, including pre and after sales support. Created to meet the needs of the evolving visual communication market, the system is expected to open up realms of new possibilities to the high end signage market, entertainment industry and events sector.

Having acquired CWE Solutions in January, Papergraphics has been increasing its foothold in the hardware market following 30-plus years producing and distributing high quality media. Today’s agreement with Massivit adds a new dimension to the business, enabling its customers to create bespoke 3D sculptures that are up to 1.8m high, 1.5m wide and have a depth of 1.2m.

The announcement comes immediately after Massivit received an undisclosed investment from Stratasys, the 3D printing and additive manufacturing solutions company - the proceeds of which will be used to further develop, promote and deploy the company’s 3D printing solutions.

Avner Israeli, CEO of Massivit 3D, commented: “Our aim is to build a global presence in the large-format 3D printing market. To do that we are creating a network of experienced partners across the globe.  We feel that Papergraphics, with its experience and customer-base in the UK and Ireland, will help us achieve this goal. Not only that, the company is clearly extremely passionate and enthusiastic about the 3D revolution, which will undoubtedly help us achieve our ultimate goal.”

John Selby, CEO of Papergraphics, added: “We are delighted to have signed this agreement with Massivit. We’ve been in discussions with the company about its super-sized 3D printer since September 2015 and our engineers and technical teams have been in Israel learning everything there is to know about the device and the printing material.

“I truly believe that the Massivit 1800 will be as big an innovation for the print industry as the wide format inkjet was when it was launched. This product will change the way the visual communication market operates and the ability to create super large-scale sculptures in just a few hours shifts the goal posts of what is achievable. It’s an exciting time and we’re proud to be the only UK-based supplier of this remarkable technology.”

Papergraphics is expected to begin demonstrations of the product at its Crawley-based headquarters in May 2016.

Nottingham-based specialist distributor, Artsystems, has announced the arrival of Xativa’s cost-effective and high quality 3D Filament to the UK market.

Massivit 3D Printing Technologies Ltd. announced it has closed an investment by Stratasys, the 3D printing and additive manufacturing solutions company. The proceeds will be used to further develop, promote and deploy Massivit’s proprietary super-sized, super-fast 3D printing solutions. Terms of the investment were not disclosed.

Massivit is a manufacturer of large-format 3D printers used for rapid creation of super-sized objects. Massivit primarily targets the visual communication market, where its solutions serve to create large display objects for point-of-sale branding, advertising, exhibitions, theme parks and other applications.

Massivit’s vision is to revolutionise large-format 3D printing using its proprietary Gel Dispensing Printing (GDP) technology. The company offers for sale a super-sized, super-fast 3D printing solution comprising the Massivit 1800 system and the Dimengel 3D printing material, both created to meet the needs of the visual communication market. Next, Massivit is looking to build upon its GDP technology to craft solutions for additional markets that require fast large format-3D printing.

“The investment by Stratasys, which comes after a comprehensive due diligence process, is a strong validation of our unique technology and strong value proposition,” says Avner Israeli, Massivit CEO. “We look forward to Stratasys’ support in the fulfillment of our vision, including sharing its operational experience and insights, helping us expand into new markets and more.”

“Stratasys is actively fostering innovation in the 3D printing and additive manufacturing industry. This includes, among other activities, investing in and collaborating with start-up companies, research centres and other partners developing promising and potentially disruptive technologies,” adds Stratasys Vice President of Corporate Development & Ventures, Alon Elie. “With Massivit, we gain exposure to markets and applications in which Stratasys is not active today such as visual branding, outdoor signage, landscaping and construction. We are excited about the possible applications of Massivit 3D’s GDP technology in those markets and others, which we will jointly explore.”

The company says that investment proceeds will be used to accelerate Massivit’s market penetration, build a global presence, enhance logistic and manufacturing capabilities as well as support the continuation of the development of the company’s product portfolio.

[Images show (above): Massivit 1800 system; and (below): a 3D bull printed on the Massivit 1800]

“Going digital is surely the only route for affordable dental technology, and I would say it’s a must for all forward-thinking dental practitioners.”

Merseyside-based Thermadent Ltd., an orthodontic dental laboratory company, recently purchased an Objet30 OrthoDesk 3D printer to help digitise its workflow. The printer was installed by SMG3D – the 3D print division of the Stanford Marsh Group – and Thermadent has reaped the numerous benefits of its newly-digitised work flow.

Since February 2014, NHS Dental Services has been requesting that pre-treatment and post-treatment study models are submitted digitally. This led Thermadent to look at investing in a digital scanner to convert bulky and difficult-to-store plaster study models to 3D digital models.

Matthew Garnett, owner and Managing Director of Thermadent, explains: “I studied the 3D print market and plumped for an Objet30 OrthoDesk 3D printer, which we sourced from SMG3D. Since installation, the printer has transformed our production processes.”

“Using 3D digital study models means there’s no longer any need to store the physical study models − and we no longer need to worry about plaster model disposal. What’s more, thanks to new GDC regulations, every orthodontic practice now has to keep a record of each patient’s tooth movement indefinitely. To store each patient’s plaster study models would quickly become impossible. With digital study models all you need is a safe, secure place to store the CDs that contain the files.”

Matthew also explains that using the printer in-house has reduced lead times significantly: “The Objet30 has been specifically designed for small to medium-sized orthodontic dental labs like Thermadent. It helps us digitise our workflow from digital file to model, accelerate our production times and increase production capacity cleanly and efficiently.”

He continues: “With our digital workflow, we are able to convert chairside oral scans into precisely accurate 3D printed models, quickly. Additionally – thanks to the precise tolerances and extreme accuracy provided by the printer – our aligners are more accurate and provide a much better fit.

“Going digital is surely the only route for affordable dental technology, and I would say it’s a must for all forward-thinking dental practitioners.

“The team at SMG3D helped me decide which 3D printer was best for my needs thanks to their informed and impartial advice. Their help with installation and integration of the new machine with my existing equipment meant I could get on with the training they provided straight away, which reduced set-up time for the new Objet30 to an absolute minimum. They provided a first-class service all round.”

Adrian Painter, director of Stanford Marsh Group, comments: “Dental professionals such as Thermadent are already reaping the considerable benefits of 3D Print in terms of increased productivity, reduced costs and improved patient experience. We’re delighted to be able to supply the relevant 3D print solutions and offer the support to enable them to seamlessly transition to a digitised workflow.”

SMG3D’s knowledge and experience of 3D Print is extensive as it has supplied 3D print technology into engineering environments for rapid prototyping and digital manufacturing applications for several years; Representatives from the company look forward to discussing the potential of introducing 3D Print into their workflow process with visitors at the upcoming Dental Technology Show (Birmingham NEC, 22nd- 23rd April 2016).

For more information about Thermadent, please email info@thermadent.co.uk, or visit www.thermadent.co.uk.

For more information about the Objet30 OrthoDesk 3D printer, please visit www.smg3d.co.uk.

Massivit 3D printing Ltd. announced it has entered into a Distributor Partnership with Global Graphics for the Massivit 1800 3D printer and Massivit Dimengel print media.

UK distributor, ArtSystems, supports MakerBot 3D printer stand at bett, ExCeL, the world’s foremost education technology event.