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🖨️ On the Ground at Zeda’s New 3D Printing Facility with Shri Shetty and Greg Morris
Zeda, originally PrinterPrezz, primarily works with medical implants and related instrumentation, and Morris explained that when PrinterPrezz acquired his Vertex Manufacturing company, they were “brought on board to continue to do what we do with aerospace and the DoD, and energy, and other industries, but also a significant medical focus and making the actual cervical spinal implants and instrumentation.”
Walking through the large factory, Morris said that, save for a few aisles, the concrete floors would all soon be covered with epoxy, some of which you can see in the above image. In terms of automation being used, we passed by a Makino a51nx 4-axis CNC machining center, and a system of “carrier pallet mobile systems,” which allows operators to set up different jobs on the steel pallets. Morris said this was “a good example of trying to take and automate equipment in order to really perform lights-out manufacturing.”
Michelin and Fives’ AddUp: From Making Tires to Making Metal 3D Printers
In 2015, an announcement was made signaling the entry of a new, large player in the 3D printing industry. The Michelin Group and industrial engineering firm Fives launched a joint venture to develop metal 3D printing technology.
Upon looking into AM further, Ferreiro said the company was able to determine that it was possible to create better tires, with such features as improved grip resistance. The next step was figuring out the cost structure related to 3D printing tire molds, as well as whether or not it was even feasible to mass produce tires using these molds, leading the company to purchase some AM systems and begin testing.