“Everybody needs a passion. That’s what keeps life interesting. If you live without passion, you can go through life without leaving any footprints.”
– Betty White, “If You Ask Me (And Of Course You Won’t)
1. 2021 Additive in Review
We’ve all got big plans and expectations for 2022, and my January is slated to be busy … And honestly, I’m not in tears that my new year was stunted by being snowed in and having to survive power outages. C’est la vie! Anyway, one of the biggest areas in manufacturing for what seems to have been the past decade is additive. Here are some of the highlights from last year. Also, pour some out for E3D founder Sanjay Mortimer, legendary NFL coach John Madden, and comedic icon Betty White. Good year – but a brutal December.
2. Formlabs Has the Need for Speed
Back when they launched, Formlabs brought the world an accessible approach to high-res stereolithography. Today, “the new printers are updates to the Form 3 and 3B, announced back in 2019. The main update here is speed — promising exposure and printing that’s up to 40% faster than earlier models.”
3. The New Additive Kid on Kickstarter Is Here and Already Funded
Speaking of printer companies that launched on Kickstarter … Tiertime has funding down to a science. Maybe next month they’ll announce going public via SPAC!
4. Experimenting With DIY Silicon Chips
I spy 1-2-3 blocks in this article! File this under “What goes into processing silicon and manufacturing chips.” No, this isn’t a guide to making your own RTX 3090 or Threadripper, but it is a good excuse to have some fun with a fiber laser.
5. Hyundai and Boston Dynamics Get Meta
“In the Metamobility era, robots and connected cars will be a medium that links humans with the virtual world, a digital twin of the physical world.”
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