About a year ago, we posted a similar podcast which discussed the relatively new concept of Design for Additive Manufacturing (DfAM). Today, as we are one year wiser and with that many more print hours logged, these design techniques are ever more relevant as we take on new feasibility projects, new 3D printer manufacturers enter the market or current entities release new machines, and more people have begun their 3D printing journey.

With all the buzz around AI these days, I figured I would ask ChatGPT the question: "How should I design a part to be 3D printed?"....here is a snippet of its response: "Designing a part for 3D printing requires thoughtful consideration of the printer, material, and intended use of the part. [DfAM] opens up opportunities for complex geometries, lightweight structures, and customization but also requires addressing unique constraints such as layer adhesion, anisotropy, and support requirements." It then went on to provide me with a, "step-by-step guide to help you design effectively for additive manufacturing." (I'll later include a link here to a blog-type post on our website including the rest of ChatGPT's response.)

Speaking of anisotropy, my esteemed guest today is Fedor Antonov, the CTO of Anisoprint - a continuous carbon fiber 3D printing company who's tagline is: Stop metal thinking, start anisoprinting. Fedor and I enthusiastically dived into all of the considerations of DfAM in this podcast and highlighted the fact that 3D printers are far from magic boxes which produce parts effortlessly on the first try. I hope that you can take a few nuggets of information out of this podcast and start applying them to your own additive manufacturing projects!

Anisoprint: https://anisoprint.com/

Fedor Antonov: https://www.linkedin.com/in/fedor-antonov/

We hope you enjoy this episode, if you have any suggestions for topics I should cover, or would like to be a guest on the podcast yourself, feel free to reach out over email or through LinkedIn! You can also learn more about what we do at Ascent Fabrication by checking us out online.

Website: www.ascentfab.com

Email: [email protected]

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jkfairley3rd/

YouTube: @ascentfab

Instagram: @ascentfab

Ecovate 3D is a budding small business in Raleigh, NC that is led by a wonderful fellow 3D printing enthusiast, Beverly Tan. Beverly's retail store in Raleigh boasts ready-to-pick up filament of all colors of the rainbow and a select offering of desktop 3D printers for entry-level and soon-to-be expert users. She prides herself on her focus of educating young individuals on all of the possibilities of things they could produce on these printers and encourages a very welcoming environment where people can learn all they would need to know in order to get started. Just wait to see where Ecovate 3D will be in the coming years!

Ecovate 3D: https://ecovate3d.com/

Beverly Tan: https://www.linkedin.com/in/beverlytan/

We hope you enjoy this episode, if you have any suggestions for topics I should cover, or would like to be a guest on the podcast yourself, feel free to reach out over email or through LinkedIn! You can also learn more about what we do at Ascent Fabrication by checking us out online.

Website: www.ascentfab.com

Email: [email protected]

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jkfairley3rd/

YouTube: @ascentfab

Instagram: @ascentfab

Continuous carbon fiber additive manufacturing...it looks space-age because it IS space-age! On this technical episode of Fabrication Friday I dive deep into the nuances of continuous fiber fabrication (CFF) with Jacob Smith from Continuous Composites (which they also call CF3D®). Jacob is an Application Engineer who is well versed in the DfAM techniques for non-planar CFF and discusses some of these thought provoking considerations which result in impactful applications for this unique 3D printing method, such as in the aerospace industry.

Jacob Smith: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jacobdsmith193/

Continuous Composites: https://www.continuouscomposites.com/

We hope you enjoy this episode, if you have any suggestions for topics I should cover, or would like to be a guest on the podcast yourself, feel free to reach out over email or through LinkedIn! You can also learn more about what we do at Ascent Fabrication by checking us out online.

Website: www.ascentfab.com

Email: [email protected]

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jkfairley3rd/

YouTube: @ascentfab

Instagram: @ascentfab

The phrase "cutting edge" hardly begins to describe the innovative forms of and applications for additive manufacturing that is going on at the Rochester Institute of Technology AMPrint Center - Center for Additive Manufacturing and Multifunctional Printing. My good friend Jade Myers is a Research Development Specialist at the AMPrint Center and is a wealth of knowledge when it comes to DfAM techniques and finding creative solutions for new forms of 3D printing. Her PhD in Mechanical and Industrial Engineering focused on an intricately elegant upper extremity prosthesis which utilizes several forms of 3D printing and post processing techniques. This was a really fun chat which touches on several new and newly explored areas of the additive manufacturing industry.

Jade Myers: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jade-myers-prosthetics/

Email: [email protected]

RIT AMPrint Center: https://www.rit.edu/AMPrint/

We hope you enjoy this episode, if you have any suggestions for topics I should cover, or would like to be a guest on the podcast yourself, feel free to reach out over email or through LinkedIn! You can also learn more about what we do at Ascent Fabrication by checking us out online.

Website: www.ascentfab.com

Email: [email protected]

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jkfairley3rd/

YouTube: @ascentfab

Instagram: @ascentfab

What does it actually take to implement additive manufacturing within your business? Are you using AM for your own needs, or otherwise marketing a product B2B or B2C? There is a lot to think about when you initially want to source the most effective 3D printer, materials, and software for your application. Today I'm speaking with Bryan Craft who has been involved with a couple companies attempting to leverage additive manufacturing for medical applications. Bryan has a front row seat to the day-in day-out roller coaster of marketing and selling additive manufacturing workflows and products to clinicians and end users.

Bryan Craft LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bryancraft/

Bryan Craft YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@Accessible3D

Disclaimer - Bryan Craft is an Application Specialist for Spentys - an Orthotics and Prosthetics software company. This interview does not in any way reflect the views of Spentys and Bryan's words here are his personal opinions.

We hope you enjoy this episode, if you have any suggestions for topics I should cover, or would like to be a guest on the podcast yourself, feel free to reach out over email or through LinkedIn! You can also learn more about what we do at Ascent Fabrication by checking us out online.

Website: www.ascentfab.com

Email: [email protected]

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jkfairley3rd/

YouTube: @ascentfab

Instagram: @ascentfab

The Fabrication Friday podcast is back after a short hiatus and ready to bring you enriching content from the 3D printing industry! Today we are joined by Alex Parton of Parton Prints - a family-run 3D printing business out of Atlanta, GA focusing on consumer products from cosplay to custom lighting. Their filament brand, FilaFi, offers high quality PLA in a wide variety of vibrant colors and offers easy, consistent printing. On this episode, Alex and I chat about his journey starting his side hustle and turning it into a family affair that him and his wife operate in parallel to their day jobs. If you're interested in starting a 3D printing side hustle, or even looking to grow your side hustle into a growing business, this is a great episode for you!

Parton Prints - https://partonprints.com/

FilaFi PLA - https://partonprints.com/collections/filafi-filament

If you're a true go-getter and looking for some inspiration, check out the podcasts mentioned in this episode:

Real Business Owners Podcast

The Game, Alex Hormozi

We hope you enjoy this episode, if you have any suggestions for topics I should cover, or would like to be a guest on the podcast yourself, feel free to reach out over email or through LinkedIn! You can also learn more about what we do at Ascent Fabrication by checking us out online.

Website: www.ascentfab.com

Email: [email protected]

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jkfairley3rd/

YouTube: @ascentfab

Instagram: @ascentfab

TikTok: @ascentfab

This week on the Fabrication Friday podcast we spent some time chatting with the awesome and dedicated crew at the Victoria Hand Project - a Canadian non-profit looking to make an impact for upper extremity amputees around the world. Ascent Fabrication has a long history with the VHP crew, with Joe having been to Port-Au-Prince Haiti with their early team members back in 2016, to provide upper extremity prostheses to amputees as well as train the local professionals how to 3D scan, design, and 3D print them locally. The VHP team has been most recently involved with the efforts in Ukraine and we are also supporting them now in the US. If you are an amputee and think you could benefit from their device, please don't hesitate to reach out!

Victoria Hand Project: https://www.victoriahandproject.com/

We hope you enjoy this episode, if you have any suggestions for topics I should cover, or would like to be a guest on the podcast yourself, feel free to reach out over email or through LinkedIn! You can also learn more about what we do at Ascent Fabrication by checking us out online.

Website: www.ascentfab.com

Email: [email protected]

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jkfairley3rd/

YouTube: @ascentfab

Instagram: @ascentfab

TikTok: @ascentfab

Today I'll challenge you to look around your house for a plastic object and think - can I 3D print that? Most of the time, the answer is yes! With reverse engineering and Design for Additive Manufacturing (DfAM) techniques, we can pair the right material with the right printing process and print a lot more objects/products than you might think. On this episode, John Kappel, owner of Innosek of Buffalo, NY and I chat about the advanced DfAM techniques his team is implementing for prototyping and large batch production of parts. His print farm boasts 50 printers and counting with design services for any industry.

We also get into a more serious conversation around a new bill (A8132) that has been proposed in New York State that involves requiring a background check for the sale of a 3D printer "that is capable of creating firearms". In our opinion, this bill is bogus and is targeting the wrong part of the problem. We would both appreciate the opportunity to educate those lawmakers about the actual issues surrounding 3D printing "ghost guns" and how we think this bill could be better worded to approach the root of the problem - the fact that you can order the actual "upper" firing components online way too easily...

Innosek: www.innosek.com

John Kappel: https://www.linkedin.com/in/john-kappel327/

Bill A8132: https://www.nysenate.gov/legislation/bills/2023/A8132

I hope you enjoy this episode, if you have any suggestions for topics I should cover, or would like to be a guest on the podcast yourself, feel free to reach out over email or through LinkedIn! You can also learn more about what we do at Ascent Fabrication by checking us out online.

Website: www.ascentfab.com

Email: [email protected]

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jkfairley3rd/

YouTube: @ascentfab

Instagram: @ascentfab

TikTok: @ascentfab

We are back at it this week after Joe was struck down by some brief illness, and ready to share with you this wonderful conversation with Bert Habets, CEO of colorFabb. colorFabb - an environmentally-mindful 3D printing filament company out of The Netherlands is a strong player in the additive manufacturing industry. Their innovative mindset toward introducing brand new materials to the market, and their B2B collaborations make them stand out from the rest. If you haven't printed with their varioShore TPU yet - you HAVE to try it! Coming in several different colors, this TPU has a chemical in its composition which allows it to foam more as you print in higher temperatures, and results in lightweight parts with interesting cushioning properties. If you'd like to source their filament directly from the US, Ascent Fabrication has the widest range of their materials in our shop: www.ascentfab.com/shop

Bert Habets: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bert-habets-92a30b15/

colorFabb: https://colorfabb.com/

I hope you enjoy this episode, if you have any suggestions for topics I should cover, or would like to be a guest on the podcast yourself, feel free to reach out over email or through LinkedIn! You can also learn more about what we do at Ascent Fabrication by checking us out online.

Website: www.ascentfab.com

Email: [email protected]

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jkfairley3rd/

YouTube: @ascentfab

Instagram: @ascentfab

TikTok: @ascentfab

From Indianapolis, IN to Charleston, SC - Ascent Fabrication has been on the move lately! Not to mention a new 3D printer install this week - the Blackbelt! Check out the unboxing video to be posted next week! Now, getting into the nitty gritty of this episode...

What is Direct Prosthetic Care (DPxC) you ask? As an amputee, imagine that you no longer have to jump through numerous hoops and wait an exorbitant amount of time to be provided the exact prosthesis you need to thrive in your daily life. Now on top of that, we have made it less costly over the long term to provide you with the highest level of prosthetic care you could receive. That is what DPxC is aiming to accomplish. By not involving third-party payers, Amplify Prosthetics can provide you as a person with limb difference, the exact prosthetic care that you need and deserve within a more than reasonable timeframe, and for less out of pocket expense. Are you an amputee looking for a different provider? We would love to chat with you about how you can become part of the Amplify Prosthetics family!

Amplify Prosthetics - www.amplifyprosthetics.com

I hope you enjoy this episode, if you have any suggestions for topics I should cover, or would like to be a guest on the podcast yourself, feel free to reach out over email or through LinkedIn! You can also learn more about what we do at Ascent Fabrication by checking us out online.

Website: www.ascentfab.com

Email: [email protected]

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jkfairley3rd/

YouTube: @ascentfab

Instagram: @ascentfab

TikTok: @ascentfab