Graphene 3D printing: introduction and market status - Page 10

Dr. Elena Polyakova from Graphene 3D Lab was interviewed in IDTechEx Graphene Live! and discussed graphene composites, rivaling 2D materials and more: 

the Korea Electrotechnology Research Institute (KERI) announced the development of a technology that enables the use of graphene for 3D printing, which is supposed to significantly improve the manufacture of flexible and wearable devices.

Their technology enables the 3D printing of objects using metal, plastic and graphene, and can be applied to diverse industrial segments with printed electronics particularly in mind.

Australian scientists from the Wollongong University developed a graphene-based 'bionic bra', which has now reached the prototype stage. The bra automatically tightens and loosens in response to breast movements, to provide maximum support and comfort.

Work on this technology began in 2000, and it is based on three aspects: sensors and actuators that allow detection of movements, 3D printing which enables the materials to monitor movement and the fabric to respond and graphene fibers (wet spinning produced) that are knitted into a wearable structure to form the bra and monitor movement. The bra contains 'artificial muscles' that receive the movement data and respond accordingly.

Graphene 3D Lab announced signing a Letter of Intent (LOI) to acquire Boots Industries, a Canadian 3D printer manufacturer. Graphene 3D Lab intends to purchase all Boots Industries assets and hire a team of Boots Industries in an all-share transaction estimated at $500,000 CAD.

Graphene 3D Lab plans to create a proprietary 3D printer with the capability of printing functional and electronic devices and optimized to maximize performance of Graphene 3D functional printing materials.

Cambridge Nanosystems (CNS) was spun-off from the University of Cambridge last year with with an aim to supply graphene and SWCNT materials. The company recently started building a 5-yearly ton graphene factory with the help of a £500,000 grant from the Technology Strategy Board. The new factory is due to open in 2015.

Catharina Paukner, the company's chief scientist, was kind enough to answer a few questions we had on the company and its technology and also share her views on the graphene market.

Cambridge Nanosystems, a Cambridge University spin-off company, is building a vast new factory that can reportedly make up to five yearly tonnes of graphene. This might mean that graphene will be available to scientists in large quantities, which may hopefully speed up research breakthroughs. The factory is being built with the help of a £500,000 grant from the Technology Strategy Board and is due to open in 2015.

Cambridge Nanosystems aims to further graphene commercialization, and have devised a method of making the material in large volumes, without degrading its quality. The company uses a patented plasma system to turn biogas into graphene. The gas itself can be natural gas (like the one that is used in housholds) or even waste gas.

Researchers from the Korea Electrotechnology Research Institue (KERI) managed to create an innovative process of 3D printing graphene nanostructures.

The scientists announced the development of a nanoscale 3D printing approach that exploits a liquid meniscus of ink to create 3D reduced graphene oxide (rGO) nanowires, different than typical methods that use filaments or powders as printing materials.

The U.S based public comapny Graphene 3D Lab, developer of graphene-enhanced materials for 3D printing, announced the signing of a memorandum of understanding with Taulman 3D, an American company that focuses on research and development of new 3D printing materials (with an accent on proprietary nylon materials), for the cooperation on research and development of 3D printing materials.

The agreement states that the companies will collaborate on the development of a graphene-infused nylon material for use in 3D printers, and Graphene 3D Lab will be granted exclusive distribution rights in North American for Taulman3D's Nylon 680 material, meant to start being sold in the beginning of 2015, for a two-year period.

Graphene 3D Lab recently introduced their 3D printed graphene battery prototype in the Inside 3D Printing Conference in Santa Clara, California. The prototype battery is composed of nanoplatelets of graphene that are added to polymers, and can already produce the same amount of energy as a common AA battery. The company states that these batteries will be able to be integrated into a 3D-printed object while that object is still being built, which grants the batteries enhanced performance potential (compared to non-integrated batteries) due to precise customization.

Since the battery is still in prototype phase, last month Graphene 3D Labs announced a partnership with Stony Brook University in Long Island, NY, for a round of quality control testing to get it to the next step.

Back in August, 3D Graphtech Industries (established in Australia by Kibaran Resources and the 3D Group) signed an initial agreement with Australia's CSIRO organization to investigate research opportunities in 3D printing using graphite and graphene inks.

3D Graphtech now announced that it is assessing two potential opportunities. The first is the development of a scalable manufacturing technique to produce a high-volume of high quality graphene at low cost, while the 2nd is the development of a piece of equipment to produce graphene composite polymer thermoplastic filament for extrusion 3D printers that contain graphene.