Fabrication Friday

The Fabrication Friday podcast is BACK after a long reprieve and we didn't waste any time providing you with an awesome episode. Rob Ortiz, National Sales Director at Formlabs joins Joe today for a very in-depth interview on what SLA (Stereolithography) 3D printing is all about. In this episode we discuss a printing project that the Ascent Fab team worked on to reverse engineer an automotive component that was difficult, if not impossible, for the customer to procure. We printed it in ABS via FDM on the Mingda MD-400D as well as Tough 1500 via SLA on the Formlabs Form 4. Rob Ortiz: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rob-m-ortiz/Formlabs: https://formlabs.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.comEmail: [email protected]: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jkfairley3rd/YouTube: @ascentfabInstagram: @ascentfab

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.comEmail: [email protected]: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jkfairley3rd/YouTube: @ascentfabInstagram: @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.comEmail: [email protected]: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jkfairley3rd/YouTube: @ascentfabInstagram: @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.comEmail: [email protected]: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jkfairley3rd/YouTube: @ascentfabInstagram: @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] 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.comEmail: [email protected]: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jkfairley3rd/YouTube: @ascentfabInstagram: @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/@Accessible3DDisclaimer - 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.comEmail: [email protected]: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jkfairley3rd/YouTube: @ascentfabInstagram: @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-filamentIf you're a true go-getter and looking for some inspiration, check out the podcasts mentioned in this episode:Real Business Owners PodcastThe 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.comEmail: [email protected]: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jkfairley3rd/YouTube: @ascentfabInstagram: @ascentfabTikTok: @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.comEmail: [email protected]: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jkfairley3rd/YouTube: @ascentfabInstagram: @ascentfabTikTok: @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.comJohn Kappel: https://www.linkedin.com/in/john-kappel327/Bill A8132: https://www.nysenate.gov/legislation/bills/2023/A8132I 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.comEmail: [email protected]: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jkfairley3rd/YouTube: @ascentfabInstagram: @ascentfabTikTok: @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/shopBert 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.comEmail: [email protected]: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jkfairley3rd/YouTube: @ascentfabInstagram: @ascentfabTikTok: @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.comI 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.comEmail: [email protected]: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jkfairley3rd/YouTube: @ascentfabInstagram: @ascentfabTikTok: @ascentfab

So what exactly does "high speed" and "industrial FDM 3D printing" look like these days? On this episode of Fabrication Friday, I sat down with Nirup Nagabandi, Vice President of Materials and Process Engineering at Essentium, who helped me conceptualize what FDM can really look like at the industrial level. Implementing what they term as, High-Speed Extrusion, at "5-15x faster than their competition" the HSE 280i HT, HSE 180, and HSE 240 HT make up their fleet of industrial 3D printer offerings. They also boast a wide range of engineering grade materials which were manufactured with the operator of the printer and the end user in mind. We also geeked out pretty hard about carbon nanotubes and applying microwaves as a post processing tool for an FDM print, so that was really fun!Essentium: https://essentium.com/Nirup Nagabandi: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nirupnagabandi/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.comEmail: [email protected]: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jkfairley3rd/YouTube: @ascentfabInstagram: @ascentfabTikTok: @ascentfab

So you 3D print with one nozzle, maybe two? How about SEVEN?! Liqtra's new FX-7 Pro is an impressive feat of FDM technology, boasting seven simultaneous printing nozzles at 0.6mm each, a large build volume at 425x305x500mm, and specialized slicing software. Joscha Krieglsteiner Co-Founder of Liqtra joined me today to chat about their innovative solution to printing faster, stronger, and in multi-material. Based out of Hamburg, Germany - Liqtra is quickly establishing themselves as a force to be reckoned with locally and we are excited to see when they may be entering the US market!Joscha Krieglsteiner - https://www.linkedin.com/in/joscha-krieglsteiner/Liqtra - https://liqtra.de/en/offer/Learn more about what we do at Ascent Fabrication by checking us out online!Website: www.ascentfab.comEmail: [email protected]: @ascentfabTikTok: @ascentfabYouTube: @ascentfabLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jkfairley3rd/

Quick catch up today on what is new and exciting at Ascent Fab - like our budding partnership with Rapid Liquid Print (RLP)! RLP is involved with silicone 3D printing as a service bureau as well as manufacturing their own proprietary silicone 3D printing system. Can't wait to get into this sector of the AM industry with them!Ascent Fab is also embarking on a mission to create a digital platform where designers, makers, businesses, and consumers can all be connected to leverage 3D printing within our everyday lives. This platform, called Arachnid3D, empowers intuitive designers and meticulous makers. Our mission is to weave a web of impactful collaborations via additive manufacturing. Arachnid3D is a new-age marketplace and diverse web of digital collaboration which utilizes Additive Manufacturing (AM), also known as 3D Printing, as the main pathway for providing an intuitively useful product or service to a consumer. Our network of talented freelancers and professional businesses offer CAD and 3D printing services to fulfill these orders in the most efficient ways possible. This intricate web of connections provides everyday objects to everyday people, while simultaneously encouraging product development between talented designers and companies looking to push the boundaries of 3D printing. Furthermore, we can support the adoption of digital workflows within several industries such as medical, construction, transportation, art, and fashion by offering skilled designers to those companies who are eager to adopt and leverage additive manufacturing within their current operations.​Our web of services includes:Connecting skilled designers and reliable printing partners to specialized industries which are adopting additive manufacturing.Providing premium 3D printing services directly to consumers for prototyping, scaling production, and everyday use products.Empowering freelancers to provide their bespoke CAD designs globally.Introducing consumers to 3D printed products for everyday use at reasonable prices.Are you ready to begin weaving your web? Check out www.Arachnid3D.com!Learn more about what we do at Ascent Fabrication by checking us out online!Website: www.ascentfab.comEmail: [email protected]: @ascentfabTikTok: @ascentfabYouTube: @ascentfabLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jkfairley3rd/

This Fabrication Friday was too much fun! Zach Burhop of Austin, TX shared with me his journey into the additive manufacturing industry and opened my eyes to what could be possible in...SPACE! He shares my thoughts of how we can make 3D printing even more accessible to the masses, and the unquenchable thirst to print something even cooler the next time. If you have any technical questions about engineering-grade materials, or how you can 3D print your own mailbox - reach out to Zach!Zach Burhop - https://www.linkedin.com/in/zburhop/Learn more about what we do at Ascent Fabrication by checking us out online!Website: www.ascentfab.comEmail: [email protected]: @ascentfabYouTube: @ascentfabLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jkfairley3rd/

So what even is Design for Additive Manufacturing (DfAM)? When we think about how we want to design a certain part, component, or assembly for a particular manufacturing process, there are certain constraints that we need to consider in order to achieve the highest quality result. Whether it's additive manufacturing (3D Printing), CNC milling, or injection molding, the part design and the process of going from the original CAD design to an end product includes several steps which many people may not be aware of. For instance, with DfAM, we think about: how this part will be used, what material does it need to be made out of, what print orientation will achieve the strongest structural integrity, how we can limit the amount of post processing needed, and how to achieve the best surface finish quality. This episode will certainly stir some ideas within your mind as to how you will go about designing your next project for additive manufacturing.Learn more about what we do at Ascent Fabrication by checking us out online!Website: www.ascentfab.comEmail: [email protected]: @ascentfabYouTube: @ascentfabLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jkfairley3rd/

This week Joe had a special opportunity to be a guest on the We're Not Stumped podcast, hosted by Mike Bolland - nonprofit founder, speaker and advocate for those living with limb loss. The amputee community has several outlets for support, but the majority either don't take advantage of them or simply just don't know about them. We appreciate what Mike is doing to help support this community and provide amputees a resource for learning about opportunities to hear from similar situations to their own. Tune in to hear a personal background story of Joe's introduction to the prosthetics and orthotics field, and some general fun tidbits.Don't forget to listen all the way through to hear about our Print of the Week and Tech Tip of the Week!Mike Bolland - https://www.linkedin.com/in/mikebolland/We're Not Stumped Podcast - https://werenotstumped.com/Learn more about what we do at Ascent Fabrication by checking us out online!Website: www.ascentfab.comEmail: [email protected]: @ascentfabYouTube: @ascentfabLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jkfairley3rd/

Further expanding on our previous episode regarding 3D printed foot orthotics, today I am joined by Niels den Otter, Co-Founder and CEO of LutraCAD. LutraCAD is an intuitive software for designing foot orthotics/insoles for 3D printing or CNC milling, as well as shoe lasts to build shoes over the top of. Niels explains how LutraCAD takes the design side of things one step further and actually has slicer settings built into the backend of the software so that you can seamlessly go from design to printing knowing that they have tested those settings on a particular printer with a particular material. This is a big step toward assisting the adoption of 3D printing within the medical field, as these clinicians who might be more comfortable with the designing, do not feel as comfortable with the slicing. Being able to download a .gcode direct from different design software is something fairly scarce right now, and LutraCAD is leading the charge on this front. To that we say well done!LutraCAD: https://www.lutracad.com/Niels den Otter: https://www.linkedin.com/in/niels-den-otter/Learn more about what we do at Ascent Fabrication by checking us out online!Website: www.ascentfab.comEmail: [email protected]: @ascentfabYouTube: @ascentfabLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jkfairley3rd/

Ascent Fabrication is your additive manufacturing operational partner, by means of product development, training, and a diverse ecosystem of innovative equipment and materials. We run the full gambit of FDM 3D Printing by offering CAD design and 3D printing services, personalized training sessions, as well as being a supportive partner for 3D printer and filament manufacturers worldwide. Aside from being very active within the prosthetics and orthotics industry, we are quickly growing into other fields where 3D printing is becoming extremely prevalent. We have partnerships with big name companies in the additive manufacturing industry like: E3D, Filament Innovations, Blackbelt via OMD3D, Artillery, colorFabb, PPprint, PrintDry, and the list is growing! Tune in today to hear more about exactly what we have going on at Ascent Fab, and about how we are building one of the very few brick and mortar 3D printing stores in the country - in beautiful Saratoga Springs, NY!Learn more about what we do at Ascent Fabrication by checking us out online!Website: www.ascentfab.comEmail: [email protected]: @ascentfabYouTube: @ascentfabLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jkfairley3rd/

Being able to 3D print a prosthetic or orthotic device for a patient which is equal in structural integrity to its traditionally fabricated alternative, at a reduced cost, and with less labor time has enormous benefits for people all over the world. With the specialized knowledge it takes to operate a 3D printer, 3D scanner, and the applicable software, the method of implementation and the shipping logistics over the long term become the biggest barriers to entry for those interested in places like Haiti, Syria, Nigeria, Kenya, and places of similar economies. Companies like ours at Ascent Fab, as well as vBionic - a prosthetics manufacturer via 3D printing from Poland, are trying to help this initiative by collaborating virtually with interested individuals who have the financial resources to get themselves started. Today I am joined by Bartosz Rajewski, CEO of vBionic, who has developed some very elegant upper extremity prosthetic devices, namely the TOLKA Hand. They collaborate with us on our custom prosthetic silicone liners, and make a number of other custom silicone solutions as well. I hope you enjoy this conversation of his journey into the 3D printing industry as he began building them himself, and the evolution of vBionic's global impact.Bartosz Rajewski: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bartosz-rajewski/Learn more about what we do at Ascent Fabrication by checking us out online!Website: www.ascentfab.comEmail: [email protected]: @ascentfabYouTube: @ascentfabLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jkfairley3rd/

Newly introducing Fabrication Friday's Print of the Week and our Tech Tip of the Week! We will be highlighting an impressive or otherwise noteworthy print each week and discuss some of the details that make it interesting. We are also giving helpful 3D printing tips which may influence your own journey into the additive manufacturing industry. Today, Joe discusses the evolution of his own path into the 3D printing industry, and his passion for the prosthetics and orthotics field. His unique insights to the P&O field with his 8 years of 3D printing experience has nourished a growing audience of clinicians who are yearning to learn more about how they too can best implement 3D printing in their own practice.Joe Fairley: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jkfairley3rd/Learn more about what we do at Ascent Fabrication by checking us out online!Website: www.ascentfab.comEmail: [email protected]: @ascentfabLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jkfairley3rd/

How nice would it be if you walk away from your 3D printer on a Friday, you go have yourself a nice relaxing weekend, and then you return on Monday to find north of 20 prints all nicely stacked in a storage cart? Mosaic Manufacturing is doing just that with their new nearly fully automated 3D printing solution, the Array. Mitch Debora, Co-Founder and CEO of Mosaic joins me today as we chat about the use cases of his original product, Palette - a full color 3D printing accessory which could be outfitted to just about any printer, and how that evolved into the even more automated Array. This 3D printing solution exhibits true production status, boasting the capabilities of its four Element FDM 3D printers, material management through Palette, a storage cart with a 40 print bed capacity, and an intuitive slicing and management software - Canvas. We are really excited to see the applications for this impressive machine!Mitch Debora: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mitch-debora-46334557/Mosaic Array: https://www.mosaicmfg.com/products/arrayLearn more about what we do at Ascent Fabrication by checking us out online!Website: www.ascentfab.comEmail: [email protected]: @ascentfabLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jkfairley3rd/

3D printing has made leaps and bounds in just the last 3 years, let alone the last 8 years that I have been involved in the additive manufacturing industry. Today I am joined by another fellow Certified Prosthetist Orthotist who has also had a similar journey in learning all of the nuances of 3D printing patient end-use devices. Mike Nadata, CPO and Owner of NY Rehab has tried it all - from designing his own pellet 3D printers, to delta printing, filament printing, and Multi-Jet Fusion (MJF). Mike takes use through his trials and tribulations of the pros and cons of these different types of 3D printing, and provides suggestions as to how someone can get started with their own digital workflow.Mike Nadata: https://www.linkedin.com/in/michael-nadata-8927931a/Mike's Email: [email protected] more about what we do at Ascent Fabrication by checking us out online!Website: www.ascentfab.comEmail: [email protected]: @ascentfabLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jkfairley3rd/

3D scanning has been around for a while in its application to foot orthotics, or "shoe insoles". From this 3D scan, typically they have been CNC milled out of polypropylene or single/trilam foam. Moving away from subtractive manufacturing though has several benefits, mostly around the drastic reduction in wasted material due to this fabrication process. Joining us today is Bryan Kentner, DPM, Podiatrist and CEO of The Printed Foot. Bryan has a strong passion for bringing 3D printing to the forefront of how podiatrists and other certified clinicians/orthotists produce their foot orthoses, either in-clinic, or through a manufacturing partner. The software he has co-developed is a very streamlined digital workflow for taking a 3D scan of a crush box impression, cast, or direct from the patient's foot to a foot orthosis modified and ready to print in less than 5 minutes. Very useful templates will help minimize the time you actually spend designing the foot orthosis, so you can continue to see more patients and increase your efficiency with less labor overhead and time spent.Bryan Kentner: https://www.linkedin.com/in/drkentner/Learn more about what we do at Ascent Fabrication by checking us out online!Website: www.ascentfab.comEmail: [email protected]: @ascentfabLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jkfairley3rd/

Markforged is one company making huge strides in the additive manufacturing field, with Metal Fused Filament Fabrication and Continuous Fiber Fabrication. In today's episode I talked with Nicki Chamberlain-Simon, Certified Prosthetist Orthotist and a good friend who has worked with me on a project that involved the Markforged Mark Two 3D Printer. What started as a chance encounter at Northwestern's Master's in Prosthetics and Orthotics program, Nicki and I learned that we had been simultaneously working on trying to use the Mark Two to create lower extremity prosthetic componentry. Although I was doing so in the US, and she was in Costa Rica, we were unknowingly working together to make strides towards a patient end-use device which was 3D printed through Continuous Fiber Fabrication. Through our ongoing work, a patent was filed and the mechanical testing has begun!Nicki Chamberlain-Simon: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nicolette-chamberlain-simon-49b637aa/Learn more about what we do at Ascent Fabrication by checking us out online!Website: www.ascentfab.comEmail: [email protected]: @ascentfabLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jkfairley3rd/

Implementing any kind of new technology can be difficult - now add in the complexity of having intermittent electricity, extreme humidity, and unreliable shipping logistics. These hurdles, among others, are present while attempting to 3D print patient end-use devices in Haiti. Today we hear directly from our friend and clinical partner, Cindy Laurent, a Haitian prosthetist, orthotist, and owner of a P&O clinic in Port-au-Prince called PrOPhy Care. Cindy has been utilizing a digital workflow and 3D printing since 2016 to provide functional upper extremity prostheses and other useful devices. Through a collaboration between the Enable Community Foundation, Victoria Hand Project, and Healing Hands for Haiti in 2016, a project was set in motion to provide a 10 day training course for the Haitian prosthetists/orthotists on 3D scanning, digital modifications and device design, and 3D printing as applied to upper extremity prosthetics. Cindy participated in this training and excelled as a 3D printing technician over the course of this two year long project. The aim was to attempt to make the project as self sustaining as possible, by teaching the local clinicians to utilize this technology and assist with maintaining materials stock over time. Data was gathered on the efficacy of the training as well as the feedback from over 13 patients who were initially fit with transradial and transhumeral prostheses. After an overall positive experience, Cindy continued to work with the 3D printers and continued to use this technology to service patients over the past 5 years since.Special thanks to Tyler Bray for joining us today and adding in his experience as a supportive 3D printing technician to Cindy! Other thanks for clinical guidance from Jeff Erenstone, technical and administrative assistance from Jade Myers, and Peter Larsen as another supportive 3D printing technician.Cindy Laurent: https://www.linkedin.com/in/cindy-laurent-271b0330/Tyler Bray: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tylerjbray/Learn more about what we do at Ascent Fabrication by checking us out online!Website: www.ascentfab.comEmail: [email protected]: @ascentfabLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jkfairley3rd/

Today I sat down with Spencer Conway who is a 3D Printing Technician for Ascent Fabrication, who's personal hobby involves stunning drone photography (check out Up North Drone Productions!). This light back and forth about our current and past FDM 3D printed projects will give you some insight into what a 3D printing technician does in terms of hands-on work with the printers themselves, and the CAD work that goes into creating a printable part. Tune in today for a general overview of the first three months that Spencer has been with us and hear about just how much you can learn in that short amount of time.Up North Drone Productions: https://upnorthdroneproductions.com/Learn more about what we do at Ascent Fabrication by checking us out online!Website: www.ascentfab.comEmail: [email protected]: @ascentfabLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jkfairley3rd/

3D printing...on a conveyor belt?! That's what the Blackbelt 3D printer has perfected - continuous and infinite additive manufacturing on an angle, with several add-on options like: IDEX dual extrusion, roller table for the support of long parts, heated or simply enclosed chamber, pre-drying and during printing drying of filament - the Blackbelt 3D has it all! On this episode we sit down with Peter De Corte from OMD3D - a 3D printer manufacturer for Blackbelt 3D, distributor for other 3D printer manufacturers, printing as a service, and engineering R&D. Peter has a wealth of knowledge with various forms of 3D printing, and today he discussed the unique features of the Blackbelt 3D printer.Peter De Corte: https://www.linkedin.com/in/peter-omd3d/Blackbelt 3D: https://blackbelt-3d.com/Learn more about what we do at Ascent Fabrication by checking us out online!Website: www.ascentfab.comEmail: [email protected]: @ascentfabLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jkfairley3rd/

FDM, FFF, 3D Printing - all synonymous for layer by layer fused filament additive manufacturing. This episode takes a deep dive into FDM best practices which we have learned and iterated on over the last 8 years. Slicer settings galore, take your time parsing through each layer of this informational session by 3D printing enthusiast, Joe Fairley, owner of Ascent Fabrication and Certified Prosthetist. While most of our examples in this podcast refer to prosthetic and orthotic devices, these nuances will show up in any FDM print. We'll have a follow up to this episode at a later time, as there are so many considerations we could have gone into more detail about! If you're looking to learn more about how to achieve the best FDM 3D printed parts, this podcast episode is a great place to start!Learn more about what we do at Ascent Fabrication by checking us out online!Website: www.ascentfab.comEmail: [email protected]: @ascentfabLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jkfairley3rd/

On this episode of Fabrication Friday we are joined by Sebastian Schmidt, Product Manager and Co-Founder of PPprint - a polypropylene-focused 3D printing filament manufacturer out of Bayreuth, Germany. PPprint has set out to create the all-in-one seamless solution for polypropylene 3D printing, and they are quickly gaining international attention. Their vibrant color choices, easy to remove support material, and specialized printing surface makes printing with polypropylene easier than ever before. Not to mention the high strength and elasticity of the material, as well as its capabilities for recycling, PPprint is a true leader in this sector of the 3D printing industry.Sebastian Schmidt: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sebastian-schmidt-277869140/PPprint: https://www.ppprint.de/Learn more about what we do at Ascent Fabrication by checking us out online!Website: www.ascentfab.comLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jkfairley3rd/Instagram: @ascentfab

Today we are joined by Mike Gorski, owner of Filament Innovations, headquartered in Coplay, Pennsylvania. They pride themselves on building large-scale 3D printers, designed and built in the USA. From pellet printers to high-detailed filament printers; fabrication and manufacturing is in their DNA. What makes them different? They develop and manufacture custom 3D printers for their clients. Mike introduces to us a new pellet extrusion 3D printer from Filament Innovations - the "Ares". This high-flow FGF printer was designed to give every business access to affordable pellet printing. With its impressive build area of (X)950mm, (Y)450mm, (Z)925mm, and Pulsar FGF Pellet System, from Dyze Design, this machine was designed to be compact and accessible, without sacrificing quality. With a price of $79,000, door to door in the USA, the ARES will change how users 3D Print.Mike Gorski: https://www.linkedin.com/in/michael-gorski-61b6bb179/Learn more about what we do at Ascent Fabrication by checking us out online!Website: www.ascentfab.comEmail: [email protected]: @ascentfabLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jkfairley3rd/