3D Printlife partners with Fab Lab Hub to enhance 3D printing Life Support programme

3D Printlife has partnered with Fab Lab Hub to provide a network of skilled machine operators and service technicians for users of 3D printing technology through its Life Support programme.

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3D Printlife has partnered with Fab Lab Hub to provide a network of skilled machine operators and service technicians for users of 3D printing technology through its Life Support programme.

A developer of eco-friendly 3D printing materials, 3D Printlife has moved to set up the Life Support portal after fielding multiple calls a day from schools, consumers, and commercial operations who require assistance when running a 3D printing platform.

Technicians who join the Life Support network do so simply to make themselves more accessible to those who require support. Rates can be negotiated independently, and 3D Printlife receives no transaction or processing fees. Customers use the Life Support website to search for technicians based on their needs, and the location, ratings, and skill set of the specialist, information which is included in each of their profiles.

Fab Lab Hub thinks the collaboration with 3D Printlife is an opportunity to generate some revenue for the members of its community. The organisation is offering ‘New Collar Job Training’ to fab labs, developing a digital badge micro-credentialing system for operators and service technicians with backing from America Makes. Badges are, so far, to be awarded for technicians showing adequate levels of expertise in ‘design for 3D printing’, ‘introduction to CAD design’, ‘fundamentals of SLA 3D printing’, ‘troubleshooting FDM 3D printers’, and ‘laser safety in manufacturing’.   

“We are looking to provide the highest quality service to our Life Support clients, and the Digital Badges ensure consistency across service providers,” commented Buzz Baldwin, 3D Printlife co-founder.

Life Support technicians who hold one or more of these credentials will be identified on the platform to give customers more information about their capabilities. The badges will be offered in the next few months through members of Fab Lab Hub’s North American Digital Fabrication Alliance.

Meanwhile, 3D Printlife has also introduced two new materials ahead of RAPID + TCT in Detroit.

The first is PEEK, boasting excellent mechanical and chemical resistance properties, and available to order in custom weights starting at 100g. And the second is the FibreTuff PAPC filament which is comprised of FDA-compliant biomaterial, and is suitable for bone replacement, meshes, lumbar spacers, hearing aids, and foot orthotics.

This PAPC filament has passed NAMSA Class I testing covering cytotoxicity and skin irritation, as well as USP Class IV testing for temporary implants. It is radiopaque, making it visible to x-ray and MRI imaging, and prints at 230°C making it suitable for desktop FDM machines.

The new introductions expand 3D Printlife’s medical and engineering product portfolios respectively. 3D Printlife will be showcasing parts produced in a range of its materials at RAPID + TCT from Booth #1830.