Periodic Reporting for period 1 - IceXL (IceXL: Advanced modeling and slicing software for additive manufacturing)
Reporting period: 2016-09-01 to 2018-02-28
The IceXL project aimed at further expanding the impact of our software for modeling and 3D printing, IceSL. We partnered with a number of companies to study different use cases with applications in design, wearables, and the fabrication of industrial parts. Through our participation to several events (FormNext, Maker Faire Rome) and the organization of our own user's group event (Paris, February 22 2018), we greatly improved the impact of IceSL, reaching out to both industrial partners and the Makers community. This is witnessed by the significant growth of our users base during the second half of the project. We tackled several technical challenges, relating to the scale of the parts that could be processed. We extended the modeling capabilities to encompass 3d meshes, explicit volumes (e.g. medical scans) as well as implicit solids defined from procedures, including advanced metamaterials. We studied how to best work with the industry, considering various possibilities for licensing the technology. The project allowed us to clarify most aspects of commercialization, leading us to concluding successful partnerships. It also allowed us to strengthen the visibility of our technology, and to establish our team as one of the most innovative in the area of modeling and slicing for 3D printing. This lead to various partnerships with researchers in the fields of material, medicine and mechanical engineering.