Belgian Rapid Prototyping and Software specialists, Materialise, will shortly be releasing a new version of its software aimed at those involved in the design and manufacture of hearing aids - Rapid Shell Modelling - and it now covers both 'in the ear' and 'behind the ear' applications, as well as a spangly new interface.

If you're not familar with the hearing aid market, there's a revolution been happening over the past few years. More and more products are individually tailored to each specific users' needs and produced using a derivation of stereolithography (SLA) or laser sintering - the sort of technology usually associated with prototype part production. one of the bigger names in the game recently delivered a new SLA machine to the market specifically for the purpose (Two vats of resin - means two colours - one for each ear). Call it fabbing, call it rapid manufacturing, call direct manfuacturing - it's pretty cool stuff.

Oh and if you haven't come across Materialise before, they're an incredible bunch. They've been building their own Mammoth SLA (Stereolithography) machines since the year dot for their service bureaux. The biggest of these machines now has a build envelope of 2100x650x600mm. If you see them in the metal, its scary. But if you're working on defence products (read: anything for harming, maiming, killing - anything military) - they don't want your business - as a coroporate standard - brave stuff.