Ampower launches Make or Buy whitepaper for metal Additive Manufacturing
Additive Manufacturing consulting team Ampower GmbH & Co. KG, Hamburg, Germany, has released the first volume of its ‘Ampower Insights’, a series of whitepapers on the AM industry. Volume 1, titled Additive Manufacturing: Make or Buy?, compares the cost of metal Additive Manufacturing in-house and externally.
The study explores the cost structure of metal Additive Manufacturing, key factors in the decision to make or buy AM components, and current market pricing in the German-speaking region. Both the laser and electron beam powder bed processes are covered.
Ampower concludes that internal production of additive components is cost-effective from an annual production capacity of approx. 125 kg in the case of aluminium parts. However, in the case of titanium alloy parts, internal production capacities do not begin to generate profit until an annual production capacity of 270 kg can be reached.
The 34-page study is available to download in digital format or order in hard-copy. In addition to the study, Ampower provides a calculation tool for the costs of additive components on its homepage, designed to help companies to estimate the internal production costs of different materials.
Ampower’s founders reportedly have a strong industrial background in AM, with a combined experience of over twenty years. The company offers identification of products suitable for AM and qualification of personnel and infrastructure for the adoption of AM processes. Its training program focuses on qualifying personnel along the whole value chain, from R&D, design, production and quality assurance to procurement as well as management.
