Solukon reports successful launch of AM User Day series
This year, Solukon Maschinenbau GmbH, Augsburg, Germany, launched a new event series: the AM User Day. The first edition, held June 8, was reported to be a success and welcomed around seventy registrants from sme twenty countries.
The event began with a keynote by Solukon CEO and CTO Andreas Hartmann, followed by a presentation from Chris Barefoot, Head of Sales at Materials Solutions – A Siemens Business (MSL), based in Worcester, Worcestershire, UK. His presentation gave insight into data-driven improvement of production lines by decreasing lead times.
Following Barefoot, Rainer Salzberger, Digital Manufacturing Consultant at EOS GmbH, Krailling, Germany, spoke on digital connectivity within EOS, including EOSCONNECT. He noted, “The ability to provide smart machines which can be integrated in the existing factories and the corresponding IT systems is key to the success of Additive Manufacturing.”
This presentation also discussed the admitted difficulty of integrating software and/or digital tools with existing AM facilities, in that each must not only be compatible with the present AM infrastructure but must undergo security screenings.
Continuing on the subject of automation, Felix Hantsch and Dr Achim Fischer of Festo, Esslingen, Germany, elaborated upon the company’s recent collaboration with Solukon in investigating the viability of increased automation in handling solutions.
The second half of AM User Day focused on AM’s place in the MedTech industry. The first speaker under this topic was Nicolas Bouduban, CEO of the Swiss m4m Center, who spoke about AM technology transfer in the medical sector. Per his presentation, what makes the difference is a global approach and understanding of quality assurance in every single step of the process. He singled out Solukon’s depowdering knowledge as particularly worthwhile in this field. “Without a proper depowdering process, you risk having medical parts that are not cleanable, or even not certifiable at all,” he stated.
Practical insight was then offered via Alexander Bauer, Application Manager at Solukon, who gave a live tour through the company’s assembly area, followed by a live depowdering observation with the SFM-AT800-S.
“We are overwhelmed by the positive outcome of our event,” stated Andreas Hartmann. “In late autumn, we will arrange the event in particular for American AM experts.”
