FATHOM expands machine portfolio with Desktop Metal
May 29, 2017
DM Studio System (Courtesy Desktop Metal)
Additive Manufacturing solutions and service provider FATHOM, Oakland, California, USA, has announced the signing of a partner agreement with Desktop Metal. FATHOM states that it will adopt Desktop Metal’s technologies as part of its in-house manufacturing solutions and managed services to further develop its focus on changing the way products are designed and manufactured. Desktop Metal recently introduced two new metal AM systems to the market.
“FATHOM is very excited to partner with Desktop Metal to help bring a lower barrier-of-entry solution for metal additive technologies to a broader engineering and manufacturing market,” stated Rich Stump, Co-Founder and Principal at FATHOM. “With current metal 3D printing equipment, it is cost prohibitive to 3D print metal prototype parts. Desktop Metal has introduced a solution, the Studio System, which will allow designers and engineers to cost effectively produce metal prototypes.”
“We are excited to be partnering with FATHOM both as a manufacturing service centre and a sales partner as we look to broaden the adoption of our metal 3D printing systems,” added Ric Fulop, CEO and Co-Founder of Desktop Metal. “Rich Stump and Michelle Mihevc have built an incredible team who will be integral in expanding market opportunities and driving the growth of our customer base across diverse industries.”
The DM Studio System™ is based on the Metal Injection Molding (MIM) process and will start shipping this September. It is the first office-friendly platform for metal 3D printing and is said to be dramatically less expensive than existing technologies. The Studio System will be sold as a package, for $120,000, which includes the metal 3D printer, debinder and microwave-enhanced sintering furnace.
“FATHOM and Desktop Metal share a passion for additive technologies, as well as a similar vision for finding unique processes that change the way products are designed and manufactured today— so when we heard about what was in development at Desktop Metal, we knew we had to be involved as one of their first customers and now as a go-to-market partner,” stated Michelle Mihevc, Co-Founder and Principal at FATHOM. “We feel very strongly that by providing this solution, one that is both office-friendly and accessible at a lower cost, there will be immediate growth in the adoption of metal 3D printing. Our team already has plans for R&D exploration into furthering application innovations for this technology. For example, we aim to leverage our expertise in 3D printed tooling to develop a process that achieves more robust tools even faster and more economically.
“With the introduction of Desktop Metal’s SPJ Technology [in the DM Production System], we believe this will contribute to significant growth in our customer’s adoption of metal-based additive manufacturing of end-use parts,” continued Mihevc. “By providing more throughput at a lower cost, the opportunity with digital manufacturing will be even greater.”
“We help companies focus on how a product should function rather than how it’s made, designing from the outside-in, to drive greater innovation and push the limits of manufacturing,” added Stump. “By not limiting designs based on traditional manufacturing constraints, companies can solve high-value problems and increase product functionality. Solutions from Desktop Metal will provide the industry with additional technologies that support this approach, and it will greatly impact how products are designed and manufactured today.”
