Industrial integration of metal Additive Manufacturing to be focus of Italian project
September 1, 2017
A new project is being established in the Lombardy region of Italy to focus on the integration of metal Additive Manufacturing technology within industry. The Metal AdditivE for LOmbardy (MADE4LO) project will consider the entire value chain, from equipment supply to the finished product, creating a new model for a factory based on Additive Manufacturing.
The project, partially funded by the European Regional Development Fund in the framework of Lombardy Region’s Research and Development Agreements, will last 30 months and has received a total investment of €6.6 million. There are eleven partners in the project, including two Universities (Politecnico di Milano and Università di Pavia), three large industrial companies (Tenova, BLM, and GF Machining Solutions) and six SMEs (TTM Laser, 3D-NT, GFM, Fubri, Co. Stamp, and Officine Meccaniche G. Lafranconi).
Lead partner in the project is the global metals and mining specialist Tenova. “For Tenova, digital innovation is a crucial factor in the creation of added value to the client. MADE4LO represents an important opportunity to achieve concrete outcomes in the development of Additive Manufacturing for metal components, a technology that affects us both as users and as plant engineers. Our goal is to become a key player in this sector in order to provide our clients with effective solutions which will make them more dynamic and competitive on the market,” stated Andrea Lovato, CEO at Tenova.
All Business Units of Tenova Metals are involved in the implementation of MADE4LO to define the most cost effective equipment for metal powder production process, to select, design and test the metal components produced by AM, and to design and manufacture a heat treatment furnace to be installed at the Pomini factory at Tenova’s headquarters.
A pilot line is also to be established at the Politecnico di Milano, where three demonstrator AM systems for different classes of applications will be available. Integrated systems, demonstrating additive and subtractive finishing, will be provided by GF and a metal powder atomiser demonstrator will be at CSM in Castel Romano. The project will also create a network of R & D, accessible to SME’s in the region.
