As metal Additive Manufacturing continues to grow as a technology for the production of critical end-use parts for the most demanding of applications, X-ray Computed Tomography (CT) remains an unrivalled non-destructive testing tool. In this article, Yxlon’s Nathan Serafino and Dirk Steiner report on how Materials Resources LLC, an additive metals research and manufacturing company, defence contractor, and ‘fast factory’, is going a step further, using the technology to improve predictive-model based qualification processes as well as to calibrate in-process monitoring. [First published in Metal AM Vol. 6 No. 3, Autumn 2021]
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In an industry that sees a constant influx of new players hoping to forge a place for themselves in a brave new manufacturing landscape, there are only a few companies which have been on the AM scene since its earliest days, whilst remaining at the top of their game. One of these is Materialise, an AM company that has benefitted from leveraging its dual specialisms of AM parts production and AM software development. Metal AM magazine’s Emily-Jo Hopson-VandenBos talked to Materialise’s Ingo Uckelmann and reports how, now more than ever, the bringing together of manufacturing and software expertise is the future for AM. [First published in Metal AM Vol. 7 No. 2, Summer 2021]
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This summer, a new player arrived on the AM scene: the Digital Manufacturing Centre, or DMC. Based on the edge of Silverstone, the UK’s most famous race circuit, home to numerous leading F1 teams, there could be no better place to launch a business aimed at offering AM support to the elite in performance motorsport. Jim Hadfield speaks with the DMC’s CEO, Kieron Salter, to explore how metal Additive Manufacturing is enabling innovation in the booming hypercar industry, and how a truly connected digital manufacturing operation can bring the DMC a competitive advantage in this field and more. [First published in Metal AM Vol. 7 No. 2, Summer 2021]
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Since 2014, Women in 3D Printing has grown to become a highly visible and influential international organisation. But what does the movement stand for, why is it proving to be so popular, and where does it go from here? Metal AM magazine’s Emily-Jo Hopson-VandenBos spoke with the group’s founder, Nore Toure, and fifteen members about their views of the organisation and the current status of women in the industry. These conversations reveal not only the challenges that we face to improve diversity in its broadest sense, but also the tangible benefits that members are seeing at both the personal and organisational level. [First published in Metal AM Vol. 7 No. 1, Spring 2021]
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From machine producers to part manufacturers and end-users, the Additive Manufacturing industry is rich in success stories that are the result of one person’s vision of what the technology could deliver. In the case of BEAMIT, Italy’s largest metal AM parts producer, it was the vision of the company’s founder, Mauro Antolotti. Here, Luca van der Heide interviews Antolotti for Metal Additive Manufacturing magazine and explores the company’s development, his view of the industry, and ambitions for the future. [First published in Metal AM Vol. 7 No. 1, Spring 2021]
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China’s Falcontech Co. Ltd. is well on the way to completing its first ‘Super AM factory’, designed to house fifty metal Additive Manufacturing machines supplied by its partner, Farsoon Technologies. Whilst the wider story may take in the dramatic rise of Additive Manufacturing in China over the last decade, at the heart of this ambitious project’s success is the story of a successful partnership between an AM technology supplier and its customer. In this article, Chenlu Fang, Global Marketing Manager of Farsoon Technologies, interviews Shen Yulan, General Manager of Falcontech, and Li Wei, its Sales Director, to tell the story of the company’s rise, its ambitions and the partners’ close collaboration. [First published in Metal AM Vol. 6 No. 4, Winter 2020]
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In October 2020, New York City-based space technology company Launcher started testing its full-sized E-2 liquid rocket engine, designed to deliver the highest performance at the lowest cost for smaller space launch vehicles. That the E-2 features a one metre tall single-piece copper alloy Laser Beam Powder Bed Fusion (PBF-LB) combustion chamber is remarkable. What is even more impressive is the fact that Launcher, a company with less than twenty employees, achieved this in a short time frame and to a relatively modest budget. Metal AM magazine’s Nick Williams reports on the project and Launcher’s close collaboration with specialist PBF-LB machine builder AMCM GmbH. [First published in Metal AM Vol. 6 No. 4, Winter 2020]
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For a country with a total population significantly smaller than that of cities such as London or New York, New Zealand is ‘punching above its weight’ when it comes to developing expertise in Additive Manufacturing and educating design engineers in how to use it. Olaf Diegel, a professor at New Zealand’s University of Auckland and associate consultant at Wohlers Associates, and Terry Wohlers, president of Wohlers Associates, report on AM activities and highlight a novel range of successful commercial applications. [First published in Metal AM Vol. 6 No. 3, Autumn/Fall 2020]
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Whilst Additive Manufacturing as a technology is proving its worth through an ever growing list of innovative, real-word applications, the obstacles faced by players in the current AM supply chain are numerous, ranging from skills shortages to a highly-complex supply chain, high costs and fluctuating product demand. To address this, Neighborhood 91, an end-to-end AM production campus, is being created in the US city of Pittsburgh that, as Laura Ely and John Barnes report, seeks to condense and connect all components of the Additive Manufacturing supply chain into one powerful production ecosystem. [First published in Metal AM Vol. 6 No. 3, Autumn/Fall 2020]
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The use of metal Additive Manufacturing for the production of injection moulding tools that have been optimised by conformal cooling is growing internationally. For many companies, however, the main obstacles to adoption are not concerns about material properties or apprehension about unfamiliar processes, but simply initial cost – the tooling industry is extremely competitive and AM inserts can be expensive. Here, 3D Systems’ Mark Cook and GF Machining Solutions’ Dogan Basic present a case study from leading toolmaker and injection moulding specialist TK Mold that highlights how such inserts, when efficiently manufactured, can reduce overall manufacturing costs and improve part quality. [First published in Metal AM Vol. 6 No. 3, Autumn/Fall 2020]
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When you mix a childhood obsession with rockets and space travel, a career at some of the biggest global names in aerospace, and a curiosity about hobbyist 3D printing developed through maker fairs, it was inevitable that FormAlloy’s Melanie Lang would end up in the world of metal Additive Manufacturing. Metal AM magazine’s Emily-Jo Hopson-VandenBos interviewed Lang, CEO and co-founder of Directed Energy Deposition (DED) specialist FormAlloy, about her route into AM, her company’s technology and the outlook for the process. [First published in Metal AM Vol. 6 No. 3, Autumn/Fall 2020]
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The story of Atherton Bikes stands out as a shining example of how metal Additive Manufacturing can be successfully embraced and commercialised by a small, dedicated team of people. In the case of the Atherton family, the technology has not only enabled them to maximise their performance at the pinnacle of professional mountain biking, but has also opened a path to commercial bike production in an industry where frame manufacturing is dominated by Taiwan and China. In an article that will appeal to anyone considering the use of metal AM, the Atherton Bikes team shares its experiences with Robin Weston. [First published in Metal AM Vol. 6 No. 3, Autumn/Fall 2020]
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It is far too easy to overuse superlatives when speaking about hypercars or Additive Manufacturing. When the discussion combines both – Bugatti’s new driver-focused Chiron Pur Sport and a high-performance AM component that truly pushes today’s processes to their limits – the result is worthy of a closer look. In the following in-depth case study, Bugatti and APWORKS explain the requirements, development and production of the Chiron Pur Sport’s exhaust finisher and share insight into some of its hidden details, from lattice structures to nature-inspired honeycomb reinforcements. [First published in Metal AM Vol. 6 No. 2, Summer 2020]
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A new wave of AM machine manufacturers focused on Electron Beam Powder Bed Fusion (PBF-EB) is looking to capitalise on what is perceived as a process with significant untapped market potential. One of the most prominent of these newcomers is Freemelt AB, a developer of open source machines designed to help broaden the PBF-EB material portfolio and application areas. As Metal AM magazine’s Emily-Jo Hopson-VandenBos reports, co-founders Ulric Ljungblad and Ulf Ackelid have no doubt as to the opportunities ahead. [First published in Metal AM Vol. 6 No. 2, Summer 2020]
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In recent years, Australia’s SPEE3D has made waves in the AM industry with its Cold Spray-based metal Additive Manufacturing systems. Following successful projects with the US and Australian military, and multiple installations at one of Europe’s most experienced metal AM parts manufacturers, the world is starting to take note. Alex Kingsbury visited the company at its Melbourne base for Metal AM magazine and spoke with its founders and newly expanded management team about its technology and international expansion. [First published in Metal AM Vol. 6 No. 1, Spring 2020]
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Metal Additive Manufacturing is a complex technology in which users struggle with materials reliability and quality on a daily basis. Here, William Herbert, Director Technology and R&D – Carpenter Additive, a division of Carpenter Technology, looks at how the company combines a 130-year heritage as a leader in speciality alloys with modern, digital solutions for powder management and material traceability, and supports the AM supply chain end-to-end by developing advanced materials, improving process economics and quality, and reducing risk in production applications. [First published in Metal AM Vol. 5 No. 4, Winter 2019]
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Additive Manufacturing is arguably the ideal production method for numerous aerospace applications, particularly where lightweighting and part consolidation are concerns – yet no other industry takes such a cautious approach to embracing new manufacturing methods and imposes so many hurdles on the path to certification. In this article, Germany’s Trumpf GmbH + Co. KG tracks the production journey of one part for Spain’s Ramem S.A., as well as looking at further cases from the aerospace industry. [First published in Metal AM Vol. 5 No. 4, Winter 2019]
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In May 2019, US-based Sintavia, LLC opened a state-of-the-art facility in Hollywood, Florida, dedicated to the volume production of metal additively manufactured components for the aerospace and defence sector, marking a significant expansion of the company’s production capacity. Debbie Sniderman visited the new facility on behalf of Metal Additive Manufacturing magazine and reports on the company’s ambitious plans and its management’s views on the ongoing evolution of the industry.
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With its Sapphire machine and Flow build preparation software capable of highly-controlled, virtually support-free Additive Manufacturing, Velo3D is pushing the limits of what is possible with Laser Powder Bed Fusion (L-PBF). Since launching its first machine in 2018, the California-based company has seen success with a range of highly complex parts which would challenge even the most experienced AM engineer. In this article, Zach Murphree, Velo3D’s Vice President of Technical Partnerships, explains the key factors which set the company’s process apart from the wider AM market. [First published in Metal AM Vol. 5 No. 3, Autumn 2019]
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United Technologies Corp (UTC), through its Pratt & Whitney and Collins Aerospace businesses, has a long history of innovation in aerospace engineering. As Venkat Vedula, Executive Director of UTC’s Additive Manufacturing Center of Expertise (AMCoE), and Vijay Jagdale, the centre’s Principal Engineer, explain, this tradition is today being continued through the corporation’s cutting-edge Additive Manufacturing activities. This report highlights, with the support of an in-depth case study, the centre’s core areas of activity and UTC’s vision for the future of AM.
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