Company profiles

Metal Additive Manufacturing and the new Space Race: The inside track with Launcher and AMCM

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] ... Read more »

Metal Additive Manufacturing in New Zealand: An overview of research, commercial activities and strategic initiatives

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] ... Read more »

Neighborhood 91: The bridge to Additive Manufacturing production

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] ... Read more »

Hybrid inserts for mould and die production: How workflow optimisation can help make the business case for AM

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] ... Read more »

From aerospace engineering to AM: Melanie Lang on FormAlloy and the future of Directed Energy Deposition (DED)

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] ... Read more »

Atherton Bikes: The journey from world title success to mastering Additive Manufacturing for performance bike production

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] ... Read more »

In pursuit of perfection: A case study on how Bugatti and APWORKS leverage the full potential of AM

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] ... Read more »

Freemelt AB: Open source technology to explore the potential of Electron Beam Powder Bed Fusion

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] ... Read more »

Cheaper powders, faster build speeds and no thermal stresses? How AM is going supersonic at SPEE3D

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] ... Read more »

From atomisation to analysis: How Carpenter Additive is delivering improved material reliability, economics and quality

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] ... Read more »

Trumpf: Overcoming barriers to the adoption of Additive Manufacturing in the aerospace sector

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] ... Read more »

Sintavia: New facility signals the move towards volume metal Additive Manufacturing for aerospace and defence

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. ... Read more »

In the latest issue of Metal AM magazine

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Extensive AM industry news coverage, as well as the following exclusive deep-dive articles:

  • Metal powders in Additive Manufacturing: An exploration of sustainable production, usage and recycling
  • Inside Wayland Additive: How innovation in electron beam PBF is opening new markets for AM
  • An end-to-end production case study: Leveraging data-driven machine learning and autonomous process control in AM
  • Consolidation, competition, and the cost of certification: Insight from New York’s AM Strategies 2024
  • Scandium’s impact on the Additive Manufacturing of aluminium alloys
  • AM for medical implants: An analysis of the impact of powder reuse in Powder Bed Fusion

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