During the Euro PM2019 Congress and Exhibition in Maastricht, the Netherlands, this October, a number of Special Interest Seminars were held focusing on various aspects of the Powder Metallurgy and Additive Manufacturing industries. In one seminar, Dr Uemit Aydin, GKN Additive, and Nicholas Turner, Materials Solutions, looked to the future of Additive Manufacturing and expressed their views on its industrialisation. David Whittaker attended the SIS on behalf of Metal AM magazine and reports on its conclusions.[First published in Metal AM Vol. 5 No. 4, Winter 2019]
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Metal AM exists in a potentially confusing place between the world of 3D printing and its ‘maker’ movement, and Industry 4.0, with its drive towards new economic models. Here, Dr Jennifer Johns, Reader in International Business at the University of Bristol, UK, contextualises metal AM within broader narratives around technological change and economic development, Industry 4.0 and the Factory of the Future to give us a better understanding of what the outside world expects. Drawing on recent empirical research, different and often contradictory viewpoints are presented on the key issues facing the move to volume manufacturing and the geographies of production. [First published in Metal AM Vol. 6 No. 1, Spring 2020]
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In an industry driven by innovation, start-ups play a vital role in creating the next generation of AM technologies, applications, software solutions and materials. However, only a small percentage of these start-ups will survive, and even fewer will thrive. Arno Held, Chief Venture Officer at AM Ventures Holding GmbH, presents a statistical analysis of start-ups across the AM sector, including success rates, geographic distribution and key areas of focus, and offers his insight into venture capital as it relates to the Additive Manufacturing industry. [First published in Metal AM Vol. 6 No. 1, Spring 2020]
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Now in its third year, the Munich Technology Conference series has achieved a remarkable status in its short history. It is recognised not only for bringing together the most powerful and influential minds in the international AM community, but for engaging them in open and broad-ranging discussions on the future of the industry. It is also an event that unashamedly ‘wears its heart on its sleeve’, having grown from the optimism of MTC1 to MTC2’s call for vital collaboration, and a ‘reality check’ in the face of economic uncertainty at MTC3. Metal AM magazine’s Emily-Jo Hopson reports. [First published in Metal AM Vol. 5 No. 4, Winter 2019]
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This is a challenging and exciting time for producers of metal powders. Talk of the industrialisation of Additive Manufacturing is everywhere and key pieces of the AM jigsaw such as standards, quality systems and installed production capacity are falling into place. The nature of the companies which are looking to take advantage of the anticipated feast is, however, surprisingly diverse. In this article, Alex Kingsbury and Dayton Horvarth highlight how long-established metal powder giants are adapting to AM and how agile start-ups are carving out niches in the powder marketplace. [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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Australian expertise is today becoming much more commonplace on the international AM scene. From technology and materials suppliers to application developers, companies are growing on the back of world-class research and education facilities, and a business environment where innovation and international trade are rewarded. Combine this with an abundance of AM-relevant natural resources and, as Alex Kingsbury explains, an environment has been created in which AM is thriving. [First published in Metal AM Vol. 5 No. 1, Spring 2019]
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From November 13-16, 2018, the Additive Manufacturing world congregated in Frankfurt, Germany, to attend the year’s final and arguably most significant international exhibition on the technology. Occupying more than 37,000 m2 of floor space, Formnext 2018 attracted nearly 27,000 visitors – an increase of more than 25% on the previous year – and over 600 global exhibitors. In this report, Metal AM’s Emily-Jo Hopson covers some of the news and developments out of Formnext, and looks at how they reflect an industry turning its focus toward productivity and efficiency for true industrialisation [First published in Metal AM Vol. 4 No. 4, Winter 2018]
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Much of metal Additive Manufacturing’s recent success has been driven by the aerospace sector, where demanding applications have propelled progress in all aspects of the technology, from process stability and quality to part design and materials. Together, these advances are enabling metal AM to meet the next challenge: that of wider serial production. As the University of Bremen’s Christian Kober reports, it was this challenge that formed the central theme at this year’s International Conference on Additive Manufacturing in Aerospace [First published in Metal AM Vol. 4 No. 4, Winter 2018]
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