As the metal Additive Manufacturing industry evolves towards widespread use for series production, the need for globally-recognised standards is also increasing. In this article, Prof Dr-Ing Christian Seidel, Chairman of ISO Technical Committee (TC) 261 ‘Additive Manufacturing’ and Member-at-Large on the Executive Committee of the ASTM F42 ‘Additive Manufacturing’ Committee, outlines why standards are so important, presents an overview of the current AM standards ecosystem, and highlights current key areas of standardisation activity. [First published in Metal AM Vol. 7 No. 1, Spring 2021]
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It is no secret that metal Additive Manufacturing still faces significant challenges that stand in the way of broader adoption in industry. Aside from AM service providers, very few small- to medium-sized enterprises have brought metal AM in-house; many lack the capabilities, knowledge and resources to do so, even if the will is there. In this article, Olaf Diegel, Noah Mostow and Terry Wohlers discuss the complex, and often multi-faceted, obstacles that stand between AM and its wider global adoption, and how those obstacles can be addressed and resolved in order to clear the path to achieving the technology’s full market potential. [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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The Additive Manufacturing industry in South Africa has come a long way since the installation of the country’s first AM machine in 1991, with a number of research and commercial initiatives driving the development of world-class applications and knowledge. In this article, Terry Wohlers and Olaf Diegel, Wohlers Associates, present an overview of metal Additive Manufacturing activities in South Africa, from the technology’s life-changing use for medical implants to its development for rapid, large-scale part production and beyond. [First published in Metal AM Vol. 6 No. 4, Winter 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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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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In January, Boeing’s new 777X aircraft made its maiden flight, powered by two GE9X engines from GE Aviation. Whilst this was a major moment for both companies, it was also a huge milestone for Electron Beam Powder Bed Fusion (PBF-EB), and the culmination of decades of process and material development work at the driving force behind the technology, Arcam AB. Whilst the many turbine blades used in the GE9X engine are the highlight of the first chapter in the story of PBF-EB, there is also a lingering sense of unrealised potential. Here, Joseph Kowen considers the story to date and highlights a new generation of firms working to increase the technology’s adoption. [First published in Metal AM Vol. 6 No. 2, Summer 2020]
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Rich in creativity and rooted in a long artisanal manufacturing heritage, one would imagine that there can be few sectors as perfectly suited to embrace the potential of metal Additive Manufacturing than the jewellery industry. In reality, however, the sector continues to hold back on the full-scale adoption of AM, despite numerous successes. In this article, Michela Ferraro-Cuda considers progress to date in the adoption of precious metal AM in the jewellery industry, and showcases a number of leading designers who have leveraged the technology’s potential for innovation and differentiation. [First published in Metal AM Vol. 6 No. 2, Summer 2020]
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As the metal Additive Manufacturing industry matures at a rapid rate, organisations are now faced with the challenge of scaling their AM operations. Based on a study of 253 companies in a number of sectors, US-based AM software specialist Link3D has developed an ‘Additive Manufacturing Maturity Model’. This simple model can be used as a tool to understand an organisation’s AM maturity whilst also helping them navigate the steps to developing an agile and resilient AM supply chain. Shane Fox, CEO and co-founder of Link3D, explains. [First published in Metal AM Vol. 6 No. 2, Summer 2020]
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Just as Design for AM demands an entirely new mindset to be truly effective, understanding efficient AM machine utilisation in order to drive profitability also requires a major shift from conventional practices. In this article, Magnitude Innovations Inc’s Matt Tusz, Founder and CEO, and Caterina Pampolari, Business Development Manager, explore operational and financial losses in metal Additive Manufacturing. They offer advice on how to overcome these growth barriers through production efficiency and profitable pricing strategies, with a focus on Operational Excellence and Continuous Improvement. [First published in Metal AM Vol. 6 No. 2, Summer 2020]
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The fourth Metal Additive Manufacturing Conference (MAMC 2019), organised by the Austrian Society for Metallurgy and Materials (ASMET), took place in Örebro, Sweden, from November 25–27, 2019. The event, which attracted an international audience, covered a broad range of metal AM technologies and considered the technical challenges that need to be overcome to make the industry more economically competitive with conventional manufacturing. Prof Dr Jürgen Stampfl, Prof Nader Asnafi, Dr Bruno Hribernik, and Dr Gerhard Hackl review the event for Metal AM magazine.
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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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The wide potential of Additive Manufacturing in the oil and gas and maritime sector has come to be widely accepted, with the technology offering significant advantages in terms of lead time, part weight, part count, higher levels of geometric complexity and new material properties. However, in these safety-critical industries, there remain some concerns regarding the quality of AM parts. A Joint Industry Project (JIP), begun in January 2018 and consisting of twenty partners, aims to deliver a new JIP Guideline on Additive Manufacturing for this sector. Here, DNV-GL’s Harsharn Singh Tathgar and Berenschot’s Onno Ponfoort report on the guideline’s development. [First published in Metal AM Vol. 5 No. 3, Autumn 2019]
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The third Metal Additive Manufacturing Conference (MAMC2018), organised by the Austrian Society for Metallurgy and Materials (ASMET) and voestalpine, took place in Vienna, Austria, from November 21–23, 2018. The event, which attracted an international audience, covered a broad range of metal AM technologies and considered the technical challenges that need to be overcome to make the industry more economically competitive with conventional manufacturing. Prof Dr Bruno Buchmayr, Dr Bruno Hribernik, Dipl-Ing Gerhard Panzl and Prof Dr Jürgen Stampfl review the event for Metal AM magazine.
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In 2016 SAP and UPS announced their collaboration to develop a supply chain management solution that spans the complete AM process chain, from component evaluation and design to delivery of the final product. Leading US-based AM service provider Linear AMS, a Moog company, is one of several manufacturers involved in the venture. Linear AMS’s Bruce Colter and Moog’s George Small review the drivers behind on-demand manufacturing and present recent developments in materials, applications and component verification.
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For readers who have not yet discovered the annual conference of the European Powder Metallurgy Association (EPMA), the Euro PM conference series has grown to become a rich source of technical information on the latest advances in powder-based metal AM. The Euro PM2015 Congress, held in Reims, France, 4-7 October 2015, was no exception and Dr David Whittaker reports on a number of key technical presentations made during the first two Additive Manufacturing sessions at the congress.
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More than 150 participants from 19 countries attended the Metal Additive Manufacturing Conference (MAMC), Vienna, November 20-21, 2014. The conference, organised by the Austrian Society for Metallurgy and Metals (ASMET) and voestalpine Edelstahl, reviewed the latest developments along the entire processing chain as well as novel applications. Prof. Bruno Buchmayr, Montanuniversität Leoben, and Prof. Juergen Stampfl, TU Wien, present an introduction to Additive Manufacturing and report on highlights from the MAMC 2014 conference.
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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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