North America’s annual Rapid event has for 27 years been the region’s leading exhibition on Rapid Prototyping and Additive Manufacturing technologies. This year’s event, Rapid + TCT 2017, took place in Pittsburgh from May 8-11 and attracted a record 6,000 attendees from more than 45 countries. Metal AM magazine’s Emily-Jo Hopson attended the event and reports on a theme that is becoming ever more important to the industry as it looks towards new markets – affordability and accessibility [First published in Metal AM Vol. 3 No. 2, Summer 2017]
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Materialise NV, headquartered in Leuven, Belgium, has more than 25 years of experience in developing industry-leading software for Additive Manufacturing. The company also operates some of the largest AM factories in Europe, including a metal AM facility in Bremen, Germany. Kirsten Van Praet reveals how the latest release of the company’s Materialise Magics suite can help users achieve higher levels of AM production success through advanced part orientation and support solutions. Key advantages of the metal AM process are also reviewed through a case study and a number of application examples [First published in Metal AM Vol. 3 No. 1, Spring 2017]
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Metal Additive Manufacturing magazine was recently invited to visit the GKN Aerospace facility at Filton, Bristol, UK, to discover the business’s global development activities in Additive Manufacturing (AM) and to view the company’s on-site AM centre. Dr Robert Sharman, Head of Additive Manufacturing at GKN Aerospace, and Tim Hope, Manager of the Additive Manufacturing Centre at Filton, hosted the visit and outlined the company’s current activities and future aspirations in the field of AM for aerospace applications [First published in Metal AM Vol. 2 No. 4, Winter 2016]
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There is no doubt that the Additive Manufacturing of series components is quickly becoming a reality. From high-profile applications in the aerospace industry to performance components for the automotive sector, there are now numerous examples of the successful implementation of metal AM. However, the route that a company chooses in order to adopt AM technology could have a significant impact on a component’s development time and cost. As Nick Williams reports, Germany’s FIT AG sees opportunities in leveraging its expertise to supporting companies with the outsourcing of component development and production. To achieve this, the company has created a model AM factory that it plans to replicate worldwide [First published in Metal AM Vol. 2 No. 3, Autumn 2016]
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GKN Sinter Metals, with more than 6,000 employees at 30 locations worldwide, is the world’s leading Powder Metallurgy group. The company produces 11 million PM parts per day, with around 80% going into the automotive industry. The company started its metal Additive Manufacturing activities at its Innovation Centre in Radevormwald, Germany, in 2013. Dr Georg Schlieper visited the centre on behalf of Metal AM magazine and reports on the company’s AM activities and ambitions [First published in Metal AM Vol. 2 No. 2, Summer 2016]
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The automotive industry has successfully embraced metal Additive Manufacturing as a prototyping technology for a number of years. As the technology advances, however, the possibilities for the use of metal AM for series component production are now starting to be explored. In the following review the challenges and opportunities for metal AM in the automotive industry are presented, including a radical concept to use AM parts as key structural elements in the next generation of automotive spaceframes [First published in Metal AM Vol. 2 No. 2, Summer 2016]
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As one of the first major markets for metal additively manufactured products, the importance of the tooling industry has long been recognised. There is still, however, limited information available on what mechanical properties can be expected for the various materials used. This report by Harish Irrinki, Brenton Barmore, Kunal H Kate and Sundar V Atre reviews the published data on various steel powders and processing conditions as well as the mechanical properties that have been obtained using the Selective Laser Melting process [First published in Metal AM Vol. 2 No. 2, Summer 2016]
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VTT, based in Espoo, Finland, is one of Europe’s largest research and technology centres with a long track record in metal powder processing technologies. In the following case study VTT’s Erin Komi reviews the development of an additively manufactured valve block for demanding industrial applications. The project, in conjunction with industrial partner Nurmi Cylinders, looked at the optimisation of the valve block in terms of size reduction, weight saving and performance gains [First published in Metal AM Vol. 2 No. 1, Spring 2016]
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The much anticipated inaugural formnext exhibition took place in Frankfurt from November 17-20, 2015. Squarely aimed at an industrial audience, the event succeeded in attracting almost all the major metal Additive Manufacturing technology suppliers. Whilst taglined as the international exhibition on additive technologies and tool making, there was a real sense that it was the Additive Manufacturing community that most fully embraced this new exhibition concept. As Metal AM magazine’s Nick Williams reports, AM technology suppliers took the opportunity to make a number of new product launches and announcements [First published in Metal AM Vol. 1 No. 4, Winter 2015]
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Despite playing a significant role in the early development of Additive Manufacturing technologies, there is a belief in Japan that the country’s industry has fallen behind in the wider adoption of metal Additive Manufacturing. In this report for Metal AM magazine Professor Hideki Kyogoku, of Kinki University, and a project leader of the country’s Technology Research Association for Future Additive Manufacturing (TRAFAM), reviews the history of the technology in Japan and its current status. He also presents the work being undertaken by TRAFAM on the development of the next generation of metal AM systems and materials [First published in Metal AM Vol. 1 No. 3, Autumn 2015]
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With such intense levels of interest in Additive Manufacturing, the pressure for businesses to adopt the technology can be high. Expectations, however, need to be managed and the business opportunities and challenges need to be understood. As Onno Ponfoort and Chris Krampitz explain, the dilemmas for any company looking to move into this arena range from fully understanding the advantages that the technology presents to ensuring that those tasked with the project, as well as potential customers, have the necessary technical training [First published in Metal AM Vol. 1 No. 3, Autumn 2015]
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The Rapid.Tech Conference and Exhibition was first held in Erfurt, Germany, eleven years ago and since then this annual event has attracted ever more visitors. Originally a German language event, the organisers have in recent years worked hard to increase its international appeal and this year the conference was held both in German and English with simultaneous translation. Dr Georg Schlieper reports for Metal Additive Manufacturing magazine [First published in Metal AM Vol. 1 No. 2, Summer 2015]
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