Additive Industries Talks 3D Printing for RF Parts, Automotive, & Extra – 3DPrint.com

Dutch firm Additive Industries, which first unveiled its flagship MetalFab industrial 3D printing system in 2015 and formally launched it in 2017, was very busy final yr. At Formnext 2023, the metallic 3D printer producer showcased the MetalFab G2, however on the 2024 commerce present, the most recent iteration—the MetalFab 300 Flex—was on show. The Flex, so named for the flexibility to alter its construct platform dimension, generated plenty of market consciousness, in response to Strategic Advertising Director Kartik Rao, who will probably be a participant in our upcoming Additive Manufacturing Methods summit. He and I just lately had a chat concerning the firm’s printers, purposes, and extra.

“We haven’t been one of many largest metallic AM gamers, however I feel the Flex launch generated some market traction,” Rao informed me. “We acquired extra leads at Formnext than earlier than, in order that’s trending in the appropriate course for us.”

The launch buyer for the MetalFab 300 Flex was Dutch 3D printing service bureau K3D, which bought two programs to serve the automotive, industrial, power, aerospace, and protection markets. Rao stated that with the unique MetalFab, individuals “unflatteringly referred to it as ‘the bus,’ as a result of it’s a extremely lengthy system with all of the automation.” However the Flex is a extra accessible machine for individuals simply getting began in metallic AM and with a a lot smaller CapEx.

“It’s initiated discussions with prospects that I feel wouldn’t have come to us earlier than,” he stated. “What we’ve been capable of see is unquestionably many extra alternatives build up within the pipeline now for that system. It’s been profitable for us, and we have been glad to announce K3D as a buyer.”

A service bureau like K3D was actually “a super use case” for the Flex, in response to Rao, as a result of it wanted the versatile construct dimension “with out having to hold all the fee overheads of a big system.” However different thrilling alternatives have been developing for the system, and the corporate’s different printers, in new markets as effectively.

RF Antenna Parts

Rao stated the corporate already had a robust set up base in France and the Netherlands, however that it’s beginning to see extra traction in different components of Europe, reminiscent of Germany, Italy, Scandinavia, and Switzerland; this final is mirrored in Swissto12. It was introduced at Formnext that the Swiss startup had bought 4 of the corporate’s dual-core MetalFabG2 fashions to make its radio frequency (RF) antenna elements for low Earth orbit (LEO) satellites.

“That’s a booming market,” Rao stated. “I feel it’s a kind of killer purposes for metallic AM.”

A monolithic Ka-band feedchain, which beforehand would have needed to have a number of components assembled. Picture courtesy of Swissto12.

Constellations of LEO satellites are wanted for Web connectivity on telephones, so that may be a booming market certainly! Kartik defined that by utilizing metallic 3D printing for waveguides and antenna arrays, you not want numerous additional joints and screws, as a result of a number of components will be consolidated into one, which is one other “useful profit.” Plus, the expertise permits for extra advanced designs.

“So these are all of the the explanation why you’d make that software with metallic AM, however I feel what’s actually attention-grabbing is they might have gone to every other machine vendor to make components. So why did they arrive to Additive Industries?”

There are possible a number of causes for this, beginning with the corporate’s full discipline lasers, which signifies that “each single certainly one of our lasers can sweep all the best way throughout the construct plate.” This, together with the printer’s bigger construct dimension, allows significantly better management of dimensional tolerances. Another excuse is the printer’s built-in automation options, reminiscent of construct setup, laser calibration, and built-in powder dealing with. The ultimate motive Kartik talked about for firms that make RF antenna components to make use of Additive Industries’ expertise is productiveness, as its programs are modular.

“You’ll be able to add a second core to your system, and what meaning is that the optic chamber can transfer forwards and backwards throughout the 2 cores. So once you’re cleansing one out, the opposite one is printing, and when that finishes, it slides throughout and begins printing on the subsequent one. So that you by no means have any laser downtime.

“So maximizing the laser uptime is vital to productiveness. And that’s, once more, the automation kicking in.”

Picture courtesy of Additive Industries.

As Rao stated, RF elements appear to be a “candy spot” for Additive Industries, “along with the opposite purposes which have been confirmed on our system, like rocket elements.” Should you’re trying to print the “huge bell” of a rocket engine, you’ll want an even bigger 3D printer than what Additive Industries affords. However the smaller elements above the bell, product of Inconel, is “a unbelievable candy spot for the MetalFab.”

LPBF for Automotive

I remembered that one of many main purposes I noticed showcased in numerous components on the firm’s Formnext sales space in 2023 was automotive. There have been a number of System 1 components, in addition to a small, hole tooling nozzle used to safe the window frames of mid-sized Volkswagen SUVs. Within the automobile, the window is glued to the body, and the nozzle deposits a skinny line of glue across the body so rubber foam will be hooked up.

“This venture, born from the collaboration between Volkswagen and Additive Industries has demonstrated the numerous enterprise case advantages, particularly when it comes to value and time, that the MetalFab system can deliver within the Automotive mass manufacturing sector,” in response to the introduction to a case research concerning the nozzle.

Picture: Sarah Saunders

Rao known as the automotive market “attention-grabbing” and stated it represents about 10-15% of the corporate’s set up base. I requested if he had any ideas about automotive tendencies within the close to future, and he believes that there will probably be “a renewed deal with laser powder mattress fusion inside automotive.”

“Over the previous few years there’s been plenty of consideration on binder jetting, however I don’t suppose binder jetting has fairly labored out in the best way that the automotive firms thought it could,” he stated. “There’s challenges with attaining the appropriate prices and the appropriate half high quality and so forth. Because of this I feel there’s going to be a renewed deal with laser powder mattress fusion over the approaching years, which is nice for us.”

He additionally believes a few of the bigger firms will develop into extra engaged with automotive, as Additive Industries is “seeing curiosity each within the U.S. and Europe now on the automotive facet.” Rao additionally famous that tooling—one other Additive Industries software—is “actually the driving force for the automotive business” in Europe, whereas he sees “extra emphasis on the precise elements themselves quite than the tooling components” within the U.S.

“I feel individuals are beginning to notice it’s these industries quite than business aviation, that are actually gonna be pushing ahead,” he stated with reference to automotive 3D printing. “Like 10 years in the past, there was plenty of press about business aviation adopting metallic AM. However I haven’t actually seen it within the volumes that they have been initially claiming.”

Course of Monitoring

Circling again round to Formnext, Rao stated the corporate additionally marketed a course of monitoring device package by way of a collaboration with Additive Assurance. The Australian firm has a bit of {hardware} known as AMiRIS that sits on the entrance of MetalFab programs for in-process monitoring, which is “turning into more and more helpful in metallic AM as a result of individuals need to have the ability to reduce down on the post-printing prices.”

“Persons are spending some huge cash post-printing doing X-ray CT scanning, and the CapEx for that’s important,” he stated. “After which the folks that you might want to rent and the quantity of experience that goes into all of the reviews and all the pieces else is sort of important. So any financial savings that may very well be made, and avoiding the quantity of CT scanning that folks do, is useful. And likewise something that we will do to cut back the quantity of validation testing that individuals are having to do, like continuously printing tensile bars.”

Additive Assurance AMiRIS mounted on MetalFAB G2.

Everyone seems to be bored with seeing construct plates simply filled with tensile check specimens, however how do you get across the want for testing? Rao says that a part of the answer for this “ache level” is course of monitoring, which may also help scale back prices. The AMiRIS package developed by Additive Assurance will also be used on a number of printers, which he believes may be very useful.

“We very very similar to working with third events as a result of they’re the perfect. They’re making an attempt to create the expertise and so they’re going 5 ranges deeper than we may on this,” Rao stated. “And we’d a lot quite work with third events like Additive Assurance, who will be the subject material consultants and develop the perfect at school device toolkits.”

Additive Industries desires to have the ability to combine with these third events and stay an open platform “for these extra bits of {hardware} and software program, in order that the shoppers can choose and select as they want.”

“We want to be open, that’s a part of our DNA,” he stated. “We need to be as open as we will as a result of the fact is your complete AM panorama is evolving. There’s a restrict to how a lot management you’ll be able to train and be closed to all these improvements which might be occurring round us.”

However he did word that whereas the corporate desires to be as open as attainable, they want to take action in a method that gained’t have them integrating all the pieces of their programs, “as a result of we additionally perceive that there’s a restrict to how a lot the price of the programs can go up.”

“These aren’t toys, they’re manufacturing machines. So we don’t need to preserve including to the fee increasingly more by including extra bells and whistles to the system,” he stated.

By means of its modular programs, Additive Industries provides its prospects a alternative with what they add to their printers. The shopper is aware of “at what value level the enterprise case goes to stay for his or her software,” so it’s of their arms.

The MetalFab 3D printer at IMTS 2024.

Rao informed me that Additive Industries is aiming for an additional product launch at RAPID 2025 in Detroit this April, in order that’s thrilling information. Moreover, in only a few weeks, Rao will probably be attending our AMS 2025 in New York Metropolis, and moderating a Mass Manufacturing part panel about The Steel Toolbelt, with audio system from DMG MORI USA, Inc., Desktop Steel, Mantle, and HP. You’ll be able to register for the summit right here.