3D Printed Turbine Combines 61 Parts into One

In July this year, Velo3D had qualified a new nickel-based alloy, Hastelloy X, due to its suitability in the additive manufacturing of power generation components such as gas turbines, using the company’s Sapphire metal AM platform. This announcement had followed relatively quickly on the back of securing the company’s largest order yet, worth $20 million, and raising $40 million in funding which increased the company’s total investment to $150 million till date.

Industrial gas turbines are a priority application for Velo3D, and offering optimized materials for power generation applications is critical to driving full-scale adoption among its clients. Following the approval of Hastelloy, the company swiftly moved to partner with Sierra Turbines and nTopology, provider of generative design solutions, to test the material in 3D printing 95% of a unicore of a 20-kilowatt microturbine engine. The material is optimized to have high resistance to oxidation or corrosion cracking, resulting in better performing microturbines which require lower maintenance.

Image Courtesy of Sierra Turbines

The results from the additively manufactured Aurelius Mk1 core really bring home the advantages of using AM over the traditional manufacturing approach. Part count was reduced from 61 separate components to one. This alone eliminates the need to procure and transport various raw materials to manufacture individual parts using different process, as well as the need for assembly of course, involving dissimilar material joints, seals, fasteners. It also reduces post-processing requirements. The reduction of joints, and the ability to design with closer tolerances additionally prevents the possibility of leaks, improving engine efficiency.

AM also allowed designers to build in internal oil and fuel circuits, as well as re-think the fuel spray and flame shape in the combustion chamber. Using the nTop generative design platform, Sierra Turbines modeled a specific lattice geometry to atomize the fuel and a 360-degree fuel injector to distribute fuel equally around the circumference of the combustor. By redesigning from scratch, designers were also able to make the turbine more mass efficient (reducing weight by 50%), resulting in an expected thrust-to-weight ratio (10x increase in power density) significantly higher than existing state-of-the-art turbines of similar power. Regarding the ability to advance design using AM, Roger Smith, CEO of Sierra Turbines, stated,

“My design team is freed from the constraints of traditional manufacturing and even existing metal AM technologies such that they can focus purely on defining the geometry needed to maximize performance and differentiation.”

Image Courtesy of Sierra Turbines

This was enabled in no small part by the Velo3D Sapphire Platform, with support-free metal 3D printing, and the new specialized Hastalloy material. The case study from nTopology notes,

“This high level of integration however wouldn’t have been possible using machines other than the VELO3D Sapphire metal 3D printer. The no-contact re-coater blade used in the VELO3D machine allows support-free printing of overhangs down to 30 degrees, which in terms of additive manufacturing freedom is the equivalent of the falling of the Berlin wall.”

Altogether, every one of the benefits AM contributes to increasing the operational time of Aurelius Mk1, with time before overhaul (TBO) 40x greater than existing comparable turbines, and reducing operational cost. This is no small feat, small turbine engines average 40-50 hour between overhaul, and the Aurelius will average a significant 1000+ hours, comparable to that of commercial aircraft. It provides a remarkable demonstration of the difference AM can make in industrial power generation applications, and the results in bringing together specialized AM hardware and software solution providers to develop a revolutionary product.

Image Courtesy of Sierra Turbines

The Aurelius Mk1 will complete development shortly, with a few engines running by end of this year, and commercialization will begin with UAV manufacturers, with whom the company has already signed agreements. The company will to advance optimization and improvement of their Aurelius Mk1 microturbine, stating

Once the combustor has been thoroughly tested and benchmarked, he intends to pursue additional performance improvements. He’s also planning to work on the microturbine’s rotating components, an unorthodox move that many aerospace pundits would agree is beyond the pale. Here again, Smith is determined:

“VELO3D believes that you can use additive for full-scale production, and so do I,” he says. “For future gas turbine development, we aim to leverage the power of additive manufacturing to integrate features such as an efficiency-boosting recuperator, printed-in sensors, and more novel insulating and cooling geometries.”

You can learn more about the development of the Aurelius Mk1 in this webinar, and the full case study can be found here. Earlier this month, Velo3D had also partnered with Lam Research to explore potential applications for its metal 3D printing solutions in the semiconductor industry.

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ExOne to Partner with Xometry to Offer Metal Binder Jetting

The ExOne Company, manufacturer of sand and metal 3D printers for binder jetting technology, has announced that they will be partnering with Xometry—known for its custom manufacturing marketplace in the US. Centering around metal additive manufacturing processes, ExOne will be the sole provider for binder jetting in this new partnership.

Xometry customers will be able to benefit from ExOne’s 20 years in 3D printing and the refinements it has made with “triple advanced compaction technology” and ultrasonic dispensing (illustrated below)—allowing for better accuracy and performance in parts. Some of the greatest benefits in 3D printing are offered with binder jetting from ExOne, including affordability and speed in production as one roller evenly spreads powder, and another compacts it for the proper density. With a bonding agent deposited onto a thin layer of the powder, the process is repeated over and over until the 3D printed structure is made.

ExOne can print over 20 materials currently, including the following:

  • 316L stainless steel
  • 17-4PH stainless steel
  • Inconel 718
  • M2 tool steel

“ExOne is proud to offer our metal 3D printing services to Xometry customers,” said John Hartner, ExOne’s CEO. “Our industrial binder jet machines can truly take products from prototyping all the way to final production with a single process that is fast, affordable and sustainable.”

This type of partnership marks the accelerated trend not only in the use of metal but in evolving past rapid prototyping to using AM processes for functional parts in many different industrial applications. Metal binder jetting continues to grow in popularity too due to the ability to make strong but lightweight parts like metal casting molds and cores, and innovative tooling solutions from a variety of materials; meanwhile Xometry is able to offer customizations through a vast network which relies not only on 3D printing technology, but also traditional processes like CNC machining, injection molding, die casting, and more. Currently they customize and produce parts for companies like BMWDellNASA, and GE.

“We’re excited to offer binder jetting to expand the range of services our customers can get from Xometry’s new Digital RFQ Marketplace,” said Randy Altschuler, Xometry’s CEO. “ExOne is a true innovator in additive manufacturing and we believe this partnership is a big win for our customers.”

(Image: ExOne)

ExOne has continued to show dropping revenues despite their international standing as a leader in binder jet 3D printing technology. Amidst employee layoffs, their second-quarter earnings report showed a year-on-year revenue decrease of 27%.

As was the case with businesses of all types and of all sizes this year, COVID-19 has wreaked havoc on finances. Employee furloughs and pay cuts have also been instituted in efforts to cut the ExOne budget, although the Pennsylvania-headquartered company expects revenues to be rising in the future as interest in 3D printing technology for the industrial front continues to accelerate.

Xometry’s financing rounds have been promising, however, with another $50MM raised last year—bringing overall funding to $113MM for the Maryland manufacturing startup.  They plan to invest in further product development and global expansion, along with other “growth initiatives” with the substantial funds currently at their disposal.

[Source / Images: Xometry]

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3D Printing Unicorn Desktop Metal to Go Public After Reverse Merger Deal

After becoming one of the fastest-growing 3D printing startups, Desktop Metal announced plans to go public following a reverse merger deal with blank check company Trine Acquisitions. The Boston-based metal 3D printing systems manufacturer revealed that the combined companies will be listed on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) under the ticker symbol “DM” and are expected to have an estimated post-transaction equity value of up to $2.5 billion.

2020 has seen a surge of company’s opting to go public through special purpose acquisition company (SPAC) merger deals. During the first half of the year, there have been 79 SPAC IPOs that have raised gross proceeds of $32 billion, according to SPACInsider, a sharp increase from last year’s 59 SPAC IPO’s and gross proceeds of $13.6 billion. In fact, Desktop Metal follows in the steps of space tourism startup Virgin Galactic and electric car maker Nikola Corp, drawn to SPAC listings to go public without the risk and complexity of a traditional IPO.

Since coming out of stealth mode in 2017, Desktop Metal has managed to raise over $438 million in funding, becoming one of the fastest companies in US history to achieve unicorn status. Claiming to reinvent the way design and manufacturing teams 3D print metal and continuous carbon fiber parts, the company aims to create the world’s fastest metal 3D printers. Its broad product portfolio already includes an office-friendly metal 3D printing system for low volume production, as well as new mid-volume manufacturing and continuous fiber composite printers, both of which are expected to ship in the fourth quarter of 2020.

With a valuation of $1.5 billion, Desktop Metal is the first major Massachusetts-based 3D printing company to go public. Locally, Desktop Metal competitors include fellow 3D printing technology unicorn Formlabs in Somerville and continuous carbon fiber manufacturing company Markforged in Watertown.

“We are at a major inflection point in the adoption of additive manufacturing, and Desktop Metal is leading the way in this transformation,” said Ric Fulop, Co-founder, Chairman, and CEO of Desktop Metal. “Our solutions are designed for both massive throughput and ease of use, enabling organizations of all sizes to make parts faster, more cost effectively, and with higher levels of complexity and sustainability than ever before. We are energized to make our debut as a publicly traded company and begin our partnership with Trine, which will provide the resources to accelerate our go-to-market efforts and enhance our relentless efforts in R&D.”

Desktop Metal’s Shop System, an additive manufacturing solution targeted at the machine shop market and designed for mid-volume production of customer-ready metal parts. (Image courtesy of Business Wire)

According to Desktop Metal, the deal will generate up to $575 million in gross proceeds, comprised of Trine’s $300 million of cash held in trust, and $275 million from fully committed common stock PIPE (private investment in public equity) at $10.00 per share. The move is expected to provide, what the company considers, an opportunity to build the “first $10 billion additive 2.0 company,” part of an emerging wave of next-generation additive manufacturing (AM) technologies expected to unlock throughput, repeatability and competitive part costs. With solutions featuring key innovations across printers, materials, and software, Desktop Metal anticipates this new trend to pull AM into direct competition with conventional processes used to manufacture $12 trillion in goods every year.

When consulted, 3DPrint.com’s own Executive Editor and Vice President of Consulting at SmarTech Analysis, Joris Peels, considered the deal to be an aggressive valuation when outlined against the current capabilities, technologies, growth and installed base of the firm. Peels explained that at present, he does not think that the transaction is commensurate with revenues or the perceived quality of its offering.

The expert further suggested that “the firm has consistently overstated capabilities. It has also had significant issues with deploying its technology in the field. Competition from firms such as Markforged, HP, and GE will expand the binder jet market considerably, but also offer alternatives to Desktop Metal. New startups such as One Click Metal, Laser Melting Innovations, Aconity3D and ValCUN can also provide alternative solutions. The low-cost metal market is set for rapid growth. These are the types of systems that we could expect in many a machine shop and factory in the years to come. The opportunity is for over 750,000 deployments worldwide, dwarfing the current market. The battle for dominance in this exciting space will yet see more market entrants arrive and we are in the initial stages of a very exciting time.”

Desktop Metal’s Production System is designed to be the fastest way to 3D print metal parts at scale. (Image courtesy of Business Wire)

During a conference call on August 26, 2020 – just after news of Desktop Metal’s SPAC transaction were revealed – legendary technology investor and operator Leo Hindery, Jr., Chairman and CEO of Trine Acquisitions, said that Desktop Metal will be the “only pure-play opportunity available to public market investors in the additive manufacturing 2.0 space.”

Emphasizing his belief that the company is in the process of revolutionizing the industry, and developing a technology that will be a significant step in replacing mass manufacturing base, which has become antiquated, Hindery said this deal will become pivotal to transforming the products and industries that will drive the economy into the 21st century, including electric vehicles, 5G communications, digital supply chains, and space flight.

Both company CEOs suggested that the AM industry is slated to realize explosive growth over the next decade, reaching over ten times the 2019 market size, estimated to surge from $12 billion to $146 billion by 2030 as it shifts from prototyping to mass production.

Desktop Metal printers are used in the automotive industry. (Image courtesy of Desktop Metal)

To better understand the future of the AM metal industry, 3DPrint.com turned to Scott Dunham, SmarTech’s Vice President of Research, who reported on the market conditions today, stating that nothing changes in business without significant pain first.

“The metal additive manufacturing market in 2020 is feeling a combination of ongoing growing pains with difficulties in the sales environment now intensified due to economic effects from COVID-19. General manufacturing companies facing similar challenges, however, and now are faced with the choice of continuing on with the status quo in light of the pandemic exposing weaknesses in their supply chains, or making serious changes to address those weaknesses in the future. Both choices are fraught with risks,” Dunham suggests. “Metal additive manufacturing market stakeholders are hopeful this scenario may catalyze the industry back to strong growth as companies arrive at a decision to invest in new technologies and further develop their capabilities in concert with AM leaders to arrive better prepared for future challenges.”

Despite the current impasse, Dunham insists that the additive industry will ultimately benefit from a renewed push for cost savings, supply chain independence and agility, and a desire for faster manufacturing. Suggesting that not all will make it through the next two years in metal AM, but those which do will likely build the future of manufacturing that experts have anticipated for some time.

Desktop Metal’s innovative 3D printing metal systems used from prototyping through mass production. (Image courtesy of Desktop Metal)

In a quest to speed up technology development Desktop Metal is moving fast. The proposed business combination is expected to be completed by November 2020 and has already been approved by the boards of directors of the two companies. Once finalized, Desktop Metal will have post-deal cash on hand that will enable accelerated growth and product development efforts, especially as a large portion of the $575 million in gross proceeds from the deal will be dedicated to continuous product innovation and to pursue targeted acquisition opportunities.

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SmarTech’s Metal 3D Printing Powders Report Sees Stalled Growth to $3.7B in 2020

SmarTech Analysis has published the sixth edition of its report dedicated to metal 3D printing powders, Additive Manufacturing with Metal Powders 2020, which takes into account the economic challenges and opportunities associated with metal additive manufacturing (AM) in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic. Using what the market research firm calls “a robust market tracking and forecasting dataset” that is provided with the report, SmarTech explores current dynamics in metal AM, both focusing on short-term trends and long-term projections.

The company predicts fewer purchases of metal 3D printing hardware, due to the economic downturn, may be partially offset by opportunities in material and production services resulting from new interest in 3D printing, leading to single-digit growth in these segments. In turn, SmarTech anticipates single-digit growth in metal AM revenue even after the economic issues faced by 3D printing companies. This growth is dependent on firms conducting new market strategies founded on this new interest in overcoming supply chain issues faced during the pandemic, according to SmarTech.

SLM Solutions facility in Lübeck, Germany. (Image courtesy of SLM Solutions)

As we have seen, the pandemic has impacted every company in the industry, from 3D Systems and Stratasys to GE and Boeing, but that some firms have been able to weather the storm to some extent. SLM Solutions, for instance, has curiously posted a 90 percent increase in revenue growth over the first half of 2020 compared to last year through an order backlog from 2019 and a careful review of these orders.

SmarTech notes that nearly every firm in 3D printing used AM in a positive manner during the pandemic, either to produce critical components for medical care or to enable the development of new medical products for future events. As a result, 3D printing has come to the forefront of manufacturing once more. At the same time, the market research company points out that the fact that metal AM is heavily tied to powder bed fusion has “raised the collective bar for performance and capability of the technologies, exposing holes in the broader manufacturing landscape in terms of necessary expertise in additive.”

Source: SmarTech Analysis

Despite the economic depression that has resulted from the impacts of the virus, new investments were made into metal AM in 2019 and early 2020. While growth has slowed, there have been new business ventures, with SmarTech pointing out that, so far during this time, the emphasis of these projects has been on production services rather than hardware.

An example of this is further investment by one of the world’s largest traders of goods and services, Sumimoto Corporation, in metal 3D printing service provider Sintavia. Despite the pandemic, Sumimoto is pouring more funds into the Florida-based AM company to scale its production for flight-critical parts.

Sintavia is the only company in the world with Nadcap approvals for laser additive manufacturing, electron beam additive manufacturing, and in-house heat treatment. (Image courtesy of Business Wire)

In addition to the new SmarTech report, the report’s author and Vice President of Research for Smartech, Scott Dunham, has recently written a 3DPrint.com PRO article providing some insight into the short-term dynamics of the metal 3D printing powders market. In that article, he notes that metal powders grew significantly in 2019 at a rate of 37 percent, compared to 2018. In the first three months of 2019 alone, as much powder was sold and shipped as in all of 2014 combined. This is driven in part, according to Dunham, by a small group of “AM power users”, such as Stryker, Siemens, and GE, who are using metal 3D printing for series production of important parts.

In other words, though the pandemic is generally slowing economic growth overall, the benefits of 3D printing when successfully implemented are continuing to make their way into general manufacturing. While growth may slow to single digits in the near-term, the long-term outlook for metal AM is bright.

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Wayland Additive to Launch Calibur 3 Production 3D Printer in January 2021

U.K. company Wayland Additive, spun out from engineering firm Reliance Precision, licensed the metal AM NeuBeam process from its parent company with an aim to commercialize it by 2021. This goal will soon become a reality, as Wayland has announced a major milestone — it will be commercially launching the Calibur 3, its first production NeaBeam 3D printing system, on January 27th of 2021.

“We are very happy to confirm the launch date for the Calibur 3,” Peter Hansford, the Director of Business Development for Wayland Additive, stated in a press release. “On 27th January next year we will be unveiling the full specs of the machine to our early adopters and partners as well as to the press at a dedicated event. Currently the plan is to bring people in to see it in action for themselves if we are able to with Covid 19 restrictions, but we will also be live-streaming the event for interested parties that may not be able to attend. 2020 has been an unprecedented year in many ways and the global pandemic has caused a great deal of disruption and uncertainty. At Wayland, however, we have been able to navigate through these difficulties and keep our focus on the development of our system. Talking to industrial users of metal AM throughout, it is clear that despite the disruptions, many companies are still making medium and long-term plans, and we look forward to serving them with our ground-breaking technology.”

NeuBeam metal AM technology is an electron beam powder bed fusion (PBF) process, and was created from the ground up, by a team of in-house physicists, in order to negate most of the compromises made when using metal 3D printing for part production. The process can actually neutralize the charge accumulation you normally see with electron beam melting (EBM), which enables more flexibility.  The creators used physics principles learned in the semiconductor sector to come up with this unique method, which, as the press release states, is able to overcome “the inherent instabilities of traditional eBeam processes,” along with the typical internal residual stresses that occur with PBF technologies.

Wayland’s NeuBeam technology can print fully dense parts in many different materials, including highly reflective alloys and refractory metals, which are not compatible with traditional laser PBF and eBeam processes; this results in much better metallurgy capabilities. NeuBeam is also a hot “part” process, instead of a hot “bed” process, as it applies high temperatures to the part only, and not the bed. This allows for free-flowing post-build powder and stress-free parts with less energy consumption, which makes for more efficient part printing.

The soon-to-launch Calibur 3 printer is an open system, and was specifically designed by Wayland to be used for production applications. That’s why the company made sure to add completely embedded in-process print monitoring to the system’s features, which allow users to enjoy full oversight during the process and rest easy knowing each part has full traceability.

“Save the date in your diary now. We are in the process of curating an impressive in-person and on-line event which will be of huge interest to industrial sectors that use or are planning to use metal AM for production applications,” said Will Richardson, Wayland Additive’s CEO. “January 27th 2021 will be a pivotal day for Wayland, but also a pivotal day for industry as they get a first clear view of the opportunities that exist through the use of our NeuBeam technology.”

NeuBeam technology

Wayland has said that it plans to start shipping the Calibur 3 to customers later in 2021.

(Source/Images: Wayland Additive)

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3D Printing Webinar and Virtual Event Roundup, August 16, 2020

We’ve got virtual events and webinars this week covering everything from sustainability and forming to metal and medical additive manufacturing. Read on to learn what’s available!

NatureWorks 3D Considers Sustainability in AM

Biotechnology company NatureWorks 3D is hosting a webinar this Tuesday, August 18th, at 1 pm EDT, titled “Printing Consciously: Considering Sustainability in 3D Printing.” The free webinar will last about one hour, and cover topics such as circular vs. linear model of materials, mechanical and chemical recycling, best practices for used FFF 3D printing materials, environmental impacts of using bio-based and petrochemical-based filaments, and more. Dan Sawyer, the company’s Business Development Manager, and Deepak Venkatraman, Applications Development Engineer for NatureWorks, will share some thoughts and insights into how polymers fit into the circular economy approach in order to decrease the AM industry’s impact on the world.

“A renewed focus on climate change and the impacts petrochemical plastics have on the environment has many individuals and companies considering how they can incorporate more sustainable practices into their efforts. The additive manufacturing industry has long been a leader in how technology can fit into a progression toward a more sustainable production. In this webinar, we will dig into the sustainability attributes behind the materials often used in fused filament fabrication (FFF) processes that have an environmental impact. We’ll also talk about how 3D prints fit within common waste scenarios as well as new sustainability frameworks like the circular economy.”

There will be a question and answer session at the end of the webinar; register here to attend.

EOS Introduces the INTEGRA P 450

Also on August 18th, EOS is holding a webinar at 2 pm EDT to introduce its latest system, titled “From R&D to Production: Introducing the INTEGRA P 450.” This mid-size, SLS industrial additive manufacturing system was developed by EOS North America, based off of direct feedback from the manufacturing community and built to “meet the demand for additive manufacturing of polymers, it empowers designers, production engineers and material makers alike.” In addition to gaining an understanding of the INTEGRA P 450‘s material compatibilities and development opportunities, attendees will also learn about the company’s new open software platform. Speakers will be Fabian Krauss, EOS North America’s Global Business Development Manager, Polymers; Mohit Chaudhary, Additive Manufacturing Specialist, Polymers – Solution Engineering, for EOS North America; and Mike Conner, EOS North America’s Vice President of Service and Support.

“Discover how the INTEGRA P 450 is truly the most flexible and accommodating SLS industrial 3D printer on the market, with an impressive array of new user-friendly features that offer unprecedented productivity, material compatibility, and simple serviceability.”

Register for the webinar here.

Protolabs Discussing Forming and Formed Features

As part of its ongoing webinar series, Protolabs will be discussing sheet metal forming during its webinar, “A Deep Dive on Forming and Formed Features,” on Wednesday, August 19th, at 2 pm EDT. James Hayes, Protolabs Applications Engineer and the company’s technical applications engineering expert for sheet metal fabrication, will offer insight into forming techniques and equipment, as well as important design considerations for sheet metal forming, and how they can impact part geometry. You’ll leave with new knowledge and insight into how to leverage formed features, and improve sheet metal part designs.

“Understanding the ins and outs of sheet metal forming can be fraught with challenges, however there are some important things to know that can result in better designed, more cost-efficient parts. In addition, considerations between how different formed features can impact your product throughout its’ lifecycle can help you achieve your product goals and bring your ideas to market at record speeds.”

Register for the webinar here.

ASME’s AM Medical Live Webinar

Last week, ASME was powering the AM Industry Summit, for 3D printing professionals working in the aerospace and defense and medical device manufacturing fields. Now it’s hosting a live webinar this Thursday, August 20th, from 2-3 pm EDT, supported by Women in 3D Printing and titled “Integrating 3D Printing with Other Technologies at the Point of Care.” Speakers will be Sarah Flora, the Radiology Program Director for the 3D Lab at Geisinger Health; Amy Alexander, MS, Senior Biomedical Engineer at the Mayo Clinic’s Anatomic Modeling Lab; and the Director of the 3D Imaging Lab at Montefiore Medical Center, Nicole Wake, PhD. They will be discussing how 3D printing is often a very important medical tool when it comes to patient care.

“Whether anatomical models or guides are used for education or surgical planning, radiologists, surgeons, and engineers work together to improve the patient experience. Leveraging 3D printing with other technologies can expand the value within a clinical setting. Three leading clinical engineers will discuss technologies that can be used together to extend the usefulness of 3D printing including silicone casting, surface scanning, augmented reality, and more. Join the discussion to explore the unexpected ways to increase the benefits of 3D printing.”

The webinar is free to attend, and you can register for it here.

IDTechEx on Metal Additive Manufacturing

Finally, also on August 20th, IDTechEx will be holding its latest free, expert-led webinar, “Metal AM: Short-Term Pain, Long-Term Gain.” Presented by Dr. Richard Collins, IDTechEx’s Principal Analyst, the webinar, which shares some research from the company’s detailed “Metal Additive Manufacturing 2020-2030” report, will provide an overview of the latest key trends and market forecast for metal additive manufacturing, the latest material considerations and entrant analysis, technology benchmarking, the impact of COVID-19, and more.

“Metal additive manufacturing has been gaining traction. Increased number of use-cases, end-users progressing along the learning curve, more competition, and a maturing supply chain. The applications have been led in high-value industries most notably aerospace & defence and medical, many more are emerging in automotive, oil & gas, and beyond. These sectors have had very different fates during the global pandemic and the knock-on effect will be profound. There are some silver-linings and the long-term outlook is positive for this industry, but it will not be an easy ride. IDTechEx forecast the total annual market for metal additive manufacturing to exceed $10bn by 2030. This is not before a very challenging immediate future; a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.”

Three different sessions of this 30-minute webinar will be offered, the first of which will actually take place at 9 pm EST, on the 19th. The next one will be at 5 am EST, and the final session will be at 12 PM EST. You can register for your preferred session here.

ASTM’s AM General Personnel Certificate Program

Don’t forget, the ASTM International Additive Manufacturing Center of Excellence (AM CoE) is still offering its online AM General Personnel Certificate course, which continues through August 27th and is made up of eight modules covering all the general concepts of the AM process chain. Register for the class here.

Will you attend any of these events and webinars, or have news to share about future ones? Let us know! 

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Challenges Face Metal 3D Printing Powder Suppliers in 2020

Most AM companies which report public information noted during their Q1 releases that they expected Q2 to be much more heavily impacted by COVID-19. They weren’t wrong. Shutdowns and uncertainties didn’t actually hit Western firms until March. But it’s no secret that the metal additive manufacturing industry was already in the midst of tougher times throughout 2019 — we’ve written about it pretty extensively at SmarTech.

  • Most of the ongoing metal AM slump story involved hardware. Metal powder sales have remained excellent. Total shipments of powders for the year in 2019 grew an estimated 37 percent compared to 2018, to an estimated 2,650 tons shipped to AM users. SmarTech estimates that in the first quarter of 2019 alone -just three months -there was as much powder sold and shipped to users as there was in all of 2014 combined; about 550 tons!
  • Sales of powders have been driven by the relatively small community of AM power users which have reached serial production on certain components especially in aerospace, medical, and oil and gas. These successes include Stryker’s Tritanium product line, GE’s continued scale up of additive parts in its LEAP engines and gas turbines, Siemens gas turbine burners, and more. It has also been driven by several service providers.
  • Successful implementations of AM continue to drive powder sales. While signs of some commoditization of mainstream additive powders have begun to emerge, SmarTech believes that the AM powder market will be temporarily thrust to the forefront over the next year.
  • The metal additive material market is witnessing new dynamics never before seen in additive manufacturing. In 2020, diversity in materials for additive manufacturing has made significant strides compared to just five years ago. Though significant steps still are needed in this area, development of processing parameters for new additive metal powders can be a lengthy endeavor. For example, while there have historically been just four metals comprising the nickel and cobalt additive materials segment (a number which persisted for several years), today there are at least double that many alloys now offered by more than one large AM material supplier between these two major metals. Cobalt Alloy 188 and 509, as well as Nickel Alloy 230 and Inconel 738 are now widely available, to name a few.

In this PRO we show how the additive materials business has done well through the down turn, but may be about to hit its own little recession due to product maturity.  Nonetheless, no supplier of metal additive manufacturing powder should worry too much. The long-term prospects for AM materials are encouraging.

(Feature image courtesy of Equispheres.)

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RENA Acquires HES Hirtisation Segment for Post-Processing for Metal 3D Printing

3D printing with metal gains yet another boost as RENA Technologies acquires the successful Hirtisation segment of Hirtenberger Engineered Services. With the goal of creating a new division for targeting the additive manufacturing sector, RENA announced that the existing HES team will be welcomed into the RENA corporate structure as they continue to serve the solar, semiconductor, and medical industries.

With this acquisition, RENA will have continued access not only to expertise but also progressive Hirtisation technology, offering high-performance tools in post-processing for 3D printed metal.

HES was founded in 2015 as it partnered with Happy Plating—a spinoff from an Austrian research center. Headquartered in Hirtenberg, Austria. HES is known as an exchange-to-exchange (E2E) technical provider specializing in the design and fabrication of functional metallic surfaces. Along with product offerings in coatings, nanowires, and sensors, it also manufactures precise, automated supply finishing modules. These are meant for the mass production of 3D printed metal parts for international customers in over 15 countries engaged in a variety of applications now relying on AM metal parts.

Hirtisation is suitable for all metals and alloys commonly used in 3D printing. A fully automatic finishing module for Hirtisated 3D-printed metal parts makes the process
highly efficient (Image and information from HES).

RENA, headquartered in Gütenbach, Germany, was founded in 1993, and also handles subsidiaries in Berg near Nürnberg and Freiburg im Breisgau. Known as a “wet processing company,” RENA systems are used to treat or customize surfaces, and this includes within the dental industry—an area that has become a focal point for manufacturers, with a wide range of projects emerging—from the use of complex 3D printed models for dental students to practice on to testing their accuracy, as well as forging ahead with new technology for 3D printing dental implants.

RENA’s interest grew in HES due to the experience level of its team, along with “efficient implementation of modern production machinery.” Its technology is expected to complement the RENA product line, to be expanded further at the new RENA Technologies Austria (RENA AT) hub for AM activities and all work related to electrochemical surface finishing.

“We are looking forward enthusiastically to working with our new colleagues at RENA because we can exploit RENA’s worldwide network as a launching pad for marketing our technology globally,” said Wolfgang Hansal, managing director of HES and designated managing director of the new RENA AT. “The first industrial machines have already been successfully introduced to the market. Together with RENA we can speed up establishment of our cutting-edge technology.”

While additive manufacturing continues to become a driving force in many applications today, functioning as a “building block of industrial production chains,” so does metal 3D printing and the associated and continually expanding study of materials and metal powders.

“With RENA Additive Manufacturing we can shape this process actively and gear up for growth,” said Michael Escher, managing director of the new RENA AT and Peter Schneidewind.

[Source: PresseBox]

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Headmade Materials Receives €1.9 Million in Funding for “Cold Metal Fusion” 3D Printing Process

Based in Wuerzburg, Germany, Headmade Materials not only offers patented sinter-based cold metal fusion (CMF) technology to its customers, but also encourages them to consider new ways to design and manufacture with 3D printing technology—while still falling back on conventional methods as needed. Its innovative and low-cost printing processes for metal have earned the company the attention of users seeking support in design, part manufacturing, and process integration, as the well as the recent reward of €1.9 million in funding from the Industrial Technologies Fund of btov Partners.

The hefty sum will be put toward “scaling up” its technology, according to a recent press release sent to 3DPrint.com. The company will also be developing customer and marketing services further. As a spinoff of Würzburg-based polymer research institute SKZ, the Headmade Materials team has been working on its cold metal fusion technology for five years. As it partners with btov, it is expected that research and development will progress more rapidly.

“We see the Cold Metal Fusion technology as a very viable approach for serial production due to the high cost efficiency of the process. The combination of mechanical part properties known from metal powder injection molding (MIM) process and considerable process advantages, such as reduced safety requirements due to easier powder handling and higher green part stability, is also significant here,” says Robert Gallenberger, partner of the btov Industrial Technologies Fund.

Cold metal fusion technology began at the hands of founders Christian Fischer and Christian Staudigel in 2015 while both were still employed at a research institute. Sharing an interest in machine building, their goal was to bring serial production to 3D printing—eliminating limitations, lack of affordability, and creating better designs for a range of applications.

The process is different from other 3D printing techniques as it combines metal sintering with SLS printing (usually reserved for manufacturing of 3D printing plastics). The key is in the plastic binder mixed into metal powder, allowing for more versatile use; for example, with cold metal fusion, metal parts can be printed on laser sintering systems meant for plastics like the EOS Formiga P110 or the Sintratec S2. The components are then placed in a debinder and then furnace for final sintering.

Headmade Materials claims that other benefits of CMF include the ability to use a greater range of “mature machine technology,” requiring no build plates or support structures. Users can count on savings in time and money, with increased productivity. Feedstock left un-used can easily be reused, and because of superior green part strength, both automated depowdering solutions and rough production environments are acceptable. Perhaps more importantly, because the process can be performed using existing SLS machines, owners of those systems can begin making metal parts without investing in new metal 3D printers, even the new generation of bound metal printing processes, like those from Desktop Metal.

“When it comes to the economical series production of complex metal parts, there is no way around 3D printing with the cold metal fusion technology,” says the Headmade Materials team in their white paper, “Cold Metal Fusion / Metal SLS Technology.”

Image from “Cold Metal Fusion / Metal SLS Technology,” illustrating the CMF process.

The Headmade Materials team plans to 3D print series with up to 100,000 parts per year. Currently, it offers its sinter-based 3D printing processes to customers, using optimized feedstocks and services whether in helping with design and production, in-house production, or ready-to-use final parts.

Overall, 3D printing with metal continues to increase in popularity for industrial users, from taking advantage of micro-gravity and 3D printing in space with the potential for large structures, to experimenting with new materials, and even furthering electronics with liquid alloys.

[Source: EU-Startups / Images: Headmade Materials]

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Markforged Metal 3D Printing Replaces Obsolete Part for Legacy Race Car

Founded in 2013 by Greg Mark, Massachusetts-headquartered Markforged quickly became a powerful presence in the 3D printing industry, first with carbon fiber reinforced 3D printing and then developing a novel metal 3D printing technology.

With a range of end-to-end processing systems, Markforged offers its customers access to the boldest advantages in additive manufacturing—not only through rapid prototyping but also rapid speed in the fabrication of high-performance parts. Past the initial investment, industrialists are able to see substantial savings, along with a new ability to innovate upon casting aside the restrictions of older technology. These benefits drew the attention of Tecron, a European company known for its manufacturing and engineering services in the automotive industry.

In a recent case study, the Markforged team details how metal AM processes improved the production of high-performance parts needed for the vintage race cars Tecron has been working on lately. Metal 3D printing offered the opportunity for Tecron to make a shift, especially in working with one of their most important clients, Škoda Motor, to streamline the production of an original, discontinued racecar carburetor.

Tecron’s collaboration with Škoda Motor exemplifies one of the most exciting benefits in 3D printing—offering the ability to create parts that may have become obsolete and are nearly impossible to find. We have followed other projects too within automotive and railways applications, with 3D scanning of original parts allowing for better rebuilding and maintenance.

In the case of the missing design for the carburetor, the original die used in traditional die-casting methods was lost long ago. The Tecron design team not only made an affordable copy of the initial race-car component, but they also modified the structure for better optimization.

Tecron replica carburetor

In another study, Czech Aerospace Research Centre (VZLU) partnered with Tecron for prototyping and testing new parts. Engineers were tasked with creating a new wing design and challenged with finding a method that was not cost-prohibitive. Prototyping can require extensive (and expensive) measures for applications like aerospace, and VZLU realized the need for different, advanced technology in creating complex models like their innovative nozzle design.

“The narrow slit in the design improves overall wing performance, and was crucial to the success of the process. Deconstructing the design into several more manageable parts would have a negative impact on performance,” stated the Markforged case study.

The use of electrical discharge manufacturing (EDM) was another possible choice, but was not cost-effective and would have taken much longer than with metal 3D printing. In using the Metal X by Markforged, the engineers were able to complete their highly customized design, quickly and affordably.

After analyzing over 100 additive use cases, Markforged discovered that industrial users are concerned with the following:

  • Accessibility
  • Design freedom
  • Physical strength and durability
  • Reliability

Data was compiled from the 2020 Additive Trends Report by Markforged, also showing that 46 percent of companies expect to be using additive manufacturing within the next two years. Download the study here.

[Source / Images: Markforged]

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