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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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3D Printing News Briefs, June 20, 2020: 3DEO and 3MF Consortium

Our 3D Printing News Briefs this week are indeed brief, but no less important. We’ll tell you how 3DEO has reached an important production milestone, and also about the newest member of the 3MF Consortium.

3DEO Reaches 150,000 Production Parts Shipped

Monthly shipment of 3500 pieces to a 3DEO customer

Metal 3D printing company 3DEO, founded in 2016 for the purpose of competing against conventional manufacturing with high-volume metal additive manufacturing, recently announced that it has reached a major milestone: it’s shipped out 150,000 production parts for end-use applications. The California company’s mission is to make metal 3D printing available for mass production through its digital industrial platform, and this announcement is excellent evidence that it’s well on its way. 3DEO has an interesting business model – instead of selling its 3D printers, the company has focused on becoming an expert user of its own patented technology, and built an automated end-to-end industrial platform, to which its customers then have access.

“150 thousand parts is a terrific milestone for 3DEO. It validates our patented technology, our unique business model, and our mission to break metal additive manufacturing (AM) into high-volume production. Today, we routinely win bids against traditional manufacturing because of our competitive cost structure and material performance,” said 3DEO’s President Matt Sand.

“150,000 parts shipped is only the beginning for us. We are scratching the surface of what’s possible with metal AM in the $130 billion U.S. metal parts market. With our additive and automation software and hardware, combined with our world-class R&D team and quality systems, we are primed to scale metal AM into millions of parts next year.”

3MF Consortium Announces New Specification and Member

Five years ago, Microsoft launched the new .3MF file format for 3D printing, along with the collaborative 3MF Consortium. It works to define the 3D Manufacturing Format that facilitates easier operation, making it possible to send 3D models sent to other applications, services, and platforms. Members of the consortium include Ultimaker, GE Global Research, ASTM International, Autodesk, and now Viaccess-Orca (VO), a global provider of advanced data solutions and digital content protection. VO, which will be a Founding Member, helped the consortium define its new 3MF Secure Content Specification, which will address production control requirements and payload protection and is available through GitHub under a permissive BSD license.

“In a modern cloud-connected world, data security and end-to-end encryption are playing an increasingly important role to mitigate the risk of leakages and data corruption in globally distributed manufacturing environments. Protecting the integrity and confidentiality of product designs, patient-specific biometric data, and other sensitive manufacturing content is critical to enabling additive manufacturing to scale into final part production in distributed, contractual, and highly regulated manufacturing environments,” stated Scott White, Software Distinguished Technologist at HP Inc. “We are thrilled that Viaccess-Orca joined the consortium and contributed their decades-long expertise to the design of the 3MF Secure Content extension. The final specification defines the payload encryption based on industry standards, and allows third parties to build their own key management ecosystems upon it. We believe this will allow it to be used to address a broad range of critical use cases simply and seamlessly.”

As a consortium member, VO will help address digital asset security aspects in the digital manufacturing industry. The company also announced the general release of its Secure Manufacturing Platform (SMP), which makes sure that digital assets are traceable and secure, in compliance with the new 3MF specification, across digitally distributed supply chains.

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AMGTA Commissions First Research Project on Environmental Sustainability of Metal 3D Printing

In November, the non-commercial, global trade group AMGTA, or the Additive Manufacturer Green Trade Association, was launched in order to promote the many environmental, green benefits of using additive manufacturing (AM) rather than conventional technology. The AMGTA has just commissioned its first university research project, which will be a systematic review of the environmental sustainability of metal 3D printing. The review will be literature-based, and will look at existing studies focused on the environmental benefits of the technology.

Based in Hollywood, Florida, the non-profit AMGTA is unaffiliated, meaning it is open to any industry stakeholder or additive manufacturer who meets specific criteria that are related to sustainability in processes and production.

“The AMGTA seeks to educate the public and industry about these positive environmental benefits, promote the adoption of AM as an alternative to traditional manufacturing, develop best practices for additive manufacturing, and help the organization’s members grow their businesses and acquire new customers,” the website states. “In order to accomplish these goals, the AMGTA will engage in marketing and advertising campaigns, sponsor and conduct research and publish the results, and grow the organization’s membership.”

3D printing has many benefits in terms of sustainability. For instance, it uses less material, which equals less waste, and also uses less energy than other processes. Additionally, parts can also be fabricated closer to the consumer, so that helps lower the carbon footprint as well by reducing, or even negating, shipping travel.

According to Sherry Handel, the AMGTA’s Executive Director, the commissioned research paper will be “…describing where metal additive manufacturing provides environmental benefits compared to older manufacturing methods.”

“This research may also reveal areas in the manufacturing process where AM could cause higher environmental impacts than older manufacturing methods. Through rigorous, independent and ongoing research the AMGTA will publish research findings and share with industry and other key stakeholders what our eco-footprint is now and what we will need to focus on in the future to be more sustainable.”

The AMGTA announced that it has chosen Dr. Jeremy Faludi, PhD, LEED AP BD+C, a design strategist and sustainable engineering researcher, to oversee the project. With degrees from UC Berkeley, Stanford University, and Reed College, Dr. Faludi is currently an assistant professor of design engineering at the Technical University of Delft (TU Delft) in the Netherlands, focused on green 3D printing and design for the circular economy. He has previously taught at Stanford and the Minneapolis College of Art and Design, and is also an adjunct faculty member of engineering at Dartmouth College’s Thayer School of Engineering.

Dr. Jeremy Faludi, PhD, LEED AP BD+C

“We are excited to announce our first research project and thrilled to be able to work with Dr. Faludi. This project will provide our membership and the public in general with an excellent survey of existing research on the sustainability benefits of AM. Dr. Faludi is a renowned researcher within this field, and we are looking forward to understanding better the existing scope of research on this topic,” Handel said.

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(Images: Additive Manufacturer Green Trade Association)

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3D Printing News Briefs: May 12, 2020 Nanofabrica, Voxeljet, Elementum, AMPOWER

We’re all business today in 3D Printing News Briefs – Nanofabrica has raised $4 million in funding, and voxeljet is expanding its presence in India. Elementum 3D has achieved an important industry certification. Finally, AMPOWER has released its 2020 report.

Nanofabrica Raises $4 Million in Funding

Tel Aviv startup Nanofabrica, which makes 3D printers for fabricating complex electronic and optical parts for semiconductors and medical devices, has raised $4 million in funding, and the round was led by Microsoft’s venture arm M12, which invests in enterprise software companies in Series A through C funding with a focus on infrastructure, applied AI, business applications, and security, and NextLeap Ventures, an investor group made of former Intel Corp employees. The startup says it will use the funding – it’s raised a total of $7 million so far – to expand its sales and continue its R&D work.

M12 partner Matthew Goldstein said, “Nanoscale, precision manufacturing is a growing need for R&D organizations, as well as production-scale manufacturing companies,” and that the technology allows for the “digital mass manufacturing of precision parts.”

voxeljet Grows Presence in India with Sale of VX4000

The VX4000 is voxeljet’s largest 3D printer and has a building volume of 8 cubic meters

Industrial 3D printing solutions provider voxeljet AG has expanded its Asian presence with the announcement that Indian steel casting experts Peekay Steel Castings Pvt Ltd is investing in its 4000 x 2000 x 1000 mm VX4000 3D printer – the company’s largest industrial system. Peekay Steel, which makes high-quality steel castings, will use the printer to expand into new business areas and better cater to its current clients’ increasing demands. The flexibility, size, and speed of the VX4000 will allow the company to continue supporting the foundry industry in its native India, but also give them the opportunity to build a new Knowledge Center centered around the large 3D printer that will provide open access to a training facility. The VX4000 will be set up at a new Bangalore location in the Airport City.

“We want to offer our customers an end-to-end solution and position ourselves as a supplier of high-quality, ready-to-install components in record times. With the VX4000, we are able to increase the flexibility of our production in order to be able to react quickly, even to complex projects,” said K.E. Shanavaz, Jt., Managing Director, Peekay Steel Castings (P) Ltd. “3D printing gives us a unique competitive advantage, especially when it comes to expanding our business areas. Since the beginning, we have emphasized the importance of co engineering with our customers, most of these are Fortune 500 companies, to optimize and customize the product design, to lend better functionality and a clear competitive advantage. A specialized Design Center aligned to the VX4000 will help add value for our customers.”

Elementum 3D Achieves Quality Management Certification

Colorado metal 3D printing materials company Elementum 3D announced that it has received the important ISO 9001:2015 certification. This is recognized as the worldwide standard for quality management practices and systems, and was issued to the company through the Denver-based ISO 9001 management certification firm Platinum Registration, Inc. The scope of its certification includes manufacturing prototype and production parts to customer specifications, designing and manufacturing advanced composites, metals, and superalloys, and developing new manufacturing processes.

“This is an important milestone for Elementum 3D. It’s a rigorous process to become ISO 9001 certified. Our staff worked very hard with Platinum Registration’s auditors to demonstrate we meet the requirements of the standard. Not only does that make us feel confident we’re the most efficient that we can be, it assures our customers that we have a completely transparent and robust management system; and that means we have reliable, repeatable, continuously improving business processes so that our customers receive the best value for their money,” said Dr. Jacob Nuechterlein, Elementum 3D President and Founder.

AMPOWER Releases 2020 Metal AM Report

Metal additive manufacturing consultancy AMPOWER has released its new 2020 report, containing analysis based on over 250 data sets of metal AM supplier and user surveys. If you purchased the previous AMPOWER Report, you can get the latest edition for free through the online portal, or you could subscribe to the report to start getting it; either way, the publication is chock-full of helpful information. For instance, a separate section analyzes the possible impact scenarios of the COVID-19 pandemic on the metal AM industry in both 2020 and 2021, and new contributions from the worlds of standards and startups are included from ASTM and AM Ventures, respectively. The report includes in-depth market data, and has also added new databases with over 700 entries, so readers can browse through a list of material, service, and systems suppliers; the new interactive cost calculator has been updated with the most recent productivity values.

“We hope the AMPOWER Report 2020 continues to support our customers in making the right decisions in these challenging times,” AMPOWER’s Matthias Schmidt-Lehr, Dr. Maximilian Munsch, and Dr. Eric Wycisk wrote in an email.

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Texas A&M: A Method for 3D Printing Porosity Free Martensitic Steels

While seeking a corrosion-resistant alloy for gun barrels in 1912, British researcher Harry Brearley, who is commonly regarded as the inventor of stainless steel, discovered a martensitic stainless steel alloy. Although several variants of steel exist today, this type particularly stands out from its steel cousins as stronger and more cost-effective to produce. The renowned metallurgist probably never thought that his breakthrough discovery would go beyond developing affordable cutlery to the masses, well into applications in the aerospace, medical, automotive, and defense industries. Now over 100 years later, it can also be used as a metal 3D printing material for complex designs.

However, for these and other applications, the metals have to be built into complex structures with minimal loss of strength and durability, which is why researchers from Texas A&M University, in collaboration with scientists in the Air Force Research Laboratory, have developed guidelines that allow 3D printing of martensitic steels into very sturdy, defect-free objects of nearly any shape.

Reported in the scientific journal Acta Materialia, the findings of their study suggest that the process optimization framework introduced is expected to allow the successful printing of new materials in an accelerated fashion and introduces the process parameters for building porosity-free parts.

Although the procedure developed was initially for martensitic steels, the researchers said they have made their guidelines general enough so that the same 3D printing pipeline can be used to build intricate objects from other metals and alloys as well.

“Strong and tough steels have tremendous applications but the strongest ones are usually expensive — the one exception being martensitic steels that are relatively inexpensive, costing less than a dollar per pound,” said Ibrahim Karaman, Chevron Professor and head of the Department of Materials Science and Engineering at Texas A&M. “We have developed a framework so that 3D printing of these hard steels is possible into any desired geometry and the final object will be virtually defect-free.”

A flowchart summarizing the framework, introduced in this study (Credit: An ultra-high strength martensitic steel fabricated using selective laser melting additive manufacturing: Densification, microstructure, and mechanical properties)

The high-strength, lightweight, and cost-effective martensite steels are formed when steels are heated to extremely high temperatures and then rapidly cooled. The sudden cooling unnaturally confines carbon atoms within iron crystals, giving martensitic steel its signature strength.

Texas A&M claimed that to have diverse applications, martensitic steels, particularly a recently discovered type of low-alloy, ultra-high-strength martensitic steel known as AF9628, need to be assembled into objects of different shapes and sizes depending on the particular application they will be used for, and that’s when additive manufacturing (AM) offers a practical solution.

Stainless steels can be used to 3D print complex designs that are normally impossible to fulfill. 3D printing methods initially used by the team to build complex items were direct metal laser sintering (DMLS) aka selective laser melting (SLM) and also known as Powder Bed Fusion. However, Texas A&M researchers detected that 3D printing martensitic steels using lasers can introduce unintended defects in the form of pores within the material. Moreover, they detected that there is currently no known work describing process-structure-property relationships for AF9628 in the context of AM, something they considered should be systematically studied, focusing on the effects of AM process parameters on the microstructural evolution and resulting mechanical properties of this new martensitic steel.

“Porosities are tiny holes that can sharply reduce the strength of the final 3D printed object, even if the raw material used for 3D printing is very strong,” Karaman said. “To find practical applications for the new martensitic steel, we needed to go back to the drawing board and investigate which laser settings could prevent these defects.”

In an effort to produce high strength parts with a high degree of control over geometry, the researchers presented the effects of the SLM parameters on the microstructure and mechanical properties of the new steel AF9628.

For their experiments, Karaman and his team first chose an existing mathematical model, called Eagar-Tsai, inspired from welding to predict the melt pool geometry, that is, how a single layer of martensitic steel powder would melt for different settings for laser speed and power. By comparing the type and number of defects they observed in a single track of melted powder with the model’s predictions, they were able to change their existing framework slightly so that subsequent predictions improved.

They claim that after a few of these iterations, their framework could correctly forecast, without needing additional experiments, if a new, untested set of laser settings would lead to defects in the martensitic steel.

Raiyan Seede, a graduate student in the College of Engineering at Texas A&M and the primary author of the study, explained that “testing the entire range of laser setting possibilities to evaluate which ones may lead to defects is extremely time-consuming, and at times, even impractical. By combining experiments and modeling, we were able to develop a simple, quick, step-by-step procedure that can be used to determine which setting would work best for 3D printing of martensitic steels.”

Seede also noted that although their guidelines were developed to ensure that martensitic steels can be printed devoid of deformities, their framework can be used to print with any other metal. He said this expanded application is because their framework can be adapted to match the observations from single-track experiments for any given metal.

“Although we started with a focus on 3D printing of martensitic steels, we have since created a more universal printing pipeline,” Karaman indicated. “Also, our guidelines simplify the art of 3D printing metals so that the final product is without porosities, which is an important development for all type of metal additive manufacturing industries that make parts as simple as screws to more complex ones like landing gears, gearboxes or turbines.”

Backscattered electron images of the etched cross-sections of AF9628 ultra-high strength martensitic steel as-printed cubes. The yellow dotted lines indicate melt pool boundaries (Credit: An ultra-high strength martensitic steel fabricated using selective laser melting additive manufacturing: Densification, microstructure, and mechanical properties)

This research, funded by the Army Research Office and the Air Force Research Laboratory, reports a successful methodology to determine optimal processing parameters, like laser power, laser scan speed, and hatch spacing, in selective laser melting AM in order to fabricate porosity-free parts.

The team of researchers effectively used it to fabricate fully dense samples over a wide range of process parameters, allowing the construction of an SLM processing map for the new martensitic steel alloy AF9628. Given the potential of this new high-performance steel, useful for machine tool components, structural components for aircraft gear, automotive parts, and even for ballistic armor plates, creating a new framework offers the potential to 3D print this new material much quicker, providing a powerful tool to many industries.

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University of Texas at Dallas develops micro metal 3D printing process for in-situ microstructure control

A team of researchers at the University of Texas at Dallas Department of Mechanical Engineering have invented an electrochemical-based metal 3D printing method. Named localized pulsed electrodeposition (L-PED), with this method the team has gained in situ control of metal microstructure during the printing process. Free from post-processing too, L-PED enhances the mechanical and electrical […]
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NRC Canada Partnering with Polycontrols to Scale Up Cold Spray Additive Manufacturing

Lamarre and Bernier

Last year, we learned that Jean-Michel Lamarre and Fabrice Bernier of the National Research Council (NRC) of Canada had started fabricating electric motor magnets using a process called cold spray additive manufacturing, or CSAM. The technology involves a metal material, in fine powder form, being accelerated in a high-velocity compressed gas jet. A stream of powder hits the substrate at high speed and starts building up a layer at a time, and the process has extremely high buildup rates, which makes it possible to produce several kilograms of magnets an hour. Cold spray itself is a relatively old technology but adapted here to build up objects and giving them magnetic properties is a step forward. In many 3D printing processes, magnetic parts are problematic because we have difficulty aligning metal fibers, organizing particles or getting the part itself made.

As metal 3D printing continues to be used in more sectors of the economy in Canada, it seems that more industrial-scale demonstrations are required so that interested parties can see its potential. So now, NRC Canada and Quebec-based Polycontrols, which specializes in surface engineering solutions and equipment integration, are partnering up to improve the accessibility of CSAM for the country’s manufacturers.

The NRC in Boucherville, home of the future the Poly/CSAM facility

Together, the two will be building a collaborative research facility, located at the NRC’s Boucherville site in Quebec, that will work to scale up the CSAM process, as well as help researchers and manufacturers study, adopt, and deploy the technology.

“The National Research Council of Canada acknowledges the value and importance this collaboration can offer the industry and the Canadian advanced manufacturing ecosystem,” said François Cordeau, the Vice President of Transportation and Manufacturing for NRC Canada. “We see great potential in bringing together different stakeholders to enable innovation and to build a network of industrial partners for a stronger Canadian supply and value chain. Our renowned technological expertise and capabilities in additive manufacturing research and development will support Poly/CSAM and contribute to developing demonstration platforms targeted at end user-industries and cluster networks.”

Poly/CSAM facility interior layout design

The Poly/CSAM facility is expected to open in February of 2020, and will help adapt laboratory-developed technology in order to meet factory and mass production requirements. Investissement Québec, the Business Development Bank of Canada, and Bank of Montreal have helped Polycontrols launch the first phase of this strategic growth initiative with an estimated $4 million investment over the six-year venture.

“Polycontrols is eager to leverage its proven track record in thermal and cold spray implementation (aerospace and surface transportation industries) to showcase its capabilities as a large-scale manufacturing integrator offering custom equipment platforms with the objective of bringing disruptive technologies such as hybrid robotic manufacturing, data analytics and machine learning (supported by Artificial Intelligence) to the shop floor,” stated Luc Pouliot, the Vice President of Operations for Polycontrols. “We see Poly/CSAM as a way to strengthen Canada’s industrial leadership in cold spray additive manufacturing and becoming more agile and competitive on the national and international scene.”

The Poly/CSAM facility will offer multiple technologies, including:

  • data logging and analytics
  • machine learning
  • surface preparation
  • sensor technologies
  • in-situ robotic machining and surface finishing
  • coating and 3D buildup by cold spray
  • local, laser-based thermal treatment

Poly/CSAM, a new metal additive manufacturing facility to open in February 2020

In addition, to ensure that the technology will be used safely and securely out in the world, NRC Canada will provide advice, training, and technical services to manufacturers through its professional team of over 40 experts.

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[Source/Images: National Research Council of Canada]

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3D Printing News Briefs: May 1, 2019

In today’s 3D Printing News Briefs, we’ve got stories on events and business for you, followed by an innovative piece of 3D printed furniture. The fourth Metal Additive Manufacturing Conference will be held in Sweden this November, and Oerlikon AM will soon be hosting the grand opening event for its new Innovation Hub. Link3D is partnering up with Additive Rocket Corporation, and an industrial designer created a 3D printed chair that can fold up flat.

MAMC 2019 Coming to Sweden this November

From November 25-27, 2019, the fourth Metal Additive Manufacturing Conference (MAMC 2019) will take place in Örebro, Sweden. In addition to keynotes and other presentations, there will also be site visits to metal additive manufacturing companies and users AMEXCI, Lasertech LSH, and Siemens Industrial Turbomachinery. Then, directly following the conference, the Austrian Society for Metallurgy and Materials (ASMET) will be holding a two-day metal Design for Additive Manufacturing (DfAM) course in the same city.

The specialized course is for designers and engineers with basic CAD experience, in addition to technical and managerial personnel in industry who are interested in learning more about AM. Hands-on exercises in DfAM will occur during the course, and several experts from around the world, such as Professor Olaf Diefel from the University of Auckland, will be lecturing. The registration fee is €490, and the deadline to register is September 1st, 2019. Please contact Mrs. Yvonne Dworak with ASMET to register.

Grand Opening for Oerlikon AM’s Innovation Hub

On May 29, Oerlikon AM will be hosting an industry event to celebrate the grand opening of its new Innovation Hub & Advanced Component Production facility. The event, which will take place at the company’s new Huntersville, North Carolina facility, will showcase major developments in advanced manufacturing to guests including academics, business leaders, community members, customers, and lawmakers. This is an important step for the Swiss aerospace components manufacturer and will give them the opportunity to enter the US market and serve customers there.

After a brief welcome and breakfast, there will be remarks from 9:45-10:15 on the front lawn of the facility, located at 12012 Vanstory Dr. Then there will be a ribbon cutting, after which attendees can enjoy cake, coffee, and networking opportunities. A tour of the facility will follow, and then Oerlikon will have a BBQ lunch and a children’s program, in addition to several information booths.

Link3D Partnering with Additive Rocket Corporation

At this week’s Aerodef event, AM software company Link3D announced a new partnership with California-based Additive Rocket Corporation (ARC), which makes high-performance 3D printed metal rocket engines. This is ARC’s first step towards adopting Link3D’s digital Additive Manufacturing Execution System (AMES), and will enable standards compliance, in addition to streamlining its 3D printing production for affordable, reliable propulsion solutions. Link3D’s workflow software allows companies like ARC to track and trace data in a secure environment, and adherence to quality assurance and quality control requirements from regulatory standards board will also be embedded in the software.

“Link3D is the perfect compliment to our design process, streamlining our manufacturing operations and building quality into the workflow,” said Kyle Adriany, the Co-Founder & CTO of ARC. “Link3D’s Standards Compliance Program is a built-in solution of its additive manufacturing workflow software that tremendously helps organizations in Aerospace & Defense increase productivity and reliability, improve its market position, reduce costs and advance new technologies.”

3D Printed Chair Folds Up Flat

Industrial designer Patrick Jouin has long used 3D printing in his work, including his unique One Shot Stool, but his latest prototype really pushes the limits of the technology’s material process. His TAMU chair, developed together with Dassault Systèmes, was launched during the recent Milan Design Week and was inspired by nature and origami. Jouin utilized Dassault’s generative design software to create the chair, which not only helps it look delicate and ornate but also makes it possible to fold it down so it’s almost completely flat. The goal was to use as little material as possible to create the chair, which only weighs a little over five pounds. Jouin’s team in Milan 3D printed 1,643 individual components and assembled the prototype chair by hand, but he hopes to make the chair in one continuous 48-hour print in the future.

“Previously designers were inspired by ‘organic’ as a style, but what is completely new is that designers are now inspired by the organic process itself, and how to emulate it. Manufacturing has fallen into the habit of producing more material than necessary. but with the help of innovative digital technologies, we are now able to create with much more efficiency and less waste, even as early as the design process,” Jouin stated.

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Cranfield University launches Metal Additive Manufacturing MSc

Cranfield University in Bedford, UK, has just received official approval to launch a new Master’s Degree in Metal Additive Manufacturing. Now accepting applications for October 2019 intake, this MSc will give students direct access to the university’s state-of-the-art Wire + Arc Additive Manufacturing (WAAM) systems, and the chance to work on projects for the WAAMMat consortium of 20 […]