thyssenkrupp to be One Stop Solution Provider for Metal 3D Printing?

thyssenkrupp is a 42 Billion Euro a year revenue steel giant that makes elevators, escalators and many metals components. The firm is taking a real interest in 3D printing now starting an MOU with TÜV SÜD to deliver industrial 3D printing solutions in Singapore. The German steel giant and certification leader will work together on testing, certifying, and inspecting parts for the mobility, industrial and land transport industries in APAC. It is an interesting approach that will see the two firms do the heavy lifting to develop competency in certified parts for industries that could really benefit from 3D printing. It is notable that there is no aviation focus specifically and that this initiative focusses on APAC. By focusing away from the traditional industries where 3D printing is being applied by many other players the firm can perhaps make real headway in being the one-stop partner for 3D printing for other sectors. I think this is a really interesting play and by far one of the most creative market entry paths I’ve seen from a large company. thyssenkrupp have put out a White Paper outlining its outlook for Additive in APAC that goes more into the firms’ prognoses and thinking. We interviewed Abhinav Singhal, the Chief Strategy Officer Asia Pacific at thyssenkrupp to find out more.

What is thyssenkrupp Innovations?

thyssenkrupp Innovations is a new venture of thyssenkrupp AG to incubate and commercialise new Industrie4.0 technology based solutions for our customers in Asia. We want to bring the best of our innovations and engineering expertise closer to our customers in Asia and tailor our offerings according to the local requirements. It also hosts our Additive Manufacturing Tech Center in Singapore which was set-up in partnership with the Singapore Economic Development Board earlier this year. This is an extension of our Global AM Tech Centre in Mulheim and works closely with our experts in Germany to provide the best solution for our customers in the region.

 

Why are you interested in 3D printing?

thyssenkrupp is a diversified industrial group with 200+ years of engineering expertise in designing and creating components, machinery and end to end plants. We believe 3D printing as technology empowers us to design new components in a more efficient and sustainable manner and also helps us be more responsive to our customers by digitalizing the inventory and printing spare parts on demand. This helps us derive operational performance benefits and ultimately ROI improvements. Right now we see penetration of 3D printing still quite low in the industrial sectors (e.g., mining, chemicals, cement) or even maritime sector and we see a huge opportunity in bringing our process knowhow and deep engineering expertise to identify more and more parts which can be 3D printed and generate economic value.

What are your plans in 3D printing?

We are building up in APAC a team specializing in AM selection diagnostics and DfAM, that will offer services in segments that we are traditionally strong in from an engineering perspective, such as industrial plants and automotive technology as well as marine systems. Combined with thyssenkrupp’s materials expertise and deep process knowhow we can offer to customers differentiated solutions that typical fabricators cannot. Our solutions are process and material agnostic and we want to be the one stop solution provider from AM part diagnostic, material supply, design optimization, process definition, printing, post processing to testing and quality assurance working closely with our partner network.

Why work with TÜV SÜD?

TÜV SÜD is a renowned provider of testing, inspection and certification services. They bring complimentary skills for us on board as ultimately any part that we design or 3D print for commercial applications needs to be tested and certified.  Together we offer an end to end solution for our customers and to begin with we will focus on developing industrial additive manufacturing solutions for land transportation and mobility, and industrial plant services in the region. Infact, we are already working together on a project for testing and commercialization of a train component for a leading local train operator. The project seeks to significant improve functionality through redesign for additive manufacturing and also reduce the overall weight of the part.

Will you be selling powders, parts?

We are one stop solution provider for our customers from AM part diagnostic, material supply, design optimization, process definition, printing, post processing to testing and quality assurance working closely with our partner network. We already sell metal AM powders in Europe, and will extend that into APAC as well. We serve both internal and external customers on the design and fabrication of AM components.

Do you use additive extensively already in house?

We have now successfully delivered 200+ in house projects, ranging from models to prototypes and have successfully deployed 3D printed components in extreme operating environments such as furnaces and submarines. We have seen benefits including design optimization, weight

reduction, use of alternate materials and overall supply chain complexity reduction across wise range of our businesses from aerospace, automotive, maritime, cement, infrastructure and other industrial products.

What technologies are you interested in?

We have an emphasis on metal fabrication, and are agnostic to the specific process. Given the proliferation of new systems, it is an exciting time for the industry as the cost of technology is approaching a point where widespread adoption is potentially possible.

What do you think the market outlook for additive is?

We recently published a comprehensive perspective on the AM market in ASEAN – “Additive Manufacturing: Adding Up Growth Opportunity for ASEAN” (here). To summarise we are very positive on our outlook for AM overall. The technology has come a long way since its introduction in the 1980’s, growing at over 25% per annum over the last 30 years and yet it only represents less than 0.1% of $12.7 trillion  manufacturing output globally. The technology is rapidly improving by the day and as with any innovation, the economics only gets better with increased adoption and usage. In our experience, the biggest roadblock for AM’s adoption is not the technology itself but its know-how. Most companies still lack an awareness of the application potential of AM, a structured approach to identify attractive AM projects, and ability to develop a business case based on thorough understanding of the underlying cost drivers which is where we come in.

Why the focus on land transport, mobility, and industrial plants?

More than 60% of AM adoption globally has been in four sectors — aerospace, industrial machines & tooling, medical/dental implants, and automotive. We believe other sectors such as maritime, land transport, mobility and industrial plants are equally attractive for AM as well but lack today players with deep engineering expertise and knowhow to identify and fabricate the right parts for these industries.  For example, the mobility and natural resources industries (mining, cement, chemicals, oil and gas) are characterized by geographic fragmentation and remote locations, posing challenges around logistics and inventory management of parts. These problems can be partly addressed by 3D printing and building a digital spare parts warehouse optimizing the overall inventory and cost of logistics.

What advice would you give to a company that wants to get started with 3D printing?

Before starting any AM initiative, it is important to define the value proposition from using the technology and its alignment with the overall strategic intent of the company. Ultimately, any AM initiative needs to address a current business need and make commercial sense. For e.g., some companies successfully use AM for R&D and new product development while others use it for operational efficiency and overall supply chain cost reduction. So think through the business rationale for adopting AM and then work with partners to accelerate its adoption and de-risking your exposure in the initial set-up phase.

What advice would you give a firm that wants to manufacture using 3D printing?

AM is truly disruptive as it offers the ability to manufacture with batch size of 1 unit compared to a conventional process. Having said that, in our experience today not more than 10% of existing components can be 3D printed in a commercially viable manner for a typical manufacturing company. So it’s important to invest time upfront in identifying these parts, building up the business case and also quantifying the additional upside that AM offers over traditional process (e.g., quantifying the impact of weight reduction or reduction in sub-assemblies leading to lower in-process inspection cost, or lower inventory and logistics costs or longer product life) but also additional risks (e.g., build failure, IP loss) to make an informed assessment.

Given your size is 3D printing a niche business for you?

As with any new innovation we start with a relatively small base today compared to our global size and scale. But we have seen tremendous adoption and applications over the last few years across all our businesses. We believe AM is a truly disruptive technology and will fundamentally change the way we design and fabricate components and machines in future.

The post thyssenkrupp to be One Stop Solution Provider for Metal 3D Printing? appeared first on 3DPrint.com | The Voice of 3D Printing / Additive Manufacturing.

SmarTech Analysis Launches New Data Product Addressing Parts Produced by Additive Manufacturing

Industry analyst firm SmarTech Analysis today announced a new data product geared towards addressing the critical metric of additively manufactured parts produced. The Additive Manufacturing Applications Market Analysis Report is a first of its kind analysis looking into how the world’s users of both private and publicly accessible additive manufacturing machines are being utilized by providing a market forecast and valuation on the market value of top applications in the world of additive manufacturing in professional and industrial use environments.

The data is set to be released the week of October 21, 2019. You can learn more here.

About the Report:

This database and study tracks and reports on volumes of additively manufactured parts being produced today across numerous key industries, including parts produced by various AM service providers as well as private OEMs and suppliers in each market, split amongst the currently identified and expected future leading use cases for various AM technologies.

Users of this report and database will have access to forecast projections and current-day estimates of the volumes and total market value of all parts produced via AM in a given industry, within various print technologies, material types, and, most importantly, part functionality and type. Those stakeholders with an interest in evaluating various key use cases for specific types of AM technology, AM materials, or broader end-user markets, will be able to utilize this database to help identify market strategies to guide product development and go-to-market in the ever growing world of additive.

“As the additive manufacturing business moves towards more wide-spread production basis, it is crucial for stakeholders to be able to identify addressable markets and implement strategies to guide product development and drive go-to-market efforts, so says Scott Dunham, VP of Research at SmarTech Analysis.”  “This unique data product was developed to support clients looking for deeper reporting and analysis of machine outputs beyond simple prototyping, tooling and parts metrics.”

SmarTech has previously provided opportunity analysis in the areas of sales of additive manufacturing systems, additive manufacturing materials, software, and outsourced production services. This database and report expand the universe of market opportunity analysis for additive manufacturing to cover the total and forecasted addressable markets for specific additively manufactured parts and part categories.

The database includes, but is not limited to, the listing of specific coverages for part and part categories shown in the table below. Each of these areas and more are tracked and forecasted by individual supporting print technology, material type, and region.

The database can be purchased as a complete unit or via individual verticals listed below:

  • Aerospace
  • Automotive
  • Consumer Goods
  • Dental
  • Energy
  • General Industry
  • Medical
  • Others

3DPrint.com is an equity owner of Smartech.

The post SmarTech Analysis Launches New Data Product Addressing Parts Produced by Additive Manufacturing appeared first on 3DPrint.com | The Voice of 3D Printing / Additive Manufacturing.

Interview with Anders Olsson about the Olsson Ruby and Olsson Torque Wrench at the TCT Show

 

Anders Olsson is an all-round great person and a boon to the 3D printing community. His Olsson block gave us easy to exchange nozzles, with the Olsson Ruby we got a great nozzle and now with the Olsson Ruby High Temperature we have a high-performance nozzle for abrasive materials. The ruby material lasts long and is meant to withstand many hours of abrasive materials. The new Olsson Ruby High Temp can handle 500 C which means it can be suited for PEEK and other high-temperature applications.

The Olsson Torque Wrench

Anders also designed a unique torque wrench which will be available soon. This 3D printed wrench-ling is part standard wrench head but augmented by a part 3D printed in HPs multijet fusion technology. Very easy to use it gives you the precise pressure needed to mount a new interchangeable nozzle. Another item developed by Olsson is the new Print Core CC Red from Ultimaker also used for abrasive materials. A wealth of new and exciting things at the Olsson stand and more than enough reason to interview him at the TCT Show where he was attending with his partners at 3DVerkstan which I think is a market leading reseller of 3D Skrivare and 3D Skrivare supplies in the Nordic countries.

The Olsson Ruby, left and the new Olsson Ruby High-Temperature Nozzle

What is the Olsson Ruby

It’s a unique nozzle for 3D Printers, designed to print highly abrasive materials while retaining the excellent heat conductivity of brass. It works equally well for printing common FDM (FFF, Material Extrusion) 3D printing materials up to 300C. There is also a high temp version of the Olsson Ruby, enabling the use of high temp materials up to 500C.

Why is it so successful?

Our customers are getting high performance and consistent results out of using the ruby nozzle when printing abrasive materials. The materials are composites with fillers such as carbon, boron carbide, and glass fiber among others. This lets them get a new type of functionality in materials that can bring improved mechanical properties as well as radiation shielding, electrical conductivity, ESD shielding and more.

How many have been sold?

We have sold more than 15000 units worldwide.

Wait you use real rubies for this?

Yes, for consistent results we use industrially grown rubies, which are also better for the application than natural rubies with their inherent flaws.

Why is wear resistance important in a nozzle?


Because when printing abrasives with common nozzles, they wear out fast and affect print quality in a negative way.

Why do nozzles always use brass and not copper or another material?

This is usually because brass has a combination of good properties:

  • High machinability
  • Excellent heat conductivity
  • Relatively low cost

Other materials might have worse heat conductivity or worse machinability, and might be more expensive or a combination of these qualities.  For copper alloys, they are a little harder to machine than brass and depending on the alloy they might also be too soft and start to anneal at common printing temperatures. That said, in our new High Temp version of the Olsson Ruby nozzle, we are using a special, high conductivity copper alloy which has excellent thermal conductivity and retains its mechanical strength at over 500 degrees Celsius.

Will you develop new nozzles?

Yes, we just launched a High Temp version of the Ruby Nozzle and are continuously developing new nozzles and other accessories. Some are in collaboration with 3D Printer manufacturers, such as the newly announced Print Core CC Red for the Ultimaker S5 3D Printer.