3D printing company 3D Metalforge has opened the 3D Metal Additive Manufacturing Centre (AMC) in Singapore. According to the company, the AMC will provide a complete range of in-house metal printing solutions and services ranging from design and engineering, to printing, postproduction and finishing.
‘Singapore’s strategic location, pro-business environment, high-technology infrastructure and its intense focus on the additive manufacturing sector to support our economic transformation to Industry 4.0 makes it a logical choice for us to set up our AMC here,’ said Matthew Waterhouse, CEO of 3D Metalforge.
The launch event also witnessed the signing of a project collaboration agreement with simulation company SIMTech to commercially develop Singapore’s first large format laser aided additive manufacturing (LAAM) technology for 3D printing for industrial applications. SIMTech has developed the background intellectual property (IP) of the LAAM technology whilst the new equipment will be housed in 3D Metalforge’s AMC.
The LAAM technology reportedly has one of the largest print beds available for metal printing, up to 3-4 times larger than the largest powder bed printers currently available on the market. It will also come with a faster deposition rate of up to 1 kg per hour, which is almost 10 times faster than existing powder bed printers, according to Metalforge. LAAM utilises a laser beam and powder blowing technology to deposit and sinter metal powder into large mid complex parts.
Maximum size
As well as the partnership with SIMTech, the launch also saw the signing of a separate project collaboration agreement with Singapore’s National Additive Manufacturing Innovation Cluster (NAMIC) and the Singapore University of Technology and Design (SUTD)’s Digital Manufacturing and Design Centre (DManD) for the development and commercialisation of H-WAAM technology, which uses robotics, plasma and machining technology to deliver a faster 3D metal printing solution.
According to Metalforge, users could significantly increase the maximum size of 3D printed metal parts to over 1.5 m, and improve the printing speed by over 10 times. The H-WAAM also uses feed material that is up to five times cheaper than traditional metal powders, it says. The H-WAAM can also produce higher quality metal parts by machining between deposition layers to improve the quality of the printing and produce a nearer net-shape part. The technology is targeted at key industries such as marine, oil and gas, and manufacturing industries.
This story is reprinted from material from Metalforge, with editorial changes made by Materials Today. The views expressed in this article do not necessarily represent those of Elsevier.
