LPW Technology, which makes metal powder for additive manufacturing (AM), says that 3D printing machine manufacturer Stratasys has made a strategic investment in its business.
Already serving leading OEM and Tier-1 suppliers, LPW offers metal powders for additive manufacturing processes as well as PowderLife: an intelligent powder management system that enables the traceability and management of metal powder batches throughout their lifecycle. It provides material history tracing and close monitoring to ensure the powders stay within manufacturers’ specifications and meet their stringent production requirements.
The companies plan to invest over £20 million over the next two years in establishing new facilities in the UK and US, developing LPW’s PowderLife and other processing systems.
‘We have worked with Stratasys through its parts-on-demand unit – Stratasys Direct Manufacturing – for over three years,’ said LPW founder and CEO, Dr Phil Carroll. ‘We recognize that it, together with the Stratasys solution business units, brings deep understanding and experience in production across the vertical markets.’
Strategic decision
‘As metal 3D printing extends to production environments, issues of quality control, integrated workflows, and process know-how become more critical in the supply chain,’ said Stratasys vice president of corporate development, Alon Elie. ‘This investment in LPW is part of our strategic decision to strengthen our knowledge and expertise in metal AM.’
LPW will remain majority owned by its founder, Dr Carroll, who he will continue to lead the business.
This story uses material from LPW,with editorial changes made by Materials Today. The views expressed in this article do not necessarily represent those of Elsevier.
