Global engineering and technologies company, Renishaw, continues to develop its network of Additive Manufacturing Solutions Centres with its first North American Centre in Kitchener, Canada. This facility provides a secure development environment where customers can gain knowledge and confidence in using additive manufacturing technologies. The Solutions Centre is staffed with skilled applications engineers and allows customers access to additive manufacturing technology and expertise at a predictable, manageable cost.

Additive manufacturing is a technology set to impact the manufacturing sector in industries as varied as aerospace and automotive, to dental restoration and patient specific cranio-maxillofacial implants for reconstructive surgery.

The Additive Manufacturing Solutions Centre was officially inaugurated on 1st November, 2016. The new facility complements the established advanced manufacturing sector in Canada and will aid the acceleration of the development of industrial additive manufacturing processes, particularly in the medical and aerospace industries. The Centre contains a range of Renishaw technology including the company’s AM250 and AM400 additive manufacturing systems, as well as metrology and finishing equipment.

“The new Solutions Centre will provide customers with a cost-effective, rapid learning environment where companies can build confidence and knowledge in the applications of additive manufacturing,” explained Marc Saunders, Director of Global Solutions Centres at Renishaw. “The Canadian Centre forms a vital node in the global network.”

“The Solutions Centre contains everything a customer needs to create a functional part and verify that it is correct,” said Mark Kirby, Additive Manufacturing Business Manager for Renishaw Canada. “Renishaw’s knowledge of metrology, machining and finishing means that for a predictable cost the customer can move along the additive manufacturing learning curve with minimal risk.”

“We have already engaged with a number of end-users from the local community including the medical and aerospace sectors,” continued Kirby. “The experienced team of applications engineers provide customers with expertise across a range of functional manufacturing sectors.”

The new Canadian Solutions Centre is the latest step in Renishaw’s investment into making additive manufacturing a mainstream manufacturing technology used in series production in a range of industries including aerospace, medical, automotive, oil and gas and consumer products. Renishaw Canada has offices in Toronto, Kitchener and Ottawa.

The Centre complements Renishaw’s existing network of Solutions Centres in the UK, Germany, India and China, with a Centre also being hosted at Renishaw Inc’s new facility in Illinois, USA.

As one of the newest members of Mazak’s additive machine family, the VARIAXIS j-600AM (Additive Manufacturing) Vertical Machining Center features an innovative Wire Arc-type metal deposition system. The technology takes the additive process to whole new levels in terms of speed, allowing shops to quickly and easily grow part features then employ the machine’s advanced 5-axis multi-surface subtractive capabilities to produce high-precision parts complete in single setups.

The VARIAXIS j-600AM’s Wire Arc system incorporates a standard wire arc-welding head mounted on the machine’s headstock to deposit material layer by layer and grow near-net-shape 3D forms. The system deposits material faster because it uses wire instead of metal power.

Machines capable of both additive and subtractive operations offer many advantages. Such machines significantly slash production time and conserve large amounts of expensive raw materials typically machined away when parts are completely produced using only subtractive operations. Plus, they reduce the number of machines required in a facility and save floor space.

The VARIAXIS j-600AM also features a 12,000-rpm B-axis tilt spindle and C-axis indexing table. The machine is well suited for a wide variety of applications, including the production and repair of aerospace parts, molds and dies and oil-drilling components so that these parts retain their original durability and wear resistant properties.

EOS, the global technology and quality leader for high-end Additive Manufacturing (AM) solutions, has expanded its consulting and knowledge transfer portfolio of services under the name “Additive Minds”. Based on three pillars of Consulting, the Innovation Center and the Additive Minds Academy, the EOS team of experts will directly upskill customer staff to help more companies benefit from additive manufacturing technology. They enable an even steeper learning curve for customers with respect to AM technology and genuine competitive benefits.

Faster help for customers during additive transformation

Many global technology corporations have realised the potential of industrial 3D printing and are strategically investing in the area. However, to succeed enterprises must go beyond just developing new applications.

The development of industrial 3D printing expertise and experience poses a challenge for many companies. The reasons are many and varied: while suitable study and training programs are only now being planned, but not all of them are actually on offer; and there are few trained and experienced experts in the labour market. Education in the technology can be both costly and time-intensive.

Güngör Kara, Director Global Application and Consulting at EOS, adds: “Our Additive Minds services cover the customer’s complete lifecycle – from additive manufacturing fundamentals and the choice of correct component or application, to the engineering process and development of the application, right down to planning the industrial production, qualification and validation.” He continues: “The huge innovation potential of this technology makes a key contribution to the current and future transformation process in industrial manufacturing. Based on our technology and extended consulting and training offers, customers can achieve the next level of innovation sooner.”

Additive Minds Consulting: development and technology consulting

As a catalyst in development projects, advisors for strategic questions or technological experts, the Additive Manufacturing Consultants address each customer’s individual requirements. The range of topics on offer covers the complete cycle: from technology fundamentals, component choice for AM production, design and AM-compatible engineering, to production scaling and validation. This means that customers can enlist Additive Minds at every step of their 3D printing journey.

Additive Minds Innovation Center: hotbed for innovation

With its Additive Minds Innovation Center, EOS extends its range of services in the field of counselling and creates a central hub of innovation. Companies can send a team of engineers and technicians to EOS with experts from Additive Minds overseeing their education and development for 6-18 months, with the potential to develop new applications through to a production stage. At the end of this phase, the team can begin production in their own company immediately, thus gaining a huge time advantage over their own competition. A “Center of Excellence” model, deployed on the customer’s premises, is also available.

Additive Minds Academy: Courses, workshops, e-learning

The Additive Minds Academy will soon offer an additive manufacturing courses and workshops. EOS has also developed its own training program in collaboration with the University of Wolverhampton and the SRH Hochschule Berlin. Participants can qualify as an “AM Application Engineer” within six months through intensive learning modules and practical exercises. The first participants will begin their course in February 2017.

Renishaw, the global engineering technologies company, is opening a new Additive Manufacturing Solutions Centre on 15th June in Pune, India. The new facility will provide a secure development environment in which customers can expand their knowledge and confidence using additive manufacturing (AM) technology. The Solutions Centre will be equipped with the latest AM systems and staffed by knowledgeable engineers to allow fast access to deploying the technology, all at fixed predictable costs.

Additive manufacturing, often referred to as metal 3D printing, is widely recognised as a transformational manufacturing technology that will impact on everything from components in aircraft engines and satellites, to dental restorations and surgery for facial reconstruction. Renishaw, which is the UK’s only supplier of metal AM machines, sees the new Indian centre as a cornerstone in its ambition to be a major contributor to the adoption of AM in the established and fast growing high technology Indian manufacturing sector.

Rhydian Pountney, Renishaw’s Director responsible for Indian Sales and Marketing Operations mentions, “We are delighted to be opening the first Solutions Centre in India. The thrust of the additive manufacturing centres is to create a platform on which to work in close partnership with our customers to help them realise the benefits of AM in their products and manufacturing processes.”

“Renishaw’s vision is to make AM a mainstream manufacturing technology, used in series production of high performance parts for aerospace, medical, automotive, oil & gas, mould & die and consumer products. The technology will enable companies to design and make innovative products with spectacular gains in performance and efficiency,” says Clive Martell, Head of Global Additive Manufacturing.

When adopting any disruptive new manufacturing technology, companies will go through a rigorous assessment process to understand the potential benefits, and to prove the reliability and capability of the production process. The investment in time, resources and equipment to achieve this can be significant.

Renishaw Solutions Centres will lower this entry barrier by providing cost-effective access to machinery, facilities and AM expertise. Solutions Centres will provide a confidential development environment in which firms can explore the benefits that AM can bring to their products, and quickly build their knowledge and confidence in AM as a production technology.

Marc Saunders, Director – Global Solutions Centres comments, “Whilst AM can create complex geometries in a single process step, some level of finishing is generally required to produce functional products. Renishaw’s knowledge of metrology, machining and finishing processes can help customers to develop an integrated manufacturing solution for their innovative new product.”

Whilst the new Pune Solutions Centre highlights Renishaw’s continuing investment in the development, manufacture and application of AM technologies, it also maintains the company’s long term commitment to the Indian market. It will sit alongside Renishaw’s existing key strategic additive manufacturing development locations in the UK, USA, Canada, Germany & China, with additional centres also planned for other key markets.

Renishaw, the global engineering technologies company, is opening a new Additive Manufacturing Solutions Centre on 15th June in Pune, India. The new facility will provide a secure development environment in which customers can expand their knowledge and confidence using additive manufacturing (AM) technology. The Solutions Centre will be equipped with the latest AM systems and staffed by knowledgeable engineers to allow fast access to deploying the technology, all at fixed predictable costs.

Additive manufacturing, often referred to as metal 3D printing, is widely recognised as a transformational manufacturing technology that will impact on everything from components in aircraft engines and satellites, to dental restorations and surgery for facial reconstruction. Renishaw, which is the UK’s only supplier of metal AM machines, sees the new Indian centre as a cornerstone in its ambition to be a major contributor to the adoption of AM in the established and fast growing high technology Indian manufacturing sector.

Rhydian Pountney, Renishaw’s Director responsible for Indian Sales and Marketing Operations mentions, “We are delighted to be opening the first Solutions Centre in India. The thrust of the additive manufacturing centres is to create a platform on which to work in close partnership with our customers to help them realise the benefits of AM in their products and manufacturing processes.”

“Renishaw’s vision is to make AM a mainstream manufacturing technology, used in series production of high performance parts for aerospace, medical, automotive, oil & gas, mould & die and consumer products. The technology will enable companies to design and make innovative products with spectacular gains in performance and efficiency,” says Clive Martell, Head of Global Additive Manufacturing.

When adopting any disruptive new manufacturing technology, companies will go through a rigorous assessment process to understand the potential benefits, and to prove the reliability and capability of the production process. The investment in time, resources and equipment to achieve this can be significant.

Renishaw Solutions Centres will lower this entry barrier by providing cost-effective access to machinery, facilities and AM expertise. Solutions Centres will provide a confidential development environment in which firms can explore the benefits that AM can bring to their products, and quickly build their knowledge and confidence in AM as a production technology.

Marc Saunders, Director – Global Solutions Centres comments, “Whilst AM can create complex geometries in a single process step, some level of finishing is generally required to produce functional products. Renishaw’s knowledge of metrology, machining and finishing processes can help customers to develop an integrated manufacturing solution for their innovative new product.”

Whilst the new Pune Solutions Centre highlights Renishaw’s continuing investment in the development, manufacture and application of AM technologies, it also maintains the company’s long term commitment to the Indian market. It will sit alongside Renishaw’s existing key strategic additive manufacturing development locations in the UK, USA, Canada, Germany & China, with additional centres also planned for other key markets.

The University of Sheffield Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre (AMRC) with Boeing is using a DMG MORI LASERTEC 65 3D in its research into applications for additive and subtractive manufacture. Dr David Curtis of the AMRC explains, “There is a big push in the application of 3D printing technology for components across different industrial sectors. A range of parts are already 3D printed, but our investigations are focussed towards overcoming the limitations presented by the maturity of some of the processes to broaden their scope of application. There is little doubt that as the technology develops we will see wider applications.”

Research is led by partners within industry that are looking at additive and subtractive technology. They regard it as a key disruptive technology which will offer a step change in the way in which products are made. Dr David Curtis says, “There is a growing interest in this emerging technology across UK based manufacturers and we partner with other centres across the UK that are investigating disruptive technology and metallurgy.”

The objective of the research is to understand the capability of the process and develop it to a higher technology readiness level. It will look at options such as growing features onto a base component or starting from zero, and aspects of sequential additive and subtractive manufacture and the capability that this will enable. The opportunity to investigate cladding and laser treatment will also be explored. The integrity of the parts produced will also be investigated, down to the micro structure level, as will repeatability to see if the process is good enough for critical components. Dr David Curtis adds, “It is clear that additive and subtractive technology is good for non-critical parts. Welding parts onto the structure, which is what happens on the LASERTEC 65 3D, will be quite different to forging or powder metallurgy. We will be examining post treatment options, such as depositing hard coatings, to ensure that strength is appropriate to function. Other options include the possibility of changing the composition of the material during the additive process.”

As a Tier 1 member of the AMRC, DMG MORI is delighted to be involved in this activity and that the AMRC has selected the LASERTEC 65 3D for its research. DMG MORI has been involved in several projects with the AMRC including ultrasonic machining with the DMG MORI ULTRASONIC 10 for carbon fibre machining with PCD tooling. Research is currently underway on cryogenic machining which gives the benefit of a clean working envelope and could have applications in high strength titanium which is generally a wet process at the moment. To support the research programmes, DMG MORI has an engineer permanently on site in Sheffield and the AMRC also has a good relationship with engineers at DECKEL MAHO Pfronten where researchers can initiate technical meetings and obtain additional training.

The LASERTEC 65 3D uses laser deposition welding to build up components and can lay down two different powdered materials during the 5-axis process, which is more than 10 times faster than powder bed technology. The machine can build parts up to 500mm diameter with undercuts and no supporting structure. The technology can also create parts with internal channels with its continuously monitored and measured laser build up process. The laser head is safe during milling operations outside the machining envelope, making it possible to alternate between milling and laser deposition, creating parts which would otherwise be very difficult or impossible to manufacture in one operation. As a special highlight the machine is equipped with the ULTRASONIC technology pack. This will allow post machining of wear resistant coatings that have been deposited with the additive solution using ultrasonic machining techniques. DMG MORI has four additive manufacturing technology centres worldwide and has a database of materials and their parameter settings for the technology and can work with customers on specific material development requirements.

The first application under investigation is the use of additive and subtractive technology in gear manufacture. The current technology for gear manufacture is well established so applying disruptive technology could result in a radical change for future manufacturing methods. Further investigations will cover topics more closely aligned to aerospace applications, exploring the art of the possible as well as assessing the application of the technology to advanced materials. Dr David Curtis says, “AMRC with Boeing partners are supporting this near net shape activity and the results from these projects will be disseminated through academic publications and conferences here in the UK and abroad. Additive and subtractive manufacture will also form an important part of the AMRC Factory 2050, which is to incorporate the next generation man-machine interfaces in a reconfigurable, data driven manufacturing environment.”

AMRC executive dean, Professor Keith Ridgway CBE, adds, “We aim to make Factory 2050 the most advanced factory in the world, built to carry out collaborative research, it has been designed to ensure the UK’s advanced manufacturing supply chain can access the expertise it needs to make the most of new challenges and opportunities, and that our region retains its international lead in high value manufacturing.”

3D printing has been used for many years for rapid prototyping, helping to de-risk new designs before committing to expensive production tooling.  But the recent arrival of effective metal 3D printing technology provides the opportunity to do more than just make models, but to make real, additively-manufactured production parts.  Additive manufacturing (AM) will be a disruptive force in many markets.

Production and Lifetime benefits of additive manufacturing
The benefits of AM in metals fall into two categories – production benefits and lifetime benefits.  Production benefits accrue during the manufacturing process itself and include reduced material consumption, shorter lead times, minimal tooling costs, lower assembly costs and the impact of automation.  Lifetime benefits accrue during the use of the product, and come from sources such as reduced weight, higher performance and reliability, as well as better adaptation and a more attractive product.  Other lifetime benefits can include service factors such as faster new product launch, improved responsiveness and reduced stocking  .

So how can your business benefit from the disruptive capabilities of AM?  A good way to think of this is as a series of levels of AM deployment, illustrated in the ‘staircase’ image above.  As you move up through the levels the benefit rises, although so does the associated effort as we increasingly apply Design for AM (DfAM) principles.

Rapid prototyping & tooling
The ground floor is to deploy AM for Rapid prototyping & tooling,  Prototypes help to de-risk system designs at low cost (a lifetime benefit), avoiding tooling costs whilst the design is still in flux (reducing production costs).   AM can also be used for cost-effective manufacture of complex tooling such as conformal-cooled mould tools.  The risk at this level is low as there is no intention to use AM to make production parts, but the benefits are constrained by the limited number of parts involved.

Moving up a level, many firms’ first foray into AM part production is in direct part replacement.  These are re-productions of existing part designs, which seek to replace complex and wasteful manufacturing processes with a simpler AM process route.  This allows firms to gain experience with AM in low risk applications and to start to develop a supply chain for AM parts.  The benefits here combine lower cost production with a more responsive service to customers.

The next level is where we start taking advantage of the design freedom that AM provides.  Part consolidation can be used to transform assemblies into a single sophisticated component.  This can greatly simplify manufacturing, whilst providing performance and reliability benefits in use.  Reaching this level requires design authority and the ability to requalify a new part and process for production.

DfAM optimised parts
Finally, the top level is where all the capabilities of AM are deployed to produce DfAM optimised parts.  At this level we create innovative product designs that are impossible to produce conventionally and which create new value for customers.  This can be in the form of enhanced performance, greater efficiency or perfect adaptation to the circumstances of its use.  It can even spark new business models that provide customised designs, locally produced on short lead times to satisfy latent customer needs.  There’s certainly risk here, but this is where real market disruptions will occur.

Renishaw can help you to explore innovative new product designs at our new Solutions Centres, opening early next year.  Want to learn more watch the video below.

Article by Marc Saunders, Director – Global Solutions Centres at Renishaw, accelerating adoption of additive manufacturing (metal 3D printing)

Renishaw, the global engineering technology company will once again be exhibiting at the Advanced Manufacturing show, which runs alongside Subcon and the Design and Innovation Show, from the 2nd to 4th June 2015 at the NEC, Birmingham, UK.

Renishaw will be exhibiting a broad range of its innovative metrology and additive manufacturing products including the Equator gauge, AM250 – the only UK manufactured metal based additive manufacturing machine, the PH20 5 axis touch-trigger system for CMMs, a range of machine tool probe systems including the SPRINT scanning probe, as well as variety of styli and fixturing options.

Visitors to Hall 4 stand A125 will be able to see Equator, Renishaw’s lightweight, fast and highly accurate versatile gauge that operators can use with ‘push-button’ simplicity. Equator’s innovative flexible gauging technology is based for the comparison of production parts to a reference master part. Users can greatly increase throughput and reduce scrap rates at a fraction of the cost of an equivalent custom gauging system. New for Advanced Manufacturing is INTUO software, which simplifies and automates the gauging of a wide variety of parts, removing dependence on the skill of manual gauge users.

Also exhibited will be Renishaw’s AM250 laser melting machine. This system utilises a pioneering process capable of producing complex fully dense metal components direct from 3D CAD using a high-powered ytterbium laser. Parts are built from a range of metal powders that are fully melted in a tightly controlled atmosphere in a layer thickness ranging from 20 -100 microns.

5 axis touch-trigger measurement will be demonstrated by Renishaw’s PH20 system for co-ordinate measuring machines (CMMs). PH20 increases touch-trigger CMM throughput by up to three times, using fast, infinite rotary positioning and unique “head touch” capability for high-speed point capture with minimal CMM movement.

Visitors interested in process control for machine tools will also be able to discuss Renishaw’s game-changing machine tool probe system, SPRINT. The system incorporates a new generation of on-machine scanning technology that will deliver a step-change in the benefits of process control, enabling fast and accurate form and profile data capture from both prismatic and complex 3D components.

After few months from its start-up and only three operative months, AITA-ASSOCIAZIONE ITALIANA TECNOLOGIE ADDITIVE (Italian Association of Additive Technologies) presents itself as reference entity for the Italian industrial sectors of additive technologies and 3D printing.

On the occasion of its General Assembly and Board of Directors (both held last March 31, 2015), the association reached and surpassed the target of 50 members,creating a transversal entity grouping machine manufacturers/dealers, design software companies, service centers, big companies and SMEs using additive technologies in manufacturing. On their side, important universities and research centers ensure the “knowledge and innovation tank”, necessary for thesector establishing and growing up. The members list is completed by some individuals, aiming at increasing their cultural level on the topic or at launching new business initiatives.

“This target”, states Alfredo Mariotti (the Association General Manager), “confirms us that the additive technologies sector represents a key factor for the growing up of the Italian mechanical manufacturing industry. Thisis allowed by the capability of additive process based machines to realize sophisticated and customized products, consequently assuming the role of “third type” machine tools, since they integrate the machine tools (for cutting and forming) and other types of instrumental goods. This will enable Italian manufacturing industries to develop and produce highly innovative products and services (attractive at domestic level and abroad), contributing torelaunch the Italian industrial sector”.

About AITA-ASSOCIAZIONE ITALIANA TECNOLOGIE ADDITIVE
AITA-ASSOCIAZIONE ITALIANA TECNOLOGIE ADDITIVE (www.aita3d.it) is a cultural association aiming to represent the interest of Italian Additive Manufacturing Sector (producers of machines, end-users, enabling technologies suppliers, service centers, universities, research centers, etc.), helping the dialogue with public stakeholders and other industrial associations, in order to spread and develop the use of Additive Manufacturing (and the related knowledge) in manufacturing environment.

Renishaw is pleased to unveil the machine that it is developing specifically for production manufacturing. Provisionally named EVO Project, it is the first additive manufacturing system designed and engineered in-house at Renishaw and reflects the company’s 40 years of experience in supplying high quality equipment to demanding global manufacturing businesses.

The new machine, which has a strong emphasis on automation, monitoring technologies and reduced operator interaction, is designed for single material industrial production. Powder handling is almost entirely hands off, whilst powder recirculation, recycling and recovery are all carried out within the inert atmosphere of the system, protecting both the user and the integrity of the material.

The EVO Project machine incorporates a high power 500 W laser which will aid productivity whilst still maintaining precision and surface finish. It also boasts a class leading high capacity filtration system, a large 19” HMI user interface and intelligent workflow to further reduce the need for operator interaction.

The new machine, which is planned to be available in the second-half of 2015, is designed to complement and not replace the current Renishaw AM250 system which is better suited for flexible manufacturing and research applications where changes between materials are a requirement. The AM250 has an interchangeable hopper system which allows various materials to be used on the same machine.

Renishaw continues to develop the AM250 system which is also benefitting from some of the developments made for the EVO Project machine. This has led to the recent introduction of the PlusPac upgrade pack which offers improvements to Z-axis seals and chamber lighting, plus substantially improved gas recirculation and filtration.

At Euromold 2014, taking place between 25th and 28th November in Frankfurt, the Renishaw stand will feature an EVO Project machine, AM250 system and an AM250 fitted with the PlusPac upgrade.