3D and additive manufacturing technologies

Sandvik buys into additive manufacturing service provider

Sandvik bought 30% of privately owned Italian company Beam IT, a metal additive manufacturing (AM) services and advanced components provider.

“The investment in Beam IT is… in line with Sandvik’s strategic ambition to become a leading solution provider for the wider component manufacturing industry,” says Lars Bergström, president of Sandvik Machining Solutions.

Beam IT, a supplier of metal AM components, has more than 20 years of AM experience and more than 20 powder bed fusion printers.

“The AM sector is developing fast, and there is a need for AM-specialist-partners with the advanced skills and resources required to help industrial customers develop and launch their AM programs. With this investment we provide our customers with the opportunity to access the complementary and combined power of Sandvik and Beam IT,” says Kristian Egeberg, president of the AM division in Sandvik. 

Materialise invests in Engimplan LTDA

Materialise has agreed to buy 75% of Engimplan, a Brazil-based manufacturer of orthopedic and cranio-maxillofacial (CMF) implants and instruments. The combination of Materialise’s 3D-printed medical solutions with Engimplan’s product portfolio will accelerate introduction of 3D-printed, personalized implants and instruments in the Brazilian market.

As part of the transaction, Materialise will gain access to Engimplan’s local production facility; expand Engimplan’s portfolio with its 3D-printed implants and expertise; and enter the company’s existing partner and distribution network in Brazil. 

AM disrupts micro-manufacturing, promotes innovation

Nanofabrica’smicro 3D printing technology reaches micron-level accuracy across a 5cm x 5cm x 10cm build envelope. More agile and flexible than traditional technologies, designs can be altered with little expense, raising the potential for mass customization in micro manufacturing.

While Nanofabrica micron-level AM processes can handle high-volume applications, introducing a 3D printing solution for micro manufacturers also means that original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) can reduce the reliance on economies of scale, as the technology makes full production runs as inexpensive as producing one item. 

3D LAM printer processes LSR

German RepRap’s liquid additive manufacturing (LAM) 3D printing process, can work with liquid silicone rubber (LSR). RapRap engineers developed the technology for use with the L320 LAM 3D printer.

LAM vulcanizes liquid material using heat exposure, making it thermally crosslinked by firmly connecting the individual layers the printer deposits. This produces components with similar properties to injection-molded parts while enabling economical production of lot sizes of one.