Sigma Labs PritnRite
Sigma Labs has been named a member of the Manufacturing Technology Centre (MTC), the UK’s National Centre for Additive Manufacturing.
As a member of the MTC, Sigma Labs will be able to share its expertise for a range of the organisations’ projects, as well as network with other members, which includes additive manufacturing vendors and users alike.
The company will install its PrintRite3D Inspect in-process quality monitoring and control technology at the MTC in Coventry, UK. This platform uses sensor data and establishes in-process metrics for the design specification of parts and gives users information in real time that can alert them to defects prior to the building of the component.
This development marks the second research agreement Sigma Labs has confirmed with a European centre of excellence this month, after announcing its involvement in Fraunhofer IAPT’s Additive Alliance programme. As with that collaboration, Sigma Labs is hoping the move can have mutually beneficial results for the company itself and the successful implementation of additive manufacturing technology.
“As a member of the MTC, Sigma Labs will extend its industry footprint further into the exciting research and commercialisation in additive manufacturing today,” commented John Rice, CEO of Sigma Labs. “With Europe at the forefront of many innovative and major developments in the metal AM industry, we believe this agreement, our second major research alliance with a European centre of excellence, holds great promise for us and the future of AM. We look forward to interacting with the other member companies in the MTC, and particularly to collaborating with researchers at the National Centre for Additive Manufacturing to demonstrate the capabilities and potential of the PrintRite3D Inspect technology.”
MTC Technology Director, Ken Young, expressed the organisation’s delight at Sigma Labs’ new membership status, cutting quality assurance in additive manufacturing as a ‘critical topic’.
“Gaining insights into the part quality during the additive manufacturing build process reduces the effort for post-build inspection and ultimately provides the foundation for closed loop process control for improved robustness,” Young said. “Sigma Labs’ advanced capabilities on this topic will provide expertise for a number of the MTC’s projects and network with our membership base, focusing on qualification and certification of the additive manufacturing process.”
