A debate in the TCT Group office about which part of the world had the greatest rate of growth with regards to additive manufacturing (AM) brought up several different answers. The U.S., Mainland Europe and China were all, as you might expect, offered up. Without delving into the numbers, it’s hard to pick a definitive winner. For sure, though, it isn’t Australia.
But what of the Aussie innovators and OEMs in the 3D printing space?
The country, though among the largest in terms of land mass, is isolated from the rest of the world. Nearly every flight is long haul, and even within the country itself its largest cities are so spread out it can take up to a day in the car to drive between them. Additionally, it hasn’t a standout industrial sector, and the end of car production in the country earlier this year takes a way many obvious applications of AM technology.
It has traditionally been the universities of Australia to make the initial plunge and invest in emerging technologies. It was much the same with additive manufacturing, and by conducting research and showcasing the capabilities of the processes, it has enticed commercial players and given them the chance to try before they buy.
“I think that’s really important with new technologies that you can, for manufacturers, make something that’s a bit of an intangible concept into something that is really tangible,” says David Chuter, the Managing Director and CEO of the Innovative Manufacturing Cooperative Research Centre (IMCRC) in Australia. “One of the great things about the digital technologies is 3D printing and additive manufacturing very quickly enables people to realise how the digital world can be transformed into something physical.”
The IMCRC is an organisation ‘doing its bit’ to catalyse investments in new manufacturing technologies. It takes funding from the commonwealth government and the federal government of Australia to support research projects that have the potential for significant impact. Recently, it contributed $2.36m into a project which will combine 3D printing, robotics, data analytics and advanced materials in a bid to transform how patient-specific implants are made. It has also offered its support to a metal 3D printing facility at the University of Adelaide.
Chuter and co are thoughtful in their approach to back such technologies as additive manufacturing. He himself has a background in the automotive industry and first became aware of 3D printing more than 15 years ago, using it to validate prototypes. His view on Australia’s AM tact is at one with many of the commercial players in the country: That they have to be bringing something new to the table.
“Australian companies have to be very smart where they try and compete globally and so what you find is people in Australia tend to invest in more niche or specialised applications,” Chuter explains. “What we’re seeing is quite a bit of investment taking place here in Australia, in not just the use of additive manufacturing, but companies setting up and getting going in terms of how to re-design and re-create the whole 3D printing/ additive manufacturing process.”
SPEE3D
Spee3D machine
The LIGHTSPEE3D 3D printing machine
SPEE3D is among those being smart, and although CEO, Byron Kennedy recently told TCT it doesn’t expect to be the ‘poster child’ of 3D printing, it certainly has a case for being the leading innovator in Australia. The company officially made its entry into the market at formnext powered by TCT, showcasing its Supersonic 3D Deposition (SP3D) process which uses cold spray techniques to inject metal particles which deform and stick to the surface as a result of the kinetic energy generated as air is accelerated at 1,000 metres a second. With its LIGHTSPEE3D 3D printing machine, SPEE3D has been able to manufacture parts in aluminium and copper, with steel to come.
Another Aussie company is Titomic, which recently became a publicly listed business, raising $6.5m. It was established in 2014 to research and develop a new solid-state AM process using cold spray techniques to produce 3D forms and coating from metallic and non-metallic powder feed stock. Its patented Titomic Kinetic Fusion process will be used to focus on the manufacture of larger parts – the company has in development a 3D printer with an output size of 9m x 3m x 1.5m, and is aiming to be able to print a whole bicycle frame every 25 minutes. Titomic Kinetic Fusion sees titanium particles impact to mechanically fuse. There is no melting involved which helps mitigate oxidation issues, no heat-related distortion, and materials are said to retain their properties.
Titomic
Titomic 3D printer
Sneak peak inside Titomic's AM machine.
Amaero Engineering is a third Australian company making strides in the additive manufacturing sector. The company uses selective laser melting and direct laser deposition to provide components for its clients in such sectors as aerospace and defence. At its disposal are the EOS M280 and M290, Concept Laser’s X-Line 1000R and 2000R, and the Trumpf Trulaser 7040. In a recent project, Amaero collaborated with Monash University to additively manufacture an aerospike rocket engine with a unique multi combustion chamber design. Taking into consideration the rigours of flight, things like thrust were taken into consideration, while the engineers sought to ensure that the engine would be efficient at any altitude. The engine is currently undergoing further development at the company’s offshore manufacturing facility, in Toulouse, France, opened in partnership with Safran.
Chuter and the IMCRC are admirers of all three companies, but in SPEE3D has itself a research partner – the pair are carrying out work in the realm of robotics, leaning on SPEE3D’s 3D printing capabilities. Like its other research projects, it will look to explore modern additive manufacturing techniques, pushing boundaries, and driving innovation. In the implants project which will take contributions from RMIT University, University of Technology Sydney, St Vincent’s Hospital Melbourne and Stryker, it is doing much the same.
While the partners of the ‘Just in time implants’ project want to a) promote the use of modern technology to develop implants and b) provide better care for cancer patients, Chuter points out the significance of a global company like Stryker wanting to participate in an Australian research project.
Just in time implants
“The IMCRC exists to really drive benefits into Australia, but the fantastic thing about this was it’s evidence of Stryker, a global multinational company who can choose to do research wherever they want to in the world, [selecting] Australia because they believe we’ve got the best ecosystem and some of the best researchers and some of the best physicians and surgeons here to allow them to really get the research capability they need,” he said. “That’s an interesting one where they’ve looked at Australia and [said] this is where we think we can get the best outcome for our research and investment dollars.”
It stands as Australia’s unique selling point, since its location is hardly prime for the rest of the world. Chuter offers that the country’s relative isolation drives its innovation, along with having an abundance of raw material at its disposal. These include copper, lithium and cobalt, all finding their way into modern developments, like electric cars and electric battery storage. It means for companies like SPEE3D, Titomic, and Amaero, as well as the host of IMCRC partners, there’s plenty of prospects in the realm of additive manufacturing and beyond.
“The opportunities, I think, are going to be [there for] those organisations that can best adopt really smart design for additive manufacturing processes whereby they understand the metallurgy, they understand the integration opportunities so you can start to design a product that perhaps can only be made in traditional manufacturing by bolting a number of components together, for example. That’s where we’re starting to see the trend pick up, where that really smart design for manufacturing can open up opportunities.
“Australia, by critical mass, would be a little bit behind [the likes of North America, Europe and Asia] because we don’t have large scale industries. But I think in terms of innovation and looking at creative ways to apply the technology, I think you’re starting to see a number of case studies where Australia is being seen as the place to go or is doing some really innovative things in this space, and I think that’s something that Australians have always done.”
