TCT Magazine
Part of the Rapid Fusion PE 320 on display at TCT 3Sixty 2023
After launching its newest project, Rapid Fusion, at TCT 3Sixty 2023, Evo 3D has received 1.1 million GBP in funding from Innovate UK to become the “UK’s first” manufacturer of large-format 3D printers alongside names such as Rolls-Royce, Baker Hughes, and National Manufacturing Institute Scotland.
The project, titled The Evo One ‘large format additive manufacturing’ (LFAM) project, will see the creation of a gantry style 3D printer, and according to Evo 3D Director of Marketing and Development Jake Hand, will be “very fast”.
Jake Hand, Evo 3D Director of Marketing and Development told TCT: “Almost like a traditional 3D printer, but metre by metre with a pellet extruder. It’ll be modular, to switch from pellet extrusion to filament extrusion. It’ll be our own proprietary extruder and it’ll have a system on there that would be capable of some serious speeds. We’re working with Rolls-Royce as part of that project, Baker Hughes are part of the project, National Manufacturing Institute Scotland are also involved.
“They’ve also expressed interest in buying the machines as well when the project is finished, so that should truly put us on the manufacturing map. I think you can see that we’re here to stay and we’ve got lots of different things in the pipeline. The future looks quite exciting for the brand.”
The list of names involved in the project includes Evo 3D, Rolls-Royce, Baker Hughes, AI Build, and National Manufacturing Institute Scotland (NMIS) operated by the University of Strathclyde and part of the High Value Manufacturing Catapult.
According to NMIS, LFAM is a commercial 3D printing technique that creates large volume polymer components to be used in a variety of industries including aerospace, automotive, energy and marine. The institute says that while countries such as the USA, Germany, and China have “embraced” this approach, there are currently no manufacturers of large format 3D printers in the UK, and the country only accounts for around 5% of the global AM market, which the UK government aims to increase to 8% by 2025.
NMIS says that the product being developed by the companies through the Evo One project will address challenges associated with large-format 3D printers, which it says includes slow build times, being unsuitable for high-value or high-integrity parts, operational complexity, use of unsustainable materials, and being unaffordable to small and medium-sized companies.
The institute says it will also cater to the specific needs of the UK market. The design team of the system is aiming to make it 60% more reliable, achieve a 50% increase in productivity, reduce training and maintenance costs by 30%, and cut material waste by 80%, among other improvements according to NMIS.
To create the “UK’s first” OEM in large format additive manufacturing, Evo 3D has launched a spin-out business to commercialise the system, called RapidFusion, which it debuted at TCT 3Sixty in June 2023. NMIS says the development would also create the foundation on which a new supply chain can be built, re-shore critical manufacturing capabilities, and help more UK manufacturers take advantages of opportunities presented by “industry 4.0”.
Speaking about why the decision was made to launch Rapid Fusion at TCT 3Sixty, Hand said: “TCT 3Sixty is the UK’s largest event for additive, and the timing aligned really perfectly for us to do it. It was a big push for us to get it ready to have it available at the show. The plan was that if we could announce it in what is the premiere UK event of the year, then that’s what we would do. And there was a massive amount of interest in Rapid Fusion at the event, and there has been a massive amount of interest since the event as well. We’ve had a lot of people get in touch who wanted to work with us to test the product and to be a beta tester. TCT has got a big platform and its pushing things forward in the industry.”
Read more: EVO 3D partners with ADAXIS and REV3RD to expand robotic pellet 3D printing range
Hand also said in a NMIS press release: “The UK is behind other major economies when it comes to LFAM. What we are aiming to do through the development of this system is to democratise high-value, environmentally responsible manufacturing in the UK through a system that will bring the latest technology and capabilities to large and small businesses.
“We saw during the pandemic how easily supply chains can crumble. That’s why it’s potentially more important than it ever has been to develop as much capacity and capability in the UK as we can, not to mention the economic and carbon reduction opportunities associated with having a thriving manufacturing sector at the vanguard of the latest available green technologies.”
The NMIS team will support the project across material analysis, design, and the 3D printing process. It will also look at the validation and verification of the system and high-value materials being used. Rolls-Royce and Baker Hughes will test the system once it is ready, and AI Build will help with the development of the slicing technology.
Stephen Fitzpatrick, Director – Digital factory at NMIS added: “We have a huge opportunity in the UK to be a leader in large format additive manufacturing. Putting the right technology in as many manufacturers’ hands as we can is a great base to build on, and having a UK-based OEM is the first step in that direction.
“With the right tools at our disposal, we can encourage more manufacturers of all sizes to embrace the latest manufacturing techniques and technologies, paving the way for a more sustainable and globally competitive sector. Our team, with many specialisms ranging from digital process management to forging and forming, is supporting businesses across Scotland and the UK to innovate and transform what they do.”
You can read TCT’s conversation with Evo 3D, discussing this news and the launch of Rapid Fusion at TCT 3Sixty in the latest issue of TCT Magazine Europe here.
