Sigma Labs Inc and Materialise have teamed up to develop what they describe as a 'breakthrough technology' to enhance the scalability of Metal AM Applications.
Metal additive manufacturing has become more popular within the manufacturing toolkit for many industries such as automotive, aerospace, medical device and energy, which use it to introduce more localised, customised production. Yet, a lack of process robustness and repeatability is holding back broader adoption for serial production and the need for post-build inspections quality assurance can result in higher costs when compared to traditional manufacturing methods.
The new platform development introduced by Sigma Labs and Materialise can be retrofitted to existing 3D printers to improve manufacturing processes or be offered as an add-on to new machines for metal AM.
It combines Materialises Control Platform (MCP) and Sigma’s sensor technology to allow users to identify and correct metal build issues in real-time and with added control over their processes, manufacturers can also optimise metal AM processes for consistency and repeatability, key factors in scaling AM operations for serial production.
MCP is an embedded hardware solution that provides end-users with more control over AM processes, and by integrating it with Sigma’s PrintRite3D sensor technology, both companies have created the possibility to identify issues and be able to intervene to correct them, improving the productivity in metal AM and reducing scrap rates to pave the way for manufacturers to advance their operations and implement it into serial production.
Bart van der Schueren, CTO at Materialise, said: “The platform we have developed eliminates one of the most common roadblocks for manufacturers interested in using metal additive manufacturing for serial production, and the platform is open and flexible allowing manufacturers to take control of their specific processes to fit their unique applications, making it possible for customers to leverage their expertise and truly take advantage of the customisation and localisation benefits that AM provides.”
Mark Ruport, President and CEO of Sigma Labs, added: “I am very pleased with our long relationship with Materialise and the close collaboration between our engineering teams, and we believe the combination of Materialise Control Platform with Sigma’s real-time melt pool monitoring and analytics software has created a significant breakthrough in the AM industry.
“I look forward to future opportunities to collaborate and find ways to continue to improve the quality and consistency of 3D metal printing as more companies go into production in the coming years.”
Materialise and Sigma plan to collaborate on other projects alongside the new platform, with end-users and machine producers to refine processes for their unique applications. The companies are also seeking other partners across different industries who are interested in expanding their use of metal AM in serial production to join them.
