PyroGenesis Canada Inc., a company specialising in the design, development and manufacture of plasma waste-to-energy systems and plasma torch products, has announced the launch of a new additive manufacturing (AM) division called “PyroGenesis Additive”.
PyroGenesis is the inventor of Plasma Atomization, a process which produces very small, uniform, fully dense and spherical metal powders that flow like water, highly sought after in the AM Industry.
The company first began producing powders using Plasma Atomization for the biomedical industry between 2001-2004. In 2015, PyroGenesis invested approximately $2MM in improving both the production rate and particle size distribution, which led to the decision to re-enter the market and produce powders for the AM Industry.
In 2015, PyroGenesis announced its re-entry into the metal powders market, specifically for AM and in 2016 announced its intention to spin-off its AM capabilities. Earlier this year, the company publicised the completion of the assembly of its first powder production system and in April, it announced receipt of its first powder order from a multi-national conglomerate with a second secured earlier this month. Dedicated to PyroGenesis’ AM business line, “PyroGenesis Additive” marks the first step in the company’s previously announced strategic spin-off.
“The creation of PyroGenesis Additive is definitely the first step in spinning off our AM capabilities, which we announced over a year ago, into a standalone entity. We are dedicated to a spin-off for a number of reasons, all of which speak to increasing shareholder value,” explains PyroGenesis President, Mr P. Pete Pascali. “Concurrently, we feel a spin-off would provide for a clearer, and better defined, entity, which third parties could consider for joint ventures, strategic alliances, or even an acquisition of PyroGenesis Additive.
PyroGenesis says that its original spin-off plans were delayed due to major shifts in the world of AM, namely GE’s acquisition of Arcam, and more specifically its metal powder subsidiary AP&C. AP&C had previously produced powders using PyroGenesis’ old proprietary technology and prohibited PyroGenesis from competing against AP&C until 2012. The decision for GE to purchase the company “effectively disrupted the supply chain of speciality powders in the AM industry” according to Pascali but now moving forward with the ramp-up phase, Pascali says they “could not be happier”.
“The decision to re-enter into powder production was the right one,” Pascali said. “The changes and consolidation in the marketplace over the past year have only underscored this decision. We are the inventors of Plasma Atomization, a process that arguably has helped bring AM to where it is today, and so we can say with confidence, that we are back. We are back to producing, but more so, improving the process that has become the gold standard in the AM Industry.”
