Karlsruhe-based company Horizon Microtechnologies develops in-house coating processes that add material and functionality to a microstructure. Their suite of in-house coating processes enhances the functionality of a wide range of polymers and materials used in 3D printing.
Recently, the German company secured some early-stage financing which made it possible for them to invest in a micro AM platform developed by Boston Microfabrication (BMF).
Horizon Microtechnologies bought a BMF S240 machine to enhance its 3D printing facilities, making its in-house micro-AM templates more efficient, accurate and functional. This new BMF machine will enable them to apply environmentally resistant, metallic, or non-metallic conductive coatings more efficiently on the micro-AM templates.
The BMF S240 is well-equipped to create intricate parts with precision and great tolerance. This comes from BMF’s 10μm series of micro AM solutions which impart ultra-high resolution and precision and accuracy.
The BMF S240 machine is built to print engineering-grade 3D printed parts and has a large build volume.
3D printing technology infrastructure to reduce bottlenecks
Speaking about the BMF S240 machine, the CEO of Horizon Microtechnologies Andreas Frölich said that the introduction of the BMF micro-AM machine brings the full 3D printing technology infrastructure to the company and it can fully leverage it for 3D Microfabrication.
Terming the arrival of the new machine as a “vital step of the company”, Frölich said “this will create the enormous advantage for them of accessing a truly vertically integrated solution partner that can support from design through manufacturing to delivery in a one-stop-shop fashion. It will also speed up R&D and the innovation of our post-build coating technologies for micro-AM parts, allow for a much broader and more agile and timely interaction with customers, and enhance sales and marketing activities”.
Horizon’s CEO also underlined how they were already providing “a suite of post-build coating technologies for micro AM parts to enhance their functionality” but their core know-how went beyond that as they had a “unique in-house understanding of overall micro-AM based 3D microfabrication process chains”.
According to Frölich, having an in-house infrastructure which acts as an “end-to-end product development facility and a contract manufacturing partner” will ensure that they can “influence the design of micro-AM parts to optimise for end-use functionality”.
This will ensure that Horizon’s coating technologies find applications in a wider area where the additive manufacturing industry services are offered.
Frölich further explained the matter saying, ” producing exceptionally precise and tight tolerance parts and components, the significance and added value of a vertically integrated development and manufacturing partner becomes paramount. First and foremost, the early inclusion of manufacturability considerations along the full microfabrication process chain in design decisions reduces the number of iterations during the product development phase. This concurrently reduces the time-to-market and overall product development costs. Furthermore, our high degree of vertical integration entails tight control and coordination over the various stages of production, from raw material sourcing to final assembly. In the context of precision manufacturing, this approach ensures seamless quality control, optimal material selection, streamlined communication, and enhanced process efficiency. Importantly, the interdependencies of the different process steps are established, and the manufacturing process execution is fully transparent and can be tightly controlled”.
According to Frölich, purchasing this machine eliminates the dependency of Horizon Microtechnologies on external vendors and suppliers, making it a guarantee to achieve consistency in specifications and minimize lead times. It also reduces potential bottlenecks, and ultimately delivers highly efficient and accurate, and reliable components that have the best tolerances and precise specifications.
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