Temperatures are on the rise

The heat is on right with the trade shows season, and the intense pressure for great performance and strong results but we also feel a different kind of “heat” with the growing concerns surrounding the fight against climate change and for sustainability; a fight that is spiralling out of control with the gas and energy problems that result from the war in Ukraine. If we disregard these consequences for a second and focus on what we, understand “organizations”, have the power to control, we will realize that the goal of finding a balance between preserving safety measures and “greenness” is a hard one to strike. Indeed, it’s one and easy thing to say we are “sustainable”, it’s another one to walk that talk. AM companies tend to forget the triple bottom line (people, planet and profit) that embodies a true sustainable vision to only focus on developing a sustainable product – for which it’s often hard to deliver data.  In this edition of 3D ADEPT Mag, we wanted to put things into context. We have presented this “triple bottom line” in different articles and how it can be taken into account in a “sustainability vision” that includes additive manufacturing. Of course, some industries are more likely to integrate this principle, but demonstrating it through tangible data (possibly resulting from life cycle assessments) is the example others are waiting for to get to work. That’s the whole point of this new issue of 3D ADEPT Mag.

Exclusive features

DOSSIER | Can Additive Manufacturing play a role in driving hydrogen fueled gas turbines?

To avoid climate disaster, billions of dollars are invested in hydrogen, which should meet a quarter of our energy needs by 2050. To enable this transition, industries that produce carbon dioxide (CO2) have the biggest role to play in this fight. With the power generation sector totalling ~46% of global CO2 emissions from fossil fuels, most organizations are exploring a transition to the use of hydrogen as a zero-carbon gas turbine fuel. What does this renewable energy transition with Additive Manufacturing (AM) look like? We discuss this one-million dollar question with contributions from Vladimir Navrotsky, AM Chief Technology Officer and Senior Principle Key Expert at Siemens Energy & Eduard Hryha, Professor, Director of CAM2 centre, department of Industrial and Materials Science, Chalmers University of Technology.

Software | “Blockchain technology has just overcome its days of extreme hype.” The journey now needs to converge AM & Sustainability

Just fourteen years ago, blockchain appeared onto the scene of the financial market as the power behind cryptocurrencies. Over time, the technology found its place within supply chains, but was limited to pilot projects until distributed manufacturing came into play. As applications are continuously being explored to advance this technology, one thing became certain: making blockchain and additive manufacturing converge is a great way to enable distributed manufacturing to thrive, but the transition to a circular economy can make this road a difficult one to scale. The article below aims to contribute to the Industry 4.0 literature by discussing the impact blockchain may have on additive manufacturing through the lens of circular economy. With key contributions from CoreLedger.

Executive Interviews on the lead up to AMTC

Markus Tacke on the enterprise strategy at the heart of Oerlikon’s path to AM and the ‘try everything, fail fast’ ethos

To better understand Oerlikon’s current positioning within the industry, explore what the future holds for the group and discuss this multifaceted approach in this business of innovation, we sat down with the right advocate: Markus Tacke, CEO of Oerlikon Surface Solutions.

EOS on the cost consideration and where it makes sense to integrate digitization and automation in an AM production environment

Put two Additive Manufacturing veterans together, with respective expertise on both the commercial and current economic market of the AM industry and the technological side, and you can expect a conversation on insights that matter into the additive manufacturing world. A few weeks ago, during a morning coffee discussion, Markus Glasser, Senior Vice President of EMEA at EOS & Marius Lakomiec, Team Manager Digital AM Solutions at EOS, sat down with 3D ADEPT Media’s Editor-in-Chief Kety Sindze to discuss digitization and automation within the AM industry.

Post-processing

Solukon’s SPR-Pathfinder® Software to Bring Depowdering of 3D Printed Parts to the Next Level

The development and improvement of depowdering solutions is not solely based on machines. A key part of their functionality and their ability to achieve an automated and repeatable work is based on the software capabilities they leverage. That’s in any case one thing we learn from machine manufacturer Solukon.

How to post-process resin 3D printed parts?

Like in almost any Additive Manufacturing process, post-processing is an essential stage that should be conducted to obtain the final 3D printed part with the desired properties in resin 3D printing technologies. Whether we deal with stereolithography (SLA), digital light processing (DLP) or LCD 3D printing, leveraging the right post-processing tools to deliver the final part is sometimes what is needed to remove this misconception whereby resin 3D printing is only meant for the production of prototypes while FDM 3D printing can be best suited for production parts. With insights from PostProcess Technologies.

Materials | Precious Metals AM in Jewelry: the ideal business case in regard to circular economy, but a sector that struggles to scale up. Why?

One of the very first additive manufacturing applications in the jewelry industry dates back to 2008: a ring 3D printed in gold, one of the most preferred precious metals for fine jewelry. Over time, innovation in the field has opened up opportunities for jewelry makers and service bureaus to tap into the opportunities offered by AM. The thing is, just like with any manufacturing business, there is a need to scale up, and to do so responsibly – and that’s something the jewelry industry struggles to achieve with Precious Metals AM. With contributions from Damiano Zito, CEO of AM service bureau Progold S.p.A.  & Michela Ferraro-Cuda, Course Director, MA Luxury Jewellery Management, and a Lecturer in Luxury Jewellery and Ethical Branding, at Birmingham City University.

AM Shapers |The virtuous circle: the triple bottom line and the confluence of forces changing the manufacturing landscape of (3D printed) valves

Given the present economic situation, it’s hard to have a decent conversation about oil and gas without having to complain about current price fluctuation. Yet, if we look at the bigger picture – and leave the governments to handle the war in Ukraine and its consequences -, we might realize that one way for oil and gas companies to lower costs and increase margins would be to focus on sustainability. As it has been mentioned multiple times in this edition of 3D ADEPT Mag, “an organization can truly say it is sustainable when it is responsible vis-à-vis these three aspects: profit, people and planet” – the triple bottom line. What’s crazy about this idea, is that the more you think about it, the more you realize that additive manufacturing can play a key role in meeting the guidelines related to each of these aspects. It’s a virtuous circle.

Interview of the Month | Entering a new age of real low-cost Titanium for Additive Manufacturing with IperionX.

Used for everything from cars, medical implants, jewelry to heat exchangers and more, titanium is appealing for its lightweight, strong, stable properties and ability to withstand corrosion. Its low density and high strength make it the ideal material for a wide range of demanding applications, but these characteristics are also the ones that make it difficult to process via conventional manufacturing routes such as casting, hence the increasing interest for additive manufacturing users in exploring it. Here is the thing, titanium often suffers from a bad reputation due to its “rarity”. While manufacturers do not explicitly say it is “rare”, they do recognize it is rarer than other metals, which results in a higher selling price. A conversation with Anastasios “Taso” Arima, Founder and CEO of IperionX on the company’s ambition to revitalize a low cost, low carbon U.S. titanium industry.

Guest Column | Where is Big Data in AM?

The Additive Manufacturing industry is small in comparison with established manufacturing technologies and it needs to evolve to a higher level of output to become more competitive than existing technologies. Big data plays a key role in this path. Collecting big data in Additive Manufacturing is still in its infancy. In this column, AM Flow’s Patricia van der Voort shares the company’s vision on what big data entails for the AM industry. This is by no means a fully comprehensive article on the subject, as big data definition and big data in AM are continuously evolving.