It’s already been a month since we bid goodbye to 2020 and have welcomed with great hope the New Year. Throughout the preparation of this first issue of the year, we came to realize that things were not necessarily new. In some aspects of life and in some places, it was as if things have not changed that much except the flip of a new calendar page but a closer look at the environment shows that we should not look at what’s new in 2021, but the fast pace at which the situation evolves. Look at the speed at which Covid-19 vaccines have been brought to market, look at the speed at which people are getting vaccinated… In the manufacturing industry, the question of speed has never been as important as it is today. If you are a company that wants to create an efficient production line, then the questions of speed, cost, and quality will be of paramount importance. If you are a Space company that is taking its first steps into a new market – for instance, the satellites market-, here again, speed will play a crucial role.

In a nutshell, these few examples make us believe that the ability to act fast might be one key to stand out. Be it in the exclusive feature, the metal AM segment, the Interview of the month or the segment dedicated to AM users, this issue of 3D ADEPT Mag explores “speed” through various manufacturing perspectives.

After all, as the saying goes “there is no speed limits on the road to success”.

Exclusive features

Dossier: VOLUMETRIC 3D PRINTING: FROM RESEARCH TO COMMERCIALIZATION

There are so many additive manufacturing technologies which promise a lot and deliver little that sometimes, it’s hard to perceive their effective role in manufacturing. However, a relatively new technology called volumetric 3D printing is increasingly gaining traction for good reason: not only does it intrigue by a process that is way different from the well-established layer-by-layer processes, but it promises a lot more: the ability to print an entire object in one go – and in a few seconds. Wouldn’t that be a dream come true?

With contributions from Readily3D and xolo.

Metal AM: WHAT DOES “SUPERSONIC” ADDITIVE MANUFACTURING LOOK LIKE?

In a production environment where increasing ROI is often the ultimate goal, manufacturers are always looking for ways to speed up the production of their products. But doing so comes with some risks. In the end, there is always a chance that changes in production could affect the quality of the end-product. How can you speed up your production process without jeopardizing quality?

With contributions from SPEE3D and Titomic.

Post-processing Segment – Optimising the metal additive manufacturing workflow

In the continuous quest to address the unique needs of companies that are battling to adopt AM in production environment, GF Machining Solutions (GFMS) is continuously making adjustments and improvements on hardware and software environments; improvements in a nutshell that will simplify the path to a seamless and efficient production workflow. This post-processing segment provides a look at the company’s post-processing solutions and an eye on medical applications that it achieves with them. A conversation with Romain Dubreuil, Head of Additive Technologies & Dogan Basic, Product Manager AM at GFMS.

Focus on YOU Series: THERE IS A MARKET FOR VERY LARGE 3D PRINTED PARTS  

There are two types of additive manufacturing companies: those that are building their expertise and experience from scratch and those that rely on a much stronger expertise. Companies from the second group often bring a certain cachet that inevitably makes them credible for the challenge they are addressing.

We came to realize that in the field of “Large Format Additive Manufacturing”, Thermwood meets this unique criteria and an exchange with Dennis Palmer, Vice President of Sales, confirms why.

Interview of the Month: KEEP DARING

Most of the time, customization is highlighted as one of the major benefits of 3D printing when it comes to 3D printed objects themselves. In such cases, the 3D printing process does not really change. In fact, the process simply consists in the choice of some random items by the customer to get the expected product. However, the focus on the manufacturing process shows that customization can be much more complex than it looks like. A conversation with AMCM GmbH’s Martin Bullemer and Felix Bauer explains why.

ADDITIVE MANUFACTURING SHAPERS: Behind the Scene of “the Space Race” with Virgin Orbit

With private companies at the forefront of recent space innovations, the space industry is undergoing a paradigm shift driven by disruptive market solutions offering and industrial approaches that were not often considered by governments. What is interesting in this new paradigm is that it opens up new doors for technological innovations and position space new entrants as experts across other vertical industries. In this vein, 3D ADEPT Media discusses the current use of additive manufacturing technologies at Virgin Orbit and some of the challenges the Space industry faces in the adoption of these technologies.

APPLICATIONS: Current advancements & existing hurdles in Dental 3D Printing

Although dentistry has long time been associated with subtractive manufacturing – milling especially – , a report from market intelligence firm CONTEXT reveals that this field makes up over one fifth of the end market for professional polymer 3D printers (5,000 USD upwards). Despite the significant improvements made to advance the use of AM within this field, some technological and cost impediments still raise a number of questions among experts. This feature will discuss these advancements and the improvements that still need to be made to enable a wider adoption of AM technologies in the field. To discuss this issue, Stijn Hannsen – Sales, Marketing & Applications Manager at 3D Systems and Mayra Vasques, founder of Innov3D have been invited to share their insights into the topic. Hanssen will share the point of view of a 3D printer manufacturer whereas Dr. Vasques will bring the user’s perspective on the table.

GUEST COLUMN – Technology integration in AM: gaining efficiency and competitiveness

Some of the challenges that additive manufacturing technology will be facing in the coming years are the integration and automation of production systems, and the increase in productivity and efficiency to gain competitiveness against traditional manufacturing technologies. In this “Guest Column”, Elvira LEON, founder and CEO at ADDvance, shares key insights into the integration of automated processes as part of additive manufacturing workflows.