Angus 3D purchases Markforged Metal X with grant from Zero Waste Scotland.
Scottish 3D printing service provider, Angus 3D Solutions, is set to expand its metal 3D printing capabilities with a Markforged Metal X system thanks to a 175,000 GBP grant from Zero Waste Scotland.
Angus 3D received the grant from the Circular Economy Investment Fund which provides funding for SMEs in Scotland to be more resource-efficient and help create a more circular economy. The company believes additive manufacturing (AM) can aid this alternative to the traditional economy, in which we keep precious resources in use for as long as possible as opposed to making and disposing of items, by reducing waste in the design process and extending the lifespan of machinery with cheaper and faster manufacture of replacement parts.
The machine, which will be installed in December, uses a proprietary metal material extrusion process where metal powder bound in a plastic matrix is deposited layer by layer to build parts which are then washed and sintered to remove the binder and fuse into a solid metal part. It is believed the only Metal X machines in the UK to date are owned by a Formula One team and universities.
Angus 3D already offers a range of 3D printing services including polymer and metal powder bed technologies, plastic extrusion- and resin-based processes. The company says this new in-house technology will be used to make components for industries such as oil and gas, medical and satellites and in the reverse engineering of obsolete parts.
Angus 3D Solutions’ grant is one of three cited by First Minister Nicola Sturgeon last week as being part of a programme which aims to unlock up to 1 billion GBP potential value in the economies of Aberdeen, Aberdeenshire and Tayside by boosting the circular economy.
Andy Simpson, founder and Managing Director of Angus 3D said: “I’m naturally delighted we’ve received this funding award from Zero Waste Scotland, because it will help our clients and the Scottish manufacturing industry develop their circular economy.
“We’re already excited about how this machine will enable us to better support inventors, designers, SMEs and manufacturers in Scotland and beyond.”
