RAM3D new facility
Ram3D is seeking to make metal additive manufacturing more accessible to the Australian and New Zealand markets.
New Zealand-based high-tech company, Rapid Advanced Manufacturing (RAM3D) has opened a new facility and installed a number of Renishaw AM250 metal 3D printers.
With the new site opened in the Tauriko Business Park, Tauranga, New Zealand, and the installation of several AM250 machines, RAM3D is seeking to make metal additive manufacturing more accessible to the Australian and New Zealand markets.
Spun out of Titanium Industry Development Association (TiDA), RAM3D has become Australasia’s biggest centre for 3D metal printing. The company’s new facility allows companies from a range of sectors, including aerospace, defence, consumer and industrial, to explore the benefits of metal additive manufacturing.
“The additive manufacturing market is on the ride in New Zealand and Australia,” said Warwick Downing, Managing Director of Rapid Advanced Manufacturing. “This growth is fuelled by realism, not hype. The enquiries we are getting show a clear understanding of the potential of design for additive manufacturing. This is an encouraging trend. We believe this trend is being driven by industry collaborations that facilitate a better understanding of the technology, such as the one between RAM3D and Renishaw.
“The key to the successful and sustainable implementation of additive manufacturing into the production process is to have a good understanding of the technology and work in partnership with suppliers and clients.”
Renishaw AM250 metal 3d printer
RAM3D uses additive manufacturing techniques to improve the design of its clients’ production arts and prototypes in a more efficient, cost-effective way.
RAM3D uses additive manufacturing techniques to improve the design of its clients’ production arts and prototypes in a more efficient, cost-effective way. Collaborating with companies as far away as Singapore, the products RAM3D manufactures at the Tauranga site are used globally. The diversity of parts RAM3D manufactures ranges from titanium knives used by the Team Emirates America’s Cup crew to customised handlebar extensions for the New Zealand Olympics cycling team, as well as titanium lugs for high-end Australian custom bike maker Bastion Cycles.
Planning to continue its growth through to the end of the decade, RAM3D is planning to accommodate for 20 metal additive manufacturing systems by 2020. The company is keen to work with a wider range of clients from different industries who are interested in utilising additive manufacturing techniques.
“RAM3D strongly believes that additive manufacturing is a competitive production technology with an unprecedented potential for industry,” said Mike Brown, Managing Director of Renishaw Oceania. “The company’s unique combination of skills, facilities and experience make it an industry leader in this part of the world. It is a privilege for Renishaw to collaborate with such a key player in the market to grow the region’s adoption of additive manufacturing.”
