At this year's TCT Conference @ Formnext, delegates can expect to hear insights from end-users, analysts and researchers on the latest additive manufacturing and 3D printing applications and developments.
Across four days, experts from PepsiCo, Boeing, Jack Wolfskin, Honda, GE Healthcare and more will deliver educational keynotes and panels that explore the impact of AM technologies across multiple sectors and industry challenges. On day two, Mike Kenworthy [MK], Chief Technology Officer at Divergent, will be joined by Simon Pun, Director of Materials and Processing at Divergent, to discuss the manufacture of structures through intelligent digital production in the transportation sector.
Ahead of the conference, which will take place in-person on 15-18th November at Messe Frankfurt, Mike sat down with TCT to tell us what we can expect from the Divergent presentation at the TCT Conference @ Formnext, as well as why Divergent's DAPS systems is suited to the automotive space.
Check out a snippet of the interview below and catch Mike and Simon's talk on Wed Nov 16, 10.00-10.30am. Get your ticket here.
TCT: What can you tell us about your presentation at Formnext?
MK: Divergent’s presentation at Formnext will focus on our novel end-to-end Divergent Adaptive Production System (DAPS™) and review DAPS-enabled designs for the automotive sector. In this presentation, the audience will hear from our Chief Technology Officer and Director of Materials and Process Engineering on the value that DAPS has brought to existing OEM customers and best practices from developing productive parameters and materials.
TCT: Can you explain the key capabilities of the DAPS system and why it is so suited to the automotive sector?
MK: We have built in many additional hard and soft constraints into our design processes and moved them as far forward in the workflow as possible, to ensure that we can rapidly validate and deliver our high performance solutions, with absolutely no design-specific tooling. Two illustrative examples are how we take into account unique constraints of our automated assembly process in the design of the topology optimised components and have developed specialised software tools maximize print efficiency of our node-based assemblies.
TCT: Who should come see this talk?
MK: Anyone that wants to learn about how we have already introduced safety-critical structures - that were engineered and validated using DAPS - in fully homologated road vehicles, far ahead of the market. Generally all those interested in digital manufacturing (Industry 4.0), AM automotive applications, parameter and material development will benefit from our presentation and hopefully robust discussions that follow.
TCT: Relating to the technology and/or culture, what is one thing you’d change about additive manufacturing?
MK: Design engineers must invest in deep understanding of machine-material limitations and apply this critical knowledge in the CAD/CAM (build preparation) phase.
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TCT: What is the biggest opportunity for AM in your sector moving forward?
MK: Our team is most interested in expanding the process window to drive increases in cost productivity and sustainability of the L-PBF process, including opportunities with feedstock and raw material inputs.
