3Diligent Cullen Hilkene
£diligent CEO Cullen Hilkene speaks to TCT at Rapid 2016
3Diligent has announced it has expanded its metal rapid manufacturing technologies to provide the most comprehensive range of 3D printing options for the creation of metal parts.
In addition to its already respectable product range, 3Diligent welcomes wax-to-metal and metal plating options to its repertory.
The provider of rapid manufacturing services believes these new capabilities will enable 3Diligent to offer metal plating of resin and plastic parts in addition to metal casting of wax-printed parts. These new offerings complement the other metal printing and machining options the company already has at its disposal.
As the 3D printing sector continues to grow, 3Diligent want to incorporate the resulting technologies to help provide their customers with the best service possible.
“The size of the metal 3D printing market is growing and so are the number of different printing technologies available,” said Cullen Hilkene, CEO of 3Diligent. “At 3Diligent, we’re committed to understanding the trade-offs between these technologies to advise and provide our customers a single, seamless rapid manufacturing solution. That’s why we’re pleased to add wax-to-metal and metal plating options to our already market leading breadth of capabilities.”
Metal plating of 3D-printed parts allows designers to achieve many of the benefits of metal printing at a reduced cost. Among these benefits are the metallic appearance and an increased durability.
Wax print to cast metal technology provides customers a means to access metals that are not readily printed any other way. This process can be utilised in the casting of precious metals or industrial alloys that are not offered in the powder form required for other types of metal 3D printing.
3Diligent’s current range of printing capabilities include Laser Melting, Electron Beam Melting and Binder Jetting with Metal Infiltration. The company also offers 3-, 4- and 5-axis CNC Machining.
Hilkene spoke at the Inside 3D Printing Conference and Expo, taking place in San Diego on the 14th December, on a panel entitled ‘The Future of Metal AM: Delivering on the Promise.’ The 3Diligent CEO discussed the current state of metal additive manufacturing, the upcoming technological developments, the industries leading its adoption and the challenges faced when using this technology.
