Additive Industries MetalFAB-600 visual
Additive Industries has announced the development of a larger format MetalFAB 3D printing system after Formnext Connect drew to a close.
The company expects to present the MetalFAB-600, which has a build volume of 600 x 600 x 1000 mm compared to the 420 x 420 x 400 volume of the MetalFAB1, towards the end of 2021. In line with this announcement, Additive Industries CEO Mark Vaes has reassumed his role of Chief Technology Officer to manage the development of the new machine, with Jonas Wintermans, a co-founder of the company, stepping into the role of acting CEO. Additive Industries has also announced the Wintermans family’s investment business, Highlands Beheer, has invested a total of $33 million throughout 2020.
MetalFAB-600 will come to market with one of the largest build sizes for a metal 3D printing system and complement that build volume with ten 1KW lasers and a deposition rate of up to 1000cc/hour, per Additive Industries. It is said to be developed on a platform that will allow ‘even further expansion’ of the build volume and productivity in the future. The company believes the MetalFAB-600 builds on the capabilities of its predecessor, harnessing the same robustness and automation capabilities, the latter of which focuses on powder handling, alignments and calibrations.
“Right now, it is crucial for Additive Industries to develop and innovate,” commented Wintermans. “The new MetalFAB-600 project is very relevant for our customers and therefore important for Additive Industries. A larger build volume opens doors to more applications and more productivity. Larger build jobs also mean a need for higher laser power and maximum robustness, because users want their parts to reach the finish line when printing multiple day jobs.
“The existing MetalFAB1, which will be developed even further in terms of simplification and laser power, excels in building long and heavy jobs up to 150kg parts. Its new sibling, the MetalFAB-600, should build on that knowledge. We have an excellent team in place, led by Mark, and are confident to be able to enrich our industry with this new model, as well as with our current portfolio.”
The announcement of the MetalFAB-600 comes after Additive Industries signed a Letter of Intent with milling machine manufacturer Makino to develop integrated process chains to help enable the ‘upscaling of industrialised additive manufacturing.’
Their aim is to build a process chain that gets the additive manufacture of metal parts and post-process to seamlessly work together. They are set to work together to develop and commercialise hybrid process chains that are supported by their process know-how and machine design experience.
“Working together with Makino as global-leader in high-end milling machines, we will jointly work on total process solutions for high-end and demanding markets,” added Vaes. “We are very pleased with the strong partnership with Makino, and proud to be working with their industry leading machining solutions.”
A third development at Additive Industries this week has seen the installation of the MetalFAB1 at Fusor Tech in a partnership that aims to develop the market of ‘digital spares’ in the oil, gas and petrochemical sectors.
This alliance will initially focus on the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region.
“The worldwide transition from global to regional manufacture, to recoup in country value, has presented a fantastic opportunity to us; to bring our AM business to each country in the Middle East,” commented Mr Khalil, Director and co-founder of Fusor Tech. “We are excited about the MetalFAB1, a mature platform that will allow our engineers to quickly solve our customers problems.”
“To engage with Fusor Tech is an exciting development for our company and we look forward to open this geographical market and further explore the vertical market of oil and gas,” offered Vaes.
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