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Prodways at EuroMold
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Prodways at EuroMold
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Prodways at EuroMold
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Prodways, the new generation of 3D printing
Prodways co-founder and head of R&D André-Luc Allanic Phd discusses the company's 3D printing developments.
One of the advantages of massive industry events like EuroMold is getting the opportunity to talk to additive manufacturing industry players face to face. What's even better is getting to meet those people you would like to know better. Prodways is one such company that caught TCT Magazine's eye when the business revealed it would be showcasing its 3D printing technology for the very first time at the Frankfurt trade show.
After peering at the gigantic machine on the conspicuously popular Prodways stand, TCT Magazine returned early in Day Two to try and get a bit closer to the business minds behind this interesting newcomer to the European additive manufacturing scene. It was upon meeting 3D printing pioneer and founder André-Luc Allanic and company Chairman Raphaël Gorgé that the reason behind the heaving mass of people surrounding Prodways' stand became clear - their enthusiasm for their work is completely absorbing and infectious.
It seemed that EuroMold as a venue did much to buoy Prodways' positivity further, as both parties commented on the quality of visitors and questions at the industry event, indicating they may well become additive manufacturing trade show regulars.
Allanic said: "So far, we have had a nice audience of people. Focused visitors tend to know what they want and understand the technology better - they know what it's about and we enjoy talking about the technology with them."
Gorgé added: "EuroMold is very good for us. I have been to other trade shows but they've been too B2C. This is great because people who know about the technology are here and they understand it. They are people who appreciate additive manufacturing."
Three new machines
The eye-catching hardware on their stand is the M350 - a people carrier-sized machine that has been designed to produce large parts with diagonals reaching up to one metre. One of the biggest draws of the machine is its moving build platform, which facilitates high production throughput regardless of the size of the build or where on the plate they are being put together. Moreover, the M350 offers users precise height control allowing for more accurate, taller builds.
Gorgé said: "We represent three new machines (the M350, the ceramic and metal composite K20 3D printer and the biomedical D35 machine) and also the re-birth of the company. We are really excited because we used to be a very small business and then when I acquired the company three months ago, we worked up to build three new machines."
Gorgé has an engineering background and has been Chairman and Chief Executive of the Gorgé Group since 2011. He met stereolithography, metal powder sintering and polymer expert Allanic this year and the pair agreed to develop Prodways together.
Presenting something new
The fact Prodways is a very young company has not held its progress back and Gorgé drew comparisons with industry giant EnvisionTEC when explaining where he sees his business's place in the growing additive manufacturing marketplace. The moving build platform, consistently high-precision across the entire plate and the ability to get more than 500 million pixels on the build platform, he believes, will set Prodways apart from the competition.
Allanic explained that the second machine, the K20, was developed using what he described as an apparently neglected patent on loan from 3D Systems. Prodways sought permission to use the patent and developed the composite 3D printer that can produce builds made using ceramic powders.
"So we did it, and [the machine] works beautifully," he stated.
The third Prodways offering is the biomedical D35 Producer, which offers a high degree of precision in all three dimensions.
Allanic revealed their biomedical machine has been developed almost "without anybody knowing". "Nobody writes about this and this is because these developments are very secret," he said.
Gorgé explained that the biomedical additive manufacturing machine was developed because Prodways "wanted to present something very new".
"We have made 20 machines that are already producing models for businesses. Companies invest in this technology because they can build many small pieces at a time."
It seems highly probably the additive manufacturing community in Europe and further afield will be hearing a lot more about Gorgé, Allanic and their Prodways creations. As Allanic said of the company's future, "we have a lot more ambition and a lot more financial success".
