Voxeljet
Voxeljet has announced the launch of the HSS Material Network in partnership with Fraunhofer IPA and the University of Bayreuth.
The network will serve as a way for users of Voxeljet’s High Speed Sintering (HSS) technology to test, qualify and certify 3D printing polymers.
Through the HSS Material Network, Voxeljet will mediate with customers to discuss the initial requirements of the material, before the user is connected with Fraunhofer IPA and the University of Bayreuth. Fraunhofer IPA has a research and development focus on organisational and technological tasks from the field of production, while the University of Bayreuth focuses on theoretical basic research. The two research institutions cooperate closely on the industrialisation of additive manufacturing, with their optimal symbiosis between application-oriented and fundamental research being used to respond to industry demand.
As part of the collaboration with Voxeljet, an inter- and trans-disciplinary think tank at the University of Bayreuth called the Campus Additive Innovation (CA.I) has been established. The CA.I will comprise scientists from a range of disciplines – from materials engineering and chemistry to production engineering – who work with 3D printing technology, including the VX200 HSS machine from Voxeljet – to develop and qualify materials.
“Medium-sized companies in particular often lack the equipment, interdisciplinary skills and resources to conduct their own materials research and technology optimisation. To close this gap, we founded the Campus Additive Innovations,” commented Prof. Dr.-Ing. Frank Döpper of the Fraunhofer Process Innovation Project Group. “The HSS Material Network offers customers and interested parties a flexible and low-risk outsourcing option for material development.”
“High Speed Sintering is an additive manufacturing technology that is highly productive, flexible and also ideally suited for the production of higher volumes,” added James Reeves, Global Director for Polymer Printing at Voxeljet. “But the potential of additive manufacturing has not yet been fully exploited as long as there are materials that cannot yet be printed. Given that we can look at more than 18,000 polymer materials, there is still a lot of work to be done. That’s why we created the HSS Materials Network. By collaborating and openly exchanging ideas with industry leaders and renowned research institutions such as Fraunhofer IPA, we are able to significantly accelerate the development of new materials – and at a fraction of the cost that alternative offerings claim. Customers thus receive a fast and application-oriented solution that is specifically tailored to their needs.”
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