Digital Metal is a subsidiary of HöganäsAB, a leading metal powder producer, and on September 15, 2018, the company has signed two private agreements with European Automotive and Aerospace Industries. In addition, the UK’s National Additive Manufacturing Centre (NCAM) has become the latest user of the company’s DM P2500 metal 3D printer.
NCAM technology expert Usama Attia said “Digital Metal’s technology offers tremendous potential and productivity for metal additive manufacturing.”
Dr. David Brackett, NCAM’s additive manufacturing technology manager, added: “This is a very fast technology that prints complex and highly detailed designs and has a wider choice of materials than using fused additive manufacturing processes, We are excited to offer this service to the companies we work with. “
Digital Metal’s 3D printing expertise is the production of small and complex geometries. Its adhesive spray technology can print fine details with resolutions up to 35 μm.
The DM P2500 system will be exhibited at RAPID TCT 2018, providing a build platform measuring 203 x 180 x 69 mm. After sintering, the scaled size is 170 x 150 x 57 mm. According to the company’s latest data, through internal contract services, it has more than 30 different mass-produced components, some of which have volume orders reaching up to 40,000 parts per year.
Digital Metal has established partnerships with Swedish high-performance sports car manufacturer Koenigsegg, luxury car brand Volvo, and consumer goods, engineering services and aerospace systems group Honeywell.
As of July 2018, Digital Metal’s partners have added two new companies and signed an agreement to deliver the DM P2500 and other equipment, consumables, services and support to currently undisclosed “leading” companies in the automotive and aerospace sectors.
MTC has established links with more than 100 engineering industry members, including LPW, Siemens, Airbus and EOS, and is expected to be the central hub of UK’s additive manufacturing technology.
In 2017, MTC announced that it will manage the Additive Manufacturing Reference Center (AMBC) established by the European Space Agency (ESA). In addition, throughout 2018, the center has called on stakeholders to help develop its additive manufacturing skills competency framework to help achieve a wide range of professional skills shortages in the engineering sector.
In MTC’s NCAM, Digital Metal DM P2500 will join a wide range of polymer and metal additive manufacturing systems, including several Arcam and Renishaw machines. MTC engineers are also working on developing profiles for upcoming additive manufacturing systems and sorting projects for their aerospace partners.
The first NCAM test of the DM P2500 started in July, and so far, engineers should start using the system for pre-research projects.