3D printing demonstrations at SMM

The American market research company International Data Corporation expects the 3D printing industry to grow by 15per cent annually over the next few years. SMM will for the first time present a special exhibition on 3D printing this year. Its project partner is the Maritime Cluster Norddeutschland (MCN).

Exhibitors will showcase their capabilities in additive manufacturing, including companies such as Rolf Lenk, Gefertec, MMG, Treo, SLM as well as the Maritime Cluster Norddeutschland. Visitors will be able to speak with subject matter experts while watching live additive manufacturing processes using a variety of materials. What sets this technology apart is that “components are no longer manufactured geometrically through casting, drilling or milling but in an additive process layer by layer,” explains Professor Claus Emmelmann, Director of the Fraunhofer Institute for Additive Production Technologies, IAPT. Not only does this ensure a spectacular visual experience; “it also enables production of designs of any level of complexity, far beyond anything anyone could have imagined in the past,” says Emmelmann. Weight reductions of up to 80% are possible. Companies exposed to intense competition could save substantial manufacturing and material costs while accelerating production times dramatically.

By Jake Frith