Scottish 3D printer opens for business

Jon Lawson

Angus 3D has produced its first pieces using a Markforged Metal-X metal printer.

 
The Metal-X uses Atomic Diffusion Additive Manufacturing (ADAM) technology – where metal powders are encased in plastic binders and then melted off to create designs previously impossible to manufacture and with unprecedented levels of detail as well as faster and at a fraction of the cost.
 
The Metal-X can also reduce the weight of traditional manufactured parts while maintaining their strength and performance by producing them with unique geometrics, such as closed-cell honeycomb infill. By printing metal powder in a plastic matrix, the it also eliminates the safety and environment risks associated with other 3D-printing methods.
 
Parts printed with the Metal-X are also up to 10 times less expensive than alternative metal-additive technologies and up to 100 times less than traditional fabrication technologies like machining or casting. Materials costs are typically reduced by up to 98%.
 
So far Angus 3D has used the Metal-X to print lightweight custom parts for a bicycle business and components for a new product design for an oil & gas company as well as remanufacture obsolete components for a local textile manufacturer to help maintain production and reduce breakdowns. It’s also producing test pieces for an F1 team looking for help carrying out performance analysis on parts.
  
Angus 3D’s Metal-X will further advance the circular economy by allowing parts which would previously have been scrapped due to obsolescence to be put back in service through reverse-engineering – where their design is replicated using a 3D scanner and then printed using the Metal-X. It also improves the benefit to the circular economy by using less resources in the process.
 
For example, an oil and gas company which had been scrapping electrical connections due to minor parts no longer being available is now having the parts reverse-engineered and remanufactured, allowing the connectors to be put back in service, saving nearly £20,000.
 
 

 

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