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INVESTMENTS IN 3D PRINTING AT AN INDUSTRIAL SCALE ARE ‘PAYING OFF’, HOWEVER OBSTACLES TO AM ADOPTION STILL REMAIN


Industrial additive manufacturing (AM) company Essentium has announced the second in a series of findings from independent global research on the current and future use of industrial 3D printing. The survey found that investments in 3D


printing at an industrial scale are paying off, with companies reporting wide-ranging benefits, including high part performance (46%), cost reduction (46%) and speed-to-part (45%). Changes over the last year showed 3D


printing’s relevance in manufacturing, where the AM industry proved it could step in to make quantities of supplies at scale to keep


assembly lines moving. 2021 will mark the year that additive at scale transforms manufacturing across sectors, including aerospace, automotive, electronics manufacturing services, and biomedical. However, innovation is essential to remove


remaining obstacles to AM adoption and help companies manufacture in new ways. Specifically, 98% of manufacturing executives see value in improved materials, 37% are held back by the high cost of 3D printing materials, and 24% said 3D printing materials are unreliable. Gaining approvals for capital investments will remain a challenge throughout 2021 - 20% of


SOUTHERN MANUFACTURING RETURNS IN OCTOBER


Having been postponed from this Spring due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Southern Manufacturing & Electronics 2021 is to go ahead as a two day event on October 6-7 at the Farnborough International Exhibition Centre. The 2022 show will return to its usual dates in early February. The show organisers are in continual contact with the venue


management team to ensure that all possible measures are in place to ensure a safe environment, fully compliant with all current government and event industry guidelines.


MORE SEW EURODRIVE GEAR UNITS


NOW AVAILABLE IN FIVE WORKING DAYS ABB has expanded its technical support for variable speed drives (VSDs) in the UK with the appointment of Staffordshire- based system integrator, Radway Control Systems. Radway is the latest UK system


SEW Eurodrive’s new ATO5 service, providing delivery of industrial gear units within just five working days, has now been extended to include large R, F and K units from its 7 Series range. These units are suitable for heavy engineering applications such as wood, food, concrete and water treatment, etc. The extended service will be of


benefit to design and maintenance engineers, OEMs and end customers. Designers, for example, will benefit with more time for better planning, the


ability to finish the design before placing an order, and faster project implementation. End customers have the advantage that SEW can deliver replacement gear units in a very short time. www.sew-eurodrive.co.uk


E


arly last year my rather ancient vacuum cleaner went bang


(quite literally, with a small puff of black smoke). It was pre-covid, so during a trip to a well-known store I was surprised to hear from the salesperson that such products are


no longer designed to last, and that after a couple of years I will either need another new one or ‘want the latest model’. But it’s not just vacuum cleaners that have become almost a throw-away item, as JET PRESS states this month: “Many of our products today are disposed of before they’re really worn out, from mobile phones to toasters and even cars”. Changes, however, are in place where items will need to be repairable or, at the end of their life, recycled. This is where designers and OEMs can help, by making products


that have far less impact on the environment and specifying components – such as fasteners – that can be re-used or recycled, the company explains. Turn to page 9 to find out more.


Rachael Morling - Editor 4 FEBRUARY 2021 | DESIGN SOLUTIONS


integrator to be awarded ABB Value Provider status, cementing a partnership that goes back nearly two decades. With the accreditation, Radway benefits from ABB’s on- going support, training and product innovation, helping the company to provide a comprehensive VSD engineering service. The agreement marks the


culmination of many years of distinguished service, as Jon Taylor, director, Radway, explains: “Attaining ABB Value Provider status is testament to the hard work and dedication shown by our engineering team. We embarked on this process to formalise our long-standing relationship with ABB and to obtain their public seal of approval for our deep knowledge of their drives and the applications in which they are used. The relationship with ABB is a key driver of our business and will help us expand our operations and customer base. We have a healthy future order book and are already looking to expand our operations by moving into a larger premises as we introduce more customers to the benefits of ABB drives.” https://new.abb.com/uk


www.industrysouth.co.uk


executives report that industrial-scale 3D printing hardware is too expensive, and 18% indicate they have too much investment in other manufacturing technology. Essentium remains committed to working


in an open ecosystem with its customers to address these challenges, ensuring the right economics for industrial-scale 3D printing and integration with existing machinery and work practices on the factory floor. Essentium is also innovating to provide high-performance and affordable polymers for aerospace, automotive, oil and gas, and tooling applications. www.essentium.com


ABB EXPANDS VSD SUPPORT WITH


NEW APPOINTMENT


Neilson Hydraulics & Engineering and its sister company, VHS Hydraulic Components, have been appointed the official UK distributor for Moveco, an Italy-based designer and manufacturer of rotary actuators and oil-pressure components. Rob Turner, managing director of


Neilson Hydraulics and VHS Hydraulic Components, said: “With Brexit behind us now, it’s an exciting time to now become an official dealer of Moveco products. We feel that their great portfolio will bring a new angle to VHS and Neilson’s scope of supply and tie in nicely with some of our projects moving forward.” www.neilson-hydraulics.co.uk


The National Physical Laboratory (NPL) has opened its state-of-the-art Mechanical Test Facility (MTF). The MTF provides industry with


a turnkey capability to evaluate, characterise and adopt new materials and products that demand a high level of assurance derived from test data. This allows businesses to innovate with new material applications, support substitution of alternate materials due to supply chain issues, or assess in-service products. www.npl.co.uk


3DPRINTUK, a service provider of polymer powder bed fusion (PBF) 3D printing processes for prototyping and manufacturing applications, has agreed terms to acquire Additive (formerly Digits2Widgets). Commenting on the deal, Nick


Allen, CEO at 3DPRINTUK, said: “With both companies being located in London, Additive and 3DPRINTUK have long been friends in the industry... As a result, this feels like a very natural progression. I can categorically state that 3DPRINTUK will continue to strive to improve the already high standards of both companies.” www.3dprint-uk.co.uk


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