Additive manufacturing: competitiveness and economy

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MAPAL Fabrik für Präzisionswerkzeuge Dr. Kress KG

Investment decision

ETMM: Was the investment a difficult decision for Mapal in terms of profitability?

Dr. Sellmer: Of course it was the subject of debate. And it did involve a certain amount of risk initially. Dr. Kress, an owner highly interested in technology, also realized that something special happens when geometries are created from powder, as if by magic. The process has a special charm, even in unmanned manufacturing. Manufacturing: 24 hours a day, seven days a week. He also knew that we in the Development department would support an entrepreneurial decision like this with a great deal of commitment. That meant 15 engineers and technicians, along with 10 technical assistants, who were convinced they should break new ground. We defined specific goals and were given a lot of freedom when we went to work. Looking back, the owner's decision was spot-on and points the way to the future. I am very happy that we took this step as early as possible. The experience we are collecting gives us some competitive advantages, where others are still plucking up their courage. The initial investment decision should not be left up to the Controlling department alone. The production solutions possible, unmanned manufacturing and many other factors of an additive strategy really characterize competitiveness, economy and value added immensely.

ETMM: Do you think this will be a trend?

Dr. Sellmer: The industry is highly conservative overall, which means that innovations take a long time to catch on. But as you can see here, additive strategies shift the design principles towards product solutions which would have been inconceivable previously. The products offer obvious positives for us and our customers. There is no other way if you want to be successful in future. Both for us, in our manufacturing costs and range of performance for our products, and for our customers when it comes to quality, availability and unit prices.

ETMM: Wouldn't titanium as material for the external reamer have been an alternative with a classic strategy?

Dr. Sellmer: Traditionally, that would be the right solution. Just use titanium instead of steel. That reduces the weight by approx. 35%. But the material is expensive. It is also difficult and expensive to machine. Instead of titanium, we get by with stainless steel 1.2709. Besides, the density would be evenly distributed in an external reamer. Figuratively speaking, we would stop thinking innovatively halfway to the goal. From a certain point, it makes no sense to optimize old strategies to the max. You have to try something new.

ETMM: Which other approaches do you take with an additive manufacturing strategy?

Dr. Sellmer: New products and new options: Take retrofitting, for example. An ISO tool has a certain number of lifecycles based on the workload in the user's processes. This wear is normal. However, today, taking sustainability and resource saving into account, we have discovered that ISO tools do not have to be discarded, as they still have potential for retrofitting. In short, additive structures offer many ways to restore the ISO tool surface to an as-new condition. Of course, now that the technology is available, we are checking all of our products to assess the viability of design adjustments. There will be a range of new products and features.

ETMM: What developments do you expect in the future?

Dr. Sellmer: We can assume that the build rates of laser melting systems will increase significantly. Stronger lasers are not necessarily at the top of our wish list, as our parts are generally relatively delicate. But I believe multi-laser technology would increase the performance. That would allow either faster or more selective processing, i.e. varying the layer thickness. The quality level will also increase. Together, this increases the economy and the performance parameters of parts. I also expect the range of materials available to grow, which will allow us to adapt components even better to their tasks in terms of performance or service life. Fundamentally, I could envision designing powder materials to suit the process and application optimally. Our design options will also change. And that will result in new geometries with new performance features. In general, additive manufacturing facilitates new product solutions, which would be inconceivable with conventional methods. The process is doubtlessly ideally suited to increasing the imagination and creativity.

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