2024-08-27 14:56:30
Mark Massey, CEO of Additive Industries, has no doubts that the manufacturing industry is ready for a new, more flexible machine concept. When the Dutch manufacturer of additive manufacturing systems explained the idea behind the MetalFab 300 Flex to several companies that had been discussing it for some time, two of them immediately signed orders. The lower capital outlay for the new machine and the certainty that it could be easily scaled up to the proven MetalFab G2 3D metal printer convinced them. “Companies are often hesitant about investing, for example because they don’t know whether they will be able to fill the machine with work. With the new machine, we’re making strategic investments more affordable without having to requalify the machine when scaling up,” says Mark Massey.
Additive Industries also hopes to attract companies that are starting to work in additive manufacturing
Why is the machine cheap?
Like the rest of the sector, Additive Industries has experienced significant headwinds over the past year. Borrowing money is no longer practically free, due to rising interest rates. This equates to an initial investment of €1.2 million for the basic version of the MetalFab 2. Moreover, quite a few companies consider the Eindhoven 3D metal printer “unstoppable”, as Mark Massy puts it. It is an additive manufacturing system designed for series production. “This is not a machine to start metal printing with,” he adds. However, it is very important to establish a relationship with this target group. Therefore, Additive Industries considered building a smaller machine. However, this did not happen, and instead the MetalFab 300 Flex was developed, an additive manufacturing system with the same core and laser as the larger system, but without automation and a build volume limited by software to 300 x 300 mm, where the larger system can be filled with objects up to 420 x 420 mm. Anyone who wants to expand the coverage needs to pay a one-off fee or purchase a monthly license. This provides flexibility, as the build volume can be adjusted as needed. Additive Industries’ Metalfab 300 Flex costs €690,000. A larger range costs €8,000 per month; those who buy it once pay €320,000.
We can scale the MetalFab 300 Flex without having to requalify it
From CapEx to OpEx
“Assuming you usually produce smaller parts and occasionally larger parts, you can adjust the license on a monthly basis,” Massey explains. “So we turn a capital expense into an operating expense.” There’s another calculation behind this. In fact, Additive Industries wants to use this to retain customers. Any company that produces high-quality additive manufacturing applications for the aerospace or medical industries must qualify the machine for its products. Therefore, anyone who develops an application on a smaller machine and then produces it on a larger system must requalify the large machine. Depending on the industry and application, these costs can range from 0.5 euros to more than 1.2 million euros, for example in the aerospace industry. These costs come from new prints, turnaround times, CT scans, feedback, etc. “We can expand the MetalFab 300 Flex without having to requalify it,” explains Mark Massey. The new Eindhoven 3D metal printer therefore lowers the barrier to entry and companies don’t have to worry about incurring additional costs after scaling up serial production. If the 300 x 300 mm build volume is sufficient, you can expand the Metalfab 300 Flex with a second print core, an additional laser and automation capabilities to remove the workpieces from the build chamber using a robot. The investment can thus be spread over time.
Pay-per-use
The pay-as-you-go payment model is unique to the additive manufacturing industry to date, and Mark Massey believes it lends itself to a technology that manufacturing companies don’t know much about, such as CNC. Additive Industry Positive feedback has been received from potential customers about the concept. The Metalfab 300 Flex is of particular interest to companies that want to get into the adoption or learning curve but don’t want to risk that the initial investment will be worthless in the long run, as they would still encounter high certification costs. For those starting with small parts, the barrier to entry is lower. “There are of course smaller machines on the market that are even cheaper, but you still have the disadvantage that when you move to volume production you have to qualify the machine again,” Massey points out again.
Additive Industries is one of the partners of the Additive Manufacturing Bootcamp AM for Production October 2 at MIkrocentrum.
High cost of qualification certification The example of qualification cost calculations cited by Mark Massey points to a pain point when completing a business case for Additive Manufacturing. The CEO of Additive Industries believes that reducing these high qualification costs is absolutely necessary, but that it is currently difficult. He also believes that manufacturers should provide more support to customers who are purchasing metal printers for the first time. “I feel that support is very necessary along with the machine; we have to provide better guidance to customers, even when they say they can do it themselves.” You see in the market that companies that have gone through the learning curve have been successful with Additive Manufacturing, while in other companies, due to the steep learning curve, they are sometimes quickly dropped from projects. “Structurally, more knowledge about Additive Manufacturing needs to be brought into the market. Educating and training companies is something we as manufacturers have to do our part.”
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