Month: December 2023

Our journey began with the Kick-Off during Formnext on November 9th, featuring insightful presentations by Andreas Leupold (Leupold Legal) on the legal aspects of AM in Defense and Calum Stewart (Spee3D) sharing valuable insights into the training of Ukrainian soldiers with Spee3D’s machines. Not only were we able to witness your enthusiasm but also the importance of establishing a neutral platform that allows for discussions and exchanging of ideas to take place.
Building on this momentum, we are gearing up for our next meeting on January 22nd, that will focus on the strategic orientation of our working group and delve into business perspectives.

Out of consideration for the topics discussed, participation in the working group is restricted to members from EU and/or NATO countries.
Looking ahead, our next physical meeting is planned for the period around the AM Forum on March 20th-21st. This meeting, whether in a separate room at the AM Forum or at the MGA office the day before, not only allows for personal exchanges in a business context but also offers participation in the AM Forum.
Our Working Group Defense aims to pave the way for business alignments and international collaborations, promising substantial progress for the industry.
Don’t miss out and join us for riveting discussion on January 22nd.

If you have any further questions or inquiries please contact Sven Fritzsche.

We all know that one of the key factors for implementing Additive Manufacturing in traditional industries, such as the railway sector, we need to work together on approvals and standards for 3D printed parts.

Three years ago, our Approval in Rail Working Group achieved a major breakthrough: through rigorous testing and computational verification, the first safety-relevant component was approved for the use in a commercial train.

At the end of November, we now kicked off the next project for the Working Group and its partners: DigiZug3D.

Supported by the EU and the German Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action in in the economic stimulus programme “Digitalisation of vehicle manufacturers and supplier industry”, the Working Group and its partners are planning to map and digitalise the approval process in the rail sector. To keep the process as cost-effective as possible, the members of the funding project are focusing for example on reducing the scope of testing by enabling an analytical strength assessment that will be transferred to guidelines and standardisation.

The project is centred around the L-PBF-technology and plans to derive the parameters necessary for mathematical strength verification for parts made of 316L, ultimately including the results in the FKM-guideline.

Why do this? We need an as generic as possible approval path in the rail industry!

But the group also plans to look at the bigger picture to find general ways to approve printed parts across all sectors: they are interested in exchange with other industries to share results as well as jointly define the requirements for digital approval paths. At the end of the project, they aim to launch a digital platform, acting as a database, guiding and communication tool along the approval chain.

We are looking forward to three years of working together with SIEMENS Mobility, Additive Marking, TÜV Nord, IMA Dresden, PIAF (Paderborner Institut für Additive Fertigung), DB, ÖBB, Photon, Nikon SLM, Hamburger Hochbahn!

International standardisation in the field of Additive Manufacturing is currently dominated by the work of ISO/TC 261. This technical committee has been organised very successfully by Germany since it was founded in 2011 with the help of DIN, which runs the associated ISO secretariat. The chair has also been provided by Germany since then.

The financing of these DIN activities is currently not secured. Without further support, the management of the committee will be taken over by other international players and Europe is in danger of losing its pioneering role in 3D printing. As a result, the interests of German companies would lose considerable influence on standardisation work in a global comparison.

In order to close the funding gap, we are asking for support on behalf of the DIN: Membership of the DIN Additive Manufacturing Advisory Board (€4,000) is one way of doing this. In addition, project-related assistance and the involvement of other stakeholders or public bodies in your own network can help to raise the budget in good time.

The official application for support is available as a PDF here. If you have any questions, please contact the DIN Advisory Board.

The AM Medical Days are the place to be when it comes to Additive Manufacturing in a medical context – from Implants and Bioprinting to Orthotics & Prosthetics and Hospital Care, the conference brings the entire value-added system related to 3D printed medical solutions together.

On December 11 & 12, doctors, manufacturers of medical technology and medical products, printing providers, suppliers, and representatives of research facilities and health insurances all came to Berlin. Together we listened to fascinating key notes about latest trends and achievements and actively participated in inspiring workshops.

What were the main topics on and off stage?

new applications and use cases

quality advances

integration of AM medical parts into billing with health insurance companies

implementation of printing hubs in hospitals around the world

Did you know that in oral and maxillofacial surgery, printing on-site means speeding up the treatment process by up to nine days! That means not only less days in the hospital for the patient, but also equals major savings for the hospitals due to a shorter occupancy of beds.

The past two years have already shown improvements, but there is still a lot to be done. We are already looking forward to learning more at the next AM Medical Days!