From short-run manufacturing to “impossible” geometries, prototyping and mass customisation, leaps and bounds in additive manufacturing are set to be made right in the heart of New Zealand’s deep south.
Invercargill-based company fi additive, the latest branch of fi innovations, has purchased one of the world’s leading technologies, a post-processing additive manufacturing machine known as the PostPro3D.
The investment was timely for the fi brand, which managed to receive a healthy sum of funding from the Government’s $3 billion Provincial Growth Fund, a leg up considering the machine cost is upwards of $250,000.
Essentially the only technology of its kind in Australasia, the PostPro3D offers endless opportunities for the aerospace, medical, automotive, and every industry in between when it comes to optimising unit production, enhancing the smoothness of parts and generating products with unbeatable air-tightness.
Additive Manufacturing Technologies (AMT), a UK-based manufacturer of Industry 4.0 hardware solutions, launched the revolutionary machine towards the end of 2018, which has since been sold across the globe.
Fi additive advanced manufacturing manager Derek Manson says the introduction of the PostPro3D to the Southland business will mean the surface quality issues normally associated with 3D printing will become a thing of the past. Manufacturing directly from digital files will fill the gap between prototyping and full mass production, such as injection moulding for instance.
“The machine uses Boundary Layer Automated Smoothing Technology (BLAST), a physicochemical process that levels out any troughs and crevices of the polymer layers, without damaging or interfering with any of the mechanical properties of that part.”
“The result of which would be a higher quality part with improved functionality, visual appearance, sealing, and overall, a product that is market-ready with a far reduced cost component when compared to tooling up.”
As well as generating one-off-use parts, the PostPro3D will enable their engineers to uniquely customise parts, so that while the process of layering materials stays the same, the geometry capabilities change dramatically. It also means the parts are designed to be resistant to any moisture, are food grade safe and biocompatible.
The bridge manufacturing possibilities of combining additive manufacturing and vapour smoothing, also known as short-run manufacturing, allow for the production of fewer units than injection moulding. Customers can then fine-tune their product with minimum wastage of money and resources.
“The cost of making the units paired with the sale of those products eventually evens out, as consumers provide valuable feedback and the part can be reprinted until it’s flawless. Plus, the machine itself can process hundreds of parts in just a few hours, so keeping lead times short and getting them to market fast is more efficient than ever.”
The state-of-the-art technology would particularly benefit fi additive’s clients in the medical sphere, especially in the realm of prosthetics. While fi additive had manufactured several artificial limbs for those living with a disability, the PostPro3D was set to take their quality to the next level.
“With this level of technology we’re only going to be able to further improve the additive manufacturing services we provide, and the products that really make a difference in people’s lives will be like nothing we’ve ever produced before.’’
With the ability for the PostPro3D to build prosthetics that are smoother and more air-tight than ever, recipients of the parts will be far less at risk of bacterial infections and can experience increased comfort when using them.
The advancements in other areas, including manufacturing electronic housings, now allow for deployment into end-use applications, as the vapour smoothing provides waterproof enclosures for SLS parts. Applications in the marine, aerospace, medical, transport, manufacturing, and even start-up industries are now viable.
The brand’s success as a whole is continuing to impress, with fi innovations recently taking out the Invercargill City Council Construction, Trade, Manufacturing and Distribution Award, the Naked Creative Innovation Award and finally, the Supreme Winner Award at the 2021 Southland Business Excellence Awards.
