The Vice President of AM, Rolf Mack at KraussMaffei talks about the future vision of Additive Manufacturing. Rolf Mack has the future right in front of his eyes and knows what is important in Additive Manufacturing in an industrial environment. Therefore, the present plays a decisive role.
How would you describe the new technology Additive Manufacturing at KraussMaffei in only a few words, thinking about the past and the future?
The search for the…manufacturing of the future.
What are the three pillars that currently characterize Additive Manufacturing at KraussMaffei?
On the one hand, we see ourselves as a One-Stop-Solution-Provider. This means that, thanks to our many years of experience in plastics processing, we can support our customers every step of the way: as consultants, as machine manufacturer, as trainers and as service partners – all under one roof. Next to this, our End-to-End-Process sets us apart. That is, the entire printing process on our machines is fully coordinated. By monitoring and controlling the process from start to finish, we guarantee consistent quality from the first part to the last, thereby achieving the best possible manufacturing costs. The third pillar is the functional design of our systems. This not only guarantees the highest standards of work safety, but also allows the easy and intuitive operation of the system. All of this is crucial for the future.
Looking to the future: what are the next steps for you to be taken in AM in the coming months?
The interest in our new machines was enormous – we will continue to pursue this and approach exciting new fields of application and projects. We qualify new applications and further develop our systems. In January, for example, we started a research project with several partners. Next to this, we have started our contract manufacturing with customers and produce customer-specific components.
Sounds exciting. And what are the visions for the future of Additive Manufacturing at KraussMaffei?
We see that the possibilities, AM has to offer, are still too little known. Additive Manufacturing offers so much potential for products and process innovations! Fast availabilities, individual designs, any quantity in the same quality and much more. Our vision is to shape industrialization and automation of additive solutions to enable our customers to utilize the advantages of AM without strings attached. We create solutions that are convincing and thus achieve competitive manufacturing costs for components.
Industrialization and automation are crucial innovations for the AM market. How are you implementing the vision?
For us it is essential to show our customers the potential of Additive Manufacturing for process and product innovations through training and consulting. In addition we develop our systems according to industrial standards and ensure that the printed parts are competitive in terms of quality and cost compared to conventional and established manufacturing methods. Our vision is industrial Additive Manufacturing.
About KraussMaffei
KraussMaffei is one of the world’s leading manufacturers of machines and systems for producing and processing plastics and rubber. Our range of products and services covers all technologies in injection molding, extrusion, reaction process machinery and additive manufacturing. This gives us a unique selling proposition in the industry.
