Sandvik, a global engineering group specializing in advanced manufacturing and mining, and Additive Industries, a leading manufacturer of industrial metal Additive Manufacturing (AM) systems, have formalized a strategic partnership. This collaboration focuses on the direct supply of Sandvik’s high-quality metal powders into Additive Industries’ Powder Load Tool (PLT), an integral component of its MetalFAB series of 3D printers. This initiative marks a significant step toward optimizing material handling and process integration within the additive manufacturing industry.
The core of this partnership centers on a refined approach to metal powder delivery. Traditionally, handling fine metal powders in AM environments can introduce challenges concerning material integrity, operator safety, and overall process efficiency. By enabling Sandvik to pre-fill Additive Industries’ PLT units at its Swedish production facility, this agreement addresses these concerns directly. Powders are filled under meticulously controlled, inert conditions, ensuring that their optimal properties are preserved from atomization until direct loading into the MetalFAB system at the customer’s site. This process minimizes exposure to oxygen, moisture, and human contact, thereby enhancing material quality and safety.
The Powder Load Tool itself underscores both companies’ commitment to the industrialization of additive manufacturing. With a substantial capacity of up to 175 liters, capable of holding approximately 600 kg of steel powder, the PLT facilitates efficient bulk material transport and loading. This system is designed for robustness and is approved for various transportation methods, including road, rail, and sea, ensuring secure global delivery. Furthermore, the PLT notably reduces the reliance on single-use plastic packaging, aligning with the sustainability goals of both companies and fostering a more environmentally responsible production ecosystem.
The integration of the PLT into the MetalFAB workflow provides tangible benefits for operators and manufacturers. It enables automated powder loading and unloading into the MetalFAB machine, reducing manual labor, mitigating the risk of human error, and significantly enhancing personnel safety by limiting direct interaction with fine metal powders. The capacity to maintain powder under inert conditions even when not actively printing, and to load it into the system at any point, including during ongoing print jobs, optimizes machine uptime and throughput. This continuous and controlled powder supply is essential for ensuring consistent part quality and repeatability, which are paramount for industrial-scale AM production.
This strategic partnership between Sandvik and Additive Industries extends beyond a mere material supply agreement; it represents a concerted effort to address key challenges in the industrialization of additive manufacturing. By combining Sandvik’s deep metallurgical expertise and advanced powder production capabilities with Additive Industries’ innovative, automated AM systems, this alliance aims to establish new benchmarks for material handling, process reliability, and operational safety. This integrated approach is anticipated to accelerate the adoption of metal additive manufacturing for high-volume, high-value applications, fostering more robust, efficient, and sustainable manufacturing processes globally.
