Carbon’s durable EPX 82 material
proved ideal for these parts, passing
Ford’s rigorous performance standards
and withstanding critical requirements
such as interior weathering; short- and
long-term heat exposures; UV stabil-
ity; fluid and chemical resistance;
flammability (ISO 3795); and fogging
(SAEJ1756) for the selected applica-
tions.
“We are thrilled to be collaborating
with Ford Motor Company and are
excited about the many opportunities
to leverage the power of digital manu-
facturing to deliver durable, end-use
parts with similar—or better—prop-
erties as injection molded parts,” said
Dr. Joseph DeSimone, CEO and Co-
founder of Carbon. “The automotive
industry shows significant promise for
using digital fabrication at scale, and our
work with Ford is a perfect example of
the kind of innovation you can achieve
when you design on the means of pro-
duction.”
OPTOMEC AND THE
AFTERMARKET
Moving into more industrial parts,
last December Optomec announced
that it has acquired Huffman. Huff-
man’s equipment and software are in
production at virtually all major manu-
facturers of aircraft engines and indus-
trial gas turbines, who use its metal
deposition capabilities to restore worn
or damaged components at substan-
tially lower cost than newly-made spare
parts.
In 2019 and moving forward, it
looks like companies will acquire one
another. Partnerships and consortiums
might also see an increase in how many
exist or a boost in membership. Work-
ing together has spurred innovation
in many industries, such as what the
Industrial Internet Consortium (IIC)
has done for the Industrial Internet of
Things (IIoT).
In this acquisition, both Optomec and
Huffman offer Directed Energy Deposi-
tion (DED) solutions. This process can
be ideal for repair, as feeding wire or
blowing powder adds metal to existing
parts that can be milled or polished if
necessary. In addition, the DED pro-
cess works in coating applications that
extend the useful life of components.
“The opportunity for additive manu-
facturing in repair applications is often
overlooked, but when you consider
that corrosion and wear cost the U.S.
economy $300 billion per year, and that
the global commercial aviation industry
spends almost $100 billion annually on
repair, you can get a better sense of the
magnitude of these markets,” said Mr.
David Ramahi, president and CEO of
Optomec.
These are just some of the compa-
nies finding ways to use 3D printing to
increase production and produce bet-
ter parts. Moving into 2019 the bene-
fits of these early adopters will be seen
more, and other companies will see that
understanding how to utilize this inno-
vation process is necessary to stay on the
leading edge.
I
n 2019 and moving forward, it looks like
companies will acquire one another.
Partnerships and consortiums might also see
an increase in how many exist or a boost in
membership. Working together has spurred
innovation in many industries, such as what the
Industrial Internet Consortium (IIC) has done for
the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT).
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