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AM costs and considerations
Costs and considerations when investing in a metal Additive Manufacturing system Making the investment in a metal Additive Manufacturing machine is, for many, the first step on a journey to truly understanding how the technology can transform a business. There are, however, many considerations when planning such an investment; from essential ancillary equipment and devices, such as sieving stations, to facility changes, software and support. In this exclusive report, Terry Wohlers and Olaf Diegel highlight some of the commonly overlooked costs and considerations when making the move to establish an in-house AM capability.
Growth and interest in metal Additive Manufacturing have never been stronger. Previously, companies might buy one or two systems for qualification and testing. Now, companies are buying many at a time for manufacturing in large quantities. In September 2017, SLM Solutions reported a sales contract of fifty metal AM machines to a customer in China, amounting to €43 million. This was followed at formnext 2017 with the announcement of an order for a further twenty machines to an Asian customer valued at €37 million. Other machine manufacturers are no doubt also doing brisk business. Most of the metal AM systems on the market are based on Powder Bed Fusion (PBF) technology. Major companies in this business are EOS, GE, Renishaw, SLM Solutions and 3D Systems. Among the lesser known companies that offer metal PBF machines are Additive Industries, AddUp, Bright Laser Technologies, Farsoon and Realizer. In preparing Wohlers Report 2017, Wohlers Associates identified twenty-eight companies worldwide that produce metal PBF systems. Fifteen are in
Vol. 3 No. 4 © 2017 Inovar Communications Ltd
Asia and eleven in Europe, but only two in the USA. One US company is General Electric (GE), which entered the business through its acquisition of Arcam and Concept Laser - both European companies. The other is 3D Systems, which entered the metal AM market through its acquisition of Phenix Systems and LayerWise, also two European companies.
Metal AM machines The list prices of industrial AM machines are not as easy to get as one might think. We have obtained and published base prices of metal AM machines in Wohlers Report 2017. They range from about $115,000 for a relatively small and basic configuration to nearly $1.9 million for a
Fig. 1 The level of activity at formnext powered by tct 2017 is testament to the rapidly increasing interest in metal AM (Source: Mesago/Thomas Klerx)
Metal Additive Manufacturing | Winter 2017
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