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Seurat Technologies: Evolving AM to finally out-compete conventional manufacturing Every so often, something comes along that gets the whole Additive Manufacturing industry talking. Over the past two years, few companies have generated as much intrigue as Seurat Technologies, the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory spin-out named for the French pointillist, bringing with it a technology roadmap that promises to evolve metal AM to the crucial point of out-competing conventional manufacturing methods. In this Metal AM exclusive, James DeMuth, Seurat CEO, offers the deepest look yet into the technology behind his company’s promise.
Manufacturing needs to change to evolve. While Additive Manufacturing has held the promise of bringing about change, it has not, to date, delivered on two fronts. Firstly, goods continue to be cheaper to buy when manufactured on the other side of the world. The current economy incentivises the offshoring of not just manufacturing, but skilled labour, which takes jobs and technical expertise away from local industry. Manufacturing must become domestic, regional, or local, and AM provides the key to unlock this opportunity. Secondly, manufacturing continues to be a major producer of greenhouse gases, with toxic fuels burned to make and transport goods. Adopting reuse, recycling, and reducing initiatives is a positive change, but becoming carbon-free will usher in the next manufacturing era. While AM has made steps in this area, it has yet to become a carbon-free solution. Additive Manufacturing has the potential to reinvent how parts are made. So far, however, it has mostly been used as an alternative for highvalue applications in niche markets.
Vol. 8 No. 1 © 2022 Inovar Communications Ltd
This limited scope of influence is a problem: the existing technologies are not hitting the necessary price points, production rates, and quality measures to truly disrupt the conventional manufacturing market. Seurat Technologies has plotted the course to change the future of manufacturing by leveraging next-gen
technology and going to market as a parts producer. The company's name is inspired by French artist Georges Seurat (pronounced Sur-rah), the originator of the pointillist style. In pointillism, complete images emerge from small, distinct dots of colour that blend in the viewer's eye. Using the same basic principle, but with
Fig. 1 In Area Printing, a vapour plume vaporises material and ejects it away from the melt pool
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