EDITOR ’ S CHOICE MJF INVESTMENT
3DPRINTUK
£ 1 Million strategic expansion plan extends service portfolio at 3DPRINTUK
3DPRINTUK , a leading service provider of polymer powder bed fusion ( PBF ) 3D printing processes for manufacturing and batch production applications , has now fully executed an impressive £ 1 million strategic expansion plan . This followed considerable investment in equipment that allows the company to offer an ever-expanding range of services and materials for its customers . The final piece of the jigsaw was the introduction of the MultiJet Fusion ( MJF ) 3D printing process , with the acquisition and installation of the most advanced polymer MJF system available — the 5210 . This machine is the first of its kind to be installed in a UK 3D printing service bureau .
Explaining the reasoning behind this machine acquisition , Nick Allen , 3DPRINTUK ’ s CEO said : “ We ’ ve been watching MJF mature since 2015 and have been waiting for the right moment to add it to our offerings . We believe the time is right to invest in MJF as it now meets the demands of our customers and their applications with the 5200 series . It is important to distinguish the investment in the 5210 system over previous systems in the original 4200 series of machines because it marks a considerable step forward with the MJF process . This is based on our extensive in-house testing of parts from both series and there are big improvements with the 5210 in key areas such as part quality , repeatability , Z-axis scaling , heating control and accuracy .”
Adding the MJF process to the company ’ s repertoire follows a series of recent announcements throughout 2020 that expand on the expert services 3DPRINTUK have provided for almost a decade with the Selective Laser Sintering ( SLS ) process . This includes the addition of a new SLS Flexible material , new colour dyeing options and two new large-scale EOS P396 machines that allow for the production of larger parts while also significantly increasing overall capacity . Furthermore , 3DPRINTUK has also invested in new post-processing equipment from DyeMansion , which enables them to offer a shot peening service for low , medium , and high volumes of SLS or MJF parts that greatly enhances the surface finish .
On the expansion plan , Allen continued : “ During the height of the Covid pandemic , we made a pragmatic decision that we would use this time to augment our 3D printing services in order to offer broader and more flexible manufacturing options for our customers . By adding a new process — one a significant number of clients have asked for — increasing our capacity and being able to produce larger parts , we are now in a position to meet all of our clients demands for their batch production applications with polymer materials . The additional finishing options only strengthen our service offering and means that we can offer a comprehensive service from a single supplier . Throughout the whole of lockdown , when many supply chains were stalling , we were able to continue to provide a reliable service without compromising on quality for a range of projects , including those supporting the pandemic response .”
For further information , please visit www . 3dprint-uk . com
16 PECM Issue 47