Runcorn, UK, 14 June 2017: Taiyo Nippon Sanso Corporation and LPW Technology Ltd, today announced a strategic alliance to drive the adoption of AM into the production environment. Taiyo Nippon Sanso is one of the world’s largest suppliers of industrial, specialty, and electronic gases. LPW Technology is the leading global provider of metal powder and metal powder quality control solutions for 3D Printing and Additive Manufacturing (AM).
Through their extensive sales and distribution channels, Taiyo Nippon Sanso will be supplying a new range of AM metal powders developed and optimised by LPW Technology. This forms part of a total solution including gases, metal powders, and metal heat treatment techniques. All products will be readily-available through Taiyo Nippon Sanso’s established sales network. Initially, the LPW products will be available through Taiyo Nippon Sanso group sales hubs in Singapore and China, and in the USA through its subsidiary company Matheson Tri-Gas.
Taiyo Nippon Sanso will leverage its industry expertise in welding processes, metal heat treatment and controlled gas atmospheres to help lower costs, secure supply, streamline production and eliminate defects for metal AM customers globally. Speaking from LPW’s UK Headquarters Dermot Desmond, Asia Pacific sales manager commented:
‘This alliance with Taiyo Nippon Sanso is truly ground-breaking for the industry and will lead to further understanding of the total AM process and ultimately the development of more robust processes and novel alloys. Taiyo Nippon Sanso is experienced in operating in the industries we see as key to widespread AM adoption and is aligned with our laser-like focus on the safety-critical aerospace, biomedical, automotive and energy sectors’.
With the demand for AM metal powder forecast to grow by around 60% in 20171, LPW is investing in new UK based manufacturing facilities capable of processing 1000 tons of metal powder each year. Building on its R&D and applications expertise, the company has already developed a comprehensive range of metal AM products and services. In addition to new alloys, LPW has developed PowderLife.
PowderLife is a unique Additive Manufacturing (AM) powder lifecycle management solution to control and manage the traceability and quality of metal powders within the customer’s AM process. It includes powder storage hoppers, sensors to monitor the powder, and software to store all the material related data from atomisation through to use within the AM machine. LPW is certified to ISO 9001, AS9100, AS9120, and ISO 13485.
Taiyo Nippon Sanso has a dedicated Additive Manufacturing technical team at its gas application R&D lab in Yamanashi, Japan. In addition to developing a partnership with LPW, Taiyo Nippon Sanso is developing partnerships with other key providers of technology within AM, which includes AM machine manufacturer – Optomec.
Taiyo Nippon Sanso General Manager, Global Business Development, Global Operations, Tadaharu (Ted) Watanabe said:
‘This will be the first integrated Metal Additive Manufacturing Technology Lab in Asia. LPW’s understanding of AM from the perspective of the powder is globally recognised and combined with our knowledge of gases, heat treatment and welding, we are dedicated to the technical advancement of AM solutions to support and develop customer applications worldwide.’
About LPW
Established in 2007, LPW Technology is the market leader in the development, processing and supply of metal powders for additive manufacturing, and provides a comprehensive range of services for the AM industry. These services include the development of new alloys and expert application support. The company has developed a full range of optimised powders specifically for Selective Laser Melting (SLM), Laser Metal Deposition (LMD) and Electron Beam Melting (EBM) with standard powders supplied from stock, and custom and development alloys available on request.
LPW Technology has developed PowderLife®, a unique AM powder lifecycle management system which strictly controls risk for manufacturers, adding confidence, reliability and traceability in metal powder production and repeated AM builds. LPW invests heavily in cutting edge analytical technology and offers a complete powder analysis service.
LPW Technology has its headquarters in Runcorn, Cheshire, UK. In June, 2014 the company formally established a US subsidiary LPW Technology Inc. situated in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, providing analytical services, product inventory and sales support to North and South America.
From these locations the company supplies high quality, certified powders to a global customer base including aerospace, biomedical and automotive industries. In 2015, it opened its German sales office and has a global network of resellers in China, Israel, Italy, Japan, Korea, Russia, Singapore and Turkey.
The company operates to quality control standards: AS 9100 & AS 9120 for aerospace, ISO 9001, and ISO 13485 for medical.
LPW and PowderLife are the registered trademarks of LPW Technology Ltd.
Source: LPW
