July 12, 2022 – AddUp and the ECM Group have signed a partnership to develop post processing solutions for the heat treatment of 3D printed metal parts.
“At ECM, we are convinced of the potential of metal additive manufacturing, some applications of which will lead to mass production,” says Yvan Trouillot, Sales Director for ECM. “Our alliance with the French company AddUp, a key player in this market, will allow us to bring our know-how for the development of innovative thermal solutions to this market, as we have been doing for more than 20 years in the international market of thermal treatment of conventional parts. Together, our ambition is to develop these technologies to help our customers progress by offering them the best solutions on the market.”
Heat Treatment: a Crucial Step in Additive Manufacturing
During the 3D printing phase, metal parts are manufactured to the desired shape by successive layers of metal powders fused by one or more lasers. The speed at which the laser moves creates a rapid heating and cooling of the material which can cause expansion or shrinkage. This often creates constraints inside the parts produced.
To improve the homogeneity of the material and reduce its internal stresses to obtain the right mechanical properties, it is often necessary to apply one or more heat treatment cycles to the metal parts after they are printed.
“Heat treatment operations are just as important as the 3D printing phase itself, both to reduce the internal stresses generated during the “lasering” phase and to adapt the microstructure of the material and its properties,” said Jean Rivoire, Parts Production Manager at AddUp. “This is why, within AddUp, we are seeking to strengthen this expertise with one of the market leaders; both to reinforce our internal production capacities and to offer a complete solution to our customers wishing to integrate the production of parts made in 3D metal.”
Reduce Manufacturing Costs and Improve Performance of 3D Manufactured Parts
The ECM Group and AddUp will create and develop solutions that will help current and prospective customers reduce their manufacturing costs and lead times, while improving the performance of their parts produced using additive technology. The two groups will work jointly on a development program to define the appropriate specifications for a heat treatment solution adapted to additive manufacturing applications. Next, the ECM Group will design and industrialize a suitable vacuum furnace system according to the specifications defined during this joint development program.
