A sector-leading Scots 3D printing start-up is starting to help deliver the up to £1bn potential benefits to the Scottish economy by producing its first pieces using the UK’s first commercially-available Markforged Metal-X metal printer.
The Metal-X uses the latest Atomic Diffusion Additive Manufacturing (ADAM) technology; where metal powders are encased in plastic binders and then melted off to create designs previously impossible to manufacture and with unprecedented levels of detail as well as faster and at a fraction of the cost.
Angus 3D’s machine brings new metal printing capabilities to the UK market; as it allows components to be designed and produced in metals such as stainless steel, Inconel, titanium, tool steels, aluminium and copper in 4-5 days, rather than six weeks using traditional methods, and using the same machine. This allows companies to put their latest design into production quicker, accelerating innovation.
The Metal-X can also reduce the weight of traditional manufactured parts while maintaining their strength and performance by producing them with unique geometrics, such as closed-cell honeycomb infill. By printing metal powder in a plastic matrix, the Metal-X also eliminates the safety and environment risks associated with other 3D-printing methods.
Parts printed with the Metal-X are also up to 10 times less expensive than alternative metal-additive technologies and up to 100 times less than traditional fabrication technologies like machining or casting. Materials costs are typically reduced by 98%.
As a result, the Angus 3D’s Metal-X is ideal for parts that can’t be manufactured using traditional methods in industries such as aerospace, medical, oil and gas and general manufacturing.
The Metal-X 3D print system is also the first end-to-end manufacturing solution; providing everything needed to go from design to fully-functional metal parts.
