Discovering a New Path in Metal Additive Manufacturing: Foundry Lab and Eaton Corporation Join Forces
Metal additive manufacturing (AM) is a rapidly growing field that is revolutionizing the manufacturing industry. One company at the forefront of this technological advancement is Foundry Lab, a metal AM company based in Wellington, New Zealand. Recently, Foundry Lab announced an exciting partnership with Eaton Corporation, a global power management leader. This collaboration is set to propel both companies to new heights in the world of metal AM.
The highlight of this partnership is Foundry Lab’s unique Digital Metal Casting System, which caught the attention of Eaton Corporation. Unveiled at the prestigious Formnext 2022 event in Frankfurt, Germany, the Digital Metal Casting System combines binder-jetting AM and ceramic molds to create high-quality metal parts in a matter of minutes. The process involves printing ceramic molds using binder-jetting AM, filling them with metal slugs, and then microwaving them to create finished, casted parts. Foundry Lab boasts that its Digital Metal Casting System has several advantages over existing metal AM techniques, primarily in terms of production time and cost per part.
The significance of this partnership lies in Eaton Corporation’s recognition of the potential of Foundry Lab’s technology. Eaton, a major player in the manufacturing industry, has demonstrated its willingness to disrupt its own business models by embracing AM. The company established an AM center of excellence (CoE) in Michigan back in 2016 and has since been a key innovator, particularly in the US AM ecosystem, with a focus on aircraft fuel components.
Cameron Peahl, the AM Manager at Eaton’s AM CoE, expressed enthusiasm about the collaborative effort with Foundry Lab. He noted that Eaton often faces challenges in applying AM to legacy techniques due to the engineering hurdles involved in changing processes and materials. However, Foundry Lab’s technology offers a solution that allows Eaton to harness the speed and agility of additive manufacturing while maintaining the conventional casting method and materials, including the cast-in-place steel pin. For Eaton, this partnership represents a significant step forward in its AM journey.
David Moodie, the founder and CEO of Foundry Lab, echoed Peahl’s excitement about working with Eaton. He emphasized the opportunity this collaboration provided in showcasing the capabilities of Foundry Lab’s system. Moodie highlighted the pain points experienced by industries, where certain components cannot be 3D printed and are costly and time-consuming to cast using traditional methods. Foundry Lab’s technology addresses this problem and aims to offer a solution that is both efficient and cost-effective.
Interested parties can expect to see the Digital Metal Casting System in action at Formnext 2023, which is scheduled to take place from November 7th to 10th. This announcement further emphasizes the role of Formnext in shaping and influencing the global AM business cycle. It also underscores the potential of metal AM, particularly in applications where it can directly replace existing manufacturing techniques like castings and forgings. In such cases, AM offers immediate scale-up opportunities.
The partnership between Foundry Lab and Eaton Corporation serves as a testament to the legitimacy and transformative potential of Foundry Lab’s technology. Eaton, as a trusted partner, has the capability to amplify this new technology and apply it to high-value applications. The collaboration between these two companies opens the door to countless possibilities in the field of metal AM.
In conclusion, this partnership showcases the power of collaboration and innovation in driving progress within the manufacturing industry. Foundry Lab’s Digital Metal Casting System has the potential to redefine metal AM, and with Eaton Corporation’s support, we can expect to see this technology push the boundaries of what is possible in the world of manufacturing.
(Image credit: Foundry Labs)
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