Innovative virtual Real-Time Quality Control System to create a new line of business, accelerating and broadening growth of the market for the additive manufacturing of metals.

Project Information

ADDITAC

Grant agreement ID: 827447

DOI

10.3030/827447

Project closed

EC signature date 19 July 2018

Start date 1 August 2018

End date 31 January 2019

Funded under

• INDUSTRIAL LEADERSHIP - Innovation In SMEs

Total cost

€ 71 429,00

EU contribution

€ 50 000,00

Coordinated by

SOKAR MECHANICS SL
Spain

Periodic Reporting for period 1 - ADDITAC (Innovative virtual Real-Time Quality Control System to create a new line of business, accelerating and broadening growth of the market for the additive manufacturing of metals.)

Reporting period: 2018-08-01 to 2019-01-31

Summary of the context and overall objectives of the project

After five years of research, acquisition of know-how and commercial experience in a technology as recent as Additive Manufacturing of metals, Sokar Mechanics aims now to implement a process innovation that will allow it to break into the European industrial market with an offer of high added value and boost Additive Manufacturing (AM) to a level of large-scale industrialization.

This process innovation consists in an innovative and disruptive idea: to implement a real-time quality control system (RT-QCS) within the AM process, hence overcoming most of the limitations of this still incipient technology. Therefore, the main source of revenue in this business model will be the installation of RT-QCS inside additive manufacturing machines: “Sokar will market the installation / retrofitting service to equip AM machines with this system. Additionally, training, maintenance services and customer support will be offered, to resolve incidents related to product use”.

To achieve this goal, Sokar Mechanics has successfully carried out the project ADDITAC, framed into Phase 1 of the SME Instrument, starting on 01/08/2018 and concluding on 01/02/2019.

Work performed from the beginning of the project to the end of the period covered by the report and main results achieved so far

In these six months markets have been deeply researched by Sokar Mechanics, many clients and suppliers have been analyzed, market barriers have been explored, patents have been studied, and some alternative sources of financing have been identified. Simultaneously a beta test has been run and technical viability has been proven within the budget limitations given.

Progress beyond the state of the art and expected potential impact (including the socio-economic impact and the wider societal implications of the project so far)

The results of this hard work have ensured Sokar Mechanics with a deeper understanding of the market, the technologies implied and the requirements to advance in the ADDITAC project -not only financial needs but in terms of strategic partnering-. The next step to follow is to continue working to advance the levels of technology development and submit SME Phase 2 in order to finally introduce RT-QCS in the market.

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