Individualised and complex parts increase the challenge of spare part procurement. Currently, it is a huge problem to maintain costly appliances, like trains or complex machines, if there are no more spare parts stocked and the original supplier fails. Additive manufacturing (AM) can solve these problems and produce small batches cost-efficient, with short lead times, and without individualised tools. Unfortunately, conventional AM methods are limited in their technical and economic capabilities. There has been no polymer AM solution on the market which is cost-efficient and produces components with sufficiently good overall material quality to fulfil industrial requirements.
Cubicure’s Hot Lithography now meets these demands. By using highly viscous, high-performance photopolymers, unmet material properties are achieved. The patented printing technology to process such resins exploits the high precision of lithography. Hachtel is the first industrial user of this technology and provides a complete integrated procurement solution: the digitalisation of the original part, optimisation, cost-efficient AM of high-quality parts and the widely underestimated part qualification by industrial computer tomography.
The European printing market grows with 25% to about USD 15bn until 2023. Corporations, like Siemens and Deutsche Bahn are actively searching for AM suppliers for a fast, cost-efficient and qualified procurement of individualised, complex and efficient components. Furthermore, other applications with complex part geometries and small to medium production volumes are addressed like the additive manufacturing of electric connectors and nozzles.
By introducing this disruptive innovation, Hachtel can boost its existing business and ensure a future company growth. Cubicure will be able to further optimise its products for the industry and prove the high technological impact.
