UK first installation of Desktop Metal Shop System
Laser Lines, the UK’s most established reseller of 3D printers and materials, today announces it has become the preferred supplier for the University of Birmingham’s project, Advanced Manufacturing Technologies to Create, Activate and Automate (AMTECAA). The project supports SMEs in the West Midlands region looking to apply advanced manufacturing technologies across a wide range of manufacturing sectors including automotive, aerospace, oil and gas, electronic and food & drink. It also has a dedicated resource focused on the particular requirements of the healthcare sector.
AMTECAA is a programme supported by the Smart Factory Hub project, which is part-funded by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF). This supports manufacturing SMEs with innovation, improvements in productivity and competitiveness by providing them access to the latest advances in advanced manufacturing technologies, digital manufacturing, automation, smart factory and industry 4.0 expertise.
The AMTECCA project, which will run until June 2023, will support SMEs in four Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP) areas: Greater Birmingham & Solihull, Coventry & Warwickshire, Black Country and Stoke & Staffordshire. It provides access to equipment that uses cutting-edge technologies. Laser Lines is one of the strategic partners supporting this initiative and has installed a Desktop Metal Shop System, a binder jetting system that is powerful enough to produce one batch of metal parts every 6-10 hours. It is the first installation of its kind in the UK.
The Desktop Metal Shop System has been created by the inventors of binder jetting and uses a single-pass print engine. It is the highest-resolution single-pass binder jetting system on the market. Not only are metal parts created quickly, but the entire build volume is also available so that multiple parts can be printed simultaneously. This, along with the removal of tooling from the process, makes small and medium-sized jobs more cost-effective.
Dr Khamis Essa, one of the Academics Collaborators working with the SMEs on the project, says: “The University has the first installation of this Desktop Metal machine in the UK. Since installation, we have been running demonstrator projects. The performance is incredible and the quality of the finished product is extremely high.”
Dr Milla Shah, Project Manager for AMTECCA, says: “We are thrilled that we will be able to help so many SME manufacturing businesses. We have a great team here at the university and we are proactively reaching out to businesses in the area that we think could benefit from this project. Any SME with a manufacturing need can get in contact.”
The goal is that SMEs will be able to develop new products and processes, while improving existing ones, by deploying a range of state-of-the-art additive, subtractive and hybrid technologies. They will also be able to automate processes and operations by deploying robotics and other Industry 4.0 technologies to production lines.
Paul Tickle, Laser Lines’ Metal Product Specialist, says: “After an extremely difficult year with the pandemic, it is great to see this initiative taking off and providing support to UK manufacturing. We are delighted to be a strategic partner, helping SMEs take the next steps in metal additive manufacturing. The Desktop Metal Shop system is incredibly fast, efficient and produces beautiful parts. We think it is a terrific initiative for businesses to explore how 3D printing can help in the future.”
There are seven technology areas covered by AMTECAA:
- Metal additive manufacturing
- Subtractive manufacturing
- Hybrid manufacturing
- Laser processing
- Robotics and automation
- Plasma processing
- Healthcare technologies.
More information on the AMTECCA programme can be found here: https://www.birmingham.ac.uk/partners/sme-support/business-support-programmes/amtecaa.aspx
Customers wanting to find out more about the range of products available from Laser Lines, including the Desktop Metal Shop System, should visit 3dprinting.co.uk, email 3dworld@laserlines.co.uk or call 01295 672599
About Laser Lines
Laser Lines leads the field in UK 3D printing and additive manufacturing. In recognition of the size of the organisation, the number of systems it carries for demonstration purposes and the level of experience and expertise within its sales and technical support team, Laser Lines is a Stratasys-appointed Platinum Partner. Founded in 1975, Laser Lines is a leading supplier of 3D printers, rapid prototyping machines and vacuum casting systems, along with quality lasers and accessories. With over 40 years of experience using laser technology to achieve the goals of business and industry, Laser Lines was one of the first to recognise the potential of 3D printing over 25 years ago.
About the University of Birmingham
The University of Birmingham is ranked amongst the world’s top 100 institutions, and its work brings people from across the world to Birmingham, including researchers and teachers and more than 6,500 international students from nearly 150 countries.
