Page 8 - 3D Metal Printing Winter 2019

3D INDUSTRY NEWS
Precision Metalforming Association Appoints David Klotz as President
The Precision Metalforming Association (PMA), publisher of 3D Metal Printing, has announced the appointment of its new president, David C. Klotz.The 25-yr. PMA member will direct strategic planning, engage in membership development and outreach, manage finances, and lead domestic and international advocacy efforts for the 800-mem- ber organization.
Klotz comes to PMA after serving as president and executive vice president of sales and marketing for Tebis America, a developer of CAD and CAM software for the tool, die and mold manufacturing industries. Previously, he was senior manager of the Plex Automotive & Industrial Mid-Market sales team for eight years, and was a manager at Dallas Industries, Inc., for 12 years.
“I am very excited to join the PMA team,” says Klotz. “As a long-time PMA member, I’ve seen firsthand how PMA’s strong networking community helps members develop and share ideas that they can take back to their own companies, strengthening the entire metal forming industry. I look forward to helping PMA grow, and continue to introduce its unique programs, such as MET- ALFORM EDU, a 550-course-strong, new comprehensive online training system designed specifi- cally for the metal forming industry.”
down. This not only reduces labor but improves the effi- ciency of the entire process.”
In addition, incorporating simulation into the 3D print- ing workflow makes it possi- ble for production operators to spot potential build errors even before the build starts, company officials offer. Pre- venting failed builds can help reduce production costs dras- tically, they say, and bring down scrap rates and increase overall profitability.
Carfulan Group to Distribute XJet Machines
XJet, Ltd., a Rehovot, Israel-based provider of AM machines, has signed a distri- bution agreement with Car- fulan Group, a Derbyshire, England-based supplier of related technology to U.K. manufacturers. Operating under the name of XJ3D, the company is the first distribu- tor to be appointed by XJet worldwide, and will distribute XJet’s Carmel AM systems, featuring XJet’s NanoParticle Jetting technology.
From left: Haim Levi, vice presi- dent of manufacturing and defense markets at XJet, with Matt Fulton, managing director at Carfulan Group.
David C. Klotz
Report: Metal 3D Printing Growing, Still Seeking Speed Breakthrough
3D metal printing continues to grow along with enthusiasm for its potential, as evidenced by several high-profile projects from Fortune 500 companies. But, metal additive manufacturing (AM) has yet to achieve a transformative speed breakthrough along the lines of what has occurred with polymer printers. These are a few takeaways from the downloadable 2019 State of Metal 3D Print- ing Report (www.3diligent.com), just released by 3Diligent and providing a comprehensive source of information on current trends in 3D metal printing and existing and emerging processes.
The report highlights a number of technologies that may represent candidates for breakthroughs in metal-AM efficiency.
Trends: Applications, Software, Materials Development Driving AM
From Materialise, with U.S. offices in Plymouth, MI, comes an assessment of AM trends, including the observation that applica- tions, not technology, will drive the 3D printing industry forward.
“Investments are not going to machine manufacturers any- more but to companies and start-ups that apply 3D printing to create real added value in specific domains,” says Fried Van- craen, Materialise CEO.
Another identified trend: The rise of manufacturing applica- tions, as opposed to prototyping ones, is fueling a growth in materials development. This trend is likely to bring a new chal- lenge: the need for materials standardization and better machine control, especially for industries with highly demand-
ing quality requirements, such as aerospace and med- ical devices.
In addition, software will be key to boosting productiv- ity in 3D printing, as a con- sensus among Materialise experts affirms that 3D print- ing is reaching a new level of maturity. As industries work on integrating 3D printing into their production mix, their challenges are less about technology and more about economics. The goal is to reduce costs and to increase efficiency.
“We need to get produc- tivity and profitability up, and costs down. Software plays a key role in that,” says Stefaan Motte, software vice presi- dent at Materialise “Automating manual labor during the preparation phase, also during and after production, already is a big help in making 3D printing scalable and cutting the costs
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