Page 16 - 3D Metal Printing Summer 2019

3D New Machine
Sharon Tuvia also is impressed by the
new machine’s improved gas-flow tech- nology.
“The closed-vacuum-chamber design not only maximizes powder re-use, but also prevents argon-gas bubbles from per- meating the part,” Ronen explains. “When parts produced using this technology undergo hot isostatic pressing, quality is comparable to forged parts. Such results are a must for aerospace parts that peri- odically need to withstand high amounts of pressure.”
Room to Grow
Sharon Tuvia’s management conversed with 3D Systems for 2 yr. before bringing the DMP Flex 350 onboard, making sure that the new printer and materials could meet demand for quality titanium parts, and be scalable for higher-volume projects and new applications. Through the capa- bility and capacity increase delivered by the DMP Flex 350, and efforts to educate potential customers, Yair sees a pathway
to greater success for Sharon Tuvia. “Israel does not represent a big market, so in the 8 yr. since we’ve added metal AM, we’ve been educating our customers about another degree of freedom afforded by AM and its advantages over subtractive manufacturing, including the ability to create lighter structures, optimize topog- raphy, introduce lattices and shorten time
to market.
“Right now, we are working closely with
our current AM customers on new projects and greater opportunities,” he continues. “And, new customers are moving us from only low-quantity batches to mass pro- duction. For example, we now supply a healthcare customer with 3000 aluminum heatsink parts per year—we can load a lot of these small parts onto a build plate.”
For a long time, though wanting to enter the market for titanium aerospace and medical parts, Yair did not see ideal results from printing with the material...until now. The company also looks to add ceramics to its AM material roster. These new efforts
poise the company to grow, with AM rev- enue increasing at about a 25-percent annual clip, and helping boost the machin- ing side through finishing and hybrid work.
“Our plan is to increase our additive business to 50 percent within four to five years,” says Yair, by helping its current aluminum customers improve part designs and functionality, and adding new titanium customers, especially in Europe.
That should keep the Sharon family busy, as Yair and Ronen have another brother working for the company, along with two nephews. And, perhaps the biggest fan of AM at Sharon Tuvia is Yair and Ronen’s father, who, at 87 years old, still comes to work every day. His perse- verance and enthusiasm, along with the ability to find another way, just like their grandfather did before, provides contin- ued inspiration to the Sharon brothers.
Says Yair, reasoning as to the company’s success and its willingness to adopt new technology and adapt to new markets, “We stand on the shoulders of giants.” 3DMP
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