In this wide-ranging interview, Nick Williams speaks with Dan Brunermer, founder of B-jetting LLC and veteran of the metal Binder Jetting (BJT) industry. Drawing on decades of experience, Brunermer reflects on what past successes reveal about the future of Additive Manufacturing – from the growing demand for custom machines and integrated automation to the economic realities shaping adoption. This is a candid and insightful exploration of where Binder Jetting stands today – and the challenges and opportunities that lie ahead.
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3DEO has risen to become a significant player in metal Additive Manufacturing, producing over 1.5 million parts since 2018 for customers in the aerospace, medical, and semiconductor industries, among others. Uniquely, the company uses its own Intelligent Layering® technology rather than relying on commercially available AM processes such as Binder Jetting. Bernard North visited the company for PIM International and reports on how it has achieved commercial success in an industry where more widely known processes are struggling to make progress
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Sinter-based Additive Manufacturing has gained significant traction within ASTM’s International Conference on Advanced Manufacturing (ICAM), growing from a niche topic to a major area of discussion. Since its introduction as a dedicated track in 2022, interest in sinter-based AM has expanded rapidly, covering technologies such as Binder Jetting (BJT), Material Extrusion (MEX), Vat Photopolymerisation (VPP), Cold Metal Fusion, and emerging hybrid approaches. In this article, Dr Animesh Bose highlights key presentations and insights from ICAM 2024 that are shaping the future of sinter-based AM.
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In September 2024, the 7th International Conference on Powder Metallurgy and Additive Manufacturing of Titanium (PMTi2024) brought together experts from academia and industry in Madrid. Hosted by the Universidad Carlos III, the event featured considered PM titanium’s future, with insights into cost reduction, innovative processes, and material advancements. This article highlights key takeaways, with a particular emphasis on sinter-based processes and their industrial application. Dr Thomas Ebel presents a comprehensive review of the most notable insights.
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Filament-based Material Extrusion (MEX), also known as Fused Filament Fabrication (FFF), combines cost efficiency with versatility, enabling the rapid prototyping of complex geometries. When used with Reverse Engineering and digital scanning technologies, could the technology play a role in the supply of discontinued legacy metal parts? Here, Sihan Zhang, Saleh Khanjar, Srimanta Barui, Kameswara Pavan Kumar Ajjarapu, and Kunal Kate from the University of Louisville; Lauren Shackleford of the University of Kentucky; and Andrew Pierce, GE Appliances, report on the process undertaken to produce a discontinued stainless steel helical gear.
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Everyone had high expectations of Binder Jetting. Of all the metal Additive
Manufacturing processes, it suffered from the most hype. What transpired was
the realisation amongst machine vendors that it was harder than expected to ‘get
it right’. However, while public success stories are few and far between, progress
is being made. Azoth is one company that has successfully embraced Binder
Jetting, along with related sinter-based AM processes. With a ‘feet firmly on the
ground’ approach, and a base near Detroit, it has found commercial success in the automotive industry and beyond. Bernard North reports on a recent visit.
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Metal Injection Moulding often has an aura of mystery around it. Whilst those in the industry understand the technology well, there are many ‘on the outside’ who are more apprehensive. In this article, Declan Coyle takes some of the mystery out of MIM technology in relation to tooling. Having gone through his own ‘MIM initiation’ process when tasked with developing the tooling for Apple’s Lightning connector in 2011, Coyle is well-positioned to offer some practical ‘do and don’t’ suggestions from a tooling engineer’s perspective.
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MIM2024, the International Conference on Injection Molding of Metals, Ceramics, and Carbides, was held in Raleigh, North Carolina, from February 26 to 28, 2024. Attended by more than a hundred delegates from ten countries, this latest event in the well-established series was deemed to be an innovative success. This year was – to the relief of both attendees and the Metal Powder Industries Federation (MPIF) – an in-person only event. Dr Animesh Bose, CEO, Optimus Alloys, reviews some of the highlights from the technical programme.
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Despite the success of Ceramic Injection Moulding (CIM) in multiple end-user sectors, from luxury watches to automotive interiors and industrial engineering, there remains considerable scope for process optimisation to advance part quality, productivity and overall process capability. As part of the ‘CIM++’ research project, Ceramaret, Primaform and the iRAP institute investigated the potential of a variotherm control system for the CIM process and, as the results presented here demonstrate, significant improvements were achieved.
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Additive Manufacturing’s high geometric flexibility, when combined with the optimised properties of multi-material components, opens up new possibilities for designers and manufacturers. Recently, innovations in the design of the interfaces between different materials presents further opportunities with regard to the functionalisation and miniaturisation of components. In this article, Uwe Scheithauer, Fraunhofer IKTS, and Robert Johne, AMAREA Technology GmbH, explore the potential in the area of ceramic-based components produced using Multi Material Jetting (MMJ) technology.
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