Roboze, a manufacturer of industrial 3D printing technology, has developed a 3D printer with a heated chamber designed to produce large-scale parts with super polymers and composites for industrial applications. The ARGO 1000 printer can now offer customizable, industrial parts and on-demand production at scale, and produce parts up to one cubic metre (nearly 40 inches by 40 inches by 40 inches). The printer is intended for use in the aerospace, energy, transportation, MedTech and automotive industries, and uses sustainable super polymers and composites such as PEEK, Carbon PEEK and ULTEM ..read more

The University of Waterloo will establish an Additive Manufacturing Alliance (AMA) with $8.2 million in funding from the federal government. The alliance will leverage the school’s Multi-Scale Additive Manufacturing (MSAM) Lab, a research and development facility for metal additive manufacturing that also works with manufacturers to test new technologies. A collaboration between post-secondary institutions and major industry partners, the AMA will help businesses across southern Ontario overcome barriers to adopting cutting-edge advanced manufacturing technologies by providing access to the MS ..read more

PyroGenesis Canada, a Montreal-based manufacturer, has commissioned a new production line for plasma-atomized metal powder for additive manufacturing. The company, which in addition to powder also manufactures plasma waste-to-energy systems and clean plasma torch products, has installed the NexGen Plasma Atomization System, with a production rate exceeding 25 kilograms/hour. Several major aerospace companies and OEMs are awaiting powders from PyroGenesis’ new production line. The company will, over the next several weeks, perform a number of test-runs to confirm batch to batch consistency ..read more

Stratasys, a provider of polymer 3D printing solutions, has announced a forthcoming line of powder bed fusion–based 3D printers. The new H Series Production Platform will be powered by selective absorption fusion (SAF) technology designed to meet the needs of volume manufacturing. Commercial availability of 3D printers based on SAF technology is currently expected in the third quarter of 2021. What is selective absorption fusion? SAF is a new industrial-grade additive manufacturing technology that delivers production level throughput for end-use parts. SAF-based 3D printers can deliver a compe ..read more

Additive manufacturer Burloak Technologies is now among the companies producing face shields that will be used by frontline medical and healthcare workers in the fight against COVID-19. This personal protective equipment was designed and tested in collaboration with Hamilton Health Sciences and Mohawk College. Production has begun and will ramp up to volumes of approximately 10,000 units per week. The project was funded by Next Generation Manufacturing Canada, the Canadian government’s advanced manufacturing supercluster, as part of its call for solutions to help fight the pandemic. “Additive ..read more

Underneath the compelling headline on BMW’s “design your own vehicle” website, there is some telling fine print. “This is a configurator,” the disclaimer reads. “Your ability to obtain the vehicle you build depends on availability.” These words reflect the difficulty, even for luxury brands, of moving away from the traditional paradigm of mass production. While responses to the growing granularity of customer demand – mass-customization, flexible manufacturing, batch-of-one manufacturing – are often touted as the way of the future, many hurdles remain. The basic idea, of course, is nothing new ..read more

Siemens is making its Additive Manufacturing (AM) Network along with its 3D printers available to the global medical community to speed design and production of medical components. The AM Network connects users, designers and 3D-print service providers to enable faster and less complicated production of spare parts for machines like ventilators. The Siemens AM network is available globally and covers the entire value chain – from upload and simulation to checking the design up to the printing process and associated services. Doctors, hospitals and organizations in need of medical devices as we ..read more

The March/April digital edition of Manufacturing AUTOMATION is now available! Our cover story dives into flexible manufacturing – a new buzzword tied to Industry 4.0. It’s an update on the concept of mass customization – but what does it mean for existing equipment? Writer Jacob Stoller takes a look at the trend in Canada, and what upgrades in automation infrastructure are required to achieve “batch size one.” Also in this issue, you’ll find: Industry watch Gamification: why it matters to manufacturing Machine safety Can your respirator program accommodate physical changes? Advancing autonomou ..read more

Canadian manufacturers, it appears, have been a bit more cautious than their counterparts in Europe and the United States in rolling out the proverbial red carpet for additive manufacturing (AM) processes, perhaps due to the dizzying array of options and substantial up-front investment that’s required. However, experts in the field say manufacturers should consider being a little more hospitable as the technology has evolved by massive leaps and bounds from visualization and prototypes to very efficient processes that can save companies some big bucks by reducing waste and cutting out the time ..read more

Siemens has launched the Siemens Additive Manufacturing (AM) Network, a cloud-based solution to foster collaboration and process orchestration between engineers, procurement and suppliers of 3D printed parts. The network follows pilots and successful implementations with customers and partners, including Decathlon, Siemens Gas & Power, Siemens Mobility, HP and Materialise. The Siemens AM Network connects the demand for parts with a supplier network that helps to enable globally distributed manufacturing. The network digitalizes the order-to-delivery process by aligning the engineering ..read more