Netherlands-based manufacturing service provider Wilting has expanded its additive manufacturing (AM) fleet with three metal 3D printers from 3D Systems.
The industrial machining and metal AM service provider has added two single laser DMP Flex 350 systems and one DMP Flex 350 Dual printer to support increasing demand for production and broader materials capabilities. These latest installations build on top of the two 3D Systems machines already in use at its Competence Center for 3D Printing, and will be dedicated to specific materials such as titanium and stainless steel for continuous production.
“Since the start of our Competence Center for 3D Printing, we built up the expertise and experience to produce parts at an industrial scale with predictable quality in multiple grades of Titanium,” said Geert Ketelaars, managing director, Wilting. “The recent investment in three additional printers allows us to address the growing demand from customers across several industries to onboard their new product introductions and to broaden our materials portfolio with Stainless Steel.”
Wilting began working with 3D Systems’ Application Innovation Group, which provides AM technology transfer and training, back in 2012 and has since built up its expertise in metal AM, post-machining, and post-processing. Wilting now uses AM to build components for semiconductor capital equipment and analytics and mobility industries. The company is now in the process of moving into a new 183,000 sq. ft. facility that is set to be fully operational by mid-2024 and plans to use its expanded machine capacity to grow into new markets and applications. As the ‘flex’ in its name suggest, the DMP Flex 350 platform is designed for flexible usage from application development to serial production, with quick swap build modules and fast powder recycling, and features a unique vacuum chamber concept.
Raph Alink, account & business development manager, 3D Systems commented: “3D Systems pioneered the use of additive manufacturing to deliver precise, reliable parts for semiconductor applications. In the early days of our relationship with Wilting, it was rewarding to share the application expertise our AIG had built from more than a decade working with semiconductor capital equipment manufacturers to scale their use of additive manufacturing. As an industry leader, the team at Wilting quickly realised AM’s advantages. It’s a big step for a company to bring AM in-house, and Wilting has already mastered the technology and is now transferring that into volume production for its customers. I look forward to seeing how our collaboration will continue to unfold, and the potential that AM will unlock for Wilting and its growth.”
