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Source MagazineAM-Flow automates production processes of 3D printing factories from the moment the printers have done their job. In doing so, the company aims to conquer the global additive manufacturing industry. In this, it gets a push from Sioux Technologies as investor and development partner. Stefan Rink, CEO of AM-Flow: ‘We are of the same technical family, our cooperation is a celebration of familiarity.
3D printing was considered a prototyping technology not so long ago. It is now recognized as a full-fledged production method. More and more components, for example for aerospace, medical technology and the automotive industry are made with commercial 3D printers.
Digital and smart
‘The promise of additive manufacturing is therefore great’, says Rink. ‘3D printing means freedom in design, flexibility in production, zero waste and fewer flows of goods from faraway countries. However, to achieve this, it needs to be competitive with traditional manufacturing processes. In this, despite the booming market, there are still big steps to take. The printing process is digital and smart. It is usually followed by manual identification, sorting and post-processing. This takes time, drives up product costs and increases the risk of errors. So, all these analogue operations hinder the further adoption of 3D printing.’
Flying start
AM-Flow has its origins in 3D printing service company and marketplace Shapeways’ quest for more efficient production. To that end, it joined forces with Borges 3D, a startup in 3D modelling, late 2017. From this, AM-Flow emerged in 2018. That same year, the company presented the first digital system for identifying parts. Launching customers included BMW, Shapeways and Midwest Prototyping. This got AM-Flow off to a flying start.
Fraction of a second
Rink: ‘Divergent 3D products are printed simultaneously, in large quantities and for various customers. Tiny differences often make them very difficult to identify. It was an incredibly complex case to crack; in fact, we are fighting the infinity of shape. But with our technology, identification can now be done in a fraction of a second, using machine vision, self-learning algorithms, data intelligence and linking our software to customers’ 3D models, among other things. We offer a fully digital end-to-end Industry 4.0 solution. A robotic arm places products on a conveyor belt, which then enters the AM-VISION module. After identification using ten cameras, they go to the sorting system. Autonomous transport robots will then transport them to other departments for additional production steps, such as colouring and polishing before automated labelling and packaging.’
Avoiding pitfalls
AM-Flow’s machines are now running at seven major additive manufacturers. Their portfolio is well filled. But AM-Flow has a bigger ambition; it is the only one of its kind and wants to conquer the world. In doing so, the costs are ahead of the benefits; scaling up and further developing the technology is a necessity. This is partly made possible by Sioux.
‘Sioux actually functions as the R&D department of high-tech companies or as an extension of it’, says Bob Duisters, investment manager at Sioux Technologies. ‘We also invest in the OEMs of the future through our own Tech Fund. We prefer to be involved as early as possible. This allows us to give those companies maximum support in fulfilling their roadmap and accelerate their growth and technological development. We have done this many times, we know the pitfalls and we know what it takes to avoid them. We are also happy to give AM-Flow a boost in this way. The company is solving an important, specific problem and the team is well put together in terms of knowledge and skills. Moreover, our competences, including mechatronics, software, electronics, mathware and assembly, fit seamlessly.’
Huge potential
AM-Flow is currently developing a machine for industrialized in-line quality control of 3D printed products. This includes measuring them down to the micrometre and comparing them with the specifications in the original 3D file, all in a maximum time interval of seconds. This technology from AM-Flow will need to be developed further and faster. What does the company gain from Sioux in this regard?
Rink: ‘The knowledge of our people is great, for example in the field of mathematics, optics and mechanical engineering. But Sioux has a lot of those people in-house with exceptional expertise. So, we feel like a kid in a candy shop. We recently introduced the machine for quality control at the Formnext (largest additive manufacturing trade fair in the world). The next step is to make use of big data in further improving the self-learning capability of our systems. 100% error-free identification of products is one of the big dreams in this respect.’ ‘In addition, we see opportunities to deploy AM-Flow’s technology in other markets such as waste processing, retail and food’, Duisters adds. ‘This is another great prospect for the future. The potential of AM-Flow is therefore enormous. Sioux wants to help realize it, as an investor and as a partner in development, assembly and lifecycle management.’
