WAAM has been gaining momentum this year, as more companies realise the technology’s potential to simplify supply chains and reduce costs, lead times and waste. And we’ve had an incredibly busy and successful year; here are just some of the highlights:
New Launches
In June we launched RoboWAAM®, our next generation large format3D metal additive printing platform to a tremendous reception. It includes innovative hardware features seen for the first time in this type of printing. RoboWAAM’s sensing hardware and proprietary software increases the potential for multi-metre metallic part development in aerospace, defence, oil and gas and research communities.
Awards
All the team’s hard work has begun to pay off and the company was presented with a number of industry awards:
· WAAM3D was recognised as 1 of the 10 most innovative 3D printing companies of 2022 by All3DP, the world's #1magazine for the digital maker.
· RoboWAAM won the non polymer hardware category at the TCT 3D Printing and Additive Manufacturing Awards.
· Dr Filomeno Martina, CEO and co-founder of WAAM3D was awarded the International Outstanding Young Researcher in Freeform and Additive Manufacturing Award (FAME Jr) at the 2022 Solid Freeform Fabrication Symposium in Texas, in recognition of his contribution to the AM field.
Going for Growth
2022 also saw WAAM3D ship its 16th deposition system, meaning that the company’s WAAM solutions are now being used in America, Canada, China, Germany, Italy, Japan, Malaysia, Singapore and the UK. WAAM3D’s team also grew to 30 people at our new Milton Keynes headquarters.
In Good Company
We have continued developing influential partnerships in 2022:
· We were key partners in a new UK and EU academic-industrial partnership, known as LAMM, to develop two WAAM variants to achieve substantial improvements in deposition rates and printing efficiency. The project will complete at the end of this month and we’ll be sharing the learnings in the coming months. https://www.waam3d.com/project/lamm
· The company also partnered with Aircraft Research Association Ltd (ARA) to improve wind tunnel model creation lead times and costs. Using the WAAM process, we produced a 190mm diameter and 350mm length aluminium nosecone that was integrated into a wind tunnel model resulting in a 74% reduction in material usage and future potential cost savings of 5-10% - read the full case-study here.
Out and About
Members of the team were invited to speak at some very high profile events, to share knowledge and showcase some of our highly successful projects; these included:
· Dr Filomeno Martina, CEO and co-founder of WAAM3D spoke at the TWI Metal Additive Manufacturing Symposium inCambridge; the ASTM International Conference on Additive Manufacturing inFlorida; and the Solid Freeform Fabrication Symposium in Texas.
· ProfStewart Williams, Chief Technology Officer at WAAM3D presented at the WeldingInstitute and TWI webinar on Welding and Joining for the Modern Automotive Industry.
· Shakirudeen Lasisi, Senior Development Engineer at WAAM3D and Prof Stewart Williams presented at I-AM 2022, the first annual International Additive Manufacturing Conference in Lisbon, Portugal.
We also showcased RoboWAAM at some leading exhibitions including TCT 3Sixty in May and Formnext in Frankfurt in November
WAAM3D’s achievements this year wouldn’t have been possible without the unfailing support of the team, customers, and research partnerships. With the benefits of WAAM only just beginning to be explored, here’s to an even more successful 2023!
For more information on how WAAM can help you in 2023 and beyond, get in touch.