Contract Manufacturers Develop Proprietary Metal AM Tech Over OEMs
Several contract manufacturers have opted to develop their own metal additive manufacturing technologies, citing limitations in commercially available solutions and aiming for cost competitiveness with traditional manufacturing methods.
Over the past two decades, a notable trend has emerged among contract manufacturers in the metal additive manufacturing (AM) sector: the decision to develop proprietary technologies rather than exclusively relying on original equipment manufacturers (OEMs). Companies like Norsk Titanium, Seurat Technologies, VulcanForms, Freeform, and Divergent Technologies have all, at different times, concluded that building their own AM solutions would be more advantageous.
These decisions are driven by both technological and economic factors. While some sought incremental improvements, others aimed for complete overhauls of existing processes. This vertical integration allows these contract manufacturers to directly address perceived limitations in commercial AM offerings and to challenge the business models of machine providers by increasing competition in the market.
Seurat Technologies, for instance, originated from Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) with the explicit goal of developing AM technology capable of competing with the costs associated with casting, forging, and machining at scale. Founder James DeMuth identified print speed limitations in technologies like laser powder bed fusion (LPBF) as a significant barrier to wider adoption, particularly for large-scale components. This realization prompted Seurat to engineer its AM system from the ground up, including its own laser technology, light valves, print chambers, and an XY gantry system, diverging significantly from LPBF.
Divergent Technologies, also featured, has developed its Monolith One machine, with CEO Lukas Czinger discussing the motivations and learnings from scaling metal AM. The company's approach underscores a desire to overcome the technological and economic hurdles that have historically hindered the widespread adoption of metal AM for large-scale production.
The development of proprietary metal AM technologies by contract manufacturers signifies a maturing industry where specific application needs outpace standard OEM offerings. This trend highlights a push for greater control over process parameters, cost reduction, and scalability, essential for competing with established manufacturing methods and enabling high-volume production.
Edited by the news editor with AI from the original report — please refer to the original source.