On 20 June 2023, the inaugural edition of the Manufacturing Technology Conference took place at the NH Koningshof Veldhoven. Here, industrial leaders such as ASML and Thermo Fisher Scientific joined forces to promote knowledge exchange and stimulate innovation in the design and manufacturing industry.
Wilting’s 3D printing specialist, Remon Haarsma, and 3D printing NPI project leader, Remco van der Loo, demonstrated their expertise in producing high-quality, low-rigidity metal printed parts in a 24/7 production setting. During this first edition, Wilting presented the 3D metal printing of components for high-tech OEMs. According to the jury, Wilting has excellently integrated additive manufacturing (AM) with the existing foundation in machining precision components. The presentation showcased how CNC machines can self-adjust to the AM parts that need to be machined, without an operator. Additionally, a solution was developed to clamp the AM parts stably without material stresses, achieving accuracies of a few microns in post-processing. In this way, a 24/7 process chain is established for the combination of additive manufacturing of precise components.
Van der Loo remarked, “To an outsider, 3D printing might seem like a simple process: you give the machine an order, and a product comes out. But that’s not how it works, at least not if you want to achieve the accuracy our customers understandably demand. We succeed only because we combine 30 years of CNC milling experience with 3D printing, incorporating our entire chain in the process.”
The goal of this Manufacturing Technology Conference is to bring together engineers from the design and manufacturing industry and share knowledge about manufacturability. This annual conference aims to increase knowledge about manufacturability for developers and explore new possibilities previously unknown.
Winning the knowledge sharing trophy recognises Wilting’s dedication to pushing the boundaries of manufacturing technology. This achievement inspires the continuous exploration of new frontiers and challenges the status quo within the organisation.
