The Bossard Group has entered partnerships with three technology leaders to supply 3D industrial printers and related consumables, and to act as a consultant in designing complex parts for additive manufacturing.
Together with subsidiary KVT-Fastening, Bossard presented three different technologies at the Additive Manufacturing Expo in Lucerne early in March. Partners for the Swiss market include TRUMPF (laser metal fusion), German RepRap (fused filament fabrication) and Henkel (stereolithography).
Bossard views 3D printing as forward-looking technology that will transform some areas of industrial manufacturing. Its involvement relies on partnerships with three manufacturers of premium industrial 3D printers and related technical support services. The Group will contribute its technical expertise, experience in solving industrial manufacturing problems, and an established sales network. Consulting services will extend to the design of prototypes and complex customised components, with its application engineering and prototyping resources acting as a centre of competence.
Working with its partners Bossard will continually develop the new additive manufacturing range. The devices are based on three different technologies and are designed for professional use in various areas, including product development, prototyping, model- and mould-making, architecture, product design, and creation of complex components with functional integration.
The TRUMPF Group is a market and technology leader in the development of machine tools and lasers for industrial manufacturing. In the field of additive manufacturing, the company is the only one to offer both relevant laser technologies, laser metal fusion and laser metal deposition. Its product portfolio covers complete solutions from a single source that combine digitalization, machines and services, including proprietary laser sources. In the field of fused filament fabrication (FFF), Bossard is cooperating with German Manufacturer, German RepRap, which has been developing 3D printers based on this technology since 2013. The FFF process is the most widely used 3D printing method and is comparatively easy to handle with relatively modest investment costs.
Bossard also sees stereolithography as a promising field over the long term. Here it is partnering with German adhesive manufacturer Henkel, which offers its Loctite PR10 DLP printer and a selection of synthetic resins for additive manufacturing. KVT-Fastening already has a long-standing partnership with Henkel in the adhesives field. Stereolithography is suitable for printing objects with very finely layered surfaces whose individual layers must be indistinguishable from one another.
Having held senior management roles in leading automotive and fastener businesses, Phil joined Fastener + Fixing Magazine as editor in 2002. Convinced there is no substitute for ‘being there’, over 17 years of visits and interviews around the world means he has accumulated an extraordinary knowledge and perspective of the global fastener industry, reflected in his incisive and thought provoking reporting.
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