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Here at Met-L-Flo we are always happy to open our doors to customers, students, and other interested parties to advance the general knowledge of our Industry. Additive Manufacturing, commonly referred to as 3D Printing, is an ever evolving field and Met-L-Flo believes in participating in industry education.
On Friday, August 1, 2014, Met-L-Flo had the privilege of holding a BBQ and open house for some of our local customers. We appreciate everyone taking the time to come see our facility and interact with us. Throughout the event wonderful discussions were had about industry advancements, Met-L-Flo processes and most importantly direct solutions for customer programs.
On Tuesday, September 9, 2014, we had another opportunity to increase industry awareness. Met-L-Flo hosted a group of students through ASM International, the Materials Information Society and Northern Illinois University. The students were invited for a tour of our facility. After the tour, Carl Dekker, President of Met-L-Flo, gave a comprehensive power point presentation followed by lively discussion on the advantages of 3D Printing, and where the industry is forecasted to be within the next few years.
Due to the success of these events we are planning to continue opening our doors. Watch for your invitation soon.
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A few weeks back, Carl emailed a link to a Radiolab podcast article. The article provided links to 3D files for a Taung Skull, which Carl downloaded. Two days later, he handed me a tiny skull that we had built in our SLA labs.
It's a fascinating listen. The narrators brought to life the 1920's discovery of an ancient cave in Taung, South Africa. Geologist Raymond Dart painstakingly scraped away at a limestone rock until he found himself staring at a perfectly preserved face of a human child. To make this even more noteworthy, the preserved skull also reflected characteristics similar to that found in a chimpanzee.
Many times I find myself focusing on emerging tech and cutting edge design--this is the perfect melding of both.
It’s incredible to hear how many individuals had a part in the little replica sitting before me. We want to thank everyone involved for their hard work.
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As additive manufacturing technology advances, the ability to use 3D printed parts for end production is becoming more and more accessible. Up to this point the majority of 3D printed/rapid parts have been mainly used for prototypes. One technology furthering these advances is Electron Beam Melting (EBM).
EBM is being used to produce metal parts 3-5 times faster than SLS, SLM and DMLS. The main advancement is in the melting process. With EBM the melting is done in a vacuum as the beam completely melts the particles to create a fully solid object, requiring minimal reworking compared to other additive manufacturing methods.
Due to their strength and heat tolerance, these parts are ideally suited for many industries, including auto, medical, and aerospace.
We’d be happy to discuss your project with you to help determine which of our many processes is best suited for your application.
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President's Message
by Carl Dekker
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Autumn is upon us, and we are quickly reminded of all of the educational activities surrounding us. We are beginning to see a large number of activities aimed at training for 3D Printing or Additive Manufacturing. Met-L-Flo supports educational activities through presentations at local venues, employing interns, and supporting educational organizations by contributing to their advisory boards. There is a lot of work to be done in this area and we are pleased to support such organizations as America Makes, N.I.U., RapidTech, and Edmonds C.C. that focus completely on education. It is our desire to do our part to educate interested parties while helping grow the industry.
We understand that these new technologies can be confusing to navigate. At Met-L-Flo we like to ask ‘what if’ to open new process possibilities to our customers. We have enjoyed helping many clients discover unanticipated solutions and look forward to helping many more. It is for this reason that we push our internal training programs to continue to expand. This expansion enables us to better suggest the right solution for your applications. Simply asking ‘what if…’ can be very enlightening and gratifying. Please partner with us on your prototyping, tooling and additive manufacturing projects. We have more solutions than you ever imagined.
Have a beautiful autumn as we continue to learn together!
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