A new partnership announced today at RAPID + TCT in Detroit will see the metal 3D printer manufacturer commence work with Indo-MIM.
Indo-MIM, headquartered in Bangalore, India, was founded in 1998 and now has over 1,800 employees. As a leader in the production of components using Metal Injection Molding, Indo-MIM supplies over 100 million precision-engineered metal parts to OEM customers across 30 countries.
The strategic partnership will see Indo-MIM utilise the Desktop Metal Production System to become a full-service manufacturing partner for Desktop Metal.
“This is a major step forward in the progress of additive manufacturing,” said Krishna Chivukula, Jr., CEO of Indo-MIM. “As the world’s largest MIM house, we know our customers in automotive, aerospace and other key industries will reap the benefits of this new mass manufacturing technology. We are excited to partner with Desktop Metal to bring metal additive manufacturing closer to those companies looking to achieve the speed, cost, and quality benefits to their businesses. With the Production System now joining our state-of-the-art factories, we will be fully integrated to provide customers with a one-stop resource for the manufacturing of complex precision components and sub-assemblies with additive manufacturing.”
Desktop Metal’s Production System is the second additive manufacturing technology to be announced by the Burlington, Massachusetts company. Founded in 2015, Desktop Metal was quick to rise to prominence in the 3D printing industry, receiving a substantial amount of funding. Backers include Koch Industries, Ford Motor and GE Ventures.
However, with over $400 million in funding raised, it may be worth considering if further technologies are under-development. Given the high level of engineering expertise at Desktop Metal, it would be surprising if additional systems were not launched.
Desktop Metal co-founder acknowledged with SME award
Such experts include Desktop Metal co-founder Emanuel “Ely” Sachs, the inventor of binder jetting. During yesterday’s opening event at RAPID + TCT, Sachs’ contributions to the advancement of additive manufacturing were acknowledged by show organisers, SME.
“SME’s Additive Manufacturing Community established the Industry Achievement Award more than a decade ago to recognize leaders who have made a significant impact in additive manufacturing,” said Sandi Bouckley, executive director and CEO, SME. “Professor Sachs has been instrumental in transforming global manufacturing as we know it, and we’re proud to recognize his considerable contributions to our industry.”
“It is truly an honor to be recognized with this award,” said Sachs. “I find myself incredibly fortunate to have carved out a career in such rewarding and challenging work surrounded by like-minded individuals at MIT, Desktop Metal, and beyond.”
Peers were quick to join in congratulating Sachs, with Scott Crump, co-founder of Stratasys and inventor of FDM 3D printing saying, “”Ely is more than deserving of this honor. He was able to take the theory and the physics, and convert that to something that could really work. Without Ely, the whole binder jetting revolution would have been delayed and it may have been an entirely different world for 3D printing today.”
Binder jetting to accelerate industrial use of additive manufacturing
The first Desktop Metal Production System will be installed at Indo-MIM’s San Antonio, Texas factory this summer, becoming available to customers from fall 2019.
Ric Fulop, CEO and co-founder of Desktop Metal said, “The synergies of our companies are profound — both Desktop Metal and Indo-MIM are deeply rooted in MIM technology and we share an unbridled commitment to accelerate the availability of industrial additive manufacturing technologies.”
“This collaboration with Indo-MIM will help deliver the power and promise of our Production System to companies with diverse manufacturing needs and to shift the paradigm from prototyping to include full scale metal manufacturing.”
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