Additive manufacturing data specialist Senvol has announced that it will commercialize several of Siemens Energy’s additive manufacturing materials databases.
Databases on Ti64, Inconel 625, and Inconel 718 will be the first to be commercialized. Siemens Energy created all three databases using laser powder bed fusion machines. According to Senvol, the data was originally meant for internal use only, but the organization recently chose to make it commercially available. Senvol’s Senvol Indexes product line will make the databases available. Each Senvol Index data set is sold separately and offers quick access to AM data sets that would take months to create, otherwise. The Siemens Energy databases, like all Senvol Indexes, are being provided at a fraction of the price of development, according to the company.
“This marks an extremely significant point in the additive manufacturing industry. Databases of this pedigree and magnitude are typically considered proprietary information and are not made commercially available to other organizations,” said Annie Wang, Senvol’s President.
Senvol’s industrial portfolio
Previously, Senvol demonstrated how its machine learning (ML) technology can speed up the qualification of novel aerospace 3D printing materials. Working under an agreement from America Makes, the company has implemented its Senvol ML software to quickly and cost-effectively recognize property allowables throughout material R&D. The conclusions of the project, which was funded by the US Air Force (USAF), are thought to be crucial in creating a novel generation of durable lightweight components with both commercial and aerospace applications.
“I have been involved with the qualification of several additive manufacturing processes and materials for flight,” said Dr. William E. Frazier, retired Chief Scientist at NAVAIR and project participant, “and in my opinion, the further development of this technology will have a positive impact on the cost, schedule, and performance of both Department of Defense (DoD) and commercial platforms.”
Furthermore, following a round of funding from the US Department of Defense (DoD), Senvol also sought to improve its Senvol ML with ‘additional capabilities’. Senvol ML was first launched in November of 2019 after receiving an STTR Phase II seed fund from the US Navy’s Office of Naval Research (ONR). Both the US Navy and the US Air Force contributed capital, through organizations like the ONR, Naval Sea Systems Command (NAVSEA), Naval Air Systems Command (NAVAIR), and the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL). The value of the transaction and the details of the software developments remain unclear.
Commercialization that took place in the AM sector
Recently, Dimension Inx, a biomaterials platform company, announced the completion of a $12 million Series A round. The round was led by Prime Movers Lab (PML), with participation from returning investors KdT Ventures and Revolution’s Rise of the Rest Seed Fund (ROTR). This round’s new investors include Solas BioVentures, Portal Innovation Ventures, and Alumni Ventures. The funds will be used to expedite the creation of functional organ regeneration therapeutics as well as to expand the company’s manufacturing capacities. The funds will be employed to help with the commercialization of the company’s first product, CMFlex, in the coming years. Dimension Inx also revealed that CMFlex, the first FDA-approved 3D printed restorative bone graft product, has received 510(k) clearance. CMFlex is a ready-to-use flexible ceramic for oral and maxillo-facial indications that improves clinician workflow and reduces surgical case time while restoring healthy bone.
Elsewhere, 9T Labs, a Swiss carbon fiber 3D printing specialist, raised $17 million in Series A funding, which it will use to commercialize its Red Series Additive Fusion Solution platform. The platform, which combines 3D printing and compression molding, is intended for the manufacturing of sophisticated carbon fiber-reinforced thermoplastic composite parts in quantities ranging from 100 to over 100,000 parts per year. 9T Labs sought to fully commercialize the platform to manufacture components for end-use applications in the aerospace, automobiles, medical, industrial, and consumer products industries, with the support of industrial 3D printer manufacturer Stratasys and several other key investors.
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Featured image shows Senvol company logo. Image via Senvol.
