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Siemens has acquired a majority stake (85 percent) in Materials Solutions Ltd., one of the world leaders in Additive Manufacturing (AM) processing and production. The remaining 15 percent is being held by Carl Brancher, the founder of the company. In August 2015, Siemens Venture Capital acquired a minority stake (14 percent) in the company that currently employs more than 20 highly qualified engineers. Financial details of the deal were not disclosed.
Founded in 2006 and headquartered in Worcester, UK, Materials Solutions is a pioneer in the use of Selective Laser Melting (SLM) technology for the manufacture of high-performance metal parts. A specialty of the company is making turbomachinery parts, particularly high temperature applications for gas turbines where accuracy, surface finish and the highest quality of the materials is critical to ensure operational performance of the parts in service. Materials Solutions has proven applications in high demanding fields, such as aerospace, power generation and motor sports. Materials Solutions will continue to focus on supporting external customers in those highly demanding environments in order to continuously drive and leverage innovations across different industries.
Since the rise of Additive Manufacturing, Siemens has been investing in the technology and is now driving towards industrialization and commercialization. Siemens has been using its internal competence in Additive Manufacturing including the support of Corporate Technology to help meet the customers' needs.
Siemens extensively uses AM technology for rapid prototyping, and the company has introduced serial production solutions for rapid manufacturing of small fuel mixers and for rapid repair of burner tips for mid-size gas turbines. Siemens in Finspång, Sweden, started using Additive Manufacturing technology in 2009 and opened a production facility for metal 3D printed components in February 2016. This investment was the first step in the company's plans for mass manufacture and repair of metal parts with Additive Manufacturing. The first 3D printed burner component for a Siemens heavy-duty gas turbine is in successful commercial operation in a power plant in Brno, Czech Republic.
Additive Manufacturing is a process that builds parts layer-by-layer from sliced CAD models to form solid objects. Also known as '3D Printing' it has been building design verification prototypes for some time. Recent advancements in the technology have enhanced the potential of Additive Manufacturing for fully manufactured production parts. Fiber lasers are now available with enough power to melt high performance metal alloys to manufacture gas turbine or jet engine parts.
Keywords: Additive Manufacturing, 3D Printing, Selective Laser Melting (SLM), Turbomachinery Parts, Rapid Prototyping, ARC Advisory Group.