"Our aim is to achieve a high level of maturity of CNC machines with our additive manufacturing machines," explains Dr. Vino Suntharakumaran, Managing Director at DMG MORI Additive GmbH. The company is not far off reaching this aim with the LASERTEC 30 DUAL SLM, which increases productivity by 80%. Festo has been brought on board as a development partner. Thanks to its ready-to-install automation solution, the inert gas atmosphere is precisely managed.  

Industry experts are forecasting a golden era for additive manufacturing, with annual growth rates of 24% anticipated into 2024. The automation of 3D printing processes offers further growth potential, for example in feeding or depowdering the components. When it comes to the depowdering of laser-melted metal parts, Solukon is the world's leading supplier. It is working together with Festo, the global player in industrial automation technology, to establish whether it is possible to push the level of automation for depowdering even further...