Climate change is a hot topic right now, and there is a lot of pressure on businesses to do their bit in the fight to turn the tide against it.
For companies in the manufacturing industry, that pressure is even more intense. Traditionally, manufacturers have used machines that require enormous amounts of power to run and release a lot of wasted energy into the atmosphere and a lot of wasted material into landfill sites.
At FasTech LLC, we realized years ago that we had a golden opportunity to make a tangible difference to the environment. Our cutting-edge Gefertec 3D metal printing technology enables us to deposit 90% less material than previously, which massively reduces waste.
Crucially, the WAAM 3D metal print and subsequent High-Speed Machining process, also requires far less power, so it helps the world’s resources last longer. “People always forget about that,” says Alan Pearce, Chief Executive Officer at FasTech LLC. “When you’re roughing out a large billet of material, which is what everyone does every day, you use a lot of machine power, and you draw thousands of kilowatts of power every year on machine tools. All that’s gone.”
The introduction of five-axis machines is the key to increased efficiency at FasTech. We have recently installed our new Grob 350 machining centre, which is a huge step forward in machinability, accuracy, and speed of manufacture. The machine’s five-axis capability puts less strain on tools so they last longer significantly reduces the amount of wasted material, and creates products more quickly.
“In the typical 3D printing industry, the substrate plate will be sacrificed,” Alan explains. “It could be a big piece of titanium plate, but you had to cut it off and throw it away. With the technology we have, we can incorporate the substrate plate into the part, which makes it even more economical, easier to manufacture, and there’s no waste.”
Young engineers love to talk about saving the world, being green, and saving power. At FasTech, we are doing all of those things right now!