GF Machining Solutions, a division of GF, and 3D Systems, Rock Hill (USA), a specialist in additive manufacturing, announced their strategic cooperation for jointly developed, integrated manufacturing solutions based on 3D printing.
The partnership includes the development of a new generation of 3D printing solutions. It will combine 3D Systems’ metals additive manufacturing expertise with GF Machining Solutions’ subtractive metal manufacturing expertise which enables more seamless and efficient workflow solutions through integration of 3D printers, materials, software and electrical discharge machining (EDM) as well as milling and laser equipment. This is designed to meet the customers’ needs to produce complex metal parts within tight tolerances at a lower total cost of operation.
The launch of this partnership is foreseen for this year’s IMTS exhibition (International Manufacturing Technology Show), taking place in September in Chicago (USA). It is expected to include the unveiling of a new and commonly developed additive manufacturing machine. Further combined solutions, which will be distributed over both sales networks, will follow over the next few years.
“We are excited about this new partnership of two industrial leaders”, GF CEO Yves Serra stated. “With the combined experience and expertise of 3D Systems and GF Machining Solutions we are well positioned to bring to our customers new manufacturing solutions based on 3D printing.”
“The 3D Systems and GF Machining Solutions partnership brings together two customer-centric innovators to redefine metals manufacturing,” says Vyomesh Joshi, president and chief executive officer, 3D Systems. “As industry leaders, both companies share the same vision for transforming manufacturing. We are looking forward to delivering integrated technology solutions to elevate the customer’s processes and provide significant competitive advantage through reduced production time, faster time to part, and overall lower total cost of operation.”
Related Glossary Terms
- gang cutting ( milling)
gang cutting ( milling)
Machining with several cutters mounted on a single arbor, generally for simultaneous cutting.
- milling
milling
Machining operation in which metal or other material is removed by applying power to a rotating cutter. In vertical milling, the cutting tool is mounted vertically on the spindle. In horizontal milling, the cutting tool is mounted horizontally, either directly on the spindle or on an arbor. Horizontal milling is further broken down into conventional milling, where the cutter rotates opposite the direction of feed, or “up” into the workpiece; and climb milling, where the cutter rotates in the direction of feed, or “down” into the workpiece. Milling operations include plane or surface milling, endmilling, facemilling, angle milling, form milling and profiling.
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