K3D, a high-tech company that Printing Technology Centers offers, the TCT Industrial Product Application Award 2019 won with its 3D printed dough knife. “This clearly shows how many industries, in addition to well-known aerospace and automotive applications, can benefit from our industrial additive manufacturing technology,” said Daan Kersten, CEO of Additive Industries, the supplier of K3D's metal 3D printers. K3D-AddFab has recently turned up Brainport Industries Campus (BIC) based in Eindhoven.
The jury of the TCT Awards praised the industrial robot dough cutter from K3D. “It has been redesigned for powder bed fusion, resulting in a host of benefits, including a reduction in the number of parts from 20 to 1 and a weight reduction of 90%. Unique improvements in Additive Manufacturing include porous structures for better cleaning and a built-in bearing, leaf spring and thread. This resulted in more cuts per hour, reducing the need for not 8 but only 6 robots and saving €120,000.”
The third annual TCT Awards ceremony took place last Wednesday at the National Conference Center in Birmingham. Industry leaders celebrated the innovators, technologies and employees behind the best examples of Additive Manufacturing, 3D Printing, Design and Engineering. There were visitors and (candidate) winners from all over the world.
TCT on the category in which the K3D won first prize: “Industrial products work behind the scenes to keep our industries working. Whether it's factory automation equipment, farm implements or material handling machinery, there's little that doesn't pass an industrial designer. 3D technologies are increasingly being used in this sector to stimulate unique developments.”
