Düsseldorf, June 19, 2019 -Loramendi, voxeljet and ASK Chemicals have taken a major step to reinvent the manufacturing landscape by developing the world’s first fully automated 3D printed core production solution. The technology called Industrialization of Core Printing (ICP) allows automated production of highly complex sand cores for casting processes. By harnessing the flexibility of additive manufacturing, ICP eliminates design limitations of conventional tooling and is capable of matching conventional core making in serial-production.
Loramendi & Aurrenak hold an extensive background as a leading group for the design and supply of complete solutions and turnkey projects for core making, moulding and casting services. With this broad expertise, Loramendi designed a fully automated, 3D printed, inorganic core production line. The ICP technology and equipment has been developed to enable a high production flexibility and to boost the opportunities of industry 4.0 for core making factories and foundries. The know-how and experience of Loramendi as a main contractor have been a key success factor to deploy this disruptive innovation by integrating process development and the equipment industrialization.
Experience from traditional manufacturing empowers 3D Printing
“Loramendi has built equipment for the foundry industry for more than 45 years and nowadays enjoys world-wide prestige. We are recognized as a builder of heavy duty, reliable machinery and solutions specifically designed for the unique challenges of the foundry industry” stated Joseba Goitia, General Manager of Loramendi. “We are really excited about starting this new journey that will completely transform the landscape of the foundry industry and set new standards for core making.”
The new solution leverages voxeljet’s decades of research and expertise in precision mechanics, microfluidics and materials sciences and features a new type of 3D printer, which is more than ten times faster than previous models.
3D Printing industry reached the inflection point
Dr. Ingo Ederer, Chief Executive Officer of voxeljet, commented: “We started nearly 20 years ago as a spin-off from Technical University Munich with a clear vision in mind: to match conventional manufacturing by constantly pushing technological boundaries. Today I can say that, together with our partners, we are set to become the world’s first to use fully automated 3D printing in automotive serial-production. The 3D printing industry is at an inflection point and this achievement marks a key milestone in our mission.”
Ask Chemicals, a leading supplier of innovative casting materials, developed the new inorganic binding materials and tailored them to the specific ICP requirements in order to meet the expected quality and productivity goals.
Inorganic binder systems for 3D Printing unite sustainability and technological impact
“3D sand printing has been used in the foundry industry for many years to produce prototypes and small series. However, with the development of ever faster printers, the technology now offers new opportunities for foundries. We are therefore very pleased to take the important step towards industrialized core printing with our alliance partners Loramendi and voxeljet.”, states Frank Coenen, CEO of ASK Chemicals. The inorganic two-component system INOTEC 3D, consisting of an INOTEC 3D printing fluid and an INOTEC 3D promoter, is applicable for hot-curing additive manufacturing processes. Further advantages are the low finishing effort of the sand cores produced, which lead to castings of high dimensional accuracy and surface quality due to the high thermal stability. Above all, INOTEC 3D supports current trends in the engine casting segment of the light metal casting industry.
The key alliance for Core Printing
The ICP technology and partnership will be officially launched at GIFA 2019 on Wednesday June 26th at 15:00h on the Loramendi & Aurrenak stand E34 - E26 in hall 16 with an official executive press conference. The integrated ICP line is going to perform two demo shows a day (10:30h and 15:00h) followed by technical presentations from the project development team. We encourage you to visit us at our stand to learn more about this game-changing technology and discuss the best suited solution for your core production needs. See you at GIFA!
For interview requests, comments or suggestions relating to the Industrialization of Core Printing, please contact:
<link>ICP@loramendi.com.
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Loramendi & Aurrenak ONE TEAM
Loramendi and Aurrenak have historically evolved in parallel, sharing common customers and projects. Our complementary products allow us to offer our customers a complete solution covering machinery and tooling to achieve a high‐quality product.
Currently, the two companies form the Casting and Tooling Association within the Mondragon Corporation Group, sharing business and engineering resources.
The synergies of both companies make it possible to control the entire process and the combined development of new solutions. They also favour the entry into the initial phases of the projects (design of parts, prototypes, development of new processes, etc...), improving our position for future production projects in terms of both tooling and industrial installations.
Our sales network includes its own commercial offices and after‐sales service in Detroit (USA), Saltillo (Mexico), Reims (France), Düsseldorf (Germany), Beijing (China), Pune (India), and Cape Town (South Africa).
Considering that our products are complementary and that the relationship between both companies is excellent, we are able to attend major trade fairs together in the foundry sector, sharing messages and strategies. This policy helps us to improve the relationship between both teams, as well as to achieve the business objectives.
The Loramendi and Aurrenak team has been working enthusiastically over the last few months on preparations for the GIFA 2019, and we are going to present a common image that will reflect the spirit of both companies.
The synergies between our products encourage collaboration between the employees, and we participate jointly in many projects and with many customers in major markets.
Both Loramendi and Aurrenak share a common philosophy of customer orientation, this being our primary business objective and the basis for the concept of our stand.
Our principal focus at GIFA is to strengthen the relationship with our customers, introduce them to the new projects we have been developing, and attract potential customers by offering them turnkey solutions.
We look forward to GIFA 2019 and invite you to visit our booth in Hall 16, E26‐E34.
