3D printer manufacturer GEFERTEC sells first arc80X machine to England

Kingsbury and GEFERTEC have enjoyed a close partnership for five years, under which the British company has been the exclusive distributor of the Berlin-based manufacturer’s arc machines on the UK market. Kingsbury founded Additure, a subsidiary that focuses exclusively on additive manufacturing methods, around two years ago. Additure operates an application center in Preston, which is set up for both contract manufacturing and feasibility studies. An arc405 is already in operation here. In April, a contract was signed for the purchase of a new arc80X, which is scheduled for delivery in early 2025.

Wire Arc Additive Manufacturing (WAAM) is particularly suitable for the production of large components. The arc machines from GEFERTEC are based on the WAAM process, in which traditional gas metal arc welding is used to build up components layer by layer. This process is combined with the standard NX software from Siemens and a Sinumerik control architecture. GEFERTEC offers its own CAM software for special production requirements.

The WAAM process enables high build rates and the use of wire as the starting material makes material handling simple and cost-effective. With the increasing demand for larger components, Kingsbury decided to invest in the arc80X, which can produce parts weighing up to eight tons.

“With continued demand in the defense, power generation and aerospace sectors and the amount of orders we have had to turn down, the decision to purchase a second Gefertec machine was an easy one. The arc80X not only provides us with much needed additional capacity, but also offers a significantly larger build envelope,” says Richard Kingsbury, Managing Director of the company. “We are able to print much larger parts, which significantly increases our value and relevance to these important sectors.”

The arc80X offers a build envelope of 2 x 2 x 2 meters in the 3-axis version, while the 5-axis version can print parts up to 0.9 meters in diameter and up to 1.4 meters in height. This new generation of machines is also characterized by a high degree of automation, which improves production efficiency. Automated functions include integrated tool measurement, gas nozzle cleaning, wire cutting and the replacement of wear parts.

With the new arc80X, Kingsbury can now produce much larger parts, significantly increasing the company’s value and relevance in key industries such as defense, power generation and aerospace.