Apex installs ENESKApostprocess: Safer post-processing for metal 3D printing in the UK

The British company Apex Additive Technologies has recently installed a new post-processing system for metal 3D printed components. This system, known as ENESKApostprocess, is specifically focused on enhancing safety during post-processing operations. By introducing this technology, developed by the German manufacturer joke Technology and distributed in the UK by Moleroda, Apex aims to significantly improve worker protection against harmful metallic fine dust and explosive atmospheres.

“Post-processing at high surface speeds can be extremely hazardous due to the generation of fine metallic dusts, which pose significant risks to both health and workplace cleanliness,” explains Youssef Beshay, Founder and CEO of Apex Additive Technologies. “These particulates also present a high risk from a DSEAR perspective, demanding stringent control measures. Our ENESKApostprocess addresses all these concerns in one system: fine dusts are contained and immediately extracted through an ATEX-rated filter, ensuring no operator exposure whatsoever, thanks to the glove box design. Within the glove-box there is built in access to ENESKA’s wide range of high-rpm motorised surface finishing tools, where the process is both ergonomic and repeatable—delivering a safe, clean, and efficient solution for advanced manufacturing environments.”

The ENESKApostprocess system integrates multiple post-processing steps such as support structure removal, excess powder removal, and surface smoothing. Central to the system is a fully enclosed 0.75-square-meter cabin capable of accommodating a variety of component sizes. Fine dust particles generated during post-processing, which pose both health and safety risks, are directly captured by an explosion-proof ATEX filter. The cabin door remains automatically locked until air quality within the chamber returns to acceptable levels, ensuring a substantially safer working environment.

“We are proud to be the first in the UK to install this cutting-edge technology,” says Mr Beshay. “We expect many AM companies will soon follow suit, given the unparalleled health and safety benefits it provides.”

Apex Additive Technologies expects that installing this technology will motivate other companies in the 3D printing sector to adopt similar measures to enhance safety in their own manufacturing environments. In the future, this development could significantly contribute to raising industrial safety standards in additive manufacturing.