Automated powder preparation: Materialise improves 3D printing processes in Bremen

Materialise, a global provider in the field of rapid prototyping and additive manufacturing (AM), focuses on innovative solutions for process optimization. The company serves industries such as healthcare, automotive, aerospace and consumer goods and operates one of the largest 3D printing centers in the world. At its competence center in Bremen, the focus is on metal printing with 316L stainless steel powder, which is processed using EOS M280 and SLM printers.

Before the recent process changeover, powder preparation at Materialise was a manual and time-consuming process. The manual handling of metal powders not only led to productivity losses, but also to potential safety risks for employees as they came into direct contact with fine powder. To address these challenges, Materialise integrated the Russell AMPro sieving station into the production process.

The automated sieving station enables efficient powder preparation with minimal manual intervention. This not only reduces employee exposure to metal powders, but also increases production capacity as multiple 3D printers can be supported simultaneously. The fully automated sieving process ensures consistently high powder quality by minimizing contamination and complying with additive manufacturing standards.

With the integration of the Russell AMPro sieving station, Materialise has been able to significantly increase the efficiency of its workflows. Consistent powder quality is critical to meeting the requirements of the demanding industries Materialise serves.

The automation of powder preparation demonstrates how targeted investment in specialized technologies can improve 3D printing production processes. For Materialise, this means not only increased efficiency, but also the ability to continue to provide high-quality products for various industries.