Swiss Innovation Center SIPBB receives first industrial additive machine tool

On December 6, 2024, Switzerland’s first industrial-grade additive machine tool, the IMPACT 4530, was officially handed over at the Switzerland Innovation Park Biel/Bienne (SIPBB). The machine was developed and manufactured by IRPD, a company of the UNITED GRINDING Group. The handover ceremony took place in the presence of representatives from IRPD, SIPBB and UNITED GRINDING Group.

“For SIPBB, whose mission is to promote the Swiss economy and create and maintain jobs in Switzerland, additive manufacturing is one of the focus areas,” emphasized Felix Kunz, Chairman of the Board of Directors of SIPBB.

The Innovation Park promotes applied research and development in order to provide companies with targeted support in implementing new technologies. The investment in the IMPACT 4530 is intended to strengthen Switzerland’s competitiveness and open up new opportunities for industrial applications in additive manufacturing.

“By main-taining a strong emphasis on quality and productivity, utilizing a fully digitalized process chain, and implementing a high level of automation, manufacturing in Switzerland is set to remain profitable in the future,” emphasizes Andreas Burn, member of the SIPBB Executive Board and Head of the Swiss Advanced Manufacturing Center.

In his speech, member of the Board of Directors at IRPD and CTO of the UNITED GRINDING Group Christoph Plüss spoke about the Group’s motivation for entering the additive manufacturing sector: “Market analyses indicated that we could fill a gap by developing and constructing the first Swiss additive machine tool. This presented a clear opportunity and sufficient motivation for the Group.”

The system uses the Laser Powder Bed Fusion (LPBF) process and offers an installation space of 450 x 300 x 400 mm. High component quality is achieved thanks to a thermostabilized process chamber and synchronized fibre lasers with an output of 1,000 W each.

“After six years of development, today marks an important day for the IRPD, the SIPBB, and the history of additive manufacturing in Switzerland – a circumstance that fills me with great pride,” emphasizes Andreas Burn, Head of the Swiss Advanced Manufacturing Center.

The machine is equipped with the “C.O.R.E.” hardware and software architecture and enables intuitive operation via a 24-inch control panel. Its automation capability and low maintenance requirements make it particularly attractive for industrial applications.

“SIPBB is an ideal customer for us,” explains IRPD CEO Stefan Lang. “This is evident from the keywords Switzerland, research, proximity to industry and applications, as well as employee qualifications.”