3D打印行业透视@Formnext l 对话voxeljet CEO Ingo Ederer博士
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Formnext 2018展会期间，3D科学谷联合创始人Korinna Penndorf 女士与3D打印行业专家进行了访谈，通过5个问题的问答揭示行业发展机遇、挑战与趋势。
3D打印行业透视@Formnext的本期被采访对象是voxeljet CEO Ingo Ederer博士。
图片：voxeljet CEO Ingo Ederer博士（左）；3D科学谷联合创始人Korinna Penndorf （右）。
About Formnext
Q1. 贵公司Formnext展会上有哪些亮点？
A：voxeljet今年在formnext上的展台主要有两个亮点。一个是在我们现有的VX2000基础上做了改进，加工速度从每层通常60秒获得了明显的提升，现在我们能够实现每层12秒。这使我们能够在几个小时内打印大约300升的工作量。这使得工厂可以快速运转，尤其是我们用的粘结剂材料是无机粘结剂材料，从中出来的唯一“污染”是水蒸气。由于更严格的（环境）法规，欧洲的许多铸造厂被迫转向其他材料系统，从这个角度来说，voxeljet的技术确实是面向铸造未来的技术。
大多数汽车公司已经转向这种更加环保的材料，因此，voxeljet迎来了进入批量生产的市场机遇，我们计划在明年GIFA展会期间推出的大型生产机器相映衬的是，voxeljet今年还宣布了与其合作伙伴将粘结剂喷射3D打印技术应用于规模生产，从而将增材制造提升到新的水平。其合作伙伴为德国领先的汽车制造商，通过自动化3D打印复杂的砂模和砂芯，该生产线有望成为世界上首次汽车关键零件生产领域的集成增材制造解决方案，该项目将利用3D打印的砂芯来铸造关键发动机部件。这套系统明年正式商业化。
图片来源：voxeljet-维捷
另一个亮点是我们的高速烧结技术VX200，我们去年已经展示了这个类型的机器，但今年它增加了几个新功能，并配备了新的软件。非常重要的是速度的提高，再次从每层约35-40秒提高到不到20秒每层的加工速度。与voxeljet一直以来所专注的铸造业砂模与熔模解决方案不同的是，高速烧结工艺针对的是与注塑行业相竞争的应用领域，在实际应用中，可以制造多功能和功能完整的原型，例如支架、带扣、鞋底和用于最终用途的其它功能部件，以及汽车内饰件和产品包装等领域。
图片：VX200制造的塑料制品，来源voxeljet-维捷
About Business
Q2. 在您的公司，今年的3D打印业务与去年相比的业绩是怎样的？
A：今年voxeljet的服务业务做得特别好，我们有两条业务线。一个设备的销售服务业务，一个是根据市场需要的按需打印服务业务。按需打印业务在全球范围内表现非常出色，设备销售虽然表现的还可以但我们认为可能更好。我们也在探索其他的业务模式，例如为客户提供现场服务，这是一个发展方向。
总体来说，应用端行业正在越来越多的采用我们的3D打印技术，并开始将其视为某些应用的标准配置。
图片来源：voxeljet-维捷
此外，我们还利用我们的技术开发了几种新的应用，例如今年在苏黎世的瑞士DFAB工厂可以看到的混凝土铸件。一个非常漂亮的建筑。这样大型的混凝土浇铸物也是用voxeljet设备所生产的模具制造的。
因此，每天都有可能出现全新的应用出现。从我的角度来看，我不得不说它从未如此多样化，如此活跃，如此多的机会。这也非常有趣和具有挑战性。
About Challenges
Q3. 当前贵公司3D打印相关的业务所面临的主要挑战是什么？
A：主要的挑战是实现从小批量生产转移到批量生产。我们正在努力实现这一目标，但我们需要认识到，批量生产的要求在很多方面都是完全不同的。在再现性，质量，维护和服务，系统的可靠性方面，这些都需要严格的满足。此外，客户需要采用某种方式来理解和驾驭增材制造技术，增材制造与传统制造方法不同，双方都有一段路要走。我认为我们正走在正确的道路上，但还没有完成，这可能还需要3到5年的努力。
About the industry
Q4. 关于3D打印行业的发展，您怎么看待2018年的发展情况，您觉得站在行业发展的角度，今年主要的发展以及障碍有哪些？（从市场，应用，技术的不同角度来看）
A：虽然直接金属3D打印吸引了很多目光，我们也认为直接金属3D打印对于原型，小批量生产以及航空航天领域的某些特定应用很重要。但人们需要认识到并非所有应用都可以用它来解决。
市场是不能依靠对于直接金属3D打印的过度炒作而运行的，我希望市场能够从对直接金属3D打印的关注中冷静的看到voxeljet所代表的间接制造方式的好处，这是与传统铸造技术相衔接的制造技术。特别是在谈论更大的金属零件和更大的制造数量时候。我们希望客户能够改变看待事物的方式，以更开放的心态去尝试其他方式的可能性。不要认为直接金属3D打印尚未准备就绪，就放弃其他方式的尝试，我们相信是多种不同的3D打印技术共同发展来推动增材制造的应用发展。
About the future of AM
Q5. 您个人或者您公司对与未来5年增材制造行业的发展看法如何？
A：在未来五年内，voxeljet将在不同的应用领域看到3D打印技术更深入的进入到生产领域。当然，正如您所见，最明显的是航空航天业，毫无疑问，我们将看到越来越多的航空零件以不同的方式完成3D打印。
在汽车行业，我们可能会看到更多产品从传统制造方式转向数字化制造方式。这样的好处是显而易见的，而在接下来的五年中，我们也将看到许多塑料部件也大量的通过3D打印技术实现生产。
您将看到许多有趣的发展，材料异构，功能结构一体化的零件，电路和控制装置无需额外组装，更多的颜色......我认为未来5年将非常有趣。
-- 英文采访 --
Q1. What is the highlight of your company at Formnext this year?
A：We are showing two highlights. One is our existing VX2000, but with a dramatic speed enhancement. From typically 60 seconds per layer we are able to achieve improvements down to 12 seconds per layer. This enables us to print a full box in a few hours. We have several full boxes and a box has about 300 litres of built envelope. We are able to process that in a few hours. So you have a fast turnaround and it comes with an inorganic binder material which for casting purposes is a very important material set because it enables the foundry to work on an environmentally friendly system. The sole “pollution” coming out of it is water vapour. Many of the foundries in Europe are forced to switch to other material systems due to stricter (environmental) regulations and this is truly the future in casting especially here in central Europe.
Most of the automotive companies have already switched to this material system. So the machine voxeljet showcase here is already printing in serial production, but to be honest this is only a teaser when compared to the bigger production machine to come next year probably at GIFA, the main foundry show in Germany. We have released before that we received an order by a major automotive form for series production of casting cores out of sand with the same material. This is a pre-production machine, the real production machine comes next year.
Another highlight is our VX200 with high speed sintering. We already displayed this type of machine last year, but this year it comes with several new features, new software. Very important is also the increase in speed. Again from about 35-40 seconds per layer down to below 20 seconds.
Q2. At your company, how has this year's performance of 3D printing related business (units) been as compared to the previous year?
A：Well, our service business is doing especially well. We have two business lines. One is to build and sell binder jetting printers, but we also have an own operation, where we use those printers for on-demand printing. Especially the on-demand parts printing business is doing extremely well on a global scale. The machinery business is also not so bad but could be better. We believe that the services business and we are also looking at other models such as onsite service for customers. This could be really something for the future.
I think, generally, the (downstream) industry is adopting 3D printing and also our processes more and more and start seeing this as a kind of standard for some applications.
In addition, we have developed several new applications with our technology, for example the concrete casting which can be seen at the Swiss DFAB house in Zürich made this year. A very nice building. Concrete casting, not metal casting, but also made with our moulds. So complete new applications are coming up probably every day. From my standpoint, I have to say it was never before so diverse, so active, so many applications. It’s very interesting and challenging also.
Q3. What's the major challenge for your business at the moment to tackle?
A：It’s really the transfer from low volume production to a serial production. So we are on the way to that but we need to recognize that the requirements for serial production are completely different in many aspects. In terms of reproducibility, quality, but also maintenance and service, reliability of the system… This is something new to us. Also the customer needs to adopt that in some way additive manufacturing is different from their traditional manufacturing method. On both sides there’s a way to go. I think we are on the right path with that, but it’s not done yet. This will probably be a task for the next 3 to 5 years to come to a complete solutions for this.
Q4. What do you think the year of 2018 for 3d printing industry? What’s the major development and obstacles that you see if you look all around your partners and players, other players in the market?
A：You still see a hype with direct metal printing. We believe that direct metal is something important for the prototypes, low volume production and maybe also for some specific niche applications in aerospace. The additive manufacturing industry is definitely profiting from this hype, however not all applications can be addressed with it. Sometimes it’s sad to see that the customers are not willing to look sideways. We have good solutions for metal parts on the indirect way, especially when you are talking about bigger metal parts and bigger quantities. Direct metal is able to fulfil, this requirement. We are here and we can do it, but customers are sometimes not recognising really what is possible with other ways. They think (looking at direct metal) it is not ready yet and if that’s not applicable then we step away from it and go the conventional way. Direct metal definitely driving the industry and we will see improvements there but also on our side as well.
Q5. What is your expectation for next 5 years?
A：In the next 5 years we will see further production runs on the road for different applications. Of course, the aerospace industry as you see they jump completely on board. We will see more and more parts for aerospace printed in different methods. But as well in the automotive industry we will probably see a shift from conventional to more additive and more digital production. The benefits are clear and they need to take the step. In the next 5 years we will see many many plastic parts directly produced also in mass quantities. You will see many interesting developments coming up not only from voxeljet but other players are integrated features, functionality. Means, electric circuits and controls already printed in the part, less assembly, more colours, different materials – materials that can’t be used conventionally … I think the next 5 years will be very interesting.
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